I am a middle school teacher looking to read a fiction or "story-like" nonfiction book that will lead into a classroom debate. We got into a discussion on the death penalty last week, so an 8th grade appropriate book involving the death penalty would be a possibility. Really any ideas of an appropriate novel that would we could then hold a debate over would be great.
The Giver by Lois Lowry. Has a lot of dystopian concepts in it. The whole idea of euthanasia would be a great debate.
The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon…true account of his attempted suicide by setting himself of fire. Brent tells the story of his recovery.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit could spark an interesting discussion about the pros and cons of immortality.
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney. Janie wakes up from her normal suburban life when she discovers her picture posted as a missing child on a milk carton.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card…futuristic dystopian society where children are sent to battle school to defeat an alien threat.
The Death Penalty for Teens by Nancy Day….It’s an overview of the death penalty, but also enphasizes teen criminals. There’s always A Time to Kill by John Grisham…but that might not be entirely appropriate for 8th graders….it’s about the trial of a man accused of killing the men who raped his daughter.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Animal Farm by George Orwell
It’s perfect.
Story version of true events.
Features the death penalty.
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 10:18 am
MAYBE do the 1st Harry Potter book, and the debate can be about, the people who would burn the books (which is wrong) because they thought it would teach the kids about using magic…
Maybe..lol IDK, it might start a religion debate, and that might get you in trouble IDK…
OR since there is a debate of which book is better (Sorcerer’s Stone or Twilight) have the class read them both, (it might take longer to read than 1 week though) and then have them talk about who they think has the better writing style, etc.
Good Luck =)
References :
Children’s Librarian
January 18th, 2010 at 10:25 am
no books, ur students will like u more
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld,
you can debate if you its right to make everyone become "pretty" or not
you can debate if it is right to let the smokies live freely or not
you can debate if the Special Circumstances are doing the city good or not
References :
Uglies is my favroite book, with great deals of conflict
January 18th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Waiting for Christopher.
I’m sorry I cannot remember the author. It is easy to understand and deals with child abuse, but not in a graphic way (it’s appropriate). A young girl sees a toddler being abused and kidnaps him to look after as herself. She sees it as saving him, but to the law, it is kidnapping, and she must make the hardest decision to hand him back.
You could debate whether the girl was right or wrong in what she did.
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I think Jodi Picoult has written some novels geared toward young adults.
She writes a lot about controversial subjects in her books. You could try "The Pact". Also, "Change of Heart" is about the death penalty. I’m only a few chapters in, so I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for 8th graders or not yet.
Also, Of Mice and Men could possibly lead to a debate. It’s not too long either.
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
The Giver by Lois Lowry. Has a lot of dystopian concepts in it. The whole idea of euthanasia would be a great debate.
The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon…true account of his attempted suicide by setting himself of fire. Brent tells the story of his recovery.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit could spark an interesting discussion about the pros and cons of immortality.
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney. Janie wakes up from her normal suburban life when she discovers her picture posted as a missing child on a milk carton.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card…futuristic dystopian society where children are sent to battle school to defeat an alien threat.
The Death Penalty for Teens by Nancy Day….It’s an overview of the death penalty, but also enphasizes teen criminals. There’s always A Time to Kill by John Grisham…but that might not be entirely appropriate for 8th graders….it’s about the trial of a man accused of killing the men who raped his daughter.
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
A Day No Pigs Would Die, written by Robert Peck
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Lord of the Flies yet. You could argue whether the society made the "bad" kids or they’re just predispositioned.
References :