Why is Fahrenheit 451 banned in middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have said, F451 is not "banned," it's just not part of the mandatory curriculum this year for that teacher at that grade level.

I don't know what district you are in, but my MCPS kid has read all of the "classic" dystopian novels, including F451, Animal Farm, 1984, Lord of the Flies, and Brave New World.

Every single one of these was authored by a cis white dude, and every single one has been required reading in Montgomery County. They have been "bundled" with Social Studies/History readings about the specific contexts in which they were written.

As for other books mentioned on this thread, I think TKaM is the best example of a book that has fallen off the curriculum for excellent reasons.

Let's say the teachers want to tie the books to the US History curriculum. This is going to basically mean at best:

One book about indigenous history
One book about the American Revolution
One book about the Civil War
One book about Chinese American immigration
One book about the Civil Rights movement
One contemporary fiction book

If you only get one crack at a book about the Civil Rights era, why would you choose a book that centers an affluent white attorney? Why not pick one of the many many books that put Black Americans at the center of their own story?

I would say that your child's experience is HIGHLY unusual if they have read all of these books in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hoping someone can answer. What do your middle schoolers read that are related to the civil rights movement in the 1950’s through 1960’s. Or have they seen any of the documents?

My 6th grader read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as part of 6th grade book club.

That’s a popular book. My sixth grader also saw documentaries in middle school, Four Little Girls and Amistad are two I remember.

Most schools are seriously dropping the ball on current American history. There’s a lot about beating the English during the American revolution. A lot. Not as much about the 1900s and the long fight for equal rights for Black people. Maybe lose some books like Huckleberry Finn and more books from writers who lived through the civil rights era of the last century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hoping someone can answer. What do your middle schoolers read that are related to the civil rights movement in the 1950’s through 1960’s. Or have they seen any of the documents?

My 6th grader read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as part of 6th grade book club.

That’s a popular book. My sixth grader also saw documentaries in middle school, Four Little Girls and Amistad are two I remember.

Most schools are seriously dropping the ball on current American history. There’s a lot about beating the English during the American revolution. A lot. Not as much about the 1900s and the long fight for equal rights for Black people. Maybe lose some books like Huckleberry Finn and more books from writers who lived through the civil rights era of the last century.

I don't rely on the public schools to give my kids history instruction. They're terrible at it.

Growing up I was homeschooled for a few years using a curriculum that had at it's core history with matching historical fiction or literary non-fiction. Even in the '90s they were way ahead of their time on including diverse figures (and this was a religious curriculum, and the reasoning for the diversity was consciously religious). Over time they've continued to improve. I always cross reference that curriculum with whatever my kids are supposed to be learning in history and we check the appropriate books out of the library. For what's the equivalent of 7th grade American history in FCPS (after the Civil War onward), the 20th century - skipping late 19th here since you said 1900s - fiction would be: King of the Mound, A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, All-of-a-Kind Family, Hero Over Here, Thimble Summer, and the previously mentioned Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Of course there are additional great options you can add if you just look into it. Even that list tends to skip anything after the 60s. No Vietnam, no Cold War.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have said, F451 is not "banned," it's just not part of the mandatory curriculum this year for that teacher at that grade level.

I don't know what district you are in, but my MCPS kid has read all of the "classic" dystopian novels, including F451, Animal Farm, 1984, Lord of the Flies, and Brave New World.

Every single one of these was authored by a cis white dude, and every single one has been required reading in Montgomery County. They have been "bundled" with Social Studies/History readings about the specific contexts in which they were written.

As for other books mentioned on this thread, I think TKaM is the best example of a book that has fallen off the curriculum for excellent reasons.

Let's say the teachers want to tie the books to the US History curriculum. This is going to basically mean at best:

One book about indigenous history
One book about the American Revolution
One book about the Civil War
One book about Chinese American immigration
One book about the Civil Rights movement
One contemporary fiction book

If you only get one crack at a book about the Civil Rights era, why would you choose a book that centers an affluent white attorney? Why not pick one of the many many books that put Black Americans at the center of their own story?

I would say that your child's experience is HIGHLY unusual if they have read all of these books in MCPS.

I have two kids in mCPs and they read most of these except I don’t think Brave New World. 8th grade has a unit on dystopian fiction I think. Don’t think they read both 1984 and animal farm in same year though.

Separately, I think about 451 all the time because I’m pretty sure I’m turning into the wife. Between the amount of time I spend on DCUm and the show I watch on TV, it’s basically like the Walls. I know she’s supposed to be the bad guy but the older I get the more I sympathize with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you only get one crack at a book about the Civil Rights era, why would you choose a book that centers an affluent white attorney? Why not pick one of the many many books that put Black Americans at the center of their own story?

+1. I read To Kill a Mockingbird back in the day. My kid in 8th grade read the Frederick Douglass autobiography. Frederick Douglass is a much better choice for gaining a real perspective on the Civil Rights era.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you only get one crack at a book about the Civil Rights era, why would you choose a book that centers an affluent white attorney? Why not pick one of the many many books that put Black Americans at the center of their own story?

+1. I read To Kill a Mockingbird back in the day. My kid in 8th grade read the Frederick Douglass autobiography. Frederick Douglass is a much better choice for gaining a real perspective on the Civil Rights era.

I read Frederick Douglass in high school English. So good!

[Anonymous]

It is anti-government literature, and you wonder why government controlled schools ban it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hoping someone can answer. What do your middle schoolers read that are related to the civil rights movement in the 1950’s through 1960’s. Or have they seen any of the documents?

My 6th grader read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as part of 6th grade book club.

That’s a popular book. My sixth grader also saw documentaries in middle school, Four Little Girls and Amistad are two I remember.

Most schools are seriously dropping the ball on current American history. There’s a lot about beating the English during the American revolution. A lot. Not as much about the 1900s and the long fight for equal rights for Black people. Maybe lose some books like Huckleberry Finn and more books from writers who lived through the civil rights era of the last century.

I don't rely on the public schools to give my kids history instruction. They're terrible at it.

Growing up I was homeschooled for a few years using a curriculum that had at it's core history with matching historical fiction or literary non-fiction. Even in the '90s they were way ahead of their time on including diverse figures (and this was a religious curriculum, and the reasoning for the diversity was consciously religious). Over time they've continued to improve. I always cross reference that curriculum with whatever my kids are supposed to be learning in history and we check the appropriate books out of the library. For what's the equivalent of 7th grade American history in FCPS (after the Civil War onward), the 20th century - skipping late 19th here since you said 1900s - fiction would be: King of the Mound, A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, All-of-a-Kind Family, Hero Over Here, Thimble Summer, and the previously mentioned Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Of course there are additional great options you can add if you just look into it. Even that list tends to skip anything after the 60s. No Vietnam, no Cold War.

Which curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hoping someone can answer. What do your middle schoolers read that are related to the civil rights movement in the 1950’s through 1960’s. Or have they seen any of the documents?

My 6th grader read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as part of 6th grade book club.

That’s a popular book. My sixth grader also saw documentaries in middle school, Four Little Girls and Amistad are two I remember.

Most schools are seriously dropping the ball on current American history. There’s a lot about beating the English during the American revolution. A lot. Not as much about the 1900s and the long fight for equal rights for Black people. Maybe lose some books like Huckleberry Finn and more books from writers who lived through the civil rights era of the last century.

I don't rely on the public schools to give my kids history instruction. They're terrible at it.

Growing up I was homeschooled for a few years using a curriculum that had at it's core history with matching historical fiction or literary non-fiction. Even in the '90s they were way ahead of their time on including diverse figures (and this was a religious curriculum, and the reasoning for the diversity was consciously religious). Over time they've continued to improve. I always cross reference that curriculum with whatever my kids are supposed to be learning in history and we check the appropriate books out of the library. For what's the equivalent of 7th grade American history in FCPS (after the Civil War onward), the 20th century - skipping late 19th here since you said 1900s - fiction would be: King of the Mound, A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, All-of-a-Kind Family, Hero Over Here, Thimble Summer, and the previously mentioned Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Of course there are additional great options you can add if you just look into it. Even that list tends to skip anything after the 60s. No Vietnam, no Cold War.

Which curriculum?

Sonlight. Again, consciously religious. If you aren't a Protestant, you might not like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hoping someone can answer. What do your middle schoolers read that are related to the civil rights movement in the 1950’s through 1960’s. Or have they seen any of the documents?

My 6th grader read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as part of 6th grade book club.

That’s a popular book. My sixth grader also saw documentaries in middle school, Four Little Girls and Amistad are two I remember.

Most schools are seriously dropping the ball on current American history. There’s a lot about beating the English during the American revolution. A lot. Not as much about the 1900s and the long fight for equal rights for Black people. Maybe lose some books like Huckleberry Finn and more books from writers who lived through the civil rights era of the last century.

Do you have a middle schooler? MCPS teaches up to the civil war in middle school and civil war on in high school.