Advocacy

Students have knowledge of injustice in the world, have informed opinions about it, and know that their voice and actions have value. They can advocate for themselves and others.

INTRODUCTION

In my classrooms, students have a variety of opportunities to read about and discuss the various injustices that exist in our world, both currently and historically. All of the class novels that I use with my students have an element of social justice to them. When we read Zane and the Hurricane, we discuss how the character's race and class impacted the way they were treated by others. When we read Making Bombs for Hitler, we discuss how the Nazis treated different groups of people and examined the German propaganda they used to sway ordinary Germans. In addition to these class novels, my students have delved into several real-world topics, such as immigration, refugees, gun control, and protests of the National Anthem. By weaving in these topics into my daily instruction, students are gaining a more in-depth knowledge of the injustices around them and are able to discuss possible solutions with their classmates.

The two areas on which I will focus in this section of my portfolio are the advocacy projects my students developed during their summer enrichment course, and the discussions that my students have had about refugees and gun control. The summer enrichment projects gave students an opportunity to research a topic related to immigrants and refugees and design a product that would help immigrants and refugees living in the Houston area. In addition, the refugee and gun control discussions give my students a chance to read a variety of texts related to these specific injustices, develop an informed opinion about the issue, and then respectfully discuss these topics with their classmates. Both of these activities show my students how they can become advocates for themselves and for others through thinking, speaking, reading, and writing.

Please click each image below to see how I incorporate advocacy in my classroom.

Summer Enrichment Projects

Issue Discussions

CONCLUSION

By incorporating texts that tackle injustice throughout my teaching, I am ensuring that my students become well-versed in the topics that are facing our country. I have found that my students are aware of these issues because see them on the news, and they enjoy the chance to learn more about them and discuss them with their peers. By using social justice topics as a medium for my students to practice not only academic skills but also 21st century skills such as research, discussion, and presentation, I am providing my students with a more holistic education that makes learning relevant to them and am allowing them to serve as advocates who realize the power of their own voices.