It’s that time again!
It’s time to celebrate 30 years of liberating
literature. September 30th –
October 6th is Banned Books Week. Learning out the forbidden fruit can be a great way to get kid's involved in reading and critical thinking. Last year’s blog
featured the resources to get students to locate books banned in their area in
the last year using this Google
Map and the list of banned
books found on the ALA site.
Book Banning ripped from the headlines
Book banning is not just something that occurred in history
or in totalitarian countries. Just last
week there was another news
story about a book banning in Pennsylvania!
This story with some great quotes from students and ties to the First
Amendment would make a great “ripped from the headlines” lesson. Talk about your timely current events!
The Banned Books Week
site has links for teacher resources and lots of information including lists by
year. It is surprising to see so many of the books that I was required to read
listed as books that were challenged. I
bet your students would find that they too have read banned books (since the
Harry Potter Series and Hunger Games Series are on the lists). Do they think that books should be
banned? What are the issues?
TregoED is offering a free SCAN lesson for Banned Books Week
called “Banning Books – Do you agree?”
Here’s the scenario:
Since the release of the Twilight, Harry Potter and The
Hunger Games series, there has been a lot of controversy in your town. A group
of influential families has campaigned to have these, as well as a list of
other books, banned from school libraries. It seems these parents object to the
values represented in certain books, and do not want their children exposed to
controversial or inappropriate topics. As taxpayers, these parents feel they
have the right to say what is appropriate for their children to read in school.
They have threatened legal action against the district if the books are not
removed from the library. Students, media specialists, parents, and school
officials all have different points of view on the subject. What action can
they take to resolve the issues?
Students are given some information from the perspective
they choose to represent and work together to decide what should be done. You simply register, log in and set up the
free discussion platform for your students. (New to SCAN check out this 3 minute video) No student registration or emails required.
There are lots of other great ideas to get your students
thinking about the freedom to read. Have
them check out the videos on the Youtube Banned Books Week
Channel and contribute
their own.
Banned books week is another opportunity to get kids to
think critically, write persuasively and learn to appreciate the freedom to
read!
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