Count the Ways

I can now look at a children's book and wonder what inspired this story versus what is this story about? I can dissect the way that one character talks with the other in order to determine the author's bias. What road will we be lead down today? Stories can take you into different realms daily. If I made the decision to travel to an English boarding school, Madeline is awaiting my arrival. Yet when I am applying my understanding of critical literacy, I get to ask Madeline who sent her to boarding school. When do you get to go home? What story in tradtional literature is the story most like? I now want my students to not only listen to a story but find the sociopolitical meaning behind the text. You don't think kids can do it? Have you tried asking? Looking deeply into a text beyond the pages it is on is a facinating journey that both educators and students alike must take. Critical literacy allows students to build a schema that is most natural to children. Did they enjoy the book or not? If a book is pleasurable then will it be more memorable? I cannot count the ways that critical literacy will impact my students within the classroom. I am looking forward to this journey.