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Justice Oriented Pedagogies for Middle and High School English Teachers
Justice Oriented Pedagogies for Middle and High School English Teachers
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Hedreich Nichols’ article provides a multitude of ideas and resources that teachers can use to educate themselves on eliminating racism towards Black individuals. This information can in turn be adopted into their lessons. One of Nichols’ recommendations for teachers is to read about antiracist education and Black culture. This allows them to learn how to interact with minority students in an unbiased manner and gain further understanding of what their lives are like outside the classroom. Nichols also states that teachers can increase their cultural awareness by watching videos, documentaries, and television shows that cater to the Black audience and discuss race-related issues. She also recommends that teachers look into social action opportunities, particularly ones that their students can be involved in. Finally, Nichols outlines how teachers can be introspective and examine their own biases in order to ultimately eliminate them.
Nichols provides many articles, websites, shows, and titles that can be used by educators in their lessons. As an educator, I would look for resources that I believe would interest and engage my students, such as stories from Black individuals within their age group. I could provide students with an article, book, or film that involves the subject of race then lead a class discussion regarding bias and inequity. I believe an English class is a great place to involve these strategies, because they can help practice reading comprehension and analysis while simultaneously educating students on real-world issues (even if the source material is fictional). I was also interested in Nichols’ suggestion of getting the class involved in social justice action, such as teaching students how to write to local governments about inequity issues. This is a valuable skill that has to do with English ability, can be applied to students’ lives, and educates them on what they have the power to do in their communities. Finally, I would use the journaling and book resources that Nichols provides to examine my own thoughts about race, how I can support Black students, and to make my classroom as equitable as possible.
Citation: Nichols, Hedreich. “A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators.” Edutopia, 5 June 2020, www.edutopia.org/article/guide-equity-and-antiracism-educators.
This article, written by Mollie Blackburn, discusses the importance of integrating queer literature into middle and high school English curriculums. She states that books are a great way to provide students with positive LGBTQ+ representation, therefore encouraging the acceptance of diverse identities. Blackburn makes several recommendations for how educators can appropriately involve and teach queer literature in their classrooms. She suggests that teachers should always start with self-reflection to ensure that they are prepared to talk about LGBTQ+ issues in a respectful manner. Blackburn also recommends that book selections should represent diversity and intersectionality (for example, acknowledging LGBTQ+ people of various races and backgrounds). The plotlines of the books chosen should also not entirely revolve around homophobic and transphobic violence, because it may communicate to young queer readers that they will experience the same violence no matter what. Although it is crucial to acknowledge the discrimination that LGBTQ+ people face, that should be balanced with positivity and acceptance so that queer students recognize there are people out there who will support them.
Blackburn recommends several queer book titles that could be taught in secondary English classes. Among her suggestions is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I have read this novel, and as an educator, I would definitely want to add it to my curriculum. It covers a multitude of themes, including sexuality, gender roles, racial identity, and familial relationships. The two main characters are fifteen years old at the start of the novel, an age that secondary students can easily relate to. I believe that this novel would be very valuable to students and spark many important conversations. The novel is also currently being adapted into a film, which could be shown in class as well for comparison and further discussion. This story definitely has the potential to show students the importance of being comfortable with one’s identity and the support that one can find in the right people.
Citation: Blackburn, Mollie. “Using Literature to Advocate for Queer Kids and Their (Potential) Allies.” National Council of Teachers of English, 13 June 2018, ncte.org/blog/2016/06/using-literature-advocate-queer-kids-potential-allies/.
In this article, seventh-grade English teacher Lauren Porosoff discusses her methods for implementing the subject of activism in her classroom. Inspired by Jessica Singer Early’s book Stirring Up Justice, Porosoff designed a unit about memoirs for her students. She selected five memoirs by different activists for her students to choose from. These memoirs covered a variety of social justice issues, including racism, antisemitism, poverty, and food insecurity. This variety provided students with the freedom to choose the text that interested them the most, but also ensured that they would have peers to discuss it with. Porosoff also facilitated discussion between students who read different memoirs to compare and contrast the activists’ experiences.
Porosoff’s memoir unit is a great example of utilizing justice-oriented teaching in the classroom. Lessons on memoirs or autobiographies are common and an important part of the English curriculum. Utilizing works by equity advocates is an effective way to teach English skills and social justice simultaneously. I would definitely follow Porosoff’s example in designing a unit in a future classroom. I would specifically select memoirs in which the author discusses the activism they participated in during their teen years to demonstrate to my students the impact they can make at a young age. We can apply the lessons learned from these books to real-world situations by identifying an issue in the community and taking action against it. By doing this, the class could follow the models of the activists they read about and make comparisons throughout their experiences.
Citation: Porosoff, Lauren. “The Place for Activism in English Class.” Learning for Justice, 18 July 2014, www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/the-place-for-activism-in-english-class.
This article provides a detailed lesson plan that can be used to teach students about privilege. This plan suggests using the Privilege Walk activity as a warm-up. In this activity, students line up and are directed to take one step forward or backward if a certain privilege or obstacle applies to them. This activity creates a representation of how privilege affects the students’ own lives and the lives of their peers. The article then provides multiple definitions of privilege that can be shared with the class depending on their grade level. It is also encouraged that teachers ask students to define privilege in their own words and express what it means to them. Next, the article recommends discussing the history of privilege as it relates to a certain subject, such as race, religion, gender, sexuality, or class. This article uses white privilege as an example and provides background on how different African American authors have described the inequality they experience. Finally, the article provides discussion guides for observing how privilege operates in one’s community, as well as suggestions for reflection questions.
This lesson plan would be very effective in an English classroom when used in conjunction with a book that examines privilege and oppression. For example, the activities and discussions outlined in this article could be used with commonly taught classics about race, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Invisible Man, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. This would allow students to understand the concept of racial privilege more deeply while reading, as well as connect the issues presented to inequality they have seen in their own communities. The idea of privilege is present in many classic novels, so it is important for English teachers to be well informed and respectful when speaking about it. This lesson plan is an effective guide for doing so.
Citation: Conolly, Christina, et al. “Talking About Race and Privilege: Lesson Plan for Middle and High School Students.” National Association of School Psychologists, 2016, www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/social-justice-lesson-plans/talking-about-race-and-privilege-lesson-plan-for-middle-and-high-school-students.
The American literary canon traditionally includes a multitude of white authors and poets, but not many people of color. It is extremely important that English teachers expose students to work by nonwhite writers as well to increase their empathy for and understanding of minority groups. This page offers lesson plans for four different poems by Black poets who have impacted American poetry: “Violin” by Nikki Wallschlaeger, “Cento Between the Ending and the End” by Cameron Awkward-Rich, “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley, and “When Fannie Lou Hamer Said'' by Mahogany L. Browne. Provided with each poem is a warm up, a pre-reading activity, topics to keep in mind while reading, guides for small group and class discussions, and two extension activity options (one for seventh and eighth graders and one for high school students).
As an English educator, I would want to provide my students with poetry from diverse perspectives, including marginalized groups. These lesson plans from Poets.org are a great way to do so. All four of the poets discussed in this source have been influential in unique ways, but are often overlooked due to their race. It is important to spread their work and talk about its meaning. Not only can these poems expose students to Black perspectives, but the activities and resources provided can help to develop their poetry analysis skills. The questions that come with each poem help guide the reader’s focus while also encouraging them to think deeply about the subject matter. Because of this, I would definitely utilize these lesson plans in my classroom.
Citation: “Lesson Plans Celebrating Black Poets.” Poets.org, 2020, poets.org/collection/lesson-plans-celebrating-black-poets.
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