Join us on Sunday, September 18, at 8:00 p.m. ET for an #NCTEchat focused on “Fostering Empathy and Understanding for Others through Stories.” The chat will be hosted by NCTE member Zach Long (@englishwithlong).
Zach Long is a 9th- and 10th-grade language arts teacher at Lincoln High School in Seattle, Washington. Previously, he spent three years teaching in a district north of Austin, Texas. Zach has experience advocating for the reversal of censorship of texts, particularly graphic novels and LGBTQIA+ stories, as it has directly affected his classroom, students, and teaching practice. Currently, Zach is pursuing an MEd in language, literacy, and culture at the University of Washington. He is passionate about establishing loving spaces for all students in the language arts classroom.
We will share the following questions during the Twitter chat:
WARM-UP: Please tell us your name, location, and the grade level you teach, and share an experience that introduced you to a new culture or worldview that you hold in your heart. #NCTEchat [8:04 p.m.]
Q1: Many book challenges are based on the “appropriateness” of a book. Who and what determines if a text is “appropriate” for a group of students? #NCTEchat [8:10 p.m.]
Q2: The theme of this year’s #BannedBooksWeek (September 18–24) is “Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us.” Name 1–3 texts that share stories that resonate with your students. #NCTEchat [8:18 p.m.]
Q3: Books help students explore worlds, lives, and experiences beyond their own, but censorship impacts access to these stories. How do you encourage students to speak out about the books they’ve read or want to read? #NCTEchat [8:26 p.m.]
Q4: How do you respond to challenges to books in your classroom? Do you have a policy in place in the event of a challenge? #NCTEchat [8:34 p.m.]
Q5: Graphic novels are often challenged on their literary merit. How do you explain the value of graphic novels to school staff, community members, and students? #NCTEchat [8:42 p.m.]
Q6: Research by @booktoss found that comprehending graphic novels requires some unique reading skills. What supports do you find are needed to teach graphic novels? #NCTEchat [8:50 p.m.]
We hope to see you in the chat! Be sure to join us by using #NCTEchat.
Never participated in a Twitter chat before? Check out this guide to help you get started.
It is the policy of NCTE in all publications, including the Literacy & NCTE blog, to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the staff, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.