Arguing About Rebellion

This persuasive writing worksheet supports students in Grades 9, 10, and 11 as they develop argumentative writing, textual analysis, reasoning, and organization skills through George Orwell’s 1984. By adopting the role of a citizen of Oceania, learners craft a focused response to the question of whether rebellion against Big Brother is possible, using evidence, logic, and counterargument to defend their position.

Instructional Objectives

• Argumentative Writing (Grades 9-11): Students write a clear claim supported by reasoning and relevant textual evidence.
• Textual Evidence & Literary Analysis: Learners draw on events, dialogue, and themes from 1984 to justify their stance.
• Counterargument & Rebuttal: Students acknowledge opposing viewpoints and respond to them thoughtfully to strengthen persuasion.
• Theme-Based Critical Thinking: Learners evaluate ideas of control, freedom, individuality, and resistance within a dystopian society.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource: Designed by educators to align with secondary ELA writing and literature standards.
• Structured Essay Support: Prompts guide students through claim, evidence, reasoning, and rebuttal.
• Encourages Higher-Order Thinking: Moves beyond summary to evaluation and judgment.
• Flexible Use: Suitable for in-class writing, assessments, discussion preparation, or homeschool instruction.

This arguing about rebellion worksheet helps students refine persuasive writing, logical organization, and evidence-based reasoning while engaging deeply with one of 1984‘s central questions. By defending a position and addressing counterarguments, learners strengthen critical reading, analytical writing, and argumentative confidence. Whether used in a classroom or homeschool setting, this printable activity offers a clear, no-prep way to explore complex literary themes through structured persuasion.

This worksheet is part of our 1984 Literature collection.