In a time of increasing plurality in today's public schools, it is essential that students become critically competent citizens by examining current and historical social justice issues. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide the research, theory, and practice for teachers to help students take a critical stance as they read and respond to…

An instructional focus on critical literacy (CL) encourages students to become active readers and writers of cultural texts so that they can create their own meanings in order to shape and transform their social conditions (Lankshear & McLaren, 1993; Shor, 1992). It is, however, seldom pursued with English learners (ELs) because teachers…

This article uses "fibbin" (Fibonacci poems) as an instructional strategy to teaching reading and writing across the curriculum. It describes fibbin from a historical and mathematical perspective and discusses it as an adaptation of the famous Fibonacci sequence to teaching content area material (e.g. science, math, and social studies). This…

Because it is often assumed that reading and responding to multicultural literature will help dominant-culture readers value diversity and gain a greater appreciation of their own heritage, it is important to examine what children in actual classrooms are learning from the books they read. Analysis of the writing of 123 dominant-culture eighth…

Describes whole language reading workshops used in eighth grade classrooms. Notes that workshops consist of three components: time to read, ownership through self-selection, and opportunities to respond to the reading through dialogue journals. (MG)