Description:
Are you a free thinker? Are you open minded? Are you interested in your own life and the lives of other teenagers? In this course you will examine the issues and concerns of adolescence. You will have the opportunity to learn about your own heritage and the heritage of others. Through multicultural literature, you will read about and discuss the issues of intellectual, mental, emotional, and physical differences, poverty, prejudice, race, and ethnic pride, and tolerance in times of war. We will address four main sub-themes in this course about tolerance and diversity. The readings and activities will challenge you to think about the misconceptions and stereotypes.
Materials Provided: Students will read short stories, online articles, and four self-selected novels. Possible novels might include:
Haddon, Mark : Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Picoult, Jodi : House Rules
Hesser, Terry: Kissing Doorknobs
Keyes, Daniel: Flowers for Algernon
Robison, John Elder: Look Me in the Eye
Alexie, Sherman - The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian
Wiesel, Elie – Night
Crutcher, Chris -- Whale Talk
Yep, Laurence: Hiroshima
Otsuka, Julie: When the Emperor was Divine
Zusak, Marcus: The Book Thief
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell: The Boy Who Dared
Boyne, John: The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas
Ung, Loung: First they Killed My Father
Watkins, Yoko Kawashima: So Far from the Bamboo Grove
Friend, Natasha: Perfect
Friend, Natasha: Bounce
Friend, Natasha: Lush
Rhue, Morton: The Wave
Myracle, Lauren: Kissing Kate
Greene, Bette: The Drowning of Stephen Jones
Hartinger, Brent: The Geography Club
*This course may be appropriate for Gifted and Talented middle school students that meet all course prerequisites.*
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