I teach 9th-grade English at a rural high school in Georgia. Many of our students come from families that have been either farmers or factory workers for generations.
These students often think of the world as somewhat static. They expect that they will be able to support themselves in the sort of jobs that their parents have had, and are unaware of other possibilities that are available to them. Additionally, many of the lower-performing students tend to blame external causes for their lack of progress.
By reading books about "perfect" societies, students will be exposed to fictional cultures with strengths and weaknesses that are different from their own. In groups, they will examine the benefits and drawbacks to living in these societies (responding in their reading journals). They will also make reasoned judgments about the main character's choices, and how those choices helped or hurt that character as well as others in the society.
Students will then design their own "utopian" communities, explaining how food, clothing, and shelter are provided and distributed, how behavior is regulated, and so on. They will create a report and three promotional documents: a friendly letter, a formal letter, and a brochure advertising the society.
To allow students greater control over their own learning experiences, and to foster cooperation in groups, I will allow them to choose from a variety of dystopian novels: "Stolen Voices," "Uglies," "Among the Hidden," and "The City of Ember."
Please help these young people open their eyes to the world of possibilities before them.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. C. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.