226: Banned Books Week Starts Now (Here's Help)

<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>As Banned Books Week kicks off, I know not every teacher is in a position to showcase it. In some places, it's simply too dangerous for an educator to display banned and challenged books and talk about intellectual freedom with students (the <em>Fahrenheit 451</em> realities are overwhelming).</p> <p>But for those in a position to share about this with students, today I want to give you some options. Choose the ones that are right for your classroom and community.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>As usual, it's not about telling our students what to think, it's reminding them that this is an important thing to think about.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>The American Library Association has compiled a lot of great data about censorship and challenges taking place around the country. In 2022, there were 1,269 attempts to ban or censor library books or resources. This is the highest number in the last twenty years.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>You can get a concise picture of the statistics and related issues <a href= "https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/by-the-numbers">on this page</a> of the ALA website.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Banned Books Week: Display Ideas</strong></span></p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>One of the easiest ways to raise student awareness of book censorship is to put up a display for Banned Books Week. Again, the ALA has amazing resources for ideas. Check out <a href= "https://www.pinterest.com/BannedBooksWeek/banned-books-week-displays/"> their Pinterest page here for dozens of ideas</a>, or try one of the easy options below.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>Try a <em>Fahrenheit 451</em> theme for a quick and easy Banned Books display. Cut large orange and red paper flames to line your shelves and/or small ones to stick into the pages of your books, then add a sign that says "Read Banned Books