Middle-School Literature -- Dystopian Genre

In this 12-week course, students will read and analyze three critically acclaimed Dystopian novels. Students will be responsible for reading assigned chapters on their own and discussing their annotations during class.  Our discussions will focus on the protagonist and antagonist, their motivations, parts of the plot, conflict resolution, and theme.

This class is meant for learners who love to read and are comfortable reading up to 100 pages per week.

Here are the three novels as well as plot summaries:

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins -- "Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . . In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love" (Amazon.com).

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman -- "Connor is a rebel whose unwinding [repurposing a teen’s organs and other body parts in living recipients] was ordered by his parents. Rita, a ward of the state, has been slated for unwinding due to cost cutting. And Lev, his parents’ tenth child, has been destined for unwinding since birth as a religious tithe. As their paths intersect, they start to fight for their own destinies. But do they stand a chance of escaping their fate or proving their lives are worth saving?" (Amazon.com)

Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld -- "Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. And as a pretty, she’ll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun. But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever" (Amazon.com).

The reading schedule for the course is as follows:

The Hunger Games
Meeting 1 -- Ch. 1-6
Meeting 2 -- Ch. 7-13
Meeting 3 -- Ch. 14-20
Meeting 4 -- Ch. 21-27
Optional Assessment: Write a paragraph analyzing one of the themes depicted in "The Hunger Games".

Unwind
Meeting 5 -- pp. 1-85
Meeting 6 -- pp. 86-170
Meeting 7 -- pp. 171-255
Meeting 8 -- pp. 256-End
Optional Assessment: Develop a playlist for one of the main characters and explain why the character would have each of these songs on his/her playlist.

Uglies
Meeting 9 -- pp. 1-106
Meeting 10 -- pp. 107-201
Meeting 11 -- pp. 202-303
Meeting 12 -- pp. 304-End
Optional Assessment: Write a persuasive essay on the role beauty plays in society.

This is a highly interactive class, as students will be expected to share their ideas and analysis of the novels with their fellow students. My role will be to moderate discussion, not lecture. At the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the Dystopian genre and how to analyze literature for characterization, plot, theme, and a variety of literary elements.


***Students have the option of writing a literary analysis essay for any or all novels for a letter grade.***