Reading Inquiry and Argument Essay on Challenging Young Adult Literature

Reading and Writing Inquiry: Should particular texts be taken out of our middle school classroom and school libraries because of objectionable content?

There is a lot of controversy over who should have access to certain texts. Throughout the country and the world, authors and texts get censored, their texts get banned from school and library book shelves. In some countries, writers get persecuted and exiled because their work is seen as a threat to the government.

In the 6th-8th grade ELA classrooms at MS 51, there are many books that parents and teachers have questioned and challenged regarding their appropriateness. According to the ALA website, "A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.  Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others."

For the next month, we will be exploring this issue by reading nonfiction texts along with fiction. We will be focusing on the overall inquiry question: Should a particular text be taken out of the middle school library because of objectionable content?

I would like you to form reading inquiry groups of 2-4 people.  You will read or reread a book that may be deemed inappropriate for the middle school library. You can decide to read the same or different books that fit into the overall question we are exploring. Together, you will also be doing research and reading outside sources together and coming up with arguments that support and counter your overall claim/assertion. Ultimately, you will independently write an argument essay in the form of a letter to Ms. Berner explaining whether the book you are reading should be taken out of our classroom and school library.

As you read, take notes on difficult issues and objectionable content. Here are some inquiry questions to focus your reading on. In your notebooks, choose a question and create a synthesis page for your independent reading book. Due _____________________________________________
You will meet in your groups once a week for the next three weeks. Finish reading and taking notes on your book by ________________________________

• How are young people portrayed in the text? In what ways are they accurately or inaccurately portrayed? 
• Why might parents, teachers, and/or schools try to ban or purposefully exclude the text from their bookshelves? Think about language, immoral acts, mature topics such as drugs, abuse, rape, etc. Does the presence of these issues make the text inappropriate? 
• How do you find yourself resisting or objecting to certain characters, issues, conflicts, events, etc.? Give specific examples.  
• Who is the appropriate audience for this text? Explain what particular groups or ages should or should not read the book and why.
• What are some questionable or unclear messages in the text? How are they dealt with?
• How does the book deal with controversial issues? Does it oversimplify or overly-dramatize? Does it condone or encourage particular behavior? Explain.
• What is the author's treatment of mature and controversial issues in the text? 

Vocabulary for this project:

Inquiry	Censor
Ban	Challenge
Defend	Promote
Limit access	1st Amendment
Controversial	Objectionable

Possible Groups (you can choose to continue reading the same independent reading book if you feel it fits under our inquiry question, choose a book from the banned and challenged book list, or choose from one of these groups):

·         Graphic novels: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

·         Classics: Fahrenheit 451 or other texts by Ray Bradbury; Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

·         Author studies: Ellen Hopkins, Sarah Dessen, Jay Asher, John Green; The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

·         Horror/Monsters/Vampires: City of Ashes series by Cassandra Clare; Stephen King books

·         Fantasy: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle; The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman; The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

·         Dystopia/apocalypse: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth

·         War and International Problems: Sold by Patricia McCormick; A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah; Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

·         Realistic fiction: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Student’s Proposal:

1.       What text do you want to read for this project?

2.       Who will you work well with?

Dear Parents: Please be aware that for this project, students will be reading books that have been banned or challenged. Be prepared to discuss these books with them and help them decide whether or not they should be reading these texts. If you have any questions, please email me at denise.galang@gmail.com. Thank you for your understanding.  –Ms. Galang Student’s Name: __________________________ Title/author of book: __________________________ Definite inquiry group members: ___________________________________________ Parent’s signature: _______________________________________________ Comments/questions:

For further reading, check out the following links and read more about banned books and Banned Books week which is happening right now.

• List of books that have been banned by governments
• Books banned in 2012-2013
• Banned books that shaped America
• CNN article on the overview of Banned Books Week
• Bill Moyers
• American Library Association
• Banned Books Week