Culturally Relevant Teaching in the English Language Arts Classroom ― A Guide for Teachers

This book is a practical, research-based, classroom-ready resource for English language arts teachers interested in learning how to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy into all aspects of their instruction, including writing, reading, and vocabulary lessons. It also provides suggestions for building an inclusive classroom environment in which all students’ backgrounds are valued.

Topics covered:

• Writing strategies and diverse texts

• Dialect and student writing

• Applying reading strategies to texts that represent diverse backgrounds

• Using reading strategies in out-of-school contexts

• Considering students’ funds of knowledge and language awareness

• Connecting linguistic diversity to word-root instruction

• Building an inclusive classroom environment

The appendix features several useful tools, including a study guide, a comprehensive list of suggested texts, recommendations for parent communication, and reproducible tools for the classroom. The study guide and reproducibles are available for free download from our website at www.routledge.com/9781138393318.

Sean Ruday is an associate professor of English Education at Longwood University and a former classroom teacher. He frequently writes and presents on innovative ways to improve students' literacy learning. He is the author of eight other books, including The First-Year English Teacher’s Guidebook and The Common Core Grammar Toolkit series for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.