jtrent238 test blog: Learning Network: Banned Books, Censored Topics

September 23, 2022

Dear Reader,

Parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers are challenging books at a pace not seen in decades. At the same time, schools are mired in debates over what students should learn about in U.S. history. In the last two years, dozens of state legislatures introduced bills that would limit what teachers can say about race, gender, sexuality and inequality.

All of this is part of a larger debate over politics in public school education. Across the United States, parents have demanded more oversight over curriculums, and school board meetings have erupted into fiery discussions.

How much do your students know and understand about these battles? To what extent have they affected your community, school and students? Why do they matter?

In our new teaching resource, we have collected articles, podcasts, videos and essays, from both The Times and other sources, that can help students think about these issues, and consider what they can do in response. We have also linked to our own related lesson plans, as well as to our Student Opinion forums, where your students are invited to join young people around the world to discuss their opinions.

And though we are publishing this collection during Banned Books Week, these issues are relevant far beyond one week in September. With the approach of midterm elections, for example, challenges to books and the conflicts that surround them are only likely to escalate. And, of course, all of these battles raise deeper questions about education, democracy and citizenship. We hope your students will find something in this collection that will engage them.

Sincerely,
The Learning Network

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Ted Shaffrey/Associated Press

Current Events

Banned Books, Censored Topics: Teaching About the Battle Over What Students Should Learn

Suggestions for using recent Times and Learning Network articles, videos, podcasts, student forums and more.

By Katherine Schulten

Student Opinion

What Is Your Reaction to the Growing Fight Over What Young People Can Read?

Parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers are challenging books about race, gender and sexuality at a pace not seen in decades. What is your opinion of this?

By Katherine Schulten

The New York Times

Current Events

Lesson Plan: The Debate Over the Teaching of U.S. History

In this lesson, students will learn why the teaching of history is under the microscope and how debates in school board meetings and statehouses across the country have affected social studies teachers.

By Jeremy Engle

Student Opinion

What Is the Purpose of Teaching U.S. History?

Schools have been caught up in spirited debates over what students should — and should not — learn about the country's history.

By Jeremy Engle

What's Going On in This Graph? | Sept. 28, 2022

Over the past decade, how has the population of the ten largest counties changed compared with the rest of the country?

By The Learning Network

Film Club: 'I Have Face Blindness. This Is How I Recognize You.'

How do people cope and thrive with their disabilities? How can we better understand and respond to the needs of those with disabilities?

By The Learning Network

Gabby Jones for The New York Times

What's Going On in This Picture? | Sept. 19, 2022

Look closely at this image, stripped of its caption, and join the moderated conversation about what you and other students see.

By The Learning Network

Cole Wilson for The New York Times

Vocabulary

Vocabulary in Context: Gen Z At Work

Test your vocabulary and reading comprehension with this quiz based on the Times article "Gen Z Knows What It Wants From Employers. And Employers Want Them."

Compiled by Katherine Schulten

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