Project Narrative

Learning Goals and Outcomes

During this unit plan, students will be introduced to several concepts that will have an

impact in their lives. They will be shown that throughout our history, certain pieces of literature

have been banned and challenged because different people believe that these pieces of literature

will be a bad influence on readers. During this lesson, students will be learning what freedoms

they have as it relates to what they read, and be determining why certain books have been

banned, and what caused them to be challenged. This lesson plan will allow students to embrace

what should be their unalienable right to read what they please, and will give them the

opportunity to able to make connections to what freedoms they have in and outside of the

classroom.

The main essential questions that will drive this unit are as follows: Are all books worth

reading? Why are some books banned or challenged? Should everyone be allowed to read

anything they want? Are there benefits of censorship? Do you feel as though you are being

censored in your own life? What rights do you have in relation to books and reading?

The objectives for the first three days of this unit are to introduce different books that

have been banned throughout history, for students to be able to start looking into what censorship

looks like in their lives, and why it matters. Throughout each piece of this unit, students will be

working in groups and holding discussions about their findings and opinions.

The objectives for days four through fix are for students to research and explain the First

Amendment, and how it relates to the idea of censorship and the banning of books.
 The objectives for days seven through ten are to explore the dangers of censorship and

how being censored can impact society. We will also be exploring the role censorship has played

throughout history.

The objectives for days eleven through fifteen are for students to work on and finalize

their final project- which is a persuasive writing essay about whether or not certain books should

be banned for students in school. They will also be required to find examples from different texts

that have been banned on why the material was deemed inappropriate.

The Arizona standards that this unit will follow are: 8.W.1 Write arguments to support

claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, 8.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in

which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience,

8.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one‐on‐one, in groups, and

teacher‐led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas

and expressing their own clearly, 8.SL.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points

in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well‐ chosen

details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Description of Learning Activities

In order to get a good grasp on many of the difficult concepts in this lesson, students will

be working in groups often. We will be having many different types of group discussions,

including Socratic seminars, jigsaw activities, and think-pair-share activities. Students will also

be quick writing during some lessons, and journaling to start many of the days as bell-work. We

will also be utilizing technology often for research and gathering information. Students will be
required to spend some time outside of class reading and writing, but we will be doing as much

as possible during class time.

For differentiation, I will be providing graphic organizers to help students when they are

researching. This graphic organizer will have leading questions on it, and be designed to make

the research more manageable.

Assessment

Students will be completing daily assessments. For some of the days, this means utilizing

technology and answering questions on the platform of Kahoot or Quizizz as an Exit-Ticket.

Other days, students will be assessed by their group discussions, and I will be walking around the

room to ensure they are paying attention and on task. We will also be journaling about the

research we have done, and I will be checking in with students through this journal to see the

impact this lesson is having on their ideas of censorship and how it relates to their own life. The

final assessment will be their persuasive essay on whether or not certain books should be banned

for students in school, and why.

Sustaining the Project and Innovation

Technology

Technology will be utilized often during this unit. Students will have access to laptops,

which will lead their own research on many of these concepts. I will provide them with good

resources to get them started, but they will be required to research and find a few articles on their

own. We will also be utilizing technology to watch videos, take quizzes, and write their final

papers. Students will be able to discuss their assignments with each other and ask any questions

on our classroom Google website, which they will already be familiar with.

After Proposal Period

 This unit will inspire students to realize that they should have the right to read any book

that they would like. By reading and being aware of books that have been banned or challenged

in the past and why they have been challenged, students can become more mature and

understanding citizens. Books are often banned because of opposing viewpoints, so this unit will

show students how important it is to be able to have access to all of the information, and be able

to make decisions for themselves. I want to implement an entire bookshelf of books that have

been banned or challenged in my classroom after the unit is over. This will allow students to see,

on a daily basis, the importance of their freedom of expression.

Innovation

Students will be doing a majority of the research and gathering of facts throughout this

unit on their own, or in groups. I will not be providing all of the information, all of the handouts,

and all of the lectures. Students will be expected to learn and make connections on their own.

They will see how fortunate they are to have access to information, which is part of the entire

lesson on censorship. Students will be researching, figuring out information, and answering

questions on their own, which will better prepare them for their future and give them better real-

world skills.