The board is legally responsible for the approval of all instructional materials used in the school distirct. Board Policy 2020 governs the process of instructional materials approval.
The Instructional Materials Committee would like to recommend adoption of the following books.
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin for use in 12th grade Advanced Placement Literature and Composition. The book will be used as a supplemental text. It was selected for use in the course as a tool to explore and analyze a variety of literary devices.
the Life of Pi, by Yann Martel for use in 12th Grade English. The book will be used as a supplementary text. The book was selected by the teacher to provide students with a more diverse reading experience in 12th grade. The book offers multiple literary devices to explore and analyze and is written by a minority author (currently a majority of the books in the course are written by white male authors). It also provides characters with diverse backgrounds for students to consider as they reflect on character interactions.
Night by Elie Wiesel for use in 12th Grade English. The book will be used as a supplemental text to support student understanding of how authors use style and diction to appropriate for their intended audience. As a result students will write their own non fiction narrative and use these skills. The memoir was also selected to support cross cultural understanding as it introduces students to Jewish life and culture.
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd for use in 12th Grade English. The book was selected by the teacher for it’s use of literary devices and to support student understanding of symbolism, metaphor, irony, and tone. It also offers a complex plot with both minority and female characters and was chosen because of the diversity it offers. It was also selected by the teacher because it gives students an example of a contemporary American female author’s work.
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson for use in 11th Grade Advanced Placement United States History. The book was selected by the teacher because the historical research is well done and creates solid and engaging history text. It offers opportunity for students to read currently/popular non-fiction as a way to also engage in the historical content. The author writes history like a novel, which makes it interesting for the students. As a result of reading the text students will, analyze literary text, compare diverse perspectives in order to draw conclusions on one or more historical events, and will draw conclusions about the Gilded Age. The committee notes the book does contain murder in the plot and has content that some might find objectionable.
Asha Riley
Assistant Superintendent
Administrative Recommendation/MOTION/ "I move we approve the recommendation of the Instructional Materials Committee as Presented"