Banned Book Week

Norman Parents' Questions Stop Author's Visit to School
Author Ellen Hopkins's book Glass is being challenged in Norman, Oklahoma.  [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12723/0/ ]NewsOK.com, September 22, 2009

Make a Plan to Support Your Instructional Materials

As important as having a planned route out of your house in case of fire is [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12725/0/ ] having a rationale for the texts you use in your classroom, along with school policies for adopting those texts and for handling objections to them.

NCTE provides [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/11119/0/ ] model policies for the selection of texts and for handling the objection to texts. When texts are challenged, NCTE offers advice, rationales, policies, and letters of support through the [ mailto:censorship@ncte.org ] NCTE Anti-Censorship Center.

Reading Banned Books

[ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12726/0/ ]Banned Books Week, which runs September 26-October 3 this year, draws attention to the issue of censorship and how it can best be combated. These resources explore ways to discuss censorship issues with students as well as ways to respond to text challenges in your school.

For a general introduction, visit this [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/2693/0/ ]ReadWriteThink.org calendar entry (G), which links to classroom activities and online resources. Be sure to check out the ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/784/0/ ]A Case for Reading -- Examining Challenged and Banned Books (E), which introduces students to censorship and then invites them to read a challenged book and decide for themselves what should be done with the book at their school.

The Language Arts article "[ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12727/0/ ]Focus on Policy: Intellectual Freedom" (G) outlines details on current banning incidents, the importance of selection, and suggestions for overcoming text challenges. The article includes sidebars that list additional resources.

The English Journal articles "[ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12728/0/ ]Banned Books: A Study of Censorship" (S) and "[ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12729/0/ ]Celebrate Democracy! Teach about Censorship" (M) include details on extended units on censorship. You'll find a range of materials for exploring censorship in the classroom with the ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/7320/0/ ]Censorship in the Classroom: Understanding Controversial Issues (S).

The College English article "[ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12730/0/ ]Deflecting the Political in the Visual Images of Execution and the Death Penalty Debate" (C) explores the visual images that readers are and are not allowed to view and asserts that "the attempt to suppress the visual, as in any censorship of the press, is an attempt to limit debate."

Teacher educators can share "[ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12731/0/ ]What Do I Do Now? Where to Turn When You Face a Censor" (G), from the NCTE book [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12732/0/ ]Preserving Intellectual Freedom: Fighting Censorship in Our Schools, with preservice teachers. The chapter provides scenarios and the related resources that K-college teachers can use as the basis for discussion and problem-solving role-playing. Preservice teachers might then use the detailed instructions in the SLATE [ http://lists.ncte.org/t/2335283/698431/12725/0/ ]Rationales for Teaching Challenged Books CD (G) for writing their own rationales.