MRA Primer Journal 2020 by MRA Publications

P i L

E 48

2020

2020 Vi i : A L Ahead Be P ac ice a d P i i e T e d i Li e ac c i

Primer !"#$%&'()'*'+",'-'*'-.-.'

' A Letter From the Editors ........................................................................................................................................... 2 A Message From the MRA President ...................................................................................................................... 3 Primer 2020 Editorial Review Board ........................................................................................................................ 3 MRA Executive Board and Advisory Board .......................................................................................................... 4 An Examination of Biliteracy for English Learner ........................................................................................ 5-10 by Amy Somers-Quealy Choice, with Conditions: Popular Culture Texts and Independent Reading ..................................... 11-23 by Melinda S. Butler Enhancing Student Engagement through the Use of Representative Texts and Grade-Level Literacy Partners ................................................................................................................................................... 24-38 by Kierstin Giunco, Christine Leighton, and Kayla Balthazar Looking at Reader Response Through a Gendered Lens ......................................................................... 39-50 by Jessica L. Edwards The Strands That Are Woven Into Skilled Writing ...................................................................................... 51-54 by Joan Sedita Principal as Instructional Leader: How One School Principal Championed the Cause of Equity in Literacy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55-65 by Brett Bishop, Anthony Hill, and Kerry Purcell Social and Emotional Learning Through Children’s Literature ............................................................. 66-82 by Allyssa Richardson Creating a Culture of Empathy ~ One Book, One Reader, One Heart at a Time ............................ 83-89 by Elly Swartz What Is a Book Walk? .......................................................................................................................................... 90-92 by Kate Narita

!"#$%%$&"'&()"%*$"+,-%(&." Dear MRA Members, When we originally looked to 2020, we anticipated change. There are special feelings that come with the change of a decade; ones of hope and renewal. While 2020 may not have started the way any of us could have possibly imagined, to say it has been the catalyst for change is an understatement. The world of academia and literacy instruction, like the rest of the world, was turned upside down when news of the COVID-19 pandemic became our reality. Schools had to shift their instructional pedagogy overnight as educators and instructional leaders were shoved into the metaphorical pool of technology in which, prior, they had only dipped their toe. The adage “sink or swim” had never been more appropriate. Educators were tasked with finding the delicate balance between maintaining curricular integrity while embracing distance learning and screen time. And, as is so often with educators, wonderful things happened. During a time when people were desperately yearning for connection, educators provided that for their students and their families; showing up virtually at all hours of the day. Collaboration became essential and may, therefore, continue as a best practice going forward. Curriculum was parsed through, leaving only that which was truly value- added. Educators continued to see the value in their work and the important role they play in our society. This inaugural issue of MRA’s solely online Primer comes at a critical juncture in literacy education, and its theme, 2020 Vision: Best Practices in Literacy Instruction could not be more appropriate. We would like to thank all of the contributors, as well as the professionals who spent hours reviewing the submissions. It has been a pleasure working on this edition, and we encourage future submissions for publication on MRA’s website. If we have learned but one thing during these trying times, it has been that technology is a powerful medium that connects us in ways we may have never imagined. We are proud to be a part of this important transition for MRA. Best, Laurie Higgins Stoughton Public Schools

Kathleen Monahan 2

Stoughton Public Schools

!"/$..01$"'&()"%*$"2&$.-,$3% Dear MRA Members and Friends, It is a great pleasure to share with you this year’s edition of The Primer, entitled 2020 Vision: A Look Ahead to Best Practices and Positive Trends in Literacy Instruction. The Editors, Laurie Higgins and Kathleen Monahan, present a collection of articles that both inspire and inform. 2020 has been the most unusual year for schools in modern history. As teachers, it is important that you find ways to nourish your professional selves in order to meet the needs of our students. The articles in this edition of The Primer will provide rich intellectual food to nurture your curiosity and add to your repertoire. We hope you find some time to relax enjoy every word. You are welcome to share with colleagues and friends. Wishing you good health and a school year that provides plenty of joy to sustain you through the challenges. Warm regards,

Valerie Harlow Shinas, Ph.D. President, Massachusetts Reading Association

Call for 2021-2022 Advisory Board Members

Do you have a special interest in the area of Literacy? Do you enjoy working with like-minded professionals on literacy projects? Are you brimming with ideas and enthusiasm to share? If so, consider joining one of MRA’s Committees. All are welcome! Contact us at: massreading@comcast.net.

Primer 2020 Editorial Review Board

The Primer is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Massachusetts Reading Association, an affiliate of the International Literacy Association. The purpose of this publication is to disseminate research, share innovative teaching ideas, and reflect on literacy teaching and learning. Its content does not necessarily reflect or imply endorsement by the Association or its officers or members. Adam Brieske Ulenski Bridgewater State University

Jo Ann Thompson Hopkinton Public Schools

Laura Broach Cambridge Public Schools

Joan Tuttle Retired Educator

Martha Colwell Framingham State University

Nancy Verdolino Hopedale Public Schools

Mary Fischer Educational Consultant

Nancy Witherell Bridgewater State University

Diane Lowe Framingham State University

!!!!!!"#$!%&'()!*+*+,*+*-! Executive Board President: Valerie Harlow Shinas

Vice President-elect 2022: Patricia Crain de Galarce

President-elect: Lisa Maucione

Co-Treasurer: Lisa Rice

Vice President: Leandra Elion

Local Council Liaison: Jennifer Lindsey

Vice President-elect: Pattie Kelley

Local Council Liaison: Mary Wall

Executive Secretary/Webmaster: Joan Tuttle*

Immediate Past President: Holly Banusiewicz*

!Co-Treasurer: Marlene Correia*

Event Coordinator: Nancy Meagher*

Advisory Board

!Adolescent Literacy: Kate Contini, Leah Towler !Celebrate Literacy: Kim Kelley Bylaws: Barbara Steckel*

EDCO Liaison: Dana Mullaley

Language Learners: Pam Shufro, Linda Lindsey !English Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity: Chu Ly, Deana Lew and Early Childhood Literacy: Valerie !Families Hytholt, Nancy Verdolino* Exemplary Reading: Pattie Kelley

Government Relations: Lori DiGisi*, Jo Ann Thompson* Historian: Elaine Bukowiecki*

!Literacy Coaches: Laurie Heaney

International Projects: Christina Tai

Minigrants: Sharon Ryan Nominating: Mary Fischer* Parliamentarian: Sherry Sausville* PD Attendance Certificates: Ruth Berg Primer Editors: Laurie Higgins, Kathleen Monahan Publicity: Mary O’Brien RTI/MTSS: Kelly True, Gia Sunderland Sister Madelon Honor Award: Marlene Correia* Student Membership: Adam Brieske Ulenski Studies and Research: Patricia Crain de Galarce Sylvia D. Brown Research Scholarship: Terrie Marr*

Local and Special Interest Councils

Michelle Gajda ! Berkshire: Cape Cod: Erin Meagher Greater Boston: Chu Ly

Association for College and ! Massachusetts University Reading Educators (MACURE): Cami Condie

MA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: Katherine Tarca

Merrimack Valley: Karen Herbaugh Nobscot: Abby Hendler Pioneer Valley: Sherry Sausville* SERRC: Janice Standring South Shore: Laurie Heaney *MRA Past President

!"#$%&'("&)(*"#*+#,(-()./&01#+*/#$"2-(34# 5.&/"./3! by Amy Somers-Quealy Dr. Amy Somers-Quealy has worked on behalf of multilingual and multicultural students for more than a decade. She began her career teaching Spanish and French to middle schoolers and quickly recognized a growing need to serve bilingual students. She received her Master’s Degree in English as a Second Language in 2011 from Cambridge College and went on to teach English learners for eight years. During this time, she decided to pursue a doctoral degree in educational leadership. In 2017, Dr. Quealy published a qualitative multicase study exploring English as a Second Language practices in suburban public schools. She received her Doctorate of Educational Leadership with a focus in Teaching, Curriculum and Leadership in 2017 from Northeastern University. Dr. Quealy’s areas of interest and advocacy include cultural competence in educational leadership and the impact of educational theory on sheltered English instructional practices. Throughout her educational journey, she has held the positions of teacher, assistant principal, principal, and director of English Language Education. She resides in Southeastern Massachusetts with her husband Rob and her two children, Grace and Jackson. Dr. Quealy is committed to equity in education for multilingual students and continues to work on their behalf.

Introduction

often in more than one writing system (Cummins,

or the past decade, English Learners (ELs)

2000; Kenner, Kress, Al-Khaib, Kam, & Tsai,

have been, and continue to be the fastest

2004; Dworin, Moll, & Saez, 2001; Bialystook, Luk,

growing student population in American schools.

& Kwan, 2005; Hornberger, 2004; Bialystok,

As of 2018, the U.S. Department of Education

McBride-Chang, & Luk, 2005; Li, 2006; Ernst-

estimates that there are 4.8 million ELs attending

Slavit &

schools across all fifty states (U.S. Department of

Cummins (2000) asserted, “biliteracy must become

Education Statistics, National Center of Education

an essential component of educational reform

Statistics, 2018). Therefore, it is vital for educators,

efforts” (p. 1).

Mulhern,

2003;

Sneddon,

2008).

educational leaders, and policy makers to

In order to examine biliteracy practices and

understand best practices for educating ELs in

outcomes, the literature was reviewed to find

culturally relevant school communities.

Since

commonalities and key themes. This article

literacy is considered the gateway to learning and

presents key themes as they arose so that educators

accessing academic information in American

and educational leaders will consider their impact

schools, examining literacy for ELs will assist in

on current literacy instruction for ELs.

empowering ELs in reaching high levels of

themes presented include understanding biliteracy,

achievement. According to scholars, the avenue

the intersection of the native language (L1) and the

for literacy development for bilingual speakers is

target language (L2) in literacy development, the

best achieved through biliteracy; that is, the ability

role of parents and family in promoting biliteracy,

to acquire literacy in more than one language and

the use of bilingual books to promote literacy in

The

EL classrooms and at home, and the development

English. Nevertheless, with students who are

of critical literacy skills for bilingual students.

learning to decode an alphabetic language, explicit phonemic instruction should be considered so that

Understanding Biliteracy, the Intersection of the Native Language and Target Language in Literacy Development It has long been accepted that proficiency in one’s native language directly corresponds with one’s ability to develop literacy in a second language. Scholars assert that promoting biliteracy is a “feasible” educational outcome and that educators must offer support in this critical area of learning (Cummins, 2000; Kenner et al., 2004). In order for educators to offer support, they must understand how to do so. Dworin, Moll, and Saez (2001) wrote, “if acquiring literacy in two languages affects the outcome of literacy instruction, then it would be important to know that” (p. 43). Since phonics is an integral aspect of acquiring literacy, the first step for educators is to be familiar with a student’s native language writing system. For example, Portuguese is an alphabetic system like English where graphemes represent phonetic segments, whereas Chinese is a character language where morphemes are the basic linguistic units that correlate with both semantic and phonological properties (Bialystok et al., 2005).

Since

developing literacy in different systems requires different skills, it is imperative for educators to know about native language characteristics. Research concludes that it is easier to transfer skills from one alphabetic system to another such as with native Portuguese speakers who are acquiring 6

they are able to transfer knowledge between the two languages that are being acquired. Even when writing systems are different as in the case with Chinese and English, research revealed that phonological

awareness

reflects

general

processing ability (Bialystok, Luk & Kwan, 2003). Dworin, Moll, and Saez (2001) contended that becoming literate in more than one language is “something special”; therefore, students must internalize that their acquisition of two languages and the ability to read in two languages is something special and not a deficit in their learning (p. 2). Since most American educational models develop English as the primary goal, students may feel that developing their native languages is not important or essential to their being successful in school or as a reader (Dworin, Moll, & Saez, 2001). Dworin, Moll, and Saez (2001) cited a study which concluded that in order to make marked gains in developing literacy in the target language, opportunities must be given to simultaneously develop literacy in the native language. Additional scholarship conveys that “language mixing” enables educators to communicate content to ELs, which would otherwise be lost (Hornberger, 2004, p. 163). These assertions have implications for instruction in American classrooms since many programs only focus instruction in English. Educators must interrogate how to foster literacy in the native language, whether it is through

bilingual and dual language programs, involving

must be maintained and developed help students

parents in the education of their children, or

to become biliterate. Further, studies reveal that

creating opportunities for native language support

students who have the dedicated support of their

in the classroom.

families and community language schools have a

Not only does access and development of the

real opportunity for becoming biliterate (Kenner et

native language contribute to overall literacy

al., 2004). Since it is unrealistic to expect that a

growth, the attitudes that schools, peers and even

classroom teacher or content teacher be solely

parents have toward the native or “heritage”

responsible for fostering biliteracy in a child, it is

language also contribute to literacy development

imperative to seek help from all stakeholders,

(Li, 2006). Li (2006) cited one Canadian school

including parents, families, and the community.

that was predominantly attended by Chinese

Teachers do not always know where to begin in

speakers where ESL: English as a Second

seeking the help of home and may not realize how

Language was delivered in pull-out sessions by

important multiliteracy is, especially in developing

monolingual teachers who discouraged the

literacy in English (Li, 2006). In a multi-case study

speaking of Chinese. This was an attitude that

of primary students in Canada where Chinese was

permeated the school, which lead to ELs referring

the native language of all students, Li (2006) found

to the school as the “English School.”

Since

that students who maintained the native language

educators displayed a negative view of the heritage

at home and whose parents felt that they played a

language out of fear that English would not be

crucial role in educating their children in their

acquired, EL students viewed literacy in Chinese as

heritage language had better outcomes with

something that was not valuable despite the

biliteracy and in acquiring English. The student

research that demonstrates that literacy in Chinese

who was able to become biliterate in both English

would lead to better outcomes for literacy

and Chinese spoke Chinese at home at all times and

development in English. At times, monolingual

was taught how to read and write in Chinese by her

classroom teachers view fostering biliteracy in two

parents. Conversely, another child in the study

languages as a daunting task; however, research

who attended weekly Chinese school, but did not

contends that involving parents in native language

always speak Chinese in the home, was not able to

development may be the key to fostering biliteracy

become biliterate. In Li’s (2006) study, the parents

(Li, 2006).

of the child who became biliterate believed that her being competent in Chinese would lead to her

The Role of Parents and Family in Promoting Biliteracy Li (2001) asserted that parents and families

being competent in English. Moreover, they felt that it was important for her to learn English and to become biliterate. Not only is it important for

who present the attitude that the heritage language 7

educators to seek out help from parents, Li’s (2006)

research (2008) suggests that it is vital for teachers

study implies that it is also imperative for educators

to understand the impact of a dual language

to teach parents and families about biliteracy and

approach to biliteracy and for them to have access

language acquisition so that they realize that a

to native language materials.

strong foundation in the native language and

Additional texts

scholarship asserts that dual

heritage language literacy directly impacts the

language

promote

biliteracy,

increase

success of literacy in a second language.

enthusiasm among Els, and show the value that schools place on other languages in learning

The Use of Bilingual Books to Promote Biliteracy in EL Classrooms and at Home One way that educators and parents can assist their children in becoming biliterate is through the use of bilingual or dual language texts. Sneddon (2008) asserted that a teacher’s role in providing parents with information and dual language books is critical to helping children become “additive bilinguals” and increasing their biliteracy. Sneddon (2008) cited a study where newcomers (students newly learning English) who were literate in their native languages used bilingual texts to support understanding

and

vocabulary

development.

Further, using dual language books in class reflects an appreciation for students’ native cultures. Sneddon (2008) found that Gujarti-and Urduspeaking parents were very appreciative of teachers’ efforts to send home bilingual English materials because they had difficulty finding materials in their native languages. In addition, Sneddon’s (2008) study of two Albanian families who were sent home bilingual texts in Albanian and English concluded that it played an important role in developing their children’s biliteracy and in exploring their personal identities. 8

Sneddon’s

(Ernst-Slavit & Mulhern, 2003). Ernst-Slavit and Mulhern (2003) recommend that when selecting bilingual books, educators should consider the book design, the layout and the quality of the text. They recommended the use of bilingual books in fostering

second

language

and

literacy

development. Some ways in which to use bilingual texts in literacy development, include introducing a topic, supporting transfer of reading in L1 to L2, supporting independent reading, using L1 as a preview, using L1 as a review, reading two versions for self-assessment, comparing and contrasting cognates, improving home-school connections, supporting family literacy programs, raising all children’s awareness of multiculturalism, helping teachers learn another language, and encouraging reading for pleasure (Ernst-Slavit & Mulhern, 2003).

The Development of Critical Literacy Skills for Bilingual Students Cummins (2000) contended that in order to prepare students to be successful in a 21st-century workplace, educators need to promote higher levels of literacy. Although educators may not

know that biliteracy and proficiency in both

for ELs such as vocabulary instruction and

languages leads to students being critical thinkers,

building background that could be examined in a

Cummins (2000) contended that the only way to

more in-depth context. However, the literature

arrive at higher literacy for ELs is through

reviewed in this article focused on the impact of

biliteracy. He wrote, “ The goal is to demonstrate

biliteracy on literacy outcomes. Research clearly

that biliteracy is a feasible educational outcome for

states that literacy in students’ native or heritage

all students and what requires explanation is the

languages transfers to developing literacy in a

public discourse that vehemently denies it”

second language, particularly if the writing systems

(Cummins, 2000, p. 1).

Cummins (2000)

are alphabetic, which makes a strong case for

contended that students must actively use the

explicit phonemic instruction for bilingual speakers

target language to engage in critical academic

(Cummins, 1983; Bialystok, Luk, & Kwan, 2005;

discourse about content and texts. He cited Ada

Bialystok, McBride, & Luk, 2005; Kenner et al.,

(1988) in Paulo Freire’s works when discussing the

2004; Hornberger, 2004; Li, 2006).

importance on interaction that allows for students’

students do better with acquiring biliteracy when

voices to be heard (Cummins, 2000). He argued

schools and educators place value and hold

that students who are actively able to voice critical

positive

reasoning and analysis are not constricted by the

languages. Although research tells educators to

single voice of the teacher or the curriculum, which

promote proficiency in students’ native languages,

is necessary for culturally diverse children when

monolingual educators often find it difficult; yet

engaging in critical literacy.

Cummins’s (2000)

research suggests that educators can recruit parents

assertion makes the case that all literacy instruction

and families to assist with teaching students to read

for ELs and multicultural students should provide

in their heritage language (Dworin, Moll, & Saez,

ample opportunities for students to engage in

2001). Students who continue to speak and read in

academic discourse and dialogue that will promote

the L1 in the home have better outcomes when

critical thinking in the target language and the

acquiring literacy in a second language. One way

heritage language. These dialogues should allow

that educators can assist in promoting biliteracy is

for higher level thinking such as inferencing,

using dual language texts in the classroom and

comparing and contrasting, and relating problems

providing dual language texts to parents to read in

and solutions to personal experience and prior

the home (Sneddon, 2008).

knowledge (Cummins, 2000).

promoting biliteracy is an essential aspect of

attitudes

toward

students’

Further,

native

Lastly, while

literacy success for ELs, scholars indicate that

Conclusion There are several areas of literacy instruction

literacy instruction for culturally diverse students academic and conversational discourse must 9

encompass

critical

thinking

skills

through

opportunities (Cummins, 2000).

References Bialystok, E., Luk, G., & Kwan, E. (2005). Bilingualism, biliteracy, and learning to read: Interactions among languages and writing systems. Scientific Studies of Reading,9(1), 43-61. Bialystok, E., McBride-Chang, C., & Luk, G. (2005). Bilingualism, language proficiency, and learning to read in two writing systems. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(4), 580. Cummins, J. (1983). Language proficiency, biliteracy and French immersion. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue Canadienne de L'éducation, 117-138. Cummins, J. (2000). Biliteracy, empowerment, and transformative pedagogy. The Power of Two Languages, 9-19. Dworin, J., Moll, L. C., & Saez, R. (2001). Exploring biliteracy: Two student case examples of writing as a social pactice. The Elementary School Journal, 101(4), 435- 449. Ernst-Slavit, G., & Mulhern, M. (2003). Bilingual books: Promoting literacy and biliteracy in the second-language and mainstream classroom. Reading Online, 7(2), 1096-1232.

! ! ! ! 10

Hornberger, N. H. (2004). The continua of biliteracy and the bilingual educator: Educational linguistics in practice.International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 7(2-3), 155-171. Kenner, C., Kress, G., Al-Khatib, H., Kam, R., & Tsai, K. C. (2004). Finding the keys to biliteracy: How young children interpret different writing systems. Language and Education, 18(2), 124-144. Li, G. (2006). Biliteracy and trilingual practices in the home context: Case studies of Chinese Canadian children. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 6(3), 355-381. Sneddon, R. (2008). Magda and Albana: Learning to read with dual language books. Language and Education, 22(2), 137-154. U.S. Department of Education Statistics, National Center of Education Statistics. (2018). The Condition of Education 2017 (2017-144): English Language Learners in Public Schools. Available from nces.ed.gov /programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp

64*(0.7#8()4#6*"9()(*"3:#;*<=-&/#6=-)=/.# >.%)3#&"9#?"9.<."9.")#@.&9("2## by Melinda S. Butler

Melinda S. Butler, EdD, is an assistant professor of literacy in the Department of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Southern Maine and the Director of the USM Summer Reading and Writing Workshop. Her research interests include popular culture texts, student access to texts, and independent reading.

n an elementary classroom, students sit in

plethora of texts in his classroom library from

comfortable chairs or recline on pillows on the

which to choose. Importantly, Mr. Noyes’s

floor. The room is silent, except for an occasional

classroom library contains popular culture texts:

chuckle from a student reader, the hushed voices

texts based on television, movies, sports, and

of a teacher and student engaged in a reading

videogames.

conference, and the rustle of a page turn. Over by

Is there anything wrong with this vignette? It

the fish tank, Deepak is reading Rodrick Rules: Diary

depends upon whom you ask. Although many

of a Wimpy Kid (Kinney, 2008). In the beanbag chair,

elementary students are provided choice in

Ayesha is devouring Guts (Telgemeier, 2019), the

selecting texts for independent reading, the

latest graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier. Ayesha is

“choice” is often conditional (Butler, 2018). For

a passionate Raina Telgemeier fan and cherishes

instance, in some classrooms, students choose

her dog-eared copies of Smile, Drama, and Sisters

texts from leveled book bins. That is, teachers

(Telgemeier, 2010, 2012, 2014). Over there, under

assess students at the beginning of the school year,

the teacher’s desk, Avery is poring over a

determine students’ reading levels, and require

Spiderman comic book. Every student is immersed

students to select independent reading texts at or

in a book. Indeed, they are in the reading zone

around their reading level. Although this is a

(Atwell & Merkel, 2016). Deepak, Ayesha, and

prevalent practice, Fountas and Pinnell (2018)

Avery are reading texts they selected based on their

advised teachers to use reading levels primarily for

interests. Regardless of text level. Regardless of

guided reading instruction. Simply put, Fountas

genre. Mr. Noyes, their teacher, has created a safe

and Pinnell (2018) advised teachers not to restrict

environment for free voluntary reading (Krashen,

students from selecting texts for independent

2011): free choice, an abundance of time, and a

reading based on a predetermined reading level 11

(Parrott, 2017). As Fountas and Pinnell (2018)

choice practices of teachers, especially during daily

noted, “All children deserve access to an authentic,

independent reading. Many teachers placed

rich, and diverse text base, including a robust

limitations on what students could read. For

classroom library, where levels have no place”

example, a fourth-grade teacher insisted that

(para. 6). In other classrooms, teachers may prefer

students only read chapter books in her classroom

that students select their independent reading from

library, although the classroom library contained

a collection of chapter books, thus preventing

many picture books. In another classroom, a fifth-

students from reading picture books or graphic

grade teacher complained about the graphic novels

novels (Butler, 2018; Miller, 1998). Miller (1998)

in the library and requested permission to lock

stated, “The picture books and short, illustrated

them up. In a like manner, a fourth-grade teacher

books so prevalent in primary grades classrooms

explained that she permitted popular culture texts

have generally not been found in intermediate

in the fall semester, but prohibited students from

grades and middle school classrooms” (p. 376).

reading popular culture texts during the spring

And importantly, in many of these classrooms,

semester. Granted, many teachers provide daily

popular culture texts may be excluded from

time and choice for independent reading.

classroom libraries when teachers do not value

However, the choice is often based on teacher

such texts (Butler, 2018).

preferences.

What are popular culture texts? Alvermann and Hong Xu (2003) posited, “Trying to define

Purpose of This Article

popular culture is like nailing gelatin to a wall” (p.

The purpose of my study was to explore

146). Some researchers have defined popular

teachers’ perceptions and censorship concerning

culture as what is currently popular: music, dance,

student choice of popular culture texts during

television, movies, comic books, graphic novels,

independent reading. Exploring ways that teachers

and the Internet (Maderazo & Martens, 2008;

unintentionally prevent students from reading the

Storey, 2001). In Mr. Noyes’ classroom, popular

texts they want to read may impede their path to

culture texts are the texts that students crave: the

becoming a lifelong reader. In this article, I share

Dog Man series, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Star

the findings and implications from a qualitative

Wars texts, Disney stories based on movies,

study of two grade three teachers’ perceptions of

superhero texts, and World Wrestling

popular culture texts.

Entertainment (WWE) wrestling biographies. While serving teachers and students on a Title I, suburban elementary campus as an instructional reading coach, I became curious about the text 12

Student Choice Much has been written on the necessity and importance of student choice in literacy (Allington,

1994, 2013; Allington & Gabriel, 2012; Worthy et

choices students made as they chose 15 books

al., 1999). Importantly, Gutiérrez (2011) noted,

from a book fair. Employing a purposeful sample

“The bottom line is, if we don’t let kids read what

of 15 students from ten schools, Williams (2008)

they want, they will do other things they want to do-

interviewed the students, instructing some students

and reading will get left behind” (p. 228).

to hold a microphone and record what they were

Employing grounded theory to ascertain how

thinking as they chose their books. Williams (2008)

children make book choices during independent

found that Black students chose popular culture

reading, and the manner in which teachers teach

books, books about animals, and series books.

students to choose books, Ryan (2013) determined

Black males tended to choose the Captain

that teachers used three types of teaching when

Underpants series, drawing books, sports books,

instructing students about book choice: a) concrete

and nature books; Black females preferred popular

(e.g., explicit teaching about choosing books; b)

singer biographies (e.g., Lil Romeo and Destiny’s

discreet (e.g., gradual release; and c) retreat

Child).

teaching (e.g., scaffolds are removed, and students make their own choices). Additionally, Ryan (2013)

Popular Culture Texts and Censorship

speculated that students need to have vast choices

A plethora of research exists to support the

of books and should possess at least two locations

idea that popular culture texts have a place in

from which to choose (e.g., classroom library and

school and classroom libraries (Block, 2013,

school library). Importantly, when students are

Worthy, 1996; Worthy et al., 1999). Block (2013)

permitted the freedom to select texts for

surveyed elementary and middle school teachers to

independent reading, they become more engaged,

determine perceptions of the use of graphic novels

critical readers (Ryan, 2013). In a 1999 study,

in the classroom. Interestingly, while the majority

Worthy et al. suggested that students from low

of the teachers surveyed reported that they

socioeconomic status (SES) environments, who

included graphic novels in their classroom libraries

could not afford to buy books, borrowed books

and permitted students to read graphic novels

from their friends or checked them out from public

during

libraries. Disturbingly, books that low-SES

revealed that they did not integrate graphic novels

students wanted to read were usually not available

into curricula. Similarly, Kittle (2013) argued that

(Worthy et al., 1999). In 2008, Williams conducted

school and classroom libraries should contain texts

grounded theory research on book choices of

that students want to read: graphic novels, comic

Black

low-SES

books, magazines, eBooks, and newspapers. Many

environments. As a part of a longitudinal summer

students read these texts outside of school, and

book study, Williams (2008) researched book

researchers suggest that popular culture texts

elementary

students

from

should

independent

widely

reading,

available

most

inside

teachers

schools 13

(Allington, 2013; Wilhelm & Smith, 2014).

brain to be less than he or she could be. Early in

Researchers and teachers who intentionally and

the last century, Hunt (1929) warned parents that

thoughtfully

popular culture texts would stifle children’s

plan

for

instruction,

consider

students’ background knowledge of popular

imaginations. In fact, Hunt (1929) admonished:

culture, including popular culture texts, observe

. . . we find in many prosperous American

that students’ literacy skills are strengthened

nurseries little ones who are never read to or

(Alvermann & Hong Xu, 2003; Dyson, 2001,

whose only reading is the inane bedtime story

2003). For example, Morrell (2002) developed

lessons incorporating popular culture (e.g., hip-hop

supplement is the picture book of these

music, movies) for a high school class. Students

children, and, as they grow older, they are

compared and contrasted popular culture texts to

presented with sets of the cheap series stuff .

classical texts and engaged in critical discussions.

. . (p. 65).

Based on his experiences, Morrell (2002) explained

More recent popular culture censorship

that there is a need for students to critically analyze

examples abound. From 2001-2003, Harry Potter

and evaluate popular culture texts in order to

texts were on the American Library Association’s

understand society, traditional literature, and

(ALA) Top Ten Banned Books list (ALA, 2016).

themselves more deeply. Similarly, Hunt and Hunt

Additionally, Dav Pilkey’s (1997-2014) Captain

(2004) suggested that by connecting popular

Underpants series climbed to the top of the 2012

culture to required classical texts, students will be

and 2013’s ALA’s list of banned books; Pilkey’s

more engaged, and will see the connections to and

books have been challenged for “offensive

the importance of reading the classics. Employing

language, unsuitable for age group, violence”

a South Park episode to help students understand

(ALA, 2016). In fact, the author of Captain

satire in a classic text, the researchers asserted that

Underpants stated, “There are some adults out

student engagement increased by incorporating

there who are not amused by the things that make

student interest and popular culture texts into the

most children laugh, and so they try to stomp these

classroom curriculum.

things out” (Pilkey, 2014, para. 2).

the

daily

newspaper.

The

comic

Popular culture texts have been under the censorship microscope for many years. In her history of youth librarians, Jenkins (1995) pointed

Selection vs. Censorship and Silent Censorship

out the inconsistencies in early youth librarians’

Selection of texts for public, school, or

perceptions of what was considered well-written

classroom libraries should be based on teachers’

and what was considered garbage: poorly written,

and librarians’ knowledge of books, subject matter,

written for the masses, and liable to shape a child’s

and potential for teaching (NCTE, 2018). Text selection emanates from an optimistic stance, and

censorship springs from a pessimistic stance

Texas city and served students from pre-

(Asheim, 1953; Kidd, 2009). Indeed, Asheim

kindergarten to the fifth grade. At the time of the

(1953) alleged that a text selector typically views the

study,

texts as a whole, and a text censor parses the text

economically disadvantaged, 59 percent of the

sections.

students were Hispanic, 22 percent of the students

Importantly, Asheim (1953) declared, “Selection,

were Black, and 12 percent of the students were

then, begins with a presumption in favor of liberty

White. The method of sampling design most

of thought; censorship, with a presumption in

conducive to the research was purposive sampling,

favor of thought control” (p. 67). Disturbingly,

wherein participants’ qualifications are determined,

some texts are never made available to students

and the researcher asks individuals with preferred

because teachers decide not to use controversial or

qualifications to participate in the study (Johnson

other questionable texts in the classroom. Person

& Christensen, 2014). Specifically, typical case

(1998) referred to this form of censorship as “silent

sampling was employed (Patton, 2002); I created a

censorship” (p. 119) and affirmed,

questionnaire to search for participants who taught

find

objectionable

words

percent

the

students

were

It is easier to deal with censorship that is out

third, fourth, or fifth grade in high-poverty schools

loud and in the open; it is often more difficult

and implemented daily independent reading in

to deal with censorship from those charged

their classrooms. Two grade three teachers,

with protecting young readers from its

Deborah and Joanna (pseudonyms), agreed to

influence and effects and who deny its

participate in the study. Deborah and Joanna were

existence (p. 121).

White teachers in their thirties with over ten years of experience teaching reading to elementary

Method

students. Both teachers had recently obtained a

Curious about teacher preferences for and

graduate

degree, and

Deborah Joanna

in in

Instructional

censorship of particular texts, I was determined to

Technology

Administration.

study teachers’ perceptions of popular culture

Because the administration at Robert B. Dow, Sr.

texts. The research questions guiding this study

Elementary did not provide classroom libraries for

were: 1) How do teachers perceive the use of

teachers, Deborah and Joanna provided their own

popular culture texts during independent reading?;

classroom libraries, purchasing books to add to

and 2) How do teachers make decisions about

their personal classroom library collections.

student choices of popular culture texts during

The study was a qualitative, multiple-case

independent reading? The study was conducted at

study. The data collection plan consisted of pre-

Robert

School

and post- semi-structured teacher interviews,

(pseudonym), which was located near a major

teacher observation protocols, pictures of the

Dow,

Sr.

Elementary

classroom libraries, and reflexive journaling. In

actions present in captured words and phrases. As

addition, I followed Leech and Onwuegbuzie’s

I inferred themes, I created reflexive, analytic

(2010) 13-step methodological framework for

memos, and I constructed a codebook of pertinent

qualitative research. To establish triangulation, I

themes. Subsequently, during the second cycle of

employed three separate methods of analysis: a)

thematic analysis, I continued to narrow themes

thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; b)

and categories (See Tables 1 and 2).

Keywords-in-context (Bernard & Ryan, 2010); and

After

completing

thematic

analysis,

c) visual analysis techniques used in visual

employed Keywords-in-context (Bernard & Ryan,

ethnography (Pink, 2007). During the first cycle of

2010) and created a simple concordance, which

coding, I employed In Vivo and process coding

involves counting every word and the frequency of

(Saldaña, 2012), extracting important words and

every word in a document. Upon completion, I

phrases

and

examined the simple concordance for salient

scrutinizing those words and phrases, searching for

words, and scrutinized the sentences and

themes. Once the In Vivo process was complete, I

fragments that contained the important words.

employed process coding, inferring the gerunds or

(See Tables 3 and 4). Concurrently, I continued to

directly

from

the

transcripts

Table 1 Code Map for Deborah In Vivo

Process

Lower kids My high kids Encouraged to read Comic book type things Do reader response Building up skills Lower level kids Flipping pages

Reading Providing choices Discussing Allowing or limiting Liking, loving, enjoying Teaching, Planning Assessing, assigning Preparing Striving, endeavoring

Table 2 Code Map for Joanna

In Vivo

Process

Looks different for certain kids Give them the option They play a lot They go more for graphic novels At least this way they’re reading something To encourage them Boys getting graphic novels

Explaining Providing Choices Differentiating Observing Reflecting

write analytic memos.

Deborah’s Classroom

Additionally, I employed visual analysis

I visited Deborah’s class eight times over a

methods from visual ethnography (Pink, 2007) to

nine-week period (Deborah was ill during one of

analyze the photographs taken during every

my visits). I wrote field notes using a Teacher

classroom visit. In so doing, I examined the

Observation Protocol. Visits were scheduled to

pictures, reflecting upon the context (e.g., the

coincide with the daily independent reading time in

classroom during independent and guided reading)

the classroom. Of the eight visits to Deborah’s

in which the pictures were taken. In other words,

classroom, she facilitated independent reading five

as I studied the photographs, I connected them to

times. During the other classroom visits, Deborah

pertinent quotes from the interviews and

administered standardized test-taking practice,

important notes from the teacher observation

read books out loud, and assigned a writing project

protocols. Lastly, I employed member checking by

for an impending campus Open House. On the last

asking Deborah and Joanna to read their

visit,

transcripts and inferred themes to ascertain if their

individually, first communicating their reading

responses were transcribed correctly.

level to them, and then directing students to select

Deborah

conferred

with

students

Table 3. Words Selected From the Concordance for Deborah First Interview

Post Interview

Quotes – Teacher Protocol

Words

Quantity

Words

Quantity

Words

Quantity

Reading

Kids

Book

Library

Table 4 Words Selected From the Concordance for Joanna First Interview

Post Interview

Quotes – Teacher Protocol

Word

Quantity

Word

Quantity

Word

Quantity

Read

Reading

Book

Books

Group

Stop

8 17

a chapter book from her classroom library based

photographs demonstrated the inclusion of

on that reading level.

popular culture texts. For instance, in her “Redbox

While

visiting

Deborah’s

classroom,

Books” section, several book bins were filled with

photographed her classroom library, which

graphic novels, books based on videogames, and

consisted of two sets of bookshelves; one

books based on popular television and movies.

bookshelf containing fiction was located along one classroom wall, and Deborah’s other bookshelf

Overview and Findings

containing nonfiction texts was located on the

The benefits of integrating popular culture

opposite wall. The book titles in the photographs

texts into the classroom are numerous, yet many

of the texts did not change drastically from week

teachers may not see the advantages of integration.

to week, and the book displays on the top of the

In studies, researchers have interviewed teachers

bookcases were not replaced during the nine weeks

about the use of popular culture texts in the

of visits.

classroom, and many teachers asserted that they did not see the value of integrating popular culture

Joanna’s Classroom I visited Joanna’s classroom for 20 minutes per week for a total of eight times in a nine-week time frame. During those eight visits, Joanna met with small groups for guided reading and administered individual reading assessments. While meeting with small groups of students, Joanna sat at a large kidney-shaped reading table in the front of her classroom where she could observe the remainder of the students working in centers (e.g., independent reading, computer assisted reading instruction, and vocabulary and grammar stations). While meeting in small groups, Joanna constantly scanned the classroom, frequently redirecting offtask student behavior. During each teacher observation visit to Joanna’s room, I took photographs of her classroom library. Although the library did not change demonstrably from week to week, the 18

texts, they did not possess a knowledge of popular culture materials, or they were concerned what their colleagues would think (Gerber & Price, 2013; Lambirth, 2003; Marsh, 2006). Additionally, when employing

balanced

literacy

framework,

independent reading is a vital component of that framework (Allington, 2000; Kittle, 2013; Miller, 2009). As I analyzed the interview transcripts, teacher observation protocols, classroom library photographs, and analytic memos, the theme of choice with conditions was prominent.

Deborah’s Conditional Choice During the pre-interview, I asked Deborah about choice of texts, and she indicated that students were allowed to choose books from her library, provided that they selected books at their independent reading level. When queried about the texts students were interested in checking out from the school library, Deborah elicited, “A lot of the

boys like to get the comic book type things, and

the text before checking out a new text. Joanna

you know some of the kids, girls love the Junie B.

added that students read independently in centers

Jones books …” Deborah emphasized her

while she implemented guided reading. That is,

frustration in that many of the male students were

while Joanna worked with small reading groups,

reading comic books, and stated, “… that does not

other students were scheduled at an independent

keep their attention for long, but it’s also not

reading center, computers, grammar centers, and

geared

Further,

book clubs. When asked about the books that

Deborah specified that because she did not

students were selecting for independent reading,

consider comic books appropriate independent

Joanna replied that the male students liked to read

reading material, the students were required to

Diary of a Wimpy Kid graphic novels, Minecraft, and

select chapter books. The students’ second book

nonfiction picture books depicting popular sports

choice might be a comic book, but the chapter

figures. In addition, Joanna mentioned that earlier

book took priority during independent reading

in the school year, she found the male students in

time. At the conclusion of my visits to Deborah’s

her classroom very difficult to motivate to read,

classroom, I interviewed her a second time. When

explaining that they often played and were off-task.

asked if she still allowed students to check out one

Consequently, Joanna added additional texts based

chapter book and one comic book, Deborah

on videogames, graphic novels, and sports books

indicated that checking out comic books from her

to her classroom library. As a result, Joanna

classroom library was a problem, because her

reported that the male students were more

library did not contain enough comic books and

motivated to read. However, because of many

graphic novels to support students’ choice and

students’ off-task reading behaviors during

interest.

independent reading at the beginning of the school

towards

comprehension.”

year, Joanna explained that she had eliminated

Joanna’s Conditional Choice

whole-class independent reading time and replaced

During Joanna’s pre-interview, she explained

it with an independent reading center during

that students were permitted to check out books

guided reading time. Therefore, only three to four

from her classroom library or school library to read

students read in the independent reading center

for independent reading, but stressed that she

each day. During independent center reading time,

wanted students to read books that were on their

Joanna indicated that students read self-selected

reading level, so students did not struggle with

texts and wrote reading responses. Once students

difficult text or select texts that were too easy to

completed a reading response, they were permitted

read. Additionally, students were required to

to check out one new book from the classroom

provide Joanna with a written reading response for

library. Interestingly, Joanna mentioned that 19

although students were permitted to self-select any

the popular culture texts in her own classroom

text at their reading level, her goal was to entice

library, and severely limiting the time that students

students to select alternate genres by delivering

were permitted to read popular culture texts during

brief book talks (e.g., book commercials) and by

independent reading. Contrastingly, although

displaying alternate genres prominently in the

Joanna permitted free choice of any popular

classroom. When describing the type of texts

culture text in her classroom library and her

Joanna provided in her classroom library, she

popular culture text inventory was extensive, time

mentioned series books such as The Magic Tree

to read was severely limited, as only three to four

House, Junie B. Jones, and Geronimo Stilton, which she

students per day were permitted to read in an

placed in red book bins with a sign lettered

independent reading center. Additionally, reading

“Redbox Books” (See Figure 1).

of popular culture texts was limited because Joanna required students to craft a reading response after

Figure 1: Joanna’s Classroom Library

reading each text, and students were not permitted to check out a new text until the reading response was completed. Ultimately, student choice of popular culture texts during independent reading depended on the perceptions of the teacher. Both participants provided choice with conditions. In the case of Deborah, popular culture texts were employed as a reward for application of reading strategies while reading chapter books. For Joanna,

Choice . . . With Conditions Although

both

Deborah

and

Joanna

promoted choice during independent reading, the choice was limited by conditions and rules. For example, in Deborah’s classroom, students were permitted to read popular culture texts only at the

popular culture texts were perceived as a necessary evil, to provide engaging materials for male students during independent reading. As Joanna stated in her interview, “At least they’re reading something.”

end of the independent reading period. During her interviews, Deborah explained that comic books

Implications for Educators

did not “aid comprehension.” Deborah explained

Although few researchers have investigated

that students did not read comic books; they

educator perceptions of popular culture (Block,

looked at the pictures and they flipped pages

2013; Gerber & Price, 2013; Lambirth, 2003;

without reading the words. Therefore, Deborah

Marsh, 2006), the benefits of integrating popular

may have engaged in silent censorship by limiting

culture into the classroom include student

engagement, critical literacy, and bridging students’

Conclusion

literacies across home and school (Gerber, 2008;

Many factors play into teacher decision-

Morrell, 2002; Worthy et al., 1999). Teacher

making of the use of popular culture texts in the

education programs and curriculum coordinators

classroom. Undoubtedly, teachers consider their

in both public and private schools might offer

own personal biases, likes, and dislikes about

college courses and

professional development

popular culture texts for decision making of

wherein students gain a knowledge of popular

inclusion or exclusion of these texts in their

culture and study the advantages of integrating

classroom libraries, independent reading, and

popular culture into school curricula (Marsh,

curricula. However, the decisions that teachers

2006). A more viable option for educators might

make about what texts are included in the

be to locate the abundant popular culture

classroom may have long lasting effects. In 2000,

education and resources available in Massive Open

Von Sprecken, Kim, & Krashen, discussed the

Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Educational

term “home run” book, a text that may transform

Resources (OER). In addition, popular culture

a nonreader into a reader (Von Sprecken, Kim, &

resources, such as practitioner journals, and topical

Krashen,

online

conditional text choice, some students may never

learning

can

accessed

through

professional educator associations such as the

2000).

When

teachers

provide

find their “home run” book.

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

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Miller, D. (2009). The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. Jossey-Bass Publishing. Miller, T. (1998). The place of picture books in middle-level classrooms. Journal of Adult & Adolescent Literacy, 41(5), 376-381. Morrell, E. (2002). Toward a critical pedagogy of popular culture: Literacy development among urban youth. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(1), 72-77. National Council of Teachers of English (2018). The student’s right to read. https://ncte.org/ /statement/righttoreadguideline/ Parrott, K. (2017). Fountas and Pinnell lament labels: SLJ talks to the creators of a reading system, widely used and controversial. School Library Journal, 63(11), 15. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. Person, D. (1998). Censorship: Confronting the sound of silence. Journal of Children’s Literature, 24(1), 118-121. Pilkey, D. (2014, September 24). My book makes kids laugh, and it was banned anyway. HuffPost.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/c aptain-underpants-banned-book_ b_583980 Pink, S. (2007). Doing visual ethnography: Images, media, and representation in research. SAGE Publications. Ryan, D. M. (2013). Teaching communication and book choice processes. (Publication No. 35656

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$"4&"0("2#A)=9.")#$"2&2.'.")#>4/*=24#)4.# B3.#*+#@.</.3.")&)(C.#>.%)3#&"9#D/&9.E 5.C.-#5()./&01#;&/)"./3# !

by Kierstin Giunco, Christine Leighton, and Kayla Balthazar

Kierstin Giunco, literacy teacher at a Boston independent school, is interested in fostering critical thinking through representative curriculum. Christine Leighton, Associate Professor of Education at Emmanuel College, is interested in collaborating with teachers to foster literacy development in multilingual and multiracial classrooms. Kayla Balthazar, preservice teacher at Emmanuel College, is interested in cultivating diverse learning environments. This work was funded by the 2019 MRA Sylvia D. Brown Scholarship.

ineteen fifth-grade students sat in a circle

White main characters, as do many books in U.S.

participating in a guided read aloud led by their

classroom libraries (Gangi, 2008). As she started

teacher, Kierstin. Kierstin selected Fish in a Tree

searching for more representative options, she

(Hunt, 2015) as a way to help students make

came across wonderful titles, but found they were

personal connections to the protagonist, a fifth

only in stock in the outskirts of the city’s libraries.

grader who found reading challenging. Students

Thus, Kierstin was left knowing the right next step

seemed engaged with the text, and then, Keon (all

but thwarted by lack of accessibility to culturally

student names are pseudonyms), a student of color,

representative texts so essential to reading

raised his hand and asked, “Is the main character

comprehension, development, and engagement.

Black?”

This study explains her efforts to resolve this

During

the

subsequent

discussion,

Kierstin realized that despite her efforts to use

problem of practice.

texts students would find relevant, she needed more selections that incorporated students’ racial and cultural backgrounds. She decided to make this a top priority.

Perspective This work is grounded in the belief that “the matter of what students read is a make-or-break

Kierstin knew literature should provide

dimension of literacy-based learning” (Ivey, 2010,

opportunities to learn about others and reflect

p. 20). Teachers’ decisions around text selection

students’ backgrounds and cultures. In reviewing

matter for students’ literacy outcomes because

her texts, she realized they still mostly featured

students are more likely to be engaged when

reading text they find relevant (Ivey & Johnston,

are reading. Gangi (2008) found White students

2017; Feger, 2006). This is consequential given that

have a higher probability of finding mirror texts in

reading engagement predicts reading achievement

classroom libraries than students of color creating

and mediates other factors such as opportunity

unequal opportunities for students to make the

gaps associated with lower socio-economic status

personal connections so imperative to reading

(Guthrie, J.T., Schafer, W. D., & Huang, C., 2001).

proficiency (Gangi, 2008) and personal growth

Reading engagement is a complex and

(Ivey & Johnston, 2017).

multidimensional construct. Engaged readers are

To provide equity, teachers must ensure there

often defined as “motivated to read, strategic in

are numerous culturally relevant texts in the

their approaches to comprehending what they

classroom. Teachers should consider several

read, knowledgeable in their construction of

factors when selecting these texts including: (a)

meaning from the text, and socially interactive”

character’s

(Guthrie, Wigfield, & Yu, 2012, p. 602). Research

background; (b) setting in regards to location/

often focuses on behavioral, cognitive and

time; (c) text genre, and; (d) reader’s back-

emotional components of overall academic

ground/experiences (Ebe, 2012). These selections

engagement (e.g., Fredericks, Blumenfeld, & Paris,

need to be wide ranging as teachers cannot always

2004), exploring how students participate, exert

predetermine what a student may find relevant

effort, and react to texts and tasks. Agentic

(Ivey & Johnston, 2017). Additionally, the text

engagement, students’ intentional efforts to

genres available to students play an equally

influence the flow of instruction, recently has been

important role (McNair, 2016).

validated as a fourth aspect of engagement (Reeve,

teachers consider culturally representative are

2013; Reeve & Tseng, 2011). Moreover, students

classified as historical fiction; but, if students

display their engagement, including reading

primarily see themselves reflected in past events

engagement, within complex social contexts (Ivey

their current and future potential are limited

& Johnston, 2013), highlighting the essential role

(Gangi, 2008). Rather than seeing themselves

teachers play in creating instructional spaces and

within Black History Month collections and

selecting relevant texts that allow students to work

depictions of oppression (Gangi, 2008), students

together to deeply engage with reading.

need to see themselves in varying contexts and

Children need access to two types of books,

ethnicity,

age,

gender,

language

Often, texts

settings more relevant to their daily lives.

window and mirror texts, as coined by Bishop

Moreover, teachers must

(1990/2015).

students

selections allow students to see themselves as

opportunities to learn about others, while the latter

professionals in various settings across all

allows them to see themselves in the books they

socioeconomic groups (McNair, 2016).

The

former

allows

ensure that their

When students read culturally responsive texts

With this in mind, Kierstin set out to explore

their literacy outcomes increase. For example, Ebe

her

(2010) found that when third-grade students were

instruction that prioritized the use of culturally

provided two stories of equitable reading levels,

responsive texts, student choice, and peer

student comprehension was higher with the

collaboration. She applied for the 2019 MRA Sylvia

culturally relevant texts. This occurred because

D. Brown Scholarship and received funding to

students were able to create meaning better aligned

purchase

with the story when they had parallel experiences;

representative texts for these purposes. Her

as students’ reading proficiency grew so did their

research questions were:

ability to transfer these skills to new texts.

students’

academic

wide

engagement

selection

during

culturally

● In what ways do students demonstrate

Additionally, Feger (2006) found ninth-and tenth-

engagement

grade students demonstrated critical reflections

opportunities to read, write, and discuss

and higher levels of self-efficacy when they read

representative texts of their choice with a

culturally relevant texts, leading to higher text-to-

literacy partner?

text connections and engagement.

when

provided

daily

● How do their classroom interactions align

Moreover, teaching with culturally relevant texts is interwoven with culturally relevant

with their own understanding of their engagement during literacy instruction?

pedagogies that emphasize group collaboration (Gangi, 2008). Teachers who prioritize meaningful

Methods

student conversation grounded in representative

Context

texts enable students to make deeper personal connections;

increasing

student

This study took place in a fifth-grade English

engagement,

Language Arts (ELA) classroom in an independent

comprehension, and, in turn, higher levels of

urban Catholic PreK-6 school, serving 213

critical thinking (Ebe, 2012, Feger, 2006, Ivey &

students (138 Black, 63 Multiracial, 7 White, 1

Johnston, 2017,). Through these interactions,

Asian, 4 unknown) with 21.5% Hispanic and 2%

students’ social imagination is activated and

English learners. The fifth--grade classroom

empathy is transferred to their daily lives (Ivey &

included 19 students ranging in age from 10 years,

Johnston, 2017). Teachers are essential members

6 months to 11 years, 6 months. Instruction

of these conversations as they facilitate deeper

occurred daily for 75 minutes.

analysis and further conversation (Ivey &

Participants

Johnston, 2017). These conversations are fruitful

At the time of the study, Kierstin, a licensed

in-person (Ivey & Johnston, 2017), as well as

elementary teacher, was the fourth- through sixth-

remotely through dialogue journals (Feger, 2006). 26

Table 1. Exemplar Texts Genre

Title

Author

Biography

Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson

Realistic Fiction

Amina’s Voice

Hena Khan

Sports Fiction

Stat Schooled

Amar’e Stoudemire

Mystery

Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money

Christopher Paul Curtis

Fantasy

Black Panther: The Young Prince

Ronald L. Smith

Historical Fiction

Inside Out and Back Again

Thanhha Lai

Graphic Novel

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Amy Reeder

grade ELA teacher. This was her second year

texts. Genres included fantasy, biography, poetry,

teaching and her first year teaching fifth grade.

graphic novels and historical fiction; yet, the

Kayla was a former elementary school teacher, an

highest quantity of texts were realistic fiction.

associate professor of education at a partnering

Kierstin asked students to list three literacy

college, and served as Kierstin’s literacy coach.

partners they thought would encourage them to be

Fourteen of the nineteen students received

productive; she then matched students to one

parental consent to participate in the larger study,

partner on their list. Texts were grouped by topic

and four students were purposefully selected for

(e.g., entrepreneurship, friendship, coming of age,

this analysis based on the range of engagement

adventure) into bins for students to explore with

Kierstin saw during whole-class instruction prior

their partners and then indicate their top three

to the study. Keon frequently demonstrated

choices. Table 1 includes the books that Kierstin’s

academic

whole-class

students marked as high interest. The pairs met to

consistent

establish expectations for reading their text and

engagement during small-group instruction, while

create a teacher-approved reading schedule. Over

their self-selected literacy partners, Aaron and

six weeks, students independently read their texts

Briana, were less visibly engaged during both

and discussed them with their literacy partners

participant structures.

through journals and discussions.

instruction

engagement and

Reina

during showed

Instruction The Sylvia D. Brown Scholarship was used to purchase two copies of 63 culturally representative

Data Sources Data sources included partner journals, 27

partner discussions, and student interviews.

the end of the unit. Students were asked about their

Partner Journals

hobbies/interests, topics they enjoyed reading/

During the unit, students wrote back and forth

writing about, their literacy strengths and

with their literacy partner about their reading using

weaknesses, and their preferred way to work with

a framework adapted from Feger’s (2006) teacher-

others (e.g., small groups, partners, whole class).

student dialogue journals. Students were asked to

All interviews were transcribed.

write a minimum of: one sentence responding to their partner’s question, four sentences responding

Data Analysis

to their reading, and one question for their partner

Partner journals and transcribed discussions

to answer. After six weeks, Keon, Briana, and

were collaboratively coded by the three authors to

Reina had five entries each, and Aaron had three

benefit

due to absences. We dropped Keon’s fourth

backgrounds (i.e., classroom teacher, education

journal entry from analysis, as it repeated his third

faculty,

entry since Aaron had not yet responded. Thus, we

agreement via collaboration and discussion

analyzed their three exchanges, as well as a final

(Smagorinsky, 2008).

from

their

pre-service

varying

teacher)

and

professional to

reach

entry for Keon. Reina and Briana had five

Guided by Reeve (2013), we defined

exchanges, but the last was at the unit’s end when

engagement as including behavioral, agentic,

they started to read a new text. Reina had only read

cognitive, and emotional aspects and created a

a chapter and Briana had not yet read it so they

coding scheme and scale related to these four

discussed their previous books. We dropped this

aspects (See Table 2). Analysis took place in several

exchange, resulting in four entries each for analysis.

phases. First, journals and discussions were

Partner Discussions

reviewed for evidence of engagement and, if

Once a week, students discussed their reading

present, were coded for the type of engagement.

with their partner in a minimally teacher-directed

Next, students received a score (0-3) for

dialogue for approximately 10 minutes. Due to

behavioral, agentic, and cognitive engagement; and

issues with technology, not all discussions could be

emotional engagement was coded as being present

adequately described and needed to be dropped

or absent. To triangulate the findings, the authors

from analysis. We were able to transcribe and

collaboratively coded interviews and noted

analyze two partner discussions between Keon and

statements that demonstrated behavioral, agentic,

Aaron and three between Reina and Briana.

cognitive, and emotional engagement.

Interviews

Results

Adapted from an interview protocol from Toppel (2015), Kayla interviewed participants at 28

Academic Engagement In the section that follows we explore results

Table 2. Engagement Codebook Engagement Type

Characteristics

Behavioral

● ● ●

Follows directions Completes the task Goes beyond the demands

Agentic

●

Expresses needs/wants, interests, preferences, and opinions Asks questions to help learn Requests help when they need it

0: no expression of agency 1: some expressions of agency in one category but only as they relate to task completion 2: expressions of agency in several categories related to task completion 3: strong expressions of agency that go beyond task demands

Connects what they are learning with own life Fits different ideas together to make sense Tries to relate to what they already know Makes up own examples to help understand

0: no demonstration of cognitive engagement 1: some expressions of cognitive engagement in one category but only as they relate to task completion 2: expressions of cognitive engagement in several categories related to task completion 3: strong expressions of cognitive engagement that go beyond task demands

● ●

Cognitive

● ● ● ●

Emotional

● ●

Scale 0: does not follow directions at all and does not complete task assignment 1: follows most of the directions and completes the task 2: follows all directions and completes the task 3: completes the task and goes beyond directions

Demonstrates interest, enjoyment, Present: Finds task to be enjoyable or fun Absent: Does not find the task to be enjoyable or fun self-efficacy, and involvement Finds task to be fun

related to our first research question: In what ways

book, Black Panther: Young Prince (Smith, 2018). In

do students demonstrate engagement when

Tables 3, 4, and 5 we explain their engagement in

provided daily opportunities to read, write, and

partner journals and partner discussions.

discuss representative texts of their choice with a

Partner Journals

literacy partner? We will describe how the

Table 3 displays engagement scores across

participants demonstrated engagement during

their entries. Overall, Aaron displayed lower

partner journals and partner discussions, reporting

engagement scores in his first two entries, but by

findings first for Aaron and Keon, and then Reina

the last entry he met expectations in behavioral,

and Briana.

cognitive, and emotional engagement. Across the

Aaron and Keon

entries, Keon met and exceeded expectations

During the unit, Keon and Aaron read one

around behavioral and agentic engagement and 29

varied

his

cognitive

engagement.

Both

expresses anticipation for reading more, and

demonstrated emotional engagement in their later

synthesizes events to make sense of the plot. Yet,

entries.

he does not demonstrate agency as he is not

Aaron had lower instances of agentic

expressing interests, asking questions, or steering

engagement, but consistently high levels of

the conversation. The following excerpt highlights

behavioral engagement. Aaron’s first entry shows

his emotional engagement.

his inclination to list plot points, indicating some

im not that far because of all the days im mist

cognitive engagement in terms of connecting ideas,

[missed] but i can’t wait to get to that part. Im

but mostly highlights his behavioral engagement as

at the part were mbaku joined that basketball

he expands upon the length requirement:

team. Mbaku is a automatic bucket…. Im my

i have been reading about how t’chala and his

mind i froze as i read. He shot and… Swish!

dad are going to america. And i learned that in

Keon’s journals showed high levels of agentic

the book t’challas grandfather is still alive. In

and behavioral engagement across the entries,

the book i have been reading about how

while he fluctuated in cognitive engagement.

t'challa and mbaku are really good friends and

Keon’s second entry shows his consistent agentic

they usually like to play in the forest of

engagement as he expresses interest, asks

wakanda.

questions, and steers the conversation.

By his last entry, Aaron demonstrated higher

Nice, tell me what you have been reading.

scores for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral

Ialso saw about how t’challa's grandfather is

engagement. Despite consistent surface level errors

alive. It’s crazy because in the movie he

in mechanics and spelling, his full entry goes

doesn’t have a grandfather so the book is way

beyond task expectations with a longer length,

Table 3. Journals of Aaron and Keon Engagement Type

Journal 1

Journal 2

Journal 3

Journal 4

Aaron

Keon

Aaron

Keon

Aaron

Keon

Aaron

Keon

Behavioral

N/A

Agentic

N/A

Cognitive

N/A

Emotional

Absent

Present

N/A

Present

different than the movie. What do you think

engagement.

Keon

exhibited

engagement

about t’challa's grandfather? Do you think he

consistently in the four areas, displaying higher

will protect t’challa or betrayed him like

engagement during discussions. In the following

t’challa’s cousin did? . . . So far I love this book

interaction from their first discussion, Kierstin,

and it fits me really well. What about you?

overheard Keon and Aaron debating a plot point,

Additionally, he is excited about the book’s

and she helped guide them to turn back to the text.

content, demonstrating his emotional engagement,

Keon shows cognitive engagement as he tries to fit

and the full entry exceeds length expectation,

ideas together, and Aaron exhibits agentic

highlighting his typical behavioral engagement.

engagement as he continually redirects Keon to his

While he does connect to background knowledge

evidence.

about the movie, demonstrating some level of

Keon: That doesn’t mean it’s a race.

cognitive engagement, he received a score of 2

Aaron: No watch.

because other cognitive areas were absent, such as

Keon: That doesn’t mean it’s a race.

connecting events in the text and creating his own

Aaron: Cause look at it, I could tell it was a

examples.

race because he said [reads excerpt from text]...

Partner Discussions

Keon: You hear that, you hear that? So the foe

Aaron and Keon’s discussions show different

is actually an enemy.

patterns than their journals (See Table 4). For

Aaron: Yes but his enemy–

example,

Keon: And it doesn’t mean, just cause it says

Aaron’s

discussion

demonstrated

engagement across all domains, including agentic

he gasped for air doesn’t mean it’s a race. And it actually says that he caught him...so explain to me

Table 4.

why you think it’s a race? Aaron: Because it says his foe [reads excerpt

Discussions

from text].

Engagement

Discussion 1

Discussion 2

Type

While their second discussion still met task demands and demonstrated engagement in all four

Aaron

Keon

Aaron

Keon

Behavioral

Agentic

Cognitive

Emotional

Present

areas, the first discussion resulted in higher scores. This was because Aaron was mostly focused on trying to figure out the meaning of a word, and when Keon did not know the answer, he turned the conversation back to the race-or-fight debate. This is shown in the excerpt below. Aaron: A-ver-ting 31

Keon: So you have a question?

Aaron to demonstrate agency through his efforts

Aaron: Yes, it says in page...

at steering the conversation, while Keon’s

Keon: Page what?

cognitive engagement encouraged them to dive

Aaron: Eleven, it says, “averting his gaze from

back into the texts.

the king.”

Reina and Briana

Keon: Oh, on page eleven I wrote something

During the unit, Reina and Briana finished

too. I wrote, I actually don’t know what

three books, Inside Out and Back Again (Lai, 2011),

averting means, but umm... you were right

and two from the Jada Jones (Lyons, 2017) series.

Aaron, when you said it was a race... it says it

Partner Journals

on the next page after.

Table 5 displays engagement scores across the four exchanges. Overall, Reina and Briana

Summary

displayed emotional engagement throughout their

Keon and Aaron seemed to demonstrate

entries. They were also both behaviorally engaged,

higher levels of engagement in all four areas during

with Reina always exceeding the task requirements.

their partner discussions. This mode allowed them

Reina displayed agentic and cognitive engagement

to collaborate to actively construct meaning from

more consistently than Briana.

the text. Discussions allowed for “online”

Reina demonstrated cognitive engagement

responses around text evidence, plot and

across entries usually exceeding expectations. She

vocabulary, particularly since the time between

often connected ideas, related events to her own

journal entries was prolonged due to Aaron’s

life, made up her own examples to help solidify

absences. The format seemed to be a better way for

understanding, and read strategically by making

Table 5. Journals of Briana and Reina Engagement Type

Journal 1

Journal 2

Journal 3

Journal 4

Briana

Reina

Briana

Reina

Briana

Reina

Briana

Reina

Behavioral

Agentic

Cognitive

Emotional

Present

predictions. She asked Briana questions and

text events to her own life, connected ideas, and

expressed her opinions, demonstrating agentic

created her own examples. However, there was

engagement in service of meeting task demands.

limited display of agentic engagement as she did

An excerpt from her third entry highlights this

not ask questions to help steer the conversation.

engagement.

Briana: I am so glad that we finished the

I am happy that we finished 3 books. What

book!!! When we get new books we always

book did you like out of the 3 we read? I like

finish our book so i think we should keep it up

Inside out and Out again the most…. I can relate,

the good work. I am so curious to see what we

because it was the first day of [afterschool

are going to read next. Now i really love Jada

program]. I thought everyone was talking in a

Jones books they are really good... I really want

different language. Until I got to be friends

to have a sleepover now because they are so

with people in my class. Then I heard a rumor

fun i was really hoping that if the science trick

that I and my friends knew about. Then I put

worked we would be able to see it but it did

a stop to it. I hope the next book is a good

not and that fine…

book!

Partner Discussions

Briana’s journals, however, showed varied cognitive

engagement

agentic

displayed some engagement, while the second and

engagement. Briana’s fourth entry exceeded

third demonstrated limited engagement (See Table

expectations for length and displayed her frequent

6). In their first discussion both students were

emotional

behaviorally engaged, making sure they each took

engagement.

and

minimal

Reina and Briana’s first partner discussions

this

entry,

she

demonstrated cognitive engagement as she related

turns and explicitly referenced their notes as was

Table 6. Discussions Engagement Type

Discussion 1

Discussion 2

Discussion 3

Briana

Reina

Briana

Reina

Briana

Reina

Behavioral

Agentic

N/A

Cognitive

N/A

Emotional

Present

Absent

N/A

Present

Present 33

required. They were also cognitively engaged in

constructing meaning together. Thus, the journals

connecting the ideas in the text to construct

seemed to be more successful in fostering their

meaning together. That said, Reina did not display

engagement. Interestingly, the first discussion with

emotional or agentic engagement, unlike her

the highest scores for engagement was also the

journal entries. In contrast, Briana showed agentic

discussion during which Briana was emotionally

engagement we did not see in her journals when

engaged in discussing her favorite quotes. This was

she expressed opinions about her favorite quotes.

also the first time Briana agentically engaged at a

She stated, “Can I go first actually? So what I wrote

high level. This suggests the importance of

on my notecard… There was this quote that I

emotional engagement, particularly for Briana.

absolutely love, it’s called ‘they tease you because

Students’ Perspectives

they adore you.’ That’s good to know if you’re getting bullied.”

In the section that follows, we will explore results related to our second research question:

After their first discussion, they began reading

How

the

literacy

partners’

classroom

new self-selected texts featuring less complex plots,

interactions align with their own understanding of

and the resulting discussions were less rich. The

their engagement during literacy instruction? We

second

behavioral

will present results for each student, describing

engagement score of 0 and the third discussion,

responses from the student interviews and how

although slightly better, showed less engagement

they aligned with results from the journals and

across the four areas. At times, presumably since

discussions.

their current texts did not have enough to discuss,

Aaron

discussion

received

their conversations would revert back to questions

During his interview, Aaron made comments

about their first text.

that related to agency in terms of his preferences

Summary

and opinions. He stated that he enjoyed partner

Overall, Reina and Briana displayed higher

and small-group discussions over whole-class

engagement during their journals than their

discussions because he could more easily “hear

discussions. During the journals, Reina and Briana

other people’s ideas” and build on those thoughts.

were frequently emotionally engaged and posed

He stated his favorite texts to read were action

several questions to each other (e.g., “If you lived

books and comic books; thus, his work with a

somewhere and there was a war happening and you

partner and their text choice aligned with his

had to go somewhere, would you be scared being

preferences and interests.

in a new community?”). This appeared to allow

In regard to behavioral engagement, Aaron

them to cognitively and behaviorally engage as they

expressed a desire to push himself to read more

were

challenging texts, and he self-identified vocabulary

relating

and

synthesizing

ideas

and

as an area of weakness when meeting task

which aligns with his preference for group

demands. He states, “Yeah. I think I challenged

collaboration. In regard to behavioral engagement,

myself with Black Panther because it has like a

Keon exhibited high self-efficacy and describes

bunch of words I don’t know yet.” During

himself as never giving up, especially when he is in

discussions he focused on determining the

“the zone.”

meaning of unknown vocabulary with Keon.

Reina

Although he did not make any comments that

Reina’s interview shows a close connection

directly related to cognitive engagement in his

between her agentic and behavioral engagement.

interview, we observed that his desire to push

With respect to agency, Reina states that she

himself to meet task demands allowed him to

prefers adventures and mysteries, aligning with her

better understand his text.

text choices. Reina expressed a preference for

Aaron also indicated understanding of his

small-group work over partner work, explaining

own emotional engagement and its importance in

she got distracted when working with a good

reading, when he stated a need to “find more joy in

friend. She shared that during partner discussions,

books.” When looking at his scores, it appears

they would start with difficult questions but over

other engagement areas were higher when he was

time she would reuse the questions. She also

emotionally engaged.

showed agency in her note-taking strategies, stating

Keon

in her interview that she would not use the required

With respect to agency, Keon stated any

sticky notes for the discussion because she

participant structure was fine with him, as long as

remembered plot points on her own. However,

he could frequently participate, expressing his

these notes may have helped lead her to new

desire

his

questions rather than reusing old ones. These

understanding. He discussed his interest in

comments may explain her lower behavioral

basketball and explicitly linked this to the book he

engagement scores during partner discussions.

state

opinions

and

was reading. The text selection and partner work

Reina stated that she enjoyed making

seemed to align well with his interest in content and

predictions and highlighting interesting parts in

frequent participation.

reading, which align to cognitive engagement. She

His comments indicated that he viewed peer

explained that they “were all eager… we were like

discussion to contribute to his learning aligning

oh my gosh, let’s find out what was next! [The

with cognitive engagement. He stated, “We all get

teacher] didn’t even know we continued reading.”

to discuss what we think about this part… and all

During her interview, she commented on the

combine it and [understand] different things.” He

political climate of her native country, stating

exhibited higher cognitive scores in discussion,

“sometimes I feel like from an unknown country. 35

That we’re surviving a lot of wars.” Although she

at all… so I just didn’t read it. Like I read some of

does not explicitly explain the connection, what

it, but it got boring.” It appears that if she is not

she stated about her own life mirrors the main

emotionally engaged with a text, Briana will avoid

character’s situation from Inside Out and Back Again

the task altogether. At the same time, during this

(Lai, 2011). This comment also demonstrates her

study when she was emotionally engaged, such as

emotional engagement as she discussed how eager

when she wanted to share a meaningful quote, she

they were to keep reading.

displayed

Briana

observed.

With respect to agency, Briana was interested

agentic

engagement

not

usually

Summary

in reading about other people’s lives, aligning well

The interviews confirmed that, overall,

with her partner texts, and she expressed a

students were reading texts that they found

preference for small-group work. She explained a

emotionally

preference to work in small groups so she could

provided insight into students’ success and

collaborate with several peers and deepen her

struggles with participant structures (e.g., small

learning. Thus, working with just a partner may

group, partner, whole class). Aaron preferred

have limited her opportunities to engage in the way

hearing others’ ideas, specifically those that

that worked best for her.

enhanced his vocabulary acquisition, while Keon

engaging.

The

interviews

also

She goes on to explain that during partner

preferred more frequent talk turns that allowed

journals, “I can take off some of her ideas,

him to share more ideas. This made the partner

whatever she wrote and think what she’s thinking

discussions a fruitful way for them to interact with

of and put it to what I think of.” As there is more

the text. In contrast, Reina found working with a

time to process and consider ideas in writing, this

partner, particularly a friend, distracting, while

could explain her journals’ higher behavioral

Briana depended on processing time and

scores, which allowed her to meet the task

emotional engagement. Thus, their journals

demands more readily. This comment also

allowed for a less distracting space to make more

reflected her cognitive engagement and how she

personal and emotional connections.

socially constructed meaning with others; a task

Discussion

she seemed to more easily accomplish during journals.

We set out to explore student engagement when provided daily opportunities to read, write,

The importance of emotional engagement for

and discuss self-selected culturally representative

Briana is clear. During the interview, she described

texts with a partner and how these interactions

a time before this study when she was asked to read

aligned with students’ own understanding of their

a text, but she explained, “I didn’t want to read it

engagement. Through analysis of partner journals

and discussions and student interviews, three main

student engagement. Keon and Aaron found

themes emerged around text selection, literacy

greater engagement in discussions, while Briana

tasks, and participant structures.

and Reina discovered greater engagement in

First, text selection played a crucial role in

journals. As Kierstin monitored engagement, she

fostering student engagement. We found that

was able to facilitate these interactions more

students demonstrated high levels of engagement

strategically. When monitoring one discussion,

when they were matched with texts that aligned

Kierstin perceived Keon and Aaron’s behavioral

with

included

engagement was lowering but that their emotional

multicultural and multilingual main characters. For

engagement was high. In response, she inquired

example, Reina connected her text with her culture;

about their conversation and facilitated a debate

while Briana connected the same text to her

about a moment in the text. When monitoring

experiences with bullies. These students were

journals, Kierstin noted Briana’s requirement for

emotionally connected with characters based on

emotional engagement so she suggested reflection

their parallel experiences aligning with previous

on important quotes that connected to her life in

research (e.g., Ebe, 2010). That said, we found

discussion. From this teacher facilitation and

interest was not enough; these texts also had to be

monitoring, their discussion was more engaged

challenging. Reina and Briana’s second and third

with the conversation about quotes being their

texts represented their cultural backgrounds but

highest rated discussion.

their

interests

and

which

were less complex than their first selection. While

Students’ preferences around partner, small-

they were able to emotionally engage with all these

group, and whole-class work makes a difference in

books, there was less cognitive engagement when

their engagement with literacy texts and tasks.

they were discussing and writing about simpler

Keon wanted to build upon peers’ ideas and be an

texts. This may explain Reina reusing questions

active contributor to this meaning making and

during discussions. In sum, representation of

Aaron desired a partner or small-group setting to

cultural relevance and interest must be considered

hear multiple ideas and perspectives. This made the

to increase opportunities for emotional and agentic

partner work a great fit for them. Briana and Reina

engagement. Yet, text complexity must also be

did not like the partner work for discussions due to

considered to provide ample opportunities for

higher distractions and fewer opportunities to hear

cognitive

other thoughts. When reflecting on this, Kierstin

engagement

and

rich

partner

collaboration.

realized that if she had known her

students’

Second, allowing varied ways for students to

preferred participant structure and the reason for

interact with texts (e.g., journals, small-group or

this, she could have made varied instructional

partner discussions) provides a fuller picture of

decisions. She could have kept Briana and Reina in 37

partner journals, but allowed for small-group

can use culturally relevant and complex texts,

discussions for higher levels of engagement.

varied tasks, and group collaboration to foster

It is important to note this study was

engagement. Doing so may create more equity in

conducted in one classroom with a small sample

instruction and, in turn, better support students’

size; thus findings cannot be easily generalized.

literacy development.

That said, findings offer insights into how teachers

References Bishop, R. S. (2015). Mirrors, Windows, and sliding glass doors. Reading is fundamental. https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-D oors.pdf (Reprinted from Perspectives: Choosing and using books for the classroom, 6(3), ix-xi, 1990).

Ebe, A. E. (2010). Culturally relevant texts and reading assessment for English Language Learners. Reading Horizons, 50(3), 193-210. Ebe, A. E. (2012). Supporting the reading development of middle school English Language Learners through culturally relevant texts. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 28(2), 179-198. Feger, M. (2006). I want to read: How culturally relevant texts increase student engagement in reading. Multicultural Education, 18-19. Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. Gangi, M. J. (2008). The unbearable whiteness of literacy instruction: Realizing the implications of the proficient reader research. Multicultural Review, 30-35. Guthrie, J. T., Schafer, W. D., & Huang, C. (2001). Benefits of opportunity to read and balanced instruction on the NAEP. The Journal of Educational Research, 94(3), 145–162. Guthrie, J. T., Wigfield, A., & You, W. (2012). Instructional contexts for engagement and 38

achievement in reading. In S. I. Christenson, Reschly, S. L., & C. Wylie (Eds.) Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 601-634). New York, NY: Springer. Hunt, L. M. (2015). Fish in a tree. New York, NY: Puffin Books. Ivey, G. (2010). Texts that matter. Educational Leadership, 67(6), 18–23. Ivey, G. & Johnston, P. (2013). Engagement with young adult literature: Outcomes and processes. Reading Research Quarterly, 48(3), 255-275. Ivey, G. & Johnston, P. (2017). Emerging adolescence in engaged reading communities. Language Arts, 94(3), 159-169. Lai, T. (2011). Inside Out and Back Again. New York, NY: HarperCollins Lyons, K. S. (2017). Jada jones series. New York, NY: Penguin Workshop McNair, J. C. (2016). #Weneedmirrorsand windows: Diverse classroom libraries for K-6 students. The Reading Teacher, 70(3), 375-381. Reeve, J. (2013). How students can create motivationally supportive learning environments for themselves: The concept of agentic engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 579-595. Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(4), 257-267.

5**F("2#&)#@.&9./#@.3<*"3.#>4/*=24#&# D."9./.9#5."3# by Jessica L. Edwards Dr. Jessica L. Edwards is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Literacy, Elementary, and Early Childhood Education at Central Connecticut State University. Her research interests are housed within multicultural and international children’s literature, specifically how these books can be used to encourage Critical Pedagogy in the elementary classroom. ! ! !

' !

ecently, I became intrigued by the story of a

expected to find the use of Reader Response

young man named Chavo. In a chapter of

Theory within all of my studies. What I thought

Rebecca Rogers’ An Introduction to Critical Discourse

would be a simple literature review turned out to

Analysis in Education (Josephine Marsh and Jayne C.

be a realization of the complexity within this topic,

Lammers, 2011) an adolescent boy named Chavo

and the various sociocultural theories that are used

describes his reasoning behind a significant drop in

for this type of research.

his academic career. Using the concept of James Gee’s figured worlds (Gee, 2011), Chavo understands

Theoretical Framework

his lack of literacy performance to be a result of the

One of the leading theories within the

assumption that “athletes don’t read books,” and

research I found was a branch of reader response

“guys participate differently than girls” (Marsh &

theory by Louise Rosenblatt called transactional

Lammers, 2011, pp. 106-107). Considering that

theory.

Chavo excelled in literacy during his elementary

transactional theory as a relationship between the

years, it was unfortunate to discover that these new

reader and the text in which they read. This

assumptions became prevalent in his life after he

relationship with the text affects the reader

gained popularity among his friends, joined athletic

according to their personal “interests, expectations,

teams at his school, and acquired the need to reflect

anxieties and other factors based on past

masculinity. Chavo’s story inspired me to look

experience” (Rosenblatt, 1994, p. 19). In the case

deeper into the realm of reader responses through

of this particular topic, Louise Rosenblatt’s

a gendered lens. My mission was to find studies on

transactional theory has assisted educators in

reader responses to literature, and locate trends

understanding more about why boys and girls react

within those studies that related to gender. I

differently to the same text. Considering the use of

Rosenblatt

(1994)

discusses

her

transactional theory, one must consider both the

morally wrong. Kohlberg’s theory helps educators

efferent and aesthetic factors that create a different

understand why nontraditional gender behaviors

relationship for each student and their text.

are difficult to change in children who are raised in

As an extension of reader response theory,

a strong traditional household or taught in a

Mikhail Bakhtin (1986) was another sociocultural

traditional school. Another leading theory within

theorist that was used in these studies to discuss

the research I found was gender schema theory.

the discourse that occurred when boys and girls

Martin and Halverson (1981) used Kohlberg’s

responded to literature through discussion groups.

theory of cognitive and moral development as a

According to Bakhtin and his use of critical

foundation for a schema theory that was

discourse analysis, our identities and the positions

influenced by gender. Gender schema theory

we choose to take on a subject are altered based on

involves the understanding that children have a

the verbal interaction with another person (Lopez-

knowledge about the clothes, behaviors, traits,

Bonilla, 2011). We can also alter the identity and

roles, and activities that belong to each gender.

positions of another person through the discussion

This knowledge is interpretive and constructive

of a text. “For Bakhtin, new links of meaning are

based on each child’s existing schema. Adding to

forged only when we engage in dialogue in which

this notion, “gender schema theory incorporates

two perspectives intermingle to generate new

both social learning theory and cognitive theory as

points of view, new positions, and new

schemas function to organize and interpret new

understandings” (Rice, 2002, p. 2). Evidence of this

information based on prior learning experiences”

became clear while reviewing some of the studies

(Frawley, 2008, p. 292). As children read or visually

that involved verbal interaction between boys and

experience gender behaviors that are different

girls.

from their own experiences, this interferes with

Kohlberg’s theory was mentioned several

their gender schema and may cause them to

times in regard to children’s rigid understanding of

manifest distorted or erroneous information from

what it means to be male and female. In his theory

their text. According to McKenna, Conradi,

of cognitive and moral development, Lawrence

Lawrence, Jang, and Meyer (2012), this might also

Kohlberg (1966) explains the developmental factor

affect their attitude about reading. In attitude

children

theory, attitude is not innate but acquired through

internalize new information, they are at an age

innumerable episodes of exposure to an object or

where they begin to classify human behaviors as

behavior. These episodes may be favorable or

right or wrong. This influences them to assume

unfavorable, which directly contributes to an

that the traditional behaviors they have been taught

individual’s attitude by shaping their belief

are correct, and nontraditional behaviors are

structure (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). Evidence of

information

processing.

When

this theory was not only clear in the studies within

literature without the other sex present, this could

this research, but it also assisted in explaining the

affect their responses. Also, the results you obtain

ideology behind the responses children give to

with a reader response study is directly affected by

their literature.

the sociocultural environment in which you set up

The last leading theory I found within the research was social learning theory. According to

your study. This was clear in all of the studies within this research.

this theory, children’s learning is influenced by the

Another factor to consider would be the

significant people in their lives. This influence is

literature that is used for the study. Most of the

based on what they know about their leisure

studies that were found used literature that was

activities and daily tasks, as well as the way these

purposefully selected based on gender stereotypes.

people reward and punish the children for their

This would clearly encourage a critical response

actions (Greever, Austin, & Welhousen, 2000).

from children, as opposed to a natural critique of

With this theory in mind, children’s various

gender in a gender-neutral piece of literature. The

responses to literature come from what they learn

gender of the main character is also something to

through their social lives and the important people

be considered, especially if the storyline contained

around them. Social learning theory joins

actions or expectations that can be classified as

transactional theory, critical discourse analysis,

traditional gender characteristics. The last factor I

Kohlberg’s theory of cognitive and moral

came across while reading through these articles

development, gender schema theory, and attitude

was the issue of attitudes. The attitudes that boys

theory under the sociocultural umbrella that helps

and girls have about reading is typically different

us understand reader responses to literature.

before they even enter a classroom, which is due to the sociocultural environment in which they are

Factors to Consider After reading through the selected studies within this type of research, I noticed several things

raised. This is a whole other struggle in itself; one that can majorly influence the responses of readers before they begin reading their text.

that one should consider prior to planning a study of their own, or even when using pieces of these

Findings

studies in their own research. When looking at a

As discussed above, there are many different

reader response study that deals with gender issues,

types of studies with many different factors

the gender of the participants in the study factors

involved that can yield reader responses to

into the results. Some of the studies within this

literature. These factors are directly related to the

literature review used either girls or boys, but not

sociocultural environment in which each child is

both. When girls and boys are responding to

surrounded on a daily basis. In this section, I will 41

summarize the findings within these various

When responding to this part of the story, both

studies and mention multiple themes that arose

grade levels ignored the emotions that were

while researching this topic.

displayed and described him as anything other than sad. The first graders described Peppe as mad,

Age

angry, or content during this time. The fourth

While gathering the data in these articles, the

graders described Peppe as angry or even happy, as

theme of age appeared quite clearly. Age was used

if nothing was wrong, and they denied that Peppe

not necessarily to show a difference in genders, but

ever cried. Many of the fourth graders even

rather a developmental progression of the same

mistakenly said that Peppe’s younger sister was the

ideals over time within each gender. In 2008,

one who cried. As you can see, both genders

Timothy J. Frawley compared the responses of 36

responded the same in this situation, but varied by

first graders to 36 fourth graders as they retold and

age in their responses.

discussed their recollections of two Caldecott

Further evidence of age was found in Ann M.

Award-winning books. The first selection, Mirette

Trousdale and Sally McMillan’s article in 2003

on the High Wire, told the story of a retired high-wire

focused on a five-year study about a girl named

walker named Bellini who feared to return to his

Nikki and her responses to fairy tales. Trousdale

professional career of performing, and a little girl

and McMillan (2003) compared Nikki’s responses

who encouraged him to face his fear. Although the

at age eight to her responses of the same questions

book specifically stated that Bellini, at first, would

at age twelve. When Nikki was eight, she viewed

not teach the little girl to walk on the tight rope due

fairy tales as tales of action and adventure. She also

to his own personal fear, most of the first graders

pointed out that the capable and strong characters

and half of the fourth graders distorted the story to

that she admired used their special abilities to help

say that he did not have a fear. They clarified that

others in need. When Nikki was twelve, her

he was acting as a male protector and that he would

perception of these same stories changed into tales

not teach the little girl because she was the one with

of marriage and romance. She also began to point

a fear. In the second selection, Peppe the Lamplighter,

out that a character’s strength was comprised of

the main character takes a job as a lamplighter even

inner strength and sufficient self-confidence. The

though he is a young boy. He takes this job in order

transition from eight years of age to twelve years of

to support his family who as immigrants in

age is clearly different and more critical. This is

America during the early 1900s experienced

credited to the fact that after the early years, “many

poverty. His father does not approve of his job, so

young women become increasingly aware that their

there is a moment in this book that exhibits lots of

lived reality is not easily aligned with the reality that

emotion from Peppe and results in him crying.

is propagated by dominant cultural scripts”

(Trousdale & McMillan, 2003, p. 24). As children

low-income schools. Their attitudes varied not

develop in age, so does their awareness of the

only about their self-concepts as readers, but also

world they live in, which influences them to create

their realistic understandings of the novel. Boys

their identity based on those factors.

within both school types saw themselves as below

Continuing on this idea of reality, another

average or average. Girls within both school types

interesting discovery worth mentioning is from the

saw themselves as average or above average. In

2008 study of Katarina Eriksson Barajas on

regard to the attitude towards men, boys within

addressing stereotypes through school book talks.

both schools stated that their generation was

The greatest find within all of the reader responses

different from past generations, and they intended

in this study was the common tendency to be less

to help their future wives with traditional roles

stereotypical when children discussed characters

such as childcare and housework. Although the

that were in their own age group. When adult

girls were not as positive as the boys about the roles

characters were discussed, the children viewed

of men, girls from the government schools had a

them as potential parents and not as pupils they

more optimistic outlook as they gave examples of

could identify with. They were more critical of

the male role changing over time. The girls from

these older characters and placed more traditional

the private schools were not optimistic about the

expectations on them. They were very stereotypical

male role changing towards a more nontraditional

non-

role, and assumed that each boy would turn out like

stereotypical behavior from characters in their age

their father, so the cycle would never break. In

group. It was easier for these children to be

further discussions, it was clear that the boys

accepting of nontraditional behaviors from the

tended to focus on the history of the story while

characters their own age.

the girls focused more on the main character’s

these

characters

while

tolerating

development. As the boys engaged in their

Attitudes

historical discussions, it was clear that the boys

The studies within this literature review

from private schools actively engaged in the

allowed for me to see beyond the responses, into

discussion and defended their opinions. The boys

the feelings children have towards literature. After

from government school showed less interest as

reading an adolescent novel about Maria de

they remained silent during most of their response

Estrada, a female conquistador who served in

time. One particular point of interest was the

battle for the conquest of Mexico, Evelyn Arizpe

author’s description of the main character.

(2001) analyzed and compared reader responses

Although she describes the main character in great

from students who were in private, high-income

detail, she never states whether or not she is pretty

schools and students who were in government,

or beautiful. Some of her descriptions mentioned 43

words such as strong, robust, and tall. The boys

own classed, raced, religious, and gendered

responded to this by stating that for a woman to be

biographies with them as well. They, too, accept,

manly, they would have to be ugly, and this is why

reinterpret, and reject what counts as legitimate

they assumed she was not a beautiful character.

knowledge selectively” (p. 61). Although literature

Trends within this study also revealed that the girls

has the power to educate and influence children,

showed their main tension around topics of

their attitudes are created before they read any

freedom and limits, risk and loss, and strength and

selected that is given to them in a classroom, so an

sensitivity. The boys showed their main anxieties

educator must keep this important factor in mind.

around power, violence, and feminism (Arizpe,

In 2001, Gurian and Henley found that

2001).

between 70% and 80% of students in the

Within the theme of attitudes is the issue of

classroom who demonstrate low motivation in

resistance. In Sipe and McGuire’s 2006 study of

reading are boys. This could be due to the fact that

children’s resistance to literature, they found that

boys “increasingly consider themselves to be

although boys may reject a book because it is

nonreaders as they get older” (Smith & Wilhelm,

considered one for girls, girls are much more

2002, p. 11). Smith and Wilhelm (2002) also

tolerant of books with a boy as the main character

noticed that boys express less enthusiasm for

(Childress, 1985). However, boys were found to be

reading than girls, they read less than girls, they take

able to handle more uncomfortable issues within a

longer to read than girls, and they generally provide

piece of literature while girls were unable to fully

lower estimations of their real reading abilities than

appreciate a book if it contained issues of racial

girls do. All of these factors can contribute to a very

intolerance or blatant discrimination. These issues

poor attitude when reading and could elicit more

were too emotionally draining and painful, which

negative reader responses than girls.

made the story uncomfortable for them (Sipe & McGuire, 2006). Another factor of resistance came

Interests

from nontraditional characters who portrayed roles

Children like to surround themselves with

that were difficult for both gender to identify with.

things and experiences that interest them, thus,

For example, in a fractured fairy tale in which the

creating a supportive sociocultural experience

princess was an empowered, self-confident woman

according to what they like. In order to understand

and the prince was a weak, self-centered man, girls

reader responses to literature, we must first

could identify with the strong female role, but boys

understand their interests. According to the studies

felt misrepresented. When considering resistance

within this literature review, the interests of boys

behind the attitudes of readers and their responses

and girls vary greatly. This could be a good

to text, Apple (1993) adds, “Students bring their

indicator of why reader responses vary between

different genders. In her study, Arizpe (2001)

Book selection goes even deeper in a 2009

found that the main reading material of boys

study by Farris, Werderich, Nelson, and Fuhler.

during a two-month span was comic books and

While studying fifth-grade boys and their

magazines. The girls read fewer magazines, and

preferences

largely favored books. This shows a clear

observations were noticed:

literature,

the

following

difference in gender preferences as they select

1. They selected books that “looked good,” featuring

literature independently. In a study on reading

a character on the cover that engaged in a

attitudes of middle school students in 2012,

dangerous, life-threatening activity. These books

McKenna, Conradi, Lawrence, Jang, and Meyer

also had noticeably wide, generous margins and

had students rank their preference of academic reading in print settings, academic reading in digital settings, recreational reading in print settings, and recreational reading in digital settings. The girls’

easy-to-read fonts. Books with unusual or interesting fonts and different textual features were also of large interest to them. 2. They enjoyed books that were part of a series or written by a favorite author.

preferences of both academic settings and the

3. They chose fact books and informational books

recreational print setting largely outweighed the

that had short passages supported by photographs

boys. The boys exhibited the most positive attitude

or cartoon drawings (Farris, Werderick, Nelson, &

towards recreational reading in digital settings

Fuhler, 2009, pp. 183-184).

(McKenna et al., 2012). This shows a clear

As you can see, there is little evidence of

distinction between academic and recreational

interest in traditional literature above. Nicole Senn

reading preferences among boys and girls. In Kara

(2012) supported the above findings as she

Reuter’s 2007 study of children’s book selection in

discovered that fourth through sixth grade boys

a digital library, girls reported selecting their books

tend to focus on topics in books that are related

based on interest, liking, and quality. The boys

to action and exploration, while girls were more

reported selecting their books based on content

interested in relationships and communication.

factors within the book, such as books solely on

Davies (1993) and Cherland (1992) were two

machines or sharks. The girls focused more on one

more studies in which gender differences in

book at a time while the boys accessed more books

interest were found to be important factors in

in order to inquire about more topics (Reuter,

responding to literature. They both discussed our

2007). The interests of boys were centered around

culture as one that supports interests of girls that

dark covers and concentrations such as cars,

are based on feelings, while the interests of boys

sharks, and skeletons, while the interests of girls

are based on action.

were centered around lighter, more colorful covers with topics such as bugs and rabbits (Reuter, 2007). 45

Perceptions

left nontraditional aspects of the story to be

Children’s perceptions are created from their

implied and acknowledged the traditional aspects

prior experiences and the various influences in

while the girls tended to be inclusive with both

their daily lives. Some perceptions are static,

traditional and nontraditional. It is clear to see that

strong, and not willing to change. Some

the way both genders perceived this folktale were

perceptions are more fluid and change over time

very different.

with a child’s development. Both types of

A few years after this study, Peggy Rice (2002)

perceptions are directly influenced by the

looked closely at children’s perspectives of

sociocultural surroundings of each child. Whether

masculinity and femininity through children’s

or not they can be influenced by an educator varies.

literature.

In a 2006 study by Peggy Rice, sixth graders read a

nontraditional female roles and two books with

Japanese folktale called Three Strong Women about a

nontraditional male roles, Rice (2002) surveyed

man who is trained by three women in order to win

third graders on the major characteristic of each

a wrestling tournament. Boys and girls within this

nontraditional protagonist. When asked if most

study were to recall the story in their own words.

girls are adventurous, 50% of boys said no and

After analyzing their responses, Rice (2006)

100% of girls said yes. The reason for boys saying

categorized their events into traditional and

no was because they didn’t believe that girls liked

nontraditional characteristics of the story. The

to get dirty. When asked if girls are brave, 67% of

results of this study showed a large difference in

boys said no and 67% of girls said yes. The reason

boys’ and girls’ perspectives of the story. When the

for boys saying no was because they believed that

three strong women assisted the man, the girls

girls are not brave like boys. The reason for girls

focused on the women making him stronger while

saying no was because boys have to rescue girls.

the boys focused on the fact that the man was now

When asked if boys would have helped a teacher in

ready to fight. Although they both agreed on the

the story, 67% of boys said no and 100% of girls

outcome of the story in which the man won the

said no. The reason for boys saying no was because

wrestling tournament, the girls gave credit to the

they imagine the boys would be outside playing.

women who trained him for the event while the

The reason for girls saying no is because they

boys credited the man for his effort. Of the events

believed that boys aren’t kind and caring. Finally,

that were recalled, the girls reported ½ traditional

when asked if it is okay for boys to tap dance

characteristics and ½ nontraditional characteristics

instead of playing sports like basketball, 67% of

of the story. The boys reported ¾ traditional

boys said no and 53% of girls said no. The reason

characteristics and ¼ nontraditional character-

for boys saying no was because they believe it

istics. The end result of this study is that the boys

would be weird, considering that sports like

After

reading

two

books

with

basketball are boys’ sports and tap dancing is not.

Implications

The reason for girls saying no was because they

The major implications of this literature

also thought it would be weird. What is interesting

review are clear. Overall, boys and girls arrive at

about these results is that a couple of them are

literature with different attitudes based on their

opposite and a couple of them are similar, but all

interests and gender schema. As they read through

of them offer different perceptions of the main

that same literature, many factors influence the

character within each story.

perception they use to understand it. Parents,

The last example to help solidify this theme of

family members, peers, media, educational settings,

perception is another study from Peggy Rice

educational personnel, and instructional materials

(2002). In this study, Rice (2002) examines the

are examples of sources that directly and indirectly

effectiveness of dramatizing stories that portray

send messages about gender roles to children.

nontraditional gender roles. Children scored four

Behavior, language, and visual representations are

carefully selected nontraditional stories based on a

a few ways in which these messages are received

1-3-5 scale with one representing a dislike of the

(Greever, Austin, & Welhousen, 2000). The

story and five representing a strong like of the

sociocultural environment in which each child is

story. After a dramatization of each story, children

placed, plays a major role in their individual

scored the stories again to allow for comparison.

learning. This places a large part of the

Based on the results of the children’s collective

responsibility of gender responses to literature in

scores, it was clear that both genders scored each

the hands of parents, teachers, and administration.

story

higher

the

One of the issues surrounding reader

that

responses and the differences between genders is a

dramatizing stories affects children’s responses to

child’s gender schema. Considering that this

a story in which the characters are portrayed in

gender schema interferes with the accurate

nontraditional roles in a positive manner, especially

recollection

boys” (Rice, 2002, p. 6). After reviewing the

(Frawley, 2008), we need to start there. Our

comments from the children in the study, several

children are forgetting information, adding

of them mentioned how entering the story through

incorrect information, and distorting information

drama affected them and helped them get to know

from their text based on what they know about

the characters better. Their perceptions of the

gender. This is where educators come into play and

characters prior to dramatization and afterwards

educate their students on nontraditional gender

had changed significantly once they were able to

roles. Literature is a powerful tool in the agent of

actively understand more about the role they

change, and teachers should take advantage of this

played.

tool in their classrooms. They can bring parents,

dramatization.

than “The

they

did

results

before indicate

information

within

reading

administration, and community members on board

more than I had first anticipated. It is more than

in order to educate them on the resources available.

children responding to literature, it is a whole new

As educators, we cannot expect a boy to think like

world in its own. I was not only able to find more

a girl or a girl to think like a boy. We also cannot

information concerning the reasons behind

accept a boy to think only like a boy or a girl to

Chavo’s struggle, but I also found topics for

think only like a girl. We need to expose them to

further research. The topic of this article is far from

all ways of thinking and allow each child to think

complete, and this literature review has only hit the

according to how they individually process this

tip of the iceberg. I believe there needs to be more

new awareness to nontraditional thought.

research about the role parents play in the gender

The research within this literature review

schema formation of their child. I also think that

should make it clear that there are many factors

research needs to look deeper into teacher attitudes

outside of our control that form the identity of

and their chosen instruction when it comes to

each child, and those factors are still very

gender roles and how they portray them. Finally,

traditional.

and

the difference between the preferences of boys and

nontraditional is not necessarily good. What we

girls has never been clearer. It is not our children’s

need to do is accept children for who they are, but

fault that they have the perceptions they do when

help them see that their chosen identity is not the

we continue to exhibit the same traditional

only one in existence. The reader responses in this

behaviors and use the same traditional literature.

research reveals the limited view of children based

Before we look at student responses, we need to

on their gender. In order for them to become

look at our own behavior as educators. Boys and

future global citizens and agents of change in our

girls do not necessarily need to change their

society, we must expose them to the fact that their

literature preferences, we need to change our

gender is part of who they are, but it is not all they

methods. Instead of immediately trying to reach

are. The goal is to stop limiting our students and

boys and evaluate them through fictional literature,

help them see that being different is not a bad

we first need to expand into their personal

thing, both for characters in their stories and

interests. Including nontraditional roles within

people in their real lives. We need to help them

nonfiction and factual text would be a great place

understand that adjusting their thinking will not

to start. This would also assist girls who enjoy these

change their chosen gender, and that it is okay for

genres. We cannot continue to expect that children

them to expand their perspectives.

will adapt and expand their thinking on our terms;

Traditional

not

bad,

we need to start going to them and making

Conclusion What I learned through this research is much 48

adjustments to our own thinking first.

References Apple, M. W. (1993). Official knowledge: Democratic education in a conservative age, New York, NY: Routledge. Arizpe, E. (2001). Responding to a ‘Conquistadora’: Readers talk about gender in Mexican secondary schools. Gender and Education, 13(1), 25-37. Bakhtin, M. (1986). Speech genres and other late essays. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. Barajas, K. E. (2008). Beyond stereotypes? Talking about gender in school book talk. Ethnography and Education, 3(2), 129-144. Cherland, M. (1992). Gendered readings: Cultural constraints upon response to literature. The New Advocate, 5, 187-198. Childress, G. (1985). Gender gap in the library: Different choices for boys and girls. Top of the News, 42(1), 69-73. Davies, B. (1993). Shards of glass: Children reading and writing beyond gendered identities. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Farris, P. J., Werderich, D. E., Nelson, P. A., & Fuhler, C. J. (2009). Male call: Fifth-grade boys’ reading preferences. The Reading Teacher 63(3), 180-188. Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Reading, MA: AddisonWesley. Frawley, T. J. (2008). Gender schema and prejudicial recall: How children misremember, fabricate, and distort gendered picture book information. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 22(3), 291-303. Gee, J. P. (2011). Discourse analysis: What makes it critical?. In R. Rogers (Ed.), An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education (pp. 23-45). New York, NY: Routledge. Greever, E. A., Austin, P., & Welhousen, K. (2000). William’s doll revisited. Language Arts, 77(4), 324-330.

Gurian, M., & Henley, P. (2001). Boys and girls learn differently: A guide for teachers and parents. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kohlberg, L. (1966). A cognitive-developmental analysis of children’s sex-role concepts and attitudes. In E. E. Maccoby (Ed.), The development of sex differences. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 82-173. Lopez-Bonilla, G. (2011). Narratives of exclusion and the construction of the self. In R. Rogers (Ed.), An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education. New York, NY: Routledge, 46-67. Marsh, J., & Lammers, J. C. (2011). Figured worlds and discourses of masculinity: Being a boy in a literacy classroom. In R. Rogers (Ed.), An introduction to critical discourse analysis in education. New York, NY: Routledge, 93-115. Martin, C. L., & Halverson, C. F. (1981). A schematic processing model of sex typing and stereotyping in children. Child Development, 52, 1119-1134. McKenna, M. C., Conradi, K., Lawrence, C., Jang, B. G., & Meyer, J. P. (2012). Reading attitudes of middle school students: Results of a U.S. survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(3), 283-306. Reuter, K. (2007). Assessing aesthetic relevance: Children’s book selection in a digital library. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 58(12), 1745-1763. Rice, P. S. (2000). Gendered readings of a traditional “feminist” folktale by sixth-grade boys and girls. Journal of Literacy Research, 32(2), 211-236. Rice, P. S. (2002, May). Examining the effectiveness of entering the story world of characters portraying diverse gender roles. Presentation at the annual meeting of the International Reading Association, San Francisco, CA.

Rice, P. S. (2002). Creating spaces for boys and girls to expand their definitions of masculinity and femininity through children’s literature. Journal of Children’s Literature, 28(2), 33-42. Rosenblatt, L. (1994). The reader, the text, the poem: The transactional theory of the literary work (2nd Ed.). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois Press. Senn, N. (2012). Effective approaches to motivate and engage reluctant boys in literacy. The Reading Teacher, 66(3), 211220.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 50

Sipe, L. R. (1999). Children’s response to literature: Author, text, reader, context. Theory Into Practice, 38(3), 120-129. Sipe, L. R., & McGuire, C. E. (2006). Young children’s resistance to stories. The Reading Teacher, 60(1), 6-13. Smith, M. W., & Wilhelm, J. D. (2002). Reading don’t fix no Chevys: Literacy in the lives of young men. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Trousdale, A. M., & McMillan, S. (2003). “Cinderella was a wuss”: A young girl’s responses to feminist and patriarchal folktales. Children’s Literature in Education, 34(1), 1-28.

>4.#A)/&"93#>4&)#!/.#8*C."#?")*#AF(--.9# 8/()("2# !

by Joan Sedita

! Joan Sedita is the founder of Keys to Literacy, a literacy professional development organization based in MA. Joan has been in the literacy field for over 40 years as a teacher, administrator, and teacher trainer. She has authored multiple literacy professional development programs, including The Key Comprehension Routine, The Key Vocabulary Routine, Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Content Writing, Keys to Early Writing, and Keys to Close Reading. Beginning in 1975, she worked for 23 years at the Landmark School, a pioneer in the development of literacy intervention programs. Joan was one of the three lead trainers in MA for the Reading First Program and was a LETRS author and trainer. Joan received her M.Ed. in Reading from Harvard University and her B.A. from

Boston College.

he literature and discourse related to literacy

passage

reading

comprehension).

Some

instruction tends to focus on reading, even

published reading programs focus on specific

though writing is just as important for student

reading components by design (e.g., phonological

literacy achievement. In addition, significant

awareness programs for young children, phonics

attention is paid to the multi-component nature of

programs for the primary grades) and core reading

skilled reading, while writing tends to be referred

programs identify how discrete reading skills are

to as a single, monolithic skill.

addressed in daily or weekly lessons.

Much has been written about the multiplicity

On the other hand, when attention is paid to

of skills involved in reading, beginning with the

writing instruction, teachers are not sure what

“five components” model that became popular

writing instruction should include. Many educators

after the 2000 report of the National Reading Panel

who are knowledgeable about effective reading

(e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,

instruction are not able to (a) identify the

comprehension). Levels of language skills are often

components of skilled writing, (b) explain how

referred to in terms of how they contribute to

levels of language contribute to skilled writing, (c)

skilled reading (e.g., phonology, orthography, morphology,

identify a set of writing assessments, or (d) suggest

syntax, semantics, discourse). School assessment plans

a comprehensive curriculum for teaching writing.

typically organize formal and informal measures

With a nod to Hollis Scarborough’s “Reading

around the discrete reading skills that they measure

Rope,” I’d like to suggest a model that identifies

(e.g., phonemic awareness, word or passage oral

the multiple components that are necessary for

reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge, sentence

skilled writing. In 2001, Scarborough published a 51

graphic that depicts multiple components of

their application, leading to fluent reading

language

comprehension.

comprehension

(e.g.,

background

knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning,

literacy

knowledge)

recognition

(e.g.,

phonological

and

A similar “rope” metaphor can be used to

word

depict the many strands that contribute to fluent,

awareness,

skilled writing, as shown in the graphic below. It

decoding, sight recognition) as strands in a rope.

should be noted that instruction for many skills

As students develop skills in these components,

that support writing also support reading

they become increasingly strategic and automatic in

comprehension.

The Critical Thinking Strand

comprehension skills to gather information from

This strand draws significantly on critical

sources. Students benefit from explicit instruction

thinking and executive function skills, as well as the

for brainstorming strategies and skills for gathering

ability to develop background knowledge about a

information from written and multi-media sources,

writing topic. It also requires an awareness of the

such as note-taking. They also need to learn

writing process (i.e., organizing, drafting, writing,

planning strategies for organizing their thoughts,

revising). Students engage in critical thinking as

including the use of prewriting graphic organizers.

they think about

Students need to be metacognitive and purposeful

what they want to communicate through their

about working recursively through the stage of the

writing. If they are composing an informational or

writing process, and they benefit from explicit

opinion piece, they may need to tap into

instruction in revising and editing strategies.

organized around a central idea and

The Syntax Strand

supporting details.

Individual sentences communicate ideas that add up to make meaning. Efficient processing of

•

Patterns of organization: understanding

sentence structure is necessary for listening and

that sentences and paragraphs can be

reading

for

organized to convey a specific purpose;

communicating information and ideas in writing.

including description, sequence, cause and

Syntax is the study and understanding of grammar

effect, compare and contrast, problem and

- the system and arrangement of words, phrases,

solution.

comprehension,

well

and clauses that make up a sentence. Students

•

Linking and transition words or phrases:

develop syntactic awareness as they learn the

being able to use words or phrases to link

correct use and relationship of words in sentences.

sentences, paragraphs or sections of text;

This begins with exposure to proper English by

including

knowledge

listening to people talk and reading or listening to

associated

with

written text. Students benefit from explicit

organization.

specific

transitions patterns

instruction focused on building sentence skills, including activities such as sentence elaboration

The Writing Craft Strand

and sentence combining.

This strand addresses skills and strategies often referred to as “writers’ craft” or “writers’ moves.”

The Text Structure Strand

Students benefit from explicit instruction in the

Text structure is unique to written language, and awareness of several levels of text structure

following: •

Word choice: using specific vocabulary,

supports both writing and reading comprehension.

word placement, and dialogue to convey

Students benefit from explicit instruction in several

meaning and create an effect on the reader. •

levels of text structure: •

Narrative, informational, and opinion text

being mindful of these elements in order to

structure:

influence decisions about word choice,

knowing

the

different

tone, length, and style of a writing piece.

organization structures for these three types of writing; including the use of

•

Awareness of task, audience, and purpose:

•

Literary devices: understanding and using

introductions, body development, and

common literary elements (e.g., plot,

conclusions.

setting, narrative, characters, theme) and

Paragraph structure: understanding that

literary

written paragraphs are used to “chunk”

personification,

text into manageable units that are

alliteration, allegory, irony).

techniques

(e.g.,

figurative

imagery, language,

writing assessment results (2011) should be even

The Transcription Strand and

more concerning: Only 24% of students at both

handwriting (or keyboarding) skills. They are basic

grades 8 and 12 performed at the proficient level.

skills that are needed to transcribe the words a

In reporting these NAEP scores, it was noted, “It

writer wants to put into writing. Just as developing

is clear that the ability to use written language to

fluency with decoding skills enables students to

communicate with others - and the corresponding

focus on making meaning while reading, the

need for effective writing instruction and

sooner students become automatic and fluent with

assessment - is more relevant than ever.” Yet the

spelling and handwriting, the sooner they will be

degree of focus placed on writing is much less than

able to focus their attention on the other strands of

the attention paid to reading.

This

strand

addresses

spelling

the writing rope. During the primary grades, students benefit from explicit instruction in spelling

(e.g.,

phonics)

handwriting,

In Conclusion

and

keyboarding.

I have been a literacy educator for over 40 years, with most of that time spent teaching students how to read and write, and teachers how to apply evidence-based practices for teaching

Low Levels of Writing Proficiency Much attention has been placed on the 2019

reading and writing. I am heartened by the

National Assessment of Education Progress

expanded national ad local discussions taking place

(NAEP) reading assessment results showing that

about the instructional implications of the science

the average reading scores in the U.S. were lower

of reading. However, a similar emphasis must be

for both fourth- and eighth-grade students

placed on writing. My hope is that the “writing

compared to 2017, with only 35% of fourth graders

rope” will help educators understand the

and 34% of eighth graders scoring at or above

components of skilled and promote a more robust

proficient. However, the most recent NAEP

discussion about writing instruction.

References National Center for Education Statistics (2012) The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2011 (NCES 2012–470). Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. National Center for Education Statistics (2011). The Nation's Report Card: Reading 2011 (NCES 2012–457). National Center for Education 54

Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson. (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy (pp. 97– 110). Guilford Press.

;/("0(<&-#&3#?"3)/=0)(*"&-#5.&9./:#G*H#I".# A04**-#;/("0(<&-#64&'<(*".9#)4.#6&=3.#*+# $J=()1#("#5()./&01# by Brett Bishop, Anthony Hill, and Kerry Purcell Mr. Bishop is a Lead Senior Consultant with Focused Schools and a member of the Leadership Team. He is an expert facilitator of professional development, executive coach, and a technical assistance provider to school and district leaders across the country. Brett has provided support to hundreds of school leadership teams, school administration, and district office leaders, as they work to develop strong systems and structures that get results. Brett began his education career in the Springfield, MA Public Schools. During twelve years in the district, Brett served as a teacher and assistant principal before becoming the principal of the East Street School in Ludlow, MA. Under his leadership, the school made significant gains in student achievement, was removed from In Need of Improvement status, and the district was one of only two in the state to move out of Corrective Action. The school was also recognized by the Massachusetts Legislature for outstanding work in creating trauma-sensitive learning environments. Brett recently partnered with Kerry Purcell, co-author of their newly released book, Focused Schools: Transforming Teaching and Learning for Every Student, Every Day. Dr. Hill is a Senior Consultant with Focused Schools. His expert facilitation and coaching skills empower school and district leaders to inspire, motivate, and create a supportive environment for children, adolescents, and their families to attain academic success in a rigorous and safe learning environment. Tony served as a school social worker, school adjustment counselor, assistant principal, and principal in Springfield, MA, with a focus on reaching and teaching all students by leading for results using both influence and authority. Tony also serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. Tony has traveled the country and is highly sought after to serve as a keynote speaker on topics including the multigenerational workforce, diversity and inclusion, trauma sensitive education, and social advocacy. Ms. Purcell is a Senior Executive and Partner with Focused Schools and an expert leader, developer of curriculum, facilitator of professional development, executive coach, and technical assistance provider to school and district leaders across the country. Kerry has provided support to hundreds of school leadership teams, district office leaders, and instructional coaches as they work to develop strong systems and structures that get results. Prior to leading Focused Schools, Kerry served for eight years as a Senior Consultant with the company. Before coming to Focused Schools, Kerry was a teacher and principal for Springfield Public Schools in Illinois. As the principal of Harvard Park School, the school was removed from the state watch list due to rapid gains in student achievement. Harvard Park was also one of two schools selected to be featured in the PBS full-length documentary, The Principal Story. Funded by the Wallace Foundation, this documentary explores the complex role of the principal and the impact that this role plays in the quest for lasting improvement. Kerry has been asked to keynote national conferences, including the ASCD conference; served as an adjunct professor for Concordia University; and has co-authored the book, Focused Schools: Transforming Teaching and Learning for Every Student, Every Day.

ffective teaching and learning for all students

students. And those teachers need administrators

in our schools will determine the future of this

who are leaders of literacy. Douglas Reeves states,

country. Schools need teachers who are equipped

“literacy is the top priority of equity and excellence

to effectively teach literacy and who genuinely care

in schools” (Reeves, 2020, p. 41). It is vital to have

about academic success while simultaneously

strategies developed around literacy, including

nurturing the social and emotional well-being of all

phonemic

awareness,

phonics,

fluency, 55

vocabulary/language development, comprehend-

Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

sion, and getting children excited about learning. In

For more detailed demographic information about

addition, meaningful, caring relationships between

Congdon, visit https://bit.ly/3dz4gSc. In any

teachers and school administrators with students

typical year, approximately one-third of all students

can play an essential role in maintaining a positive

reached the advanced or proficient level on

educational experience for students. All students

standardized testing in both Math and ELA.

deserve an adequate education designed to deliver

In July of 2015, Ms. Darcie Aungst was

on the promise to prepare and equip them to

announced as the new principal after serving as a

choose to be socially mobile assets to the global

middle school assistant principal in New Bedford

economy, free from any stereotypes associated

Public

with their socioeconomic class or zip code.

principalship, and she was excited for the

Schools (NBPS). It was her

first

This article details the actual experiences of

opportunity to continue to serve students. The

how one principal in New Bedford Public Schools

school building was old and showing wear, but the

(MA) partnered with her Schoolwide Instructional

staff was dedicated and welcomed her arrival. They

Leadership Team (SILT) and the entire staff to

were hoping that her promises to stay would

successfully turn her school around through

actually come true.

promoting and championing literacy for all

The remarkable progress that occurred at

students, including the most at-risk and vulnerable

Congdon Elementary over the next four years has

learners.

received

significant

attention

and

acclaim,

including being recognized two years in a row by

One School’s Story James B. Congdon Elementary School is located in the south end of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and serves approximately 300 students in kindergarten through grade five. The school, built in 1907, sits in a densely clustered neighborhood, with roads narrow enough to present challenges for passage in times of snow in this coastal New England city. More than 85% of Congdon students are designated as “high needs,” and over 50% are identified as “first language other than English” by the Massachusetts Department of

DESE as a “School of Recognition.” Congdon Elementary was highlighted as one of six schools in Massachusetts receiving commendations in all three areas of high achievement, high growth, and exceptional performance relative to improvement targets. (See Figure 1.) To read more about the Congdon success go to https://bit.ly/3alIU8F. In the following excerpts from the interview, Principal Aungst shares the journey that she and her team led to improve teaching and learning for all students, no exceptions.

Figure 1

Percentage of Students Scoring Advanced or Proficient on Standardized Testing Yearly Comparison James B. Congdon Elememtary School

100 50

0 2015-16

2016-17 ELA

2017-18 Math

2018-19

Science

*Note that the language of this text has been edited in some places to allow clarity for the reader in transition from the spoken to the written word.

Interview With Darcie Aungst, Principal of James B. Congdon Elementary School Interviewer: Can you talk about how you included teachers in leading the improvement efforts? Principal Aungst: We first had to establish the SILT. I made sure that I had representatives from each grade level, special education, ESL, and specialists. Schoolwide representation would ensure that implementation of evidence-based practices would be implemented across the entire school. SILT met regularly and we had the system set up to look at data. In the beginning, we picked one or two data points or standards within the data. If it was showing up in every grade level, we knew it was a systemic problem. Over time, we learned to look at data together. Eventually the teachers lead the conversations and the analysis of the data. I started giving them time with the data ahead of the meeting so that they used meeting time to talk about what they notice and what they wondered. Those conversations started to get really rich, which helped us to discover through lines between the grades. This led to picking standards to attack across the school. For instance, vocabulary was one that was just always killing

Instructional Leadership Team The leaders at Congdon meet regularly and focused only on improving daily teaching and learning. They refer to this team as “SILT: Schoolwide Instructional Leadership Team.” Made up of a cross-section of people representing the full staff, they use data to drive their decisions on important levers like professional development planning, internal account-ability action, and schoolwide com-munication. Darcie attends every meeting of this team but sees one of her roles as ensuring that all voices are heard. This team takes a collaborative approach to making many of the most important decisions regarding instruction at Congdon.

us. In my first year, all students were in the red [below grade level proficiency]. I remember having the discussion with you [Focused Schools], “How do you even know where to start when you are below the state average in every single standard?” We were. There was not one standard where we were even close to the 57

state average. I just remember, and this will be burned in my head forever, that in most grades’ vocabulary acquisition was 36% below the state. At first, the staffs’ reflex was to say, “Well, yes, because they bussed in all the ELLs, of course our vocabulary standards are down.” My response was, “That’s a place we can start then. Let’s really attack that.” As a leader, I realized that at that moment I had to let the teachers grapple with the data. After the grappling, we then spent the majority of our SLT time asking ourselves, “What are we going to do about it?” Interviewer: Yeah. Well, what is it that they say in education? We are really good at admiring the problem. Principal Aungst: Yes, that is so. I don’t know why that is a natural

Darcie spoke to an example of how the teachers used demonstrated student needs in the learning data as the center of collaborative discussions that were initially challenging, but critical, in their ultimate pursuit of collective commitments to instruction.

tendency for people. We just didn’t go there. We decided to take the approach, “We are committed to fixing this; we believe our kids can do this; and we believe that if we accelerate vocabulary development, that is a really strong lever for overall reading comprehension.” And, it’s funny, we’re doing some LETR training now, and that training is around building background knowledge and vocabulary acquisition. Those are the two Impact of Accountable Talk on Student Learning

areas that really are most important for overall reading

comprehension,

plus

decoding,

To hold people accountable, Principal Aungst used learning walks to check for fidelity of implementation. Her learning walks, from the start, focused on the implementation of their SWEBIP. Growth-producing feedback was provided. Teaching and learning began to change. In our conversation, Principal Aungst recalled a time when she started to see students owning their learning:

obviously. But, when you get into the

I would see accountable talk a lot in ELA at first, and now I see it everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. If you came and talked to a student in the hall, they would answer your question, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, sir. I’m Joseph.” In fact, I was in a class the other day where there was a little girl who came seven weeks ago from Guatemala. The teacher asked a question about grazing as the vocabulary word. The student raised her hand, and she said, “I know that the word grazing means ‘to eat,’ and the whole class cheered! It was actually during a learning walk. One of the little first graders noticed one of the learning walk people looking confused as to why they were cheering. So, he said, “We're cheering for her because she's just learning English, and that was her first complete sentence.”

classrooms?

comprehension piece, those two really need to be going full tilt. Interviewer: What process did you and your team use to decide what parts of daily instruction would be the same across all Principal Aungst: Just like I mentioned before about collaboration, that started with the data, so we looked at the literacy standards. As a SILT team, we then started the process of working with all the teachers. I was the facilitator for this. This all came from teachers. I would give a little bit of homework around, “Look at this data. Come back with what you notice, what you wonder, and what you want to do about it.” Then we would have the

meeting and say, “Okay, what are we going to do about it?” The next homework assignment was for everybody to research evidence-based practices that dealt with the identified standard. At the next SILT meeting, the teachers would come back with potential practices and start great discussions. We then boiled it down to one or two schoolwide evidence-based practices (SWEBIPs). But I wanted to make sure, number one, the commitment was that these SWEBIPs would be schoolwide. We didn’t commit to anything that could not be done in every class, including specialists, special education, ESL, math, and ELA. After the practices were selected, the SILT designed targeted professional development. We started with one SWEBIP - accountable talk. During professional development we modeled what we wanted them to do with students using accountable talk and language. Grade-level groups came up with their own commitments and expectations for what accountable talk would look like. Anchor charts were then developed and were used in every classroom. Figure 2: One-page Best Practice Definition Documents from James B. Congdon Elementary School, New Bedford Public Schools (MA)

During early implementation, I would notice on my learning walks that everyone had the exact same anchor chart. However, some anchor charts had cobwebs and dust in the corner as if they had never been used. Why? The teachers did not have ownership over the SWEBIP. I brought this data to the next professional development meeting to discuss. I asked for volunteers to hold the meetings in their classroom so that we could collectively see how the anchor charts were used and what they could take away from these observations. We also provided resources. In other words, we equipped our teachers with the appropriate tools and resources. Evidence-Based Instructional Practices Darcie and her team lead their staff in identifying and implementing a narrow set of evidence-based instructional practices (you hear her refer to them in the interview as, SWEBIP for Schoolwide Evidence-Based Instructional Practices). Their goal was to use student learning to come to collective agreements on what parts of the instructional day will be the same across all classrooms, content areas, and grade levels. In an effort to provide clarity regarding their expectations for how these would be implemented, they created one-page definition documents for each of these practices that summarized their research and subsequent meetings with the staff. These documents are included below. (See Figures 2, 3, and 4)

Interviewer: Are you saying that you had bounds, and within those bounds, you gave teachers some autonomy to make choices that were good for their students? Principal Aungst: Exactly. What started happening was that teachers were changing the way they taught because the conversations and decisions were not coming from me. They were coming from the SILT. To this day, I still notice teachers trying new things. I also built a lot of psychological safety for the staff. I would consistently say, “I would rather have you try this and fail miserably than have your students not talking and thinking in complete thoughts and sentences. So, don’t worry if your class gets out of control a little bit.” We had a little bit of that

Data Is Just a Number Unless We Do Something With It We used all kinds of data. I would say to the staff after an informal walk, something like, “The data showed that we had 33 percent student talk and 67 percent teacher talk. We can do better than that.

old school, “If I let them talk, I'll never get them silent again.” I had to alleviate fears by saying, “It’s okay if you fail. I would

-Darcie Aungst.

just be so happy to see you fail because you were trying something new.” Things were changing! I also made a commitment to them that I was going to be there, and that I would not throw all this hard work out the next year. I promised that this would be something that we build upon and use every single year. Fast forward to now and you will see that accountable talk and academic discourse are everywhere. Interviewer: What would you say you did to both sustain yourself as a leader and also the teachers and your team? How did you and your team keep the main thing the main thing? 60

Figure 3. One-page Best Practice Definition Documents from James B. Congdon Elementary School, New Bedford Public Schools (MA)

Principal Aungst: The “one-pagers” [one-page description of what good work looks like related to each; see Figures 2 and 3 ) were helpful. Also helpful was our schoolwide approach to marketing our SWEBIPs. We talked about our SWEBIPs on morning announcements. We would give shout-outs when we heard the SWEBIPs being used. We would re-emphasize them. I provided formal feedback, both positive and growthproducing feedback, related to the implementation of the SWEBIPs. We made sure the practices were incorporated in all subjects. Simply put, we committed. Interviewer: Could you share the challenges you and your team considered when choosing evidence-based instructional practices, and how the number of English Language Learners shaped your decisions? Principal Aungst: Yes, absolutely. I was thinking that the reason we picked accountable talk and academic discourse is because so many of our students were struggling. I will never forget the number: 33 percent of my school was a Level One English Learner. It was a strange dynamic. Since then, I have begged the district 61

to keep the students with us from kindergarten through grade five. The thing that really worked with our SILT, and then again in PD, was that I was really honest about the fact that I needed to learn a lot about the best approaches to accelerating English acquisition for ELLs. I had real empathy for the teachers. I remember saying, “You must be so worried and afraid of failure and what to do when a student walks in with not even enough English to say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Right? That must be what you think about during guided reading time. This must be what you consider during small-group instruction.” In other words, we had to focus on this subgroup. And so, I said, “We need to find out together what the best practices are.” I think when the leader has empathy for what’s going on, they’re so open to say, “Yes, we need help.” As a leader, you have to intentionally create that. Because otherwise, I think that's where the defensive reactions like, “It’s the kids,” or “What am I supposed

Instructional Focus Facing student learning results that were consistently unacceptable, the staff at Congdon decided that they were trying to do too many things, and were not getting good at any of them, because they were spread too thin. The leadership team led the staff in a protocol designed to use learning data to identify an instructional focus to address the most central and pressing student needs. In the interview, Principal Aungst refers to the “kidfriendly” version of this focus, “Listen and Read to Know, Speak and Write to Show.”

to do?” or “They don’t speak any English,” creep in. So, together we worked a lot on explicit teaching and listening for things. We focused on using readalouds. We helped students find details in the text. Then the speaking came with accountable talk and academic discourse. This led to the development of our schoolwide instructional focus: “Listen and Read to Know, Speak and Write to Show.” We learned speaking is not that different from writing. We really made those connections and committed to, “If we spend time, as scary as it is, developing listening and speaking, then the reading and writing will come.” There just has to be so much less teacher talk and less direct instruction and more time for kids to listen and speak. Interviewer: Is there anything that you would suggest to someone who’s not only leading a school to sustain themselves as a principal, but also to sustain the other leaders and teachers in terms of their “emotional gas tank”? What helped you along the way? Principal Aungst: You guys really gave me leadership. I think if I am talking to other principals who are starting out or who are thrown into a different situation than they are used to, I would say, “It is okay to put other things completely on your back burner and to focus on a few best practices to drive improvement with your instructional focus. That is key and has such a big impact.” Then, you just stick with your choices. Go deep with those practices and commit schoolwide. Align your professional development, observational feedback, and topics for SILT to those practices. I think 62

when you give yourself permission to do a few things really well instead of trying to fix every red data point all at once, you’ll be amazed how those data points move. Interviewer: Are there any lessons that you’ve learned in terms of the idea of where explicit instruction and guided practice are concerned? Are there any lessons you’ve learned along those lines? Principal Aungst: I would say to keep up with the science of reading. As a principal, keep yourself current and informed. Know your students and do what’s right for them. I know this is going to sound ridiculous but one of the most important things for reading is to make sure kids have reading materials in front of them. Students are never going to learn to read if the teacher reads all of the time. They need text in front of them. Even when the teacher is reading, students need text in front of them. They need exposure to grade-level text, and they need scaffolded support around that text. Worksheets never taught anybody how to read. I think a multisensory approach to teaching reading really is phenomenal. That approach has helped our ELLs. Interviewer: Gosh, what an incredible, amazing story your school has to tell. And I am just so happy for you, Darcie, and you’ve done so much to help those kids. And you're such a hero in that district. It’s just an absolute privilege to talk to you about it. Figure 4.: Focused Schools Framework

Principal Aungst: Yeah, you know, I could talk about my school all day. Interviewer: Yes, I could listen to it all day. Are there any other lessons you have learned? Principal Aungst: Continuous learning for teachers and leaders is important. Using data is important. It has helped us to see the great news, as well as where students struggle. By looking at data, we’ve found we have had an impact. And by using the data, you can fill the gaps. Condgon students have consistently grown two and three reading grade levels in one year. It is incredible.

Equity for All: First Best Instruction Darcie described how many students need “the core plus more.” Her teachers used diagnostic data to drive their instructional responses with significant results. We started really using our informal phonics inventories, where you can take a struggling reader in any grade, and you give him these little phonemic awareness and phonics screeners. You can identify where the little gaps are, even by the letter, so you can “spackle the cracks” in the foundation. Once you fill the crack using a doubledose approach, even on a letter or a diphthong, they instantly jump back up. If you can fill those the gaps, their reading comp just falls into place.

About New Bedford Public Schools (MA) Like many school districts around the globe, New

“We are committed to developing lifelong learners of

Bedford Public Schools proudly states their mission

strong character and confidence in their unique

statement on the district webpage. This mission statement

aspirations who can navigate life with excellence,

reads:

integrity and community pride on their voyage through graduation to successful futures.”

What is unique about New Bedford Public Schools, led by Superintendent Thomas Anderson, is that this mission statement is far more than just words on a website. This mission statement guides the work of every staff member across the entire school district. New Bedford Public Schools serves over 12,000 students across its 25 schools. The district leadership is committed to serving those students well. Their instructional focus serves as the centerpiece of their districtwide improvement strategy: All New Bedford students will be: Communicators; Collaborators; Critical Thinkers; Creative Problem Solvers; Confident Individuals; Compassionate Community members. District leadership has re-aligned their work to provide customized and immediate support based on each school’s needs. Targeted professional development for SILTs, teachers, coaches, and school administrators is intended to build capacity. District goals and strategic initiatives are identified and owned by all. SMARTe goals have been set for students and staff, allowing for monitoring of progress. In other words, it’s all hands on deck in New Bedford Public Schools. 64

References Aungst, D. (2020, 3). Personal interview. Purcell, K., Bishop, B., Leight, J. & Palumbo, J. (2019) Focused schools: Transforming teaching and learning for every student, every day. Author.

Reeves, D. (2020). Achieving equity & excellence: Immediate results from the lessons of high poverty, high-success schools. Solution Tree Press. Schmoker, M. (2019). Embracing the power of less. Educational Leadership, 76 (6), 24-29.

A*0(&-#&"9#$'*)(*"&-#5.&/"("2#)4/*=24# 64(-9/."K3#5()./&)=/.# by Allyssa Richardson Allyssa Richardson is a recent graduate of Bridgewater State University. She majored in elementary education and biology. In the future, she plans to teach in an elementary school classroom while working toward a Master of Education degree with a concentration in STEM education.

What Is Social and Emotional Learning?

2017).

ocial and emotional competencies are crucial

process through which someone builds social and

for success in modern society. These include

emotional

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the competencies

(Collaborative

for

both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, such as

Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2008).

making responsible decisions, managing emotions,

These competencies can be broken down into five

and

relationships

categories: self-management, self-awareness, social

Social,

and

awareness, relationship skills, and responsible

Teachers and

decision-making (Collaborative for Academic,

employers alike realize the importance of these

Social, and Emotional Learning, 2008). Self-

competencies, and advocate for their promotion in

management skills include perseverance, delayed

education (Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017). In

gratification,

recent years, school districts have begun to include

management (Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017).

social and emotional learning, or SEL, in the

Individuals that have developed self-management

classroom. In the United States, benchmarks for

skills will be able to set goals for themselves and

social and emotional learning are even being set at

work towards achieving those goals. Self-

the state level (Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017).

awareness means an individual will be able to

SEL has been shown to be an invaluable addition

accurately analyze their own feelings and maintain

to the school environment, as it leads to both

a growth mindset (Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017).

short-term and long-term positive outcomes for

Social awareness competency includes empathizing

students (Taylor, Oberle, Durlak, & Weissburg,

with others and understanding social norms

maintaining

(Collaborative

for

positive Academic,

Emotional Learning, 2008).

impulse

control,

and

stress

(Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017). Relationship

program’s start (Nickerson et al., 2019). Other

skills include establishing and maintaining positive

long-term studies have concluded that the

relationships with all types of people. In order to

implementation of SEL has long-lasting positive

do this, individuals must possess competent

impacts on students of diverse backgrounds and

communi-cation

skills

ages (Taylor et al., 2017). SEL can have a protective

Finally,

effect on students’ development and lives; for

responsible decision-making means that an

example, one study found that participants in an

individual is able to consider the consequences of

SEL intervention were more likely to graduate high

their choices and how they will affect themselves

school and less likely to use drugs (Taylor et al.,

and others (Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017). SEL

2017). SEL also has a positive impact on academic

should address all five parts of social and emotional

achievement for students (Collaborative for

competency to be most effective (Collaborative for

Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2008).

Research has linked SEL integration in schools

(Dusenbury

and

cooperation

Weissburg,

2017).

with test score increases of 11-17 percentile points

Why Is SEL Important? Research has shown that SEL impacts

(Collaborative

for

Academic,

Social,

and

Emotional Learning, 2008).

students positively through improved behavior example, the introduction of SEL into the

How Can SEL Be Included in the Classroom?

elementary school classroom has been shown to

Since the benefits of SEL are so significant,

support the development of executive function

schools need to have realistic, practical ways to

skills, like the ability to refocus attention, which is

implement it. There are structured SEL programs

essential to learning. Specifically, mindfulness

available for schools to take advantage of that

practices such as deep breathing help students self-

include lessons, resources, and training (Low,

regulate, which leads to building social and

Smolkowski, Cook, & Desfosses, 2019). Some

emotional competencies (Dusenbury & Weissburg,

programs have integrated SEL standards that

2017). SEL in schools has also been linked with less

provide goals and benchmarks from preschool to

disruptive behavior in the classroom and lower

high school (Zinsser, Weissberg, & Dusenbury,

rates of discipline like suspension (Nickerson,

2013).

Fredrick, Allen, & Jenkins, 2019). Furthermore, the

SAFE programs. SAFE stands for sequenced,

implementation of formal SEL programs in

active, focused, and explicit (Collaborative for

schools has been shown to lead to decreased rates

Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2008).

of bullying and aggression, even years after the

These programs, sequenced in a developmentally

over time (Dusenbury & Weissburg, 2017). For

The most effective SEL programs are

appropriate way, include active forms of learning

2016). Additionally, by analyzing the conflict

like role-plays, are focused on exclusively teaching

between two characters in a story (e.g., Enemy Pie

social and emotional skills, and teach explicit and

by Derek Munson), students can consider how to

specific social and emotional skills (Collaborative

resolve conflict in their own lives (Britt et al. 2016).

for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning,

Exposure to books containing SEL themes

2008). However, schools do not need to invest in a

provides an opportunity for students to practice

formal, structured SEL program for students to

emotional vocabulary. Sometimes, children lack

benefit from SEL. Teachers can integrate SEL into

the language to articulate their emotions or to

their classrooms daily (Nickerson et al., 2019).

navigate complex social problems. Explicit

Research has shown that student perception is a

instruction of emotional and social vocabulary

powerful influence, and it alone can impact student

through literature allow students to learn this

outcomes. Students who perceive that SEL is

language and gain more ownership over their social

emphasized in their school are more likely to

and emotional situations (Doyle & Bramwell,

experience its positive benefits (Nickerson et al.,

2006).

2019). Teachers can begin working with their

Research has shown that when students

students toward social and emotional competency

engage in authentic social situations when learning

through SEL on any regular school day.

literacy, SEL increases (Venegas, 2019). Students

One way for teachers to implement SEL in

build

social

skills

interacting

and

their classrooms is through children’s literature.

communicating with one another, and they build

Teachers do not need to take away from academic

emotional skills by practicing empathy when

content time to integrate SEL (Doyle & Bramwell,

listening to someone else or considering another

2006). By thoughtfully selecting quality books that

point of view (Schlund, 2019). Two strategies for

include social or emotional content, teachers can

combining SEL with literacy are interactive read

build

skills

alouds and literature circles (Britt et al., 2016;

simultaneously (Britt, Wilkins, Davis, & Bowlin,

Doyle & Bramwell, 2006; Venegas, 2019). Read

2016).

alouds

social, Fiction

emotional, contains

and an

literacy

abundance

are

commonly

used

for

literacy

opportunities to integrate SEL and for students to

development in classrooms with young children.

make text-to-self connections. For example, a

They aid in the development of vocabulary,

literary discussion of character motivation might

fluency, and background knowledge (Britt et al.,

lead to a conversation about empathy and point of

2016). They can be used with a whole class or a

view (e.g.. The Bad Seed by Jory John). Students can

small group. A read aloud is focused on SEL when

gain insight into their own lives and problems by

the teacher intentionally selects a developmentally

empathizing with a character in a book (Britt et al.,

appropriate book that teaches a targeted social or

emotional skill (Britt et al., 2016). For example,

Additionally, multiple readings of the same book

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon teaches

have been shown to be beneficial to students

perseverance, a self-management skill. Ralph has

(Doyle & Bramwell, 2006). When students are

trouble thinking of a story to write, and the longer

exposed to the same text multiple times, they

he is stuck the worse he feels. Before the read

gradually become more engaged in the text and are

aloud, the teacher should preview the book and

able to speak about it more elaborately (Doyle &

develop meaningful questions that encourage

Bramwell, 2006). Finally, read alouds can lead to

comprehension

text-to-self

opportunities to explicitly teach social or emotional

connections. A question for Ralph Tells a Story

skills. For example, a story about a character who

could be, “Have you ever found it hard to do

is angry might lead to a lesson about strategies to

something in school? How did you feel?”

calm yourself down (Doyle & Bramwell, 2006) For

Previewing the text also helps the teacher become

Ralph Tells a Story, the whole lesson could be

familiar with the book in order to model fluent,

focused on perseverance and growth mindset

expressive reading (Britt et al., 2016). During the

strategies.

and

making

read aloud with the students, the teacher should set

Literature circles are small groups of

a specific purpose for reading by directing the

students that provide opportunities for students to

children’s attention to a particular feature of the

practice both literacy skills and SEL skills

story or giving them something to reflect on during

(Venegas, 2019). These small groups of students

the reading (Britt et al., 2016). For Ralph Tells a

meet periodically over time to discuss the book

Story, this could be something like asking the

they are reading. Working in a literature circle

students to think about how Ralph is feeling as he

requires students to employ a range of SEL skills.

watches his friends write their stories. The teacher

For example, they must be cooperative, be able to

should also ask the students the purposeful

self-regulate,

questions, not only to build literacy skills but to

contributions, know how to resolve conflicts, and

build social interaction skills as well. After the read

listen to others with empathy (Venegas, 2019).

aloud, enrichment activities can provide additional

Literature circles are student-led and encourage

opportunities for text-to-self connections that lead

higher-order thinking. Student grouping for a

to SEL and growth (Britt et al., 2016). An activity

literature circle could be dynamic, meaning that the

for Ralph Tells a Story might be having the students

roles within the group change at each meeting, as

write their own tips for someone who is struggling

well as which students are in the group (Venegas,

like Ralph to keep in the classroom as a resource,

2019). One week, one student could be in charge

or having the students come up with strategies for

of summarizing a section of text, while the next

themselves in areas where they sometimes struggle.

week they could be in charge of defining new

have

self-confidence

their

vocabulary. Using this dynamic grouping model,

something in school, or with self-worth in general.

teachers can intentionally create heterogeneous

The teacher can encourage students to make these

groups of students with different SEL competency

personal connections to specific SEL topics just by

strengths and weaknesses (Venegas, 2019). The

selecting this book to read and discuss in a

text selection can also be purposeful and intended

literature circle.

for students to explicitly discuss SEL topics. For

When selecting any literature to use in a classroom

example, the book Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullally

to promote SEL, teachers must be thoughtful and

Hunt might be selected for students to discuss

intentional. As previously discussed, SEL should

growth mindset, self-esteem, or self-efficacy. It is

be SAFE: sequenced, active, focused, and explicit.

about a girl who has very low self-worth because

Teachers can choose a sequenced text by ensuring

school is difficult for her. She does not realize she

it is developmentally appropriate for their students,

has dyslexia and that is why reading and writing are

and they can plan active lessons that explicitly teach

so hard. By the end of the story, she develops

a focused skill. By effectively integrating children’s

better self-esteem and a more positive sense of

literature to promote SEL in the classroom daily,

self-efficacy. Many students would be able to make

teachers can significantly affect their students’

a social or emotional connection to this story, as

success in school and in life.

everyone at some point has struggled with Selected Children’s Literature for Social and Emotional Learning Lower Elementary

Younger elementary students are still learning how to interact with others, recognize their emotions, and exist in a school setting. They sometimes need help understanding new, more abstract social and emotional concepts. The books included for this age group focus on naming and coping with feelings, modeling basic interactions with others, and promoting positive self-image and self-efficacy. I Am Enough by Grace Byers Illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo Self-awareness, Social awareness This book teaches self-love and acceptance, as well as respect for others. The illustrations show young girls from diverse backgrounds loving and celebrating themselves, and also working together positively. The message of the book is that every individual is powerful, special, and capable, and that we should respect everyone, even if they don’t look like us or agree with us. This book could be used to encourage young elementary students to view themselves as capable and valuable individuals. It could also be used to start conversations about respecting differences in a community. When Sadness Is at Your Door by Eva Eland Self-management, Self-awareness In this story, a blue figure depicting sadness shows up at a child’s door unexpectedly. At first, the child tries to hide the sadness, but that makes the child feel worse. Eventually, the child tries different strategies, such as doing something they both enjoy. These strategies help the child deal with sadness in a much more positive way. In this book, sadness eventually leaves. However, the purpose of this story is not how to make sadness disappear; it’s actually how to cope with sadness in a realistic and healthy way. This story gives physical form to an often overwhelming, abstract emotion. It also provides young children with useful language to describe how sadness feels, as well as some strategies they can use to recognize and deal with their own sadness in a constructive, healthy way. Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon Self-management, Self-awareness It is writing time in Ralph’s classroom, but he doesn’t know what to write about. He tries everything and looks everywhere for a story, but he is frustrated and embarrassed. His friend Daisy finds it easy to write, and it makes Ralph feel down on himself. When it’s time to share with the class, Ralph is nervous. He does not have a written story, but he begins to tell a story and gets a wildly positive response from his peers. After that, he is no longer afraid to write. Strategies are provided to become more comfortable with writing. Young children learn perseverance and a growth mindset. 70

Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose Illustrated by Debbie Tilley Responsible decision-making, Social awareness This story is a conversation between a kid and the ant that he is about to squish with his sneaker. The ant tries to convince the kid that he shouldn’t be squished, and the kid provides reasons why it’s ok to squish him. The ant’s rebuttals teach empathy and tolerance for someone different than you. The illustrations show that the ant and the kid aren’t all that different at all. This book underscores the idea that it’s easier to be mean to someone you don’t relate to or know that much about. Learning about someone and being able to have empathy for them is an important social and emotional skill for young elementary children to practice. The book ends by asking the reader what they think the kid should do. This book could lead to lessons about right and wrong, as well as how to make responsible decisions. The Bad Seed by Jory John Illustrated by Pete Oswald Social awareness, Self-management, Responsible decision-making In this story, a sunflower seed introduces himself as a “bad seed,” and explains that it’s because everyone says so. The seed does bad things sometimes, like cutting in line or not washing his hands. He explains that he became a bad seed after being taken away from his family and sold as a snack in a bag of sunflower seeds. After he was spit out and discarded, he was sad and misbehaved. He decides to try to be a better seed by making changes in his behavior. In the end, other seeds start to see him as not so bad after all. The seed models using self-management skills and responsible decision-making skills to recognize his bad behavior and decide to make some constructive changes in his life. This book could also be used with young children to discuss how talking about other people negatively makes them feel, and how everyone has a story and experiences that affect how they act. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig Illustrated by Patrice Barton Social awareness, Responsible decision-making This is story is about a boy named Brian who feels lonely and invisible in his classroom. No one ever seems to notice him or his drawing skills, not even the teacher. When a new student comes to class, Brian is kind to him. By the end of the story, Brian is a celebrated member of a group. The illustrations in this book reinforce the feelings of the character. When Brian feels invisible, he is sketched in black and white. When he feels seen, he is drawn in full color. The Invisible Boy could be used with lower elementary students to teach empathy and social awareness, as well as model how to treat others with kindness and an open mind. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud Illustrated by David Messing Relationship skills, Responsible decision-making This book uses the metaphor of filling a bucket to represent social interaction. Everyone has a bucket that can either be filled or emptied through social interactions. The fuller a bucket is, the happier its owner. Buckets can be filled by making someone else feel good or doing a good deed. Buckets are emptied by negative interactions, like bullying. The book challenges readers to make sure they help fill others’ buckets every day. This explanation of social interaction takes something broad and abstract and turns it into something concrete and easy to understand for young children. This book teaches how to interact with other people in a positive way. It would be useful in a classroom to develop expectations for behavior or build community. Enemy Pie by Derek Munson Illustrated by Tara Calahan King Relationship skills, Responsible decision-making The summer was perfect for one little boy until Jeremy Ross moved into town. Jeremy laughed at the boy when he struck out in baseball and didn’t invite him to his trampoline party. When the boy talks to his dad about his new enemy, the dad suggests “Enemy Pie” as a solution. Dad says that in order for the pie to work, the boy first has to spend all day playing with his enemy. Over the course of the day, they become friends and then enjoy a delicious pie together. They are no longer enemies. This book models constructive conflict resolution by showing the little boy seeking help from an adult and turning a negative relationship into a positive one. This story could encourage younger elementary children to give their “enemies” a second chance and provide them with strategies for conflict resolution. My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor Illustrated by Michelle Polizzi Self-awareness, Self-management This book teaches mindful breathing in a fun way. The book refers to breath as “magic,” because it is powerful and can change your emotional state. It gives times when you should use your magic breath, and then has the reader practice using it. For example, the book recommends using magic breath when you have a lot of thoughts running through your mind, or when you are nervous. The information in this book is useful for young elementary children because it provides them with a versatile strategy they can use to manage their own emotions whenever and wherever they recognize that they need to use it. Mindful “magic” breath is a great tool for students working on perseverance as well as growth mindset. 71

My Strong Mind: A Story About Developing Mental Strength by Niels Van Hove Self-awareness, Self-management Kate is a typical young girl who sometimes gets frustrated, sad, or mad. She reads a book about making your mind stronger, and she decides to try out this new information in her life. Kate models multiple strategies that children can use to develop a growth mindset. For example, she writes down her to-do list and checks off completed tasks. She also counts to ten when she is angry to avoid acting in a way she would regret. Throughout this book, Kate demonstrates numerous strategies and skills that students should practice in order to develop a positive sense of self-efficacy and a growth mindset. These include positive self-talk, perseverance, and mindful breathing. This book could be used with younger elementary school children to empower them to make their mind stronger each and every day.

Upper Elementary

As children grow up, they are exposed to more of life and are faced with more difficult situations that they must figure out how to navigate. These books selected for use with older elementary school children address more complex social and emotional issues, such as peer pressure, bullying, family relationships, pressure and responsibility, and mental illness. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones Responsible decision-making, Social awareness This book is about a boy named Jeremy’s burning desire to own a pair of the school’s trendy sneakers. He is jealous when he sees many other boys in the school walking around with the shoes that he is desperate to have. Unfortunately, his family cannot afford them. When he finds them at a thrift shop, he is ecstatic. The thrift shop shoes are too small for Jeremy, and he endures the pain of his too-small shoes in order to look cool at school. When Jeremy encounters a boy whose shoes are so worn that they are held together with tape, he gives his beloved shoes away. This story could be used with upper elementary students who are beginning to encounter peer pressure in their social lives. Jeremy wants the trendy shoes because he feels social pressure to fit in. However, in the end he makes a responsible decision and gives his shoes away to someone who needs them more. This story is an easy-to-understand introduction to making the right choice in the face of peer pressure. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper Self-awareness, Social awareness Melody is an extremely intelligent fifth grader who has never spoken a single word. She has cerebral palsy, which limits her physical abilities, but not her amazing mind. This book is written from her perspective. The reader is the only one who knows Melody’s inner thoughts, until about halfway through the book when she receives assistive technology to help her communicate everything that’s been stored in her head. Once she can demonstrate how intelligent she really is, she joins her school’s competitive quiz team. However, the other students and some teachers are not sure about having Melody there. This story deals with empathizing with people different from you, social relationships at school and at home, and being kind to others. Primarily, though, this book highlights the mental strength and self-awareness of Melody. She has realistic expectations about her abilities, but she also has a growth mindset and actively advocates for herself and what she knows she needs. This book could lead to discussions about self-reflection and knowing oneself. The Energy Bus for Kids by Jon Gordon Illustrated by Korey Scott Self-management, Responsible decision-making This book teaches how to choose and project positivity. George is having a bad morning and rides the bus to school with a new bus driver, Joy. Over the next few days, Joy teaches George five rules that will help him to stay positive and therefore be happier and more satisfied overall. These rules include things like creating positive visions, doing kind things for others, and not tolerating bullying. At the end, Joy knows that George is now a “positive driver” in the world that will spread positivity wherever he goes. This book is a good tool for teaching children how to make good choices and deal with general, day-to-day challenges, such as running late or getting a bad grade. It is important to note that this book would not be helpful for a child coping with a more serious problem, because in that case it would not be constructive to tell a child in that situation to simply “choose” to be happier. This story should be used to generally provide children with strategies to cope with their everyday problems and to become more giving members of their communities. Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand Self-management, Relationship Skills Finley, an eleven-year-old girl, is staying the entire summer with grandparents she has never met. Her parents need time to “figure things out,” which Finley knows means divorce. No one will tell her what happened between her father and his family that made her father leave. Over the course of the summer, Finley befriends her cousins and uncovers family secrets that have been buried for decades. Her coping mechanism is writing stories about the Everwood, a fantasy world she invented to work out how she feels and to escape. She slowly invites more and more people into the Everwood, and eventually asks for help dealing with her anxiety and depression. This story addresses coping with feelings of anxiety and depression, as well as strained familial relationships. Older elementary or middle school students could discuss self-management strategies and asking for help when faced with intense feelings like Finley. This book could also be used to discuss coping with difficult family members. 72

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Relationship skills, Self-awareness Ally is very bright and is a gifted artist, but she hates school. All of her past teachers have been frustrated with her, and Ally feels alone and worthless. When she gets a new teacher and he doesn’t treat her this way, she feels it’s too good to be true. Her new teacher realizes she has dyslexia, and that’s why reading and writing are so hard for her. The title of this book is derived from the phrase, “If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.” This book teaches about accepting yourself, being proud of your strengths, and knowing when to ask for help if you need it. Ally develops a growth mindset over the course of the story. She also makes great friends and learns that everyone struggles with something, it’s not just her. This book could start meaningful discussions with upper elementary or middle school students about believing in yourself and empathizing with others. Wonder by R. J. Palacio Relationship skills, Responsible decision-making, Social awareness Auggie was born with a facial deformity. Due to his numerous childhood surgeries, he has always been home schooled. However, his parents decide that he should try going to school with other kids for fifth grade. Much of this story is written from Auggie’s perspective, as he navigates going to school and getting stares and mean comments from some of his classmates. Some of the story is told from the perspectives of people in Auggie’s life, like his friends and family. This is a great book to teach social awareness, because the reader not only sees the struggles of someone who is socially ostracized through their eyes, but through the eyes of the people who love him as well. This story could also start discussions about responsible decision-making. Auggie and his friends and family have to make a lot of decisions about the best way to behave in difficult situations throughout the story. Finally, this is a story about family and community, and there are examples of both healthy and unhealthy relationships to be considered. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein Illustrated by Mark Pett Self-management, Self-awareness Nobody calls Beatrice by her name; they call her “the Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes.” She does everything perfectly, from making her brother’s sandwiches with the exact same amount of peanut butter and jelly, to juggling in the annual talent show. Beatrice feels pressure to never make a single mistake. She even skips having fun with her friends because of the chance she will make that first mistake. When the talent show doesn’t go as planned, Beatrice has to figure out how to deal with mistakes. This story will resonate with children who feel pressure to live up to expectations or responsibilities that have been put on their shoulders, either by themselves or someone else. This story could lead to lessons about emotional regulation, as well as accurately assessing one’s own strengths and limitations. This book could be used to help develop a growth mindset. Small Things by Mel Tregonning Self-awareness, Self-management This is a graphic picture book that follows a young boy coping with anxiety and/or depression. Over the course of the story, evillooking tiny monsters follow him around and become more and more looming. His grades slip and his personal relationships are affected. He feels isolated and doesn’t know what to do about the monsters making him crack and crumble. In the end, his sister shows him that she struggles with the monsters, too, and he doesn’t feel so alone. The author of this story intended it to show a struggle with mental illness, but the spooky black monsters could represent any negative emotion that leaves someone feeling exhausted and isolated. Thus, many children with a wide variety of circumstances could relate to this book. The message of this story is that everyone has their own issues to deal with, and human connection is an important piece of coping with them. This book could be a great way of discussing how to recognize and manage more intense emotions, and how to empathize with and reach out to someone who is struggling. Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan Social awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-making This book chronicles the first week of fifth grade for two boys from different backgrounds. Ravi has recently moved to New Jersey with his parents and grandparents from India. In India, he was the top of his class and a star cricket player, and he expects to impress everyone on the first day of school. Things don’t go according to plan for Ravi. Joe is not new to the school, but his big stature and auditory processing disorder make him an outcast. He has low expectations for the schoolyear because of a relentless bully, Dillon. Over the course of the book, the two boys have to figure out how to navigate complicated social relationships with their fifth-grade peers, as well as their families. In the end, they are brought together by acts of kindness and friendship. This book could be used with older elementary students to discuss social relationships and the social structures that begin to form around that age. It could also be used to discuss responsible decision-making. Joe and Ravi are both faced with choices for how they treat others. Sometimes they do the right thing, and sometimes they don’t. Overall, this story is relatable and realistic for this age group, while addressing bullying, diversity, self-awareness, and choosing to do the right thing. The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson Illustrated by Rafael López Social awareness, Relationship skills In the beginning of this story, several children of diverse backgrounds are shown feeling shy, uncertain, and excluded, because of things like their hair, their language, or their food. They feel unhappy and different than their peers until the day they begin to share their stories. Proudly sharing their stories helps the children in the book make connections with others and feel like they belong. This story underlines the importance of bonding over our similarities while also celebrating our wonderful differences. This book could be used in the classroom to help children feel that it is OK to be themselves, communicate their unique stories, and form friendships with classmates that they might think are different. It promotes self-esteem and confidence in oneself, as well as empathy for others. 73

SEL Lesson Plan – Self-Management and Self-Awareness By Allyssa Richardson Grades 1-3 When Sadness Is at Your Door by Eva Eland Learning Outcomes: After reading this story, students will be able to explain that feeling emotions is not wrong. They will also be able to name and employ strategies for dealing with their own emotions. Teacher Content Knowledge: In this story, a blue figure depicting sadness shows up at a child’s door unexpectedly. At first, the child tries to hide their sadness, but that makes them feel worse. Eventually, they try different strategies, such as doing something they both enjoy. These strategies help the child deal with their sadness in a much more positive way. In this book, sadness eventually leaves. However, the purpose of this story is not how to make sadness disappear, it’s actually how to cope with sadness in a realistic and healthy way. This story gives physical form to an often overwhelming, abstract emotion. It also provides young children with useful language to describe how sadness feels, as well as some strategies they can use to recognize and deal with their own sadness in a constructive, healthy way. PRE-READING Activating Prior Knowledge ● Students will complete a quick draw activity to get them to think about sadness. ● Ask students to take five minutes and draw how they feel when they are sad. ● Discuss the drawings as a whole group: How did they draw sadness? What colors did they use? What did they draw themselves doing? Building Background Knowledge ● Introduce students to the title of the book. ● Ask students, “What kinds of things would cause sadness to come to your door?” DURING READING Purpose Setting ● The purpose of reading is to learn that it is ok to be sad, and to learn strategies to cope with sadness. ● Students will predict what the child on the cover will do with sadness. 74

Mode of Reading The teacher will read the story in an interactive read-aloud. Possible Questions 1. After the child tries to hide sadness, ask, “Did hiding sadness make the child feel better or worse? Why didn’t hiding sadness work?” 2. After the child begins to work with their sadness, ask, “Why did the child stop trying to get their sadness to go away? Is being with their sadness helping them feel better?” POST-READING Check Predictions The students will revisit their predictions about what the child will do with sadness. How was the book different than their prediction? Possible Questions 1. What kinds of things did the child do to help the sadness? a) Name the sadness, listen to it, sit quietly together, draw, listen to music, drink hot chocolate, go outside, give it a hug. 2. Why did these things help? a) The child wasn’t afraid of it anymore. b) The child did things to make sadness feel better/more welcome. 3. Where did sadness go? Will it come back? a) Sadness went away because the child feels better. b) Sadness could come back but the child knows what to do now. 4. Is it ok to feel sad? Why? a) There are ways you can deal with feeling sad so that you feel better. RESPONSE TO READING The students will be given a choice of assessment to demonstrate learning and practice different social and emotional skills. 1. Students can work in partners to create and perform a skit about a strategy to deal with an emotion. They might pick anger, fear, or sadness. They have to choose how to represent that emotion, as well as a strategy to cope with it. They then have to perform their skit for the class. This option not only requires students to examine their own feelings, it also requires them to utilize social 75

awareness and relationship skills to work in a partnership. Strategies should not focus on getting the emotion to go away, but rather how to recognize and learn about the emotion until it passes. 2. Students can work independently to illustrate an emotion (anger, fear, sadness) and a strategy to cope with that emotion. Students will write about their illustration depending on their grade level, anywhere from 1-2 sentences to a paragraph. Strategies should not focus on getting the emotion to go away, but rather how to recognize and learn about the emotion until it passes. Working individually, the student must use self-awareness and self-management skills to come up with an emotion they have experienced and a strategy that would help them personally cope with it. Illustrations will be compiled in a classroom book, so students have access to all the strategies as a resource in the future.

SEL Lesson Plan – Social Awareness By Allyssa Richardson Grades 5-6 Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan Learning Outcomes: After reading Chapters 1-4 of Save Me a Seat, students will be able to analyze a single aspect of the story (i.e. a character or an event) from the perspectives of two different characters using text evidence. They will build social awareness skills as they take on the perspective of each character and empathize with the characters’ perceptions and emotions during their analysis. Teacher Content Knowledge: In Chapters 1-4 of Save Me A Seat, both Ravi and Joe describe their experience of the first day of fifth grade up through lunch time. Chapters 1 & 3 are narrated by Ravi, and Chapters 2 & 4 are narrated by Joe. Ravi is a new student from India, where he was top of his class. Joe is an isolated student with auditory processing disorder who is often bullied. They attend the same morning class and the same lunch period, but have very different experiences and perceptions in each. Ravi is frustrated that his intelligence is not coming across to his new class, but he knows Dillon Samreen (the only other Indian student in the class) must understand and want to be his friend. Joe has low expectations for the school year, and fears that his bully, Dillon Samreen, will continue to make his life miserable. PRE-READING Activating Prior Knowledge ● Ask students to reflect on how they have felt on the first day of school. ● Give the students a few minutes to silently think to themselves. Then, ask students to anonymously write a word that describes how they felt on a past first day of school on a slip of paper. ● Collect the slips and read some aloud. ● Ask the students why someone might feel that way at the beginning of the school year. What are some common challenges/goals/hopes/fears? Building Background Knowledge ● Ask students to think about how their feelings would be different on the first day of school if they were new to the country. 77

● Turn and talk to a partner about how being new to not only the school, but to the whole country would affect the first day of school for someone. DURING READING Purpose Setting ● The purpose of these chapters is to introduce Ravi and Joe, and the differences in how they experience the same school day. ● Students will predict how the first day of school will be different for Ravi, a new immigrant, and Joe, a returning student. Mode of Reading The students will read the chapters silently. Possible Questions After the students have read Chapters 1 & 2, stop them briefly to refocus on the purpose for reading and ask, 1. What is one way in which Ravi and Joe are similar? a) They both have hope that this school year will go well at first. b) They have both recently lost friends (Ravi moved from India and Joe’s friends moved away). 2. Are their worries about the first day of school the same or are they different? a) Ravi is worried about showing everyone how smart he is. b) Joe is worried about being bullied and alone. POST-READING Check Predictions The students will briefly discuss with a partner whether or not their predictions about Ravi and Joe’s school day were correct. Possible Questions 1. Why does Ravi think Dillon Samreen wants to be his friend? a) He is also Indian. b) He smiles and winks at him in class. c) He is popular and Ravi was part of that popular group at his old school. 78

2. What does Joe know about Dillon that Ravi does not? a) He is a bully. b) He likes to steal things. 3. How do Ravi and Joe’s attitudes towards school in general differ? a) Ravi was popular and top of his class, so he enjoys school and feels like he is good at it. b) Joe has never enjoyed school, except lunch time, because teachers rarely like him and people make fun of him. RESPONSE TO READING In order to explore the text from both the main characters’ perspectives, the students will analyze one aspect of the text from both boys’ points of view. Aspects to analyze may include a character like Dillon Samreen, or an event like class in room 506 or lunch. Students will work in small groups to fill out a worksheet and analyze the two boys’ points of view and discuss what influences someone’s personal experience.

Names: ____________________________________________________________________________ Character Perspectives Choose something both Ravi and Joe experienced or someone they both encountered in Chapters 1-4. Write your choice here: _____________________ Make notes about each character’s experiences and thoughts about your topic. Use text evidence.

RAVI 80

JOE

Why do you think Ravi and Joe have very different experiences or thoughts about the same person/event? What factors influence what a person thinks about something or someone? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 81

References Britt, S., Wilkins, J., Davis, J., & Bowlin, A. (2016). The benefits of interactive read-alouds to address social-emotional learning in classrooms for young children. Journal of Character Education, 12(2), 43-57. Doyle, B. G. & Bramwell, W. (2006). Promoting emergent literacy and social-emotion learning through dialogic reading. The Reading Teacher, 59(6), 554-564 Dusenbury, L., & Weissburg, R.P. (2017). Social emotional learning in elementary school. Preparation for success. Education Digest, 83(1), 36-43. Low, S., Smolkowski, K., Cook, C., & Desfosses, D. (2019). Two-year impact of a universal social-emotional learning curriculum: group differences from developmentally sensitive trends over time. Developmental Psychology, 55(2), 415-433. Nickerson, A. B., Fredrick, S. S., Allen, K. P., & Jenkins, L. N. (2019). Social emotional learning (SEL) practices in schools: Effects on perceptions of bullying victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 73, 74-88.

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Payton, J., Weissberg, R.P., Durlak, J.A., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., Schellinger, K.B., & Pachan, M. (2008). The positive impact of social and emotional learning for kindergarten to eighth-grade students: Findings from three scientifi c reviews. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Schlund, J. (2019). The literacy connection: Examining the intersection of literacy, equity, and social-emotional learning. Literacy Today, 37(2), 18-20. Taylor, R. D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. A., & Weissburg, R. P. (2017). Promoting positive youth development through school-based social and emotional learning intervention: A meta-analysis of follow-effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156-1171. Venegas, E. M. (2019). “We listened to each other”: Socioemotional growth in literature circles. The Reading Teacher, 73(2), 149-159. Zinsser, K. M., Weissberg, R. P., & Dusenbury, L. (2013). Aligning preschool through high school social and emotional learning standards: A critical and doable next step. (CASEL Brief).

6/.&)("2#&#6=-)=/.#*+#$'<&)41:#I".#,**F7#I".# @.&9./7#I".#G.&/)#&)#&#>('.# by Elly Swartz Elly Swartz loves writing for kids, Twizzlers, and anything with her family. She grew up in Yardley, Pennsylvania, studied psychology at Boston University, and received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Elly is the author of four contemporary middle grade novels. Her debut novel, Finding Perfect (FSG 2016) is about 12-year-old Molly, OCD, and a slam poetry competition that will determine everything. In her second book, Smart Cookie (Scholastic, 2018), you meet the spunky and big-hearted Frankie who is all about family with a dash of mischief and mystery! Then in October 2019, we said hello to Maggie in Give and Take (FSG). With the help of a foster baby named Izzie and Bert the turtle, Maggie learns that sometimes love means letting go. And in the spring of 2022, we’ll get to know Autumn in Dear Student (Delacorte/Penguin Random House). Autumn is a girl with social anxiety and a pet guinea pig named Cheetos, who becomes the secret voice of the advice column in her middle school newspaper. You can find Elly at ellyswartz.com, on Twitter @ellyswartz, on Instagram @ellyswartzbooks, or on her webseries #BooksintheKitchen with author Victoria J. Coe.

Books Matter

grape gum on her breath. Her body shook as

I always knew it, but never felt it in the

the tears rolled down her cheeks. “You changed

placethat tugs at my heart until Finding Perfect, my

my life,” she whispered. Then she hugged me.

debut book, met its readers. Then my heart

he leaned in so close that I could smell the

My heart melted.

exploded with each letter, whispered confession,

I’d just spent the last forty-five minutes talking

tearful exchange, and hug. Readers confided that

to 200 fifth graders about bravery. And how I saw

they connected with Molly’s OCD, Frankie’s grief,

courage and strength in each one of them, even if

and Maggie’s anxiety. And these readers shared.

they didn’t.

With me. Someone they had just met; and, in some

My new 5th-grade friend told me that she had

instances, had never met.

heaps of anxiety. Just like Molly in Finding Perfect.

Why were these new friends so willing to share

She said she did weird things, like Molly. Was

their vulnerabilities with me? How had I earned

scared, like Molly. Didn’t tell anyone, like Molly.

their trust and confidences?

And felt very alone. Until she met Molly on the

I thought about this for a long time.

page. Then she reached out to her mom. And now

Then I realized it was the stories I wrote.

my new young friend is seeing a doctor and getting

These readers connected to the characters, their

treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

journeys, and through them they connected with

(OCD). She said it’s helping.

me.

My heart melted again. What a huge privilege

child who needs it. And for every child, there’s a

and immense honor to be trusted by my readers to

devoted educator who finds that reader and gives

hold their confidences, respect their vulnerabilities,

them that book. Countless times I have been

and see and value each one of them. Always.

discussing a book with a teacher or librarian when

I want every child to feel that connection. I want every child to see themselves on the page. In

they say, “I know just the student I’m going to give this to.” This is such a gift.

a world divided, we need to do our part to build

“Books are empathy conduits, and when we

bridges and bring people together; to bring kids

put them in the right kids’ hands at the right time,

together. We need to teach empathy like we teach

we help create adults who treat each other with

math, reading, history, and science. We need to

kindness and respect.” Jennifer LaGarde, teacher,

give our kids the skills to unite, the tools to be

life-long learner, award-winning librarian, and

compassionate and kind, and the strength to find

author of Fact vs. Fiction: Teaching Critical Thinking

what connects us. That is where we begin.

Skills In the Age of Fake News with Darren Hudgins,

We need to create a culture of empathy. A

shared this with me. And, Jennifer’s right. We’re at

community where all kids are seen, empowered,

our best when we come together—authors,

and respected. Where their voice is heard and

readers, educators—to open minds and hearts, to

amplified, and where their minds and hearts are

create a world where we all feel respected and

open to the things they believe and the things they

kindness matters, and to change lives, one reader

question.

at a time.

But how? Books and teachers and librarians and readers. Together.

Books Start Conversations Books give kids the courage to talk, learn about, and understand things that may feel are

In A Letter to Readers at the start of Being the

difficult to discuss. They give kids the words

Change, author Sara K. Ahmed says, “we can shift

they’re missing. Readers don’t always know what’s

from statistics to stories in the spirit of a more

happening to them. They don’t know how to

inclusive world. Because if we are listening closely,

describe what they don’t understand until they see

if we are being compassionate observers of the

themselves on the page. Then they find the courage

world, the stories implore us to examine and

to talk.

question and reflect on our own identities—

Recently, I asked Donalyn Miller, award-

whether we know it or not.” If you don’t have this

winning teacher, staff development leader, and

book, get it. It’s a wonderful and powerful way to

author of The Book Whisperer and Game Changer

connect.

(with Colby Sharp), about books and empathy and

And for every story in every book there’s a 84

the children we all love. She shared, “Reading

opens up the world for children. Books provide a

like Frankie did in Smart Cookie. She smiled. I told

powerful opportunity to learn about the lived

her she mattered.

experiences of people all over the world and through time. Reading fosters social intelligence.” (Dodell-Feder & Tamir, 2018). Yes!

Books can be a child’s friend. Sometimes their only friend. Rudine Sims Bishop, Professor Emerita of

Reading enables conversations about topics

Education at Ohio State University and author,

that may otherwise feel uncomfortable or even

said, “Books are sometimes windows, offering

impenetrable. Conversations about mental illness,

views of worlds that may be real or imagined,

homelessness, loss, racism, foster care, violence,

familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding

anger, drugs, sexual assault. Books can be the

glass doors, and readers have only to walk through

foundation for these difficult conversations. Books

in imagination to become part of whatever world

like The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman, The 7th

has been created or recreated by the author. When

Wish by Kate Messner, Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker

lighting conditions are just right, however, a

Rhodes, Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee,

window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms

All of Me by Chris Baron, Shouting at the Rain by

human experience and reflects it back to us, and in

Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Piecing Me Together by

that reflection, we can see our own lives and

Renée Watson, Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin, The

experiences as part of a larger human experience.

Dollar Kids by Jennifer Jacobson, Long Way Down,

Reading, then, becomes a means of self-

by Jason Reynolds, The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla,

affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in

Finding Perfect and Give and Take by me, and Wonder

books.”

by R.J. Palacio.

Rudine is so right! When we see ourselves and learn about others, we can begin to break down the

Books Connect Books let kids know they’re not alone, even when they feel disenfranchised and disconnected.

stigmas and stereotypes that perpetuate from that place of misunderstanding and ignorance. We can educate and teach. We can grow.

At a recent school visit, a reader told me that

To create a culture of empathy kids need to see

she loved Maggie, the main character in Give and

and accept themselves and others for who they are. They

Take, and then looked around to make sure her

need to recognize that sometimes the person they

classmates weren’t nearby. In a very low voice she

present to the world, the one others see—the shiny

shared that she didn’t really have any friends, but

penny version that is in manicured selfies and

loved reading.

curated videos on Tik Tok—does not align with

My heart shattered. I hugged her and told her

how they feel inside. Sometimes we all tuck parts

she was special. I told her she’d find her herd, just

of ourselves away. We might share those pieces 85

with a best friend or our family, or no one. Maybe those pieces are just for us. And that’s okay. We’re

Imperfection Is Beautiful! Being empathetic in our hearts and minds, is a

all a blend of the traits we share and those we don’t.

step. But we need more. As Chad Everett—

We just need to recognize and acknowledge and

educator, self-proclaimed literacy and technology

embrace that no one is just one thing. We’re never

geek, cofounder of #MSedchat—says, “The end of

simply the shiny penny version of ourselves, or just

empathy is not feelings or emotion –it’s action.”

our insecurities and failures. To accept others, we

Let’s put our good intentions to work. Let’s empower

must first embrace all of ourselves, the inside and

our students to lead.

the outside; the shiny penny and the tarnished copper. I believe this acceptance of ourselves and others comes from the strength and courage that lives deep in our hearts. When we see that we’re a blend of traits, then maybe we can also see that the person we think we have nothing in common, the one whose life is perfect or whose life isn’t, is also a blend. And in that recognition, we can realize that we’re more alike than we are different. We can connect and empathize. We can show kindness and compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness. In Finding Perfect (p. 287), when Molly accepts all of herself, when she realizes there’s no such thing as perfect, when she discovers that she’s more than just her OCD, this is what she writes:

To understand To see To listen To be kind To be compassionate To be gracious To connect To empathize To act We are at our best when we see, appreciate, grow, respect, and learn from the layers in ourselves and in others. So together, let’s act, and let’s create a culture of empathy. One book, one reader, one heart, at a time. Activities to Promote Empathy in Your School Try the Unfolding Identity Project with teachers, students, and friends as a way of seeing and accepting our layers and ourselves.

Beyond the darkness There is light Beyond the fear There is hope Beyond perfection There is me Imperfect and beautiful Me

Become an Empathy Ambassador: Join the empathy Flipgrid to share what’s working in your community and learn what’s working in others. https://flipgrid.com/empathyambassa dors Create your own school Flipgrid on empathy. Ask students to answer this question: What are you doing to promote kindness?

Create a Community Empathy Board: Have

Young Adult: https://ellyswartz.com/wp-

kids write their acts of kindness on notecards and

content/uploads/2020/09/SEL-YA-booklist.pdf

tack them to a community board. Each grade or class can have their unique color notecards.

We Need Diverse Books: A non-profit and a

Together you can create a rainbow of kindness and

grassroots organization of children’s book lovers

empathy.

that advocates essential changes in the publishing

Get Involved in Something Bigger: In 2006,

industry to produce and promote literature that

then Senator Barack Obama said in Northwestern

reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

Commencement Speech, “It’s only when you hitch

WNDB is an incredible resource. Please check it

your wagon to something larger than yourself that

out as you fill your bookshelves. https://diverse

you will realize your true potential – and become

books.org/

full-grown.”

Child Mind Institute: The Child Mind Institute is

This is a call to action. A call to think beyond the

an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to

walls of your library and your school. To teach your

transforming the lives of children and families

students

home/

struggling with mental health and learning

street/neighborhood. How can they help? How

disorders. One aspect of this incredible resource

can we teach them?

that I have found so impactful for young people is

Read Aloud: Join the #ClassroomBookADay

their #myyoungerself campaign. In that campaign

movement, started by Jillian Heise, library media

celebrities, singers, artists, politicians, and business

teacher, advocate for student choice, and

people who have mental health challenges share

Chair of the WSRA Children’s Literature

advice via video to their younger self. Truly

Committee. I reached out to educators online for

powerful and moving. https://childmind.org/

the picture books they felt best promoted empathy

myyoungerself/

and encouraged discussion. They graciously

A Novel Mind: A resource to discover

shared. The lists below are some of my favorites,

quality children's literature addressing neuro-

along with some of theirs.

diversity and mental health issues. https://

Some Books that Promote Empathy:

www.anovelmind.com/

Picture Books: https://ellyswartz.com/wp-con

Changing Perspective: A nonprofit organiza-

tent/uploads/2020/09/SEL-Picture-Books. pdf

tion that provides “schools and other organ-

Middle Grade: https://ellyswartz.com/wp-

izations with disability awareness programming

content/uploads/2020/09/SEL-Middle-Grade-

through a combination of curriculum materials,

Booklist.pdf

consultations

reach

beyond

their

and

professional

development

training.” https:// changingperspectivesnow.org/ 87

Disability in Kidlit: Disability in Kidlit is

School in Newton, Connecticut in December 2012,

dedicated to discussing the portrayal of disability

alongside 19 of his first-grade classmates and six

in middle grade and young adult literature. They

educators in one of the worst mass shootings in

publish articles, reviews, interviews, and discus-

U.S. history. Scarlett found out after the tragedy

sions examining this topic from various angles—

that Jesse used his final moments to heroically save

and always from the disabled perspective.

nine of his friends. https://www.jesselewischoose

http://disabilityinkidlit.com/

love.org/

Jesse Lewis Choose Love Curriculum: A non-

Empathy Lab: Empathy Lab is the first

profit organization with a mission to create safer

organization to build children’s empathy, literacy

schools through a no-cost, lifespan social and

and social activism through a systematic use of

emotional platform that not only teaches students

high quality literature. Our strategy builds on new

the life skills that are essential to happiness and

scientific evidence showing that an immersion in

success, but also fosters a school culture that

quality literature is an effective way to build our

reduces violence from the inside out . . . Scarlett

empathetic understanding of others. https://www.

Lewis founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love

empathylab.uk/

Movement shortly after her six-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary References Bishop, R. S. (1990). Presenting Walter Dean Myers (No. 565). Twayne Pub. Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6(3), ix–xi. Bishop, R. S. (1994). Kaleidoscope: A Multicultural Booklist for Grades K-8. NCTE Bibliography Series. National Council of Teachers of English. Burnett, J. (2000). Wonders: The Best Children's Poems of Effie Lee Newsome. Childhood Education, 76(4), 244. Dodell-Feder, D., & Tamir, D. I. (2018). Fiction reading has a small positive impact on social cognition: A meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(11), 1713. LaGarde, J. & Hudgins, D. (2018). Fact vs. fiction: Teaching critical thinking skills in the age of fake 88

news. International Society for Technology in Education. Miller, D. (2010). The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. John Wiley & Sons.

Miller, D., & Sharp, C. (2018). Game Changer!: Book Access for All Kids. Scholastic Incorporated. Obama, B. (2006, July). Our Past, Our Future & Vision for America. Campus Progress Annual Conference Complete Text. Sims, R. (1982). Shadow and Substance: Afro-American Experience in Contemporary Children's Fiction. National Council of Teachers of English. Children’s Literature Baron, C. (2019). All of me. Feiwel & Friends Dee, B. (2020). Maybe he just likes you. Aladdin.

Hunt, L.M. (2020). Shouting at the rain. Puffin Books. Jacobson, J. & Andrews, R. (2020). The dollar kids. Candlewick Press. Martin, A.M. (2014). Rain reign. Feiwel & Friends Messner, K. (2016). The seventh wish. Bloomsbury Children’s Books. Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Pla, S. J. (2018). The someday birds. (J. McLaughlin, Illus.). HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Reynolds, J. (2019). Long way down. Simon & Schuster. Rhodes, J.P. (2019). Ghost boys. Little, Brown, & Company. Swartz, E. (2016). Finding perfect. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers. Swartz, E. (2019). Give and take. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers. Venkatram, P. (2019). The bridge home. Penguin Random House. Watson, R. (2018). Piecing me together. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Empowering educators and students in Massachusetts through evidence-based early literacy

Being able to read, write, and speak are essential for full participation in our society. Literacy affords access to ideas, opportunities, and so much more. But in the Massachusetts school system today, many children do not receive the instruction and support they need to develop a strong foundation for literacy in grades preK-3.

! # #

Mass Literacy is a statewide effort to empower educators with the evidence-based practices for literacy that all students need. Evidence-based instruction, provided within schools and classrooms that are culturally responsive and sustaining, will put our youngest students on a path toward literacy for life. Click the links below to learn more about evidence-based practices and resources that are ready for use in preK-3 classrooms. https://www.doe.mass.edu/massliteracy/

# # # # # # 89

# 84&)#?3#&#,**F#8&-FL# by Kate Narita

Kate Palaces Narita is a fourth grade teacher at The Center School in Stow, MA, and she is the author of 100 Bugs! A Counting Book. When she is not out and about driving, teaching, or cheering on her two sons, Kate lives, writes, and hikes on a small mountain in central Massachusetts. There is a magical part of Mt. Wachusett in every one of her stories. Be it small wonders like darting dragonflies and gorgeous garden phlox, or large wonders like munching moose and beautiful balsam firs, she celebrates nature's bounty each and every day.

In the next hour, the kids who chose the pile will

tudents “love finding and reading new and

spend five minutes meeting with each child in the

interesting books.” They also love reading

other half of the class to partner read one or two

books, “you might never read.” In addition, students love “seeing what different books are like,

of their books. There is no chance for students to

and what their authors are like.” These are my

get sleepy or stare out the window because they

students’ quotes about book walks.

know they only have five minutes to look at the

What’s a book walk? It’s an activity I learned about from Karina Hirschhorn, a school librarian

goods the stationary student is offering. Think of it as book speed dating.

in Maryland. In her library, she sets up piles of

What ends up happening is that the child who

books on tables, and the students rotate through

is staying in one spot, starts to like one of the books

each table to look at covers and read a few pages

in her pile after reading a few pages during the first

of the books she has displayed. Students discover

rotations. Then, she begins to sell one book to

new authors or genres. They leave her library with

everyone who rotates through to her station. They

books that they may never have found had she left

try to persuade like professional booksellers. Kids

them hidden on her library shelves.

exclaim, “We have to read this one, it’s so funny,”

Once a month in my classroom, I gather my

or “This is about football. Let’s read this one.” But,

favorite books from my classroom library or our

the rotating student has the final say in which book

school bookroom. I split the books into piles of

they’ll read. Sometimes the rotating student says, “I

five, making sure that there are no duplicate

don’t like football. Let’s read this book about

authors or topics in a single pile. I invite half of my

animals.”

class to select the pile that most appeals to them. 90

After the book walk, I make an array of books

carpet squares, at tables, by windows and in dish

in the center of our rug and all of my students, the

chairs. Then, the other half of the class is rotating

ones who sat in one place and the ones who

to a new spot every five minutes.

rotated, sit on the rug’s border. Then, I pull a stick

Teachers love book walks because they are an

with a student’s name on it. That student gets to

efficient use of time. For the teacher, it doesn’t take

pick their book first. Students literally hold their

long to pull together stacks of five books. I always

breath, rocking back and forth, hands clasped in

pull one more stack than I need so that the last

hope that no one will pick the book they want.

student choosing his or her stack of books still has

Cries of anguish fill the room when a child chooses

a choice. Plus, I love looking through literature.

a book someone else wanted. The crestfallen

You probably do, too, since you’re reading the

students beg the lucky reader to pass the book onto

MRA journal. Also, unlike students’ written

them when they finish. Meanwhile, relief washes

recommendations, their oral recommendations do

over children whose book of choice is still on the

not require any proofreading, publishing, or

rug. As one of my students said, “The really fun bit

collating.

is you get to pick a book of your choice that you liked.”

Students love book walks because they are an efficient use of their time, too. One student said, “I

Not only do students get to choose which

can see books and get books I like without going

books they want to read, they always spend part of

to the library and wasting my time.” Now, I myself

their five-minute meet up discussing the book with

never think a moment spent in the library is a waste

their friends. One student stated that she likes

of time. But, clearly this student thinks that having

book walks because, “it’s fun to read back and

curated books to glance through is more efficient

forth with your classmates.” For the five minutes

than being overwhelmed by thousands of books

they’re sitting with a student who has a pile of

and not having an idea where he can find titles that

books, they’re reading aloud together from one or

interest him.

two books. But they’re not just reading the books, they’re talking about them.

I frequently buy books for my classroom based on my students’ interests. Until I began

None of my students mentioned movement as

doing book walks with my class, those books often

a reason why they like book walks, but I think

sat on the shelves because students didn’t realize

physically moving from space-to-space is a big part

they were there. Each time I do this activity, I’m

of the book walk’s success. Students with the piles

showcasing books I have in my classroom, or that

of books choose whether they want to sit at their

I have access to in our bookroom.

desks, or sprawl out at their reading spots, which

The type of books I’m showcasing depends on

are all around the room on the floor, on rugs or

what we’re studying. If we’re studying informa91

tional books, I have informational picture books

new books.” Other students didn’t just call them

and middle grade books. If we’re studying realistic

fun; they claim to “love” book walks. How often

fiction, I have realistic fiction picture books,

do you hear kids talk about something they love at

chapter books, and novels. If we’re in a test prep

school? Not often enough.

unit, I throw in every genre and every book length

Two students didn’t use the word fun or love

possible. As a result, books are getting into kids’

when describing book walks. One of those

hands - where they’re supposed to be.

students doesn’t like book walks because, “I don’t

Book walks surprise students because they

like to read out loud.” So, for my next book walk,

often find themselves choosing books they would

I’ll try having students split their time between

never have picked off the shelf. One student wrote

reading silently and then talking about what they

that he probably would have thought, “Eh, this

read with their partners. The other student said,

book is just okay,” if he glanced at it; but that “the

“There is not really enough time to actually

time I got to read in the five minutes was enjoyable

understand the book.” Perhaps after everyone has

like a nice little sampler.” Another student said she

chosen one book, I could let the student that felt

wouldn’t have chosen her book because, “Looking

she needed more time pick a few more books and

at the cover of my book it doesn't seem like my

bring the titles home with her to get a deeper

type.” Yet another student said he wouldn’t have

understanding of each one.

chosen the book because, “I don't like the title of the book, but I like the book.” Finally, book walks are fun. Many students wrote comments like, “It’s fun to read and pick

So, try a book walk. Make it a part of your Friday fun routine and witness your students falling in love with books each time they take a walk. Have fun!