Our presentation supports teachers in fostering a classroom environment where all identities are seen and valued. We will share strategies for modeling identity exploration with characters during read-alouds to support reading comprehension and contribute to students’ understanding of intersectionality in their own lives and the world around them.
This presentation explores a partnership between a local school and a tribal historian where students gained insight into Native experiences in their community. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for developing lessons and finding resources that encourage students to grapple with the hard histories connected to their own communities.
In response to the literacy crisis, this session is a Teacher-led literacy justice pilot program grounded in culturally responsive teaching, family partnership, and relationship-centered literacy instruction. Participants will examine how individualized family communication, identity-affirming texts, and home-school literacy practices increased engagement, confidence, and reading growth among historically marginalized first-grade readers in Detroit.