Anchor Text:
Danforth, E. M. (2012). The miseducation of Cameron Post. New York: Balzer and Bray.
Lexile Level: 1120L
ATOS Reading Level: 6.6
Audience:
The noted target audience is 7th -12th grade. The novel opens with the main character turning 13 years old, the summer before her 7th grade year of school. Nonetheless, the more appropriate audience would be 14 years and above (high school) due to the complexity of the issues raised regarding sexuality, particularly same-sex affection and relationships.
Essential Question:
What are the social pressures and expectations that LGBT teens face, and how can their cisgendered heterosexual friends be supportive, rather than condemning?
Set Purpose:
The purpose of this text set is to explore the themes of identity, sexuality, religion, dissent, and difference.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1, 11-12.2, 11-12.3, 11-12.4, 11-12.5, 11-12.6, 11-12.7
Danforth, E. M. (2012). The miseducation of Cameron Post. New York: Balzer and Bray.
Lexile Level: 1120L
ATOS Reading Level: 6.6
Audience:
The noted target audience is 7th -12th grade. The novel opens with the main character turning 13 years old, the summer before her 7th grade year of school. Nonetheless, the more appropriate audience would be 14 years and above (high school) due to the complexity of the issues raised regarding sexuality, particularly same-sex affection and relationships.
Essential Question:
What are the social pressures and expectations that LGBT teens face, and how can their cisgendered heterosexual friends be supportive, rather than condemning?
Set Purpose:
The purpose of this text set is to explore the themes of identity, sexuality, religion, dissent, and difference.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1, 11-12.2, 11-12.3, 11-12.4, 11-12.5, 11-12.6, 11-12.7
Supporting Texts
Young, B. (2013, June 19). Infographic: Top 5 worrisome stats about growing up LGBT. Teach for America. Retrieved from https://www.teachforamerica.org/top-stories/infographic-top-5-worrisome-stats-about-growing-lgbt
This infographic gives powerful statistics about the social pressures for LGBT teens, the corresponding bullying (or perceived bullying), and its psychological effects. This would be a good supplement for awareness purposes. Chioua, B. (Producer), & Kechiche, A. (Director). (2013). Blue is the warmest colour [Motion picture]. France: Quat'sous Films.
This movie is about a young woman named Adèle whose life is changed when she meets another young woman named Emma, who has blue hair. Emma allows Adèle to explore her sexuality and lose her inhibitions. This source would supplement the anchor text with an international film, providing a different type of genre culturally as well, but it is rated R and would require parent consent. I would suggest only showing clips from this film, not the film in its entirety. Some of the scenes are not appropriate for a classroom setting. (Click image for movie trailer on YouTube.) |
Lo, M. (2009). Ash. New York: Brown Books.
This is a Cinderella-style story with a twist--the main character is a lesbian, battling external family dynamics and internal conflicts with sexuality and expectations. This would be a good supplemental source for a discussion of fairy tale stereotypes and other literary devices. Audience: 11-14 years old Lexile Level: 1050L (Click image for GoodReads review.) Barakiva, M. (2014). One man guy. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.
This is the story of an Armenian teen, battling cultural issues as well as his own unexpected feelings for another student in his summer school class. This would supplement the anchor text as a segue into ethnicity and the related cultural expectations in regard to sexuality and tradition. Audience: 14-17 years old Lexile Level: 820L (Click image for GoodReads review.) Kramer, S. (2011, May 22). 'Coming out': Gay teenagers, in their own words. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/us/23out.html
This article would supplement the anchor text by providing real-life stories of teens who are currently dealing with this same struggle. The stories are short and touching, ideal for students reading at or below grade level. (Click image for interactive selection with images.) |
Gevinson, T. (2012, March). Tavi Gevinson: A teen just trying to figure it out [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/tavi_gevinson_a_teen_just_trying_to_figure_it_out
This is a TEDxTeen talk by a young fashion blogger, and it doesn't directly address sexuality or LGBT issues, but it would supplement the anchor text by addressing the ways that the internet empowers teens to communicate with and support each other. Gevinson talks various social dichotomies, and she describes a website she began that hosts articles written by other teens. This is just one example of teens supporting each other. (Click image for the TED Talk.) Hoffman, J. (2012). Pride [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MvOgJ41OYM
This is a poem, written and delivered by Joanna Hoffman, about the angst and inner turmoil of battling familial and societal expectations, and rising above them to take pride in who we are as people. It could easily serve as a writing prompt for a journal or poetry exercise. (Click image for performance on YouTube.) Jarrett, K. (2013). A gay poem [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF-TM3DZtuo&feature=youtu.be
This is a poem, written and delivered by Keith Jarrett, discussing the term "gay" as an adjective, and applying it to non-human things like poems. This is a good way to introduce terminology using a little humor as well. (Click image for performance on YouTube.) |