In her article, “Dear Tupac, you speak to me’: Recruiting Hip Hop as curriculum at a school for Pregnant and Parenting Teens,”  Heidi L. Hallman describes the importance of incorporating out-of-school literacies within in-school assignments. Hallman explains that use of these out-of-school literacies can help students see literacy as “a tool for social action rather than as merely a decontexualized skill set”(38). I really appreciated the ways that Bob (the teacher in the article) used hip hop in his English class, letting the song lyrics serve as a “critical bridge” that made writing more approachable and personally relevant for his students. Bob incorporated something his students knew well, and used their deep knowledge of hip hop as inspiration for meaningful writing assignments.

The chapters about writing in Adolescent Literacy also offer ways to make writing more accessible for students. I love the idea of creating a “telling board” as a way of working out a story or essay before writing a first draft- what a great way to get ideas out on paper! In the chapter “Teaching Writing from the Inside,” the author claims that all students she know that “language is a mighty ally that stands within them”(170). I love this idea, and really appreciate the way writing is portrayed as something that all students have the power to create. I think it is important for teachers to give students assignments that allow them to express themselves creatively through writing, making them aware of “the surprise and discovery that accompanies working with words”(169).

Last week, I participated in a panel discussion at the Writing Center called “Why Writing Matters.” A lot of the ideas about writing discussed in these chapters also came up in this Writing Center discussion. The first question asked during the panel was “What is the role of writing in your development as a thinker?” I answered that writing helps me to more clearly understand, to work through my thoughts and ideas. I also said that being confused is a big part of my writing process, and that I find that confusion is invaluable. It is through struggling to clarify my thoughts that I discover what I really want to say! I think it is important for teachers to reflect on their own writing practices, and to share their confusion and challenges with their students. This openness about writing can help “pull back the curtain” and demystify the writing process, helping students become more confident and daring in their efforts to strengthen their writing skills.

I really loved the discussion of Young Adult literature in Teri Lesesne’s chapter “Of Times, Teens, and Books.” Lesene describes an expansion of differences in characters by color, by location, by interest, by religion, by sexual orientation, and suggests that these varied characters allow more teens to “use books both as a mirror or as a window”(Beers, 72). I really appreciated the idea that books can be used both to help students see a reflection of themselves, and also help them to access worlds and issues that fall outside of their own experiences.

As I was reading this chapter, I thought a lot about how Lesesne’s ideas could apply to the discipline I’m interested in teaching-social studies. I think using works of fiction in social studies classes can help students access the historical events and eras they are learning about. The personal, emotional quality of a novel can serve as a hook- engaging students in a story that makes history more tangible. I have experienced this in my own history classes. For example, last semester I took a course about Women’s history in the United States since 1890, and the syllabus included three novels- Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth, Willa Cather’s My Antonia, and Julia Alvarez’s How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Each novel allowed me to immerse myself in the history and to gain a deeper, richer understanding of the historical context. The stories served as concrete examples of the larger themes and trends we discussed in class.

I also liked the idea of using books with multiple narratives in adolescent classrooms. Lesesne suggests that multiple narrators force students to ask questions about what is true and what is reliable, and I think that asking those questions is a very important element of literacy! Also, I think books with multiple narrators help students see the many perspectives present in every situation- an important skill in social studies and an important part of analyzing historical events.

I think these ideas about YA literature resonate with Elizabeth Birr Moje’s article about how literacy instruction can be a part of learning in different subject areas. Literacy skills and instruction can be a natural addition to subject area curricula, and can even enhance subject area learning.