Books are my ADVIL
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Climbing up reading ladders
Reading ladders are helpful tools for teachers and students alike. Teachers know that reading must be scaffolded so students will not be frightened off by challenging texts, and students trust their teachers to lead them into texts in a gradual manner. According to Teri Lesesne in Reading Ladders, "the intent is to move readers from their comfort zone to books that represent more diversity." Since the Common Core stresses that students read challenging texts, we as teachers must prepare them and encourage them by guiding our students through different types of texts to help them engage with different texts than they might have ever thought possible.
The reading ladders I present here are built for my 6th grade readers. My classroom has 22 students, with 2-3 advanced students and 4-5 who are struggling. The rest are in the middle. As a whole, the students are relatively conservative, so the books I offer must both appeal to their imaginations, while still being appropriate and unoffensive. Dr. Deakin's class on Affirming Diverse Voices in Literature (ADVIL) showed that in addition to simply encouraging reading, I can teach critical lenses and help my students interact with the literature that they read.
Grade 6 ELA
Crescent View Academy
Douglas County parochial suburban school
280 students
Geared toward 6th grade students; class of 22
There are perhaps 2 ELL students in the class, and 3 ELD
Socio-economics – wide range but generally middle class
Ethnicity – Asian, Somali, Arab, US; most students born in the US
Our curriculum has 6 units - 6 weeks per unit
The following are some ladders that I have created for this class. Since I like to offer my students choices, rather than simply having one chain per lens I created a horizontal and vertical chain for my ladder. In this way, my students can choose from three different books as we are reading, and these books will be similar, though not the same, so that they can choose what they find to be most interesting for them.
Unit 1 EQ: How can change transform the way people look at the world?
Lens: Privilege
This lens views literature with a view to those who live privileged lives and those who do not. Literature can be discussed from the standpoint of what it would look like from another person’s perspective or how it would be different if the characters/author were from a different economic status. While the lens stems from a Marxist understanding of the world, there should be no fear that we are indoctrinating them with Marxist theory Teachers should strive to open students’ eyes to the realities of the world and the differences that people experience due to their social class.
Poem:
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost / “I, Too” by Langston Hughes / “City Autumn” by Joseph Moncure March
Short story:
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell / Miss Awful by Roger Cavanaugh / NAMES/NOMBRES by Julia Alvarez
Informational:
Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson / “The days of the free school bus ride might be over” on Newsela / “The 99 Percent Organize Themselves” by Jeremy Brecher
Graphic Novel:
I Found A Dead Bird by Jan Thornhill / Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm/ Sardine in Outer Space by Joann Sfar
Unit 2 EQ: What can we gain from reading about past civilizations?
Lens: Postcolonial
The Postcolonial lens views literature from the perspective of those who have been colonized, which assists students who may feel marginalized in having their voices honored. This lens not only helps immigrant and non-white students, but will also help majority students to begin to understand the prospective of students who were raised in a different culture. Various cultures are often the basis for misunderstandings, so this lens can begin to bridge some gaps that students may feel between one another.
Poem:
“Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes / “Syria” by Amal Alkassir / “Twelfth Song of Thunder” Navaho Tradition
Short story:
From “The People Could Fly” / “Damascus the Golden” by Houda Naamani / “Why the Deer Has No Gall”
Informational:
“In South Africa, immigrant shopkeepers are being attacked” on Newsela / The Balfour Declaration / How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
Novel:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor / From Somalia With Love by Na’ima Robert / The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Unit 3 EQ: How do new experiences offer new perspectives?
Lens: Gender
The lens of gender looks at how a reader might have differing perspectives due to their gender. It also looks at authors and how their use of words can be dictated by their gender, and how changes in time relate to gender issues and how they are viewed. Readings through a gender lens may involve close readings of female characters, studying the use of certain terminology and how words create our own meaning of gender, and/or how the writing or understanding might change if the character was a different change. Historical perspectives could be included as well as varied cultural perspectives.
Poem:
“How to Paint a Donkey” by Naomi Shihab Nye / “Okay, Brown Girl, Okay” by James Berry / “The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves” by Gwendolyn Brooks
Short story:
"The Strangers That Came To Town" by Ambrose Flack / "The Darling" by Anton Pavlovich Checkhov / "A Telephonic Conversation" by Mark Twain
Informational:
The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History by Jennifer Armstrong / Girls Think of Everything by Catherine Thimmesh / Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Novel:
Bridge to Teribithia by Katherine Paterson / Tuck Everlasting / by Natalie Babbitt / The Giver by Lois Lowry