The Bean Trees Human Rights Mini-Research Project

The following extension project after reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees asks students to research and present a contemporary human rights issue based on the human rights issues in the novel. Some suggested topics are included and research questions guide students to find reputable resources. The project assesses students' research skills, public speaking skills, presentation skills, and synthesis/evaluation of the novel. Students have found the assignment to be meaningful and related to the "real world."