PET
What is justice?
What is justice?
This unit explores different types of justice, identity building, and the masking of good and evil in Pet. Pet follows a young girl, Jam, as she searches for a “monster” in the fictional utopia of Lucille alongside a creature called Pet. Students will think critically about the role justice plays in their own society and how it is influenced by and influences identity.
To gain access to all of the teaching materials for this unit, fill out the request form linked at the bottom of this page. More information about the organization of curriculum units can be found here.
The ebook curriculum includes information for teachers about how they might prepare to teach some of the topics and history that is brought up in this novel. Topics included are below:
Gender Identity
Signing and Selectively Mute
Cultural and Racial Consciousness
Pedophilia and Child Molestation
Essential Questions
How do we distinguish between good and evil?
What is justice and who decides what justice looks like?
How does our society (culture, friends, family, media, etc.) shape who we show people we are?
Different forms of justice:
Compare and contrast retributive vs. restorative justice practices.
Identify and describe the type of justice is being used in a given situation
The role justice plays in our society:
Punitive system and its ability to serve as a mode of transformation for the betterment of society
Final Essay Question:
What is justice and how was it used or misused in Lucille?
In this section, supplemental texts that can provide background knowledge and contemporary connections can assist the teacher. Also, we provide supplemental texts that help extend issues in the novel to the world around us.
Context:
Current Connections:
This unit includes pre-reading activities to engage students. During reading activities, prepare students to understand key concepts and character development. Discussion questions and unit vocabulary provide scaffolds for close reading. A gender identity and pronoun workshop encourages students to think critically about the impact and importance of these topics for identity building and equity.