Ban That Book!

Submitted by vharada on Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:10Printable version Bookmark and Share
Created By:
Violet Harada
Title/Role:
Professor
Organization/School Name:
University of Hawaii
Location:
Hawaii

Grade Level:
10
Type of Lesson:
Lesson in a unit
Type of Schedule:
Flexible
Collaboration Continuum:
Intensive
Content Area:
Language Arts
Content Topic:
Intellectual freedom, literature study
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
Skills Indicator(s):
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.
Dispostion Indicator(s):
2.2.3 Employ a critical stance in drawing conclusions by demonstrating that the pattern of evidence leads to a decision or conclusion.
Responsibilities Indicator(s):
1.3.2 Seek divergent perspectives during information gathering and assessment.
Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):
4.4.4 Interpret new information based on cultural and social context.
Scenario:
During Banned Books Week, the LMS creates a display of books that have been banned in the U.S. over the decades. Students express surprise, concern and curiosity about the range of titles. This becomes the perfect lead-in for the English department to launch a project on studying literature from the perspective of censorship. The LMS not only provides lists of banned titles but she also assists the students as they select books to read and study in depth. She teaches them how to access related literature and reviews on these titles. In addition, she works with the teachers to devise an organizer and an assessment tool for the essays that the students ultimately write to voice their opinions about the books.

Overview:
In this project students conduct a historical survey of book banning in the U.S. They research why specific books have been banned and draw their own conclusions in defending or opposing the banning of specific books. The essential questions they address are: Which books have been banned in the U.S.? Why have they been banned? Do I support or oppose book banning, and why?

Final Product:
Each student assumes a persuasive stance in a mini-essay defending or supporting the banning of a specific book that is based on the research he/she has conducted. The essays are posted in a wiki accessible from the library’s website. This allows other students to join the conversation on the issue of censorship.

Library Lesson:
At this point in the project, students have selected and read the banned books of their choice and conducted background research on why the books have been banned. This particular lesson focuses on the synthesis of information collected before students draft their mini-essays. NOTE: This specific lesson has not been taught; however, a variation of it has been implemented at Kapolei High School in Hawaii.

Estimated Lesson Time:
60 minutes
Assessment
Product:
Students use a rating-log (combination of a rating scale and a learning log) to assess the stance they have taken on a specific banned book. Although the rating-log is written for the student, copies of it can also be used by the teacher and/or LMS, or it can easily be modified for the instructor's view. Example: Instead of "I can clearly state my stance regarding the book," a restated version might be "Clearly states stance regarding the book." The important point is that both students and instructors are using the same criteria to do the assessment.

Process:
Students reflect on their progress in the open-ended section of the rating-log. This portion is intended for the student's reflection. The teacher and/or LMS can use these comments to conduct conferences with the student or they can respond in writing to the student.

Self Questioning:
Do I clearly state my stance on the book? What evidence do I provide that convincingly and credibly supports my stance? Is my argument logically presented?

Instructional Plan
Resources students will use:
Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)
Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)

Resources instructor will use:
Projector
Laptop
Smart board
Other

Other instructor resources:
http://www.edmodo.com/

Instruction/Activities
Direct instruction:
The LMS works with students in taking the notes they have recorded in their research logs and organizing the information to develop a stance on a banned book.

Modeling and guided practice:
The LMS demonstrates the process of organizing the information using a graphic organizer. She explains that this tool helps the writer to select and summarize collected information. In this case, the organizer is used to synthesize information from different print and online sources including literary reviews, books, and magazines. The LMS also distributes the rating-log and models how to use it with the class. As students work individually on their organizers, the LMS and teacher circulate to provide feedback.

Independent practice:
Students continue working on their organizers as a home assignment if they are unable to complete this process during the library time allocated. They use the rating-log provided to assess their stances.


Have you taught this lesson before:
No

Strategies for differentiation:
The teacher and LMS assist students in selecting books that they find interesting and readable. They provide one-on-one conferencing support as students conduct their literature searches for background information and reviews.
AASL/Common Core State Standards Crosswalk

Common Core State Standards English Language Arts:

CC9-10WH/SS/S/TS1b » Writing Standards » b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.2.b » English Language Arts » Text Types and Purposes » b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.8 » English Language Arts » Research to Build and Present Knowledge » 8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS8 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS9 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 9. Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.L.1 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.2 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.3 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.5 » English Language Arts » Craft and Structure » 5. Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.9 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 9. Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"), including how they address related themes and concepts. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.1.a » English Language Arts » Text Types and Purposes » a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.1.b » English Language Arts » Text Types and Purposes » b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns. (9,10)

CC.9-10.SL.2 » English Language Arts » Comprehension and Collaboration » 2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. (9,10)

CC.9-10.L.4 » English Language Arts » Vocabulary Acquisition and Use » 4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS2 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.4 » English Language Arts » Craft and Structure » 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.7 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 7. Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.L.4 » English Language Arts » Craft and Structure » 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). (9,10)

CC9-10WH/SS/S/TS2d » Writing Standards » d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers. (9,10)

CC9-10RH/SS1 » Reading Standards for History » 1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information. (9,10)

CC9-10RH/SS2 » Reading Standards for History » 2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text. (9,10)

CC9-10RH/SS3 » Reading Standards for History » 3. Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.I.8 » English Language Arts » Integration of Knowledge and Ideas » 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. (9,10)

CC.9-10.R.L.2 » English Language Arts » Key Ideas and Details » 2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.9.b » English Language Arts » Research to Build and Present Knowledge » b. Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning"). (9,10)

CC9-10WH/SS/S/TS2a » Writing Standards » a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.6 » English Language Arts » Production and Distribution of Writing » 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. (9,10)

CC9-10RS/TS7 » Reading Standards for Literacy in Sci Tech » 7. Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words. (9,10)

CC9-10RH/SS7 » Reading Standards for History » 7. Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text. (9,10)

CC.9-10.W.2.a » English Language Arts » Text Types and Purposes » a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. (9,10)