Examining Power & Perspective in the ELA Classroom
How to teach literacy skills through the lens of identity, diversity, justice, and action
Enroll in CourseTestimonials
"I think this is a wonderful course for educators. Teaching empathy and perspective to students is SO critical, but it's challenging to do right and do well! After going through the video and handouts provided, I am eager to facilitate this lesson with my students." - Jordan, 6th Grade ELA
"I'm one lesson into this course and I've already gotten several strategies and activities I can integrate into my classroom!" - Sean, 6th Grade ELA and Social Studies
Course Description
This on-demand program will help you plan your approach to English instruction for the entire school year. You will walk away with ready-to-use lesson materials, examples, and activities that address not only important literacy concepts, but abstract ideas of power and perspective. Together, let's learn to use literacy to teach empathy and critical thinking without losing the rigor of the ELA classroom.
Sample Lesson: Setting as Power
Your students will examine the perceived power characters have in various settings in the novel and determine the source of that power. Students then examine author's craft to determine how the word choice in a selection conveys the feeling of power to the reader. One way students can practice is by utilizing strong imagery and dialogue to develop two scenes: one that conveys power and one that conveys powerlessness, both in the same setting.
If you sign up for this course, I will guide you through interactive and creative lessons like this one, and you will receive print-and-go mentor texts that you can use as early as tomorrow.
In this course, you will learn:
- strategies for helping students examine various perspectives in text
- techniques to improve students' analytical writing through concrete strategies
- methods of aligning the study of literary elements and strategies with concepts of social justice
You will have access to:
- 21 literature-based lessons (aligned to the Social Justice Standards by Learning for Justice) that can be implemented with any text
- rigorous lessons and activities exploring identity, diversity, justice, and action
- graphic organizers
- mentor texts and examples for all lessons
- games and hands-on activities
- creative writing projects
- lesson videos about how to introduce, guide, and manage the units
- educator guides for each lesson with ideas for engagement, guiding questions, and real-world connections
Your Instructor
Welcome. My name is Sonam Shahani, and I have been a middle grade ELA educator for over 10 years and currently serve on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Middle Level Committee where I advocate for the teaching profession on a national platform. I received my bachelors degree at The University of Texas at Austin and my masters degree at Johns Hopkins University and have enjoyed teaching middle school students at American schools abroad and in the United States. I currently reside in Houston, Texas where I teach 5th grade language arts and social studies.
My passion for innovative and creative teaching techniques led me to create The Reading and Writing Nook - a platform for sharing useful teaching tips for educators. I envision our partnership as a collaboration between professionals, so please connect with me on Instagram or TikTok so that we can share ideas and grow in our craft together.