assignment 4 reading controversial issues

Censorship in the Classroom: Understanding Controversial Issues

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

It is important for young people to understand their individual rights and what they, as citizens, can do to protect these rights. In addition, young people need to understand the way in which bias and stereotyping are used by the media to influence popular opinion. In this lesson, students examine propaganda and media bias and explore a variety of banned and challenged books, researching the reasons these books have been censored. Following this research, students choose a side of the censorship issue and support their position through the development of an advertising campaign.

Featured Resources

Self-Reflection on Censorship and Propaganda handout: Students use this handout to measure their disposition to the issues of censorship and propaganda.

From Theory to Practice

• Controversial texts are ideal pedagogical tools to foster debate and to guide the development of logical thinking skills and cooperative learning.  
• Texts that teach students about ethnic, racial, and sexual diversity encourage understanding of human differences.  
• By exploring controversial texts, students acquire the tools of rational thought by which they can approach, analyze, and debate controversial issues in a forum of mutual respect and understanding.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• A variety of magazine ads  
• Student response journals
• Analyzing Advertisements handout  
• Ad Campaign Rubric  
• Self-Reflection on Censorship and Propaganda handout

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

• Explore bias and media stereotyping  
• Identify and analyze propaganda techniques and how they are used in magazine and television advertisements to persuade an audience  
• Read and examine a specific banned or challenged book  
• Identify and discuss the issues surrounding the banning or challenging of texts  
• Explore the issue of free speech and how it applies in the classroom  
• Demonstrate their understanding of propaganda techniques by creating an ad campaign to support their position on the censorship of a specific text

Homework: Ask students to bring in magazine ads for the next class session. Session 3 As preparation for this session, gather a variety of magazine ads for students to view in class. Students have also been assigned to bring in magazine ads.

Homework: Distribute another copy of the Analyzing Advertisements handout. Ask students to watch a few television commercials and complete the handout for homework.

Session 5 Hand out the list that you prepared of banned and challenged books. Ask students to identify three choices from the list provided. Have them number their choices in order of preference since they will want backup options if their first choice is unavailable. Bring students to the school library to select and check out one of the books from the list. Give them the weekend to visit a local library if certain books cannot be obtained in the school library. Homework: Ask students to predict in their journal why the book that they selected may have been challenged or banned.

Have students create an ad campaign to support their decision to ban or not to ban the book that they read. Students should use their understanding of propaganda techniques when creating their campaign.

• Some items to include in the campaign would be a magazine ad, a radio ad, a poster, a bumper sticker, and a t-shirt design. Students can be creative in selecting the elements for their campaign.  
• If your school has access to video you might also encourage students to create a television ad or a public service announcement.  
• Students should incorporate at least one example of each of the propaganda techniques they explored in class. Have students brainstorm which techniques are best suited to each particular medium they are creating.  
• As a summary, have students explain, in writing, what message they intend to get across to the audience and what propaganda techniques they incorporated into their ad campaign and why.
• Have students write letters to the school committee addressing the banning of books in the school system.  
• Have students explore stereotypes and bias in health-related advertisement and services and the use of propaganda and media bias in anti-drug and anti-smoking campaigns.  
• Have students research landmark cases that influenced the issue of free speech. Then, follow up by holding a mock court case to debate whether a controversial book should be banned or not in an elementary classroom.  
• Have students debate the censorship of movies or television programs.  
• Have students create a top ten list of the most important books of their time and why the issues addressed in them are crucial to study.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Make observations and anecdotal notes based on class discussion.  
• Evaluate student's written responses on the Analyzing Advertisements handout.  
• Evaluate the entries in each student's response journal relating to the book that they read during the lesson:

Low performance: The student states one or two of the central issues raised in the novel very briefly, but does not provide reflection.   At or below average: The student states one or two of the central issues raised in the novel briefly and reflects briefly on each.   At or above average: The student explores the central issues raised in the novel thoughtfully and critically.   Exemplary performance: The student explores numerous issues raised in the novel thoughtfully and critically.

• Use the Ad Campaign Rubric to assess each student's ad campaign.  
• Have students complete the Self-Reflection on Censorship and Propaganda handout at the end of the unit to measure students' disposition to the issues of censorship and propaganda.

Students brainstorm reasons why certain books might have been banned and discuss common reasons why books are challenged.

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