Shakespeare Globe Trust
Fact Sheet: Writing Plays
Who were some of the popular playwrights of Elizabethan England? Using the provided fact sheets, scholars research playwrights, explore three different types of plays, and learn about censorship in Elizabethan England.
Curated OER
Television CensorChip
Explore the current television rating system, its content descriptors, and the new V-chip technology that more readily allow parents to control their child's television viewing. Help learners develop a survey that will determine the pros...
Curated OER
Children's Media and Censorship
Learners examine the point of censorship when dealing with Students. They explore essays by Stephen King.
Curated OER
Humor Theories
Providing ample examples of humor in literature, psychology, and sociology, this presentation studies the concept and function of humor in society today. Covering what is classically "funny" and what is not, and why, the slideshow will...
PBS
The History of Book Banning in America
Harry Potter, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, To Kill a Mockingbird. Kids view a slide show and then discuss the seven banned books featured in the presentation and the reasons why the books may have been banned.
Curated OER
Fahrenheit 451
Pupils agree on a definition of censorship and then discuss incidents of censorship with which they are familiar. They might consider incidents in present-day America, elsewhere in the world, and in the past. Bradbury's novel serves as a...
Curated OER
"Disapproved": Censorship of Film in Pennsylvania
Students analyze primary source documents of the 1920s to find the roots of film censorship and understand Pennsylvania's leadership in this movement. They analyze government censorship documents that banned a film in Pennsylvania and...
Code.org
Practice PT - The Internet and Society
Speaking of the Internet. The culminating lesson for the unit on the Internet challenges pupils to prepare short, two-minute speeches on an issue facing society. The pupils chose from three topics that connect the Internet and society,...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Socratic Seminar
After reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and an article about the use of the novel, class members engage in a Socratic seminar focused on whether or not Twain's book should be banned.
Curated OER
Talk About the Passion
Students think critically about artistic freedom and evaluate the aims and effectiveness of censorship and education. They begin an investigation of the ongoing controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ" by reading "New...
Curated OER
To Censor or Not? The Power Of War Photos
Young scholars view video clips from the "American Photography" series. They write an essay about the regulation and censorship of photographs. They share their opinions with the class.
Curated OER
Summer Reading and Writing Assignment: Fahrenheit 451
Twelfth graders explore Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. For this reading and writing lesson, 12th graders read the book and think of five books to save from the fire. Students write an essay explaining why they'd save them. The essay...
Curated OER
Defending Great Literature
Students defend Mark Twain and the study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using persuasive techniques, appropriate word choice, and correct letter format, in response to a fictional letter by an upset parent.
Crabtree Publishing
Why Does Media Literacy Matter?
Criticism of news and entertainment journalism is at an all-time high. Help 21st-century learners develop the media literacy skills they need to become critical consumers with a three-lesson guide the looks at persuasive techniques used...
Curated OER
Heavy: The Story of Metal (Part 2)
Students discuss censorship of music and other art forms. Students create their own list of criteria for acceptable music. Students write a list of their own "Filthy fifteen" based on their criteria for acceptable music.
Curated OER
Why Burn Books?
Students identify the role of free speech in the selection of library books. They choose one banned book to read and evaluate the reason for its censorship. They create an argument for or against the selection of the book.
Curated OER
What Do You Mean I Can't Read That?
Fourth graders discuss censorship/banned books. They select and read one banned book. They conduct research to find the pro and con positions on the book. They present the book to the class.
Curated OER
Web Writer's Block
Young scholars evaluate Web sites banned in various countries, and investigate the reasons why particular countries would want to block information from its people.
Planet e-Book
Crime and Punishment
Can an action be so bad that you are sickened with guilt? Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, the main character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, believes that committing a crime could be the answer to his troubles. However, the...
Lesson Locker
Fahrenheit 451 Study Questions: Part 1
These 18 questions for Part One of Fahrenheit 451 assess the basic understanding of the characters and their interactions within the plot. Only recall questions are provided.
Virginina Department of Education
Planning Persuasive Writing
A nice starting exercise that organizes a learner’s persuasive writing assignment by issue, claim, and hard and soft evidence. Definitions of the terms aforementioned are provided, as well as the worksheet needed by the class. The...
Curated OER
Hidden Messages
Students examine the concept of censorship in authoritarian government and how Japanese and Chinese artists used their work as political commentary. This lesson includes possible lesson enrichments.
Curated OER
Kazan, Miller, and the McCarthy Era
Students read The Crucible in order to investigate the McCarthy era and the Hollywood Blacklist. Students watch video clips of the McCarthy witch hunts and investigate the time period through online research. Students recreate sections...
Curated OER
Fahrenheit 451 - Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Bradbury's Farenheit 451. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.