Team 1 Critical Literacy Invitation

Carli Brodie, Brendan McDonell, Carleigh Olive, Emily Simon
ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation
Spring 2023
Invitation, Overview, and Rationale
How can we practice being conscious citizens in our current world?

Brodie, McDonell, Olive, Simon 1
Theme
Throughout the invitations, students will center their discoveries around the essential
question: How can we practice being conscious citizens in our current world? Students are
encouraged to question what might this look like. More importantly, why is conscious citizenship
necessary? The world has become more interconnected than ever thanks to technological
advances and globalization. As such, students must learn how to interact with others and be
aware of the world around them. Each invitation focuses on the need to be conscious of different
aspects of society, encouraging students to dig past the surface level and think critically about
each topic. By engaging with these invitations, students will develop a greater consciousness of
the world that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Rationale
Community Involvement and Activism
Students must learn how to interact with and address social issues. Everyone is part of a
community; every student lives in a community and interacts with those communities daily.
Students, and people in general, crave socialization and interaction. As defined by stage three of
Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this need is necessary for students to grow and learn
(Mcleod, 2023). Educators must explicitly teach students how they can interact with and get
involved with their communities. There is not a moment in their lives when these skills will not
be applied. Students must know how to interact with their school community, work community,
governmental community, online community, and any other type of community of which they
may be a part. Learning how to interact with the community is vital for ELL students, as many
have left their former communities, becoming part of new ones.
Interacting is not enough, though; students must also know how to get involved and
create change. No community is perfect. It is vital that students know how to view these issues
through a critical lens so they can then address them. Teaching students about social issues
within their communities will provide them with the necessary social and developmental skills
that will help them in every aspect of their lives. These skills are critical for all students,
especially ELL students, to learn. By learning about these social issues, students learn empathy,
social justice, and the power a single person has to create change. Through developing these
skills, students are encouraged to think critically about their position in society, the position of
others, why social issues occur, and how to impact the world positively. Through community
involvement and activism, students can learn what being a conscious citizen means to them.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
Everyone has things that make them unique and different. As they get older, students
meet more people and go to new places that expose them to different perspectives and
experiences. It is not just important, but necessary, that students learn how to engage with
unfamiliarities with respect and an open mind. Conscious citizens do not have to be best friends
with everyone. Inevitably, not everyone is going to get along. Still, respect and civility must be
shown. That being said, if a person is interacting with another of a certain demographic or
characteristic for the first time, they might mistakenly do or say something disrespectful. For
some people, their first personal introduction to diversity is when they are in college. Whether
they are eight or eighteen, all people should know how to be compassionate toward diversity. To
accomplish this, exposure at an early age is necessary. This gateway works to do just that: expose
students to diversity at a young age to establish respect, boundaries, and empathy.
Each person comes from a different background. Everyone has made incorrect
assumptions about others, and everyone has had incorrect assumptions made about themselves.
This invitation intends to combat the embarrassment and anxiety of this experience for all
individuals involved. If a person were to make assumptions instead of asking, they would lose
the opportunity to have their needs met and to meet the needs of others. Everyone deserves to be
validated and respected without question or contention. To respect differences, knowledge of
their existence and strengths is the first step.
Digital Citizenship
The digital age has influenced the world in several ways in very little time. Students are
directly affected by the advancement of technology in their daily lives, including their school
communities. In recent years, schools have become increasingly reliant on technology, with
several schools giving students iPads and Chromebooks to engage with school work and
standards. These tools have become necessary for student work in several school districts.
Outside of the classroom, the world is constantly exposed to different aspects of the internet,
which influences students on a daily basis. Through this recent development, several issues have
become present for students in the use of technology and the awareness of how to handle tech in
today's society. People do not think about how their actions affect others, especially when they
have their phones or computers blocking their face-to-face contact. However, becoming a
conscious citizen is recognizing different aspects of technology and navigating those challenges
to make technological uses safe and secure for every student within the classroom. The purpose
of this component is to encourage students to use technology safely, respectfully, and
resourcefully while also recognizing themselves as conscious digital citizens in an increasingly
tech-reliant world.
Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Issues
The last topic is about the socio political/socio economic issues that students can observe
in the society around them, and how there are many different ways in which students can become
more socially conscious about those types of issues in the society around them. A crucial one of
these ways includes focusing on the sociopolitical and socioeconomic problems they come
across personally in the society around them. This topic is vital for students to know about
because it teaches them how to engage with the many issues that run throughout today’s society.
This can, in turn, give students many excellent ways of being conscious about the world around
them as a whole and their abilities to guide them toward a brighter future.
The Four Dimensions Framework of Critical
Literacy
The Four Dimensions Framework of Critical Literacy is a theory of conscious
engagement with society, which comes from Van Sluys’s book called What If and Why. The
framework is broken down into four different dimensions: disrupting the commonplace,
considering multiple viewpoints, socio-political issues, and taking action. Critical Literacy is,
first and foremost, a tool that people can use to ask questions about and analyze the media
around them. It entails taking a more analytical approach to understanding the world, allowing a
person to question societal norms more often. Critical Literacy is important because it helps
communities to change society for the better. The four dimensions are integrated within the
critical literacy engagements to demonstrate the significance of these ideas and how they fit
within these invitations of becoming conscious citizens.
Disrupting the Commonplace
At its core, disrupting the commonplace is centered around thinking more profoundly
about the seemingly mundane. It relies on “paying attention to how words, images, and visual
design are used to convey particular meanings,” recognizing the power that language and
narrative framing have in society (Van Sluys, 2005, p. 15). It is the educator’s responsibility to
select a diverse range of materials and encourage students to think through diverse lenses.
Through implementing this aspect of critical literacy, students will question the status quo and
ask introspective questions such as “How is this text positioning me,” “What language is being
used,” and “What tools do I have to critique this material?” (Van Sluys, 2005, pp. 20-21).
Disrupting the commonplace will create a learning environment where students can question
societal norms and simultaneously foster the development of “the language of critique and hope
(for achieving social justice)” (Shannon 1995 cited Van Sluys 2005, p. 16). In each invitation,
students are implored to disrupt the commonplace by asking thought-provoking questions framed
around critiquing the status quo and the need for social justice. They will think critically about
what it means to be part of a community, how to get involved, why social issues are important,
and question how the materials presented create a particular narrative. Learning to disrupt the
commonplace through critical thinking and analysis is a skill that will benefit students
throughout their whole life, ultimately teaching them how to be conscious citizens of the world.
Multiple Viewpoints
To discuss multiple viewpoints, it has to be acknowledged that this section is
multifaceted. First, and objectively, there are multiple viewpoints in every situation. This is the
first step to empathy. Perspective blinders make it impossible to learn and grow. But it is not
enough to just acknowledge that varying perspectives exist. Acknowledging is passive; it
requires little effort and doesn’t have the necessary societal impact that would create
much-needed compassion and progress. To accomplish these things means to listen. As
previously stated, no one person is the same. Even if two people grew up in the same
environment, their perspectives will be vastly different–“Anyone with siblings or multiple
children can attest that children raised together experience the same parents, school, or culture in
unique ways. Every parent has a different relationship with each of their children. An objectively
shared experience (such as parents divorcing) may be reacted to quite differently by each child
(even if they are identical twins),” (Derringer, 2019). It is the job of the educator to assist the
students in not just their learning, but understanding and respecting unfamiliar viewpoints.
A significant piece of this practice is providing a diverse array of sources for students to
explore. Each source needs to not just be corroborated but challenged. There is a difference
between conflicting opinions and conflicting facts: both perspectives can be true, while only one
set of data is correct. This is a necessary line to draw in the sand, and it will assist the students in
accurately and respectfully exploring the material provided.
In this collection of engagements, Multiple Perspectives as a concept is explored through
the following avenues: indigenous people and their relationship with the environment, activism,
cyberbullying awareness, disability advocacy, religion, and book banning.
Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Issues
The framework for the four dimensions that will be taught to students is the idea of
sociopolitical/socioeconomic issues and, more specifically, how they connect to surrounding
environments. It is really important to teach students how to become socially conscious about
the problems they see in the world around them, and then also about how to work on solving
those same problems in both healthy and productive ways as well. There are many
connections that can be made between critical literacy and each of the four invitations that
were made. With food insecurity, critical literacy can be used to make students more aware of
the widespread nature of this problem and push them to think more about how to bring
higher quality foods into food charities. With disability, critical literacy can be used to get
students to understand that there is no reason to fear or hate somebody just because they have
a disability, and can also cause them to more meaningfully question if the most common
representations of disabled characters in fictional stories are ableist or not.
With Indigenous Peoples and their environments, Critical Literacy can be used to
create a better understanding of why Native American culture and stories are important to
archive in the United States. This will allow students to achieve a greater understanding of
how Native Americans practice tending to their environment, and the important role it plays
in a tribe’s continued growth. With pollution, Critical Literacy could be used to help students
understand the many ways in which pollution harms the environment around them. This can
also be used to help organize their own communities around larger cleanup/recycling efforts
to keep the pollution to its lowest possible levels for future generations to come.
Taking Action
The idea of taking action is easy to speak about, but the application of taking action
requires incentive. This is significant because it allows students to “engage in practices
associated with the other three dimensions'' (Van Sluy, 2005, pp 17). The other three frameworks
of critical literacy fuel this passion for advocacy. It provides necessary information and incentive
for individuals to take “informed action for change”(Van Sluy, 2005, pp 22). Therefore, an
educator's responsibility is to provide tools from the first three components of critical literacy in
order to inspire the passion to take action on the issues about which students are passionate.
Providing the necessary tools allows individuals to form their own passions and opinions on
specific issues. Within the foundation of digital citizenship, the necessary information needs to
be provided in order to create an incentive for change. Once those tools are provided, the nature
of action naturally falls into place, as it “encompasses reading resiliently, communicating new
lines of thinking, and pushing others on how to see the world”(Van Sluy, 2005, pp 22-23).
Students need background knowledge to form their own thoughts and opinions. This allows for
these passions of avocation to develop, allowing students to bounce ideas off of each other and
engage critically with the texts they are given. Within these engagements, there are a variety of
resources in order to encourage students to engage with the other aspects of critical literacy in
order for them to make the next step of advocacy. Through these engagements, students will
explore the aspects of being a conscious citizen and then apply them to their daily lives moving
forward.
Sixteen Thematically-Linked Invitations

Carleigh Olive
The first theme addressed is Community Involvement and Activism. This invitation has
four areas of focus: “Interacting With the Government,” “Community Involvement," “Book
Banning and Its Effects,” and “The Impact of Anti-Trans Legislation.” Students must learn how
to engage with their communities and how to take action when social issues arise in those
communities. The first invitation focuses on how students can interact with the government. This
topic was chosen because the government is a core part of communities, and as contentious
citizens, they must understand how they can get involved. The next invitation is centered around
different ways one can interact and help their community. Similar to the one above, this
engagement teaches students to think critically about what it means to be part of a community
and why taking action is not just essential but needed.
The third invitation is about the sociopolitical effects of book banning and why every
person should care about social justice. Through this engagement, students learn essential
empathy skills and how to consider issues from multiple perspectives. The last invitation focuses
on the effects of anti-trans legislation and how students can get involved with activism. This
invitation teaches students about the importance of social justice and activism while also having
them pull in knowledge of the sociopolitical environment. Each invitation listed focuses on how
students can disrupt the commonplace through education and activism, ensuring they consider
multiple viewpoints in their analysis. Standards 6-8.WE.5: Understand how to meet long-term
goals by developing short-term goals and 6-8.LS.10: Take an active participation in the learning
process are inherently interwoven throughout the engagements as creating goals and invitations
requires students to become agents of learning. Additionally, standards 6.RL.2.1: Analyze what a
text says explicitly as well as draw inferences from the text through citing textual evidence and
6-8.LH.3.3: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s perspective or purpose are naturally
part of these engagements since they are core principles of critical literacy.
Emily Simon
The second theme discussed is Cultural and Linguistic Diversity. Within this, the four
engagements are Religion and Spirituality, Immigration/ethnicity, Language, and Disability. The
most enticing subject–or gateway experience–is the immigration/ethnicity activity. In it, students
are encouraged not just to explore the topic firsthand, but to share it with their family when they
cook a meal from an unfamiliar culture or country. Often, people will eat culturally diverse foods
without understanding their cultural significance. This is why students are being asked to explore
meal ideas suggested by their peers–people who can personally speak to the meaning behind a
certain food, ingredient, or presentation. The second engagement focuses on religion and
spirituality. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about various religious groups,
leading to 1,590 religious hate crimes in 2021 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2022). (While
the goal here is not to force students to change religions, or to follow one at all, they must learn
how to process and accept the fact that there is no one right way to see the world.) The third
engagement focuses on language, specifically how people who speak a foreign language
navigate new places and new people. Today’s students are growing up in a world where
linguistic diversity is increasing as more people immigrate to the United States–“More than 20%
of US residents speak a language other than English at home, the American Community Survey
has found, and this percentage has almost doubled since 1980” (Bond, 2018). While learning
every language is feasibly impossible, learning to communicate through barriers isn't a skill they
will practice in this engagement. Finally, the fourth engagement in this theme is Disability. This
topic is unique, in that anyone can be affected by disability at any point, whether through illness
or injury. This makes it especially necessary for students to understand, especially the piece
regarding accessibility and inaccessibility in this current world. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
covers the following standards: 6.RN.4.2, 6.SL.2.1, 6.SL.2.4, 6.3.9, 6-8.LH.3.1, 6-8.LH.4.2,
6-8.SE.2, 6-8.LH.3.3, and 1C.1I.NL.a.
Carli Brodie
The third theme addressed is Digital Citizenship. This invitation has four different areas
of focus: “Digital Etiquette,” “Mis-Information,” “Cyberbullying,” and “Right of Privacy.”
These engagements allow students to understand their roles in the digital world and how that
translates into becoming conscious citizens. The ideas of critical engagement begin with
understanding digital communities and considering different opinions and issues that exist, and
how digital citizens can create positive change through technology.
The first engagement focuses on the digital community, known as “digital etiquette,”
which focuses on how students can be respectful, kind, and resourceful using the internet. This
topic was chosen because it allows students to disrupt the commonplace through positive actions,
rather than negative ones that are flooded across different sites. This allows students to be
examples for each other and their other digital communities. The second engagement focuses on
the concept of cyberbullying and how it affects individuals and others in the community. This
topic was chosen because it allows students to see multiple perspectives of cyberbullying and
how it can cause long-term effects. This engagement also allows students to avoid becoming
bystanders and instead advocate for kindness and respect toward each other.
The third engagement focuses on the rise of misinformation on the internet and how it
affects social and political biases. This topic was chosen because misinformation has affected
how society is perceived, and to become conscious digital citizens, students need to be aware of
misinformation and the bias associated with it. The fourth and final engagement focuses on the
right to privacy and the association it has with digital safety. This topic was chosen because this
is an issue that requires immediate action. Students need to recognize their individual privacy
and then, will take action to help others value and protect their own private information.
These engagements encourage students to examine their role as digital citizens, the issues
that exist in the digital community, and how they can take action through a perspective that
values other digital citizens as well. Standards that will be addressed during the engagements are
listed as follows: 8.4.4: students will practice ways to communicate care, consideration, and
respect for themselves and others; 8.2.6: students will analyze technological influence on their
personal health and their family’s health; 6.ML.1: students will critically analyze information
found in electronic, print, and mass media used to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit
culture; 6.RN.4.2: students will integrate information presented in different media or formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, verbally) to demonstrate a coherent understanding of a topic or
issue. All four standards fit within the engagements of critical literacy that explores the ideas of
conscious digital citizenship.

Brendan McDonnell
The subtopics that will be focused on for the last topic are food insecurity, disability,
Indigenous Peoples and their environments, and pollution. The goals with these four
engagements are to teach students about the social consciousness that they will need in order to
identify the specific social problems that these subtopics deal with. They will use the resources
that have been provided to them to become more engaged with those problems and find new and
unique methods of solving those problems. The goals for these four engagements connect to the
classroom texts by instilling the idea that the socio political/socio economic issues in society
revolve around the inability of people to work together to create a better future for us all. Much
in the same way that the readings throughout this class have exemplified how far there still is to
go to help ELLs succeed in the classroom through an examination of preconceived ideas about
the world. So too do these goals seek to challenge those same notions within students, so that
they can help the people experiencing these socio political/socio economic issues. In the real
world, to succeed in their careers, hobbies, personal lives, etc. as well, the main standard that
summarizes all four of these engagements is the standard 6-8.SE.2: Demonstrate an awareness of
the needs and rights of others. Each engagement asks students to take the time to become more
aware of the needs and rights of the other people around them so that they can better help solve
any of the many socio political/socio economic problems that people around them may face.
Critical Pedagogy
Community and Involvement and Activism
The first theme, “Community Involvement and Activism,” is centered around the idea
that everyone can get involved and make a change, regardless of age, language proficiency, or
previous knowledge of the sub-topics. These invitations recognize that “Language is the primary
tool learners use to symbolize their unique experiences and to communicate with others,”
providing multiple opportunities for ELL students to work on their English proficiency (Brooks
& Karathanos, 2009, p. 47). The first four invitations also rely on students’ background
knowledge, experiences, and language, critical components of the “meaning-making process” for
ELL students (Brooks & Karathanos, 2009, p. 48). Additionally, all videos have accurate
captions, and pictures have the necessary descriptions to make each engagement accessible to all
learners. All students are part of a community and thus have a connection to this topic. Many
will be interested in learning how to get involved in their communities and think about this
involvement from a social justice perspective. These engagements also teach students essential
life skills like creating goals. While these skills are essential for all students to gain, it is
especially pertinent that ELL students learn these skills to help them improve their English
language proficiency and learn how to use the language in their classes.
The second theme, “Cultural and Linguistic Diversity,” prioritizes exposure to diversity
for students. Diversity comes in all shapes and sizes, from language to religion, from ethnic
background to disability, this is something young people need to know about. It is never too
early; children should learn how to value themselves and others proactively instead of reactively.
In her article “Visiting Room 501,” Margaret Curwen explains that more people are becoming
immigrants and adopting a transnational identity. This comes from the primary element of
moving to a new place and the secondary element of one’s family’s country of origin. That being
said, developing one’s identity is bigger than their ethnicity: it also includes their physical and
intellectual (dis)abilities, the languages they speak, and what, if any, spiritual beliefs they hold. It
is important that students’ work honors and celebrates all of those pieces. Beverly Tatum writes,
“If we want to promote positive cross-group relations, we need to help young White people
engage in the kind of dialogue that precipitates this kind of identity development just as we need
to help youth of color achieve an empowered sense of racial and ethnic identity” (Tatum, 1997,
p. 113). Replace distinguishing labels like “White” and “youth of color” with any other identity
words, and the message still stands.
In making the content accessible to all students, the Youtube videos selected all include
closed captions that can be automatically translated. Additionally, any material created for the
engagements can easily be translated into the language spoken by the student in need. Or, the
translation services used can use text-to-speech so any student can listen to the material if they
need or prefer this method of learning. Any activities that require writing or speaking can be
done in small groups or pairs for students who need more support. Additionally, all invitations
are separated by different Heading settings so text-to-speech services can navigate the document
more effectively.
Digital Citizenship
The third theme, “Digital Citizenship,” emphasizes the role of individuals in the digital
world and taking action to improve the digital community. The role of a digital citizen is
applicable to everyone in the community as the rise of the digital world is unavoidable and an
integral part of society. The digital world encourages educators “to reexamine everything that
[they] are doing” in terms of how technology is used and how it applies to different students
(Howard 2007, pp 17). The digital world has created an interconnected community with various
cultures and languages. Educators need to see this aspect of culture and incorporate it into the
values of digital citizenship as it has personal connections to students' lives. According to
Cummins, in order “to create a future [individuals] need to rupture the past” (Cummins 2000, pp
3). Studying how technology was used in the past before the acts of proper digital citizenship
requires high engagement from students with various cultures and languages. This means
resources provided must include pieces to engage ELL students academically. All the Youtube
videos have Spanish transcriptions and visuals to accompany them. Articles are translated and
copied on a separate document in the students' first language to ensure critical engagement.
Some engagements require writing, and first language support will be provided, whether it is
demonstrating knowledge in one's first language or with a bilingual dictionary as an act of
scaffolding to practice digital citizenship in English as well. These critical thinking skills will
translate to the application of critical literacy. As educators, it is important to provide the

necessary resources to not only create inclusive engagement in critical literacy of being
conscious citizens, but an incentive and passion to learn as well.
The Environment
There are many ways by which this invitation is accessible and relevant to all
students, but specifically English Language Learner students. Even though “cultural histories
are filtered by experience and psychological characteristics, making each person unique”
(Zion, Kozleski, and Fulton, 2005, p. 4), this invitation has something in it for everybody,
regardless of their cultural background. One way is that the invitation encourages students of
all nationalities/ethnicities to become much more involved with addressing the socio
economic/socio political issues that affect the communities that they live in. By becoming
more socially conscious about these issues in ways that suit their specific needs, cultures, and
personal goals from the cultural backgrounds that they come from. Social conscious teaching
needs to be more specifically tailored to students by, “looking honestly at outcome data and
creating new strategies designed to serve the students whose current instruction is not
reaching” (Howard, 2007, p. 20). By finding methods that make students more engaged with
being more socially conscious about the socioeconomic/sociopolitical issues that affect them
personally.
A second way is that all of the resources that have been used for these invitations in
order for students to research/learn more about these four engagements are websites. That
can be easily translated/audibly read out loud into any language spoken by an ELL or
disabled student. A third and final way that these invitations are accessible and relevant to all
students is that the specific socioeconomic/sociopolitical issues that are discussed in these
four engagements are themselves very universal issues that have many effects on the vast
majority of the communities across the USA, regardless of their racial, ethnic, and/or cultural
makeup, and ones that should be taken seriously as issues by all of the people inside of those
same communities, no matter what languages there are that they speak. It is very important
that all of the aspects of these invitations are accessible/relevant to both ELLs and all of the
other types of students that are taught/advised over the course of any teacher’s career in
education. This type of accessibility to all students needs to involve “becoming conscious of
one's own thinking patterns” (Sheets, 2009, p. 17). This can be hard, but it is necessary in
order to be relevant to as many students’ experiences as this invitation can possibly be.
References
Bond, E. (2018, September 20). Linguistic diversity in the US hits record high. Slator.
https://slator.com/linguistic-diversity-in-the-us-hits-record-high/
Brooks, K. & Karathanos, K. (2009). Building on the Cultural and Linguistic Capital of English
Learner (EL) Students. Multicultural Education, 16 (no. 4), 47-51.
Cummins, J. (2000). Language, Power and Pedagogy. Bristol, Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual
Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853596773
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2022, December 14). Updated 2021 hate crimes statistics. The
United States Department of Justice; U.S. Department of Justice.
https://www.justice.gov/crs/highlights/2021-hate-crime-statistics
Howard, G. R. (2007). As diversity grows, so must we. Educational Leadership, 64(6), 16.
Ph.D., J. D. (2019, June 24). Being raised together doesn’t make us the same. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-vary/201906/being-raised-together-d
oesnt-make-us-the-same
Mcleod, Saul. (2023). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simply
psychology.org/maslow.html
Sheets, R. H. (2009). What Is Diversity Pedagogy? Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University.
Van Sluys, K. (2005). Joining the Critical Literacy Club. What If and Why?: Literacy Invitations
for Multilingual Classrooms (pp. 12-24). Heinemann.
Tatum, B. (1997). The development of White identity. Why are all the Black kids sitting together
in the cafeteria? (pp. 93–113).

Zion. S., & Kozleski, E. B. (2005). Understanding culture. Denver, CO: National Institute for
Urban School Improvement.

Standards Addressed
Health and Wellness
8.2.6: Analyze the influence of technology on personal and family health.
8.4.4: Practice ways to communicate care, consideration, and respect for self and others.
Employability Skills
6-8.SE.2: Demonstrate an awareness of the needs and rights of others.
6-8.WE.5: Understand how to meet long-term goals by developing short-term goals.
6-8.LS.10: Take an active participation in the learning process.
English Language Arts
6.RL.2.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly as well as draw inferences from the text through
citing textual evidence.
6.RN.4.2: Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, verbally) to demonstrate a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
6.ML.1: Critically analyze information found in electronic, print, and mass media used to inform,
persuade, entertain, and transmit culture.
6.SL.2.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (e.g.,one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) on grade appropriate topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing personal ideas clearly.
6.SL.2.4: Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making
comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

Social Studies
6-8.LH.3.3: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s perspective or purpose
6-8.LH.3.1: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
6-8.LH.4.2: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text
6.3.9: Identify current patterns of population distribution and growth in Europe and the Americas
using a variety of geographic representations such as maps, charts, graphs, and satellite images
and aerial photography. Evaluate different push and pull factors trigger migrations.
Classical Modern Languages
1C.1I.NL.a: I can provide information by answering a few simple questions on very familiar
topics, using practiced or memorized words and phrases, with the help of gestures or visuals.
Annotated Bibliography
American Political Science Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://web.
apsanet.org/teachingcivicengagement/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/09/Teaching-Civic
-Engagement-Globally.pdf
This resource informs students how to be civically active, and I included it to help them
realize how important that being socially conscious of the society surrounding them is.
Americans with Disabilities Act. DOL. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.dol.
gov/general/topic/disability/ada
This resource is about the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and I included it
in order to help my students understand the history of disability rights in the USA.
BrainPOP. (n.d.). Digital Etiquette. BrainPOP. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/digitaletiquette/movie/.
The concept of Digital Etiquette is explored through Tim and Moby on a BrainPOP
adventure, where they explore what it means to use the internet in a respectful way and how that
affects the world around them. The video shows several examples of digital etiquette as well as
examples where communication is inappropriate or hurtful. Students will watch this video and
learn about digital etiquette and will use the information in the video to apply this to their daily
lives, including an activity where they will practice digital etiquette themselves.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May 18). Disability & Health U.S. State
Profile Data: Indiana. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 23,
2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/impacts/indiana.html

This resource shows the very negative relationship between disabled people and their
abilities to afford healthcare, and I included this in order to teach my students about how having
a disability impacts all areas of a person’s life.
Chiaro, C. (2021, May 12). Creating engaged citizens through Civic Education. TeachHUB.
Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2021/05/
creating-engaged-citizens-through-civic-education/
This resource tells about how to get people in general engaged in being socially
conscious citizens through teaching them about civics at a young age, and I included it in order
to show my students how they will carry the teachings that made them socially conscious
throughout their entire lives.
Couturie, G. (2016). What English sounds like to Non-English speakers [Video]. On YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU2wkD-gbzI
This resource features a man talking on the phone in what sounds like gibberish to an
English speaker, versus what English sounds like to a non-English speaker. Even for students
who learn a second language, they often do so in a classroom setting, so this experience is
unfamiliar to them. This resource puts the students in a non-English speaker’s shoes.
Department of Labor. (n.d.). Americans with Disabilities Act. DOL. Retrieved April 28, 2023,
from https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability/ada
This resource is the Department of Labor’s breakdown of the Americans with Disabilities
Act. It is important that students understand not just the world around them, but how and why it
exists as they know it today. This is a great stepping off point for the Call to Action in the
Disability engagement.
Engagement in a democracy - opened CUNY. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://
opened.cuny.edu/courseware/lesson/212/overview
This resource teaches people how to become more engaged with the democratic process
in their country and why they should be interested in doing so, and I included it in so that I could
show my students a great way in which they could exercise their political power to fight back
against the socio—political/socio—economic issues that they are learning about the existence of.
Food Security and Nutrition Assistance. USDA ERS - Food Security and Nutrition Assistance.
(n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-
food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-security-and-nutrition-assistance/
This resource shows the rates of food insecurity across the USA, and I included it in
order to show my students how widespread the issue of food insecurity actually is.
Fritsch, K., & McGuire, A. (2021). We move together. AK Press.
This resource is presented in two sections: first, a children’s book about disability and
accessibility in society, and second, several informative pages expanding on the images featured
in the first part. This book presents disability and inaccessibility in concepts children can
understand and empathize with.
[Graphic of different symbols of community with the words “GET INVOLVED” written in the
center]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://chicagorealtor.com/represent-your-
community-apply-to-join-our-new-diversity-committee-the-77/
This graphic provides a visual representation of the different aspects of community and
the interconnectivity within a community. This resource highlights various ways to think about
community and the value of those differing perspectives. It will also assist students in
questioning how particular narratives are formed and how to read against the grain.
Guide to disability rights laws. ADA.gov. (2023, April 12). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from
https://www.ada.gov/resources/disability-rights-guide/
This resource serves as an excellent guide to explaining the legal aspects of disability
rights along with how disabled people are protected as a minority group under the law, and I
included it because it is an great, comprehensive resource to use in order to teach my students
about the state of disability rights today.
Homepage. No Kid Hungry. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.nokidhungry.org/
This resource is a great charity that can be donated to in order to help food insecure
people all across the USA, while also taking the time to inform people about how widespread the
issue of food insecurity is, and I included it to show my students an example of what they could
do to help food insecure people.
Household food insecurity rates, 2019–2021. Food Research & Action Center. (2022, November
15). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://frac.org/household-food-insecurity-rates-
2019-2021
This resource shows the food insecurity rates around the USA based on which state
people are in through an interactive map, allowing students to see how food insecurity affects
their own states while comparing them to different states as well, and I included this source in
order to show my students how food insecurity is a problem that affects all states in the USA,
even if it is to varying degrees.
Hunger in Indiana. Feeding America. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.
feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/indiana
This resource is a charity for food insecure people in Indiana which also takes the time to
tell about the scale of the food insecurity problem in the state as well, and I included it because
it's important for my students to learn in—depth about the food insecurity problems in specific
states, not just their own
Kantola, S. (2023, March 7). Disability services in Indiana resource list. Disability Justice and
Violence Prevention Resource Hub. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://indisability
justice.org/disability-services-in-indiana-resource-list/
This resource serves as a fantastic collection of other resources that disabled people can
use for help both in Indiana and across the USA, and I included this source in because it is
important for my students to learn about disability rights services that can help disabled people in
other states than their own, such as Indiana, and across the country as well.
Kidcitizen. KidCitizen. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.kidcitizen.net/
This resource teaches students how to be socially conscious about the socio
political/socio economic issues around them through participation in the government and how
actions taken by our government can affect their daily lives, and I included it because it helps to
inform my students about why it's so important for them to be socially conscious about what
their government is doing around them.
Kids's Rules for Online Safety. SafeKids.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from
http://www.safekids.com/kids-rules-for-online-safety/
This checklist of Kids’s Rules for Online Safety states ten online safety rules, specifically
regarding the idea of privacy. This list was copied and edited into a new document that includes
the changes regarding the term “parents”, which now opts the term “caretaker” to make the list
more inclusive and accessible for all students. Students are encouraged to read this list in order to
understand pieces about privacy while also turning it into an oath for themselves. This allows
them to value their own privacy and safety as well.

Krieger, E., & Cocotos, T. N. (2013). Myths busted! : just when you thought you knew
what you knew-- (Ser. National geographic kids). Scholastic.
Myths Busted lists several legends, or myths that have been seen and known by our world
for a long time. The book shows how these claims are actually myths and then goes to describe
the truth behind each myth and where each one came from. This book aims to be an introduction
for mis-information and how common myths can spread, and spread quickly, with technology or
not. Students are invited to skim through the book to read myths that are interesting to them as
well as learning the origins of the myths that they chose to read and focus on.
Maestro, B. (1996b). Coming to America: The story of immigration. Scholastic Inc.
This book tells the story of immigration throughout history, specifically the journey
people have made to reach America before, during, and after its founding. This source is
representative of many ethnic groups and age-appropriately addresses the mistreatment of some
of them.
Native American: Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History: Classroom Materials at the
Library of Congress: Library of Congress. The Library of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved
April 24, 2023, from https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/native-
american/
This resource explains about the history of Native Americans throughout many major
events in the USA’s own history and the difficulties that they had to endure due to colonization
by the European settlers, and I included it because it would help my students to understand better
about why Native American culture/art is so important to preserve as a part of the history of
North America as a whole.
Office, U. S. G. A. (n.d.). Tribal and Native American issues. U.S. GAO. Retrieved April 23,
2023, from https://www.gao.gov/tribal-and-native-american-issues
This resource is an accountability office for the USA government to use while navigating
modern Native American issues such as lands and their health, and I included it in order to show
students the information/processes that the USA government is using in order to get a start on
trying to right the many wrongs of its treatment of Native American tribes throughout history.
Olson, M. (2022, February 25). VIDEOS: Transgender Youth and Families Share Experiences in
Wake of Discriminatory Legislative Acts. Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/
press-releases/videos-transgender-youth-and-families-share-experiences-in-wake-of-discr
iminatory-legislative-attacks
This collection of first-hand accounts from transgender youth details the harsh realities of
anti-trans legislation. These videos also bring up the importance of gender-affirming care and
fighting discrimination. Students will use the videos as primary sources that offer a more human
approach to the topic rather than just statistics.
Our work. Carbon180. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://carbon180.org/work
This resource is an excellent organization that fights back against the problems that pollution
causes, and I included it because it shows my students all of the many ways that they can do their
part in fighting climate change as a group as well.
Pollution Prevention. (2022, May 27). What is pollution prevention? Pollution Prevention.
Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.in.gov/idem/prevention/what-is-
pollution-prevention/
This resource explains what the best steps are that can be taken in order to prevent
pollution from spreading anywhere, and I included it because it shows my students the steps that
they can encourage the people/institutions around them to take in order to reduce their own
pollution outputs.
Public Broadcasting Service. (2022, July 5). Lesson Plan: Civic Engagement and how students
can get involved. PBS. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/
classroom/2020/07/lesson-plan-civic-engagement-and-ways-for-students-to-get-involved/
This resource is about a general lesson plan that can help motivate students to become
socially conscious about the socio political/socio economic issues around them and get them
involved with talking about governmental policies, and I included this resource because it is a
great way to get students thinking about how they would like to influence the government’s
decisions later, as adults.
ProCon. (2023, March 27). Banned Books- Top 3 Pros and Cons. ProCon.org. https://www.pro
con.org/headlines/banned-books-top-3-pros-and-cons/
This website offers the pros and cons of banning books in a reader-friendly format. It
provides multiple viewpoints on this social issue, prompting students to consider all perspectives.
Public Broadcasting Service. (2022, July 5). Lesson Plan: Civic engagement and how students
can get involved. PBS. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/
classroom/2020/07/lesson-plan-civic-engagement-and-ways-for-students-to-get-involved/
This resource is about a general lesson plan that can help motivate students to become
socially conscious about the socio political/socio economic issues around them and get them
involved with talking about governmental policies, and I included this resource because it is a
great way to get students thinking about how they would like to influence the government’s
decisions later, as adults.

Sankoff, I., & Hein, D. (2018, July 24). Prayer [Video].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYBTCHm48Ps
This song is from the musical Come From Away. At this point in the show, a character is
finally remembering where the song stuck in their head is from: it’s an old hymn from church.
Slowly, more characters of different religious backgrounds tell their story and sing a piece of
music significant to them. At the end of the song, they all sing together, creating beautiful music
with religious songs that represent faiths that are often in conflict. As the goal of this section is to
encourage students to aspire to find harmony with others through religious differences, this song
felt like the appropriate resource, as it represents this idea through music.
Spiegelman A. (1991). Maus. Pantheon Books.
This retelling of Spiegelman’s father’s Holocaust survivor story details the lead-up to the
“Final Solution,” to escaping from Auschwitz. The graphic novel portrays Jewish people as mice
and Nazis as cats, making the already impactful story even more pertinent. This resource will
allow students to think critically and question why books are banned, as the selected panels are
the most controversial in the context of book banning.
State Parks. (2022, September 14). Indigenous peoples in Indiana. State Parks. Retrieved April
23, 2023, from https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/cultural-resources-and-history/native-
americans/
This resource tells about the history of/atrocities committed to the Native Americans on the land
that is present day Indiana, and I included this resource because it would help students to
empathize more with the difficulties that Native Americans face today to know about the tragic
history of Native American tribes from even just a single state.
Supporting the Transgender People in Your Life: A Guide to Being a Good Ally (2023, January
27). National Center for Transgender Equality. Retrieved April 24, 2023. https://
transequality.org/issues/resources/supporting-the-transgender-people-in-your-life-a-guide
-to-being-a-good-ally
This source explains different ways in which individuals can become allies to transgender
people. This source will be helpful as it provides a different perspective than the other sources
used in the invitation. It also prompts students to think about different ways they can take action.
Ted Ed (2015) How false news can spread - Noah Tavlin Retrieved April 27, 2023, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSKGa_7XJkg
How false news can spread explains what the concept of misinformation is and how it was able
to spread across the world before technology, and how it is spreading through the internet. This
video aims to explain why it's important to be conscious of misinformation and encourages
students watching to be careful when browsing the internet, with the awareness that something
they come across might have false information.
The library at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. Indiana Institute on Disability
and Community. (2023, April 5). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.iidc.
indiana.edu/library/index.html
This resource is a virtual university library from Indiana which allows people from anywhere to
check out many books/DVDs about disabilities, and I included it so that my students would have
a place to go to further research more information about disabilities if they do want to do so.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Environmental Agents. National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.niehs.nih.
gov/health/topics/agents/index.cfm
This resource is a governmental website that catalogs/details all of the many harmful pollutants
and harmful effects of pollution that pollution can have on the environment, and I included the
resource in order to get students to understand about more of the in—depth details about just
how harmful that pollution actually is to people’s environments and their healths.
UWIC (2017, June 6). United Way of Central Indiana | We Are Game Changers [Video].
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qghU6hd5p18&t=5s
This promotional video is a call to action for standing united and helping others within one’s
community. This video creates a compelling narrative of community, allowing students to
consider how the author is positioning the audience. This video is also helpful in sparking critical
thinking about what community means and why it is vital to get involved.
Vanorio, A. (2021, November 22). What Native Americans teach us about sustainability. Fox
Run Environmental Education Center. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.fox
runenvironmentaleducationcenter.org/ecopsychology/2020/6/8/what-native-americans-tea
ch-us-about-sustainability
This resource documents how there are many practices that Native American tribes used in the
past in order to keep their communities’s effects on the environment to their lowest possible
levels that many people/governments no longer use today, and I included this resource in order to
show my students that there are many ways that Native American tribes used in order to protect
the environments that they lived in, and it would be good for them to see if they could use those
same practices today, in order to protect the environments in which that they live in as well.
Volunteer - join the Fight Against Hunger and poverty. Second Helpings, Inc. (2023, January
31). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.secondhelpings.org/volunteer/

This resource is for a charity that combats food insecurity in the Central Indiana area, and I
included this resource because it shows my students just how many charities that there are in
communities all around the country, including in states that are not their own, which are working
tirelessly to eliminate the problem of food insecurity from their respective communities once and
for all.
watchwellcast. (2013). How to Beat Cyberbullies. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwu_7IqWh8Y.
How to Beat Cyberbullies is a video that talks about the concept of cyberbullying, its
effects, and how to prevent it. As digital citizens, students need to be aware of this ongoing
problem on the internet and how they can intervene. Students are encouraged to watch this
video in its entirety and then engage and learn about what cyberbullying is and how not
only it could affect themselves, but those around them.
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Air Pollution. World Health Organization. Retrieved April 23,
2023, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution
This resource is a section on the World Health Organization website that specifically talks about
the issue of air pollution, along with the many steps that this organization is taking to combat its
many negative effects throughout the world, and I included this source because I wanted to
inform my students not only about how harmful just one type of pollution can be to the
environment around them, but also about how all of the good that people are doing around the
world just through the WHO alone in order to try to mitigate/eliminate those harms throughout
the world.
Carli Brodie, Brendan McDonell, Carleigh Olive, and Emily Simon
ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation
Spring 2023
Invitation: Student Version
How can we practice being conscious citizens in our current world?

Standards Addressed
Health and Wellness
8.2.6: Analyze the influence of technology on personal and family health.
8.4.4: Practice ways to communicate care, consideration, and respect for self and others.
Employability Skills
6-8.SE.2: Demonstrate an awareness of the needs and rights of others.
6-8.WE.5: Understand how to meet long-term goals by developing short-term goals.
6-8.LS.10: Take an active participation in the learning process.
English Language Arts
6.RL.2.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly as well as draw inferences from the text through
citing textual evidence.
6.RN.4.2: Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, verbally) to demonstrate a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
6.ML.1: Critically analyze information found in electronic, print, and mass media used to inform,
persuade, entertain, and transmit culture.
6.SL.2.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (e.g.,one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) on grade appropriate topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing personal ideas clearly.
6.SL.2.4: Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making
comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
Social Studies
6-8.LH.3.3: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s perspective or purpose
6-8.LH.3.1: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
6-8.LH.4.2: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text
6.3.9: Identify current patterns of population distribution and growth in Europe and the Americas
using a variety of geographic representations such as maps, charts, graphs, and satellite images
and aerial photography. Evaluate different push and pull factors trigger migrations.
Classical Modern Languages
1C.1I.NL.a: I can provide information by answering a few simple questions on very familiar
topics, using practiced or memorized words and phrases, with the help of gestures or visuals.
Letter to Students
Dear Students,
How can we practice being conscious citizens in our current world? How can we be
productively aware of the world around us? These engagements will allow you to engage in
several components of citizenship and what it means to be a conscious citizen in our world. You
will engage in community involvement, cultural and linguistic diversity, digital citizenship, and
the environment. With these topics, you can learn how to be aware of the different aspects of our
world. We also want you to learn about your role as a citizen in our growing world. These
mini-lessons are meant to be inclusive, as your role as global citizens involves awareness of the
citizenship of others, as well as yourself. We hope that you find these lessons engaging and
applicable to your daily lives.
Exploration is a wonder, and we invite you to join us!
Ms. Brodie, Mr. McDonell, Ms. Olive, and Ms. Simon

Community Involvement and Activism
Gateway Experience: Community Involvement

As human beings, we crave social interaction, as such, everyone is part of a community
or community. Communities are critical for our development, and understanding how to get
involved with one will make you a more contentious individual. To live as conscious members of
society, we must learn how to interact with the world around us. This gateway will focus on how
students interact with different sections of society, and why getting involved matters. You will
delve into different ways to interact with a community and what that means for you as a member
of society and for those you interact with. Throughout this experience, I encourage every student
to think about how asking these questions and having these discussions disrupts the status quo
and how they can take action based on what they learn.
Resource(s) students will use in the Gateway:
Think about what community means to you, then create a working definition (Don’t worry about
making it perfect, you will be revisiting it!) Look at the definition of community, then ask at
least three of your peers what community means to them. Afterward, reflect on your initial
definition. Think about what you want to add or change based on what you learned.
7 Simple Ways You Can Get Involved in Your Community
Helping the Community- Ways to Get Involved
United Way of Central Indiana | We Are Game Changers

● United Way of Central Indiana English and Spanish Transcript
Note. Visual representation of community to symbolize the many forms of involvement with red hearts and dashed
lines connecting these different forms. In big, bold light blue letters, “GET INVOLVED” is written in the center of
the graphic.
You are invited to think critically about each of these questions (or your own!) and how these
provided materials help lead you to the essential question: How do you become a conscious
citizen?
● Why is it important to get involved with communities?
● Why is involving oneself in their community beneficial for the community, themselves,
and the world?
● How can what you have learned be applied to your school community?
● In what ways do these materials interact and create a particular narrative about getting
involved with one’s community? Do you want to be positioned this way? Why or why
not?
● What does the quote “We have one life to live better. We must live untied” from the
“United Way of Central Indiana” video mean to you in the larger context of interacting
with others and communities?

● How does involving oneself with communities inform one about the ways in which the
world or society functions?
● Why is involving oneself and interacting with communities an essential part of becoming
a conscious citizen?
● How does the concept of communities and social issues intersect? In other words, how
are they connected and dependent on each other?
Learning how to get involved in communities and why that connects to being a conscious
individual is great, but is not nearly as meaningful if action is not taken. Here are some ideas to
get you started in your community activism:
● How can you create change within your community? Do you know of any local
community-based organizations to join?
○ here is a list of some from IndyHub Volunteer
● Find a local event and attend it
● What is a social issue you want to address in your daily/weekly life? How will you do
this? Create a list of social issues that matter to you. Then brainstorm some forms of
activism and other ways you can create change.
● 14 Ways to Get More Involved in Your Community
● Indy Hub list of volunteering organizations
● 10 Reasons Why Social Justice Is Important
● Michael Platt- Kids Can Solve Big Problems
● Activism isn’t just for adults and teens. We need to teach younger kids to be activists, too
Invitation 1: Interacting With the Government
This invitation focuses on interacting with the government. The government interacts
with each of our lives on a daily basis through policy, funding, maintaining safety, and much
more. Even as students, you can interact with the government in meaningful ways to foster
change. In this activity, you will focus on engaging in activism and disrupting the status quo of
not talking about politics. First, watch the video on state and federal governments to learn more
about their responsibilities. It is important to note that certain aspects of the video may not
pertain to every student, especially when the video mentions the current representative at the
time of creation. Once you have finished the video, you are invited to look at the other materials
provided that spark your interest.
Six Ways for Students to get involved in Policy, Practice, and
Advocacy
How to Get Involved in Local Government
Elementary Students Can Be Civically Engaged as Well
*Note. Image of four youths holding acts, smiling at the three politicians in front of Capitol Hill
After you have looked at these resources, consider the following questions and discuss them with
your peers:
● How can you incorporate what you have learned into your life?
● What steps will you take to interact with the government (federal, state, or local)?
● Why is engaging with the government important?
● In what ways is interacting with the local, state, and federal governments different, and
how are they similar?
● How can you encourage your peers to become politically active?
● How can you use your platform to educate others on this topic?
● How does interacting with the government make a person more conscious of the world
around them?
I implore students to further this invitation to learning by considering the following:
● What are local organizations you can join?
● Contact local representative
● Find a political issue you are passionate about
● 7 Ways for Teens to Get Involved in Politics

Invitation 2: Book Banning and Its Effects (Wave of Hate)
Starting in 2021, a wave of book banning has swept the nation. More than 2,500 books
were banned in 32 states and 138 districts in 2022, according to Pen America. This censorship
targets the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color, particularly the experiences of Black
individuals. There are serious concerns involving the social, legal, and educational consequences
of these actions. This invitation encourages students to disrupt the commonplace, look at this
issue from various perspectives, and consider ways to get involved. Students are invited to use
the following materials to assist their understanding of how book banning connects to
community and activism:
● The history of book bans—and their changing targets—in the U.S.
● As Book Bans Escalate, Here’s What You Need to Know
● Banned Books – Top 3 Pros and Cons
Maus, written by Art Spiegelman, is a retelling of the author’s parents' survivor story of
the Holocaust. The graphic novel uses mice to represent Jewish
people and Nazis as cats. The book has been banned in Texas for
profanity, violence, and nudity.
● Trigger Warning: Violence
Note. panels of mice being hung from page 83 of Maus.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas follows a young black girl named Starr and her
experiences after witnessing her friend shot and killed by the police. The book has been in the
top ten most-banned books in the U.S. for nearly five years in a row for its violence, use of
profanity, and the belief that it promotes anti-cop messages.
● Trigger Warning: Description of gun violence
and death
Note. Image of the scene where Khalil is shot and killed by the police
from pages 22 and 23 of The Hate U Give.
Having looked at the provided resources, I invite students to ponder these questions and engage
in discussion with your fellow classmates.
● Why is it important to become educated on this topic?
● How does the censorship of books affect students' education and socialization?
● How has the current political and social environment affected this wave of censorship?
● Look at the two provided readings, in what ways does censorship protect
students/children, and how does it harm them?
● What are the real-life implications of banning books? Whom does it affect, and who is
perpetrating it?
● How can you take action against this wave of censorship in the short-term and long-term?
● How is the history of book banning in the U.S. connected to the current movement? What
trends do you see? How does learning this history shape our understanding of this social
issue?
● How does being aware of this issue create a consciousness of sociopolitical realities?
This is a very controversial topic nationwide. It impacts every person in the U.S.,
especially students. I implore you to rely on these materials and suggestions to further this
invitation.
● Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools
● Book bans are on the rise. What are the most banned books and why?
● 30 Banned Books You Should Probably Read Right Now
● Banned Books Week Banned Books Week
● Why Maus was banned
● Banned Spotlight: The Hate U Give
● What organizations can you join? where is the closest library?
● Suggestions for activism:
○ Read a banned book
○ Participate in ALA’s banned book week
○ Have discussions about banned books and the banning of books

Invitation 3: The Impact of Anti-Trans Legislation
For this invitation, students will focus on anti-trans legislation, its impact, and how to
support the trans community. Recently, anti-trans legislation has swept the nation. This
legislation discriminates against trans people, targeting trans women and girls in particular. The
invitation intends to foster a response to action and disrupt the commonplace, allowing students
to think critically about this issue and how it
connects to the overarching theme of being a
conscious individual. First, look at the
anti-trans bill tracker to better understand the
social issue. Then look at the other materials to
gather various perspectives on the issue.
● This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would affect minors the most
● Chase Strangio on Anti-Trans Attacks, Legislation and Hope
● Transgender Youth and Families Share Experiences in Wake of Discriminatory
Legislative Attacks
● Supporting the Transgender People in Your Life: A Guide to Being a Good Ally
Note. Image of protesters holding signs that read “ Protect queer students,” “LGBT students matter,” “Protect
students’ privacy,” and “Equality for all students.” (from left to right).
After looking at the materials, I invite students to consider the following questions, remembering
to connect their findings to the essential question.
● What is the underlying message of these resources?
● Why should we care about something even if it (hypothetically) does not directly affect
us?
● Whom does this wave of discrimination affect? How are non-trans individuals and the
LGBTQIA+ community affected?
● How do the narratives from trans youth (human rights campaign) compare to the other
videos and articles? How does it provide a different perspective? Why is having multiple
perspectives important?
● How do these authors position the audience?
● How can students get involved and address this issue within school, communities, and
with friends and caregivers?
● How does the increased polarization of politics in the U.S. connect to this issue?
● How does this legislation (passed or not) affect education? society?
● How does being aware of this issue make you conscious of current events and politics?
As conscious individuals, we must go beyond educating ourselves on social issues. I have
provided supplementary resources and suggestions for action. I strongly encourage you to add to
this list.
● Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures
● Youth activists lead the fight against anti-trans bills

● What are local or national organizations you can join?
● Suggestions for activism:
○ Attend a protest (please take necessary safety precautions)
○ Support trans individuals
○ Talk about the issue publicly
○ Testify against anti-trans legislation

Gateway Experience: Immigration/ethnicity

We all live in Indianapolis today. Some people have lived here their entire lives, while
others have only lived here for a few months. When we move to a new place, we take with us
traditions, foods, and stories that we can share with our new friends and neighbors. But maybe
you’ve never moved to a new town. Instead, what can you learn from your peers who have lived
in more than one place?
The experience of moving is different for everyone. It can be hopeful or worrying, scary
or exciting, or many other feelings. The more different the two places, the more challenging the
move can be. Some people move with one caregiver or both, some of their siblings and not
others, or all by themselves. Some people move with their entire family. But just because they’ve
moved to a new place does not mean they are leaving all those traditions behind.
Activity: Listen to Coming to America by Betsy Maestro.

PAUSE: The book describes Native Americans as immigrants
because they traveled here from somewhere else. They are actually
considered “indigenous people.” Indigenous means, “any group of
people native to a specific region. In other words, it refers to people
who lived there before colonists or settlers arrived, defined new
borders, and began to occupy the land” (Healthline, 2021).

Questions
● Where have you lived in your life? Different houses? Different towns? Different states?
Different countries?
● What traditions and foods have you tried from those places? Do you continue to partake
in them now?
● Maybe you’ve only lived in Indianapolis, but you’ve traveled to new places. Did you try
any tasty foods or experience any special traditions that we don’t have here?
● Or, maybe you’ve never left Indianapolis. Where is your family from? What cultures and
experiences have your caregivers passed on to you? Which ones are your favorites?
Call to Action
Now, ask a peer nearby what food is a staple in their culture or country of origin. Take 7
minutes to find an authentic recipe. Remember to read about the person who created the recipe.
Are they a member of the ethnic group from which this food comes? Can they authentically
speak to the dish’s significance?
When you go home tonight, or at some point this week, cook this meal for dinner. Find
time to share what you learned about this meal with your family, either when you sit down to
dinner or on a piece of paper near the dish on the table that people can read as they come and go.
Invitation 1: Religion and

Spirituality
What do religion and spirituality mean to
you? Does your family participate in any
religious traditions or follow a certain faith’s
teachings? Do you attend religious services?
What holidays do you celebrate? What about
religions you don’t follow? What do you know
about them? Do they have any special foods or
traditions? Do they wear any special clothing?
Everyone’s experience with religion and faith is different. Some people follow the rules
of their faith very closely, while others may not believe in a higher power at all. Each person’s
unique life story–their friends and family, what books they read, what songs they listen to–shapes
their beliefs and how they see the world.
Indigenous People and Spirituality: If you have already visited the Environment
engagements, you might have learned about Indigenous people and their relationship with the
environment. These people also have a rich spiritual experience. Click here to learn more.
Activity: Now, I invite you to listen to the song “Prayer” from Come From
Away, a Broadway musical about, “the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded
passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them” (Come
From Away, 2018).
The Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYBTCHm48Ps
Transcript of Lyrics (English and Español):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o_SXJIAQYOk7CT6O4odcxDnd7WrOWvUQQU
v_Rj8RCYY/edit?usp=sharing
Questions
● What music do you sing or chant as a part of your religion or faith?
● Does your family have any songs that are meaningful to you? What song is it?
○ What is the story of this song?
○ How does this song make you feel when you hear/sing it?
● What is your favorite song?
○ How does listening to it make you feel?
○ Where did you first hear the song? Did someone special share it with you?
Call to Action
Now, find a classmate who has been to this station. Share one of your songs with them–the
spiritual song or your favorite song. Listen to one another’s songs. The first listener will then
answer the questions above regarding the new song, and the player will share their answers after.
Then reverse the process.

Invitation 2:
Language
One important piece of
immigration, as we discussed in
Gateway #2, is language. Today,
there are over 7000 languages
spoken worldwide. Some
languages are spoken by millions of people, like English, while others are endangered, like
Haida of the Haida tribe in now-Alaska. Whether you are moving or traveling, you will likely
encounter an unfamiliar language at some point in your life. Even if you don’t speak the
language, you will still need to navigate communication, transportation, and cultural respect.
This practice is one that must go both ways, as the new person and the native speaker.
Activity: Now, watch this video. It depicts what English sounds like to non-English
speakers.
Consider what works you could understand and where the message sounded jumbled. Could you
pick out anything?
Now, you will experience the video’s message firsthand. Read the following paragraph.
“Roedd Mr a Mrs Dursley, o rif pedwar, Privet Drive, yn falch o hynny dweud eu bod yn
berffaith normal, diolch yn fawr iawn. Hwy oedd y bobl olaf y byddech yn disgwyl bod yn rhan
o unrhyw beth rhyfedd neu ddirgel, oherwydd nid oeddent yn cydio yn y cyfryw nonsens” (1).
- Harry Potter a Maen y Sorcerer
Can you read this paragraph? Do you know what is being discussed? Do you know what book it
is from? Do you recognize any words?
Try reading it again now:
“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly
normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything
strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense” (1).
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Can you read this paragraph now? What was it like to read the paragraph in English instead of
Welsh? Did this make it easier for you to understand what was going on?
Questions
● What would have made the original task easier for you?
● If you traveled to Wales and didn’t know the language, what resources might you need to
navigate safely and respectfully?

● What if you were the person who already knew Welsh? How would you interact with
someone who didn’t speak the language very well? What resources could you provide to
help them communicate with you and navigate Wales?
Consider the experience of non-native English speakers when they come to America or another
country in which English is the primary language. Compare your experience with the video and
the Welsh paragraph to the experience of non-native English speakers–one that can last for
months, if not years.
Call to Action
(On the hypothetical table) There is a list of languages already chosen by your
classmates. Pick a language that is not already on that list. Then, take a handful of sticky
notes and label 10 things around the room in your selected language. They can be items that have
already been labeled if you take part in this engagement toward the end of class, but try to find
unique items to the best of your ability.

Invitation 3: Disability
What makes you different from other learners? Do you prefer to listen to an article or
read an article? How easy is it for you to get from one room to the next? What about accessing
public transportation or travel methods? What if you couldn’t participate in the activities you
love?
The world is full of disabled
people. Some disabilities are visible,
like when a person uses a wheelchair or
a guide dog. Other disabilities are
invisible, like Deafness, learning
disabilities (ex: ADHD), or mental
illness. You never know when you might encounter a disabled person. They experience the world
much differently than an able-bodied or neurotypical person might. It is important to be
respectfully inquisitive and supportive to all individuals in all walks of life.
Activity
For this engagement, you will be reading We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch &
Anne McGuire in two parts. First, listen to/read the book from 00:00–03:06. As you read, take
notes on different incidents of accessibility and inaccessibility. Then, listen to/read the book from
03:06-13:26. Compare your list of accessibility and inaccessibility to the list provided by the
authors. (If you didn’t, there is nothing wrong with that.)

Questions
● Where do you see accessibility and inaccessibility in your life?
● If you suddenly had a mobility disability, could you easily enter your home?
● Can everyone enter the lunchroom easily at your school?
● Can everyone hear the videos your teacher plays in class? Do they provide
subtitles?
● If you were blind, could you safely navigate your school’s playground?
● If you struggled with reading, could you easily listen to an article if you
preferred?
● Could you share your favorite restaurant with all of your friends?
● Does anyone in your life have a disability? What barriers have they faced? How
have they overcome them?
Call to Action
In the United States, there is an act called the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). This act “prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas,
including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to
state and local government programs and services.”
As you navigate the world, pay attention to the places you go and the experiences you
have. Could all people of all abilities and needs join you? If you feel comfortable and safe, say
something to an employee or manager–someone who can pass along your message to an owner
or CEO–and bring awareness to the inaccessibility. Or, write a respectful review online asking
the company to make productive changes so more people can enjoy their food, activities, or
experiences.
Digital Citizenship
Gateway: Digital Etiquette
Technology. It’s everywhere; it is a central part of our world.
People walk around with cell phones, most communication
happens through emails or text messages, and schools are using
iPads and computers for important school work. In order to
engage in this idea of digital citizenship, we need to learn about
the concept of digital citizenship. What is digital etiquette and
how should it be used within the classroom community?
I invite you all to watch this video about Digital Etiquette. When you finish the video, answer the
following questions.
● What is Digital Etiquette?
● Where have you seen examples of Digital Etiquette? What about examples that don’t
show Digital Etiquette?
● How should we communicate with our classroom community using technology?
● How would Digital Etiquette apply to our classroom community? How about our world?
● Why is it important to be mindful and respectful when using technology?
Invitation to Take Action:
You are going to practice your digital etiquette right here and now! Grab your computer and send
an email to your teacher with about 5-7 sentences about something you learned about digital
etiquette in your first language. Feel free to connect to personal experiences and knowledge that
you already have. After you finish writing the email, talk to a classmate and go through and
answer the following questions.
● Read your email out loud. What did you include in your email that showed digital
etiquette?
● Is using digital etiquette a lifelong skill? Why or why not?
● What problems could arise in our world if we don’t follow digital etiquette?
● How will we grow as a community with this awareness of digital etiquette in mind?
Further Next Steps
● Be respectful to people online. Keep your opinions to yourself and respect others.
● Tell your friends about Digital Etiquette. Tell your parents/guardians about what you
learned.
● Read this introduction on Digital Citizenship and connect to how digital citizenship
connects with digital etiquette.

Invitation 1: Cyberbullying
What is cyberbullying? Where did it come from? Why is it so prevalent today? These are some
of the many questions that people have about cyberbullying and how it works. It has become a
huge part of internet culture, and this activity will help you discover what cyberbullying is and
different ways to keep yourself safe.
You are invited to watch the video below about what cyberbullying is and cyberbullying
prevention. When you finish the video, answer the following questions:
How to Beat Cyberbullies
● What is the definition of cyberbullying?
● Why is the power balance different from in-person bullying?
● What are the four ways to prevent cyberbullying?
● Have you ever been cyberbullied? How did it make you feel?
● Why do you think cyberbullying is hurtful toward other people?
● What do you notice about what everybody learned? Is it similar and/or different from
your takeaways?
After you finish watching the video, you will go to the bulletin board and write two sticky notes
and will write the following thing(s) on each one.
1) A strategy you will use to stay safe from cyberbullying from the video.
2) Something that you should do instead of cyberbullying people online.
You will then post your sticky notes on the bulletin board for everybody to see. When reading
other people’s sticky notes, think about the following questions.
● What is something you learned from your peers?
● What did you learn about cyberbullying?
● How has cyberbullying affected other people besides yourself?
● What can we do as a community to prevent cyberbullying within our classroom and our
world?
Further Next Steps:
● Write a letter to the principal about how we can prevent cyberbullying within our school.
● Talk to people about the negative effects of cyberbullying.
● If you were previously cyberbullied, share your story and the impact it had on you.
Invitation 2:
Misinformation
The above image is of a common legend called Bigfoot, a sasquatch that according to legend,
was found and photographed in the woods. Some people believe that Bigfoot is real, while others
believe it is fake. Throughout the years, people worked to discover if Bigfoot is real or not, only
to disprove the theory of Bigfoot after much research. Today, this legend would be labeled as a
myth, or “mis-information.” What is misinformation and why is it so common on the internet
today? You are invited to read parts of the book Myths Busted to understand the concept of
misinformation. After reading a few myths and real facts from the book, answer the following
questions.
● Which myth did you find most surprising and why?
● How does it feel to know to see things not true to be accepted by society?
● From what you just learned, what is misinformation? Is it similar to a myth?
● If you see this much misinformation in one book, how much do you think exists on the
internet?
Now, I invite you to watch this video below about the history of misinformation and why it is so
common today. After you watch the video, answer the following questions.
How false news can spread - Noah Tavlin
● Before the creation of the internet, how did misinformation spread around the world?
● How does misinformation affect different cultures, including our own?
● Why is it important to be patient with our research?
● What can we do to best avoid misinformation while doing research in our classroom on
the internet?
● Create a list of reliable and unreliable sources you can use and share that list with others.
● Question the sources you read. Ask an adult you trust for reassurance. Use the techniques
you learned to make your own judgment.
○ Is this true? Should I do additional research? Is this a source I can trust?

Invitation 3: Right to Privacy and Data Safety
The internet is a part of our lives, and we use it daily, whether at home or here at school. The
internet has a lot to offer for us, but a common problem in society has been privacy on the
internet. What information do we keep to ourselves? What is private? Most importantly, how
does the right to privacy relate to us as digital citizens?
First of all, I want to invite you to read this list of the 10 Rules of Online Safety, which lists 10
ways to stay safe online. Read each one outloud, loud and proud! Once you have read each one,
answer the following questions.
● Which one of these rules are surprising to you and why?
● Why do you think these rules are so important?

● Who would be a caretaker in an academic setting?
● What is information that you need to keep to yourself?
● How will these rules help you when surfing the internet?
Next to you and your partner, there is a hat with slips of paper in them with different questions.
One partner will read a question and the other will answer whether it is okay to share this
information with people on the internet. The answer is on the paper as well and the partner
reading the question will say whether the answer is right or wrong. Have a conversation about it,
whether it is right or wrong in order to fully understand it. Use your knowledge from 10 Rules of
Online Safety to play this game.
● Which question and answer was the most interesting to you and why?
● What did you learn about privacy? What information is yours to keep to yourself?
● Should we ask others for their private information on the internet? Why or why not?
● Why is it so important to know your private information? Why must we keep that
information to ourselves?
Further Next Steps:
● Go over rules with your friends on what you share with each other and what you keep to
yourselves. Be leading examples of digital citizens by being a visual representation of
respecting each other's privacy.

● If you see peer pressure, don’t be a bystander. Stand up for the person who is being
forced to share private digital information. You could write a letter or schedule a meeting
with an adult for next steps.
Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Problems
Gateway: Food Insecurity
The Gateway Experience: One major way that
students can remain socially conscious about the
socio political/socio economic problems in their
society is through their knowledge about food
insecurity around where they live. Paying attention

to, and working towards addressing, the problems of food insecurity can be important, vital ways
that students can remain aware of the problems in their community. They can do this by going
out into their community and looking at the data for food insecurity in their area, and
understanding that lack of access to food is a problem that they can help to alleviate. Through
simple, easy actions that can provide aid to all of those less fortunate than they are around where
they live.
Resources students will use in the Gateway:
Hunger in Indiana
Second Helpings
Food Security and Nutrition Assistance
Household Food Insecurity Rates, 2019–2021
No Kid Hungry
7-10 Provocation Questions to support student inquiry:
● What do you think are some of the biggest factors that can cause people/families to
experience food insecurity?
● What do you think are the best ways that food insecurity can be alleviated from those
people/families that are afflicted with it?
● What are some of the biggest reasons as to why that food insecurity occurs in our
society?
● Do you know about any people in your lives that are currently experiencing food
insecurity at the present time?
● Does food insecurity have a root cause, or can its cause actually be traced back to
multiple factors?
● How does food insecurity grow as a problem in our society, and what can be done to stop
that such growth?
● Is our local government doing enough to combat food insecurity on a broader scale in our
city/state?
● Do you know any people in your own communities that would be helped by measures to
combat food insecurity?
● Which groups in your government would be the most helpful/interested in lessening food
security in your state?
● You could volunteer at any number of food charities and/or food pantries in your local
communities yourselves
● You could help put on fundraisers/food drives at your schools in order to help feed the
peoples in your communities that are food insecure
● You could write/encourage other people to write to local food businesses (such as grocery
stores, bakeries, restaurants, etc.) in order to encourage them to donate any of the extra
food that they have to local homeless shelters/food pantries in their areas in order to
further help to feed food insecure peoples

Invitation 1: Disability
A second major way that students can remain socially conscious about the socio
political/socio economic problems in their society is by becoming more knowledgeable about the
treatment of disabled people in and around their school/community. This can be manifested in
many ways, such as looking into how ADA compliant that the buildings/classrooms are in their
area, or by taking part in disability rights organizations that push for greater equality for disabled
peoples in all aspects of life. People with disabilities make up a large portion of the people in our
society, but are routinely denied access to basic resources that able–bodied people are afforded
fairly easy access to.
Resources students will use in this Engagement Experience:
Guide to Disability Rights Laws
Americans with Disabilities Act
Disability Justice & Violence Prevention Resource Hub
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Disability & Health U.S. State Profile Data for Indiana
● Are there any members of your families that live with disabilities?
● How can our school become better accessible for disabled students of all types of
disabilities, be they mental or physical?
● Have you ever been disabled at any past point in your life?
● How does ableism affect how disabled people are treated in society and what types of
institutions that they have access to/are invited into being a part of?
● What should sports teams do in order to ensure that disabled athletes are judged as
equally as their able–bodied counterparts?
● Have you ever been in a classroom with another disabled student/other disabled students?
● What do you think are the best ways that people can push back against/put an end to
ableist attitudes within other people and societal institutions in our society as a whole?
● You could join disability rights organizations in your area and assist in pushing for
disability rights in all aspects of society
● Are there any disabled people in your life that you could talk to about the accessibility
issues that they face and how you could work alongside them to fix/solve those issues?
● You could find how how your school/other institutions in your area aren’t being ADA
compliant and work with other people, both able—bodied and disabled, in order to make
them into ADA compliant areas
● You could encourage the clubs/sports at your school to be more inclusive for disabled
people and unlearn any ableism that may be keeping them from accepting disabled
peoples into being a part of their memberships/on their teams

● You could work on creating an easier system in your school for disabled students to be
able to receive the accommodations that they need in both a much more efficient and
quicker way
Invitation 2: Pollution
A second major way that students can remain socially conscious about the socio
political/socio economic problems in their society is to research into the issue of pollution in
their surrounding town/county. Pollution is one of the biggest causes of many of the socio
political/socio economic problems that both students and adults alike can face in their day to day
lives. Due to this, students can become more conscious about this problem by possibly coming
up with new ways to reduce pollution in their local areas, or by writing to their local government
representatives about strengthening the environmental laws within their cities in order to keep
pollution down to its lowest levels only.
Air pollution
Environmental Agents
Indy Metro’s Air Quality Gets Worse, Residents Exposed to More Unhealthy Air Pollution
What Is Pollution Prevention
Carbon180
● How have the problems of pollution affected your local community?

● Is your local government doing enough to combat the problems of pollution within your
local community?
● What types of pollution are the most harmful to the environment in general?
● Why are pollutions of all types still such a massive problem for our society as a whole?
● How does pollution harm our poorest and most vulnerable marginalized communities the
most?
● What are the best ways to clean up the types of pollution that can be very harmful to the
environments within our local communities?
● How does the pollution that entangles itself into our environments today cause great harm
to the generations of us that will be living in these same environments far into the future?
● You could join a charity/organization that is dedicated to cleaning up major polluted
areas in your local community
● You could write letters to your local representatives in order to encourage them to fund
better access to clean water/food for those in poverty in your local area
● You could organize a cleanup group yourself in your community and work on cleaning up
public areas/picking up trash in parks and other natural spaces around your local
community
● You could sign up your house to a recycling route so your recyclable materials can be
picked up and taken to a recycling center, and encourage your neighbors/classmates
within your community to do the same

● You could try to repair and restore any broken toys/appliances that you might have in
your house, rather than just automatically throwing them away into the garbage and then
purchasing new versions of them to use.

Invitation 3: Indigenous Peoples and The Environment
A third major way that students can remain socially conscious about the socio
political/socio economic problems in their society is through becoming more aware about the
Indigenous Peoples and the environment around them as well. Throughout most of American
history the land on which we live today used to belong to Native Americans, and was typically
better taken care of by them than we do today. In order to become more socially conscious about
the issues involving Indigenous Peoples and the environment around them, students can spend
time looking up information about the history of where they live online or at their local library.
Which would allow them to find out more about what they can do to help in conservation efforts
of both Native American culture/history and also the stability of the environment around them.
● The Future for Native Americans
● Tribal and Native American Issues
● Indigenous Peoples in Indiana
● What Native Americans teach us about sustainability
● Native American History
● Are there any members of your families that belong to Native American tribes?
● What are some of the main reasons that Native American cultures/histories are in such
great need of being preserved today?
● How have Native Americans and their lands/rights been treated by the US government
throughout history?
● What, if any, have been your previous experiences with interacting with Native American
history and culture before this lesson?
● In what ways did Native Americans take care of the environment that they lived in, that
we would be able to continue using today?
● What is the history of the Native American tribe(s) that lived on the land that our school
exists on today?
● Where are the remaining Native American tribes located across America today?
● You could learn more about the Native American peoples/tribes in your area and take the
time to truly understand that you are living on their lands, ones that have historically
belonged to them far longer than they have belonged to you or likely many of your fellow
classmates
● You could volunteer to take part in/lead projects that would help in the preservation of the
history of Native American culture, stories, and myths
● You could research more about the many ways that Native American tribes all over the
United States practiced sustainable, mutually beneficial methods of living in their
particular environments that did their best at keeping the Native American tribes’s
negative impacts on their environments down to a minimum

● You could shop at local businesses owned by any of the Native American families/tribes
in your local area, in order to help to support their art and its continued
production/preservation as an artform
● You could help advocate for the rights/autonomy of Native American tribes both locally
in your area and federally all around the United States to be respected by the US
government at all of its levels. Through doing things such as joining
organizations/protests that are fighting to accomplish those exact purposes as well.

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Carli Brodie, Brendan McDonell, Carleigh Olive, Emily Simon

ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation

Invitation, Overview, and Rationale

How can we practice being conscious citizens in our current world?

the world that will benefit them throughout their lives.

Community Involvement and Activism

have left their former communities, becoming part of new ones.

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

students to diversity at a young age to establish respect, boundaries, and empathy.

validated and respected without question or contention. To respect differences, knowledge of

their existence and strengths is the first step.

of this component is to encourage students to use technology safely, respectfully, and

resourcefully while also recognizing themselves as conscious digital citizens in an increasingly

Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Issues

The Four Dimensions Framework of Critical

within these invitations of becoming conscious citizens.

Disrupting the Commonplace

To discuss multiple viewpoints, it has to be acknowledged that this section is

enough to just acknowledge that varying perspectives exist. Acknowledging is passive; it

much-needed compassion and progress. To accomplish these things means to listen. As

environment, their perspectives will be vastly different–“Anyone with siblings or multiple

accurately and respectfully exploring the material provided.

In this collection of engagements, Multiple Perspectives as a concept is explored through

cyberbullying awareness, disability advocacy, religion, and book banning.

Sociopolitical and Socioeconomic Issues

sociopolitical/socioeconomic issues and, more specifically, how they connect to surrounding

representations of disabled characters in fictional stories are ableist or not.

requires incentive. This is significant because it allows students to “engage in practices

Sixteen Thematically-Linked Invitations

and why taking action is not just essential but needed.

spirituality. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about various religious groups,

6-8.SE.2, 6-8.LH.3.3, and 1C.1I.NL.a.

of focus: “Digital Etiquette,” “Mis-Information,” “Cyberbullying,” and “Right of Privacy.”

how digital citizens can create positive change through technology.

(e.g., visually, quantitatively, verbally) to demonstrate a coherent understanding of a topic or

conscious digital citizenship.

Community and Involvement and Activism

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

words, and the message still stands.

values of digital citizenship as it has personal connections to students' lives. According to

demonstrating knowledge in one's first language or with a bilingual dictionary as an act of

translate to the application of critical literacy. As educators, it is important to provide the

conscious citizens, but an incentive and passion to learn as well.

Learner (EL) Students. Multicultural Education, 16 (no. 4), 47-51.

United States Department of Justice; U.S. Department of Justice.

Mcleod, Saul. (2023). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simply

for Multilingual Classrooms (pp. 12-24). Heinemann.

in the cafeteria? (pp. 93–113).

Urban School Improvement.

Health and Wellness

8.2.6: Analyze the influence of technology on personal and family health.

6-8.SE.2: Demonstrate an awareness of the needs and rights of others.

6-8.WE.5: Understand how to meet long-term goals by developing short-term goals.

6-8.LS.10: Take an active participation in the learning process.

English Language Arts

citing textual evidence.

6.RN.4.2: Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, verbally) to demonstrate a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

persuade, entertain, and transmit culture.

6.SL.2.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (e.g.,one-on-one, in groups,

expressing personal ideas clearly.

comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

6-8.LH.3.3: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s perspective or purpose