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Goal

My goal is to incorporate weekly social justice-themed mentor texts and activities into my reading and/or writing lessons, which also align with our ELA/Writing standards. A mentor text is a high-quality published piece of work that can be used to teach a specific reading or writing technique or skill.

Creating a just and equitable society starts in the classroom. Therefore, teaching social justice is important to prepare students to become responsible citizens. Students need to hear culturally relevant stories that reflect their own experiences and the world around them (Freeman and Freeman, 2007). Such stories can have a significant, positive impact on their reading performance and comprehension (Krashen, 2004). Mentor texts can support the growth of students’ reading skills and demonstrate good writing. They are an ideal tool for teaching multiple standards because they can be used across the curriculum, are engaging and relatable, and serve as gateways to more complex texts. Finally, mentor texts expose students to new ideas, thoughts, and experiences, while addressing real world problems and encouraging students to make positive changes in their community.

Freeman, D. and Freeman, Y. (2007). "Culturally Relevant Books," English Language Learners: The Essential Guide. New York: Scholastic.

Krashen, S. (2004) The power of reading: Insights from the research (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
 

What will be done with my students

A weekly mentor text and related activities will be incorporated into my reading and/or writing lessons. The same ELA/Writing standards are covered several times throughout the school year.

To begin, I will use the mentor text to pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary. After reading the text, the students will answer comprehension questions that relate to the ELA/Writing standards for the week. Then, the students will complete a graphic organizer, interactive notebook activity, or reading response based on the content.

In writing, we will look at specific techniques, words, or phases that the author uses in the mentor text. I will refer to a part or parts of the mentor text to highlight specific techniques or skills. Using the gradual release strategy, I will discuss and model the new technique. With guidance and practice the students will use what they learned from the mentor text to emulate the technique or approach that the author demonstrates.

Example Lesson: Mentor Text: Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Standard: RL 2.4: Determining the mean of words
After the book is read, the students will complete a graphic organizer using context clues and pictures from the text to determine the meaning of certain words. In addition, the students will reflect and answer the question, “Why were monarchs included on most pages of the book?”

Activity: Your dream and your gifts. (Jivey 2019) Students will answer the following questions.
* Yuyi dreamed of a better future for herself and her son, the same as all immigrants. What dreams do you have for your life?
* Immigrants bring with them their culture, a passion, and abilities that are unique. We all have gifts we can share with others. Yuyi’s gift is telling stories. What is your gift?
* Yuyi showed us her places of love – places of amor – in the art in her book. Draw a place that is important and special to you. Why is this your amor place?

Jivey,J (2019).Your dream and your gifts. Retrieved from www.ideasbyjivey.com. 

Benefits to my students

Students will gain confidence in their ability to navigate and discuss complex social justice issues, while learning ELA/Writing standards and improving their reading and writing. Using mentor texts will boost student engagement and give the students a voice to reflect on their own experiences and current world events.

18 students will benefit from the grant. Eventually, I would like to share the books with the entire 2nd grade (55 students).
 

Budget Narrative

Below I have listed the aforementioned mentor texts with their corresponding standards.

Mentor Text: Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
Description: This picture-book biography is an excellent and accessible introduction for young readers to learn about one of the world's most influential leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Standards: Reading: RI 1.1: Asking & Answering Questions; Writing: Personal Narrative
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: I am Enough by Grace Byers
Description: Loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another
Standard: Reading: RL 1.2: Fables & Retelling Stories
Social Justice: Bullying

Mentor text: A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Description: After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save their coins to buy a comfortable chair for all to enjoy.
Standard: Reading: RL 1.2: Fables & Retelling Stories
Social Justice: Poverty & Homelessness

Mentor Text: Island born by Junot Diaz
Description: Through her family’s stories, she creates her own tapestry of island memories that will always be in her heart.
Standards: Reading: RL 2.5: Story Elements; Writing: Personal Narrative
Social Justice: Immigration

Mentor Text: Black, White, Just Right by Marguerite Devol
Description: The fact that her mother is African American, and her father is white is just one of the many interesting things that make this little girl and her family “just right.”
Standard: Reading: RL 2.5: Story Structure
Social Justice: Racism

Mentor Text: We March by Shane Evans
Description: March on Washington
Standard: Reading: RI: 1.3 Historical Connections
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: Sit In by: How Four Friend Stood Up Sitting Down
Description: Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
Standard: Reading: RI: 1.3 Historical Connections
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: Hidden Figures
Description: Inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space
Standards: Reading: RI: 1.3 Historical Connections; Writing: Biographies
Social Justice: Gender Equality

Mentor Text: The Story of Ruby Bridges
Description: In 1960, when a judge orders Ruby to attend first grade at William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school, Ruby must face angry mobs of parents who refuse to send their children to school with her.
Standards: Reading: RI 1.3 Historical Connection; Writing: Biographies
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: The March on Washington by Bonnie Badder
Description: Events from the March on Washington
Standard: Reading: RI 1.3 Historical Connection
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: Separate, but Never Equal
Description: Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California.
Standard: Reading: RI 1.3 Historical Connection
Social Justice: Equal Right

Mentor Text: Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson
Description: In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people.
Standard: Reading: RI 2.6: Author’s Reason
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors by Tanya Lee Stone
Description: In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but career options were few. Certainly, no women were doctors.
Standard: Reading: RI 2.6: Author’s Reason
Gender Equality: Gender Equality

Mentor Text: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Description: The new kid in school needs a new name! Or does she?
Standard: Reading: RL 1.3: Character Challenges
Social Justice: Immigration

Mentor Text: Freedom Soup
Description: Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup — Freedom Soup — just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast.
Standard: Reading: RL 1.3: Character Challenges
Social Justice: Immigration

Mentor Text: Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt De La Pena
Description: When Carmela wakes up on her birthday, her wish has already come true--she's finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands
Standard: Reading: RL 2.4: Determining the Mean of Words
Social Justice: Immigration

Mentor Text: The Color of Us by Karen Katz
Description: Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.
Standard: Reading: RL 2.4: Figurative Language
Social Justice: Racism

Mentor Text: Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
Description: Yuyi Morales brought her hopes, her passion, her strength, and her stories with her, when she came to the United States in 1994 with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.
Standards: Reading: RL 2.4: Determining the Mean of Words; Writing: Narrative
Social Justice: Immigration

Mentor Text: The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Description: There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Standard: Reading: RL 2.6: Point of View
Social Justice: Racism

Mentor Text: Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights
Description: This book illustrates ways that we can get involved and promote change when we see injustice in our communities.
Standard: Reading: RL 3.7: Illustrations
Social Justice: Activism

Mentor Text: One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia by Miranda Paul
Description: The inspiring story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the broken plastic bags that were polluting her community.
Standard: Reading: RI 3.7: Images
Social Justice: Environmental Justice

Mentor Text: Schomburg: The Man Who Built the Library by Carole Boston Weatherford
Description: Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro–Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk’s life’s passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages.
Standard: Reading: RI 1.2: Central Message
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words
Description: The inspiring, true story of Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl who stands up and speaks out for every child’s right to education.
Standard: Reading: RI 1.2: Central Message
Social Justice: Equal Rights

Mentor Text: The Rough-Face Girl
Description: From Algonquin Indian folklore comes a powerful, haunting rendition of Cinderella
Standard: Reading: RL 3.9: Compare & Contrast
Social Justice: Indigenous Rights

Mentor Text: Fry Bread
Description: A Native American Family Story, which explores big questions about Native American history and expropriation
Standard: Reading: Reading: RL 1.2: Fables & Retelling Stories
Social Justice: Indigenous Rights



 

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