Practicing What We Teach : How Culturally Responsive Literacy Classrooms Make a Difference

by Schmidt, Patricia Ruggiano; Lazar, Althier M.; Edwards, Patricia A.; Gunderson, Lee

• ISBN13: 9780807752203
• ISBN10: 0807752207
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-25
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

Extraordinary K-12 teachers show us what culturally responsive literacy teaching looks like in their classrooms and how it advances children's academic achievement. This collection covers home-school partnering, using culturally responsive literature, using cultural connections, and teaching English language learners. Includes a "Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher" self-evaluation form.

Author Biography

Patricia Ruggiano Schmidt is a professor of literacy education at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, and recipient of the International Reading Association's Elva Knight Research Award. She consults internationally on culturally responsive literacy teaching. Althier M. Lazar is a professor and chair of the teacher education department at Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. xi
Editors' Notes and Acknowledgments	p. xix
The Need for Culturally Responsive Literacy Teachers
Access to Excellence: Serving Today's Students Through Culturally Responsive Literacy Teaching	p. 3
Centering Students in the Curriculum
From Nightjohn to Sundiata: A Heritage-Based Approach to Engaging Students in Literacy	p. 27
Driving in Both Lanes: Practicing Culturally Responsive Literacy Teaching While Addressing Standards and Accountability	p. 43
It All Came Down to This: ôKnow Thyself, Understand Othersö A First-Year Teacher's Journey Through a New World	p. 56
Taking Risks: Building Bridges with Students in an Alternative School	p. 69
Reading About the Negro Leagues Through the Lens of Critical Literacy: A Springboard to Straight Talk About Race	p. 83
Building Relationships with Students and Caregivers
Extending a Lifeline Extending Oneself	p. 99
From Pasta to Poets: Creating a Classroom Community Through Cultural Sharing	p. 110
Communities as Resources: Two Teachers' Reciprocal Learning from Nondominant Cultural Communities	p. 121
Learning from and with Immigrant and Refugee Families in a Family Literacy Program	p. 130
Building on Students' Linguistic Strengths
Teaching Through Language: Using Multilingual Tools to Promote Literacy Achievement Among African American Elementary Students	p. 141
Working with Diverse Language Speakers in an Early Childhood Setting	p. 156
Cross-Cultural Connections: Developing Teaching Principles Through Stories	p. 168
The Words We Need: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Scaffolding English Learners' Vocabulary Development	p. 182
Becoming Culturally Responsive Literacy Teachers
Encountering the ABCs and Meeting the Challenges	p. 199
Unlearning Color Blindness and Learning from Families	p. 218
Socially Responsive Literacy Teaching in the Midst of a Scripted Curriculum: A Novice Teacher's Story	p. 235
Becoming a Teacher for All Children: A Teacher's Story	p. 250
Appendix: Reflective Practice and Evaluation	p. 263
About the Contributors	p. 265
Index	p. 269
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