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Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First-Grade Classroom

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Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First-Grade Classroom MAR-LA2.QXD 2/8/2005 4:00 PM Page 257 Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First-Grade Classroom A teacher uses story time to open up space for building 257 Christine H. Leland and Jerome C. Harste awareness of critical literacy with rural white children. Out of the Box with Kimberly R. Huber When Kim Huber finally decided to they would think about the main caused her to think about literacy read The Lady in the Box (McGov- character, a woman who was at- and what was appropriate for first- ern, 1997) to her first graders, she tempting to survive the winter grade children in specific and was not convinced that they would living in a cardboard box. In some somewhat narrow ways. This box get much out of a book about ways, Kim was also in a box at that positioned her to choose “happy” homelessness. She wondered what time, but her box was conceptual; it books to read at story time and to MAR-LA2.QXD 2/8/2005 4:00 PM Page 258 focus book discussions more on was geographically closer to them, books like The Lady in the Box so story elements like beginning, but initially felt out of place since different for these children? Could it middle, and end than on more ab- she taught in a rural setting and had be that her classroom became a dif- stract topics like equity and social no racial diversity in her classroom. ferent place when she started shar- justice. Many of the books being explored ing the social issues books with her Kim had been teaching first grade by the urban teachers focused on children at story time? These ques- for five years when she took a grad- racism, and Kim wondered if her tions and many others fueled Kim’s uate class and was introduced to the white students would be able to inquiry into the role that critical lit- 258 idea of critical literacy. She had connect to these stories. She lis- eracy might be playing in the never considered the possibility of tened with interest to what other evolving culture of her classroom. Out of the Box reading books about tough social teachers in the study group were YOUR CULTURAL issues to her students. Kim was in- saying about their experiences with trigued, but not convinced that she the books, but she was not sure they NICHE MATTERS would mean as much to her stu- wanted to discuss what might be “Culture is never static” because dents. It was with some apprehen- seen as controversial topics with “the belief systems and practices as- sion that she began reading books children. Two years later, she was sociated with cultural groups are from the peace grant library to her still interested in critical literacy always under negotiation with new first graders late in the fall. and joined teachers who were inves- generations” (Lee, 2003, p. 4). As a tigating critical literacy as part of a This article traces Kim’s preliminary result, it is important that “educa- university-funded research project. exploration of critical literacy and tional researchers understand the The “Collaborations for Peace” grant shares her conclusions. While she cultural niches in which young at Indiana University provided sup- initially worried that her students people develop” (Lee, Spencer, & port for groups of teachers at two would not be able to make personal Harpalani, 2003, p. 6). Formal and different sites to come together on a connections to stories that ad- informal preschools and primary monthly basis to share the progress dressed topics like homelessness, schools constitute some of the most of their investigations of critical lit- racism, and war, what she discov- salient cultural niches in which eracy in K—8 classrooms. The grant ered was that they made stronger young people begin the process of also provided a library of critical connections to these books than to becoming literate. It is in settings picture books and adolescent novels the “happy books” that she usually like Kim Huber’s first-grade class- (Harste, Breau, Leland, Lewison, read. And while she was not sur- room that children expand their un- Ociepka & Vasquez, 2000; Leland & prised that their awareness of social derstandings of the purposes of Harste, 2002) that participants could issues showed considerable growth literacy and begin to see how liter- take back to their classrooms. These when she started to read books that acy relates to their interactions with books typically focused on difficult focused on these topics, she did not others. The instructional approaches social issues and involved situations expect to find that the children and the culture that children experi- where characters were marginalized would start treating each other with ence in these settings play a major in some way as a result of the exist- more compassion and understand- role in shaping their emerging iden- ing systems of power. While the sto- ing. She was also surprised to find tities as cultural and literate beings. ries rarely had happy endings where all of the problems were solved, Kim was intrigued, but not convinced that she they did leave readers thinking about fairness and what could or wanted to discuss what might be seen as should be done differently (Leland, controversial topics with children. Harste, Ociepka, Lewison & Vasquez, 1999). that they put considerably more Not all cultural niches are equal in One group of teachers involved in effort into their written and artistic terms of the experiences they pro- this project worked in suburban and responses, took on multiple perspec- vide for young children. In report- rural schools while the other group tives, and made lots of intertextual ing the findings from longitudinal consisted of urban teachers from the connections when they were react- case studies of children’s literacy Indianapolis Public Schools. Kim ing to these books. She had many development in early childhood and joined the urban teachers since she questions to consider: What made primary school (Comber & Hill, Language Arts, Vol. 82 No. 5, March 2005 MAR-LA2.QXD 2/8/2005 4:00 PM Page 259 2000; Hill, Comber, Louden, Reid, & encouraged to take an active role in practice. According to this view, Rivalland 1998), Barbara Comber questioning both the texts them- texts position readers in specific (2003) identifies “several worrying selves and the beliefs and personal ways, and readers therefore need to signs” (p. 13) that emerge from experiences they bring to them. be able to understand how they are analysis of these data. While the being positioned. studies suggest that most children CONCEPTUAL FRAME Questions such as “Whose story is do become proficient in their ability Conceptually, critical literacy is an- this?” “Who benefits from this to make meaning from text, they chored in Luke and Freebody’s story?” and “Whose voices are not also suggest that even in preschool (1997) “four resources model of 259 and the earliest years of formal reading as social practice.” This schooling, children are acquiring model describes four resources or Children who Out of the Box qualitatively different repertoires of types of knowledge that are essen- experience a critical literacy practice. While some chil- tial to the process of becoming a dren are involved in communicative truly literate person: decoding prac- approach to literacy practices that engage them in pro- tices, text-meaning practices, prag- learn to “read between duction, analysis, and response, matic practices, and critical the lines.” others appear to be experiencing practices. “piecemeal recycled literacies of replication and repetition” (p. 13). • According to the first view, reading being heard?” invite readers to in- Common activities in the latter is primarily a process of decoding, terrogate the systems of meaning group include filling in blanks, and the main function of reading in- that operate both consciously and copying letters or words, and color- struction is to help children break unconsciously in texts, as well as in ing in pictures. This is problematic the code. This view moved in and mainstream culture, to privilege because it means that some children out of prominence throughout the some and marginalize others. Thus, are beginning their academic ca- latter half of the twentieth century a critical literacy approach includes reers with a limited and ultimately and then vaulted into a position of a focus on social justice and the role dysfunctional view of what literacy major importance when the second that each of us plays in challenging is for and what it can do in the Bush administration came into office or helping to perpetuate the injus- world. Comber identifies this dispar- in 2000. tices we identify in our world. In ity as an equity issue: • The second perspective focuses on this sense, critically literate individ- The absence of productive and ana- text-meaning practices and the de- uals are capable of taking social lytical practices from some children’s velopment of a reader who under- action to fight oppression and literate repertoires is an urgent stands how to use textual and transform their communities equity issue throughout schooling. personal resources to produce a and realities. Early childhood is a crucial site of meaningful reading. This view was The gap between the instruction that practice because it is during that introduced during the 1970s and many children receive and the need period that children form initial rela- 80s, when psycholinguistics and for greater cultural understanding is tionships with schooling and formal schema-theoretical notions of unfortunate given the fact that our learning; it is there where they are reading emphasized reader–text society is becoming increasingly di- first constituted as learners and there connections.
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