Informative Speech Outline
Alvaro Larrea
Mr. Bowles
COMS 101
23 September 2022
Topic: How book banning affects school
Speech Pattern: Topical
Audience Analysis: The audience comprises ten college students and a professor. The audience
has a basic understanding of book banning and what groups of people are involved. The audience
is responsive and attentive.
Introduction
I. Attention-Getter
Picture this: Your teacher handing out this year’s book list, and you are so excited to
begin your reading adventures, but one week after, you get a new list with many fewer
books on it. You ask your teacher why the list changed, and they respond by saying there
was a ban on a topic that other books discuss, so the school can no longer have the
students read those.
II. Credibility Statement
I studied and presented on this topic in high school and have done more research for this
specific speech.
III.Thesis Statement
Book banning is an ongoing situation that has specific effects on schools to which
teachers and librarians respond.
IV. Preview Statement
I will briefly review the general situation of book banning, discuss some of its specific
effects on schools, and what the response has been from teachers and librarians.
Transition: So, let's begin with an overview of Book Banning.
Body
I. Main Point 1: Book banning is a form of censorship where groups of people decide to
remove books from libraries or school reading lists because they oppose the ideas or
beliefs presented in said books. These groups commonly include government officials,
parents, and school board members. One of the main reasons book bans occur is because
people in these groups believe some books discuss topics they think are inappropriate for
their children to learn, and they highly stress that families should monitor what their
young are reading. There has been a growth in the number of book challenges and bans.
According to an NYT article, the ALA said that (B). An example of a book ban is (A).
A. A Texas elected official provided a list of books that should be removed from
libraries, including Between the World and Me and How to Be an Antiracist (Moses,
2022).
B. “The American Library Association said in a preliminary report that it received an
“unprecedented” 330 reports of book challenges, each of which can include multiple
books, last fall.” (Harris & Alter, 2022)
Transition: These are a few examples of the ongoing situation of book banning, but let's focus
on the effects this has had on schools.
II. Main Point 2: Book banning has specific effects in classrooms and school libraries.
A. School curriculum has been affected, and teachers believe that book bans are limiting
the ways they can approach specific topics or if they can even teach certain things.
1. “UCCS history lecturer Nina Frischmann explained that book banning is especially
detrimental to teachers who need to teach students about the topics and events that
many authors are able to depict accurately and uniquely due to personal experience or
research” (Aldinger, 2022).
2. “Curriculum adjustments and school policy changes have included banning certain
books. Many teachers are avoiding controversial topics altogether out of fear of
criminal prosecution” (Coleman, 2022).
B. The environment of school libraries has also been affected by book bans.
1. “A school library, no less than any other public library, is a place dedicated ‘to
quiet, to knowledge, and to beauty” (Walsh, 2021).
2. “CNN reports that schools in Texas are pulling books off the shelves, and one
Florida school district put a moratorium on library purchases” (Coleman, 2022).
Transition: We have seen how book bans affect the classroom and school libraries. Now, let's
look at how educators and librarians are responding.
III. Main Point 3: Teachers and Librarians have responded to the increase in book bans in
schools. These two groups of educators constantly involve themselves with legislators to
appeal specific bans on books that they believe involve topics that should be discussed
freely in classrooms. Others have specific protocols to ensure that children comply with
their parent’s wishes of not reading certain books.
A. Librarians are involved in letter campaigns and constantly contact legislators to
advocate for books being challenged (Álvarez, 2022).
B. Educators in Indiana lined the hallways of the Statehouse while banning “divisive
topics” was discussed by legislators (Walker, 2022).
C. “The Louisiana Association of School Librarians has petitioned its members to take a
stand against censorship” (Coleman, 2022).
D. “Many school libraries already have mechanisms in place to stop individual students
from checking out books of which their parents disapprove” ( (Harris & Alter, 2022).
Transition: These are just a few examples of how teachers and librarians respond to the ongoing
situation. So now, let’s recap what we’ve talked about.
Conclusion
I. Summary
Book banning is a developing situation affecting schools to which teachers and librarians
respond. We saw an overview of book banning and some examples of it taking place. We
discussed how it affects the curriculum and the environment of school libraries. Finally,
we saw different ways teachers and librarians respond to book bans, like letter campaigns
or direct involvement with legislators.
II. Create a Sense of Closure
So, to conclude, book banning is an evolving phenomenon to which people in education
have responded and are attentive to the future implications that this process may have.
References
Álvarez, B. (2022). The Freedom to Read and Learn: Educators Respond to Book Bans.
Retrieved from National Education Association: nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-
from-nea/freedom-read-and-learn-educators-respond-book-bans
Aldinger, A. (2022). History professors discuss the effects of book banning in schools. Retrieved
from The Scribe: UCCS Student Newspaper: https://scribe.uccs.edu/history-professors-
discuss-the-effects-of-book-banning-in-schools/
Coleman, T. (2022). How book bans are affecting schools and libraries. Retrieved from The
Week: https://theweek.com/briefing/1016551/how-book-bans-are-affecting-schools-and-
libraries
Harris, E. A., & Alter, A. (2022). Book Ban Efforts Spread Across the U.S. Retrieved from The
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/books/book-ban-us-schools.html
Moses, C. (2022). The Spread of Book Banning. Retrieved from The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/31/briefing/book-banning-debate.html?auth=login-
google1tap&login=google1tap
Walker, T. (2022). Educators Fight Back Against Gag Orders, Book Bans and Intimidation.
Retrieved from National Education Association: https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-
change/new-from-nea/educators-fight-back-against-gag-orders-book-bans-and-
intimidation
Walsh, M. (2021). Yanking Books From School Libraries: What the Supreme Court Has Said,
and Why It’s Murky. Retrieved from Education Week: https://www.edweek.org/policy-
