In this article, we describe just one activity from an interdisciplinary social justice unit taught to two fifth-grade social studies classes with the use of Cynthia Kadohata's multicultural historical fiction novel "Weedflower." Often, our younger students feel their voices are silenced...their messages are not heard. Like many of…

A case study of one student is used to explore three instructional approaches that draw teachers' attention to reading as a social experience that involves culture and identity. These approaches draw on New Literacy Studies, children's media practices, and critical race theory and provide insights on how to better serve struggling readers.