Censorship “Then and Now” Lessons BUNDLE

This Book Censorship Then and Now bundle includes two book censorship lesson presentations and activities (“then” and “now”). They are best for high school library or classrooms. These are thought-provoking censorship resources that will get students talking during Banned Books Week!

A word of caution: Discussing censorship can be controversial in certain settings. It’s why Banned Books Week exists – so we can talk about book censorship. It is, however, critical that you know your audience and your community. 

Please have a look at the preview above before you buy. Mrs. ReaderPants has included lots of details and presentation screenshots so you can determine if this unit will work for your school community.

This week-long unit has 56 pages and slides, and it includes:

History of Censorship Presentation

Real World Censorship Discussion and Research Activity

 

THEN – History of Censorship Presentation

This presentation is perfect for Banned Books Week or as an introduction to book burning in Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.” The slides give a brief history of nine censorship and book banning incidents in world history.

• 21-slide Lesson Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint + Google Slides + PDF
  
  • All body text is editable; you choose which slides you want to use.
  • The Works Cited page appears on the final slide.
• Google Classroom Basics (6 pages, PDF)
• No lesson plan is included with the History of Censorship presentation, but standards addressed by this activity are listed below.
• Information about censorship includes: 
  • What is censorship?
  • Who are the censors?
  • Common ways library books are censored (torn pages, drawing “clothes” over body parts, marking out words, etc.)
  • What is book banning?
  • What is book burning and how is it used symbolically?
  • Why are books censored and/or banned
• 9 historical censorship events: 
  • 213 BC – China – Emperor Qin Shi Huang
  • 640 AD – Egypt – Caliph Omar burned all 200,000 volumes in the Library of Alexandria
  • 1497-98 – Florence, Italy – “The Bonfire of the Vanities”
  • 1600-1966 – The Index Librorum Prohibitorum – Catholic Church bans over 5200 books
  • 1616-1652 – Galileo Galilei convicted of heresy over heliocentric theory papers
  • 1859 – Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species”
  • 1933 – Nazi book burnings
  • 1960s-1970s – Mao Zedong of China – Cultural Revolution
  • Today – “Great Firewall of China” and censorship of social media, newspapers, and books.

NOW – Real World Censorship Discussion and Research Activities

Students examine some of the 30 included censorship situations from current events and research the news stories behind them. Sure to spark discussion and debate, this censorship activity is perfect for Banned Books Week, English, high school library, debate, and media studies classes.

• Detailed, editable lesson plan aligned to AASL Standards (8 pages, PDF only)
• Day 1 – Intro to Censorship and the First Amendment Presentation
  • 8 slides, editable in PowerPoint and Google Slides
  • Defines censorship
  • Text of the First Amendment
  • How First Amendment cases are debated in court
  • Whose speech is protected by the First Amendment
  • Discussion Norms slide – 6 tips for students to keep their discussions civil and their disagreements respectful.
• Day 2 – Group Discussion of Censorship Scenarios
  • Eight (8) editable group discussion cards (3 pages, PowerPoint and Google Slides)
  • Includes 8 hypothetical questions about different kinds of censorship
  • Also includes 4 template cards if you want to write your own discussion questions
• Day 3 – Is It Censorship? Opinion Worksheets
  
  • “Is Censorship Ever Okay?” editable worksheets and group discussion (6 pages, PowerPoint, and Google Slides)
  • Students determine if these are censorship and if so, whether or not they are reasonable.
  • Include 30 scenarios taken straight from real news stories
  • There are six different worksheets, each with five different situations. Students can complete one worksheet, then group according to which worksheet they did.
  • All worksheets are labeled with a letter in the corner so students can group quickly by the letter of their worksheet.
• Day 4-5 -Research Real Censorship News Articles
  • Editable assignment graphic organizer to research one of the situations. (1 page, PowerPoint, and Google Slides)
  • Students are researching the real-life situations behind the scenarios on the worksheet.
  • Links provided to news articles about all 30 news stories.
  • This activity could be extended further into a class debate or a written research or position essay about the event.
• 30 Sample Situations:
  
  • 10 situations occurred outside school. These are stories in global and USA news.
  • Example: A celebrity sues a newspaper for publishing unauthorized photos of her minor child.
  • 20 situations occurred at school. All of these are in USA schools, but the states vary.
  • Example: At graduation, the Valedictorian’s microphone is cut off when she starts to say things that were not in her pre-approved speech.

Standards Addressed:

AASL National School Library Standards – See the AASL Standards Framework for Learners to view full text.

• Inquire – C.1. – D.1. – D.3.
• Include – B.2. – C.1. – C.2. – D.1. – D.2. – D.3.
• Collaborate – A.1. – A.2. – A.3. – B.1. – B.2. – C.1. – C.2. – D.1. – D.2.
• Curate – A.1. – A.2. – A.3. – B.1. – B.2. – B.3. – B.4. – C.1. – C.2. – C.3. – D.1. – D.2. – D.3.
• Explore – A.1. – A.2. – A.3. – B.1. – B.2. – C.1. – C.2. – C.3. – D.1. – D.2. – D.3. – D.4.
• Engage – A.1. – A.2. – A.3. – B.1. – B.2. – B.3. – C.1. – C.2. – D.1. – D.2. – D.3.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards –
© Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.6.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.6.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.6.

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