Diverse Literacy Resources

Book Order Diversity

When we talk about diverse literacy resources, we are talking about many things. But there are still some things we aren't talking about. We talk of genre -- action, adventure, humour, mystery, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy. We talk of different kinds of texts, like books, magazines and periodicals, graphic novels and comic books, joke books and even bathroom readers with factual information delivered in small manageable chunks. We can talk about e-books and apps and blogs and tweets.

Within all this, we can diversify into special education, and talk about materials that consider autism, downs syndrome and physical ailments like that of Meg in Jean Little's "Mine for Keeps". We can talk about the blind protagonist in the novel "Light a Single Candle."

We can talk about materials diverse in different cultural or religious backgrounds. We can ensure that First Nations people and Native Americans are represented. We can talk about any ethnic cultures we want; Arabic, African American, Somalian, German and Caucasian. Diverse resources we can talk about might consider a variety of family dynamics that include nuclear families, extended families or single parent families.

But when we talk about diverse literacy resources, there are some things we can't talk about. We can't talk about texts that reflects my neighbour's experience. At eleven years old, her father announced he was transgendered and had been dressing in lingerie for years. And by the way, he was having a sex change and would no longer be her father. School became a horrendous environment for her to navigate -- and the solution that was decided on was not to talk about it. Nor could she read about other children who shared similar experiences. It was interesting to hear that she wasn't reading much after that. Co-incedence or not?

We can't talk about texts with inclusion -- I mean seamless inclusion of differing abilities because when we talk diverse texts we tend to talk about texts that centre and revolve around the protagonist's dis/ability. Do we know that we tend to diversify through magnification? Are we talking about it? Are there authors who seamlessly weave diverse students among the pages?-- A protagonist passing by a boy with a blue backpack, and girl patting her guide dog or walking into the office where Ms. Lark and Ms. Tailor are having a meeting with the principal to discuss the placement of their daughter?

When we talk about diverse literacy resources, are we talking about the book order diversity that reflects only that which is saleable and safe and passes the censors so that the texts and materials can appear in the book orders? The same book orders that so many schools use to raise funds? Is book order diversity actually diversity? Can we talk about diverse literacy resources that reflect our students, and not necessarily our own views of the world?  Book order diversity just isn't that diverse.

Differentiated Instruction

"Fair doesn’t mean giving every child the same thing, it means giving every child what they need."

Rick Lavoie

Differentiated instruction is a responsive teaching method that is based on data and continual assessment. By finding out what the student's strengths are and what their needs are, teachers can plan instruction accordingly. Differentiated instruction requires the teacher to have a wide repetoire of teaching strategies, so if one method fails to reach a student or group of students, a teacher can draw on other strategies rather than overlooking the students' needs or expecting the student to change to meet the strategy offered. 

Teachers can differentiate in several key areas:

Content     

Process      

Product      

Affect           

Learning Environment

Some suggestions for differentiation in reading instruction include chunking information, the use of graphic and visual organizers, daily use of technology seamlessly woven into the class, resources such as books that appeal to different genders, resources that reflect different socio-economic backgrounds, as well as ethnic and religious considerations. 

Unlike Calvin in the comic strip, differentiated instruction focuses on learning processes rather than explicit content or rote memorization. 

Therefore, teachers can have different groups or students working on learning the same processes while differentiating texts. Some students can work with chapter books, others with picture books and others with graphic novels. In a classroom where a teacher wishes to look at the construct of societies and communities while teaching visualization, the teacher may choose to have some students work with Lois Lowry's distopic novel The Giver, while other readers may work with the Utopian picture book or early chapter book series Dinotopia. 


A beautiful website with maps made for exploration and to enhance the beautiful picture book.

Dinotopia

Explore a Utopian world where dinosaurs and people coexist harmoniously. 

English Language Learners

English Language Learners (ELL) bring a diverse set of skills and background to a classroom.  The language spoken at home is something other than english, and the home language may or may not be related to english. ELLs may be Canadian born or newcomers to the country. An ELL's first significant exposure to English may be when they arrive in a Canadian classroom.  Many of these students have travelled from or through various parts of the world, and frequently have family or friends on other parts of the globe that create special and unique connections that they contribute to the classroom community.

ELLs may be overlooked by teachers because they frequently sound confident and fluid. They often speak with a Canadian accent. Their oral language english skills frequently exceed their academic english skills, which may take up to five years to catch up. However, these students need help with more advanced grammatical structure and english vocabulary. They also need a wide variety of texts and materials that reflect their realities. As well, it is important that ELLs are given the opportunity to participate meaningfully within the classroom community by being given the opportunities to share their personal experiences. 


A community bulletin board that ELLs and other students contribute to creates dialogue and discussion, and provides real life reading experiences. Multicultural dinners that students create menus and invitations for extend into writing and provide a bridge between home and school. Labels, bulletin board headings and titles can be added to the school community in the language ELLs enjoy at home as well as in english. 

A couple of resources well worth exploring to support ELL Learners:

Storyline Online is a wonderful website where several stories are read aloud by actors. ELLs who would benefit from more english read alouds will enjoy the quality of texts and the skilled presenters. In addition to seeing the presenters, the text and illustration are also displayed  and the audio and video streaming quality is excellent. Several of the presenters are men, so there is a wonderful opportunity for boys to see reading male role models as well and the presenters come from different ethnic backgrounds. 

Activities for ESL has a wealth of bilingual quizzes in many languages. For example, the Arabic English link offers vocabulary in many topics including days of the week, colours, parts of the body, etc. A great resource for students, teachers and even their parents. 

Boys' Literacy

Boys read. A controversial statement, I know. But I am convinced they do. They read gaming cards, video game cheat guides and text messages. They read instructions (hopefully) on how to make assemble it yourself furniture and manuals on lego robotics. A girlfriend with teenage sons says if you want guys to read, put it on a cereal box and make sure there is milk.

Admittedly, sometimes when boys actually do read books its for speed or volume rather than for literary enjoyment, but don't we as educators promote speed sometimes with our Read-A-Thons? Read the most number of books of any class in the school, and your class can win a pizza party. Of course, reading volume goes hand in hand with speed, and as long as you don't sweat the comprehension, you too can chow down on cheese and pepperoni.


All of the boys in my life read --whether they are students in the primary and junior grades or grown men who never finished high school or men who completed university degrees. They read emails and texts and magazines.  They read web pages and newspapers. And yes, they even read books - or at least pieces of books. A friend recently read a chapter from Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" because he was interested in how a baby's birthday impacts future success in the NHL.  He happily read another excerpt from a book to learn how to preserve his beautiful detailed tattoos. 


So how can we support boy's literacy within a classroom environment so they read beyond a school environment and beyond the school years?


A wide variety of texts is crucial -- and teaching boys that these materials qualify as reading goes hand in hand with it. Newspapers, magazines, manuals, sports cards, joke books, graphic novels and comic books all belong in a literacy rich environment. Fiction series such as Artemis Fowl, Geronimo Stilton, or mythology based series by author and teacher Rick Riordan offer familiar characters with new adventures. Factual texts need to be included as well, particularly in areas of interest such as cars, sports, world records and even bodily functions. 


Technology also needs to be woven into a boys' literacy rich environment. Audio books are a fantastic resource, offering fluid reading and vocabulary building. One favourite of mine for ages 9-12 is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.

The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately."

Opening lines to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The website offers complimentary audio readings of several chapters, online computer games geared towards vocabulary building, a text version of the first chapter that can be used as a classroom reading and as a 'teaser' to promote interest. There are also reader guides and teacher guides. In short, this is one of the most rounded and appealing book promotions I have come across. In the publication "Me Read, No Way," educator Eileen Armstrong recommends daring boys to read and filling black bags with scary books and mysteries. The Graveyard Book is the perfect addition along with Canadian author Eric Wilson's mysteries. 

Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book 

Winner of the Newbery Medal 2009


Rick Riordan Heroes of Olympus series

Eric Wilson 
Canadian mystery author