From The Giver to Fahrenheit 451: Teaching Dystopian Literature (5-12)

Dystopian literature offers a potent way for teachers to not only teach a love of literature, literary devices and analysis, and reading comprehension, but it also affords an opportunity for critical thinking, social-emotional learning, socio-political commentary, philosophy, and so much more. In this course, we will explore a few suggested novels and offer thoughtful, experiential adaptable lessons to deepen your students’ appreciation for this engaging genre. Intended for Middle School Teachers (Upper Elementary and  High School teachers may be interested as well.)

Participants will:

• Gain an understanding of how dystopian novels can open the door to powerful and engaging classroom discussions on a variety of civics, philosophical, and sociological topics. 
• Explore several dystopian novels and develop adaptable experiential lessons for each book.
• Understand the potential for cross-curricular connections from this literature to other subjects and brainstorm integrated lesson units with partner teachers.