The Wave

The Wave is based on a true incident that occurred in a high school history class in Palo Alto, California, in 1969.

The powerful forces of group pressure that pervaded many historic movements such as Nazism are recreated in the classroom when history teacher Burt Ross introduces a “new” system to his students. And before long “The Wave,” with its rules of “strength through discipline, community, and action, ” sweeps from the classroom through the entire school. And as most of the students join the movement, Laurie Saunders and David Collins recognize the frightening momentum of “The Wave” and realize they must stop it before it’s too late.

THE WAVE is loosely based on an essay by Ron Jones that appeared in a WHOLE EARTHCATALOGUE some time in the early 1970s. I have never met Mr. Jones. I’ve been told that he is the teacher who did the experiment upon which the book and TV movie are based.

To be honest, I have always wondered if the ‘real life’ experiment conducted by Mr. Jones actually went as far as his essay alleges. At the same time I firmly believe that whether it did or not is entirely besides the point.

The point is the message of the story, which serves both as a reminder of what has passed and a warning regarding the future.

The murder of 6 million Jews (plus thousands of other “undesirables”) may seen like a distant event from your life. But it isn’t. Are you aware that similar massacres of innocent people continue to this day? In your lifetime it has happened in Eastern Europe and Africa.

To me, one of the most rewarding aspects of THE WAVE is knowing that it is required reading not only in your class, but in most of Germany as well.

Good Luck!

Todd

Unit Objectives

Unit Objectives

  • Read and analyze the use of propaganda in The Wave

  • Compare and contrast the events of The Wave with non-fiction historical text (Rise of the Nazis)

  • DIscuss and comprehend Strasser's use of characterization in the novel and how it interacts with plot.

  • Discuss and analyze whether social science experiments are ethical

  • Analyze the power of group/peer pressure

Guiding Questions:

  • How do group dynamics affect and interact with personal codes of ethics and morals?

  • How does authority and discipline affect individuals' adherence to their professed standards of morality?

  • How are the themes of violence, obedience to authority, and identity developed throughout the novel?

Common Core Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1c Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2b Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Interview with Todd Strasser where he talks about his struggles with reading as a student.

Ron Jones discusses how The Wave got started. This is interspersed with clips from the musical The Wave.