English Language and Literature | Open Access Articles

Your Own Where I'M From Poem: Community Building Writing Lesson, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

Teacher created lesson plan, printable worksheet and rubric for using George Ella Lyon's "Where I'm From" poem to build community in the classroom.

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Book Review: Critical Thinking In The Elementary Classroom: Engaging Young Minds With Meaningful Content., Jodi Bailey

Virginia English Journal

This is a book review of Critical Thinking In The Elementary Classrooms: Engaging Young Minds With Meaningful Content, a practical framework geared towards teachers and school leaders focused on implementing critical thinking in all content areas with the youngest learners.

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Teaching Challenged Books Through A Lens Of Censorship, Liz Shanks

Virginia English Journal

In recent years, book challenging and banning has taken hold of America. In the process, many books with diverse authors, perspectives, and valuable themes are getting silenced and removed from the classroom. Students everywhere have a right to see themselves within literature, as well as reflections of experiences they may be unaware of. This article researches the statistics surrounding book challenging, and offers an educational path towards inclusive teaching through a Lens of Censorship.

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The “Pick Me Girl”: Understanding Relational Aggression Through Young Adult Literature, Kaleigh D. Phelps

Virginia English Journal

This text set list focuses on coming of age through a feminist lens. All books introduce a new perspective or enhance a complex view of womanhood in literature and how we view female friendships and relational aggression. Using the concept of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors, the text set list highlights the need for feminist literature from a young age.

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Adolescent Autonomy In Book Selection, Katie Dredger, Zoe Mcdowell

Virginia English Journal

Books that have been on the shelves of classrooms in the commonwealth of Virginia are being removed by overzealous and misinformed parents and school board members. Supporting literacy development means allowing adolescents to read thought-provoking and edgy, high-quality texts, vetted by educated professionals, so that students can be critical curators and consumers of the wide range of media available today. Reading begets better reading, and varied texts build empathy for others. Improved literacy and empathetic criticality will benefit our commonwealth.

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