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Critical Literacy: Children as Changemakers

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Critical Literacy: Children as Changemakers

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This video provides a great example of students engaging in critical literacy.

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Alvin Irby: How to inspire every child to be a lifelong reader

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Alvin Irby: How to inspire every child to be a lifelong reader

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In this TedTalk, Irby highlights the importance of identity in literacy and encourages teachers to help students both see themselves in literature and see themselves as readers.

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Transcript of "How to inspire every child to be a lifelong reader"

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TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: According to the US Department of Education, more than 85 percent of black fourth-grade boys aren't proficient in reading. What kind of reading experiences should we be creating to ensure that all children read well?

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Preparing Preservice Teachers to Use Critical Literacy in the Classroom

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Preparing Preservice Teachers to Use Critical Literacy in the Classroom

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This article provides a unique perspective on critical literacy because it addresses the importance of teaching critical literacy to preservice teachers. As a preservice teacher, I found the information particularly interesting. The article touches on what critical literacy is, why it is valuable, and how and why it should be taught in programs for future educators.

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This is an excerpt from “Critical Literacy as a Way of Being and Doing,” written by Vivian Maria Vasquez, Hilary Janks, and Barbara Comber (we read this in class). It provides a set of key tenets for critical literacy.

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This is an excerpt from "Critical Literacy as a Way of Being and Doing," a Research and Policy column written by Vivian Maria Vasquez, Hilary Janks, and Barbara Comber, from the May 2019 Language Arts. This article focuses on critical literacy as a way of being and doing around the globe. Orientations to critical literacy, models for instruction, key aspects, and new directions are shared.

In spite of the fact that critical literacy does not have a set definition or a normative history, the following key tenets have been described in the literature. It should be noted that such key tenets would likely take on a different shape depending on one's orientation to critical literacy, the level at which one is working, and one's social context.

Critical literacy should be viewed as a lens, frame, or perspective for teaching throughout the day, across the curriculum, and perhaps beyond, rather than as a topic to be covered or unit to be studied. What this means is that critical literacy involves having an ingrained critical perspective or way of being that provides us with an ongoing critical orientation to texts and practices. Inviting students to write down the messages that they see in public transport, to take photographs of graffiti or billboards, to cut out advertisements from magazines, or to collect sweet wrappers to bring to class helps them to read the everyday texts they encounter critically. Do it often enough and they will learn to "read" their worlds with a critical eye.

Diverse students' cultural knowledge (drawn from inside the classroom and the children's everyday worlds [homes and communities]), their funds of knowledge (Gonzalez, Moll, & Amanti, 2006), and multimodal and multilingual practices (Lau, 2012) should be used to build curriculum across the content areas and across space and place. Inviting children to bring culturally meaningful artifacts to school enables meaningful discussions about and understanding of things that matter to different communities.

Students learn best when what they are learning has importance in their lives; as such, using the topics, issues, and questions that they raise should be central to creating an inclusive critical curriculum. Listening to students' concerns or their responses to picturebooks enables teachers to know how they are reading and problematizing their worlds. It is our job to show them how to assume agency and act to make a difference, however small.

Texts are socially constructed from particular perspectives; they are never neutral. All texts are created from a particular perspective with the intention of conveying particular messages. Texts work to have us think about and believe certain things in specific ways, and as such they work to position readers in certain ways. We therefore need to question the perspectives conveyed by the writer. Even maps are social constructions based on selections of what to include and exclude, and whether to put north at the top and Europe at the center.

The ways we read text are never neutral. Each time we read, write, or create, we draw from our past experiences and understanding about how the world works. We therefore should also analyze our own readings of text and unpack the position(s) from which we engage in literacy work. If you agree with a text, it is easy to read it sympathetically and hard to read it critically. However, if you find a text offensive, it is hard to engage with it. But we have to do both; we have to engage with texts on their own terms-both to learn from them and to critique them-and we have to recognize that our identities shape how we consume and produce texts. For example, engaging with colonial texts helps us to understand colonialism and prepares us to produce texts that argue for decoloniality.

From a critical literacy perspective, the world is seen as a socially constructed text that can be read. The earlier students are introduced to this idea, the sooner they are able to understand what it means to be researchers of language, image, gesture, spaces, and objects, exploring such issues as what counts as language, whose language counts, and who decides, as well as exploring ways texts can be revised, rewritten, or reconstructed to shift or reframe the message(s) conveyed. Classroom work (Vasquez, 2014b; Vasquez & Felderman, 2012) has included the social construction of maps, language policies, construction of the child, classroom spaces, and how the furniture in them is arranged.

Critical literacy involves making sense of the sociopolitical systems through which we live our lives and questioning these systems. This means critical literacy work needs to focus on social issues, including inequities of race, class, gender, or disability and the ways in which we use language and other semiotic resources to shape our understanding of these issues. The discourses we use to take up such issues work to shape how people are able to-or not able to-live their lives in more or less powerful ways. For instance, in O'Brien's (2001) study, children worked with a catalogue promoting Mother's Day and discovered that the mothers in the photographs were all youthful (age), White (race), well-dressed and wearing makeup (class), good looking (gender), and able bodied. In addition, the goods advertised were normatively gendered (washing machines, perfume, jewelry) and often pricey (class).

Critical literacy practices can be transformative. They can contribute to changing inequitable ways of being and problematic social practices. This means students who engage in critical literacy from a young age are prepared 1) to make informed decisions regarding issues such as power and control, 2) to engage in the practice of democratic citizenship, and 3) to develop an ability to think and act ethically. As such, they would be better able to contribute to making the world a more equitable and socially just place.

Text design and production, which are essential to critical literacy work, can provide opportunities for transformation. Text design and production refer to the creation or construction of multimodal texts and the decisions that are part of that process, including the notion that it is not sufficient to simply create texts for the sake of "practicing a skill." If students are to create texts, they should be able to let those texts do the work intended; for instance, if students are creating petitions, they should address an existing issue rather than an imagined one, and if they are writing surveys, they should conduct them and analyze the data.

Finally, "critical literacy is about imagining thoughtful ways of thinking about reconstructing and redesigning texts, images, and practices to convey different and more socially just and equitable messages and ways of being that have real-life effects and real-world impact" (Vasquez, 2017b, para. 19). For example, critically reading a bottle of water as a text could include examining the practice of drinking bottled water and changing that practice in support of creating a more sustainable world.
Vivian Maria Vasquez, NCTE member since 2000, is a professor of education at American University whose research interests include critical literacy, early literacy and information communication technologies, and teacher education. She can be contacted at clippodcast@gmail.com. Hilary Janks is professor emerita in the school of education at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Her teaching and research are committed to a search for equity and social justice in contexts of poverty. She can be contacted at hilary.janks@wits.ac.za. Barbara Comber is a research professor in the school of education at the University of South Australia. She can be contacted at Barbara.Comber@unisa.edu.au.

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Key Aspects of Critical Literacy: An Excerpt

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This is an excerpt from "Critical Literacy as a Way of Being and Doing," a Research and Policy column written ...

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Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First-Grade Classroom

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Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First-Grade Classroom

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This article highlights one teacher's journey with critical literacy in her first-grade classroom and the changes she noticed in her students.

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Inclusive Schools Network - Culturally Responsive Books for Students

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Inclusive Schools Network - Culturally Responsive Books for Students

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This website includes multicultural book lists for teachers and also provides additional resources/links to find more.

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Classroom library books and other printed materials should represent the interests of the students and reflect the diversity of students within the classroom. However, until the recent past, it was not uncommon to find classrooms completely void of reading materials that either were written by African American, Latino, or Asian authors or which prominently featured the lively and rich histories of the diverse cultures represented in the school.

Many young students were never exposed to their own cultural heritage in the books available to them in the classroom. In addition, a culturally responsive classroom acknowledges and appreciates children's home cultures and attempts to build upon the uses of language and literacy with which children are already familiar. Familiar stories and predictable books may help children express their cultural uniqueness and share their personal stories (Neuman, 1994).

Helpful Resources/Links

The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning. The Center makes available for purchase a number of different instructional resources for classrooms, such as: Classroom Library Bundles, Core Literature Sets (by grade level), and Culture Kits with lesson plans. www.culturallyresponsive.org/libraries.html

Teaching Tolerance. Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children. www.tolerance.org

The Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC). A unique and vital gathering place for books, ideas, and expertise in the field of children's and young adult literature. The CCBC is a non-circulating examination, study, and research library for Wisconsin school and public librarians, teachers, early childhood care providers, university students, and others interested in children's and young adult literature. www.education.wisc.edu

International Literacy Association. The International Literacy Association (ILA) is a nonprofit, global network of individuals and institutions committed to worldwide literacy. The site hosts Choices Booklists. Each year, thousands of children, young adults, teachers, and librarians around the United States select their favorite recently published books for the "Choices" booklists. These lists are used in classrooms, libraries, and homes to help young readers find books they will enjoy.

Children's Book Council. The Children's Book Council is the national nonprofit trade association for children's trade book publishers. The Children's Book Council works annually on reading lists to help teachers, librarians, parents, and booksellers discover new, wonderful books for the children in their lives. www.cbcbooks.org

Book Lists

Since 1989, the Teachers' Choices project, hosted on the International Reading Association web-site, has developed an annual annotated reading list of new books that will encourage young people to read. The following is a partial book list of children's multicultural books from the Teachers' Choices.

Primary (Grades K-2; ages 5-8)

Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me. From Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me
Ann Grifalconi. Text copyright 2007 by Ann Grifalconi. Illustrations copyright 2007 by Jerry Pinkney. Reprinted by permission of Hyperion Books for Children. All rights reserved. Ann Grifalconi. Ill. Jerry Pinkney.

The Underground Railroad comes to life in this picture book through a grandfather's recounting of his lesson in friendship to his granddaughter. Based loosely on the life of Orleans Finger, a former slave, who lived by the words, "Ain't nobody a stranger to me," the text and illustrations combine to create a picture of past and present in a grandfather's life. CU: Beautifully illustrated. This is an excellent read-aloud to grades K and up, especially during grandparents or Black History celebrations. Hyperion. 32 pp. US$10.50.

D Is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet
Nancy I. Sanders. Ill. E.B. Lewis.

Iconic watercolor paintings that portray African American impressions are displayed in alphabetical order and enhanced with carefully crafted, emphatic poetry. This exquisitely complex picture book invites readers' understanding and appreciation on many levels of thinking. The parallel informational text provides important facts to support memory of important historic events in the African American, nation-building experience. CU: American history social studies units; poetry; art and music. Sleeping Bear. 36 pp. US$17.37.

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad
Ellen Levine. Illustrations by Kadir Nelson. Used by permission of Scholastic Press.

Stunning illustrations tell the historical account of Henry, a runaway slave who mailed himself 350 miles in a box to freedom from Richmond, VA, to Philadelphia, PA. Simple text delivers a heartbreaking and inspiring story of Henry Brown, a real-life hero who never knew his age or birthday, and his escape from slavery. CU: All grade levels will benefit from this introduction to the era leading up to the Civil War and the ingenious use of the famous Underground Railroad. Scholastic. 40 pp. US$12.81.

The Orange Shoes
Trinka Hakes Noble. Ill. Doris Ettlinger.

Delly, a young rural girl from a poor but loving family, discovers the true riches in life are found in family and making the best of difficult times. Her love of art and nature paired with her creative problem-solving skills make Delly an inspiring character who finds positive ways to fuel her spirit. The illustrations invite the reader into the story and enhance the storytelling. CU: This heartwarming story provides discussion opportunities related to poverty (what makes a person rich?), bullying, and self-reliance. Sleeping Bear. 38 pp. US$10.86.

Intermediate (Grades 3-5; Ages 8-11)

A Friendship for Today
Patricia C. McKissack. Used by permission of Scholastic Press. Patricia C. McKissack.

Rosemary is one of the first African Americans to enroll in an all-white school. Throughout the year she develops an uneasy friendship with her neighborhood nemesis, Grace "the tasteless" Hamilton, and with the help of supportive adults and a rescued, injured kitten, learns the value of tolerance and perseverance. This book is based on the author's own experience in 1954 Missouri. CU: This historical novel supports middle school Civil Rights movement and school integration curriculum and speaks to students in all schools where there is intolerance, whether for ethnic, economic, or social reasons. Scholastic. 240 pp. US$5.21.

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
Lita Judge. Ill. by the author.

This story was inspired by the author's discovery of thousands of tracings of feet in her grandparents' attic. What began as her grandparents' effort to help one family grew into a grassroots relief campaign to provide shoes for children and adults in war-torn Europe following WWII. Emotion-filled watercolor illustrations are interspersed with photographs, tracings, and other artifacts that help tell the story. This is a poignant reminder that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference. CU: World War II; journals; diversity; and overcoming adversity. Hyperion. 40 pp. US$15.99.

A Song for Harlem: Scraps of Time, 1928
Patricia C. McKissack. Ill. Gordon C. James.

After being accepted into a summer writing program, Lilly Belle, a young girl from a small town in Tennessee, travels to Harlem to be instructed by the writer Zora Neale Hurston during the summer of 1928. Through the summer writing program she learns not only about writing, but also about friendships and her own character as well as the character of others. CU: This book could be used for teaching about the Harlem Renaissance and where ideas and voice come from when writing. Viking Juvenile. 112 pp. US$4.99.

Sweet Land of Liberty
Deborah Hopkinson. Ill. Leonard Jenkins.

As a child, Oscar Chapman watched his black friends suffer racial injustices. As an adult and assistant secretary of interior under President Franklin Roosevelt, Chapman again witnessed racial injustice. When African American opera singer Marian Anderson was denied the use of Constitution Hall, Chapman organized the 1939 Anderson concert given at the Lincoln Memorial for 75,000 people. CU: Mixed-media collages illustrate connections between past and present, childhood experiences and works for civil rights and community good. Author's notes provide more political history, making the book a great read-aloud for any grade level. Peachtree. 32 pp. US$16.95.

This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
Joyce Sidman. Ill. Pamela Zagarenski.

An imaginary class of students writes poems apologizing to friends, family, and each other. Recipients of the poems respond with poems of forgiveness. The poems are written with deep emotion and feeling. Poems, like the one apologizing for euthanizing a pet dog, are very moving and will easily make connections with students. CU: This book can be used to teach poetry by connecting to the reader. Poetry can be intimidating, but this book shows how things from your everyday life can become a poem. Houghton Mifflin. 48 pp. US$6.97.

Advanced (Grades 6-8; Ages 11-14)

Celeste's Harlem Renaissance
Eleanora E. Tate. Used by permission of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Harlem, the Colored world capital of the early 1900s, was the only place Celeste (Cece) Lassiter Massey could go when her father was confined to a tuberculosis sanitarium near home in Raleigh, NC. Upon arrival in New York, she discovered that her Aunt Val was not famous, just an aspiring performer who did menial work to support a meager lifestyle. Cece's prospects were bleak until her talent as a violinist provided a way for her aunt to work in the chorus line of a show. CU: Harlem Renaissance; music; theater. US$7.99

Reaching for Sun
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. Copyright 2007 Bloomsbury Children's Books.

Josie, a seventh grader with cerebral palsy, struggles to find her place in the world. She lives with her mother and grandmother on a small portion of family farm not sold to developers. Josie's life becomes more interesting when Jordan, a science-minded geek, moves into the area. Their friendship carries Josie into summer when life takes more twists and turns. CU: Written in free-verse, reluctant readers will enjoy the quick read while more mature readers will appreciate the poetic structure and figurative language. Josie's strong voice provides insights into life for persons with disabilities. Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. 144 pp. US$11.99.

Sequoyah: Inventor of Written Cherokee
Roberta Basel

The life of Sequoyah is detailed in an easy-to-read-and-understand format. The reader learns how Sequoyah, a deeply committed Cherokee, developed the Cherokee written language. While describing his life, the reader is engaged by interesting facts and glimpses of life in the 1800s. CU: This book is formatted in a manner that will help students use it as a research tool. Included is an effective timeline using pictures and captions. The book could also be used with a lesson about source notes. Compass Point. 112 pp. US$6.49.

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
Ibtisam Barakat

This first-person memoir of a young Palestinian girl's memory of the Six-Day War in Ramallah paints the perspective of war from a child's point of view. When the bombing ceases and the dust settles, the protagonist's mother advises her daughter to forget, but she wants to remember. The young refugee shares the joy of discovering literacy; her language and literacy empower her voice to share her story. CU: This autobiographical text provides a wonderful springboard for current events and point of view in literature. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 192 pp. US$5.64.

Young Adults (Grades 7-12)

The 2008 Young Adults' Choices list is the 22nd that U.S. teenagers (grades 7-12) have helped create. This project began in 1986, funded by a special grant given to the International Reading Association and supervised by the Association's Literature for Young Adults Committee.

Being Bindy
Alyssa Brugman

This funny, coming-of-age novel from Australia reassures young readers that even after the worst day of your life, things can get better. Teens will recognize many of Bindy's problems including losing a best friend, divorce, parental dating, and the idea of blended families. Bindy is left out and bullied, but she does have support from her father, her brother, and two new friends. There is humiliation and embarrassment here, but Bindy finds the strength to make tough decisions. Teens will like this story about being true to yourself. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. 208 pp. US$6.56.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
John Boyne

Readers will remember this story long after the book is finished. In the early 1940s in Nazi Germany, 9-year-old Bruno moves from Berlin to a place in Poland called "Out-With" after a visit from the "Fury." Bruno can see a high wire fence and hundreds of people wearing striped pajamas. Like most boys, Bruno is curious and more than anything he wants a friend. So does a boy in the striped pajamas. What happens next in this Holocaust tale is heart-stopping and unforgettable. Students will want to talk about this story. Mature readers. David Fickling. 224 pp. US$7.30.

Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888
Ernest L. Thayer and illustrated by Joe Morse. Reprinted by permission of Kids Can Press Ltd., Toronto. Text copyright 2006 Ernest L. Thayer. Illustrations copyright 2006 Joe Morse.

Thayer's classic poem, "Casey at the Bat," is accompanied by striking oil and acrylic illustrations. Reinterpreted in an inner-city context, the text as illustrated by Morse imagines the events of the poem played out by and for a multicultural cast surrounded by the artistic graffiti and buildings of the city. This pairing results in a new reading of the poem, which will undoubtedly appeal to young and old alike. Kids Can. 48 pp. US$7.36.

Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything
E. Lockhart

Gretchen Yee is a talented artist who perceives herself as someone who doesn't quite fit in at the elite Manhattan High School for the Arts. She struggles to be normal around her ex-boyfriend and her current crush, all the while dealing with the news of her parents' divorce. Gretchen's off- hand comment about a desire to be a fly on the wall in the boy's locker room becomes a reality. Her fly's perspective provides her with a greater understanding of the male physique but more important gives her realistic insight into the lives and thoughts of boys. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. 192 pp. US$6.17.

Living with an alcoholic parent is especially tough on Samantha, who can't believe even her best friends will understand. With nowhere else to turn, Sam sends notes through a library book to a random girl who she hopes can advise her. When an older boy asks her to a party, Sam lies to her friends and sneaks out to meet him. Things only get worse as she deals with the consequences and discovers that her fellow note writer is not whom she thinks. Through confronting her parents and reconciling with her friends, Sam gains a deeper understanding of herself. Scholastic. 192 pp. US$12.74.

Mismatch
Lensey Namioka

Star-crossed lovers? This relevant story addresses issues of assimilation into American society, examining the cultural differences between Japanese and Chinese Americans. Sue, a viola player in the school orchestra, and Andy, a violinist, attempt a romantic relationship in spite of their parents' bigoted viewpoints. As the characters get to know each other, their mutual understanding blossoms, and they come to terms with their own cultural and personal identities. This is a must-read book for all diverse students who populate modern classrooms. Delacorte Books for Young Readers. 224 pp. US$9.87.

Returnable Girl
Pamela Lowell

This fictional account of a 13-year-old girl in foster care is a gripping story of a teenage girl longing to belong. Ronnie has been "returned" since she was abandoned by her mother at the age of 11. When she's finally found a home where she can settle in, her mother reappears. Written in Ronnie's voice in journal format, this book deals with many sensitive issues, such as sex, depression, and bullying, with which young readers will identify. It is a story of hope. Marshall Cavendish Children's Books. 229 pp. US$6.52.

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Culturally Responsive Books for Students

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Classroom library books and other printed materials should represent the interests of the students and reflect the diversity of students within the classroom. However, until the recent past, it was not uncommon to find classrooms completely void of reading materials that either were written by African American, Latino, or Asian...

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Using Critical Literacy in Early Elementary Grades

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Using Critical Literacy in Early Elementary Grades

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This article provides a type of lesson layout for using critical literacy in tandem with drama activities to help students think deeper about how stories and characters are constructed.

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Using a form of literary criticism in tandem with drama activities helps young students think deeply about how stories are constructed.

From the back of her class, I watched as one of my favorite colleagues read to her second-grade students. While reading, she paused, allowed for turn and talks, and asked students to make predictions.

When she had finished reading, my colleague asked questions about the plot, setting, and character traits. In many respects, the lesson was a success-the students had participated eagerly. However, my colleague told me that she wanted more from her read-aloud time. Having seen my students engage in drama-related literacy activities, she was curious about how she could weave those ideas into her literacy lessons, so I shared the nine-day critical literacy and drama framework described below.

What Is Critical literacy?

Although there is no set definition of critical literacy, it essentially involves examining the relationship between language and power in a text. This work is responsive and thoughtful in nature. The chosen text, students' comfort and familiarity with the text, and the lesson goals all have an effect on what happens in the classroom.

Using the four dimensions of critical literacy -disrupting the commonplace, considering multiple viewpoints, focusing on the sociopolitical, and taking action-as a springboard, I focus on how purposeful questioning, discussion, and improvised drama might influence how students engage with literacy lessons.

Setting the Stage

The first step is selecting a strong mentor text, one with multiple narratives, in which alternate stories are told between the lines and within the illustrations. A worthwhile text should serve to launch counternarratives or conversations about identity and social issues, or about differences in power and privilege. Children should be able to see themselves and learn about the lives of others through the text. Examples include: A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams, Islandborn by Junot Díaz, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, The Remember Balloons by Jessie Oliveros, and Another by Christian Robinson.

Here is my nine-day plan for discussing the text Boy by Phil Cummings.

Whose voice do you notice most in this story? Whose voice is missing?

What do you think Boy wished the villagers knew about him?

Can you tell the story of what the villagers thought as Boy approached the battle?

How did the dragon discover the village? Does the dragon have a family?

How is your life like or different from Boy's life? How can we use this story to see our world differently?

Day 1. Introduce and discuss: First I reveal the cover and ask students to make predictions and share reflections. Then I read the book to the students, pausing for partner discussions. After the reading and discussion, I ask questions such as:

Days 2 and 3. Review and set up the drama activities: The intention of drama activities is to draw deeper meaning from a story. The drama offers more than a performance-it's a way of learning. In each drama activity, students volunteer to become characters from the text.

If the class is focused on giving a voice to an oppressed character or uncovering motive, I may choose to hot seat, meaning that students interview a character. With Boy, my students chose to interview the dragon, Boy, and the townspeople.

Perhaps students want to encourage a character at a pivotal moment. If so, I might carry out a corridor of voices, where students line a hallway and express what was left unsaid in the text. Sometimes, student opinions are clearly divided-in these situations, a town hall meeting allows deliberation on important issues from the book. While exploring Boy, for instance, students participated in a town hall meeting to decide if the dragon should stay in the town.

Finally, when we speculate about a character's history, I sometimes have students create flashbacks to shed new light on the story, or imagine future scenes to push the focus beyond the end of the book.

Day 4. Shared writing: As a group, we author a piece of writing. I bring in linked texts, model my thinking, and ask for student input. The piece can be a letter to a community member, the author, or a character from the story. It might also take on the form of a journal entry as a character or a part of the story told from an alternate perspective.

Based on the reading, discussion, and drama activities, students discuss the possible writing forms (e.g., poem, letter, comic, diary entry), and participate in peer conferences so they can brainstorm and gain feedback.

Days 5, 6, and 7. Writing: Students need time to create meaningful works. Throughout, they write and then revise their work. I engage in writing conferences with students (one-to-one or small group) to support and nudge each of them.

Days 8 and 9. Sharing their work: Sharing writing and creating action plans are integral to this process. The action plans are student-led and ongoing.

Examples include arranging fundraisers, partnering with community organizations, or engaging in service projects. Over the years, I've seen this action take on many forms including, performing skits at senior citizen homes, volunteering to stock shelves at shelters, and supporting local Special Olympics groups. Making space and time to support action plans makes a difference in the type and quality of work students engage in.

Later in the semester, I found myself at the back of my colleague's classroom again. This time, I watched as she hosted a talk show to interview characters. The student input had come a long way, and when I asked how she felt about the lesson, she said, "Now that I've done it this way, I can never go back!"

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Critical Literacy in Early Elementary Grades

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Using a form of literary criticism in tandem with drama activities helps young students think deeply about how stories are constructed. From the back of her class, I watched as one of my favorite colleagues read to her second-grade students. While reading, she paused, allowed for turn and talks, and asked students to make predictions.

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Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past

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Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past

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This lesson provides a great example of how to engage students in critical literacy! Create a free account to download the full text.

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Most of my students have trouble with the idea that a book - especially a textbook - can lie. That's why I start my U.S. history class by stealing a student's purse.

As the year opens, my students may not know when the Civil War was fought or what James Madison or Frederick Douglass did; but they know that a brave fellow named Christopher Columbus discovered America. Indeed, this bit of historical lore may be the only knowledge class members share in common.

What students don't know is that their textbooks have, by omission or otherwise, lied to them.

This lesson was published by Rethinking Schools in Rethinking Columbus. For more lessons like "Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past," order Rethinking Columbus with more than 80 essays, poems, interviews, historical vignettes, and lesson plans. See Table of Contents.

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Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past - Zinn Education Project

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Most of my students have trouble with the idea that a book - especially a textbook - can lie. That's why I start my U.S. history class by stealing a student's purse. As the year opens, my students may not know when the Civil War was fought or what James Madison or Frederick Douglass did; but they know that a brave fellow named Christopher Columbus discovered America.

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Seeing Multiple Perspectives: An Introductory Critical Literacy Lesson

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Seeing Multiple Perspectives: An Introductory Critical Literacy Lesson

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This introductory critical literacy lesson for early childhood helps students learn to voice the perspectives of central but silent characters in literature.

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Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan

Grades

1 - 3

Lesson Plan Type

Minilesson

Estimated Time

One 50-minute session

Lesson Author

Publisher

Featured Resources From Theory to Practice
OVERVIEW

In this introductory critical literacy lesson, students will consider the perspectives of central but silent characters in the picture book Stevie, by John Steptoe. They will look at the story from these characters' points of view and give voice to their thoughts and feelings, thereby gaining much deeper understandings of the story and realizing that every story truly gives just a partial account of what happened.
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FEATURED RESOURCES
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Steptoe, J. (1969). Stevie. New York: Harper & Row.
Further Reading
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Critical literacy involves challenging a text by considering problem-posing questions such as: What's missing from this account? How could it be told differently? Comber (2001) explains: "Critical literacy is not a set of finite practices." She asserts that teachers "have to assist young people in assembling a set of discursive tactics and strategies" (p. 2). The NCTE Position Statement on Reading (1999) states: "As readers, we talk to others about what we are reading. These interactions expand and strengthen our comprehension and interpretation. In these interactions, we learn to read critically, to question what we read, and to respond in a certain way." Further, through problem-posing questions, students learn to "uncover underlying assumptions and motives that otherwise operate invisibly." This minilesson describes one practical way to introduce young people to discursive tactics and strategies that will expand and strengthen their comprehension and interpretation of texts.
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Comber, Barbara. "Negotiating Critical Literacies." School Talk 6.3 (April 2001): 1-2.

National Council of Teachers of English. 1999. NCTE Position Statement on Reading. Web. http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/positiononreading

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Seeing Multiple Perspectives: An Introductory Critical Literacy Lesson - ReadWriteThink

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ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

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This image shows the media spoon-feeding a man. Critical literacy can be used to combat this! Without critical literacy, we allow the media to choose exactly what information we consume.

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Words like questions, perspectives, underlying, and equity are among the many in this wordle that are central to critical literacy.

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Transition from Traditional Reading to Critical Literacy

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Transition from Traditional Reading to Critical Literacy

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This image provides examples of how to help students transition from traditional reading to critical literacy. Critical literacy touches on questions like: What are the assumptions? What’s the worldview?.

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Introduction to Critical Literacy by Dr. Vivian Vasquez

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Introduction to Critical Literacy by Dr. Vivian Vasquez

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This presentation defines critical literacy and highlights the key tenets.

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Key Tenets of Critical Literacy By Vivian Vasquez clippodcast dot com

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“The literate individual is someone who knows that there is more than one version available” (Green, 2001).  

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“The literate individual is someone who knows that there is more than one version available” (Green, 2001).  

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I found this quote in a presentation on critical literacy and it really stood out to me. This statement highlights the tenet of critical literacy that it is important to consider multiple perspectives when reading a text.

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This image highlights four important parts of engaging in critical literacy.

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Critical Literacy in the Primary Classroom

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Critical Literacy in the Primary Classroom

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This presentation provides an abundance of information about critical literacy, the Four Resources Model, and a variety of applications in an elementary classroom.

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Critical literacy Guiding Questions What is critical literacy? What does critical literacy mean in a primary classroom? What is the four resources model and how does it translate to teaching critical literacy in the primary grades? How do we assess primary students' learning of a

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Reading the Wor(l)d Critical Literacy and Culturally Responsive Classroom Libraries

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Reading the Wor(l)d Critical Literacy and Culturally Responsive Classroom Libraries

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This video explains a classroom library audit project with the goal of increasing diversity and critical topics. It also highlights the importance of having books that serve as both mirrors and windows.

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Reading the Wor(l)d Critical Literacy and Culturally Responsive Classroom Libraries