Children of Promise: Literate Activity in Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Classrooms

Heath's Ways With Words and Children of Promise have shaped my views on teaching literacy. I recommend starting with Children of Promise because it is succinct and powerful. If you are a busy teacher looking for something short that will get you thinking, this is for you. In this monograph the authors chronicle the efforts of schools to make literacy lessons engaging and meaningful for culturally and linguistically diverse students. The programs described give students an opportunity to engage in adult forms of literacy. A middle school class tutors kindergarteners. They videotape and examine sessions discussing their strategies. At the end they collectively draft a pamphlet giving kindergarten parents advice on reading to their children. This program and the others described encourage students to examine their use of language and to use language for real purposes. These types of lessons are especially helpful for students who are non-native speakers of English or who speak non-standard forms of English. If you enjoy this you must also look at Heath's Ways With Words which describes her early work with African-American children in the Southeast.