Turning a Reading Assignment into So Much More

Shortly before mid-winter break and before the shooting in Parkland, Florida, Karen Mihata’s eighth grade English class was assigned to read Ernest J. Gaines’ A Gathering of Old Men, a novel addressing civil rights. “Understanding the setting, a rural plantation in Louisiana after the Civil Rights Movement (1979), is essential to understanding the motivation for Black men standing their ground against racism and injustice,” explains Mihata. “I always teach the historical context for this novel, placing it on a timeline that stretches from the arrival of the Black conquistador, Juan Garrido in 1513, in which historians identify as the first African American, all the way to present day.

After reading the novel, students began a rich discussion- and then Parkland happened. The momentum that has started in particularly the young people across the country was also felt in Mihata’s classroom. “A number of movements have taken hold recently: #metoo, #neveragain, Black Lives Matter, even climate change has gotten some traction,” says Mihata. “As an adult, I can see the momentous changes our country is undergoing and the historical context for them—and I suspect student awareness of that varies quite a bit. Even so, in Social Studies our 8th graders learn about government, civic engagement through government structure (constitution, Civil Rights), analysis of information (propaganda), and gaining skills for activism.

Mihata’s class then turned their energy into a writing assignment, using prompts provided to them. One prompt asked students to select an issue they are passionate about. Students chose topics such as gun control laws, school safety, sexual assault, poverty, among others. Mihata also provided the following prompts: “What is it about a new generation that makes them agents of change?” and “Why is it crucial that we as world citizens learn to understand and respect perspectives that are different from our own?”

The class wrote essays and then read them before their class audience, providing another opportunity to learn skills in public presentation. “The speeches were designed to pull all these parts together- novel, timeline, Social Studies, political climate, and provide an opportunity for students to speak to their peers with conviction about whatever matters most to them,” explains Mihata.

Click here to read two student essays. And to see a photo slideshow of Karen Mihata’s class presenting their essays, click here.