Featured Texts

Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix
This futuristic novel is set in the United States during a time when each family is allowed to have only two children. It tells the story of a family with a third child who has to be hidden in the house. As the child matures, he has more and more freedoms taken away to keep the family safe from detection.

"The Quiet World" by Jeffrey McDaniel
This brief poem presents a world in which the government has allotted each person only 167 words a day.

Ms. Schnabl looks for literature that will make students think about life issues. This unit focuses on the tensions between individual freedoms and government control as well as on issues of an individual being asked to give up personal needs and desires to ensure family safety and well being. You can access additional resources related to this video clip's texts in the Additional Resources section.