Thread: Ideas for Teaching Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I taught that novel to my 8th graders last year. I didn't particularly "do" anything with the novel. We read Speak, Cut, Breathing Underwater, and Monster. We discussed the common themes.

i have never taught speak myself but a colleague of mine did something interesting with speak. she had the students do an art assigment similiar to the main characters. they had to photograph or paint an object that represented them and write why they chose this object and how it represented them. i believe with another class she had them find an image of a tree online and do the same.

oh and since this novel does deal with some difficult issues, rape and cutting, you could always have them do research on these issues and have them create a psa (public service announcement) for teenagers that talks about what one should do if they have experienced either. just a thought.