May

 What is Racial Literacy?

In this eight page policy brief out of NCTE, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz details what Racial Literacy is, what it looks like in teacher education, how to enact it and illustrates her Racial Literacy Development Model for Teaching and Learning (pictured below).

Highlights: 

"Thus, racial literacy in English classrooms is the ability to read, discuss, and write about situations that involve race or racism."

"Racially literate teachers can distinguish between real and perceived barriers in their classrooms that may be linked to institutionalized systems that govern schools and society."

"Preservice teacher education programs are critical sites for foregrounding the discussion of race and problematizing the ways in which the social and academic behaviors of Black and Brown students are misread."

"Racial literacy in teacher education promotes deep self-examination and requires actions that can lead to sustainable social justice and educational equity for all students, and Black students in particular." 

If you find the study of Racial Literacy as enlightening as I do, take the time to read this brief and then join us the next time Dr. Sealey-Ruiz returns to WISD's Responsive Teaching Institute in the 2021-2022 school year.  

Books that Help Students Understand Anti-Asian-American Prejudice and Hatred

(excerpted from Marshall Memo Issue 884 and the NYT article by Michelle Lee, 2021)

            In this recent New York Times article, Michelle Lee recommends books that help kids understand and work against prejudice and hatred directed at AAPI people. 

Elementary level books:

• My Footprints by Bao Phi, illustrated by Basia Tran, age 4-7

• My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin, illustrated by Barbara Kiwak, age 6-9

• Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, age 9-12 (in the WISD Diverse Lending Library)

• Count Me In by Versha Bajaj, age 9-12

• Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi, illustrated by Yutaka Houlette, age 9-12

Middle and High School nonfiction books:

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker, age 12 and up (Graphic Novel, also in the WISD Diverse Lending Library)

• From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian-American Movement by Paula Yoo, age 13 and up

High School graphic novels:

• Displacement by Kiko Hughes, age 12 and up

• Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru, age 12 and up

• Flamer by Mike Curato, age 14 and up

 
See the whole article, “Help Your Kids Understand Asian-American Hate” by Michelle Lee in The New York Times, April 25, 2021 See more on Stop Asian Hate

Upcoming Professional Learning Sessions

Bringing Joy to Your K-5 Classroom with Diverse Books

SESSIONS FULL- Express interest in future sessions here

 

Virtual, May 10th, 19th 4:00-6:00.  Washtenaw Educators Only
You’ve heard the buzz about diverse books, but what does that mean? How and why do you use these books in the classroom? Join instructional coaches and teachers from Washtenaw County to learn the multiple purposes diverse texts can serve and how to honor student identities through text. You’ll get a book to keep and use in planning with partners during our session!  

 

Letting Go of Literary Whiteness

Join Drs. Borsheim-Black & Sarigianides for Letting Go of Literary Whiteness.  Participants will learn discipline-specific practices for implementing antiracist literature instruction in White-dominant schools.

6 virtual sessions for this series:
    *   May 17th and 19th.  4:00-6:00 PM
    *   June 21st  10:00- 12:00 PM and 1:00-3:00PM
    *   June 23rd  10:00-12:00 PM and 1:00-3:00PM
 
May 17 Session I 
Starting With What We Already Teach:  Strategies for Antiracist Literature Instruction. 
May 19 Session 2
Starting With What We Already Teach: Antiracist Literature Approaches with Canonic Texts
June 21 session 3  
Antiracist Literature Instruction Tools: Unit-Based
June 21 Session 4 
Antiracist Literature Instruction Tools: Lesson-Based
June 23 Session 5 
Antiracist Literature Instruction Tools: Lesson-Based
June 23- Session 6 
Classroom scenarios. Supporting students of color in predominantly white spaces: meta-moments, alternatives to privilege-based pedagogies
 
This is a six-session series of live, synchronous meetings.  Sessions will not be recorded. 
12  SCHECHS

Washtenaw County educators register FREE

Out of County $150 plus book purchase  

 

 

Justice and Joy: Building Inclusive Reading Experiences for Secondary Students

OPEN May 25th, 4:00-6:00. Virtual. 

Washtenaw Educators only. 

 Register HERE

Join teachers and secondary instructional coaches from Washtenaw County to learn the multiple purposes texts can serve in the 6-12 classroom.  We’ll show how text choice and use in the classroom can be responsive and representative. 

Upon registration, you’ll get a book to keep and use in planning with partners during our session.

Register HERE ($30 OUT OF COUNTY

In county, use code)

Then, ask questions for the panelists HERE

April

The WISD Diverse Lending Library is showcased in Literacy Today from ILA!

You can access the Diverse Lending Library if you are an educator in Washtenaw County.  All books are #ownvoices texts. See our books here, organized by tabs at the bottom for picture books, middle school and high school.  

Just e-mail me if you'd like to check something out!  

Upcoming Learning Sessions for Literacy

Bringing Joy to Your K-5 Classroom with Diverse Books

Virtual, May 19th 4:00-6:00.  Washtenaw Educators Only
You’ve heard the buzz about diverse books, but what does that mean? How and why do you use these books in the classroom? Join instructional coaches and teachers from Washtenaw County to learn the multiple purposes diverse texts can serve and how to honor student identities through text. You’ll get a book to keep and use in planning with partners during our session!  Register HERE

 

Justice and Joy: Building Inclusive Reading Experiences for Secondary Students

May 25th, 4:00-6:00. Virtual. Washtenaw Educators only. 

 Register HERE

Join teachers and secondary instructional coaches from Washtenaw County to learn the multiple purposes texts can serve in the 6-12 classroom.  We’ll show how text choice and use in the classroom can be responsive and representative. Upon registration, you’ll get a book to keep and use in planning with partners during our session.

 Dr. Baker Bell with Responsive Teaching Institute April 22

Register HERE IN Washtenaw County

Register HERE OUT of County

March

 Read Across America

March is Reading Month, but we know that EVERY month is reading month!   NEA's Read Across America celebrates reading all year round with recommendations and resources promoting diversity and inclusion through reading.  The resources include options for face-to-face and virtual classrooms:

• Book recommendations for the month of March include:
• Elementary- Tiara's Hat Parade
• Middle School- Each Tiny Spark
• High School- They Called Us Enemy (available in our WISD Diverse Lending Library!) 

• 9 Ideas for Virtually Celebrating NEAs Read Across America 

• KidLit TV Read Out Loud Program- with videos of authors, actors and illustrators reading picture books aloud. 

• Books by Theme to support lessons and units (some also available in the WISD Diverse Lending Library) 

• Free Materials- both hard copy and digital

Upcoming Professional Learning

March 2- Cultivating Genius with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

In this session Dr. Gholdy Muhammad will engage teachers in unpacking culture. Together, culture will be explored and revisited in deep, multifaceted ways. We will discuss our own cultural identities and approaches to learning the cultures of students. 

By the end of this session, the teachers will understand culture and engage in a self-identity work. 

Outcomes: 

1. Educators will learn equity, anti-bias, and culturally responsive instruction. 

2. Educators will learn how CHRE can be used to improve their teaching practices 

3. Educators will explore their own cultural identities and ideologies for teaching and learning. 

For IN COUNTY registrants ONLY please use the discount code of CRMT.

4:00-6:00 Virtual

March 4th- The Necessity of Diverse Books

**Prerequisite: Justice Leaders Core Course**

Are you a preschool or elementary teacher wanting more guidance on how to incorporate diverse, inclusive, and socially just picture books in your classroom? Join us to explore why diverse books are important, the various categories of diverse books (with great examples from Shayla's own home library!), how to prepare yourself to read more diverse books to your students, and what challenges and pitfalls may arise in your efforts.
Date: Thursday, March 4, 2021, 10am-12pm
-No Charge for public, private, and charter school staff in Washtenaw County; WISD staff; or Washtenaw County Youth serving organization. Districts will be responsible for any necessary sub costs.
All others, $25 per person.

March 11 and 17- Analyzing Propaganda and Teaching Media Literacy

FREE TWO SESSION VIRTUAL EVENT from the Holocaust Memorial Center hosted by WISD

4:00-6:00

Media literacy skills have become essential for young people to successfully navigate and critically assess the ever-increasing amount of information they receive throughout their day - on social media, advertisements, television, and film. Therefore, it is crucial for students to comprehend and identify how media, both historically and in contemporary society, can be used as a tool to incite hate and violence against certain groups. 

This learning opportunity examines the events of the Holocaust through the lens of media, by examining propaganda deployed by the Nazis to discriminate against Jews and other minorities. Educators will gain the tools to facilitate classroom discussions on the role and impact of Nazi propaganda during the Holocaust and support their students to critically analyze media in today’s world.

March 24 -Lesson Planning in the Cultivating Genius Framework

Have you read Cultivating Genius by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad and now would like to lesson plan with other teachers? Join us March 24th from 4:00-6:00 to put your learning into action. With resources and templates from Dr. Muhammad, you'll have time to think and plan with other teachers. Bring your books and ideas!  

Virtual 4:00-6:00
  *SCHECHS not available. Books not provided.

April 22- Linguistic Justice with Dr. April Baker-Bell

Free for Washtenaw County educators. PART 2, follow-up from December 10 Workshop. Virtual. 5:00-7:00

In this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to engage in more intimate conversations about Anti-Black Linguistic Racism and how they can implement Antiracist Language Pedagogies in their respective classrooms. Participants will also have opportunities to ask specific questions about their teaching philosophies of language, language policies, curriculum, practices, syllabi, assignments, etc. Baker-Bell will share sample syllabi, assignments, and activities. 

Out of county registration

February

Plan to celebrate #WorldReadAloudDay on February 3rd and beyond!  Did you know that reading aloud everyday puts kids ahead by one year, regardless of background? Share a story and spread the word! 

LitWorld and StoryLine Online have many resources to celebrate in both virtual and face-to-face spaces, including celebrity read alouds like this one with Oprah Winfrey reading "The Hula Hoopin' Queen"

And this one by Jaime Camil reading "Los Zombis No Comen Verduras" in Espanol. 

Check out the World Read Aloud Day Activity Hub for live events, swag and activities, a virtual bookshelf, booklists and a downloadable WRAD packet. 

You can also join the conversation online by sharing your participation, ideas, and pictures from the day with #WorldReadAloudDay and tagging it on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.  They even have sample language and free images to help you spread the word. 

Upcoming Professional Learning

with WISD and community partners

REGISTER HERE

REGISTER HERE

REGISTER HERE

REGISTER HERE

See all WISD offerings HERE

January 2021

 Fresh Starts, Re-Starts, Renewing Purpose

Teachers, students, educational leaders, everyone, may see 2021 as a fresh start, a re-start or a chance to renew the purpose in our work.  I've gathered some tools for just that.

The Renewing Purpose Activity from the NSRF Critical Friends Group is a brand new protocol designed for virtual use. This protocol is to be done with a group to remind ourselves of purposes and our connection to them, to help us see if we are on track toward a specific goal, and to reinvigorate ourselves at a time when our spirits may be lagging.   If you'd like a facilitator for this, please reach out to me at mbrooksyip@washtenawisd.org

One Little Word is a less intimidating way to set a New Year's Resolution and purpose!
Educational Bloggers Margaret Simon and Annie Campbell explain how they use "One Little Word" to help students set intention for the year- who they are and who they want to be. By examining what's important to them- goals they want to fill, strengths they want to grow, and wishes they have- each student, and the teacher, settle on one word.  The teachers find this helps students connect to their identity, while also building a stronger classroom community.   
If you decide to try this in 2021, please let me know!   

Upcoming Literacy Professional Learning

January 7th & February 4th

Free and open to all. Register here

February & March

For Washtenaw County Educators- register here

Free and open to all. Register here

December

 Reading and Writing Resources-

for Now and Always 

#DISRUPTEXTS exists to "develop and aid teachers committed to anti-racist/anti-bias teaching pedagogy and practices."   

Core principles are: 

1. Continuously interrogate our own biases and how they inform our thinking;

2. Center Black, Indigenous, and voices of color in literature;

3. Apply a critical literacy lens to our teaching practices;

4. Work in community with other anti-racist educators, especially Black, Indigenous, and other educators of color. 

See the #DISRUPTTEXTS Learning Guides for resources on teaching with eight texts that align to these principles. 

Also see #DISRUPTTEXTS in Michigan for a personal teaching story from a teacher at Carman-Ainsworth in Flint on disrupting texts in her classroom.

20 Types of Learning Journals that Help Students Think

TeachThought offers these journal ideas to promote writing for learning with students. These journals are done for the purpose of learning, not to demonstrate learning. 

A few options for journals and prompts with a focus on writing to learn include:

• Question- for a focus on inquiry

• Metacognitive- for a focus on thinking about thinking

• Change-for connecting learning for personal and social change

Read the entire article for details on these and more journals and remember, some writers prefer to use hardcopy notebooks and pencils  or pens (especially when doodling to learn), and some prefer to type.  Here's a digital writing notebook template you can make a copy of and share for those choosing to go digital.  

Upcoming Virtual Professional Learning

December

Washtenaw County Registration

Out of County Registration- $20

January- February

Free and open to all. Register here

February & March

For Washtenaw County Educators- register here

Free and open to all. Register here

November

 Election Day Resources

"What will you do on Wednesday?"   Teaching Tolerance provides these resources for educators to support students no matter the result on election day. There are strategies here for fostering an inclusive classroom, identities, positionality and feelings.  

The Dialogue Deck from UMMA is a conversation exercise for political reflection.  Take a look for images selected by UMMA and Gingsberg Center staff that evoke culture, politics and history of the US.  Along with the images are question prompts, and a printable PDF version. 

 Cultivating Genius by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad

I'm well into reading this book for the fourth time and still learning how to live into the Culturally and Historically Relevant Literacy Framework as an educator.   Dr. Muhammad is returning to visit us on November 5th, and book studies continue.  Here are your links to keep the conversation going in Washtenaw County and beyond:

• Pre-registration for the Winter 2021 Cultivating Genius Book Study

• A folder of resources including interviews, podcasts, and lesson plan examples from Dr. Muhammad.

• Want to Lead Your Own Book Study? - contact me at mbrooksyip@washtenawisd.org - let's talk!  

• Join us:  

REGISTER HERE

**E-mail for link**

October

 Getting Rid of the "Classics" in the Classroom?   Check Out the Diverse Lending Library at WISD!

The "A Year of Reading Blog" showcases how two teachers learned more about #DisruptTexts, and how this challenged them to think about the book choices in their classrooms, the books they read aloud to students, as well as books they recommend.  Following leaders such as Dr. Laura Jimenez who visited us twice in past #wisdrti sessions, these teachers thought about how to "challenge the traditional cannon to in order to create a more inclusive, representative and equitable" curriculum. 

 
You can read the whole article for more resources and links, but also remember The Diverse Lending Library at WISD is still available to you. Check out our inventory and then contact me at mbrooksyip@washtenawisd.org for pick-up if you are an educator in Washtenaw County. 

Student Collaboration and Support in Virtual Classrooms

Check out 10 Ideas for Using Virtual Breakout Rooms During Distance Learning for ideas on how to utilize the breakout room feature to foster collaboration for Book Buddies, small groups, debates, peer editing, literature circles and more in virtual classroom time.

 Also check out Calendly to schedule 1-1 student conferences- another way to use the breakout room feature to support individual students. 

Upcoming Professional Learning and Connections

Register

September

 Building A Classroom Community- 

Virtually or F2F

Teaching Tolerance offers Resources for Back to School 2020 to help discuss racism, police violence, and self-care.

In Remote Learning for Our Youngest Students, Jen Schwanke details ways primary teachers are reaching out to students across barriers in age, language, ability and engagement. 

In How Do We Create a Community of Learners in a Virtual or Hybrid Model?  Clare Landrigan writes about creating familiar and predictable systems and structures for online communities. 

How to Build Relationships Virtually, by The Albert Team gives the why, challenges, and how to build relationships in virtual teaching and learning spaces. 

Registration is Live for Fall & Winter Virtual Professional Learning! 

Register HERE

E-mail with questions

Literacy Support in Our Community

YpsiWrites offers tutoring and programming for youth writers across Washtenaw County. We encourage teachers who are looking for extra support for their student writers to check out these programs.

-      YpsiWrites Virtual:  Offers both synchronous and asynchronous writing consults with trained YpsiWrites volunteers.

-        Using Writing to Make Your Voice Heard - Writing matters! Join this virtual workshop (via Zoom) to learn how to make our voices heard--and make a difference in our communities, lives, and world--through writing. (Saturday, Oct. 17, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) Register here

 

Washtenaw County Writing Center forSecondary Students

TheWCWC is designed to be a youth-led, youth-driven space that provides peer-to-peer online literacy and writing support for all students in Washtenaw County, engages students in using writing for advocacy and activism, and amplifies student writing in all forms. We’re in the beginning stages of this work and seek input from teachers and especially students.  If you’re interested in learning more or if you have a student to nominate for the Advisory Board, let us know through this form.