This is Queen Louise calling all teachers and librarians….. do any of you know of schools using Laurie’s book SPEAK in their curriculum? If so, would you share the names of the school districts. If you are one of those teachers, please email me at queenlouise@writerlady.com. We are interested to know if they are Middle Schools or High Schools.
On behalf of Laurie and her family, THANK YOU so very much for all of the heartfelt thoughts and comments that have been sent. I have printed out the comments for Laurie’s father to read; he will be touched as well. Everyone is doing well; many stories have been shared with lots of laughs and a few tears (okay, buckets of tears), much food has been eaten, and the clouds are lifting. You are all deeply appreciated.
I know the 9th grade teachers at my school (in Flagler County, FL) teach SPEAK.
Are you looking for information about SPEAK just out of curiousity, or is it for a larger project? I know it was taught in 9th grade at my high school as recently as 2004, and I could get in touch with the English department chair and ask if they still do.
No project; just wondering. We are curious about which schools are using SPEAK as a teaching tool.
Last I worked there The Contemporary Lit class (a junior English elective) at Neuqua Valley High School in Indian Prairie School District 204 taught it. I was Taing the class and was impressed by the discourse.
This was as late as 2007, and probably is still being taught today.
The 10th grade at Sackets Harbor School reads Speak as a part of the curriculum.
The 9th grade Language Arts teachers at Cuyahoga Falls High School (Summit County, Ohio) used Speak this past year (2008-2009).
Hackensack High School in NJ teaches Speak and the kids love it!
The freshman English curriculum at McMinnville High School in McMinnville, Oregon teaches Speak.
I work as a librarian in an elementary school but am a member of the Nassau School Library System. I’ll post a message on our list serve and see who responds. If I taught in a h.s., I’d certainly use it. Actually, I had a copy at my old library but only let the 6th graders read it as I knew that if they were in a middle school, they’d have access to it. It’s a terrific book.
My condolences to Laurie and her family as this difficult time.
Thank You!
I was required to read the book Speak for 9th grade English at Mineola High School in Garden City Park, NY. Not sure if it’s still part of the curriculum, though.
Geneseo Central School (9th grade) in NY
Greece, NY district uses it too
I’m fairly certain that it’s part of the 9th grade curriculum at Clarence High School in Clarence, NY. (it was a couple of years ago, anyway.)
Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois teaches SPEAK to either Freshmen or Sophomores.
Wishing Laurie and her family peace and comfort.
Speak is in the House…
Not only do I use Speak in my own class — with OUTSTANDING success, I’ve even incorporated it into a curriculum I’ve published that uses YA books as a mean to teach to the standards whereby it’s a win/win for the teachers and the students. The kids LOVE the book and the teacher love being able to tackle rigorous, engaging academic objectives that elevate literacy levels for all involved. (Check out http://www.TheBookJam.com — the Dark Secrets BookJam if you want to learn more.)
So not only do I use it, I have found it to be of so much value I have empowered other folks to be able to use it as well.
It’s AMAZING!
From 8th grade on up, this is a HOME RUN!
Finn HIll Jr High
Finn Hill Jr High School has a teacher named Mr Peter Strong. He used the book SPEAK for the school year of 2008-09 for literature cirlce group.
I think TGU-Granville in Granville, ND uses it in their 8th grade curriculum. I remember discussing it at a consortium meeting over the winter, but it’s been awhile and I am not familiar with the teachers using it. I wasn’t able to use it in my classroom because other people at the school were concerned about the content.
Fabius-Pompey High School (Fabius, NY) currently uses Speak in its 10th grade curriculum.
I did Speak as a read aloud to eighth graders, and then I found out it is a required ninth grade text at the high school! Whoops! It is in Centennial School District in Portland, OR. The kids loved it, of course. 🙂
teaching with SPEAK
I’m sorry to hear about Laurie’s mother.
I do use SPEAK as part of my 8th grade curriculum. I teach 8th grade Language Arts at Mercer County Jr. High in Joy, IL. this is going to be my 4th year. I was introduced to this book in a Grad class at Western Illinois University by a wise professor named Dr. Angela Ferree. I’ve created a unit with this novel. I’ve used the writerlady.com website to supplement some of the ideas and activities. I had to get parental permission as well as Board approval to cover this material and use this book because of its content. I’ve since included the local crisis center in my activities. This last school year my kids created a brochure for teens about different social issues. I also had a student come forward within 3 days of starting this unit to talk to me about her assault that happened over Christmas break. I really feel this is a great novel to use in discussing preventative methods for being sexually assaulted. And yes, the boys do get something out of it. They understand after this novel that no means no and to respect that. It’s an amazing novel.
Melanie Adams
Illinois
Using Speak in the classroom
I use Speak in my 8th grade class at IDEA Public Charter School in Washington, DC. My female students have been really interested in the book and have moved from it to other books by Laurie. I’ve found it to be very useful not only to talk about issues facing teens but also to address DCPS standards for character motivation.
Used in 8th Grade
Speak is one of the novels my 8th grade students can choose to read during our Injustice Unit. Our librarian had to order more books because so many students wanted to read it. Needless to say, it’s a popular choice! (Hershey Middle School)
I know it’s taught in ninth grade at Xavier College Prep, a Catholic school in Palm Desert, CA. It’s also required reading for ninth grade honors English classes at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, CA, but I don’t know if it’s taught in the class or just required summer reading.