Ban This Book

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Three Perspectives on One Book”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of key ideas in Ban This Book by evaluating a favorite book from various characters’ perspectives.

One of the main ideas in Ban This Book is that different readers can have different ideas about the same book. In this activity, you will show that you understand the differences in the ways Mrs. Jones, Amy Anne, and Mrs. Spencer view books. You will choose one of your own favorite books and then write about this book from each character’s perspective.

Write three separate paragraphs—one from Amy Anne’s point of view, one from Mrs. Spencer’s point of view, and one from Mrs. Jones’s point of view. Each character should write about the same book and answer the same question: “What will the impact of reading this book be on students?”

As you think about how to write your paragraphs, think carefully about what makes each character’s perspective different:

• Imagine that Mrs. Spencer wants to get the book banned. Given what you have learned about Mrs. Spencer’s personality and her way of looking at the world, what might she find to dislike about this book?
• What if this book was also one of Amy Anne’s favorite books? Given who Amy Anne is as a person and what she loves about reading, how might she defend this book?
• Why does Mrs. Jones want to defend students’ right to read? What does she think is important about reading that is different from the way Amy Anne views reading? How might she defend the book?

When you finish writing your paragraphs, you will share them with a small group. The group will then vote on which of your three paragraphs is most persuasive and whether the book should or should not be banned.

Teaching Suggestion: Because younger students are more likely to struggle with abstraction, imagining a favorite book from someone else’s perspective is a challenging task. They may find it especially tricky to differentiate Amy Anne’s perspective from Mrs. Jones’s. Younger students, especially, may benefit from small-group discussions about the different characters’ perspectives before they begin writing. You might even ask discussion groups to practice by imagining the three characters’ perspectives on a text most students are familiar with, such as a well-known fairy tale.

If time permits, you might give students some practice in designing forms by asking them to write their paragraphs on a “Reconsideration Request” form that they design themselves using a site like Canva. If your students are ready for a challenge, you might discuss the idea of narrative voice with them and then ask that they try to not only represent the different characters’ perspectives but also use each character’s individual voice.

Differentiation Suggestion: Young students with less developed theory of mind (those on the autism spectrum, etc.) may find it difficult to take another person’s perspective without some coaching. You might ask such students to create a chart of Amy, Mrs. Jones, and Mrs. Spencer’s similarities and differences. Then, you can ask them, “What if you were a person like Amy? What would you say about your book then?” Even if their answers are still limited, they will have demonstrated at least some understanding of how these three characters’ perspectives differ. Such a chart might also be useful for students with attentional and organizational challenges; they can fill in this chart as a preliminary step before completing their paragraphs. This might also be completed in small groups or with a partner to decrease the individual cognitive load.