Had to pick between teaching Fahrenheit 451 or To Kill a Mockingbird to my 10th graders last semester

So I'm a sub teacher on the side and the main English teacher asked me to cover a banned books unit. I had two copies of each book in the classroom and enough time for one. I went with Fahrenheit 451 cause I figured the whole 'burning books' thing would hit harder for kids glued to their phones. Big mistake. Half the class thought it was boring and kept asking when the action would start. But this one kid, Marcus, stayed after class and said it made him think about his parents always scrolling at dinner. So I guess it worked for someone.

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke711mo ago

My nephew's class did Fahrenheit 451 last year and his teacher had them rewrite a scene where they "burned" their own playlists instead of books. That got them talking about what they'd actually miss if it all disappeared.

dixon.amy1mo ago

Wow, burning playlists actually sounds way more fun than my class where they just wanted to fast-forward through the book.