Read the Word, Read the World

Facing History learning experiences are classroom-ready activities that you can incorporate into your lesson plans. They are designed to be modular and adaptable, so you can use them over and over again with a wide range of texts to help students explore characterization, point of view, perspective taking, setting, and thematic development through a Facing History lens.

1. Distribute the Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors handout and read the quotation together in order to introduce Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s observations about the relationship between reading and identity.
2. Then have students reflect on texts that have provided windows, mirrors, and sliding-glass-door experiences. For this exercise, we have expanded Dr. Bishop’s idea to include all kinds of texts, not just books. 
3. Have students debrief in pairs or use the Concentric Circles teaching strategy so they can share their insights with a wide range of peers.

For this learning experience, students consider how an author uses conflict, perspective, and plot to develop a central theme in a work of literature. Then they will consider the key lessons they can take from the text and apply to their own lives. 

1. Divide the class into small groups and pass out the Read the Word, Read the World handout. Assign all of the groups the same character, different characters, or let students group themselves by the character that most interests them. 
2. Model the small-group discussion by first reading the instructions with the class and then joining one of the groups to discuss the conflict, recording notes on the handout while the class observes. Have students comment on positive speaking and listening skills and behaviors that they noticed. Circulate during the group discussions, encouraging students to consult the text for evidence that supports their thinking. 
3. Provide time in class for the personal reflection section of the handout or have students complete it at home and then share their ideas in the next class period. 
4. Facilitate a whole-class discussion of the “Read the World” questions, focusing on the text’s theme and how the author develops it. 

Have students respond to the following questions in their journals: 

1. In your opinion, what is the most valuable idea in this text? What makes you say that? 
2. How does this text help you think about your identity, your relationships with others (family, friends, community), and/or the world itself? You might want to consider whether this text is a window, mirror, sliding glass door, or another metaphor that works for you. 

1. Have students choose a song or piece of music that develops a similar theme to one that the text explores. In a written paragraph that draws evidence from the song, have students respond to the following questions: What messages or big ideas are you taking away from this song? In other words, what might the songwriter want you to think about as you experience their song? Use evidence from the lyrics, as well as its musicality if you wish, to support your thinking. 
2. Sharing music can be a community-building experience, so in a celebration of their work, consider creating a class playlist on a music app or have students meet in pairs or small groups to share their songs and read from their paragraphs. Note that you may need to provide guidelines about explicit lyrics.