In one of the articles we read this past week, we saw how some students struggled in schools because they had a different literacy background and how some teachers overcame that barrier.
For example, the one teacher used rap in order to better understand her students. The author emphasized how important these ideas are in celebrating diversity in literacy and how it can help all students better understand language.
If you were a teacher, what is one method or idea you would implement to better understand the cultural differences that your students have?
Seeing as I want to be a teacher I have thought about this concept of incorporating or “substituting” literacies in the classroom. I have seen rap uniquely infused into the curriculum, for example last summer I was able to use J. Cole lyrics to parallel a poem by Langston Hughes. Other than rap I think a project where the students were asked to bring in old stories, songs, or sayings from their cultural background would be a great way to not only teach reading but also inspire global citizens. Having students each bring in something from home will capture the attention of the class and each story/song would work has a entertaining literary artifacts.