Welcome!
I never thought this would be my last glimpse of my classroom as it was when students left in March. I had so much more planned for the spring! But starting with a blank slate with online learning allowed for experimenting with new ideas. For the past eight weeks, students have taken part in a collaborative effort that melds American Literature with American History. Mr. Stewart, who teaches US History, and I selected texts and writing assignments connected to the following themes: Sacrifice for the Greater Good; Inequality in America; Fear of "the other" (Xenophobia); and Protest, Progress, and Hope.
It is irresponsible to separate the literature of a society from the social, political, and historical context in which it was written. And right now, students are living through American History. In decades to come, the year 2020 will be studied and examined in our history books. First, we are living through a global pandemic that sent us home from school and ended our traditional school year back in March. Second, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breanna Taylor, and George Floyd have stoked a fire that has been simmering for generations. The Black Lives Matter movement has gained momentum, and individuals around the nation have risen in protest and solidarity. Never in our lifetimes have we experiences anything like this moment. And any writing or journaling our students do at this time will be a part of history.
Students were invited to select one of the themes from the last 8 weeks and create a project that speaks to that theme. The projects should align with one of the themes and examine that theme in history and today.
I am so impressed and proud of the work they have done. I created this website to showcase their work. It is important to me that they have an audience beyond me, their little old English teacher...and now, especially, when they can't even share their projects with each other, I believe this space is important.
It is irresponsible to separate the literature of a society from the social, political, and historical context in which it was written. And right now, students are living through American History. In decades to come, the year 2020 will be studied and examined in our history books. First, we are living through a global pandemic that sent us home from school and ended our traditional school year back in March. Second, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breanna Taylor, and George Floyd have stoked a fire that has been simmering for generations. The Black Lives Matter movement has gained momentum, and individuals around the nation have risen in protest and solidarity. Never in our lifetimes have we experiences anything like this moment. And any writing or journaling our students do at this time will be a part of history.
Students were invited to select one of the themes from the last 8 weeks and create a project that speaks to that theme. The projects should align with one of the themes and examine that theme in history and today.
I am so impressed and proud of the work they have done. I created this website to showcase their work. It is important to me that they have an audience beyond me, their little old English teacher...and now, especially, when they can't even share their projects with each other, I believe this space is important.
This work by Amanda Sauvie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.