Exploring the Values of Society With The Laramie Project
My students need a class set of "The Laramie Project" to explore issues related to homophobia, systemic poverty, the death penalty, and human empathy.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Fox's classroom raised $519
This project is fully funded
My Students
This project is for a new course I'll be teaching next year. The students in this course will be a group of Freshmen who need a little extra support to make the transition successfully from middle school to high school. I'll have them for a two-period block, and together we'll work our way through both Language Arts and History. It is going to be a fantastic community of learners, so I need to provide them with materials that will be accessible, yet also challenge them to see themselves as intellectual beings.
One of the main ways students decipher what society values is by mastering the content that is presented in schools.
Our school is an urban public high school, our students come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds, races, religions, family situations. They come with a plethora of different values that both unite and divide them. "The Laramie Project" is the kind of text that will hook them, and the content of the material will give them a chance to see the emptiness that can be created when people fear the differences of others.
My Project
On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally attacked, tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyoming, and left to die. On October 12, Matt succumbed to his wounds in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Matthew was murdered because he was gay. "The Laramie Project" is an award-winning play that explores the different perspectives of the people of Laramie as they try to make sense of how their community could come to be synonymous with a horrific hate crime.
When I was a kid, I learned about institutional racism by reading "A Raisin in the Sun"; today's students need to learn about one of the critical civil rights issues of their time: the rights of the LGBTQ community.
The Laramie Project is a non-fiction play that will move my students as they hear the conflicting voices of a town grappling with hate. The play raises issues beyond just Queer Issues; students will also have to grapple with systemic poverty, the death penalty, hate speech, being an ally, and the complexity of family.
This class set of the play will allow us to read the play out loud as a class, and then participate in curriculum I will design to support and enhance the text. Through a variety of art projects, writing prompts, discussions, and reflections "The Laramie Project" will allow my students to redefine their own values as they confront their own humanity. "The true horror of 'The Laramie Project' is that there are no monsters. We are all the people of Laramie. Human beings. Murderers and advocates. Bigots and heroes." Your support of this project will give my students the chance to see that our society values life, love, and even forgiveness.
More than a third 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
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 Mr. Fox and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
