This allowed for chil- dren's literature to be used not just for particular instructional outcomes but to help children devel- op and enhance the capacity to locate themselves in their socio-political places and spaces and to engage in social action
This is a great point that children's literature can be used for more than just making connections to the child's own life. It can also be used to show these children that they are able to be part of the change they want to see.
began to develop a framework to encompass indi- vidual, communal, and civic grievances and/or re- sponsibilities necessary for social change
This is great that not only were the boys able to connect the stories and situations to their won lives, but they were also able to come up with responses that worked towards something meaningful.
I also saw them develop literary understandings that led to important gains in reading and literary behaviors that en- hanced success with school literacies
This is what introducing things such as realistic fiction to students can do. It leads to improvement in students reading behaviors and increase their engagement in the classroom.
Thus, these boys participated in the act of critical literacy-reading the word in order to read the world (Freire, 1970/1993). The connections the boys made to contemporary realistic fiction about social issues and the ways they transgressed bound- aries (hooks, 1994) of childhood as they initiated or enacted social action became synonymous with empowerment and liberation in their own lives.
Critical literacy is a skill that is so important for students to grasp. Asking those deeper "why" questions and realizing things such as societal issues in the world today can really help open the eyes and minds of younger students. Critical literacy also helps students make connections from literature to their own lives which is extremely important when reading.
Literature has the potential to make a differ- ence in the lives of African American males; that is, reading, writing, and discussing literature can help them to make sense of and negotiate their life experience
I really agree with this point! Not only can it make a difference in the lives of African American males but it can make a difference in anyones life. Literature can be a great way for people to make connections to characters who may mimic their own lives and situations they are dealing with. Or it may be a great way to help a reader to just learn something new. Literature is one of the biggest catalysts and realistic fiction as a genre contributes to this too.
he use of contemporary realistic fiction, in which dilemmas in society are pivotal, have the potential to "open wide" the mouths of these African American male readers. As they increase their engagement with literature, these otherwise reluctant readers can increase their literary understanding and develop their literary voice into social agency to act on their own behalf and on the behalf of others.
This is a great idea! Using realistic fiction to re-engage these kinds of students will be perfect to get them back into a place where they can be shocked and moved by literature again. Also by experiencing this genre, they may find other genres that allow them to be inspired as well.
, I know that a mind "turned off' to literature is a mind often ignored in traditional classrooms, and therefore a mind that will have fewer venues for expression
I really agree with this point the author makes! Most times, when a child is uninterested in a book that is being read in class, they are ignored by the teacher because he/she has to keep teaching ti anyway as it is a part of the curriculum. This needs to be changed and these students deserve more attention as well.