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Blending Literacy Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices 

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Blending Literacy Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices 

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Blending Literacy Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices (REL Midwest)

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Blending Evidence-Based Literacy Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices - Instructional Practice Guide

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Blending Evidence-Based Literacy Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices - Instructional Practice Guide

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Unpacking the "Science of Reading" with Dr. Tim Shanahan

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Unpacking the "Science of Reading" with Dr. Tim Shanahan

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The "science of reading "is all over the news, but some educators are still unclear about what to do in their classrooms. In this blog post, literacy expert Dr. Timothy Shanahan answers questions about evidence-based literacy instruction or the "science of reading."

He emphasizes key findings from research and the IES practice guides, including:

Teaching decoding and fluency supports reading development.

Reading comprehension instruction should begin early.

Writing supports reading and reading supports writing.

Dr. Shanahan helps us understand that it's not an "either-or proposition" (foundational skills vs reading comprehension) but rather it is a "both-and."
REL West: Can you tell us, in a nutshell, what the science of reading is-and isn't?
Dr. Shanahan: The "science of reading" refers to a growing body of research on how we read and learn to read. This evidence is drawn from various disciplines such as psychology, education, and neuroscience.

We must be careful with the term "science of reading," as it lacks specialized meaning within these fields of study. It gained popularity through media and journalism, which often use it to denote research supporting a single facet of reading instruction, such as phonics or foundational skills. However, there exists a broader body of research pertinent to reading instruction.
The science of reading should refer to all empirical studies of any aspect of learning to read, write, and spell in any language.
Dr. Shanahan
The science of reading should refer to all empirical studies of any aspect of learning to read, write, and spell in any language. I would prefer that we would talk about the "science of reading instruction" because that must, ultimately, determine whether particular teaching practices improve children's literacy learning.

For example, the science of reading is often used to refer to neuroscientific studies of the brain and what it does during reading. However, just like in medicine, we cannot go directly from basic science to medical practice-first, we must implement studies to evaluate if that application is safe and effective. Those neuroscientific studies can help us to understand why such instruction may be working, but without those studies showing what works, we do not have a true science of reading instruction.
REL West: What are some myths or misunderstandings about the science of reading?
Dr. Shanahan: Teachers and administrators often assume that the science of reading refers to a commercial program or a single aspect of teaching reading, like foundational skills (which includes: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, alphabetic principle, and fluency). Those confusions can lead to the purchase of materials that are not necessarily effective, or to narrow efforts to improve reading instruction in one way while ignoring other important evidence-based instructional practices, like teaching reading comprehension strategies or the structure of texts.

Many teachers still think that any published article on reading instruction is scientific. That isn't the case, however. Scientific research requires the purposeful collection and analysis of data that allows objective conclusions to be drawn about whatever is being studied. Many articles on reading education are no more than opinions or recounts of personal experience, and as such, they are not part of the science of reading.
What do parents need to know about the science of reading?
Shanahan: From the earliest ages, it is important to talk to your children and to read to them as well. Reading depends upon language and engaging children in conversations helps put that support in place. Likewise, reading to children expands vocabularies and increases children's knowledge, both of which play important roles in learning to read. Parents, if they choose to, can also contribute by doing things like teaching their children the letters and sounds.

Once your child has started school, it is wise to keep in close touch with the teachers. Make it easy for them to let you know how your child is doing with reading and how you can help. When you talk to your child's teacher, ask specific questions about how they are doing:

How is phonics development going?

What kinds of books can my child read?

How is my child doing with vocabulary or reading comprehension?

Is this what is expected of a 6-year-old?

Keep a close eye on homework and the books your child brings home. Talk to your child about reading. Again, being specific is important. Don't ask: What did you learn today? Ask, instead:

What are you reading about in your reading group?

What spelling pattern or letter sounds are you working on now?

Listen to your child's reading to see if there seem to be any problems. Whether or not there are difficulties that need to be addressed, your interest will communicate to the teacher and to your child the importance that you place on reading success.
REL West: How can we communicate to educators and families that teaching foundational skills and teaching reading comprehension is not an "either-or" but a "both-and"?
Dr. Shanahan: The key to this, it seems to me, is to make sure that everyone knows the broad array of knowledge, skills, abilities, and insights that underlie reading. Basic research in the cognitive sciences has identified those things that readers have to know and do during reading to comprehend text. Those components of reading include the ability to decode and to do this so fluently that enough cognitive resources are left over for the reader to make meaning from the text. To accomplish that, readers have to be able to understand vocabulary and how language works. They must connect the information in the text with what they already know, draw inferences and reason about the ideas, and so on.

During the 1990s, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invested $100 million in research on reading. They found that when they successfully taught dyslexic readers the foundational skills necessary for reading (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics), the majority of the children continued to lag in reading because their language comprehension abilities were insufficient.
REL West: Where do you recommend teachers-and leaders-look for guidance on implementing the science of reading and evidence-based practices in reading?
Dr. Shanahan: I wish I could say there was a single reliable, authoritative source for this. There are many valuable sources but given the extensive nature of reading and the ongoing nature of science, it is important to be cautious and check information in multiple places.

One particularly useful source is the What Works Clearinghouse, which is operated by the research arm (Institute of Education Sciences-IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. They evaluate the research conducted on commercial literacy programs as well as publishing various practice guides and reports which provide authoritative guidance.

There are several reports available. Some, though a bit dated, are still valuable when it comes to making major determinations, such as what needs to be in your curriculum or what instructional approaches have worked. These are all free and can be found online:

Several websites can be useful in this regard, as well, including:
REL West: Can you sum up for us some key takeaways on how to implement the science of reading?
Dr. Shanahan: Many schools mandate a two-hour English Language Arts block. I would suggest that they provide additional guidance on how to divide those instructional efforts, perhaps with one hour aimed at developing foundational skills and the other committed to reading comprehension and writing. Those time commitments reduce the chances of teachers being fooled into approaching reading instruction too narrowly.

The science of reading has identified several things that students benefit from being taught. Any implementation of reading instruction based on science will provide students with extensive ongoing teaching in:

Decoding (alphabet, phonemic awareness, phonics)

Text reading fluency (reading text accurately, with automaticity, and proper expression)

Reading comprehension (written language abilities, cognitive strategies, knowledge of the world)

Writing (writing is important, of course, but writing and spelling have also been found to make important contributions to decoding and comprehension)

Each of these is best provided by teachers who have a deep understanding of these aspects of the curriculum and who are well-prepared to deliver such instruction. It helps to support this instruction with programs and materials that are consistent with research findings. And, of course, student learning should be monitored, so that problems are identified and addressed early.

Learn more about how REL West is supporting research-based instructional practice in early childhood literacy:

Resource collection: Joyful Reading and Writing with Young Children
Blog post: Planting Seeds for Joyful Literacy Practices in Early Childhood Settings
Infographic: Joyful Early Literacy: The Teaching and Learning Cycle
Blog post: The Importance of Comprehension in the Science of Reading
Blog post and Resource collection: Family and Caregiver Activities for Young English Learners: A Growing Resource Collection

Author(s)

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educational improvement; excellence in education; educational research; statistics; statistical data; statistical surveys; regional educational laboratory program; rel; rigorous studies; fast response projects; no child left behind

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REL Blog | Unpacking the "Science of Reading" with Dr. Tim Shanahan

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The "science of reading "is all over the news, but some educators are still unclear about what to do in their classrooms. In this blog post, literacy expert Dr. Timothy Shanahan answers questions about evidence-based literacy instruction or the...

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Copy of Foundational Skills Videos (IES related)

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Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding - Executive Summary

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Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding - Executive Summary

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Learning about Difference and Belonging Through Books

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Learning about Difference and Belonging Through Books

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Learning About Difference and Belonging Through Books

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Building Vocabulary and Knowledge through Read Alouds, Text Sets, and Book Baskets

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Building Vocabulary and Knowledge through Read Alouds, Text Sets, and Book Baskets

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Knowledge & Vocabulary, together with Foundational Skills, form the Early Reading Accelerators.

Building knowledge is not an activity reserved for some, but the very pursuit of all learning; content knowledge is both the goal of and scaffold to literacy development.

Reading ability and knowledge about the world are tightly connected. The more knowledge we have, the more words we know, and the more likely we are to be able to use those things as we read. We must both leverage students' existing funds of knowledge and connect each student to a shared knowledge of the world by studying topics that represent multiple perspectives, identities, and experiences.

Building knowledge and vocabulary, together with foundational skills, accelerate early literacy and form the "Early Reading Accelerators." See this Quick Start Guide for an overview of the Early Reading Accelerators and how we can implement them for all students. To better understand Knowledge & Vocabulary, explore these additional Collections:

Early Reading Accelerators. The Early Reading Accelerators are essential content all readers must access to become proficient. This Collection provides an overview of the Accelerators, with emphasis on ways to implement these concepts in the 2020-21 school year.

Foundational Skills. Foundational skills - print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency - are the building blocks of early reading. This Collection has resources, materials, and best practices for teaching these concepts to all students.

Three Key Ingredients

There are three key ingredients for building knowledge and vocabulary with early readers: (1) reading and rereading aloud knowledge-rich, complex texts; (2) engaging students with text sets; and (3) providing book baskets of topic-based options for independent reading.

Download the table above: Do's/Don'ts for the Early Reading Accelerators.

Read-Aloud

Knowledge-rich classrooms utilize texts and teaching that value students' identities, perspectives, and voices.

Through regular opportunities to think, talk, and write about rich stories and other read-aloud books, our students' vocabulary and knowledge about how the world works grow exponentially. All readers must engage with texts that help them see, learn about, and understand new things, as well as texts that connect to their own lives and lived experiences. During these deep experiences with read-aloud of complex texts, students not only build new knowledge but also become a community of learners.

Read-Aloud Project Lessons. Read-aloud lessons for grades K-2 center around a rich, complex text that will be read and reread over several days. Each of these lessons contain text-dependent questions for each day's read, selected high-leverage vocabulary, and a culminating task option. Select from these ready-to-use lessons texts that match topics you are planning to study with your students, reflect their lives and experiences, or strike you as engaging their interests. Or, use the template to create your own with texts of your own choosing.

The sampling of read-aloud lessons below includes some popular titles representing a range of topics and character identities. Find all K-2 lessons here.

Text Sets

Students can grow as much as four times the vocabulary with connected texts (multiple resources on a topic).

In addition to complex read-alouds, all students must engage in a volume of reading in order to grow knowledge and vocabulary. To maximize this growth, use text sets: intentionally grouped sets of texts and media resources focused on a specific, conceptually-coherent topic - like Serena Williams, sharks, or ancient Egypt. Students might engage with text sets based on the topic of read-aloud anchor texts, their interests or identities, connections across content areas, or their language of instruction. No matter the topic, text sets provide an opportunity for students to rapidly increase their knowledge and word wealth.

The Power of Text Sets. Learn about this easy, research-based, and fun way to become a stronger reader. This quick guidance document includes instructions for making your own text set, or where to find a pre-made text set online.

Book Baskets

Book baskets maximize student choice and knowledge building during independent reading.

Independent reading based on student-selected topics grows their knowledge and vocabulary through volume of reading, while providing authentic choice in their learning. Book baskets, collections of books (often from your classroom library) organized by topic, encourage young readers to select books based on their interests -- Civil Rights leaders, soccer, dinosaurs, you name it! -- rather than restricting them to their "level."

Weekly Reading Practice for Early Readers. Use this weekly routine to support your early readers with knowledge-building texts in a variety of settings, including synchronous, asynchronous, and with/without technology.

What About Leveled Reading?

In the words of Professor Alfred Tatum, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois-Chicago, "Leveled texts lead to leveled lives." Here's why, and what to do instead:

Equitable Implementation

How do we engage in the work of equitably building knowledge and vocabulary with early readers?

To implement the building knowledge & vocabulary Early Reading Accelerator equitably, we must consider student supports, culturally relevant content and practices, and aligned instructional materials.

Student Supports

We all want to support each of our students to engage in rich, grade-level work. In doing so, we must "resist the inclination to 'water down' instruction and assignments for students with unfinished learning, students learning English, or those with other specialized learning needs. These students require the same challenging work and cognitive demands as their peers in order to develop academic skills and grow as scholars" (Council of Great City Schools). Use the resources below to support your students while engaging in the work of the knowledge and vocabulary accelerator.

Juicy Sentences Strategy. The juicy sentence is a strategy developed by Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore, specifically to address the needs of English learners while engaging with complex texts, and it is a tool that is useful for helping all students learn to deconstruct and reconstruct sentences from rich texts, and to understand how different language features contribute to meaning.

Culturally Relevant Practices

Instructional practices that are culturally relevant are responsive to and respect the value of all students' backgrounds, languages, cultures, points of view, knowledge, and skills. When we infuse these practices into our work, we create more fulfilling, equitable, and positive experiences for all early readers.

The Powers of Protocols for Equity. Use these protocols from Zaretta Hammond to create a more student-centered classroom.

Critically Analyzing Texts

"The ways in which we are misrepresented, are marginalized, or deleted vary according to our identities... It's not just kids of color, kids from the margins who need diverse literature and media. It's all kids who need all stories about all kinds of people."

- Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

What do the books we read tell our students about who and what matters? Which students have opportunities to see themselves positively affirmed in texts? We must do the work to critically analyze the texts in our libraries and instructional materials for cultural responsiveness, potential bias, and representation. Use resources like those listed below to learn more and analyze your own texts.

Instructional Materials

"Think carefully about the message [your] current curriculum sends to students about whose voices and stories are worthy of academic study."

- Tricia Ebarvia

When using any instructional materials, interrogate whose lives, languages, perspectives, and histories are being centered in the selected texts and topics. See the previous section for tools to analyze these, or any, materials for cultural responsiveness to your students and learning community.

Free Knowledge & Vocabulary Instructional Materials. Ready to try free, standards-aligned instructional materials to support your building knowledge and vocabulary work? Consider these open source programs.

Coaches & Instructional Leaders

Coaches and instructional leaders do important work to support teachers and students engaging in the building knowledge and vocabulary Early Reading Accelerator. This instructional priority should be a hallmark of high-quality professional learning and coaching in the early grades.

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Building knowledge is not an activity reserved for some, but the very pursuit of all learning; content knowledge is both the goal of and scaffold to literacy development. Reading ability and knowledge about the world are tightly connected.

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Home/School Activity Cards with Culturally Responsive Books

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Home/School Activity Cards with Culturally Responsive Books

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REL Resource | Joyful Reading and Writing with Young Children

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These resources share practical strategies for teachers to promote joyful reading experiences and support language and literacy development for multilingual learners ages 3–8, with a particular emphasis on dual language learners and English learner students…

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Family Caregiver Activity Cards for Supporting Multilingual Learners across Home and School 

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Family Caregiver Activity Cards for Supporting Multilingual Learners across Home and School 

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Family and Caregiver Activities

"I just want to enjoy being with my granddaughter at home. How can I make learning fun for her?" -Grandfather of a young English learner in California

Learning together can be fun! These family and caregiver activities ( FCAs) are designed to provide simple, fun activities families and caregivers can use with young English learner children at home to leverage cultural and linguistic assets and knowledge to strengthen language development in either the home language or English. The resources are based on the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide " Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School." They are available in multiple languages.

Educator Resources

These resources support educators in helping families and caregivers make the most of the activities:

TOOL: Educators' Guide
Read the Educators' Guide to learn more about the activities as well as tips to help families and caregivers make the most out of the them.

VIDEO: Introductory Webinar
Watch a webinar that introduces the research behind the activities and provides suggestions to maximize learning and fun while families, caregivers, and children engage with the FCAs.

VIDEO COLLECTION: Activities in Action
See educators and families in action! View three videos that connect classroom instruction with use of the family and caregiver activities at home.

Activities

Download all activities in:

Questions about Informational Text

Ask and answer questions about an informational text.

Video Collection

Video 1: Building Oral and Written Language Skills

This video shows how to extend elementary classroom learning to the home with two Family and Caregiver Activity sheets: Asking and Answering Questions About an Informational Text and Writing Notebooks. The simple and fun activities, using content from classroom lessons, encourage young English learners to strengthen oral and written language skills while interacting with family members or caregivers.

Video 2: Supporting Young English Learners to Develop Academic Vocabulary Across Content Areas

This video demonstrates how educators, families, and caregivers partnered to prepare transitional kindergarten children for classroom lessons on sequential language across content areas and then extend this learning using two fun and engaging activity sheets: Asking and Answering Questions About a Story and Making a Meal Together.

Video 3: Applying Academic Vocabulary and Language to Multiple Contexts

This video focuses on how the Family and Caregiver Activity sheets Word Detective and Interviewing a Special Person can extend classroom lessons on academic vocabulary and language to help elementary-age English learner students use new words across multiple contexts by listening, speaking, writing, and drawing with their family members and caregivers.

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educational improvement; excellence in education; educational research; statistics; statistical data; statistical surveys; regional educational laboratory program; rel; rigorous studies; fast response projects; no child left behind

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REL Resource | Supporting Young English Learners at Home

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Learning together can be fun! These family and caregiver activities (FCAs) are designed to provide simple, fun activities families and caregivers can use with young English learner children at home to leverage cultural and linguistic assets and knowledge...

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Thinking Maps/ Graphic Organizers for Processes

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Thinking Maps/ Graphic Organizers for Processes

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Thinking Maps ® is a language of eight visual patterns each based on a fundamental thought process. These patterns are used individually and in combination across every grade level and curriculum area as an integrated set of tools for life-long learning.

Tree
Tree Map for classifying and grouping main idea, supporting ideas, and details

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Thinking Maps® | Kern County Superintendent of Schools - Office of Mary C. Barlow

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Thinking Maps ® is a language of eight visual patterns each based on a fundamental thought process. These patterns are used individually and in combination across every grade level and curriculum area as an integrated set of tools for life-long learning.

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Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Strategies

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Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Strategies

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Review of Reading Comp Vocab Strategies_Handout_CLS (1)

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Oral Language Development Across Content Areas in Upper Grades

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Oral Language Development Across Content Areas in Upper Grades

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Oracy in the Classroom: Strategies for Effective Talk

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Sentence Segmentation Example for Younger Grades: Developing Oral Language and Print Concepts

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Sentence Segmentation Example for Younger Grades: Developing Oral Language and Print Concepts

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Video 10: Sentence Segmentation (REL Southeast)

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Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (Videos)

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Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (Videos)

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REL Southeast’s Professional Learning Communities Facilitator’s Guide

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This video is part of the Professional learning communities facilitator’s guide for the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide: Foundational skills to suppo…

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Empowering Young Readers by Using Assessment Data to Inform Evidence-Based Word Reading Skill Instruction

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Empowering Young Readers by Using Assessment Data to Inform Evidence-Based Word Reading Skill Instruction

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REL Resource | Empowering Young Readers by Using Assessment Data to Inform Evidence-Based Word Reading Skill Instruction

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This resource features a set of flowcharts that can help Kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 educators identify student skill reading needs in phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency based on universal screening data. Once the needs are identified…

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Souto‐Manning, M., Ghim, H., & Madu, N. K. (2021). Toward early literacy as a site of belonging. The reading teacher, 74(5), 483-492.

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Souto‐Manning, M., Ghim, H., & Madu, N. K. (2021). Toward early literacy as a site of belonging. The reading teacher, 74(5), 483-492.

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A Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books

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A Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books

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Based on "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism." Updated in 2013.*
Children's books continue to be an invaluable source of information and values. They reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability). The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children's affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity. Children's books teach children about who is important, who matters, who is even visible. Consequently, carefully choosing quality children's books is an indispensable educational and child-rearing task.

It is important to offer young children a range of books about people like them and their family - as well as about people who are different from them and their family. All of the books should be accurate and appealing to young children. Fortunately, there are some good anti-bias children's books, which are available as a result of the ongoing activism of many individuals and groups over many years. However, while choices have improved over past decades, the lack of quality multicultural kid's books currently being published has frustrated many communities. The number of children of color in the United States continues to rise, but the number of books published by or about people of color stays the same or even decreases.

Check the Illustrations

Look for Stereotypes: A stereotype is an oversimplified generalization about a particular identity group (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability/disability), which usually carries derogatory, inaccurate messages and applies them to ALL people in the group. Stereotypes dehumanize people. So, too, does misinformation. ( See Box 1 below for a list of common, harmful stereotypes).

Unfortunately, all of us absorb socially prevailing stereotypes about a range of people, even if we do not consciously subscribe to them. To alert you to stereotypes in children's books, as well as other media, it is useful to list all the stereotypes you know about various groups of people as precondition for critically reviewing children's books. The books you choose should depict people compassionately and as real human beings. Also consider if images depict all people as genuine individuals with distinctive (rather than stereotypical) features. Books containing stereotypes require you to engage children in critical thinking, but should probably be eliminated from your collection.

BOX 1: Common Harmful/Undermining Stereotypes

Strong, independent girls and women are "manlike"

Book-loving or nonathletic boys and men are "effeminate"

Latino men talk funny, are lazy, gang members, or wear oversize sombreros

Latina women are earth mothers or subservient

African American men are gang members, oversexed, or underemployed

African American women are too independent, oversexed, or "welfare moms"

Arab and/or Muslim men are terrorists

Arab and/or Muslim women are voiceless and passive

All Muslims are Arab / All Arabs are Muslim

American Indians live in teepees, carry bows and arrows, or are half-naked in winter

American Indians were only significant in the past (read)

Disabled people are not independent or are to be pitied

Disabled people must "overcome" their disabilities rather than just live with their disabilities

LGBTQ+ people are invisible

Poor people are invisible

Poor people are depicted as passively needing help from others

AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) are depicted as the "model minority"

AAPI are exotic or their food is exotic/abnormal

All AAPI know martial arts or are meek and compliant

AAPI are portrayed with slanted eyes or just lines to represent eyes

Jewish people are all Zionists (read)

Jewish people are wealthy and yield undue influence in the financial and political world

Look for Tokenism: This is the "one only" message. Regularly seeing only "one" person of any group in a book teaches young children about who is more or less important. Examples of tokenism include books with only one African American child among many white children or having only one book about children with disabilities among many other books. Tokenism also becomes stereotypical. It only allows children to see one view of a group of people, rather than the diversity that exists among all groups.

Look for Invisibility: What children do not see in their books also teaches them about who matters and who doesn't in our society. Invisibility in their storybooks - as well as in textbooks as they get older - undermines children's affirmative sense of themselves and reinforces prejudiced ideas about people who are not seen (See Box 2 for examples of groups who tend to be invisible). The booklists on this website include a great variety of books with groups who are often excluded. (The titles are vetted by Teaching for Change.)

BOX 2: Examples of Groups of People Who Are Often Invisible in Children's Books or Mainstream Media

Families who live in rural areas

Blue-collar workers

Musicians, artists, and writers

Families with two dads or two moms

Single mothers or fathers

Homeless families

Families with an incarcerated parent

People of Middle Eastern descent

Families who practice Islam

Transgender adults and children

Check the Story Line and the Relationships Between People

Even if a book shows visual diversity, the story line may carry biases related to how it handles power relationships among people of various identities. Are whites or male characters the central figures with people of color or female characters in essentially supporting roles? To gain acceptance and/or approval does a child of color, a girl, or child with a disability have to exhibit extraordinary qualities or be the one to understand, forgive, or change? Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own initiative and intelligence, or are they due to their looks or relationship with boys/men?

Are people of color, women, low-income families, or people with disabilities depicted as needing help or in passive roles, while whites, men, and "able-bodied" people are in leadership and action roles? How are problems presented, conceived, and resolved? Who typically causes a problem and who resolves it? Your book collection needs a balance of different people in "doer" roles.

Look at Messages About Different Lifestyles

Do the lives of people of color or people living in poverty in the story contrast unfavorably with the norm of white, middle-class suburban life? Are negative value judgments implied about ways of life that differ from the dominant culture or economic class (e.g., people are to be pitied, or the story is about one person who "gets out" of the less desirable way of life)? Do images and information go beyond oversimplification and offer genuine insights into the lifestyle of the characters in the story? Does the setting reflect current life - or past assumptions about life? Does your book collection depict diversity among people within a specific racial/ethnic group, such as a range of family structures, living environments, socioeconomic conditions and types of work, and male/female roles within the family? (Remember that every racial/ethnic group has diversity, including people who self-identify as white).

Consider the Effects on Children's Self and Social Identities

In addition to specific books, also examine your book collection. Do your books reinforce or counteract messages that teach children to feel inferior or superior because of their skin color, gender, family income, able-bodiedness, or type of family structure? At school, will all of the children you serve see themselves and their family's way of life reflected in your book collection? Will all children of color, including those with mixed heritage, girls, and children from the many types of family structures, children living in poverty, and children with disabilities see one or more characters with whom they can readily and positively identify? If they are visible in your book collection, are the illustrations and information accurate and respectful? Does your overall collection balance the backgrounds of all the children in your program? Does it also show diversity within the social indentity groups to which the children belong (e.g., a range of ways to be female and male, families reflecting different kinds of jobs within a racial/ethnic group). Does your book collection also include a balance between diversity within your classroom and beyond your classroom?

At home, does your book collection reflect diversity among the groups to which your family belongs? Does it have stories about people like you who have contributed to creating a more just world? Does it also include a range of books showing diversity beyond your family and neighborhood?

Look for Books About Children and Adults Engaging in Actions for Change

To fully develop a strong sense of self and a disposition toward cooperation and fairness, children need to know how to stand up for themselves and others when faced with unfairness. They also need to know about people from all social identity groups who have - and are currently - working for justice for all. In addition to previous criteria, here are more items to consider: The story line should be about children and adults working together, rather than perpetrating the myth that change happens because of special, individual people who do it by themselves. Does your book collection include a balance of people who have made important and honored contributions to American life as well as the world community - and not just the traditional white, male "heroes?" Do some of your books about important people include struggles for justice? Do they show people who were/are poor or from racial/ethnic groups of color? Are people with disabilities engaged in these struggles for justice?

Consider the Author's or Illustrator's Background and Perspective

All authors write from a cultural as well as from a personal context. In the past, most children's books were by authors and illustrators who were white and members of the middle class. As a result, a single cultural and class perspective dominated children's literature. There are now excellent books by people of color from a range of backgrounds - although not nearly enough. Consider the biographical material on the jacket flap or back of the book. What qualifies the author or illustrator to deal with the subject? If the book is not about people or events similar to the author or illustrator's background, what specifically recommends them as creators of the book? What is the author's attitude toward her/his story characters? Are the images accurate and do the illustrators respectfully render the people in the story? Do you have books reflecting a balanced range of author and illustrator identities and experiences?

Watch for Loaded Words

A word is loaded when it in any way demeans or makes people invisible because of any of their identities. One example is the generic use of the word "man" to stand for women as well as men (although the opposite never occurs). This traditional terminology is now questioned by many because of its sexist implications. Here are some examples of ways to avoid sexist language: community instead of brotherhood; firefighters inserted of firemen; human family instead of family of man; ancestors instead of forefathers; chairperson instead of chairman. Examples of adjectives applied to people of color that carry racist messages include: "savage," "primitive," "superstitious," "backward," "inscrutable" and "treacherous." Always consider the context in which a word is used and to whom it applies.

Look at the Copyright Date

Copyright dates indicate the publication year, not the time of its writing, which might be two to three years before the copyright date. Although a recent copyright date is no guarantee of a book's relevance or sensitivity, copyright dates are useful information. More children's books began to reflect the reality of a pluralistic society and nonsexist and non-ableist perspectives in the 1970s. Since then, the range of accurate, respectful, and caring books reflecting diversity has increased significantly (unfortunately the diversity of books published in the United States still does not accurately reflect the actual diversity of the people living here). When considering new books for your collection, begin with most recently published ones and then continue with descending copyright dates.

Assess the Appeal of the Story and Illustrations to Young Children

Although these guidelines focus on the messages about diversity and equality reflected in children's books, it is also important to take quality into account. Be sure the book is a "good read." If children find the story or illustrations boring, a book will not hold their attention, even if the book adds a specific kind of diversity you need. Check for active, interesting story lines where different kinds of people are integral to the people in the story, not the main topic. For example, in A Chair for My Mother, a young child tries to save money to get a comfortable chair for her waitress mother. Although the book shows a single parent, working-class family, and a resourceful girl, it is not didactic. Also look for illustrations that are colorful and recognizable to young children. Although they enjoy a range of styles, illustrations that are too subdued or abstract may not hold their attention.

Check for age appropriateness. Most booksellers list any picture book as appropriate for early childhood even if the story line is really for primary grade children. Sometimes a book for older children will work if you simplify the story or "tell" the story rather than read it. In some cases, this is the only way to get books that present specific groups of children (e.g., stories with Cambodian children or children with learning disabilities). Some additional issues to consider:

Many children's books use animal characters instead of people and there are some excellent books that explore diversity with animal characters (e.g., And Tango Makes Three or A Coyote Solstice Tale). Children enjoy these. However, such books are not a substitute for exploring issues of diversity and anti-bias fairness with people as the main characters.

Some early childhood teachers wonder if it is necessary for every book in their collection to show diversity. Every book needs to be accurate, caring, and respectful. However, you will want individual books about specific kinds of people (e.g., a biracial family or a family with adopted children). Diversity becomes essential in the balance of your book collection, where you want to avoid invisibility or tokenism of any group.

Folk and fairy tales have long been a mainstay of children's literature. In the cultures from which they come, folk and fairy tales were used to teach important lessons and values related to their culture of origin. Children love them in their original versions - not their commercially sanitized adaptations. However, folk and fairy tales also carry messages that convey sexism, classism, and racism and must be used thoughtfully as part of introducing young children to diversity and anti-bias values of quality and fairness.

Overuse of folk tales to "teach" about a specific ethnic/cultural group leads to misinformation and confusion. They are about animals and occasionally people from a mythical past and are designed to teach core values and beliefs in their culture of origin. They are not about how people actually live in contemporary society - and that is what young children need to understand. Information and images about how people really live now is what enables young children to build connections to people who are from different cultures while countering stereotypes that children have already absorbed (e.g., how American Indians really live).

Finally there is the somewhat sensitive issue of what to do about "classic" or "well-beloved" children's books. Many of these are wonderful as children's literature, but unfortunately they often convey values of sexism, racism, ableism, or even colonialism. People who love the books that pose this dilemma argue that it is OK to use them because they "reflect their times," which they imply somehow excuses their biased messages. For example, I adored the Babar series of books as a young child and was unpleasantly shocked to realize as an adult how much the images and story lines reflected messages of European colonialism in Africa. I chose not to use them with my own children, wanting them to learn accurate information about how people in Africa really live. Not sharing childhood favorites may sadden some, but it is far better than the harm caused by reinforcing messages of racism and colonialism.
In a nutshell - as you choose books or critically examine your current book selection, always keep in mind the power of books - their words and their images - to nurture or, conversely, to undermine a child's sense of self, positive attitude toward others, and motivation to act for fairness.
Additional Resources

Louise Derman-Sparks is an internationally respected anti-bias educator and author (along with Julie Olsen Edwards) of Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. She has co-authored several additional books with Dr. Carol Brunson Day (Teaching/Learning Anti-Racism), the ABC Task Force ( Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children), Dr. Patricia Ramsey (What If All the Kids Are White?), and Dr. John Nimmo and Debbie Leekeenan ( Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change). She speaks throughout the United States and abroad, and served on the NAEYC Governing Board from 1998 to 2001. Louise has a lifelong commitment to building a more just society for all people. Her children Douglass and Holly, now grown, were her inspiration. A Pacific Oaks College faculty member for 33 years - when its mission and pedagogy reflected anti-bias education principles - Louise is now retired.
*In 1980, the Council on Interracial Books for Children published the book Guidelines for Selecting Bias-Free Textbooks and Storybooks. A shorter version of the book in pamphlet form, "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism," followed. One of the first guides written for teachers and families, it became an invaluable tool for hundreds of thousands of people. Both the book and pamphlet have been out of print for several years. Rethinking Schools published their adaptation of the original Guidelines in 1994.

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Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books - Social Justice Books

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By Louise Derman-Sparks Based on "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism." Updated in 2013.* Children's books continue to be an invaluable source of information and values. They reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, [...]

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Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades

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Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades

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The target audience for this guide is a broad spectrum of school practitioners such as administrators, curriculum specialists, coaches, staff development specialists and teachers who face the challenge of providing effective literacy instruction for English language learners in the elementary grades. The guide also aims to reach district-level administrators who develop practice and policy options for their schools.

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ies effective literacy and english language instruction for english learners in the elementary grades: a practice guide english language learners tutoring after school

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WWC | Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades

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The target audience for this guide is a broad spectrum of school practitioners such as administrators, curriculum specialists, coaches, staff development specialists and teachers who face the challenge of providing effective literacy instruction for English language learners in the elementary grades.

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Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers

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Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers

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This practice guide was prepared for the WWC by Mathematica under contract ED-07-CO-0062.

The following research staff contributed to the guide: Cay Bradley, Virginia Knechtel, Nancy Murray, Bryce Onaran, and Cassie Pickens Jewell.

These videos were prepared by WestEd under the Doing What Works Contract (ED-PEP-11-C-0068).
All videos are based on recommendations from the WWC practice guides and are designed to complement the guides.

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teaching elementary school students to be effective writers

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WWC | Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers

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This practice guide provides four recommendations for improving elementary students’ writing. Each recommendation includes implementation steps and solutions for common roadblocks. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared toward teachers, literacy coaches, and other educators who want to improve the writing of their elementary students.

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Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade

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Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade

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This practice guide was prepared for the WWC by Mathematica under contract ED-07-CO-0062.

The following research staff contributed to the guide: Virginia Knechtel, Emily Sama-Miller, Samina Sattar, and Sarah Wissel.

These videos were prepared by WestEd under the Doing What Works Contract (ED-PEP-11-C-0068).
All videos are based on recommendations from the WWC practice guides and are designed to complement the guides.

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improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade

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WWC | Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade

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Students who read with understanding at an early age gain access to a broader range of texts, knowledge, and educational opportunities, making early reading comprehension instruction particularly critical. This guide recommends five specific steps that teachers, reading coaches, and principals can take to successfully improve reading comprehension for young readers.

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Teaching Elementary School Students  to Be Effective Writers Instructional Tips Based on the Educator’s Practice Guide

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Teaching Elementary School Students  to Be Effective Writers Instructional Tips Based on the Educator’s Practice Guide

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2) Writing Across Content Areas: 5 Strategies for Writing Outside of ELA

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2) Writing Across Content Areas: 5 Strategies for Writing Outside of ELA

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5 Activities to Get Kids Writing in Every Subject

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Fostering Student Choice and Agency Example Protocol

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Fostering Student Choice and Agency Example Protocol

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Fostering Student Choice in Reading and Writing

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Fostering Student Choice in Reading and Writing

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K-3 Essential 1, Bullet 2: Choices in Reading and Writing Sample Video

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1) Culturally responsive self-expression: Family-created texts 

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1) Culturally responsive self-expression: Family-created texts 

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Jennerjohn 2020 - School–Family Partnerships for Culturally Sustaining Texts

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1) Culturally Responsive Writing: Creating a culturally responsive community of writers

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1) Culturally Responsive Writing: Creating a culturally responsive community of writers

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How to Build a Culturally Responsive Community of Writers (Opinion)

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Acclaimed educators Gholdy Muhammad and Marie Moreno share insights into reaching all students in the classroom.

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2) Writing Across Content Areas: Daily Opportunities to Write 

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2) Writing Across Content Areas: Daily Opportunities to Write 

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K-3 Essential 6, Bullet 2: Daily Writing Opportunities Sample Video

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2) Writing Across Content Areas: Language Supports for Multilingual Learners Writing in Social Studies

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2) Writing Across Content Areas: Language Supports for Multilingual Learners Writing in Social Studies

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Using ELD Strategies to Support Content Area Writing

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3) Teaching the Writing Process in a Community of Writers: Modeling the Writing Process for Persuasive Writing (2nd Grade) 

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3) Teaching the Writing Process in a Community of Writers: Modeling the Writing Process for Persuasive Writing (2nd Grade) 

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K-3 Essential 6, Bullet 3: Writing Strategy Instruction Sample Video

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3) Teaching the Writing Process in a Community of Writers: Deliberating Success Criteria for Opinion Writing (4th Grade) 

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3) Teaching the Writing Process in a Community of Writers: Deliberating Success Criteria for Opinion Writing (4th Grade) 

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Co-Constructing Success Criteria  in an Elementary School Classroom

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4) Integrated practice of reading, writing, and foundational skills: Practicing foundational skills in shared PK-K writing

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4) Integrated practice of reading, writing, and foundational skills: Practicing foundational skills in shared PK-K writing

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K-3 Essential 6, Bullet 1: Interactive Writing Experience Sample Video

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4) Integrated practice of reading, writing, and Foundational skills: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Reading and Writing

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4) Integrated practice of reading, writing, and Foundational skills: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Reading and Writing

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Students who understand how reading relates to writing and vice versa can develop into better writers.

For elementary school teachers, the saying is, students learn to read and then read to learn. At the middle and high school levels, teachers may experience the relationship of first writing to read, and then reading to write. Although this expression is not so common, there are resources that point to such a relationship, including " Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading" or books such as The Write to Read.

While the relationship of "writing to read" and "reading to write" represents a symbiotic one, there is a distinct difference that may help us better understand what we are teaching students.

Writing to Read
Examples of writing to read

Write a high-level summary to remember and consolidate the content of the reading.

Write a claim about the reading, and use three pieces of evidence to support it.

Respond to open-ended questions about the reading as a way to connect to or analyze the text.

Write an essay on a book to illuminate a particular theme or provide evidence to trace tonal shifts in the piece.

Write about the content of a particular text or texts to understand, analyze, or evaluate the text(s) at a deeper level.

Annotate during reading to capture important terms, ideas, or content.

Fill in graphic organizers or take notes to track the reading.

Write in response to a prompt.

Write an essay about a particular literary device or critical feature of the text(s).

When a student is writing to read, they are using writing as a tool to truly understand the reading. Writing to read is driven by the text the student is studying.

Reading to Write
Examples of reading to write

Read memoirs or personal essays to prepare to write a college essay.

Read several articles from a particular journal or newspaper to increase knowledge of stylistic expectations in preparation to write a piece for publication.

To help relieve writer's block, use reading to think about different ways to write.

Read widely on a topic to consider one's own writing approach and background knowledge.

Review multiple texts to write for a particular purpose or on a specific topic.

Read a lot to write more by picking out the ideas that spark thinking.

Maintain an annotated bibliography of mentor texts that serve as a writing coach.

When a student is reading to write, they are using reading as a tool to improve their writing. Reading to write occurs when students first learn how to imitate their favorite authors, historians, scientists, or researchers. This is the deliberate use of mentor texts to mold a student's writing ability.

Moving Toward Reading to Write

The developmental progression from reader to writer is specific to each student's experience; however, we do know that in order to strengthen their ability to write, students must continue to read more.

Reading feeds writing. When writing dries up or stalls, the best way to revitalize it is to feed your brain with more reading. Reading may be compared to eating the nutrients we need for the energy to write. Reading feeds the writer with ideas for structure, rich language, literary moves, and compelling ways to illuminate a writer's purpose.

After filling our brain with reading, turning back to writing typically gives one the energy needed to continue. This is one reason why writing to read is so important early on, then gradually becomes just as important as reading to write. As students develop confidence and competence as readers as the content and vocabulary become much more sophisticated, they build capacity to see the text as both a reader and a writer.

There are potential benefits of looking at the writing-to-read and reading-to-write relationship as teachers continue to challenge themselves with the best way to teach students how to write. Many times at the middle and high school levels, experience with writing to read is the dominant one. If this is the case, it might be a good time to rethink instructional goals and associated assessments.

Here are some practical suggestions for how to weave the two more seamlessly so that students grow into stronger writers.

Assignments that Weave in Reading to Write

Write a high-level summary of the text, then pick sentences from the text that use punctuation or sentence structure in a way that is powerful.

Write a claim along with supporting evidence, then look at the text to pick out the best use of transitions.

Annotate a book to trace character development, then pull out parts of the book that were written with vivid, descriptive language.

Write an essay on the theme of a book, then write a reflection on the author's craft.

Write a response to reading to analyze the author's line of reasoning, then break down the formal structure of the argument.

After students complete a writing-to-read activity, have them complete a second activity that asks them to use the same text as a reading-to-write activity. (Models and research on how to use mentor texts can be found in books by Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O'Dell.) The second activity may be practice captured in the writer's notebook for the student to use as a resource to support their writing throughout the year. Some examples of such activities may include the following:

After high school, students contribute even more to society, so they need to know how to cogently express their thinking to others. Empowering students as writers requires practice, and it's important that students understand how writing to read and reading to write serve them in markedly different ways.

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Explaining the Symbiotic Relationship Between Reading and Writing

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The symbiotic relationship between reading and writing must be understood by students in order for them to become better writers.

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4) Integrated practice of reading, writing, and foundational skills: Reading and writing about textual evidence in Science

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4) Integrated practice of reading, writing, and foundational skills: Reading and writing about textual evidence in Science

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Grade 3 ELA: Making a Claim: Which is more powerful, land or water? RI.3.1

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IES 4th & 5th Grade Literacy Walkthrough Tool 

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IES 4th & 5th Grade Literacy Walkthrough Tool 

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REL Instructional Walkthrough Tool for Upper Grades

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Oregon Department of Education : Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework: A Strong Foundation for Readers and Writers (K-5) : English Language Arts : State of Oregon

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Oregon is committed to improving literacy learning for every Oregon student.

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Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression.Fluent reading builds stamina for reading lengthy or complex texts. Reading fluency serves as a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.

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Alphabetic Principle - Additional Reading and Videos

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Alphabetic Principle - Additional Reading and Videos

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Children’s knowledge of letter names and shapes is a strong predictor of their success in learning to read. Knowing letter names is strongly related to children’s ability to remember the forms of written words and their ability to treat words as sequences of letters.

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Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. To read, children need to understand the alphabetic principle - the idea that letters represent the sounds of spoken language. Decoding is when we use letter-sound relationships to translate a printed word into speech.

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Phonological Awareness - Additional Reading and Videos

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Phonological Awareness - Additional Reading and Videos

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Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

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Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work. They must understand that words are made up of individual speech sounds, or phonemes. A child's skill in phonological and phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty.

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Print Concepts - Additional Videos and Reading

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Print Concepts - Additional Videos and Reading

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Print awareness (also called concepts of print) is the understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words. Print awareness also includes an understanding of what books are used for and how a book "works" - how to turn pages, how to find the top and bottom of a page, and how to identify the title and the front and back covers.

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Reading Comprehension - Example Instructional Video

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Reading Comprehension - Example Instructional Video

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Grade 2 ELA: Analyzing Similarities and Differences Between Insects and Spiders Using Two

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In response to the fear- and hate-mongering alive in our country today, I have joined Julie Landsman?a writer, teacher, and activist based in Minneapolis?to create the I Am From Project. Through our website ( iamfromproject.com) and Facebook page, we?re collecting art from around the country prompted by that theme. You can listen to our interview on the National Writing Project radio here: https://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/4673.

We want to gather the diversity of our voices, and we plan to archive the results online and to present them, in some form, in D.C. We?d love to have your voice among them!

The Kentucky Arts Council has wrapped up my Where I'm From?project with a total of 731 poems from eighty-three counties. My thanks to everyone at the Council, especially Tamara Coffey, who put all those poems online. You can visit this website to find the map where you can click on any county and read offerings from poets of all ages.

"Where I'm From" grew out of my response to a poem from Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet (Orchard Books, 1989; Theater Communications Group, 1991) by my friend, Tennessee writer Jo Carson. All of the People Pieces, as Jo calls them, are based on things folks actually said, and number 22 begins, "I want to know when you get to be from a place. " Jo's speaker, one of those people "that doesn't have roots like trees, " tells us "I am from Interstate 40" and "I am from the work my father did. "

In the summer of 1993, I decided to see what would happen if I made my own where-I'm-from lists, which I did, in a black and white speckled composition book. I edited them into a poem - not my usual way of working - but even when that was done I kept on making the lists. The process was too rich and too much fun to give up after only one poem. Realizing this, I decided to try it as an exercise with other writers, and it immediately took off. The list form is simple and familiar, and the question of where you are from reaches deep.

Since then, the poem as a writing prompt has traveled in amazing ways. People have used it at their family reunions, teachers have used it with kids all over the United States, in Ecuador and China; they have taken it to girls in juvenile detention, to men in prison for life, and to refugees in a camp in the Sudan. Its life beyond my notebook is a testimony to the power of poetry, of roots, and of teachers. My thanks to all of you who have taken it to heart and handed it on. It's a thrill to read the poems you send me, to have a window into that many young souls.

I hope you won't stop there, though. Besides being a poem in its own right, "Where I'm From" can be a map for a lot of other writing journeys. Here are some things I've thought of:

Where to Go with "Where I'm From"

While you can revise (edit, extend, rearrange) your "Where I'm From" list into a poem, you can also see it as a corridor of doors opening onto further knowledge and other kinds of writing. The key is to let yourself explore these rooms. Don't rush to decide what kind of writing you're going to do or to revise or finish a piece. Let your goal be the writing itself. Learn to let it lead you. This will help you lead students, both in their own writing and in their response as readers. Look for these elements in your WIF poem and see where else they might take you:

a place could open into a piece of descriptive writing or a scene from memory.

your parents' work could open into a memory of going with them, helping, being in the way. Could be a remembered dialogue between your parents about work. Could be a poem made from a litany of tools they used.

an important event could open into freewriting all the memories of that experience, then writing it as a scene, with description and dialogue. It's also possible to let the description become setting and directions and let the dialogue turn into a play.

food could open into a scene at the table, a character sketch of the person who prepared the food, a litany of different experiences with it, a process essay of how to make it.

music could take you to a scene where the music is playing; could provide you the chance to interleave the words of the song and words you might have said (or a narrative of what you were thinking and feeling at the time the song was first important to you ("Where I'm Singing From").

something someone said to you could open into a scene or a poem which captures that moment; could be what you wanted to say back but never did.

a significant object could open into a sensory exploration of the object-what it felt, sounded, smelled, looked, and tasted like; then where it came from, what happened to it, a memory of your connection with it. Is there a secret or a longing connected with this object? A message? If you could go back to yourself when this object was important to you, what would you ask, tell, or give yourself?

Remember, you are the expert on you. No one else sees the world as you do; no one else has your material to draw on. You don't have to know where to begin. Just start. Let it flow. Trust the work to find its own form.

Where Others Have Gone with "Where I'm From"

Watch a visual poem based on "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon, created by Julia Daniel for Tamalpais High School's Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media (AIM), fall 2010:

A Young Artist's Own "Where I'm From" in Words and Image:
In Winter of 2008, Sage Hennequin Kuhens was enrolled in University of South Carolina Upstate's "Write Here, Write Now: Sharing Slices of Life Through the Magic of Digital Storytelling," a series of writing and publishing workshops sponsored by the Spartanburg Community Writing Center. At eight years old, Sage was the youngest among her group of about 50 or so students, and was determined to be as independent as she could be. Her delightful instructor, Tasha Thomas, encouraged her independence.

I'm from big blue herons to small river otters,
I'm from big Metasequioas to tall stalks of bamboo,
I'm from cousins that were unknown to the closest of friends,
I'm from my mom and dad to my lab-beagle dog, albino rats, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches,
I'm from roaring water falls to silent flowing streams,
I'm from terrifying Zombie walks and Scarowinds to a gentle princess-loving godsister and godbrother
I'm from pepperoni pizza to microwaved meatballs,
I'm from my inspiration station drawing and writing to a homemade book,
I'm from my old dog Chani to red-shouldered hawks,
I'm from Jack the magic clown to my weird parents,
I'm from a tiny baby to an educated sister showing baby MinMin what school's like,
I'm from bold looking deer to relaxing foxes,
I'm from making a fire in the county to ridin' in a cotton combine,
I'm from a fan of Alexa Vega and Miley Cyrus to a spy lovin' tween (me),
I'm from playing with cockroaches with a friend to Joe and I together,
I'm from my heritages to Mom's mystery heritages,
I have an opinion that none can change...life is great!

-Sage Hennequin Kuhens 1-29-08

The Hale Pono Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii posted ?Where I?m From? by Dixie Castillo on their blog. Read it here.

Here?s a poem based on ?Where I?m From? written by an eighth grade student as part of a study of The Killer Angels. The lesson plan is here.

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official site of george ella lyon writer and teacher

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new words: poems from the appalachian poetry project

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Where I'm From, a poem by George Ella Lyon, writer and teacher

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Where I'm From, a poem by George Ella Lyon, writer and teacher

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Scaffolding Writing through the Teaching and Learning Cycle

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Scaffolding Writing through the Teaching and Learning Cycle

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Case Study - Joyful Phonological Awareness

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Case Study - Joyful Phonological Awareness

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Griffin - PORT Phonological Awareness Chap 14

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Handout 1 Evidence-Based Literacy Elevator Pitch

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Handout 1 Evidence-Based Literacy Elevator Pitch

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1.1 Evidence-Based Literacy Coaching Project Overview & Pitch

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Handout 2 Framework for Literacy Leadership

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Handout 2 Framework for Literacy Leadership

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Handout 3 Instructional Leadership Teams

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Handout 3 Instructional Leadership Teams

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1.3 Evidence-Based Literacy Coaching Project Overview of Instructional Leadership Teams

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Handout 4 Riverside Elementary Case Study

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Handout 4 Riverside Elementary Case Study

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1.5 Literacy System Conditions Reflection

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Handout 6 Instructional Literacy Team Data Review 

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Handout 6 Instructional Literacy Team Data Review 

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1.6 ILT Leadership Summit Data Review Protocol - August 2025