Fall 2003

Dear Parents,

    Our E102 English class has just finished reading the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The story, set in the rural South during the Great Depression, brought up sensitive and controversial issues including racism and capital punishment. After discussing these issues and their implications in the context of the novel, we as a class realized that nearly three-quarters of a century later, our country is still divided on how best to deal with these topics. Therefore your student along with his/her classmates will be researching and investigating the history and implications of capital punishment in our country. Their journey into this controversial topic is part of PBL, Problem Based Learning. The goal of PBL is to engage students in a more experiential and authentic lesson, by immersing them in a real problem for which they need to develop solutions.

    Students will be writing letters to Congress asking for a special session to be called to revisit the current laws regarding capital punishment. After creating visual representations of their research findings and a written plan of their proposed solution, students will present their solution to faculty members representing Congress. To make this process as valuable as possible, I ask that you support your student as he/she is challenged when researching, questioning, and proposing solutions. If at any point during this exciting new learning experience you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to call or e-mail me. Thank you for being an important part of your student’s education.

Sincerely,

Amy Darby

English teacher

847-755-4716

adarby@d211.org