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US Students Complete Literature of War Projects
This semester, St. Luke’s Upper School students in Ms. Perry’s Literature of War class studied one essential question: “How do we remember and tell the stories of war?” With every text they read, guest speaker they heard from, and assignment they completed, the students’ research and learning centered around that question.
Recently, students completed their final projects, which focused on the impact of war on children. Students were divided into groups, and each group read a memoir to learn about the war or conflict the author experienced as a child. The memoirs included: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic, Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa, and The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya & Elizabeth Weil.
“With this project, I emphasized two things that we know drive student motivation: choice and purpose. Each student chose the memoir they wanted to read, and then each group chose how they wanted to share their research and learning with the community. And by the time they shared their projects, the students had a strong sense of purpose – they had encountered the personal stories of the authors, each of whom was deeply affected by war as a child and wanted to bring the stories to a wider audience. I’m so proud of our students’ work.“
The class culminated with each student presenting their project on Zoom, which was open to students, faculty, staff, and families. Here is what a few students shared about the project.
“Before reading Clemantine’s memoir, I had very little knowledge of both the physical and mental impacts that being a refugee has on an individual. Although I’ve read articles and heard stories about the refugee crisis, I didn’t know how dangerous and unsanitary refugee camps are or how difficult it is for refugees to maintain their dignity and still survive. Reading how Clemantine had to learn to care for herself at the age of six and how dehumanized and unworthy she felt brought this harsh reality to life for me.”
“Before reading Beah’s memoir, if you had asked me to, I wouldn’t have been able to point out Sierra Leone on a map. This memoir opened up another part of the world to me. I learned about how children, much younger than myself, were drugged and forced to fight.”
“My biggest takeaway from this project is that we need to consider different cultures and perspectives as students and as Americans. The bombing of Hiroshima is an excellent example of this. I have never once stopped and considered the small families and communities and the long term effects that it caused--I had solely looked at it as a military action that ended the war. This project and the book Barefoot Gen taught me to have empathy and reminded me why we must consider all perspectives.”
For more information about the project, including the memoirs the students read, please visit the class website.
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Recently, students completed their final projects, which focused on the impact of war on children. Students were divided into groups, and each group read a memoir to learn about the war or conflict the author experienced as a child. The memoirs included: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic, Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa, and The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya & Elizabeth Weil.
“With this project, I emphasized two things that we know drive student motivation: choice and purpose. Each student chose the memoir they wanted to read, and then each group chose how they wanted to share their research and learning with the community. And by the time they shared their projects, the students had a strong sense of purpose – they had encountered the personal stories of the authors, each of whom was deeply affected by war as a child and wanted to bring the stories to a wider audience. I’m so proud of our students’ work.“
—Liz Perry, Head of Upper School
The class culminated with each student presenting their project on Zoom, which was open to students, faculty, staff, and families. Here is what a few students shared about the project.
“Before reading Clemantine’s memoir, I had very little knowledge of both the physical and mental impacts that being a refugee has on an individual. Although I’ve read articles and heard stories about the refugee crisis, I didn’t know how dangerous and unsanitary refugee camps are or how difficult it is for refugees to maintain their dignity and still survive. Reading how Clemantine had to learn to care for herself at the age of six and how dehumanized and unworthy she felt brought this harsh reality to life for me.”
—Abby Johnson ‘21
“Before reading Beah’s memoir, if you had asked me to, I wouldn’t have been able to point out Sierra Leone on a map. This memoir opened up another part of the world to me. I learned about how children, much younger than myself, were drugged and forced to fight.”
—Aidan Gunn ‘21
“My biggest takeaway from this project is that we need to consider different cultures and perspectives as students and as Americans. The bombing of Hiroshima is an excellent example of this. I have never once stopped and considered the small families and communities and the long term effects that it caused--I had solely looked at it as a military action that ended the war. This project and the book Barefoot Gen taught me to have empathy and reminded me why we must consider all perspectives.”
—Koy Price ‘21
For more information about the project, including the memoirs the students read, please visit the class website.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
