While the Wit & Wisdom curriculum my school uses is great, it lacks diversity. My scholars had a hard time picturing themselves as squires while reading last year. We decided to revamp the curriculum, developing modules that were thought-provoking and that scholars could relate to while still providing the skills offered in the original curriculum.
We need books! That is where you come in...
In Dreamland Burning my 8th-grade scholars will learn about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, an event that has gone unstudied for decades. The author creates a dual timeline where we see how the massacre unfolds through the eyes of a mixed-race teen boy all while following the story of two other mixed-race teens investigating a murder mystery in current day Tulsa. It is a rollercoaster ride touching on bigotry, the concept of two-ness, love, language, power, privilege, and so much more. This book/module follows the story of Claudette Colvin, a young teen who proved to be brave in the face of adversity. Scholars end these modules thinking critically about how teens can affect change in our current society and how language and power play a huge role in shaping your actions as a people. In Bad Boy, my 7th-grade scholars look at the life of the late Walter Dean Myers. We look at his life growing up in Harlem, NY, and how literature shaped his future. My scholars get the opportunity to see a hero, his learning disability as a child, unravel his relationships with literature, family, friends, etc., and how all of those things shaped his identity.
I am so looking forward to the discussions about these kids in these novels and how they overcame adversities, not on their own but with help, looking at how one teen can, in fact, make a difference.
About my class
While the Wit & Wisdom curriculum my school uses is great, it lacks diversity. My scholars had a hard time picturing themselves as squires while reading last year. We decided to revamp the curriculum, developing modules that were thought-provoking and that scholars could relate to while still providing the skills offered in the original curriculum.
We need books! That is where you come in...
In Dreamland Burning my 8th-grade scholars will learn about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, an event that has gone unstudied for decades. The author creates a dual timeline where we see how the massacre unfolds through the eyes of a mixed-race teen boy all while following the story of two other mixed-race teens investigating a murder mystery in current day Tulsa. It is a rollercoaster ride touching on bigotry, the concept of two-ness, love, language, power, privilege, and so much more. This book/module follows the story of Claudette Colvin, a young teen who proved to be brave in the face of adversity. Scholars end these modules thinking critically about how teens can affect change in our current society and how language and power play a huge role in shaping your actions as a people. In Bad Boy, my 7th-grade scholars look at the life of the late Walter Dean Myers. We look at his life growing up in Harlem, NY, and how literature shaped his future. My scholars get the opportunity to see a hero, his learning disability as a child, unravel his relationships with literature, family, friends, etc., and how all of those things shaped his identity.
I am so looking forward to the discussions about these kids in these novels and how they overcame adversities, not on their own but with help, looking at how one teen can, in fact, make a difference.
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