Inclusive Literacy Teaching

Responding to the need to prepare elementary teachers for the increasing linguistic diversity in schools, this book presents key foundational principles in language and literacy development for linguistically diverse students. Readers see these ideas enacted through the journeys of real students as they progress from 1st through 6th grade. What emerges is both a “big picture” and an “up-close and personal” look at the successes, obstacles, and developmental nuances for students learning to read and write in a new language in inclusive classrooms. Throughout, the authors provide crucial guidance to educators that will support them in taking conscious steps toward creating educational equity for linguistically diverse students.

Book Features:

• Illuminates the variation among students who have been categorized as English language learners.
• Provides access to a broad range of research-based approaches in teacher-friendly language.
• Examines key dilemmas that teachers are likely to encounter in today’s classrooms.

• Avoids recipes or “cookie-cutter” approaches to complex scenarios.
• Addresses academic vocabulary and language development, a key barrier to accessing content for students learning English as a new language.

Lori Helman is associate professor at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and director of the Minnesota Center for Reading Research. Carrie Rogers is assistant professor at Western Carolina University in the School of Teaching and Learning. Amy Frederick is assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls in the Teacher Education Department. Maggie Struck is a doctoral candidate in critical literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota.

Inclusive Literacy Teaching is well-organized, with scenarios, tables, and charts to skillfully supplement the information. - Teachers College Record

“Careful observation of emergent bilingual students as they make themselves understood reveals their creativity and intelligence rather than any supposed linguistic shortcomings. . . . Resources such as Inclusive Literacy Teaching support the professional learning of emergent bilingual teachers in a respectful and practical manner.”
—From the Foreword by Robert T. Jiménez, professor, Vanderbilt University

“If you are going to read just one book about working with multilingual children, this should be the book! Lori Helman and her colleagues peer into schools and the schooling process through the eyes of six multilingual children during their first 6 years of schooling. Chapters are masterfully framed around real-world ‘essential’ dilemmas that multilingual students experience in U.S. classrooms. This book is a must-read for educators who seek to design meaningful and effective literacy instruction for multilingual children.”
—Cynthia Brock, University of Wyoming

“This book addresses an essential dilemma in American education: How can educators take into account the languages, cultures, and background experiences that children bring to classrooms as they support children in becoming readers and writers? Inclusive Literacy Teaching looks across the elementary years to explore the experiences of six multilingual students. Illustrations of promising instructional strategies are shared to support teachers in making essential changes in their classroom literacy programs. In particular, this book explores essential lessons about children’s home languages and identifies critical insights on supporting the literacy learning of emergent bilingual students.”
—Catherine Compton-Lilly, professor of curriculum and instruction, University of Wisconsin–Madison

"Rich and complex, this book beautifully illustrates the challenges, tensions, and opportunities faced by linguistically diverse students and their teachers and families. There are no simple answers here but, instead, much to ponder."
—Claude Goldenberg, Stanford Graduate School of Education