Building a Bridge between Literary Texts & the Real World

Little Rock Nine

In our literacy class at Saint Mike’s, we had the opportunity to create a resource evaluation, in which each student took one text from their respective content area, and analyzed thoroughly, both the literary and academic purpose for the selected reading. My resource evaluation can be seen HERE. In the case of myself, I am teaching a unit entitled, “YOUth in Charge,” where students will have the opportunity to learn about how the youth have historically made a difference in our society, and how they are able to make a difference within our community. I thought the most appropriate text to analyze would be a historical piece from the History Channel, about the Little Rock Nine, which was a landmark civil rights accomplishment in which African American students attended an all-white school in Arkansas.

Through reflecting on this article, I realized that when I evaluate students for texts, I want to see that students are able to make connections into their own world, and use these texts as a valuable tool for how they as citizens can make a difference in their society. My philosophy in regards to instruction, primarily consists of the fact that I want every assignment to have some kind of clear connection to the real world, and I want students to understand how these texts are relevant in their lives. For example, when my students would read this article on the Little Rock Nine, I might ask them to write a short essay/diary in which they talk about what they would do if they attended Central High School with these students. I would connect this towards injustice in society and what role can we play as citizens to curb injustice. In class we may review the branches of government, to reflect how students can reach out to their leaders (this would be drawing upon a previous lesson), and conduct a think-pair-share on what we could do as individuals. Having the ability to go over in class what students can do allows them to make a choice, and better articulate how they would solve an injustice and why they took a certain approach.

It is imperative to realize that no single student reads at the same reading level as another student. Each student has their own strengths and weaknesses, and being able to accommodate for both of these is absolutely necessary if we are providing a quality pathway for students to be successful. Speaking in general terms, there are three solutions I have to ensure students are engaged and being fairly challenged with their reading: Use reading resources like Newsela, where students are able to change the readability on their own command. Secondly, I believe choice is essential, there are multiple instances of student leadership taken place over the country, and I would provide opportunities for students to choose which article they would like to read, and I would have them present to each other in small, carousel like groups, that way students would be able to learn about multiple leaders, while also feeling empowered as they are teaching their peers. Lastly, I would also edit certain articles or provide vocabulary sheets, that way students on multiple reading levels would be able to better understand the text that is provided. These strategies connect to P.C. 8.1, where I have provided multiple strategies to accommodate the diverse and real needs of all students within my class.