The Literacy Connection
The Reading Program at Texas A&M University - San Antonio
Volume 1 Issue 3
Celebrating African American History Month
Since 1976, every American president has designated February as African American History Month and endorsed a specific theme to celebrate this month. Our classrooms represent a wide variety of diversity and it is important to celebrate everyone throughout the entire year. A study which identified how states teach about the American Civil Rights Movement was completed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In most states, it was found teaching about the Civil Rights Movement was inadequate. In fact 16 states require no instruction on the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, those that do teach about it focus on icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. While both of these individuals were important, it is vital that students learn about individuals and groups of people who worked together as activists towards social change. Additionally, three states, Florida, Alabama, and New York were the only states that received recognition for their quality of teaching of the Civil Rights Movement. For more information about this study and to see how states line up, check out Teaching the Movement: The State Standards We Deserve.
As we enter the month, it is our hope that you will be inspired to discuss, people, events, and movements of the Civil Rights Movement with your students. Some topics you may consider include: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), The Greensboro Four, and Freedom Summer.
This issue will introduce famous African American Authors, African American Inventors and showcase children's literature. You will also find links to resources that can be used to engage your students in new learning.
Ella's Song by Sweet Honey In The Rock
Jacqueline Woodson Author
Jacqueline Woodson, beloved and prolific African American author of over 30 books for children and young adults, was recently inaugurated “Ambassador of Young People’s Literature” by the Library of Congress. She has won a multitude of awards and just finished a two-year stint as the Young People’s Poet Laureate.
Ms. Woodson writes because she says that it makes her happy. As a child, she wrote over everything: her shoes, binders, paper bags, sidewalks, and more. In elementary school, she won a prize for her poem on Martin Luther King and in fifth grade her teacher recognized her outstanding writing—a moment that Woodson says caused her to begin to believe in herself. Although a few of her books have autobiographical content, most are written about things going on around her.
Submitted by Ms. Jeanne Cantu
Valerie Thomas Data Analyst
“Can I help, Daddy?” certainly could have been one of the many questions eight-year-old African American Valerie Thomas asked when her dad tinkered with the television and all the workings of the mechanical parts. As a child Valerie Thomas devoured the book, The Boys First Book of Electronics, and she grew passionate about her interests in math and science. This led her to studies in courses at Morgan State University where she, as one of only two women in the study of physics, graduated with a degree in chemistry. NASA became her “work home” and career where she developed data systems to support satellite operations and worked in a variety of important positions from 1964 to 1995. Valerie Thomas’s contributions continue to impact NASA in its use of technology. Valerie Thomas continues her “to help” spirit to make monumental impacts on society.
Submitted by Ms. Deborah Gerth
Fannie Lou Hamer
Submitted by Dr. Jenny Wilson
George Washington Carver
Submitted by Dr. Rebekah Piper
Did You Know
Madame C.J. Walker
Submitted by Dr. Ramona Pittman
Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts
San Antonio will host the 2019 Annual Conference. The conference theme, Beyond Boots, Borders, and Books: The Many Faces of Literacy, will provide opportunities for educators to engage in critical conversations about literacy education in today's diverse classrooms.
For more information check out the TCTELA website.
Hot Topics in Literacy
The Culture of Poverty by Ebony Tinajero
When it comes to the Culture of Poverty, the standard narrative that we as a society present to our students, is one that shows people living in poverty as free loaders, lazy, or unintelligent. In reality, poverty can touch all kinds of lives. Poverty, especially in the United States, does not discriminate. It does not matter what race or gender or even educational level you have. It is important that we teach about the culture of poverty in an authentic light to our students in order to avoid those prearranged stereotypes that we are all too familiar with. As teachers our first line of defense in teaching about a group of people without the pressures of stereotypes is through authentic literature. Authentic literature shows what poverty is actually like and how it effects the people in and around it.
The facts remain, there are about forty million people living in poverty in the United States today and about one in every thirty children suffer from hunger in the United States. In retrospect, that is about one student per classroom. Being a community of teachers, it is important that we come together and find literature to share with our students. It is also important that we remember that there will always be pieces of literature available to our students that are inauthentic and we need to take steps to ensure that we are teaching them to read critically to understand power and oppression in society.
Tyrell by Coe Booth is a novel about a young man whose dad is in jail, living in a shelter with his mother and younger brother. He is faced with a choice that could break him and send him on the same track as his father. This story focuses on the real life choices some of our students face in and outside of the classroom. This book does not present a life that could be easily fabricated. It is one that students who are in a situation, like Tyrell’s, can relate to.
Maddi’s Fridge is a story about two friends who play together after school. One day Maddi’s friend wants to go inside for a snack, but realized that Maddi’s fridge does not have very much. She then decides to sneak food from her house, that her mother has made for her, to share it with Maddi. This is a story that can help students understand poverty and hunger and they can become empathetic toward their own friends who are in the same boat as Maddi.
These two books are two of my favorite when it comes to getting our students to talk about poverty. As adults, we tend to stray away from topics that make us feel uncomfortable. So, literature is the bridge to help us get our students to understand and empathize with people who are put in a situation that may or may not be like their own.
Keep Learning . . .
Teachers as Learners . . .
Salsa Leadership with Stan Pearson II
Central Academic Building Courtyard
Come learn the basics of Salsa dancing and learn about 5 key leadership steps in life.
*Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Ana Flores at 210-784-1435 in advance of the event.
Thursday, Feb 8, 2018, 06:00 PM
Texas A&M University-San Antonio, University Way, San Antonio, TX, USA
TExES Reading Specialist Certification Review Session
Saturday, Feb 10, 2018, 09:00 AM
Texas A&M University-San Antonio, University Way, San Antonio, TX, USA
African American Read - In
Central Academic Building - Cafeteria
In honor of Black History Month, students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the Inaugural African American Read In. This event is designed to promote the work of African American Authors.*Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Sarah Timm at 210-784-1500 in advance of the event.
Wednesday, Feb 21, 2018, 01:00 PM
Texas A&M University-San Antonio, University Way, San Antonio, TX, United States
Texas Association for Literacy Education
During the month of February, graduate students will attend the Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) annual conference at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. Visit the site for more information about the work of TALE.
February Literacy Scholarship
Cantu, C., Rubio, M., & Piper, R.E. (2018, February). Home Literacy Environment and the
Impact on Oral Language Development. Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) Annual Conference. Canyon, TX.
Cisneros, G., Zamora, V., Piper, R.E., & Pittman, R.T. (2018, February). Using Technology as a Source to Improve Literacy Knowledge. Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) Annual Conference. Canyon, TX.
Guerrero, V., Gallardo, P., Votion, A. & Pittman, R. T. (2018, February). Parental Involvement Matters: Increasing Parents’ Self-Efficacy to Increase Their Child’s Literacy Outcomes. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the Texas Association of Literacy Educators. West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX.
Leffew, P. & Piper, R.E. (2018, February). Teacher’s Self Efficacy of Vocabulary Instruction
Through the Use of Istation. Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) Annual
Conference. Canyon, TX.
Mayces, A. M., Puga-Aburto-M., Chavarria, M. Y. & Pittman, R. T. (2018, February). Teachers’ Knowledge of Early Literacy Skills and Dyslexia. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the Texas Association of Literacy Educators. West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX.
Pittman, R., Piper, R., & Garfield, T. (2017). Providing teacher candidates opportunities to
excel while engaging elementary students in literacy: A partnership that works. Journal of
Effective Schools Project, 24, 52 - 56.
Wilson, J. C. & Ferguson, J. (2017). Co-teaching in Undergraduate Education: Capacity Building for Multiple Stakeholders. In Jarvis, D. & Kariuki, M. (Editors). Co-teaching in Higher Education: From Theory to Practice. University of Toronto Press.
White, E., Castro, S., & Piper, R.E. (2018, February). Teachers' Knowledge and Early Literacy: The Impact on Student Achievement. Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) Annual Conference. Canyon, TX.
Archived Issues
December 2017 https://www.smore.com/rkc5w
November 2017 . https://www.smore.com/s96v2Dr. Ramona Pittman
Founding Editor, The Literacy Connection
Email: ramona.pittman@tamusa.edu