Critical Literacy Across the K-6 Curriculum

230 Pages·2016·2.951 MB·English

by  Vivian Maria Vasquez

Critical Literacy Across
the K–6 Curriculum
Through stories from kindergarten to sixth-grade class-
rooms where students and teachers have attempted to
put a critical edge on their teaching, this book shows
critical literacy in action across the curriculum. Readers
see students and teachers together using critical literacy
discourse to frame conversations in ways that engage stu-
dents in examining the meaning of the texts they read and
acting on local and global social issues that emerge.
Drawing on multiple perspectives, such as cross-
curricular explorations, multimedia, and child-centered
inquiry pedagogies, the text features a theoretical toolkit;
demonstrations from across the content areas, including
art, music, and media literacy; integration of technol-
ogy; and attention to how critical literacy can inform
decisions about standards and assessment. Annotated
booklists, examples of students’ work, “Reflection Ques-
tions,” “Try This” (practical classroom strategies), and
“Resource Boxes” can be used to encourage and support
engaging in critical literacy work in different areas of the
curriculum.
Vivian Maria Vasquez is Professor, School of Educa-
tion, American University, USA.
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Critical Literacy
Across the K–6
Curriculum
VIVIAN MARIA VASQUEZ
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2017 Taylor & Francis
The right of Vivian Vasquez to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-18848-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-18849-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-64227-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Dutch823 BT
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To Andy and TJ
Now and always.
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Brief Contents
About the Author xv
About the Cover Art xvii
Acknowledgments xix
About This Book xxi
Figures and Tables xxv
1 Teaching and Learning From
a Critical Literacy Perspective 1
2 Reading Critically 21
3 Writing to Disrupt Inequities 37
4 Critical Literacy and
Mathematics Investigations 53
5 Negotiating Critical Literacies
Using Science Observations 69
6 Critical Literacy and the Social
Studies Curriculum 81
7 Acting Out: Using Process
Drama to Read Critically 95
8 Getting Critical With Music 105
vii
viii Brief Contents
9 Critical Literacy, Art, and Everyday
Popular Culture Texts 115
10 Critical Media Literacy 125
11 Critical Literacy and
New Technologies 139
12 Negotiating Spaces for Critical
Literacies in Health and Physical
Education 159
13 Doing “Important Work” 175
Further Reading 185
Children’s Literature Cited 187
References 189
Index 197
Contents
About the Author xv
About the Cover Art xvii
Acknowledgments xix
About This Book xxi
How This Book Was Conceptualized xxii
Resource Box A.1: Intersections Across
the Content Areas xxiii
Figures and Tables xxv
1 Teaching and Learning From
a Critical Literacy Perspective 1
Do We See Ourselves in Books That Are
in Our School Library? 5
Using Critical Literacies to Get Things
Done in the World 8
Working From a Theory of Language
and Learning 9
Building a Theoretical Toolkit 10
Reflection Questions 17
Try This 18
Resource Box 1.1: Halliday Plus Model 18
2 Reading Critically 21
Bringing the Outside World Into
the Classroom 21
Critical Literacy and Children’s Literature 22
ix