On a very personal note and as a Romanian, I find myself missing books with Roma people (pejoratively called Gypsies) characters or topics, as non-inclusion and discrimination of this big minority is sadly an issue very far from being solved in Europe.

The video, Critical Literacies Pedagogy: An Overview (2016), brings up the change in literacy from didactic literary to critical literacy. It states that the progression from social reproduction to personal and social transformation is the key to engagement. When we read to our students they are able to move away from the didactic language and are able to “get inside the book” (Bellingham, 2015). Therefore, reading to our students at any age allows the students to be compassionate and to relate to the characters in a way that may or may not be like themselves. This, in turn, has the possibility to create empathy. Leland et al. (2005) state when conversations about the literature occur various entry points for students are created so that the literature can be brought to the student’s level. This helps a teacher to be able to reach a variety of learners in the class and consequently to increase engagement.  

The Critical Thinking Consortium is a Canadian based organization that has various lesson plans that tackle interpreting text, preparing to act and relating to others. These are all areas that help students develop a skill set to be able to critically look at topics that impact themselves and the world in which they live. A lesson plan in particular titled “Listening and Learning From Elders”, targeted at middle and senior grades, breaks down the skill of relating to others. First, the strategy is modelled, then practiced, then applied and finally assessed. Students acquire the ability to interact with the text and are able to reflect and share their personal experiences. 

We can not assume that students will naturally develop the skills to critically assess literature. How can we focus on developing the skills needed for students to be able to actively participate and engage in various literacies? 

The activity I would suggest is a book club/penpal idea. I think it would be really interesting if you could share books that you have read with other children who perhaps live in a different area then you do.  Imagine sharing a book with children from a place that is completely different, perhaps a school that is situated in the north, or perhaps even a different country. We have the technology and I have heard of many teachers doing similar things with pen pals, but I think it would be an interesting activity to share and discuss books as everyone interprets them differently, especially with an older grade, you could take away a lot of learning around bias, stereotypes, cultural awareness as they would see and hear from children that are different then what they are used to.

Daminco, J. (2005). Evoking heads and hearts: Exploring issues of social justice with poetry. Language Arts, 83, 137–146.

Vasquez, V., Janks, H., & Comber, B. (2019). Critical Literacy as a Way of Being and Doing. Language Arts, 96(5), pp. 300-311.

One idea for a classroom activity involves reading aloud the story called, “Scarlett the Cat to the Rescue: Fire Hero.” The story is based on a real cat named Scarlett who is a stray living on the streets of New York. One night, while sleeping in an abandoned garage, a fire breaks out. Scarlett saves every one of her five kittens from the fire. She is injured and treated at an animal hospital and is ultimately adopted by a loving, young girl named Karen who lives with her parents. Scarlett's kittens are adopted to loving homes as well, although one does pass away from illness. I absolutely love this story which is ideal for students in Kindergarten to grade 8. It’s a picture book that can be enjoyed by children of all ages. For this specific classroom idea, I would use the text for students from grade 4-8. As an educator, you could begin by reading the text aloud to the class. You would add emotion to you voice and pause at important parts of the story to allow students to also take pause and think about what they are hearing. This story deals with the themes of bravery and empathy toward animals. It shows the realities of stray animals and how amazing and loving they can be if given a chance. It shows children that animals also have feelings. Once read, you could ask some key discussion questions. For example, you could ask students the following: Imagine what it would be like to be Scarlett, living alone of the street with your kittens. Imagine a time when you had to be brave like Scarlett. What did that look like? On page 27, “Karen wrote that after losing her own cat and being hurt in a car accident, she’d become a more caring person” (Loewen, 2015). After discussing the above questions/themes found in the story, students could then work toward fundraising for a local animal shelter. As seen in, “Critical book clubs: Reimagining reading and response,” “ In responding to texts through drawings, videos, blog posts, posters, and interactive games, students crafted new personal and critical meanings that extended their book club discussions” (Jocius & Shealy, 2018, p. 8). Kids could create posters and think of a way to collectively fundraise in their school community to raise money to help animals in need. I think this would be a great way to initiate empathy toward other living beings and promote awareness toward a growing social issue in our world. 

Jocius, R., & Shealy, S. (2018). Critical book clubs: Reimagining literature reading and response. The Reading Teacher, 71(6), 691-702

Loewen, N. (2015). Scarlett the Cat to the Rescue: Fire Hero. Minnesota, U.S.A: Picture Window Books. 

Students should begin by reading one chapter independently, developing their own opinions and reflecting on elements such as characterization and setting. The students could then come together into small reading groups of 4 - 6 students to share what they know about the book so far based on the chapter they had read independently. Next, each student could read one paragraph from the chapter in order to practice reading aloud. The teacher or facilitator could then finish reading the chapter aloud so the students can focus on comprehending the prose rather than focusing on pronouncing and understanding each word correctly. Listening to the book as it is read aloud by an adult gives the students time to remember what they read independently and gain a better understanding of the details. Afterwards, the students can discuss what was just read, sharing their own thoughts and feelings as well as their experience with reading independently versus listening to the text. 

Literature circles foster a student’s independent growth as a reader while also allowing for the collaboration of various perspectives. Ultimately, revisiting a text in a shared setting deepens a reader’s understanding of the chapter book and prompts them to understand the world outside of the book in a new way. It would be beneficial to have the students read a chapter book which focuses on social issues so they can share their own observations and learn to understand and respect differences. 

 

When reading to young children, it’s important to ask them questions about what they think was happening in the story. Choosing the right books is the first step, some books could include: White Socks Only by: Evelyn Coleman and Smoky Night by: Eve Bunting. I believe critical literacy helps children to explore differences, eliminate misunderstandings, introduce them to social justice, and about the dominant systems in society. As adults, we may find ourselves trying to differentiate between ‘fake-news’ and being inundated by ads on social media, therefore, it is important to teach young children to be critical and that sometimes authors write for a particular audience. As children practice asking questions and form reading and thinking skills, this can lead to insights about the literature they read, and they may become aware of the social world that surround them. 

Leland, C., Harste, J., & Huber, K. (2005). Out of the box: Critical literacy in a first grade classroom. Language Arts, 82(5), 257-268. 

Tedx, Rebecca Bellingham. (2015). Accessed via https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=ZBuT2wdYtpM&feature=emb_title 

Leland, C., Harste, J., & Huber, K. (2005). Out of the box: Critical literacy in a first grade classroom. Language Arts, 82(5), 257-268. PDF Leland Harste Huber

Dupuis & Kacer (2016) ‘I Am Not a Number’