Censorship Pathfinder

Censorship of Literature

Grade Level: 10-12 grade

Resources:

Books:

1.    120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature

Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark, 2011. Print.

120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature is an updated listing of banned books and the reasoning behind their banning.

2.    Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

What if you lived in a world where reading was against the law? Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopic version of a future in which firemen light fires in order to destroy books.

3.    The Encyclopedia of Censorship

Green, Jonathon, and Nicholas J. Karolides. The Encyclopedia of Censorship. New York: Facts On File, 2005. Print.

Encyclopedia covers many but not all hot topic issues in censorship in overview from 1990-2000

4.    The Last Safe Place on Earth

Peck, Richard. The Last Safe Place on Earth. New York: Delacorte, 1995. Print.

The Last Safe Place on Earth, deals with censorship in the light of religious fanaticism

5.    Farhenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451. Dir. François Truffaut and Laurent Bouzereau. Perf. Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. Vineyard Films [production Company, 1966. DVD.

1966 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s novel on a world in which censorship has become law and the possession of a book is punishable by the burning of the book, your home, and you within.

6.    The Kid’s Right to Read Project

"The Kids' Right to Read Project." The Kids' Right to Read Project. National Coalition Against Censorship. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://ncac.org/Kids-Right-to-Read>.

The Kids’ Right to Read Projects was established in order to provide education and advocacy in helping those who are faced with challenges to the right to read.

7.    Challenged Children’s Books

"Challenged Children's Books | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign." University Library at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.library.illinois.edu/edx/challenged.htm>.

S-Collection located at the University Library at the University of Illinois in which the titles are banned books and are divided into reading levels.  

8.    NCTE Anti-Censorship Center

"Anti-Censorship Center." National Council of Teachers of English - Homepage. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ncte.org/action/anti-censorship>.

The NCTE website (National Council of Teachers of English, helps teachers and librarians to establish policies that help when confronted with censorship challenges. The site provides a variety of links to other censorship websites.

9.    The Online Books Page

"Banned Books Online." The Online Books Page. Dec. 2002. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html>.

General article and overview of a variety of censorship issues and imbedded with a various hyperlinks to those books and authors discussed.

10. ALA Banned Books

"ALA | Banned & Challenged Books." ALA | Home - American Library Association. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/index.cfm>.

The ALA (American Library Association) is the primary association for those within the library community and the Banned Books page provides links and statements issued by the ALA concerning the right to read and student rights.

11. Controversial and Banned Books

Banned and Controversial Books. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.banned-books.com/>.

Celebrate the right to read in October and take a tour of authors and books that have been banned. Hyperlinked encyclopedia type page.

12. Websites on Banned Books and Censorship

"Websites on Banned Books and Censorship." Websites on Banned Books and Censorship. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://lib.williamson-tn.org/YA/bbwwebsites.pdf>.

List of 10 websites that discuss censorship or provide copies of banned books.

WebQuest--Twilight Diary

WebQuest-Twilight Diary

       I.        Basics:

a.    Background information.

Twilight is the beginning of a four part young adult fantasy series. This is an introduction into the young adult paranormal genre. The characters and their actions are vital to any story. Although set in modern times, there are a multitude of characters from different places and different times, and these characters add to the story as a whole, defining them.  Understanding these characters and where they come from is important to understanding the whole book and whether or not the author has been true to the history she has laid the groundwork for.

b.    Purpose and objectives.

In order to understand who these characters are and where they come from, in pairs, you will choose two characters and develop a journal for them. This will be a set of diaries and you will research where they come from in order to help with the entries. At the end, you will present the diaries to the class and will justify your position as to whether or not the author was true to the history these characters supposedly came from.

Age Group: This novel being a young adult work would be best suited for grades 9 and over.

      II.        Activities:

Before starting you must pick a pair:

Bella and Edward

Bella and Jacob

Jasper and Alice

Rosalie and Emmett

Esme and Carlisle

You will be researching each characters background or birth place and time, along with their current setting. While the characters are fictional, their settings are very real places. It is important to write these journal entries with the current setting in mind, use the characters voice in the writing.

You will create both a front and back cover. Inside will include at least 6 images—these can be drawn, printed from the Internet, or taken from magazines.

Each character should have at least 15 journal entries. Each entry should be 1-2 paragraphs long and should be written in the distinct style of the character, reflecting their grammar, style, and by association their education level and unique character traits.

Prepare a short 10 minute presentation on your journals and highlight what makes them important to understanding the characters. During your presentations you will also justify whether or not the book’s portrayal of these characters was in line with the research you conducted on their environments and times.

    III.        The Tour:

The following are a list of websites that will help you in understanding where the characters came from.

Welcome to Forks

The Quileute Nation

Mississippi Encyclopedia

Mississippi Archives

Rochester Historical Society

Encyclopedia.com—New York

Everyday Life in the Stuart Era

Encyclopedia Britannica—London History

Tennessee History for Kids

Tennessee Encyclopedia

Library of Congress Digitized Newspapers (1836-1922)

Ohio History Central

Encyclopedia of Chicago

The City of Chicago

Under the Rebel Flag-Texas and the Civil War

The Texas Calvary

Stephanie Meyer-Twilight

 

   IV.        Evaluation:

	Beginning 1	Developing 3	Accomplished 5	Score
Diary Entries	Entries are incomplete. Less than 15 per character or/and not a full paragraph long.	Entries are the absolute minimum, exhibiting in the work and effort.	Entries are detailed and thorough. The student goes above and beyond instructions.
Visuals	There are no visuals present.	There are only 4 or 5 visuals.	There are 6 or more visuals.
Internet Research	Did not research the characters at for the diaries.	Collected some information online for the diaries.	Collected all needed information in order to produce a genuine entry.
Teamwork	Did not work with partner. Severely uneven workload.	Worked well with partner, but the workload was still uneven.	Worked well with partner and the work was evenly distributed.
Presentation	Obviously unrehearsed and lacked cohesive delivery. No justifications present.	Moderately effective but was a little unorganized and needed more rehearsal. Justifications were provided but not backed by research.	Presentation clear, effective, and concise.  Justifications were grounded in research.

September/October Books 2011

First off, I'd like to apologize. This semester has been excruciating for me and as a result, I've fallen off the blog universe. September was especially hard when it came to reading as well. I was desperately trying to finish a series that really didn't endear itself to me in the fifth book, but more of that below. This will be long as I'm including pictures and both months here. As always, any questions, send me a message. . .

Title: A Song of Fire and Ice: A Dance with Dragons, Book 5
Author: George R. R. Martin
Pages: 1016
Age Level: Adult

This book just about killed me. It took me most of the month of September to finish it because it simply dragged on and on. The book could have been half as long and been far more engaging. I swear, half the book is simply a listing of everything they eat at feasts, and apparently the people eat ALOT!! It really stalled the book whenever something like that came up, because it would go on for pages describing every serving and they didn't settle for one or two, no there were usually like fifty. One or two of these scenes would have been enough to show what the people ate, it was totally unnecessary to go on and on like Martin did. I got half way through and seriously considered stopping, but when you've read more than 500 pages already, it's so hard to just give up. The main story line is compelling, but while this is both a companion and extension of book four, I was really disappointed in it as a whole. Too much was left out and I'm getting tired of the bad guys always winning. After a while, while that may be "reality", it becomes taxing. Eventually you want the good guys to win, and this book really makes you think that's not going to happen ever.

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Pages: 198
Grade Level: 8-12 grade

Speak is about a girl entering the ninth grade with a big black mark on her. She called the cops at a party over the summer and got alot of people in trouble. The problem is that while everyone hates her for this, they don't understand why she did it. At that party she had been raped, and she told no one. She tried to tell the police, but couldn't speak when she called them. She doesn't speak about it at all for most of the book but spirals and deals with the hate all around her and the torment of her rapist as well in silence and alone. Through one teacher who allows her time to find her voice again, she finally begins a path back. This is a great book that really makes you think about how to deal with the student or person in your life that needs the most help but never asks for it.

Title: Dragon's Oath
Author: P.C. and Kristin Cast
Pages: 145
Grade Level: 6-10 grade

This is a background spin off novella of the House of Night series. It tells the story of Dragon Lankford and Anastasia. It's short, it's sweet, and it's intense. It really shows a piece of a character that is not delved into in the main books.

Title: The Gray Wolf Throne, Book 3
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Pages: 517
Grade Level: 6-12

Fighting for a throne is hard work especially when you don't have anyone you can really trust. This is the third book in this series and it is apparent the series isn't over. It's a story of strength, love, magic, and deception.

Title: The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune, Book 2
Author: Rick Riordan
Pages: 521
Grade Level: 5-10

Welcome back Percy Jackson! This is the adventure of Percy at the Roman encampment. The timeline is in conjunction with the first book. I just love Riordan. He really has a talent of bringing the ancient Gods and all the drama around them to life.

Title: The Death Cure, Book 3
Author: James Dashner
Pages: 324
Grade Level: 9-12

This is one wild ride and the conclusion of the trilogy. At the end of the book, all I could think was "duh!! why didn't they do that in the first place." This book deals alot of death and struggle and in the end one is left with both hope and despair. Definitely a fitting end for the series.

Title: Crescendo, Book 2
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Pages: 427
Grade Level: 9-12

I just received the third book in this series and realized I'd never gotten around to the second, oops. This is a paranormal romance.

Title: Silence, Book 3
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Pages: 438
Grade Level: 9-12

The third book in the series and definitely not the end. This book shows that love, real love, can break down any barrier.

Title: Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, Book 1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 325
Grade Level: 9-12

Faeries are dangerous and tricky. They sure don't like it when you fight back. For Deirdre it is even harder because she is a cloverhand, which makes her magical and a threat to the current Faerie Queen. Add in that the assassin sent to kill her falls in love with her instead and you have a fun tale with heavy Irish lore and a romance you both root for and despair over.

Title: Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie, Book 2
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 353
Grade Level: 9-12

A sad second part when you realize that love doesn't conquer all afterall. Deirdre's voice is all by absent in this second book and that is actually quite well done, as it shows her severe isolation and just how lost she is.

Title: The Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories
Author: John Flanagan
Pages: 422
Grade Level: 5-9

These are supplemental stories to the series and also serve as a bridge between The Ranger's Apprentice series and the upcoming Brotherband Chronicles. It answers some fan questions about the series and finally Will and Alyss are married.

October was a much better month than September. Only the first three were read in September, I felt like an utter failure, but thankfully October was blessed with a lot of new releases that I have had on preorder for months. This next month, I will be beginning again with the Eragon series since the final book is finally being released this month!!!!

Total for September: 1,359
Total for October: 3,327
Total for 2011: 31,643