Reading Between the Lines

Activities for Developing Social Awareness Literacy

By (author) Joanne Dowdy, Kenneth Cushner

Publication date:

18 March 2014

Length of book:

178 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

Dimensions:

237x162mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781475808957

This book presents the work from a selection of contributors who aim to provide educators with hands-on activities to encourage reflection, awareness, and dialogue related to social justice issues. Highlighting the need for teachers to intentionally create spaces where students from all backgrounds can work together and appreciate their differences, teachers and teacher educators showcase hands-on literacy strategies that all educators can adapt and use in their own classrooms to enhance social justice awareness.
Educators in the 21st century understand the importance of fostering a sense of social awareness in their students; however, it is sometimes a challenge to do so in ways that integrate seamlessly into curricula. Indeed, social awareness should not be developed as a skill unto itself but used as a lens through which to examine myriad disciplines and topics. In Reading Between the Lines, Dowdy and Cushner have compiled 26 lessons that offer educators useful resources for embedding social awareness instruction into their teaching in ways that are student centered and collaborative. The goal of these lessons is to develop social awareness literacy, and they help teachers simultaneously create a sense of community in their classrooms, reinforce content area concepts, and build basic and critical literacy knowledge. Lessons focus on a variety of subject areas, from social studies to art to vocational training. Because most lessons are intended for teacher educators' use, this book is recommended predominantly for professional developers and instructors in higher education. Summing Up: Recommended. Research and professional collections