Civil Discourse through Literature

Centered on a Reader’s Writers Workshop approach, these lessons are structured for 48‐​minute class periods with daily plans. They include suggestions for books, short stories, images, and poems tailored to your district and school.

How do we define who we are? What is culture and how do we express it? What topics/​ideas are significant to our lives? What topics are relevant and necessary to human relationships?

What is civil discourse? How can we voice our opinions in productive and civil discussions in public social media arenas like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? What makes opinions worth sharing with the public?

Students will practice aspects of civil discourse with their peers, including how to communicate effectively with others whose opinions may differ from their own, and share about similarities and differences they have with their peers, family and community.

What does it mean to be critically literate? How are we critically literate in our daily lives? How does civil discourse help us practice critical literacy?

How is what we read a window, mirror or a door? What other metaphors can be used to describe our connections to text? What metaphor can I use to relate to what I am reading?