About the inquiry

This inquiry helps students understand current censorship efforts as played out in the past year’s unprecedented number of book bans. Students will examine commonly banned books and will evaluate why different groups–families, teachers, and politicians–argue those books should be banned. The performance tasks provide space for students to understand why people ban books and how students are taking action in response to book bans. Ultimately, the tasks provide students with evidence they can use to construct an argument in response to the compelling question, Why should I care about book bans?

Compelling Question

Why should I care about book bans?

Staging Question

Students generate a class list of their favorite books and respond to the question, Why are these books worth reading?

Summative Performance Task

Argument: Construct an argument addressing the compelling question–Why should I care about book bans?–using evidence from the sources.

Extension: Turn your argument into an editorial and address the question, What do we lose when we ban books?

Taking Informed Action

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