My students need 30 copies of the novel The Wave by Todd Strasser to leverage their decision making skills which will improve their lives.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Smith's classroom raised $275
This project is fully funded
My Students
As a STEM high school with a high percentage of our students with low social-economic status, my 15-16 year olds in my STEM ELA composition/literature class need to be exposed to rich, variety texts which enable them to think critically. Too many of my students have limited experience completing a novel-length text which impacts their brain development and thus their decision making.
A key element to being a successful adult is the ability to determine bias and propaganda both in print and speech.
With the increased reliance on social media and the click bait on too many websites, our future citizens aren’t reading full length texts which enhance their brains’ full development. The Wave, by Todd Strasser, reflects a real-life scenario that happened in 1969 which transfers completely to my learners because the students in the novel were easily manipulated by a trusted teacher who convinced them to quit thinking and just follow the expectations, behaviors, and rules of his organization “The Wave.”
My students need to experience The Wave because too many of them bend to the mob-mentality of the moment and need to practice decision making. Our nation needs great thinkers!
My Project
Through reading, writing, and talking about the text, students will generate questions on how the teacher manipulated the students, how the students were easily convinced to “follow the leader,” and how no teenager questioned the teacher or his thinking. My students will also explore how they might be manipulated in their own lives by peers, adults, and written and spoken texts through both explicit and implicit messaging.
By making them aware of these personal situations, we can build skill sets so that students can prevent themselves from being manipulated.
This capacity to be self-aware will serve them for the entirety of their lives and that is the goal of this unit. By being keen readers, students will be able to detect bias, agenda-driven texts, and propaganda which is designed to control their thinking.
Being a thoughtful citizen of the world is the most important outcome of education and this unit will assist my students toward that lifelong goal.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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