Courses: Interpersonal Communication, Communication & Identity, Social Cognition/Influence, Diversity Studies, Rhetorical Theory and Criticism. Objectives: This activity examines children's books as a tool in the formation of social expectations, attitudes, and acceptance. It offers an opportunity to discuss effective ways to promote inclusion…

"Many Books, Many Stories" aims to provide both the rationale for engaging in work with inclusive children's and young adult literature and the resources necessary for teachers, counselors, librarians and school administration to incorporate diverse literature into the classroom or into school-wide contexts. The authors provide multiple…

Our Texas schools are becoming more diverse in terms of language, race, and culture, but our curriculum often does not reflect this same diversity. Despite the availability of texts featuring Latinx youth identities, English curriculum still centers on canonical texts that often bolster the privilege of dominant groups over the marginalization of…

From the authors of the popular blog and resource for teachers, The Classroom Bookshelf, this book offers a framework and teaching ideas for using recently released children's and young adult literature to build a culture of inquiry and engagement from a text-first approach. "Reading With Purpose" is designed to help K-8 teachers tap…

Teen literature expert Carstensen, creator and editor of "School Library Journal"'s Adult Books 4 Teens blog, presents this comprehensive resource for serving the reading interests of teens in all types of libraries. Moving far beyond merely offering lists of book titles, this RA guide specifically helps librarians and educators in…

This article details a project that centered on perceptions of Islam, teacher development, and student engagement, all through the use of young adult (YA) texts containing characters that self-identify as Muslim. It created a space and opportunity to engage in discourse that has the potential to challenge and expand understandings held by…

In this article, three English Language Arts teachers draw on their teaching experiences of addressing sexual violence in assigned young adult literature. The authors use their experiences to guide a series of suggestions for other teachers who wish to teach these texts in their own classes. First, the authors offer suggestions for legitimizing…

Young adult literature that features respectful representations of fictional characters with reading difficulties can play a role in building classroom communities and helping readers understand more about themselves and their worlds. Furthermore, language arts teachers and special education teachers can use texts that feature positive portrayals…

Everyone loves new books. However, it is easy to forget that we need to examine books historically as well. This article discusses the contributions made by various authors before they were the recipients of awards and honors. Additionally, the authors point out some important "firsts" in the industry as well as resources for locating…

Because of the emphasis placed on nonfiction and informational texts by the Common Core State Standards, literature teachers all over the country are re-evaluating their curriculum and looking for thoughtful ways to incorporate nonfiction into their courses. They are also rethinking their pedagogy as they consider ways to approach texts that are…

Among the many factors contributing to the historical lack of reading gains of our Black male students is the absence of texts accurately and authentically representing African American characters in today's schools. In addition, well-meaning educators are not adept in identifying and selecting these types of texts in order to provide African…

Disciplinary literacy is gaining momentum as an approach to adolescent literacy. Believing that a key aspect of disciplinary literacy is knowledge construction, the authors introduce a model for relating disciplinary literacy with project-based inquiry. Rather than merely exploring topics during inquiry, students use practices of a discipline to…

With 1 in 59 children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), odds are that students on the spectrum will be in many classrooms across every subject area. "Seeing the Spectrum" argues that secondary English teachers are uniquely equipped to prepare students with autism for future success, both in school and in life. Writing…

In this article, the authors argue that the format and content of graphic novels that depict LGBTQ experiences are a unique and effective pedagogical tool to engage students in critical discussions about gender and sexuality. Through analysis of two exemplar texts, teachers are offered a vocabulary and method for engaging in these conversations by…

There has been lots of quality young adult (YA) literature that addresses queer identity and has the potential for curriculum integration, bibliotherapy, and overall reading pleasure. However, unlike multicultural literature, there are no tools or a set of criteria that can help guide educators through the process of selecting the best of the YA…