The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Teaching Resources
Censorship
and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
This supplemental unit to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was developed as
part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project.
This unit provides resources for 11th-grade students in American Literature
classes to explore the controversy that continues to swirl around the teaching
and reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. During this unit, students
will
- Make assertions about significant patterns, motifs, perspectives.
- Use point of view...for specific purpose.
- Demonstrate understanding of the elements of persuasion.
- Structure sustained arguments with support.
The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn (Emancipation Theme)
This supplemental unit to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was developed as
part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project.
This unit, designed to supplement the teaching of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain,
consists of four activities that address the following three questions, respectively:
• What was the experience of the African slave?
• What were the events leading up to the Emancipation and after the reading
of this document?
• What should be remembered about the African slaves and the African-American
struggle for freedom?
Huck Finn in
Context: A Teaching Guide
This PBS teaching guide is based on the Culture Shocks video series, but you
don't necessarily need to see the film to use their resources effectively. There
are six sections: Exploring the Controversy; Behind the Mask -- Exploring Stereotypes;
The Development of Character in Huck Finn; The Novel as Satire; Reclaiming the
Self, The Legacy of Slavery; Final Projects. It offers suggestions on how to
approach the text, discussion activities, activities, and supplemental readings.
Mark Twain:
Classroom Activities
These activities are based on the Ken Burns film about Twain. The objective
of most of the five activities is for students to explain and test the value
of humor and storytelling in reflecting on and writing about everyday life.
The site contains recommended resources as well as an interactive scrapbook.
The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
This teacher's guide is designed for grades 10 and 11. Using a theme of "Society's
Laws s. Higher Moral Values," it offers a summary, theme openers, crosscurricular
activities, research assignments, and suggestions for related reading.
Huckleberry Finn: Suggested Essay
Topics
There are multiple essay questions relating directly to specific chapters in
the novel.
Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn (slow to load)
The texts and illustrations below attempt to capture both the novel's achievement
and some aspects of its controversiality. Check out Illustrating Race, Class,
and Gender.
From Mark
Twain to David Bowie: The Artistic Persona v. The Individual
Click on Lesson 25. Students "gain a deeper appreciation for the complex
relationship between the individual and the public image and the resulting impact
on the works of the artist."
Send a Mark
Twain Postcard
You could email your assignments with a picture of Twain!