Book Club: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

In this four week course, learners will read and discuss the New York Times Best-Selling novel "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas. Our discussion will be structured as a literature circle, in which each student is responsible for a particular topic relating to the novel each week and should prepare three discussion questions to bring to the group. Throughout the course, students will also create a short creative project to express their personal perspective and understanding of the novel. On the last class of the course, students will present this creative project to the class.

SUMMARY: "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas.
“Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, The Hate U Give addresses issues of racism and police violence as witnessed by Starr, a 16-year-old girl who navigates between her poverty-stricken neighborhood and the wealthy suburban prep school she attends. She is the sole witness to the police shooting of her best friend Kahlil, who is unarmed but may or may not have been a drug dealer. Starr struggles to cope with the loss of her friend, whether or not to assist with the investigation, and how to continue living as one of the only Black students at a predominantly white school.”

WHAT IS A LITERATURE CIRCLE?

A literature circle is a format for a book club that provides students structure as they practice reading with the intention of discussion. Each class, learners will take on a different topic for the group, and  they will read all the chapters assigned for that day's class with their topic in mind. The topics are race, gender, world connection, personal connection, and language/style. If your role that class is “gender,” for example, you will read actively to find sections of the chapter that deal with gender. During our first class, we will go over what each of these topics mean, and a structured guide for what to look for as you read will be provided.

What learners will do BEFORE each class:
*Read the assigned chapters.
*Write three quality questions based on your role for that week (question-writing guide will be provided, and we will discuss how to write appropriate questions in class 1.)
*Write a topic sentence that answers the question you wrote to the best of YOUR understanding.

What we will do as a group DURING each class:
*Take turns asking the group questions we have brought to class
*Practice active listening and discussion skills as we engage in meaningful and respectful debate and discussion
*Complete quick-write activities based on prompts related to the novel and questions from other learners

WHAT IS THE CREATIVE PROJECT?

In week two, learners will be introduced to the guidelines for a creative project they will each create to demonstrate their own understanding, reaction, and perspective of the novel. This creative project will be presented in the final class. Guidelines and structure will be provided. 
They may choose to create any of the following (or their own idea!):
Newspaper
Poems
Wanted poster
Letters from an aide
Shoebox diorama
Video re-enactment
Radio play
In-class dramatization
Movie poster
An original song
A soundtrack

ABOUT ME:
One of my strongest held beliefs is that every student, every child, and every PERSON has something worthwhile to say in this world, but we don't always have the platform to say it- or even know how. I believe that young adults are capable of holding meaningful and critical discussions surrounding complex and sensitive subjects, and I believe that what they have to say about these topics matter. I previously held this literature circle-style book club with a group of Sophomore year public high school (aged 15-17) students as an alternative to the rote "read, answer the study guide, regurgitate plot points, write the essay, take the test" sort of English class that so students are so often forced to partake in. It was, without a doubt, the most joyous English class I've ever taught. I genuinely love talking with students about (and teaching them how to talk about!) how they see the world through literature, and I am so sincerely looking forward to this course.

I am a licensed English Language Arts teacher with supplemental endorsements in English Language Learning and Bilingual education, and I have four years experience teaching and working in public, three years teaching in an online setting, and a Masters in the Art of Teaching. I am bilingual Spanish-English, and previously lived and studied abroad in Ecuador for four years. I am passionate about social justice, including racial justice, intersectional feminism, and climate justice. My hobbies including stage-play writing, camping and backpacking, cats, trying to cook, and reading (young adult fiction, biographies, and social issue-related non-fiction are my favorites!)