We made it! Another year has gone by, and you were awesome-- WE were all awesome (given the circumstances)! With so much uncertainty still surrounding the country in regards to education, it is time to reflect, to adapt, and to think about how our curriculum will need to change to meet the needs of our students-- ALL of our students.
As the year comes to an end, we always reflect on what we taught, how we taught it, and whether we had an impact on our students. Yes, we showed them to write. We showed them to read. We showed them to discuss. BUT are they writing about things that matter? Are they reading literature that is relevant to their lives, their futures, and their world? Are they discussing the BIG topics? The discussions that involve real world situations, problems, and issues. The ones where the students discuss the literature in a way where they compare it to the world today, connect it to a personal experience, bring up something from the news, and then say something like, “I would have done…. I don’t think… it’s interesting how…. I think we need to…”. Those are the conversations that take place and leave you a little scared, excited, and proud all at once. You know what I’m talking about. You watch those kids leave your class as different people because, through the literature, they were able to “live through something” and change because of it. Those moments. That’s what we teachers are about.
What do all these insightful topics require? Alright, we’re going to be cheesy and cliche again. Sorry (kind of). You need to give them the ripple that creates the wave. Ignites the fire. They need relevant, intriguing, meaningful and even a little controversial (GASP) literature. Yeah, we said it. Get those banned books off the dusty shelves of contemplation and into your class.
So, what changes can we make? How can we incorporate these ideas in a meaningful way into our curriculum? We get it. Not everyone has the luxury of creating their own curriculum. Some of us have to follow a set curriculum, but even adding one piece of diverse literature, one short story that is modern and relevant, WILL have benefits. Below are six ideas that you can add to your class curriculum.
1: Include a diverse text or short story
Read our previous blog post on why diverse literature matters.
2: Use the news! So many things going on in the world that affect student’s lives-- Read some news articles, analyze the author's craft and style while making connections to the students and drawing on what they know. (Topics: Police brutality, equity in distance learning, climate change, impacts of Covid19, crimes agains humanity all over the world Mexico drug war, sex trafficking)
3: Have them write about their own experience --The ultimate relevant literature! (Write using model texts-- poems, essays, narratives, blog posts) Using exemplars and having students mimic an author’s style makes it less intimidating and a great starting point for students to show their own creativity.
4. Have them choose a social justice issue that means something to them and have them DO something to help (Posters, volunteer, social media campaigns, brochures, letter writing to politicians)
5: Teach LIVING poets! Poetry is often scary and intimidating for teachers, so imagine how student’s feel. Use modern and relevant poetry to hook students before moving on to the tougher poems and authors.
