This lesson is a PBL for my Contemporary Issues in Education Class.
Students in this high school class will read a choice of the books from the banned books list. They will each write an argumentative essay about the books and how the books changed the history of America. They will then write about how these books have changed their lives at home and at school. The main focus is to have them compare books to other pieces of American history that have been banned.
There is a lot for the students to think about when writing these essays. First, they will look at how censorship has played a huge role in the culture of American society from literature, music, movies, and culture. The students can take a song that they know was banned as well and relate it to the books. They can also use a movie that was criticized for the effect it had on the American society as well. The students can do any combination of these.
The students will also include the ways that censorship has played a role at school. They should include the reasons that they think the books should or should not have been banned. They should also include the reasons that the music, movie or other part of pop culture should have been banned or not.
