GALA Literacy Learning Series #13

Dr. Julia López-Robertson makes a case for infusing our classrooms with literature by a range of Latinx authors and illustrators- voices that reflect our students' experiences and provide a window into the cultures of people from Spanish-speaking countries and communities.

She shows how to identify quality literature by checking for bias, stereotypes, and cultural and linguistic authenticity. From there, she explores how to put the literature to work in whole-class lessons, read-alouds, small group discussions, and writing projects to nurture engaged readers.

Families are resources that are extremely powerful and important for young learners from minoritized backgrounds, yet such families are often overlooked, silenced, or ostracized. This book presents a much-needed framework for family and community engagement in the early childhood and elementary literacy classroom that embraces and foregrounds students’ unique cultural backgrounds. Covering key topics such as children’s literature and digital tools, the book features strategies for implementing culturally responsive classroom practices to create positive home–school partnerships.

Each chapter highlights one type of capital in community cultural wealth—aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant—and gives teachers guidance on working with and supporting the efforts of families both inside and outside of the classroom. (co-authored with Melissa Summer Wells)