Educational problems are related to national and international issues; they can be solved if teachers see beyond the atomizing images projected by advertising and the news media. (DD)

Discusses how teachers make important choices in discussion groups as they support children's dialogue about social inequities. Notes that the kind of safety that developed did not mean that the talk was always pleasant and free of tension, but members could expect a balancing of support for responses with a questioning approach. (SG)

This article examines how Chicana/o and Latina/o youth employed their political-historical knowledge to "talk back" to the xenophobia and political contradictions that underlie the (im)migration "debate." A literacy unit that honed bilingual students' everyday translating created opportunities for students to utilize this political-historical…

Reflects on the author's tenure as editor of NCTE's elementary-level professional journal during the social upheaval of the late 1960s and early 1970s. (HTH)

Presents a profile of the children's author Milton Meltzer. Considers how although the focus of many of Meltzer's books has been on American history and society, some of his work has foreshadowed another trend in publishing, an emphasis on global interactions and connections. (SG)

Considers how stories function in professional lives, and examines stories of literacy development. Argues that, without a vision informed by the stories of diverse children, the literature on sociocultural differences in literacy use will inevitably be transformed into culturally deficient visions of children in schools. (MG)

Discusses issues that come up in classrooms regarding children's books that have the power to engage students in "critical" conversations about issues of power and social justice, and how systems of meaning in society position educators. Offers descriptions of 12 such books for children, and lists chapter books, books for older readers,…

This article demonstrates the potential for critical inquiry in twenty-first century primary classrooms. The authors (two university professors and a first grade teacher) present an overview of theory/practice relationships in Mary's (teacher) multiethnic classroom with an emphasis on critical literacy, technology and multimodal learning. Readers…

Argues that literacy in the 1980s means the power to use language for one's own purposes as well as those of society. Explores the classroom phase of exercising this power through the critical commentary and discussion of social issues of three students in a lower-class London school. (HTH)

Uses literature discussion as a vehicle for encouraging fourth-grade students to reflect critically on injustice in their own lives. Notes that reflection is a basic skill and an important reading strategy all too often ignored or unacknowledged. Suggests that reflection is the very core of learning rather than an extra or supplementary reading…

Discuses the use of "The Island of the Skog" with an eighth-grade humanities class to deepen students' awareness of the problems leaders face and to aid students in the development of group interaction, leadership, and decision-making skills. (NH)

Discusses how the author uses his second-grade students' natural sense of fairness as a foundation for constructing an antiracist/antibias curriculum. Describes observations of students' reactions to particular classroom materials, his subsequent reflection on his teaching responses to the students' reactions, and how he is learning to become more…

Highlights the work of author/illustrator Patricia Polacco. Discusses her picture books in terms of themes, including family stories; "passed down" stories featuring a babushka; stories that emphasize diverse communities; stories that contain magic or a miracle; and stories that help to raise social consciousness. (SR)

In this article, the author relates the effectiveness of using poetry in his classroom. He relates how students who initially thought poetry as "sappy" have somehow changed their perceptions as they begin to learn more about it. Through various poems, these students came to see how poetry can be a catalyst for a provocative inquiry…