You can grab the final discussion I do with my students here! The adults in the building are loving the novel too, and as students see them carrying around their own copies, students and adults are engaging in conversations around The Hate U Give. This all kind of snowballed and I ended up lending out extra copies to other staff members. I was asked to present an overview of the unit to the school (we do unit spotlights regularly to highlight one another’s outstanding work and to present new ideas). Word got out that was teaching something new, something controversial, and that it was working. The effect this unit had on my whole school was completely unexpected. He even has urged me to keep it on the curriculum for students next year (this after only one day of reading). One student told me that this is the best book he’s read since middle school. As students read, they’ll also prepare a social justice speech. In this literature circle unit, students will choose between three Black Lives Matter movement-inspired novels: The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, or All American Boys. I believe that introducing them to rich, relatable texts is the best way to show young adults that reading is a pleasurable pursuit. They had an easy time relating to the text.Īs an English teacher, one of my greatest hopes is for my students to become lifelong readers. What Worked Teaching The Hate U Giveįirst and foremost, nearly every one of my students loved the novel from the first page. While I did receive approval to teach The Hate U Give, it’s not exactly on the official curriculum, and I worried that it was only going to take one person being offended by the language in the book to ruin my fun in teaching it. I was also been holding my breath, waiting for some kind of negative feedback from my coworkers. In the first week of the unit, I was anxious every class period: what are my students thinking? Will they like it as much as I did? Do they think I’m pushing some kind of political agenda–and, if they do, is that a bad thing?

I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful. Luckily for you, brave teacher, I’m willing to share what I learned!ĭisclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I didn’t know anyone who had taught this novel and had no one to go to for advice. I risked the time I had spent prepping the material, the money my building poured into acquiring books for students, and I tossed aside a decade-old tried-and-true district curriculum. When I originally sought out teaching The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas to my high school English class, I knew I was taking a risk.

The hate u give novel