***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 will use their critical thinking and reasoning skills as they consider the themes and ideas within the text 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 text 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 text. 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.

To facilitate the discussion, the teacher will ask questions about the themes, such as:
• Is isolation (or solitude) a good thing or a bad thing in the story? Or both?
• This book was written in the late 1940s and published in 1950. What kinds of roles did women play in society at that time?
• Why do you think so many characters in this book desire friendship so badly?

Together we will create our circle of inquiry. A space where we are free to have a difference of opinion. We will practice disagreeing and voicing our opinions with respect towards one another

The below dates are a guideline. 
Books are subject to change due to learner requests. If you are looking for a specific book, Please message the teacher to confirm which book is being read. I run multiple groups and due to learners requests they are not always on the same book. Thank you for your understanding.

Books to be read:
Class that meets Mondays @ 11am EST & 5pm EST:
August 26, 2024: 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙖 - Katherine Paterson
September 9, 2024: 𝙋𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Astrid Lindgren
September 23, 2024: 𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙩 - by Carl Hiaasen
October 7, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙒𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙊𝙯 - Frank L. Baum
October 21, 2024 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 - Roald Dahl
November 4, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠 - Anne Frank
November 18, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 - S. E. Hinton
December 2, 2024: 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 - Neil Gaimon
December 16, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 - Lois Lowry
December 30, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛 - Percy Jackson
January 6, 2025: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚'𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙗 - E.B White
January 20, 2025: 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙙-𝙪𝙥 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙧𝙨. 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙡 𝙀. 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧 -  E. L. Konigsburg
February 3, 2025: 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨 - Louis Sachar
February 17, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙁𝙂 -Roald Dahl
March 3, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙏𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝 - Norton Juster
March 17, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙜𝙮𝙥𝙩 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 - Zilpha Keatley Snyder
March 31, 2025: 𝙀𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙯𝙖 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 -Pam Muñoz Ryan
April 14, 2025: 𝙈𝙮 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙖𝙢 𝙄𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 - James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
April 28, 2025: 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙬𝙡 - Eoin Colfer
June 2, 2025,: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙄𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Susan Cooper
No class in May 2025
June 16, 2025 2024: 𝘼𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 - Margaret Peterson Haddix
June 30, 2025: 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙡'𝙨 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 - Diane Wynne Johnson
July 14, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Lemony Snicket
July 28, 2025: 𝑨 𝑾𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒆𝒂 - Ursula K. Le Guin
August 11, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙋𝙤𝙣𝙙 - Elizabeth George Speare
August 25, 2025: 𝙄𝙣𝙠𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 - Cornelia Funke
September 8, 2025: 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙩 - Gary Paulsen

Class that meets Tuesdays @3pm EST:
September 3, 2024: 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙡'𝙨 𝙈𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 - Diane Wynne Johnson
September 17, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Lemony Snicket
October 1, 2024: 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙂𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 - L.M. Montgomery
October 15, 2024: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙞𝙩 - Francisco Jiménez
October 29, 2024: 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Laurence Yep
November 12, 2024: 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙮 - Rodman Philbrick
November 26, 2024:  𝘼 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙉𝙤 𝙋𝙞𝙜𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝘿𝙞𝙚 - Robert Newton Peck
December 10, 2024: 𝘽𝙪𝙙, 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝘽𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙮 - Christopher Paul Curtis
January 7, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 - Roald Dahl
January 21, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠 - Anne Frank
February 4, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 - S. E. Hinton
February 18, 2025: 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 - Neil Gaimon
March 4, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 - Lois Lowry
March 18, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛 - Percy Jackson
April 1, 2025: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚'𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙗 - E.B White
April 15, 2025: 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙙-𝙪𝙥 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙧𝙨. 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙡 𝙀. 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧 -  E. L. Konigsburg
April 29, 2025: 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨 - Louis Sachar
May 27, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙁𝙂 -Roald Dahl
June 10, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙏𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝 - Norton Juster
June 24, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙜𝙮𝙥𝙩 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 - Zilpha Keatley Snyder
July 8, 2025: 𝙀𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙯𝙖 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 -Pam Muñoz Ryan
July 22, 2025: 𝙈𝙮 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙖𝙢 𝙄𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 - James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
August 5, 2025: 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙬𝙡 - Eoin Colfer
August 19, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙄𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Susan Cooper
September 2, 2025: 𝘼𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 - Margaret Peterson Haddix
September 16, 2025: 𝑨 𝑾𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒆𝒂 - Ursula K. Le Guin
September 30, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙋𝙤𝙣𝙙 - Elizabeth George Speare
October 14, 2025: 𝙄𝙣𝙠𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 - Cornelia Funke
October 28, 2025: 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙩 - Gary Paulsen
November 11, 2025: 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙖 - Katherine Paterson
November 25, 2025: 𝙋𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 - Astrid Lindgren
December 9, 2025:  𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙩 - by Carl Hiaasen
December 23, 2025: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙒𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙊𝙯 - Frank L. Baum




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.