Reading to Belong

Identity, Perspective, and Advocacy in the Elementary Grades

Alyson Lamont, Pamela Washington, Emilie Hard

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781475874341
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice

At the present time, schools in many places have found themselves in the midst of a culture war. While interest from teachers in having critical conversations with students is growing, they nonetheless face challenges. These tensions reflect a larger world of social and political unrest, where our nation's schools are often caught in the middle.This work aims to equip educators with tools to facilitate critical conversations with students - to question what they read, consume, and hear. Reading to Belong: Identity, Perspective and Advocacy in the Elementary Grades bridges the gap between research and practice by sharing snapshots of conversations happening in real classrooms. The language of mirrors and windows anchors discussions as students deepen an understanding of themselves, experience different perspectives, and ultimately use this knowledge to change their world for the better.

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Why This Work?
• Chapter 1: Classroom Communities: Foundations for Safe Conversation Spaces
• Chapter 2: Identity and Belonging: Student Understanding of Self
• Chapter 3: Knowledge, Perspective, and Empathy: Understanding Others
• Chapter 4: Advocacy and Action: Now What?
• Chapter 5: When Things Don’t Go as Planned
• Chapter 6: Leading This Work
• Appendix A: Building a Robust, Diverse Classroom Library
• Appendix B: Discussion Prompts for Supporting Identity, Empathy, and Advocacy
• Appendix C: Leading with an Equity Lens: A Reflection Tool for Educational Leaders
• References
• About the Authors