Lesson Plan: and Banned Books

Transcription

1 ERR Framework Lesson Plan: Censorship, Challenged and Banned Books ED521, Teacher in the Classroom March 3, 2011 by Kathie Jackson

2 Teacher/Librarian: Kathie Jackson Grade: 4 Number of Students: 20 Subject: Library Tied to Language Arts Themes: Intellectual Freedom, Freedom of Speech Lesson Duration: 50 minutes once per week Context: Ethnically Diverse Middle Class Suburban School District I. Pre Instructional Planning A. Motivation: Teaching students about banned and challenged books is a great way to get them thinking about the slippery slope that this type of censorship creates, and to engage them in critical thinking. I am going to use the Nazi s banned book guidelines and the ALA s (American Library Association) list of banned and challenged books as a jumping off point for just such a discussion. When a government, other group or even an individual starts to make decisions for us about what we are allowed to read and learn we are in danger of giving away our rights to learn and think what we want! Some opportunities for critical thinking in this lesson include: 1. Explain what censorship is (Know/comprehend) 2. Recall a favorite book and name some aspects that may be considered controversial (Apply) 3. Name some things that can happen in society if censorship is practiced (Analyze) 4. Make an argument for why students and others deserve access to this book (Synthesize) 5. Compose a persuasive letter to our school board making your argument for not banning this challenged book (Synthesize) 6. After the persuasive writing exercise, as a class we will discuss our new learning and appraise what can be done to protect challenged works (Evaluate) B. Goals: By the end of this lesson my students will be able to: Understand and explain the concepts of censorship, banning and censoring books, (Know/comprehend) Compose a persuasive letter or essay making cogent arguments for something they believe in, (Analyze/Apply/Synthesize) Discuss what each of us can do to allow free access of information to all. (Evaluate) C. Prerequisites: My fourth grade students already know a little bit about banned and censored books from our discussion in last year s Banned Books Week. They also have some cursory knowledge of WWII Germany and the Nazi regime, and have already formulated strong opinions on these subjects. We have had a lot of fun reading and discussing some challenged books. D. Assessment: In the middle of the lesson I will be using ERR Framework questioning to ensure that the students are following the lesson and we are not moving too fast. At the end of the lesson, each pupil will fill out and give me a ticket to leave, containing 2 3 sentences about why they don t believe in book banning or censorship. by Kathie Jackson Page 1 of 6

3 E. Resources and time management: Lesson duration: 50 minutes. 4 library tables and chairs for the 20 students. Smart Board at the front of the library will be used to display K/W/L chart, ALA Banned Book List, and Nazi Blacklist for Public Libraries and Commercial Lending Libraries 10 library computers will be used, 2 students to a computer 2 library printers will be used to print the student s persuasive letters Ticket to Leave F. Student Grouping Method: I will pair my 20 fourth graders, matching up those needing more instruction and practice with a more advanced counterpart. This pairing will allow for cooperative learning; students will put their heads together in writing a persuasive letter. G. Adaptations: I have 2 struggling readers in this class who will be grouped with our 2 best readers, and I have 1 hearing impaired child who will sit with his partner toward the front of the room. H. Management Techniques: While the groups are working together on their persuasive writing, I will walk around the class, ideally spending an equal amount of time with each pair to ensure that they are following instructions and that there is equal input by all members. If needed I can prompt reticent students, or move the discussion along if there are students who are hogging the discussion or causing a disruption. I. This Unit Supports the Following Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Standards and Anchors: B: Write multi paragraph informational pieces (e.g., descriptions, letters, reports, instructions) A: Identify individual rights and needs and the rights and needs of others in the classroom, school, and community F: Explain how different perspectives can lead to conflict. by Kathie Jackson Page 2 of 6

4 II. Lesson Activities A. Anticipatory Set, 2 3 minutes: book burning film clip (Evocation) As students walk in to the library, a silent film of a Nazi book burning will be playing on the smart board. I ll begin: You all probably remember from learning about World War II that the Nazis tried to control many things in their society; what people said to each other, how they behaved, and even what you read. You probably would not be surprised, then, to learn that the Nazis banned many, many materials, especially any writings by Jewish people or by anyone criticizing the government. What you may be surprised to learn is that books in our country are being challenged every day! We re going to celebrate Banned Books Week by learning what banning, challenging and censoring books means and we will find out what you think of it. B. Evocation/Activating Prior Knowledge, minutes: Reading Nazi banned book guidelines and discussion (Know/comprehend) I ll project a few of the Nazi banned book guidelines on the smart board, ask various students to read them, and ask a few others to comment on these rules. (Analyze) Review ALA s list of frequently banned, challenged and censored books (Know/comprehend) I ll project the ALA list from the prior year on the smart board, and read some of the favorites, such as Harry Potter and A Wrinkle in Time. I ll ask for a show of hands, Who has read this one? And this one? Did you like the book? Did you think it had bad things in it that you should not be allowed to read? Why or why not? (Analyze) Questioning, I ll ask the class: 1. Think of authors or books that might be banned today under these types of guidelines. What would be lost if no one could ever again read this book/ or books by this author or books on this topic? (Analyze) 2. Think of a favorite book or a book that has influenced you. What would be lost if no one could ever again read this book/ or books on this topic. (Analyze) 3. What are some of today's controversial topics? What would be lost if no one could ever again read books on these topics. (Analyze) ( Begin K/W/L chart and asking questions (Know/comprehend) I ll project the K/W/L chart on the smart board. I ll call on various kids (those who have not participated in the first two parts of this evocation activity) to tell me what they know about censorship, and what they d like to learn. by Kathie Jackson Page 3 of 6

5 C. Realization of Meaning: Activity Discussion & Persuasive Writing 20 minutes: 1. Explain what censorship is (Know/comprehend) I ll project the definition of censorship on the smart board, and I ll elaborate by explaining about the practice of challenging and banning books, and also about book burning. I ll talk about the prevalence of these practices in totalitarian regimes, but also how there are groups and individuals in our country today who attempt to sanitize what we read and learn. 2. Recall a favorite book and name some aspects that may be considered controversial (Know/comprehend & Apply ) I ll ask each student to take a moment to think about a beloved book that may have contained questionable content (fighting or swear words for example), and I ll call randomly on members of the class to give input. 3. Name some things that can happen in society if censorship is practiced (Analyze) I ll call on as many students as possible to find out what they think could happen as a result of unbridled censorship. What could it lead to? How could it hurt society? Is it ever good? Should hate speech be censored? 4. Make an argument for why students and others deserve access to this book (Synthesize) I ll then ask each student to think for a moment: what is your favorite book that may contain something not everyone would agree on. Imagine that book has been banned and burned! Formulate your argument for why that book is valuable, and what bad things can happen with this type of censorship. 5. Compose a persuasive letter to our school board making your argument for not banning this challenged book (Synthesize) I ll then pair the students, 2 to each of the 10 library computers, and together they ll compose a letter to the school board arguing for the freedom to read the book they ve chosen and to allow everyone else to read it also. They must either find a book they agree upon, or mention each student s books and give a coherent argument for allowing access to both of them. 6. After the persuasive writing exercise, as a class we will discuss our new learning and appraise what can be done to protect challenged works (Evaluate) This will be a brief class discussion after the students have written and printed out their letters. I ll ask, Do you think writing a letter like this is a good idea when rules are made that you disagree with? Why or Why not? What other ideas do you have for how you could take action and have your argument heard? (such as: attend public meetings, letter to the editor, forming an action committee, etc.) by Kathie Jackson Page 4 of 6

6 D. Reflection: Revisit the K/W/L chart, closing discussion, 10 minutes What have we learned? (Know/comprehend) + (Evaluate) I ll again project the K/W/L chart on the board and take class input on the What have we learned? column. I anticipate they will have learned the meaning of censorship, what it means to ban or challenge a book, and that these practices still take place in the present day, even in democratic societies. I think they will say they have learned that it is important to stay informed about books that are in danger so that you/we can speak up and defend our right to read and learn what we like! E. Assessment: Ticket to Leave 2 3 minutes Students will write 2 3 sentences about why they don t believe in book banning or censorship (Analyze, Synthesize & Evaluate) I anticipate that many of the students responses will center around fairness, that it is not fair for other people to make a decision about what you and I are allowed to read or learn. III. Extension/Reflection The ALA s annual Banned Books Week in October provides librarians with many interesting resources for these lessons, including annual lists of the most frequently challenged books, statistics about where in the US and which years book banning and censorship is most prevalent. I find this an excellent opportunity to promote critical thinking and teach persuasive writing skills to my students. I believe this lesson can be extended seamlessly into language arts and social studies. I plan to closely collaborate with all grade level teachers so that I as librarian can provide resources to help them and enhance their materials, and I also intend to design my lesson plans to complement the content area instruction. Fourth grade is the first year that students start to learn some of the details of the Nazi atrocities and other aspects of WWI, which is why I chose a Nazi book burning and their book banning guidelines as lead ins for this lesson. Another potential follow up lesson could include reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, a very powerful story for this age level, that depicts a modern society that employs thought control. This story, by the way, has been frequently challenged and banned due to its depiction of euthanasia. by Kathie Jackson Page 5 of 6

7 References

8 References: American Library Association: Banned & challenged books. Retrieved from American Library Association: Banned books week: Celebrating the freedom to read. Retrieved from American Library Association: Top ten most frequently challenged books of Retrieved from 009/index.cfm Bunker, L. Arizona board of regents: Lists of banned books, Retrieved from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt eduplace: Classroom resources. Retrieved from Leaman, R. Hot chalk lesson plans: Censorship on our library. Retrieved from Leaman, R. Arizona board of regents: Lesson plans for teachers, when books burn. Retrieved from Storm Fink, L. Read write think: Lesson plan, a case for reading examining challenged and banned books. Retrieved from resources/lesson plans/casereading examining challenged 410.html The university of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: K12 teaching and learning, banned books week. Retrieved from by Kathie Jackson Page 6 of 6

9 Lesson Materials

10 Name Date KWL Chart Before you begin your research, list details in the first two columns. Fill in the last column after completing your research. Topic What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.

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