At a recent Open Window online parent conversation, senior English teacher Cassie Parkin shared the ways in which Linden’s values play out in the curriculum and the classroom.
“I strive to create an enduring understanding of the power of literature to aid in identity formation and empowerment,” says Cassie. “It starts with understanding the self and understanding society, and progresses to gaining the knowledge and confidence to inspire personal growth and societal change.”
Students are challenged to read, annotate, reflect and evaluate texts, and then to create Socratic seminars, essays, presentations and multimedia projects that could involve infographics, videos, podcasts, Twitter feeds, visual essays, trailers, advertisements and more. At all grade levels, students move from theory to application to personalization.
In Grade 7, students are introduced to Identity formation, social constructionism and empowerment. Course texts revolve around central female characters coming to terms with their identities within a patriarchal society — intersectional with racialization and heteronormativity.
Students embark on an intersectional analysis of the Civil Rights Era and its impact on female friendships through The Lions of Little Rock, which provides the foundation for a discussion on social constructionism.
