Lesson Plan: Home for Me Is Really a Memory
Subject/Course: Law/ Sociology
Topic: Making Prison Home
Grade Level: 9-12
Episode: “Home for Me Is Really a Memory” (Season 7) Full audio | Transcript
Lesson Length/Time Needed: 1-2 class periods
Lesson Created by: B. Fitch, California
Lesson Objectives
To explore and discuss what the term “home” means to students.
To understand the importance of home and how incarcerated people grapple with having to make a productive life for themselves while incarcerated.
Materials Needed
Audio
Activities
Intro: Explain to students that today they are going to learn about someone who has been incarcerated for over 50 years and is unlikely to never get released. To explore her situation we are going to discuss the concept of home. Distribute the Home Warm-Up to students, have the students complete, and then engage in class discussion about what home means to students.
Through: To see how the concept of home changes for someone incarcerated for a long period of time, students will listen to excerpts from the Ear Hustle episode, Home for Me Is Really a Memory. It is broken into four parts that explore what Leslie’s home was and how that has now changed for her over the term of her incarceration. The minute marks are specified in the lesson. After each section, engage the class in discussion about the questions and Leslie’s experiences.
Beyond: An option, but not a requirement, is to have students discuss the merits of Leslie’s release. Students would read the biographical article about Leslie Van Houten (listed in Additional Resources), which lists the crimes that she committed. The Ear Hustle podcast does not usually divulge the crimes of incarcerated people, but it does so in certain cases. The discussion could focus on the fact that Leslie has been recommended for parole on several occasions due to her apparent rehabilitation, but the notoriety of her crimes is an obstacle in the governor giving final approval to her parole. Students of this generation may not know who Leslie is when listening to the podcast excerpts, but there is mention of Charles Manson so students may already understand Leslie was involved in those crimes.
Additional Resources
Content Warnings
This episode mentions Charles Manson. When hearing this, students might determine that Leslie was involved in those crimes, which may influence their understanding of Leslie and her incarcerated experience.