Dystopian English Unit by Paige Allen
A new dystopian English unit was introduced in a 9th grade English class, where students were given the opportunity to choose from a selection of popular novels and work together in a group on the same book. The unit was based on dystopia and getting students to understand different versions of texts. Different classes were presented different book options.
Students in Mrs. Tams class had selected books such as Scythe, An Ember In The Ashes, Nothing to envy, The Marrow Theives, Fahrenheit 451, and Life As We Knew It, showing a range of interest in dystopian themes. Many had worked in small groups, reading assigned sections and participating in discussions before completing written assignments. This structure allowed students to engage more actively with both the material and their classmates.
According to student Ashlyn Schack, dystopian fiction had not been her favorite genre because she believed much of it felt unrealistic, but she still participated in the unit and found certain aspects interesting. Schack said “Although dystopian isn’t my favorite genre it’s still fun to learn something different” Schack said when asked about the class. Schack had read Life As We Knew It and described it as a natural disaster-type book. She explained that the group work had involved reading specific page amounts, “every week we have agroup meeting about the specific pages assiged for that week” Schack shares.
Students in Mrs. Reynolds class ad options to choose between, The Hunger games, Divergent, Farreinhient 451, The Maze Runner, and Matched. A different range of dystopian books. Student Ashton Keck had been assigned the book Maze runner, although it wasn’t his first choice he ended up being happy with his decision either way. Keck says “My favorite part about this unit so far is being able to collaborate with people” His book seemed to slowly grow on him. This unit seemed to be different and more entertaining for Keck rather than unrealistic. “ earning something differnet is a new and fun experience.” Keck says.
Overall, while some students had preferred other units, many had still found the dystopian unit to be a different and engaging experience compared to previous units.
Caption:
Quiet reading moment : Ashlyn Schack reads her dystopian novel during English class. Schack enjoyed her book during silent reading in her group.”It’s nice to have class time to read” Schack says.