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In this episode, I’m brainstorming how my latest favorite books could become engaging units. You’ll learn 7 of my favorite books that I’ve read in the last year as well as a subject area, theme to explore, and possible activities for a unit based on each book.
Why? I get most of my To Be Read list ideas from podcast episodes about books. Eventually, I’d love to crowd source or interview experts like the folx at We Need Diverse Books for book recommendations for K-12 courses. Until then, I’ll start with my ideas! Book-Based Unit Ideas This is by no means an amazing or perfect list. As a starting point, I used the StoryGraph filter for books I rated 5 stars in the year 2023 and the first two months of 2024. As I selected these books and put these ideas into words, I was thinking about interesting topics, application ideas, and racial, gender, national, and geographic diversity with regards to author and character identity and setting. A Deadly Education (Book #1 in The Scholomance series) by Naomi Novik Set in a magical school that is way deadlier and darker than Harry Potter, the characters are racially, linguistically, and geographically diverse. Could be an interdisciplinary History/ELA unit. Theme to explore: Is it ever okay to sacrifice a life if it saves an entire community?. Could pair well with a classic text like The Lottery. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger Set in a magical, alternative America, the “novel featur[es] an asexual, Apache teen protagonist, Elatsoe combines mystery, horror, noir, ancestral knowledge, haunting illustrations, fantasy elements.” (authorsoutloud.com) Could be an interdisciplinary History/ELA unit. Themes to explore: racial justice, national/political justice, and family/ancestors, comparison between real horrors and fictional/fantasy horrors. Could pair well with a clip from the television show Lovecraft Country. There are many opportunities to conduct research into the real, historical events mentioned and alluded to throughout the story. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle I liked this one for the interesting (fantastical) concept of going back in time to meet and spend time with a younger version of one of your parents. I like this as a non-academic, SEL unit, but it could work for ELA. Activities could involve writing—or creating in some other way—a “historical fiction” account of an important figure that exists today or in the recent past. I also enjoyed the emotional components of the story—mostly how we cope with grief. This could offer some SEL-based conversation or journal prompts for students to reflect on their own coping strategies and ways of dealing with emotion. The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay Short, beautiful essays the author wrote nearly every day for a year. Themes addressed include: racial justice, environmental justice, grief, and joy. Students could unpack specific essays in depth for content and/or artistic style. They could also write their own Book of Delights. This could be an ELA unit or part of an SEL curriculum/space. Walkable City by Jeff Speck A research- and experience-based handbook for how to make cities thrive. (In short, the answer is to make them walkable.) Great for Environmental Science, but could work for a Design or Social Justice/Youth Leadership course. Themes include environmental and socio-economic justice. Lots of opportunities to research further into many of the scientific phenomena and studies cited throughout the book. Could culminate in an advocacy project in which students use evidence from the book to argue for implementing a specific idea(s) in their community. Firekeeper’s Daughter (#1 in the Firekeeper's Daughter series) by Angeline Boulley The main character of this fictional novel is a biracial, unenrolled tribal member who witnesses a murder and agrees to go undercover in a federal investigation. The audiobook is excellent. The author is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. She writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Themes include: identity and belonging; racial and national justice; gender-based violence; generational trauma, grief, and healing; the importance and complexities of family and community; matriarchy and the importance of elders. Could be an interdisciplinary History/ELA unit. Ink and Bone (#1 in The Great Library Series) by Rachel Caine Dystopian future imagining what the world would be like if the Great Library of Alexandria had not been destroyed (which started with Caesar’s troops setting it on fire in 48 CE). Themes: Should access to information be controlled and by whom?; What’s the ideal balance of control and freedom? In an interdisciplinary ELA/History project, students could write their own alternative fictions centered around a major turning point in history. They could use the same structure—artifacts (ephemera) between each chapter—choosing relevant historical documents to include or developing slight adaptations to historical documents based on the fictional alternate reality. For More Ideas Consider the books you and your students have loved reading lately. For new book recommendations, check out the website We Need Diverse Books or listen to an episode of What Should I Read Next or a text-based episode of Brave New Teaching. To help you support students to select their own books to read, I’m sharing my Independent Reading Selection Guide with you for free. And, if you’re looking for more details on the ideas in this blog post, listen to episode 167 of the Time for Teachership podcast. If you’re unable to listen or you prefer to read the full episode, you can find the transcript here.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my YouTube channel where you can learn about more tips and resources like this one below:
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Time for Teachership is now a proud member of the...AuthorLindsay Lyons (she/her) is an educational justice coach who works with teachers and school leaders to inspire educational innovation for racial and gender justice, design curricula grounded in student voice, and build capacity for shared leadership. Lindsay taught in NYC public schools, holds a PhD in Leadership and Change, and is the founder of the educational blog and podcast, Time for Teachership. Archives
May 2024
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