Representation in High School Language Arts by Brooklin Healy

Diverse Book Suggestions

bhealy22 — 2024-05-20 00:26:03 UTC

This list from Edutopia includes 22 books for various grade levels that offer students book choices that represent personal connection through race, culture, gender identity, etc. Teachers can consider including these titles in their classroom library or incorporating them into class curriculum.

Multicultural Book List

bhealy22 — 2024-05-20 00:32:26 UTC

This list from TeachingBooks includes 30 multicultural books that "every teen should know." Teachers can use this site to explore this book list and others on the site to enhance their classroom libraries or class curriculum.

Connect Cultures: Gatsby and Harlem

bhealy22 — 2024-05-20 00:34:05 UTC

Enhance student learning and experience by pairing The Great Gatsby with the Harlem Renaissance. This post includes pre-reading activities, chapter guides, and specific resources to pair The Great Gatsby with Harlem Renaissance poetry and music, providing students with a rich and diversified experience throughout the unit of study.

Text Pairing: Classics

bhealy22 — 2024-05-20 01:12:50 UTC

While teaching a classic or traditional text, provide a companion text that provides diverse and inclusive themes that relate to the classic text. This resource is available for purchase and includes several guides for using mentor texts and inclusive pairings.

Word Wall

bhealy22 — 2024-05-26 22:20:13 UTC

Provide a safe space for students to explore vocabulary that is related to class content, but may be personal, cultural, or controversial. Display vocabulary from texts and encourage class discussion to enhance understanding and "help students see relationships between words and ideas."

Mirror or Window Reflection

bhealy22 — 2024-05-26 22:37:59 UTC

Provide students opportunities to reflect on content material and consider how they do or do not connect with it. Share experiences in the classroom to allow multiple perspectives to be heard. Teachers may choose to provide a physical "wall" in the classroom to display reflections or create an online platform where students can contribute.

Choosing Diverse Books

bhealy22 — 2024-05-26 22:57:33 UTC

This page provides guidelines for teachers to consider when selecting literature. A questionnaire is included for teachers to evaluate their classroom library and make specific improvements.

"Where I'm From" Reflection Writing

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 01:07:32 UTC

Introduce a poetry or narrative writing unit with George Ella Lyon's poem, "Where I'm From." Encourage students to reflect on their personal experiences, cultures, and viewpoints that contribute to their identities. Lyon's site includes audio of the original poem, examples of new poems, and links to video representations of poems.

Selecting Social Justice Books

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 01:12:42 UTC

A list of guiding questions for educators to consider as they choose literature for their classrooms

Relating to Romeo & Juliet

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 01:32:07 UTC

This resource provides inclusive, relatable, and modern content while teaching Shakespeare, including diverse perspectives to explore, multi-cultural art representations, and discussion guides to pair the classic text with multi-media content.

Life's Blueprint Reflection

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 01:47:56 UTC

Students explore Dr. King's speech to teens. Opportunities to reflect upon meaningful vocabulary, discuss key points of his speech, and consider Dr. King's questions in a short personal essay.

Representation through Mentor Texts

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 02:04:28 UTC

This resource includes suggestions for opinion, informational, and narrative texts that are inclusive for the ELA classroom. Links to additional book lists are included.

Where to Buy Diverse Books

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 20:39:32 UTC

This site connects readers and teachers with diverse book lists and booksellers. Multicultural, LGBTQIA, disabilities, and religious groups are included in these resources.

Connect Shakespeare with Modern Times

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 20:55:24 UTC

This post includes themes and resources to explore when studying Shakespeare, including specific themes to address, text-pairings, and discussion activities during study. Specific plays offer various topics to address during study, including, anti-semitism, racism, gender roles, colonialism, and misogyny.

Evaluate Representation in the Curriculum

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 21:44:46 UTC

This post includes instructions for auditing your curriculum and ideas for making improvements to incorporate diverse representation in your ELA classroom.

Add Diversity to Traditional Texts and Themes

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 22:08:32 UTC

This post provides suggestions to pair classic texts with newer and diverse texts. The post is organized by theme; ELA teachers can quickly identify companion texts that could pair with standard works used in American ELA classrooms, such as The Lord of the Flies, Great Expectations, Heart of Darkness, Animal Farm, 1984, etc.

Culturally Responsive Teaching Tips

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 23:23:45 UTC

This article advises teachers as they evaluate lessons and consider how their classroom is or is not culturally responsive. The article explains that reaching multicultural students requires more than including diverse figures or representations in the lesson, but is "more about mimicking students’ cultural learning styles and tools." The tips to use games, social interactions, and stories can be used in any content area.

Get Started: Culturally Responsive Teaching

bhealy22 — 2024-05-27 23:29:57 UTC

This article from Edutopia defines what culturally responsive teaching means and how teachers can begin to understand students' lives, backgrounds, and cultures which will help teachers relate lessons and materials accordingly.

Identity and Intersectionality Reflection Writing

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 00:11:44 UTC

Part 1: This lesson provides opportunities for students to explore their personal identities and diversity. Lesson materials include identity diagrams and the short film, Bibi, which "sparks critical conversations about identity, culture, family and belonging."

Part 2: This lesson explores intersectionality and how it relates to privilege and oppression. Students reflect on their identity circles from part 1 and discuss their findings in small groups. Lastly, groups discuss how intersectionality is portrayed in "Bibi."

Part 3: In the concluding lesson, students write letters explaining the concepts they have learned. Students explore how communicating through letters may enhance connection and understanding.

Using Podcasts to Enhance Lessons

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 01:12:20 UTC

Listenwise provides hundreds of short podcasts or lesson materials that provide insight or enhance lessons. Teachers can use podcasts as stand-alone learning activities or pair them with existing curriculum. Listenwise podcasts include diverse and inclusive topics, such as LGBTQ+, women's history, stories from Latino and Hispanic heritage, Black and African American heritage, individuals with disabilities, Native American stories, and Asian and Pacific Islanders heritage. Stories and materials are categorized by grade level. Teachers must have an account to access the materials.

Modern Connection to Classic Texts: The Outsiders

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 01:44:55 UTC

This article explores the similar themes found in the classic and commonly taught book, The Outsiders, and pairs it with a modern story, Punching the Air. The article guides teachers how to pair the texts together and provides discussion questions, theme analysis, and character development. Using this resource, teachers may consider using book clubs within the classroom to develop a "coming of age" unit.

Creating Diverse Reading Opportunities

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 01:53:54 UTC

This insightful blog post comes from an experienced ELA teacher who strives to incorporate relevant and diverse materials into her ELA curriculum. The article explains why it is important and how to make changes to your classroom library, teaching materials, and lesson preparations.

Modern Connections to Classic Texts: The Catcher in the Rye

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 02:08:55 UTC

The article from The Daring English Teacher provides ideas for pairing new texts with the classic novel, "The Catcher in the Rye." The group of suggested novels includes multicultural and LGBTQ+ perspectives. This group of novels would provide variety to a coming-of-age literature unit and offer reflective discussions.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Vocabulary

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 02:32:50 UTC

Introduce vocabulary and encourage students to reflect on anti-bias concepts. This writing activity could be implemented in both pre and post reading, as well as an independent reflection activity. ELA teachers may choose to assign "meaning-making paragraphs" for each unit of study.

Teaching Social Justice in ELA

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 02:55:29 UTC

This article provides five meaningful ways for teaching social justice in ELA class, including reading nonfiction articles, including diverse perspectives in the curriculum, teaching students to look for justice, incorporating intentional discussions in class, and giving students opportunities to speak out on topics that matter to them.

Contemporary and Classic Text Pairings

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 11:44:34 UTC

Penguin Random House shares specific book suggestions for teachers to pair contemporary and classic texts in the classroom. The article claims students "use high-level thinking to determine similarities and differences in style, structure, and essential truths. Paired texts provide relevance and open entry points to new ideas and cultures." The contemporary texts provide viewpoints that relate to various cultures, genders, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation.

Examining Justice: Text pairings when teaching To Kill a Mockingbird

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 12:59:22 UTC

This post addresses incorporating new material and discussion points if teaching To Kill A Mockingbird is part of your ELA curriculum. The post includes a few book suggestions for teachers and students to read to provide diverse perspectives. Text suggestions include Just Mercy (YA adapted), I Am Scout, and This Book is Anti-Racist. Teacher, Lesley Younge, explains that "adding these books increased my students’ exposure to non-fiction texts and also brought in the external ideas we needed to read TKAM critically."

Difficult Conversations Guide

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 13:23:18 UTC

This PDF is a guide for educators to help them prepare to address difficult topics in their classrooms, such as racism, discrimination, gender bias, etc. The guide encourages self-reflection for teachers and provides strategies for communicating with and teaching students about difficult topics. The guide includes links to teaching resources and classroom activities.

bhealy22 — 2024-05-28 20:49:19 UTC

Each student brings a unique and valuable perspective to the classroom. Teachers have a powerful role in creating a classroom community where students feel valued, represented, and empowered. This teacher toolkit provides resources to develop a culturally responsive and inclusive environment in your language arts classroom to encourage students to share their voices.

Representation matters; students who see themselves reflected in course materials may develop a sense of belonging, confidence, and greater engagement. Teachers can create meaningful and rich learning experiences for all students by incorporating relevant and diverse perspectives. This toolkit aims to cultivate classrooms that empower students to embrace their unique identities and learn from one another.

Book Recommendations for New High Schoolers

bhealy22 — 2024-05-30 02:38:35 UTC

This site provides nine books for teachers to assign or recommend for rising high schools. The variety of books encourages students to choose something that piques or represents their interests. The selections "explore relevant social issues, and highlight the challenges that new high schoolers face in their lives."