Students will be able to do the following: - Actively and collaboratively discuss a text
- Examine a text for its use of literary devices (character development, setting, narration, symbolism, and theme)
- Understand the author’s purpose of writing the text 
- Use evidence to support a claim
- Build empathy and an understanding of those who may look unlike themselves. 

My bachelor’s degree is in Social Studies Education, so I was not only taught history, but was also taught how to respectfully teach historical events in a non-biased manner. In addition to this, my history course load was made up of US history courses such as the traditional freshmen-level US history courses, American Women’s History, The New South, etc. I also took Africa and the Slave Trade as my required non-western civilization course. All of this plays into how I tackle the historical context of this novel. I also have a master’s degree in English and Creative Writing, for which I had to take literature courses such as Modern American Literature. 

Students are expected to read the assigned chapters BEFORE each class meeting. For instance, chapters 1-5 should be read before the first class meeting. 

Students’ understanding and skill development will be assessed informally through their participation in the weekly discussions/activities. 

50 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 2 - 4 hours per week outside of class.

We will use various resources from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance).