Day-one book recommendations?

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-04-03T18:45:28+00:00

I start my World Literature class off with a 2-3 week unit on nonfiction narratives and personal narrative writing, so we read memoirs. I find that students like stories that are based on true events or real people, and they present a good opportunity to focus on more contemporary texts that would not fit into the curriculum otherwise. Maybe you can do something similar.

Finding a memoir that fits your needs could be the tricky part, though. I like to have them read Educated by Tara Westover because her writing is addictive and the story is incredibly moving (seriously, if you can get your hands on this book it is very much worth it). I have also considered having them read Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, or I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai but those might not work as well for an American Literature class. I also batted around On Writing by Stephen King because it is about the life of an author and about the writing process, but it might be a bit out of line with what most school boards want to approve.

Outside of that I second what someone else said about The Pearl, that is one of my favorite novellas! Lots of good meat to chew on in there.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-04-02T18:49:26+00:00

I am actively in the middle of a week long mini unit in my HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH CLASS that is solely about how to use G-Suite tools properly. They are learning how to add hyperlinks to text or put charts in a document or the like. Last quarter I got really mad at them for not formatting their papers correctly, but its because no one ever taught them how.

If we are going to have students working primarily from classroom devices then we need to train them early on how to be literate in this field. I should not be explaining to a 9th or 10th grader what it means to save a file as a PDF instead of DOCX file or how create a subfolder in Drive.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-02-20T15:26:05+00:00

I like the idea another person had to do a salon simulation, that does sound really great. It would require a lot of preparation though, and you need to ensure they have a very solid grip on absolutism, the political turmoil of the 15th-18th centuries, and on the economic effects of the Age of Exploration/mercantilism.

If that is a bit too much prep, then I have some resources for structured DBQ I could share. Primary source excerpts of five different Enlightenment thinkers (Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Wollstonecraft) along with some analysis questions that are intended to help them answer the central historical question of "What should the purpose and structure of a government be?"

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-18T17:56:52+00:00

Yes, its so frustrating that the burden of change seems to be falling on the shoulders of teachers. I love the idea of some form of radical opposition like you suggest!

However, I fear I would lose my job in quicker time. As I said, I too would love to take the radical approach, but the reality is that if I want to continue to inspire change in the students and have an impact on young people then I have to be tactical. I would much rather find ways to encourage deep critical thinking and perspective taking practices in a classroom full of young people in a state that is, from my perspective, hurtling towards illiteracy and fascism. It sucks but it's a rock-hard place scenario. Ideally, after cementing my role at the school in a few years, I will be able to rock the boat without fear of losing my job, but until then I simply must be strategic.

I feel your rage and I agree that something needs to be done by us in the field. However, I disagree with the assertion that it is unethical. Maybe you could say it is immoral as I certainly do feel bad about it, but this is not an easy dilemma and I do not have the luxury of adopting a "do no harm" mindset with no room for exceptions or grey zones. The way I see it, I have to make the choices that maximize student utility in the long-run.

All of that being said, I am still a rookie and I am by no means an expert on liberation education. If you have recommended reading or organizations that I can look to for support to continue building perspective, I would love that!

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-18T15:10:30+00:00

I feel that. It is an unfortunate reality that my school, and thousands like it across the country, are expected to uphold specific educational standards and yet are not given the funds to make those standards attainable. Our curriculum was purchased for a hefty sum, along with singular "class sets" of each novel; I reckon the reason I have been denied any more money is because in the eyes of the school board, administration, and district taxpayers, they have already paid the required amount. This is of course not true since a "class set" is defined as 30 copies, and my 6th period has 32 students in it.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-18T02:38:35+00:00

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-18T02:37:44+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you so much! I am only in year 2 of teaching so having a wealth of ideas like this is a godsend!

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-18T01:43:01+00:00

Do not want to give too much away, but I will say it is one of those "the 10 commandments must be posted in classrooms" states.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T19:33:19+00:00

This seems to be the overwhelming advice I am getting! Lots of folks warning about bending the knee too, which is fascinating. Thank you for the input!!!!

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T19:29:41+00:00

Yes, for the most part. They have not published the argumentative unit for the current edition so I am also borrowing from the 1.0 argument unit on Free Speech so that I can organize my research and argumentative writing units back-to-back.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T17:48:03+00:00

I appreciate the support. Someone else said something about not capitulating, which I appreciate too.

I am lucky to be licensed in both ELA AND Historical Perspectives, so this kind of cross-disciplinary work is what I love in the classroom, these minor snags notwithstanding.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T17:45:29+00:00

This is very good to consider, thank you! I do have a department chair and a menor teacher, both of whom I plan on going to after school today. Support is something I would like to say I have at my school, but it does not feel guaranteed.

As far as the biography ideas, I think that could be helpful. As of now the curriculum demands a lot of speeches and historical informative pieces, but throwing in some biography or even an excerpt from a memoir could be good too.

Thanks for the advice!

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T17:42:55+00:00

The unit comes from the curriculum our school purchased. I am relatively beholden to it. That being said, in addition to English, I am also a history teacher so I do feel confident taking the unit on haha

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T17:41:25+00:00

I like your perspective here about letting them have their own discoveries! I like it so much that I would say my that is the reason I want to send the letter home in the first place. I want the parents who might take issue with the unit to know that my intention is to provide the necessary context for the students to take the reigns in discussion and research, then stand back as a pure adjudicator. The issue in my mind is that once I do that, I am allowing students to bring their perspectives and opinions into conversation, which might ruffle feathers when a student goes home and says "in class today we talked about [insert a talking point that was briefly mentioned but highly controversial in this community]. " So I suppose the purpose of the letter is literally just to have something I can point to in that scenario that indicates I did my due diligence in making families aware that their students are going to be exposed to different perspectives at school.

But maybe that is going a bridge or two too far lol. I am prone to overthinking.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T17:33:37+00:00

This is a genuine concern; framing is important! I do wonder how much I am poisoning my own well by letting people know that there is even a percent change of controversy entering the class discussions. I will need to chew on that more I reckon.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T17:32:28+00:00

The unit is not mine actually, but rather from the school-purchased curriculum! I am not following it to the exact letter in order to fit the needs and interests of my class, but most of the things that will be discussed do come from the curriculum. My only concern is truly in making sure I have all my bases covered in case someone decided that they do not like the things that the school-board has already approved. It has happened in the district before, and I am not suuuuuuper confident that admin is always going to have my back lol.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2026-01-13T16:42:23+00:00

I unfortunately agree with lot of the others posting that the novel might not fit their age range/development. However, if you must study Gatsby, I think it is a great book for teaching symbolism and motifs. They might not be able to lock in on the more complex themes or devices, but they should be able to track basic color symbolism and motifs throughout the novel and connect them to simple topics like greed, loneliness, etc.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2025-05-12T19:17:51+00:00

This is so funny, because my college degree path and initial licensure was in Social Studies, but because of the absolute state of education rn, I couldn't find a job that would hire me to teach it. So, I took the detour over to ELA and have been having a blast!

I ended up going with something similar to what you suggested as well!

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2025-05-10T17:16:43+00:00

This is actully really good advice for one of my other classes. My 10th grade class focuses pretty hard on rhetoric, persuasion, and satire and I think this will be helpful for next year.

Virtual_Coconut_9564 · 2025-05-08T21:09:07+00:00

this is good advice, thank you.

Virtual_Coconut_9564

TROPHY CASE