Ideas for Teaching the Text

Teaching Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower can be an enriching experience for students, exploring themes of survival, community, religion, and resilience in a dystopian future. Here are some teaching resources you might find helpful:

Discussion Guides and Lesson Plans

The Great Questions Foundation

Annenberg Learner Foundation

Video Lesson from Crash Course (Hosted on YouTube)

Lesson Plan from Hachette Book Group

Further Ideas for Activities

Critical Analyses:

  • Have students conduct library research for secondary sources from academic journals and edited volumes to analyze themes, characters, and literary techniques in Parable of the Sower.

Audiovisual Resources:

  • Bring Octavia Butler's voice to your students through audio recordings of interviews discussing her work and influences.
  • Show students film adaptations of dystopian literature or documentaries that include climate-related themes.
  • Use supplemental media for comparative exercises.

Online Forums and Discussion Boards:

  • Have students investigate social platforms like Reddit or Goodreads, which have dedicated communities where teachers and students can discuss the novel, share insights, and ask questions.

Writing Prompts and Activities:

  • Create writing prompts that encourage students to engage critically with the themes and characters in the novel.
  • Design activities that prompt students to imagine and create their own dystopian societies or survival strategies.

Supplementary Readings:

  • Pair Parable of the Sower with supplementary readings such as essays, short stories, or non-fiction articles that explore related themes (e.g., climate change, social justice, religious movements).

Guest Speakers:

  • Invite community guest speakers to discuss with your students relevant topics such as environmental sustainability, community resilience, or speculative fiction.

Visual Aids and Infographics:

  • Have your students create visual aids or infographics that summarize key themes, characters, and plot points in Parable of the Sower. Create a poster wall of the students' work, and have students tour the work to establish discussion points for extended analysis.