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Banned Book Club for High School: Teens Thinking About Books

Ongoing book club for teens where learners will read and discuss the reasons why they think the books have been banned or challenged and dive into the various themes and philosophical questions raised in the books.
Kathy Wilder
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(452)
Rising Star
Class
Play

What's included

1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
2-4 hours per week. Students will read (or listen to the audiobook) prior to class. They should pick out a favorite passage or scene to bring to class.

Class Experience

US Grade 9 - 12
***𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀.***


"Why was this book banned" and "Why should you care?" are two questions I ask in every class. These questions encourage critical thinking and foster an understanding of the power dynamics that can lead to book banning.  By asking learners to consider why a book may have been banned, they need to consider the themes and ideas within the book that may be seen as controversial. This discussion leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the book, as well as awareness of the cultural and political contexts during the time the novel was published. Additionally, by asking learners to consider why they should care about a banned book connects the ideas and themes within the book to their own lives and experiences, and to recognize the value of literature as a tool for exploring complex and important issues.

Why are books banned?
Books make it onto the banned or challenged book list for many reasons. Often the book deals with difficult topics including but not limited to: violence, suicide, racism, gender identity, pro/anti religion, witchcraft, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, or profanity. 

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:
The class meets every two weeks to allow learners time to read the book prior to class.

To kick off our exploration of each book, the teacher will take learners through a brief summary of the novel, offer insights on the author and their life, along with relevant historical context that influenced the author's work.

During class, learners will be encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions on the themes and ideas presented in the book. Themes such as isolation, friendship, duty, racism, identity, and mortality. We will engage in discussions that will help us delve deeper into the meaning and significance of the book. Learners will also have the opportunity to connect the themes of the book to their own experiences and share how they can apply what they have learned to their daily lives.  The class is a safe and inclusive space where everyone's voice is heard and respected.

As facilitator for this class we will address these subjects using critical thinking and context so learners will understand why the problematic and/or inaccurate ways of referencing people is not appropriate. Showing learners examples of biased language in a safe space will aid learners in developing their critical thinking skills so that they can identify bias in books on their own. 
Example of content that would have learner's use their critical thinking skills:
1. This is a book that was written 60 years ago about events that would have happened 80 years ago. Are the situations being discussed here still relevant today? Why or why not?”
2. Most Americans believe in racial and gender equality and reject discrimination in any form. What does that look like? We all have stereotypes embedded in our brains, shaped over time by our culture, the media, and our history. How can we recognize when our bias is informing our decisions rather than logic?
3. What kind of experiences help us to learn the difference between right and wrong. How do we apply those lessons when we see an injustice?


Books to be read: The books lists are different for the Monday and Wednesdays groups. Please make sure you scroll to the correct book list.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 @𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗦𝗧, & 𝟳𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗦𝗧:
August 12, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝 -John Steinbeck 
August 26, 2024: 𝙁𝙖𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙩 𝟒𝟓𝟏- Ray Bradbury
September 9, 2024: 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒 - George Orwell
September 23, 2024: 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙- Aldous Huxley
October 7, 2024: 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙢 - George Orwell
October 21, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Stephen King 
November 4, 2024: 𝙈𝙖𝙪𝙨 - Art Speigelman
November 18, 2024: 𝙏𝙤 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝘼 𝙈𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 - Harper Lee
December 2, 2024: 𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 - Toni Morrison
December 16, 2024: 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧 & 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠  - Rainbow Rowell
January 6, 2025: 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙫𝙚 - Larry McMurtry 
January 20, 2025: 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 - Laurie Halse Anderson
February 3, 2025: 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠 - Ellen Hopkins
February 17, 2025: 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙙 - Patricia McCormick
March 3, 2025: 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙨- John Green
March 17, 2025: 𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮- Gayle Forman
March 31, 2025: 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 - Elizabeth Wein
April 14, 2025: 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙊𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 - William Golding
April 28, 2025: 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙨 - Libba Bray
No Class in May 2025
June, 2, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 - Chaim Potok
June 16, 2025: 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 - Jennifer Niven
June 30, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙛 𝘿𝙧. 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙪 - H.G. Wells
July 14, 2025: 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙 - M.T. Anderson
July 28, 2025: 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 -Richard Adams 
August 11, 2025: 𝘽𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚 - Francine Prose
August 25, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡- Nancy Werlin
September 8, 2025: 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 - Walter Dean Myers 
September 29, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙖𝙧, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙮𝙚, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙢 - Nancy Farmer
October 13, 2025: 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝟐𝟐- Joseph Heller
October 27, 2025: 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙚 - Ray Bradbury
November 10, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 - Graham Greene
November 24, 2025: 𝙐𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 - Scott Westerfeld
December 8, 2025: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 - Laurie Halse Anderson
December 22, 2025: 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Sister Helen Prejean
January 5, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 - S.E. Hinton
January 19, 2026: 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 - Laura McNeal
February 2, 2026: 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣  - Ralph Ellison
February 16, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙮𝙚 - J. D. Salinger
March 2, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 - Sandra Cisneros
March 16, 2026: 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - Elie Wiesel
March 39, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙡𝙚 - Alice Walker
April 13, 2026: 𝙎𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚-𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚  - Kurt Vonnegut
April 27, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 - J.R.R. Tolkien
May 11, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙊𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙠 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙤𝙣 - 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘽. 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮
June 1, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮 - Douglas Adams
June 15, 2026: 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 - Veronica Roth
June 29, 2026: 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚 - Stephen King
July 13, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 - Jeannette Walls
July 27, 2026: 𝙀𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 - Christopher Paolini 
August 10, 2026: 𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 - Orson Scott Card
August 24, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖 𝙇𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 - Rebecca Skloot
September 14, 2026: 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣 - Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
September 28, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙧 - Robert Cormier 
October 12, 2026: 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙖 - John Green
October 26, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙙'𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚 - Margaret Atwood
November 9, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 - Stephen Chbosky
November 23, 2026: 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 - Ransom Riggs
December 7, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 - Suzanne Collins
December 21, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩-𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 - Sherman Alexie 
January 4, 2027: 𝙄 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Maya Angelou
January 18, 2027: 𝙂𝙤 𝘼𝙨𝙠 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 - Beatrice Sparks
February 1, 2027: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙮 -Jay Asher
February 15, 2027: 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙨𝙚 - Robert Cormier
March 1, 2027: 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨  - Marjane Satrapi


𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 @𝟭𝟬𝗮𝗺 𝗘𝗦𝗧:
September 4, 2024: 𝙀𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 - Christopher Paolini 
September 18, 2024: 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙖 - John Green
October 16, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙙'𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚 - Margaret Atwood
October 30, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 - Stephen Chbosky
November 13, 2024: 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 - Ransom Riggs
November 27, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 - Suzanne Collins 
December 11, 2024: 𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 - Orson Scott Card
January 8, 2025: 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙫𝙚 - Larry McMurtry
January, 22, 2025: 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 - Laurie Halse Anderson
February 5, 2025: 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠 - Ellen Hopkins
February 19, 2025: 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙙 - Patricia McCormick
March 5, 2025: 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙨- John Green
March 19, 2025: 𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮 - Gayle Forman
April 2, 2025: 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 - Elizabeth Wein
April 16, 2025: 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙊𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 - William Golding
April 30, 2025: 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙨 - Libba Bray
May 28, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 - Chaim Potok
Jun 11, 2025: 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 - Jennifer Niven
June  25, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙛 𝘿𝙧. 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙪 - H.G. Wells
July 9, 2025: 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙙 - M.T. Anderson
July 23, 2025: 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 -Richard Adams 
August 6, 2025: 𝘽𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚 - Francine Prose
August 20, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡- Nancy Werlin
September 3, 2025: 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 - Walter Dean Myers 
September 17, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙖𝙧, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙮𝙚, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙢 - Nancy Farmer
October 8, 2025: 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝟐𝟐- Joseph Heller
October 22, 2025: 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙚 - Ray Bradbury
November 5, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 - Graham Greene
November 19, 2025: 𝙐𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 - Scott Westerfeld
December 3, 2025: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 - Laurie Halse Anderson
December 17, 2025: 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Sister Helen Prejean
January 7, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 - S.E. Hinton
January 21, 2026: 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 - Laura McNeal
February 4, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩-𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 - Sherman Alexie 
February 18, 2026: 𝙄 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Maya Angelou
March 4, 2026: 𝙂𝙤 𝘼𝙨𝙠 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 - Beatrice Sparks
March 18, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙮 -Jay Asher
April 8, 2026: 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙨𝙚 - Robert Cormier
April 22, 2026: 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒 - George Orwell
May 6, 2026: 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙- Aldous Huxley
May 20, 2026: 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙢 - George Orwell
June 3, 2026: 𝙈𝙖𝙪𝙨 - Art Speigelman
June 17. 2026: 𝙏𝙤 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝘼 𝙈𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 - Harper Lee
July 1, 2026: 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣 - Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
July 15, 2026: 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧 & 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠  - Rainbow Rowell
July 29, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙊𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙠 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙤𝙣 - 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘽. 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮
August 12, 2026: 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨  - Marjane Satrapi
August 26, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝 -John Steinbeck
September 9, 2026: 𝙁𝙖𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙩 𝟒𝟓𝟏 - Ray Bradbury
September 23, 2026: 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣  - Ralph Ellison
October 7, 2026: 𝙎𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚-𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚  - Kurt Vonnegut
October 21, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖 𝙇𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 - Rebecca Skloot
November 4, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙮𝙚 - J. D. Salinger
November 18, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 - Sandra Cisneros
December 2, 2026: 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - Elie Wiesel
December 16, 2026: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮 - Douglas Adams
January 6, 2027: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩 - Paulo Coelho
January 20, 2027: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 - Jeannette Walls
February 3, 2027: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙡𝙚 - Alice Walker
February 17, 2027: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 - J.R.R. Tolkien
March 3, 2027: 𝘼 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨 - Khaled Hosseini 
March 17, 2027: 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 - Veronica Roth
March 31, 2027: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙧 - Robert Cormier







Sample week:
Introductions
Warm Up exercise
Group Discussion
Reminder for upcoming book.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆:
I follow Outschool's policy on refunds for ongoing classes: Parents enrolled in an ongoing class will see a “stop subscription” button instead of “withdraw” on the classroom page after the class’s first meeting. Use this button to prevent any future weekly charges, starting with the following billing period, which rolls over Sunday mornings Pacific time. You can use this to stop future charges at any time.  There will be no refunds issued for a student(s) missing class.  

𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆: If your learner misses a class meeting, you are not entitled to a refund. If your learner misses 3 consecutive class live meetings without communicating with the teacher, you forfeit the class fee and the teacher may cancel the class or withdraw your learner.” 

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆: Please note that per Outschool policy, if there are 0 students after the first 10 minutes of the class, the class will be canceled for that day. The live meetings are scheduled for 50 minutes; however, depending upon the number of students and the amount of participation from the class, some live meetings may be shorter than 50 minutes.  If the teacher needs to cancel class a makeup class will be assigned. If the student is unable to attend the makeup class a refund will be issued after the makeup class.

Learning Goals

Develop critical thinking and reasoning skills as students determine why a book is banned or challenged.
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
Banned books deal with difficult subjects such as violence, racism, underage drinking, profanity, witchcraft, gender identity, anti or pro religion. Families should research the books before enrolling to determine if the books are appropriate for their child. As facilitator for this class we will address these subjects using critical thinking and context so learners will understand why the problematic and/or inaccurate ways of referencing people is not appropriate. Showing learners examples of biased language in a safe space will aid learners in developing their critical thinking skills so that they can identify bias in books on their own. FROM: Outschool... While our open community is our greatest source of strength, it also brings challenges. It is important to us that Outschool is a safe space for our users. Our members should treat each other without bias or prejudice across all pillars of diversity including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, and gender identity.
Supply List
Students will need to obtain a copy of the book. Available at most libraries, local booksellers, and online retailers.
 1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined November, 2019
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Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from The School of Visual Arts
✨️ New to Outschool?  Use code KATHYWI2020 to save $20 today on ANY class! 💵👍 Don’t miss out—start exploring today! ✨️ 


Greetings and welcome to our classroom adventure, where curiosity takes the reins! I'm Kathy, your guide on this exciting  journey of exploration.

In our classroom, we embrace The Socratic Method, believing that questions fuel our learning journey. Together, we'll form a circle of inquiry – a space where we're free to delve into our thoughts, respect diverse perspectives, and discover more about ourselves along the way. My classes focus around the philosophical questions that weave through our daily lives, books, and movies.

A bit about me: I proudly hold a BFA from The School of Visual Arts. As an ACE Teacher on Outschool, I've embraced Professional Development Training, honing Outschool's three core principles: Agency, Community, & Expertise.

I bring to our educational journey a variety of experiences, having donned various hats – from a 15-year stint as an Advertising Executive in corporate America to roles as a Homeschool Teacher and ESL Teacher. I'm an avid book enthusiast, everything from classics to contemporary themes, even enjoying a bit of mind candy. My passion extends to old movies, where I enjoy introducing timeless classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood to students. Having guided my own children through high school and on to college, I collaborate with local homeschoolers, teaching philosophy, literature, movie studies, and facilitating open discussions on diverse topics like Philosophy, Banned Books, Novel Studies, Hollywood movies, and Women's Studies.

Beyond the classroom, you will find me singing loudly and unapologetically in the car and enjoying moments with family. I look forward to seeing you in the classroom - let the adventure begin!

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Live Group Class
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$20

weekly
1x per week
50 min

Completed by 102 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
1-8 learners per class

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