What is Banned Books Week about?

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

September 26−October 3, 2009

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.  (Attempted bannings are called “challenges.”)

Watch this movie and listen for some books that have been banned and what parents should do if they don’t want a child of theirs to read a certain book.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week.  BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings.  Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections.  Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.  (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm)

What does the first amendment say about free speech and/or what can/cannot be published that is important to you?

What is the difference between a challenged book and a banned book?

Why are books challenged?

Click here and be sure to read the section  “Why Are Books Challenged.”

Write a good paragraph or more on your opinion on book banning.  Be sure to give specific facts to back up  your opinion.  Opinions should be based on more than emotions.   The part you just read above gives reasons why banning should not happen.

What should an adult do if there is a book, magazine, movie, website, etc. he/she does not want his/her child to see?

Here are two graphs showing the number of challenges by recent years and also the reasons why the books were challenged/banned.

Where are attempts made to ban books in our country?

Here are some of the books you may know about that have been banned and/or challenged in 2008, 2007. What do you think were reasons people had for wanting to ban them?  Have you read any of these?  What do you think about the value of their being available for people to read?

What does this youtube video say to you?  (Think carefully before you speak.)

What is the Banned Books Read Out?

After reading the linked page above join this blog by adding your opinion of whether or not  one of these books should be banned.  Be sure to give the title of the book, the author, and your response.

What are the most frequently challenged/banned books and why are they challenged?

Choose an activity from the list below to show others why you think books should not be banned:

Exercise your rights! Check out or re-read a favorite banned book. Then:

• Ask your school librarian to host a book group to read and discuss one of the books.  Click here to find banned book lists    to choose from by year, author, or decade.
• Work with a friend to create a podcast about the book you read and why you think it should not be banned.  Ask Ms. Schatz for help creating the podcast if you need help.  We’ll put the podcasts on the library website.
• Make a poster illustrating why the book was banned and why you think it should or shouldn’t be.

Go to last year’s blog and listen to some of the readers at the Chicago event.  Make your own speech and have a classmate record it for this blog.

All websites are not created equal. Anyone can create a web page and put up any information or misinformation they want to. Don’t be fooled! Use these 5 simple criteria to tell the Good from the Bad and the Ugly.

FIVE WEB SITE EVALUATION CRITERIA

These 5 criteria will not pop up on the web pages. You have to look for them (usually from the home page).  Since you have now seen how most web pages are organized you will have an idea of where to go to look to find the criteria.  It’s a bit like detective work so it can be interesting.  I’ve provided you with clues for finding each criterion. Go find them.

1. AUTHORITY : Who authored this site? Is the author a known person, company, or organization qualified to write on this topic?

• Is the page signed (2) ?
  

• Is there an “About Us” page?

• Is there an “About Us” page2?

• Is there an “About Us” page 3?

• Is there a “Contact Us” section or email option?

• Is there a “Contact Us” section or email option 2?

• Is there a “Contact Us” section or email option 3?

2.  ACCURACY:

• Are there spelling and grammar mistakes?

• Are the sources of information listed?

Are the sources of information listed 2?

• Does the information make sense?

3.  CURRENCY : Is the information up-to-date enough for your topic?

• This is very important for health, science, and current event topics.

• Is the “Date last modified (or updated)” or a copyright date at the bottom of the web page?
  

4.  OBJECTIVITY/BIAS :

• Is there only one opinion or viewpoint?
• What does the Web site address end with?
  • .com .org .gov .edu .html

• Does the address have a tilde ~ ? It’s a personal page.

• Are there lots of ads or pop-up ads? Do they indicate a bias?

5.  CONTENT:

• Is there a table of contents or site index or map?

• Is the information on the site detailed enough to give you what you need?

• Are there links (underlined) to other sources and do they work?

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO SHOW WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED!

Go to this web page about evaluating web sites at Poland Regional High School.

The criteria we just discussed are listed in the first column. The reasons they are important are in the second column, and the clues for how you can tell if each criterion is met by a website are in the third column.

• Carefully read and think about the information in all three columns for the criterion “Authority”.

• Next, go to the test site in blue beneath the “Authority” criterion and apply that criterion to it.

• Use the Web Site Evaluation Rubric I give you to rate each test site’s criterion. Put the score you give each criterion in the Score column. For criteria with more than one test site, label the answers 1 & 2 for the respective sites. in the Score column.

You will be graded in this practice on neatness, participation, and attention as noted in the rubric with my name on it.

Your final test for applying web site criteria will be very similar to this practice activity so ask for help if you need it or if there is something you don’t understand. More practice and the test will be given during your next Study Skills class and will be part of your Study Skills grade. Please go to the new online Website Evaluation Tool to evaluate the websites. (You may also quickly access this tool by going to the Library Media Center link on the DISHS home page and selecting Website Evaluation Tool.)

For more examples of BAD or UGLY websites go to  Webpages That Suck

Alternate site: It’s All about Trust! Anyone can create a web page and put up any information or misinformation they want to. Don’t be fooled!

• Go to this site It’s All about Trust! and follow the directions for this webquest which will give you 1) the criteria for evaluating web pages, 2) where to look for the criteria on a web site, 3) and sites on which to practice what you have learned and 4) the site to use to test what you have learned.
• The website evaluation form for this test is titled “It’s All about Trust!” and is on the long library table. Everything else you need is available on the site.

OR: Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide

Check out this online newsletter that provides interesting, fully linked articles on current and past happenings that occur(red) in the month they are published. Some are on art, current movies, history, and many other topics. In each story you can click on any of the many words underlined and therefore linked to a further explanation or view about that word so….you get a full, visual background on each topic.

A story about the drafting of America’s Declaration of Independence (the story behind the movie), Thomas Jefferson [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.u7px9bcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fbiography%2Fthomas_jefferson%2Fthomas_jefferson_ch1.htm]

Major League Baseball (a step back in time to explore the sport’s early days and the birth of trading cards.). [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.x498udcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fhistory%2Fbaseball_cards%2Fbaseball_cards_ch1.htm]

This week the completed recordings of Jesse James [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.4mrjkfcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fmovies%2Fjesse_james%2Fjesse_james_ch1.htm],
Wyatt Earp [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.anrjkfcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Ffamous_trials%2Fwyatt_earp%2Fwyatt_earp_ch1.htm],
William Penn [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.bnrjkfcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Ffamous_trials%2Fpenn%2Fwilliam_penn_ch1.htm]
and The Great Fire [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.7f4xazbab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fdisasters%2Fgreat_fire%2Fgreat_fire_ch1.htm]
will also be online.

ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE (a new movie about Elizabeth) [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.enrjkfcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fmovies%2Findex2.htm]

As the Spanish Armada made its way through the English Channel, Elizabeth I rallied her troops and her people. With the weather’s help, Britain prevailed. The queen’s
golden age followed, but what were the causes of the conflict with Spain? Why did
Elizabeth order the death of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots? Our new story behind
the upcoming film will be online later this week. Look for it in the movie channel.
INTERESTED IN FRANCE OR THE FRENCH? Check out the links in the articles below: THE DEATH of MARIE ANTOINETTE [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.u6n6uzbab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fmovies%2Fmarie_antoinette%2Fmarie_antoinette_ch1.htm]

A marriage intended to form more healthy relations between France and its former enemies resulted in disaster for a princess named Marie Antoinette. Bad publicity contributed to her ultimate demise. She was guillotined, in Paris, on the 16th of October, 1793.

Who was this girl-turned-queen? Did she deserve all the negative press? What kind of mother was she? What happened to her husband? Her children? With links to primary sources, including the memoir of her chief assistant, gain a better understanding of Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI.

FRANCE HELPS AMERICA WIN [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=hm8cnecab.0.jnrjkfcab.hhgl9ybab.7504&ts=S0285&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awesomestories.com%2Fhistory%2Fpatriot%2Fpatriot_ch18.htm]

For six years, revolutionary forces battled the British Army as His Majesty’s colonies in America asserted their independence. While progress was made, many historians believe a colonial victory would not have happened without France’s help.

In October of 1781, combined French and American forces laid siege to Lord Cornwallis and his troops at Yorktown, Virginia. On the 17th, a British drummer – followed by a white-flag-carrying officer – approached the enemy. Cornwallis wanted to discuss a cease fire. Washington thought surrender terms would be more appropriate.

The next day, four officers – an American, a Frenchman and two Brits – met at the
Moore House, a mile outside Yorktown. On the 19th, British soldiers laid down their arms. The war, although not technically over, had come to a surprising and dramatic end.