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In my classroom, I observe Banned Book Week by having a relaxing discussion. I don't usually have students do any particular assignment, except for a journal entry the last few minutes of class. There is a lot for students to talk about, however. Students may be interested to find out that some of the famous books they are now required to read were once banned including the "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London, and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. There are websites that list books that have been banned, and give information about which books are banned in particular areas.
Since teens love to talk about rights and fairness, the topic of banned books is an ideal opportunity to let them speak out. I begin class by reading the opening monologue from one of my favorite "Twilight Zone" episodes called "The Obsolete Man." I always loved the series "The Twilight Zone". Its ironic tone and "what if" scenarios used to get my brain spinning when I was a kid. I like to bring a couple of radio versions into the classroom during my Sci-Fi/Fantasy Unit as well. This particular episode is about a retired librarian named Mr. Wordsworth. He has been labeled as "obsolete" by the State which brings with it a death sentence. The State has ruled both books and libraries "obsolete". With no need for books or libraries, the State has decided there is no need for librarians either. Mr. Wordsworth argues admirably about the importance of books and the written word, but he loses his battle and receives his sentence. The twist comes at the end of the story when Wordsworth's judge is found to be "obsolete" as wel,l and is forced to suffer the same punishment as the librarian.
The monologue at the beginning of the episode reads like this:"You walk into this room at your own risk, because it leads to the future; not a future that will be, but one that might be. This is not a new world: It is simply an extension of what began in the old one. It has patterned itself after every dictator who has ever planted the ripping imprint of a boot on the pages of history since the beginning of time. It has refinements, technological advancements, and a more sophisticated approach to the destruction of human freedom. But like every one of the super states that preceded it, it has one iron rule: Logic is an enemy, and truth is a menace. This is Mr. Romney Wordsworth, in his last forty-eight hours on Earth. He's a citizen of the State, but will soon have to be eliminated, because he's built out of flesh and because he has a mind. Mr. Romney Wordsworth, who will draw his last breaths in the Twilight Zone."
What a great way to talk about our freedom and rights to knowledge. After watching the episode which takes about 25 minutes, I open the floor for discussion. I also make sure I have a recent list from the American Library Association of the books that have been "challenged" over the past 12 months, and the status or outcome of the challenge. I see if any students have heard of any of the challenged books. I usually only have a one day discussion, but you don't need to stop there. The following are some lessons for Banned Book Week.
Banned Book Week Lesson Plans:
Recommended Reading?: In this "New York Times" lesson, students examine and defend various positions in the argument over a book ban in the Miami-Dade school system and then write a letter to the Miami-Dade school board expressing their opinion about the issues raised in the debate.
Do Students Have a Right to Read?: This Lesson probes the topic of banned books a little deeper than just discussion. It gives great ideas on how to involve the librarian or the administration in a small discussion with students on what their district's procedures are for removing a book from the library shelf in their school. Students study First Amendment Rights, excerpts from Supreme Court cases, and create a radio talk show discussion about banning books. This would take a little more planning, but there are also many links on the site that could help create other ways to recognize the week.
Censorship in Our Library: To use this lesson during Banned Book Week, you will need to reserve computer lab so students may research some of the websites it contains. The purpose of this lesson is to challenge students to research a book that contains content that might be questionable to an elementary library (grades 4 - 6) and write a persuasive letter to the governing board of their school library. The title may already be in the library and they feel it should be removed, or the title may not yet be in the library and they would like it added to the library collection.
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