13 Reasons Why

At the moment I am about half way through 13 Reasons Why. I know that much has been written about this book thus far on the blog, but hopefully I can still offer a bit of original insight. First off, I really like the creative approach Asher has taken to tell Hannah's story. This book is certainly original in design and I like the story telling aspect and the role the tapes play in telling the story. The other thing I like is how Asher creates the character of Hannah not as a girl who committed suicide but as a teenage girl who is full of life and emotional ups and downs. At times when I get caught up in the stories I have to remind myself that Hannah is in fact dead so my focus is often centered on the life Hannah led rather than on her death. Clearly one of the main points of this book is how little things can snowball and have a very significant impact on an individual. I think this point is expressed very well in this story and it really got me thinking about the way people treat each other. As I think back to my high school days and also what I see of my students this point is so often missed.  Another key point is that you never know the stress or difficulties an individual may be going through. In the case of Hannah many felt that they were probably just being teens and acting in ways that is typical of teenage behavior but what they did not know was how this was taking a toll on Hannah. This leaves me thinking about how can teachers better help students understand that little things affect people in serious ways? I think the following lesson idea could help to convey this message to students.

This activity addresses NETS Standard 5. Digital Citizenship. b.Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning. In this lesson I will assign students to work in small groups and they will research the story of an individual who has committed suicide because of bullying and cyber bullying. Through their research students will be able to see that small behaviors can have drastic actions. I will have students but together a timeline of the events which led to the individuals death. This way students are sure to see the connections between these events and the chain reaction they can have. After students have completed their research and display of information they will present the story to the class. This lesson also serves to reinforce research skills and students can create a digital display for their information, such as an info graphic. I believe that this lesson is a way that students can see how the so called 'little things' are often anything but.