In so many English classrooms across the nation, students are reading "To Kill a Mockingbird", (published 60 years ago), "Animal Farm" (published 75 years ago), "Of Mice and Men" (published 83 years ago), "The Great Gatsby" (published 95 years ago), and "Romeo and Juliet" (published 423 years ago). All of these books are beautifully written and have paved the way for many authors in history that have come after them. They are also part of the term called the “literary canon” which refers to a body of books, narratives and other texts considered to be the most important and influential of a particular time period or place. All of the novels that I listed are written by white authors, mostly males, leading to an under-representation of authors of color in many classrooms.
It's time to give today's students a new perspective and a chance to amplify different voices in a new generation. My hope for this project is to lead my students in Literary Circles - think book-club at Starbucks. Students will choose a book that stands out to them and gather with groups of two to four peers as they read, discuss, and analyze symbolism, rhetoric, figurative language, and social justice issues. This work will not only lead students to be able to learn from new perspectives, but will also help students begin to empathize with a broader group of people.
“Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity….When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
About my class
In so many English classrooms across the nation, students are reading "To Kill a Mockingbird", (published 60 years ago), "Animal Farm" (published 75 years ago), "Of Mice and Men" (published 83 years ago), "The Great Gatsby" (published 95 years ago), and "Romeo and Juliet" (published 423 years ago). All of these books are beautifully written and have paved the way for many authors in history that have come after them. They are also part of the term called the “literary canon” which refers to a body of books, narratives and other texts considered to be the most important and influential of a particular time period or place. All of the novels that I listed are written by white authors, mostly males, leading to an under-representation of authors of color in many classrooms.
It's time to give today's students a new perspective and a chance to amplify different voices in a new generation. My hope for this project is to lead my students in Literary Circles - think book-club at Starbucks. Students will choose a book that stands out to them and gather with groups of two to four peers as they read, discuss, and analyze symbolism, rhetoric, figurative language, and social justice issues. This work will not only lead students to be able to learn from new perspectives, but will also help students begin to empathize with a broader group of people.
“Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity….When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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