Diversifying your ELA literacy program is an important task that should be done with a great deal of consideration.
In recent years, a big push has been made to ensure that the texts taught in ELA classes include representations of diverse writers and characters. You’ve probably been doing this work to enhance the books you teach and those you keep in your classroom library for a while now.
So, what are some next steps you can take to add diversity to your ELA literacy program? Keep reading for suggestions!
What is diversity in an ELA literacy program?
A strong ELA literacy program reflects the learners in the classroom and provides those learners with a window into experiences that are different than their own. As a result, diversity in an ELA literacy program can shift and change depending on the students in your classroom.
A diverse ELA literacy program incorporates a variety of authors and characters, but more than that, it includes a variety of text types, themes, and ideas, too.
With all the choices necessary as an ELA teacher, it’s important to think critically to ensure they reflect a culturally responsive approach to teaching.
When you take the time to make choices for your ELA literacy program that will most benefit your students, you are sure to notice increased engagement and improved academic performance. Students often respond well to a teacher who has invested time and thought into the relevance of the texts used in class.
6 Easy Ways to Diversify Your ELA Literacy Program
Diversifying your ELA literacy program will be an ongoing process. It’s a multi-step process that requires ongoing teacher reflection and work. That said, it’s important work that will be well-rewarded with your students’ engagement and interest.
Step One: Create An Inventory
The first step to diversifying your ELA literacy program is taking inventory of the texts available to your students if you haven’t already done so.
To start, consider the texts you teach throughout the year. Your classroom library is likely a more daunting task, and you might save it for later consideration. Make a physical or digital list of all of the texts you teach. Seeing it written down is often more helpful than juggling things in your brain.
This is a great task to ask for student help with.
Besides the list of texts, create a few columns to classify the texts according to:
- Author
- Characters
- Theme(s) and/or big idea(s)
- Text form and genre
Form refers to novels, poems, podcasts, nonfiction, etc., whereas genre refers to science fiction, dystopia, romance, etc.
Step Two: Assess Your List
Once your inventory of texts available to your students has been written down, you can be clear on what you already have and where gaps may be filled to diversify your ELA literacy program.
Here are some questions to guide your assessment:
- Do these texts reflect the typical student population of my classes?
- Do these texts include opportunities for the typical student population of my classes to see through another’s experience(s)?
- Are the texts I do have appropriate for a contemporary audience?
- Do I have different text forms and genres to teach throughout the year? What is missing, or what could be changed to accommodate different options?
- Do the current texts only reflect one idea, or is there diversity in thoughts, too?
After answering, you can go unit by unit to consider if you need to:
- Replace a text.
- Extend the text with an additional text.
- Provide additional texts, so students have choices.
Step Three: Add Necessary Resources
After assessing your list, consider your needs and wants. While we would all love to provide our students with brand-new texts year after year, budgets rarely allow such options.
With that in mind, check out this post, Finding Affordable Books for Your Classroom Library, for ideas on how to build a classroom library on a budget.
In the hunt for other texts, there are many online lists of novels written by authors with diverse backgrounds and featuring diverse characters suited to a middle school audience. Peruse the lists, determine what to add to your classroom, and proceed.
This review doesn’t (always) mean replacing a whole set of classroom novels. Maybe it’s adding new books to your classroom library or literature circle options.
To diversify your ELA literacy program regarding text forms, use the unit as a guide to additional elements.
Affordable Lesson Variety
Using poetry and podcasts is an affordable way to add diversity to your ELA literacy program.
Poetry can add a fresh and contemporary point of view when you cannot update core curriculum texts. Here are collections of poems and activities for middle school students:
- Grade 6 Poetry Unit – Buy on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
- Grade 7 Poetry Unit – Buy on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
- Grade 8 Poetry Unit – Buy on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
Want more ways to diversify your poetry options? Read this post, 6 Ways To Diversify Your Poetry Curriculum, that provides ways to help.
Podcasts can do this as well in your ELA literacy program. Beyond being a different form of text, podcasts can introduce lesser-known areas of thought to help students be better critical thinkers.
Through captivating lessons centred around high-interest podcast segments about consumers, companies, and marketing, your students will learn about marketing techniques to target young consumers, helping them understand the strategies used to grab their attention.
- Grade 6 Podcast Listening Bundle – Buy on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
- Grade 7 Podcast Listening Bundle – Buy on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
- Grade 8 Podcast Listening Bundle – Buy on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
From debating in-game purchases in video games and exploring the ever-growing presence of delivery drones to unravelling the mysteries of Ghost Kitchens and the End of Free Returns, these lessons encompass a wide range of pertinent topics.
For more articles on using podcasts in the classroom, check out these blog posts: 11 Creative Ways To Use Podcasts With Students and Why Should You Use Podcasts in Middle School?
Where to Find Online Books
- Project Gutenberg (Free Public Domain Books)
- The Bluford Series (Audiobooks with YA Content)
- LibriVox (Free Public Domain Audio Books)
- ESL Bits (Audiobooks and E-Books)
- List of online books from Book Riot
- Classic Books Library of Congress
- Open Library
- Make an instructional handout or video for your students on how to access your school and/or public library using their library card number.
Step Four: Rinse And Repeat!
It would be tempting to think that completing the first three steps once would be enough to diversify your ELA literacy program, but a strong and diverse program needs maintenance.
After the initial inventory (or even in place of, if it feels too daunting), you could go unit by unit throughout the school year to re-assess your text options.
A slow-and-steady approach is often a good idea. It can work well because you’ll benefit from knowing the learners in your classes a bit better. This means you can make the most informed choices possible.
While diversifying your ELA literacy program may take time, the rewards are evident in increased engagement, deeper understanding, and stronger academic performance.
Remember, it’s not just about adding more diverse books – it’s about creating an inclusive and reflective classroom environment where all students can see themselves and others represented in meaningful ways. Keep evolving your program; you’ll provide your students with a richer, more relevant educational experience.
Step Five: Free Book Lists
Diversifying your ELA literacy program is not just about buying new books. Thoughtfully acquired books that students want to read are a great place to start.
Check out this Best Middle School Book Recommendations blog post for great middle school books. It includes book lists broken down by grade level, genre, and theme so you can find exactly what you and your students need.
You can also check out some fantastic young adult books in this blog post High School Book Recommendations. Books today are written with characters that teen readers can relate to. They also address current issues that teens are exposed to daily as they live their lives and scan through their social media pages: racism, divorce, sexual identity, and bullying, to name a few.
Step Six: Diverse Lesson Plans
These Full-Year English Language Arts Bundles are comprehensive packages containing over 100 meticulously crafted resources covering all aspects of Grade 7 and 8 Language Arts, from Reading to Media Literacy.
Each Bundle Includes:
- 100+ Resources
- Reading, Writing, Speaking/Listening/Oral Communication, Media Literacy and Seasonal Lessons
- Detailed Teacher Instructions
- Monthly Teaching Plan
- Lessons, Assignments, Rubrics
- Answer Keys
- Report Card Comments
- Student Choice & Differentiation
- Print & Digital Formats
With these bundles, you’ll have everything you need to streamline your teaching process and reclaim your evenings and weekends. You’ll also have all the resources you need to add diversity to your lessons at your fingertips.
Following these steps will help you add diversity to your ELA literacy program and ensure that all of your students are represented in the lessons. Check out these Full-Year English Language Arts Bundles, and start working on diversifying your ELA literacy program today.
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