Exploring Justice through Fiction: Middle School Students Analyze the Book Pet
By Cierra Kaler-Jones
Imagine a world rooted in justice. What would it look like? Zo Clement, special education teacher at Two Rivers Charter School in Washington, D.C., set out to answer this question with middle school students over the summer.
Clement, along with colleagues Nicole Clark and a number of other co-workers and students, coordinated a book club where they read Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. The book tells the story of Jam and Redemption, who meet Pet, a creature that comes to life to hunt a monster that lives in the shadows of Redemption’s home. The story explores identity and justice through a fictional examination of what it means to take down a monster in a world that doesn’t believe it exists. Collectively, the book club loved the storyline and felt that it was relevant to current events, so Clement decided to create a unit on the book.
The five week unit that followed the book club consisted of topics ranging from the difference between dystopias and utopias to making inferences using text evidence to conversations about justice and defunding the police. During the first week, Clement engaged students in a discussion about dystopias and utopias to find a central theme and support it with relevant evidence. They used an article on Common Lit called “Why Teens Find the End of the World So Appealing” to introduce how other students described utopias vs. dystopias and made claims to support their arguments. From what they read, students began to make connections between the students’ in the article’s perspectives and their own lived experiences.
After they had a conversation on dystopias and utopias, they read the first three chapters of Pet and took notes using a “KWI” (Know, What, Ideas). Together, they also watched a series of clips where people discussed dystopian or utopian ideals or concepts. This set the foundation for students to make a claim at the end of the week in the form of prediction, by answering the question, “Is Pet going to be a dystopia or utopia?”
During week two, students made inferences using text evidence by reading an article about defunding the police. To introduce this reading, Clement began by sharing why it was important to them to have a conversation on this topic. They noted,
This is a space where we listen and create a sense of belonging. Our job here is to look at the experiences of people who are experiencing injustice.
In their virtual classroom, Clement showed pictures of the Black Lives Matter mural in Washington, D.C., as well as protest videos and the ways that people are organizing to call for change. Students then looked at graphics that showed data on police funding and how budgets and funding play a role in signaling what local governments value.
They coupled this conversation with chapters 4-6 of Pet. Students also created a timeline and character map for Pet characters because there are a number of characters, which can make the book a bit complex. After creating the map, they explored a “CSQ” (Claim, Support, Question) to infer the answer to the question, “Why is Pet here?” Their claim responded to the question, “Would you have kept Pet or sent it back?” Their counterclaim analyzed, “Why might someone have made the opposite decision?” They engaged in a robust dialogue about these questions in virtual groups of five students. These questions ultimately led to the class investigating: How does Pet relate to defunding the police?
In week three, the class participated in a vocabulary building exercise using context clues from the book to develop and view definitions for the words restitution and rehabilitation. Clement encouraged the class to insert their answers to these questions in the chat box,
What do you know so far about Jam? About Pet? About Redemption? Do you relate to one of these characters?
The class also watched an interview with the author of Pet, Akwaeke Emezi. From the interview, students used an interview note catcher, where they wrote their thoughts to the questions, “Who are the monsters in the book and why? Why do people want to be in control? How does Emezi relate police violence to their desire to be in control?”
One part of the interview that stuck out to students was that Emezi mentioned Jam’s identity in the interview. Emezi reflected that the purpose was to center a Black trans girl as a main character, but that wasn’t the point of the story. Rather, the point of the story, Emezi notes, was that humans are humans. How do we deal with our humanity in making mistakes, even when structures and systems in society are more just? The past impacts the present, even in a more just world. To further understand the concept of justice, students also watched a video where practitioners and activists explained transformative justice. Through their discussion they shared their opinions about their visions of justice and about what is at the root of justice. Some students shared,
If a person is causing harm, if someone becomes addicted to a drug, they need help. They should be able to come back to the community where they are empowered.
For the class’s final writing project, they looked at their predictions about the ending and wrote a claim about justice in Pet. This five paragraph essay tracked how their thinking changed over the course of their investigations. Students went through a round of revising, editing, and peer reviews of one another’s work. Using all of the information they discussed throughout the five weeks, including the book, interview, and audio/written informational texts on current events, students had to decide if the monster was brought to justice in the right way. They also answered the questions: How does this have to do with abolition and defunding the police? What should justice look like?
To culminate the unit, the class had a celebration, where they shared their ideas with one another and cheered each other on. Each student was encouraged to name what they were proudest of in themselves and their writing.
Clement shared in reflection,
Middle schoolers are curious and in tune with social justice topics.
Clement’s unit provides an example of how current events can be examined in tandem with core curricular content. By creating time and space for students to explore new perspectives, solidify their opinions, and dream about the world they want to live in, we ensure that education is a tool for transformation and liberation.
Cierra Kaler-Jones is the Education Anew Fellow with Communities for Just Schools Fund and Teaching for Change. She is also a Ph.D. candidate at University of Maryland, College Park studying minority and urban education.