Happy Black History Month! This year marks the 100th anniversary of what began as Negro History Week, which evolved in to Black History Month. Founded by Carter G. Woodson, these Black celebrations are intended to help us celebrate the achievements of Black Americans as well as help us understand the ways Black Americans have contributed to the progress of the nation.
Black History Month has an amazing purpose—a purpose that is often not fulfilled in K-12 classrooms in any month. Michael Dumas has argued that schools are a site of suffering for Black students, and I contend that social studies classrooms often serve as sites of suffering for Black students. In traditional social studies curriculum, the only times Black people are present are slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow/Civil Rights Movement. What do these historical eras have in common? Dehumanization. Black people were seen as less than human during slavery, had their rights stripped as Reconstruction ended, and suffered through the oppression and dehumanization of the Jim Crow Era. Even in the Civil Rights Movement, as Black people fought for their rights, they were subsequently dehumanized by various arms of the government, including being assaulted with firehoses and dogs and losing their jobs for joining the NAACP amongst other things.
When students only see Black people appear in curriculum while being dehumanized, they come to associate Blackness with dehumanization. For Black students, there is the possibility that they internalize this association, but it is important to note that non-Black students may also begin to associate Blackness with dehumanization after seeing this reflected in social studies curricula year after year.
This is why Black joy is a necessity. Black joy is a form of resistance, as finding joy in the midst of oppression and dehumanization is, as Bettina Love has noted, the ultimate form of resistance. Black people have been able to find and create joy amidst some of the worst circumstances the U.S. has ever created, and it is that joy that has sustained Black people through oppression and dehumanization. Although Black joy has been present as long as Black people have been on North America soil, it remains largely absent from K-12 classrooms.
Teaching about and with Black joy requires an understanding of context and nuance. If we are to teach students about Black joy, we must position it as an act of resistance. We don’t want students to think that historical Black actors did not understand the pain of the oppression they endured. They absolutely understood their circumstances and sought joy despite their despair—that is what we need our students to see.
How do we go about this? We begin this work by incorporating Black joy in the curriculum in any place where there is Black pain. Enslaved people found ways to steal away and create joy away from the oppressive gaze of their enslavers. Black people in the Jim Crow South found numerous ways to experience joy in their segregated communities. And even when fighting for freedom, Black people found ways to create some joy for themselves, away from the arms of the state that sought to harm them for believing themselves equal to white people. Including Black joy in the curricular locations where Black pain is centered is a critical starting point.
We need students to understand that Black people are more than vessels of pain. Incorporating Black joy in classrooms helps students, both Black and non-Black understand the full range of Black humanity.
Kristen E. Duncan, Ph.D. is as an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education at Clemson University. Her research focuses on the ways teachers discuss matters of race and racism with their students, as well as the ways race is presented in texts, in media, and at historic sites. A former middle school social studies teacher and instructional coach, Dr. Duncan’s research has been published in various journals and edited volumes. Her edited volume, Civic Engagement in Communities of Color: Pedagogy for Learning and Life in a More Expansive Democracy was released by Teachers College Press in 2023.
“I teach in an all-white classroom and so I don’t have any of your books in my classroom”
(Brooklyn Academy of Music Organisation, 2017).
As I listened to author Jacqueline Woodson share this quote from an unnamed educator during an interview on “difficult” subjects in young people’s literature, I felt exposed. I taught in an all-white classroom in Ireland last year. I don’t recall placing or using a single book by a Black author in my classroom. At the time, I might have reasoned – subconsciously – that such texts are more relevant in the American context. Suffice to say, I’ve come a long way.
My reading list is not the only thing that has changed since I commenced my Masters in Literacy Education at West Chester University, Pennsylvania. I have developed a whole new perspective on how knowledge is constructed, whose voices are represented, and what it means to prepare our students to participate in a diverse, yet unequal, world.
I discovered Woodson’s picture books in the first semester of my Master’s program as Dr. Daris McInnis challenged us to select a ‘risky text’ which we could use as a read-aloud opportunity to engage in critical literacy with our students. I chose Mason’s (2010) These Hands, an intergenerational book in which a young boy named Joseph learns how his grandfather united with fellow Black labourers to protest racism in the workplace. Thanks to their actions, Joseph’s hands – and other hands the same colour as his – can do “anything in this whole wide world”! The choice felt risky, particularly for me. Since arriving to America, I have felt discomfort when discussing race with BIPOC students. I imagine that the students might be thinking, “Who does she think she is, teaching us about something she knows nothing about?”. However, over the past few months, I have learned to embrace this vulnerability. By allowing the students to see me learning alongside them, I shift the classroom dynamic. Authority becomes shared and knowledge becomes co-constructed. Enter: critical literacy.
I started the read-aloud with a guided discussion of the front cover, using visual thinking strategies (VTS, 2021). One child excitedly exclaimed, “my skin!” as she pointed to the boy on the front cover of the book. Another student remarked that the boy’s skin colour would probably be a significant aspect of the storyline because “it always is”.
That comment lingered with me.
Why is race “always” central when Black characters appear? Why are there so few books where Black children are simply present—neither celebrated nor victimized, but existing as fully realized protagonists? The answer, no doubt, lies in power. Perhaps an increase in publications of such books would mitigate the sense of ‘otherness’ that is still apparent in today’s society. I was particularly uncomfortable discussing the contents of the fifth page, as I wondered aloud why the grandfather had not been allowed to mix the dough in the Wonder Bread factory. The students, though young, were keenly aware that this was a restriction placed on Black people by their white employers. At this point, we began to discuss instances of power in the story. Most of the students participating in this read-aloud were Black, and I felt a sense of guilt on the part of white people for the injustice represented in the story. The students readily noted that white people wouldn’t eat bread baked by a Black person, even if the Black workers were allowed to bake it. I felt almost as though I was further oppressing them as I prompted them to consider why white people wouldn’t eat bread baked by a Black person. They concluded that white people believed Black people ‘had germs’ and would ‘make them sick’. The students were not only offering their opinions. They were engaging in interdisciplinary meaning-making, drawing connections between history, social studies, and personal knowledge. Upon reflection, I realize the impact of that discussion in helping these students to own their history and learn about the oppression of their relatives in the not-so-distant past. However, in the moment, I felt as though I was unearthing generational trauma.
Our read-aloud session was an embodiment of critical literacy as the students interrogated historical social practices and analyzed dynamics of power in society (Lewison et al., 2008). However, one important aspect was absent from our discussion: taking initial actions to promote social justice. Consequently, my next step is to consider how I might develop this standalone read-aloud lesson into a critical literacy unit plan on racism and workplace discrimination. Racism is not simply a topic to be covered, but rather anti-racism and inclusion are values to be instilled across the curriculum, values which the students can uphold beyond their formal education. In reflecting upon this read-aloud, I am prompted to identify ways through which I could support my students to “disrupt the commonplace” and promote social justice in small but meaningful ways (Lewison et al., 2008, p.9). This is a question I do not yet have an answer to, but I shall pursue the answer across my career.
In conclusion, engagement with this risky text read-aloud challenged me to step out of my comfort zone as a teacher. By leaning into discomfort and allowing students’ voices to guide our discussion, I witnessed the power of risky texts to illuminate social injustices, leading students to connect historical oppression with contemporary realities. This experience has demonstrated that teaching about race and inequality is not simply a “nice to have” in the curriculum but is rather a moral necessity. As a result, I am committed to creating spaces where all students, particularly those from marginalized communities, feel valued and empowered to challenge the status quo.
I have come to understand that what is not in the classroom library can often tell you more about the classroom environment than what is available for reading. Furthermore, when educators embed dimensions of critical literacy into their classroom practice, they not only nurture critical thinkers but rather empower both themselves and their students to be agents of change.
References
Brooklyn Academy of Music Organisation (2017, June 21). Jacqueline Woodson on “difficult” subjects in young people’s literature. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcRwYLHcyzc
Lewison, M., Leland, C., & Harste, J. C. (2008). Creating critical classrooms: K-8 reading and writing with an edge. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Mason, M. (2010) These hands. Haughton Mifflin Harcourt.
Sarah Ryan-Purcell is a passionate primary school teacher from Cork, Ireland. Having obtained a B. Ed. in Education and Psychology at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Sarah is now pursuing a M. Ed. in Literacy Education at West Chester University, Pennsylvania where she is also working as a graduate assistant in the College of Education and Social Work. A proponent of discovery-based learning, Sarah loves to explore new countries, languages, and cultures, increasingly allowing these experiences to guide her classroom practice.
Growing up, history class always felt like a timeline of dates, names, and events to memorize. Textbooks presented historical accounts as settled truth—rarely revealing that history is constructed through sources, perspectives, and power.
When Black history is taught this way, students often receive a simplified version of complex struggles and resistance movements, stripped of grassroots voices and community leadership. History books also record only the story of the oppressor, not that of the oppressed. For example, Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida, stated in his defense of the presentation of slavery in the history books, as well as annexing the AP Black History high school courses and eliminating other courses that are considered “DEI” by the white population.
DeSantis defended Florida’s 2023 Black history standards, which included a requirement to teach that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit”. He argued that this clause, which suggests some enslaved people used their skills to their advantage, was intended to highlight the “resiliency” of Black Americans and was written by scholars.
Instead of taking the oppressor’s word on how historical events occurred, disciplinary literacy shifts history instruction from memorization to investigation.
By engaging in the authentic practices of historians, students learn to question narratives, analyze evidence, and uncover stories that have long been marginalized or erased.
The Discipline Lens: How Historians Build Knowledge
Historians do not simply read for information. They:
Source documents to understand who created them and why
Corroborate multiple perspectives
Contextualize events within social and political systems
Examine bias and purpose
These skills are essential for understanding Black history purposefully and honestly.
The Problem with Textbook Narratives
Traditional historical texts often:
Emphasize major political leaders over community organizers
Minimize systemic racism in favor of “progress narratives.”
Frame resistance as isolated moments rather than sustained movements
For example, the Civil Rights Movement is often portrayed as a few peaceful protests led by famous figures, while ignoring decades of organizing, youth activism, and local leadership.
So what does this look like in practice? Instead of replacing the textbook, we can place it in conversation with other voices. A primary source counterstory investigation allows students to analyze whose perspectives are centered—and whose are absent.
Step 1: Provide a textbook account of a historical event (e.g., voting rights, desegregation, Reconstruction)
Step 2: Pair it with primary sources such as:
Black newspapers
speeches
letters
oral histories
photographs
Step 3: Students analyze using inquiry prompts:
Who created this source?
What perspective is represented?
What details are emphasized or omitted?
How does power shape this narrative?
Step 4: Students construct a revised historical account that includes multiple voices.
Student Impact
Teachers I work with report that inquiry-based history instruction leads to:
Deeper comprehension of historical causation
Increased engagement
Stronger argument writing
Greater awareness of systemic injustice
Students move from passive consumers of information to critical interpreters of the past.
Concluding Thoughts
History is not neutral. It is shaped by the voices we amplify and the ones we overlook. When we present historical struggles like the Civil Rights Movement as a handful of peaceful protests led by a few famous figures, we unintentionally flatten decades of organizing, youth activism, and local leadership into a simplified storyline. Our students deserve more than a highlight reel.
As educators, we have the opportunity—and responsibility—to complicate the narrative. By inviting students to examine primary sources, question dominant accounts, and seek out counterstories, we teach them that history is not something to read and forget but something to investigate and explore. We help them see that change is collective, contested, and ongoing.
Doing history in this way builds more than content knowledge. It builds critical thinkers who understand that whose story is told matters—and that they, too, are part of the historical record in the making.
Shari Revels-Davis is a dedicated and experienced educator passionate about multilingual learning and educational equity. As a veteran teacher, she has made significant contributions to the field of education, particularly in supporting multilingual learners (MLL). In addition to her work as an MLL teacher for the Chester County School District, she is the founder of the Hiram Revels East Educational Foundation, which focuses on advancing educational opportunities for diverse student populations.
Shari is currently waiting to be conferred her doctoral dissertation from Jackson State University after earning two master’s degrees. In addition, she is working to fulfill her goal of opening her own boarding school for underprivileged students in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Visual literacy (VL) is a well-defined discipline that requires critical, aesthetic, and socio-emotional interpretation skills based on individual comprehension of visual images. These are all essential for being a successful literate citizen that can handle the massive visual flood of information related to image-rich digital media. For one, VL skills include the ability to identify and interpret messages explicitly or implicitly given through still images (photos, posters, drawings, paintings, sculptures) or moving images (videos, films, TV shows, performances). Critical, aesthetic interpretation of how visual features such as colors, visual perspectives, or specific art media (i.e., watercolors, collages, sketches, charcoal drawing) impact a reader/viewer emotionally is a crucial VL skills component. The expressive side of VL skills refers to the ability to create visual images that present information in either still images (drawings, sketches, graphic organizers/charts, photos) or moving images such as short video clips. According to research, both receptive and expressive VL skills are best taught explicitly.
Why do we need to explicitly focus on developing visual literacy skills?
In this day and age, the non-stop availability of visual imagery via digital devices presents students’ brains with the task to quickly, accurately and critically interpret massive amounts of visual imagery surrounded by no, minimal, or much printed texts. Therefore, it is paramount to assist students in learning to carefully filter through so much visual information so they do not fall prey to manipulation and misinterpretation of implicit or explicit messages embedded in visual materials. Moreover, research has shown that educators require more explicit training in strengthening students’ visual literacy skills. For middle and high school students, VL skills are essential in every subject area and thus are included in middle and high school ELA standards.
What are wordless picture books?
Wordless picture books (WLPBs) are books that present information solely through visual images. Some images may include wording as part of an image such as a poster with a message. Only book flaps and covers include traditional printed text such as book title, author name, publication information, and a summary about the book. Examples of WLPBs appropriate for middle and high school students are shared in Table 1. They include selective ideas for disciplinary integration in ELA, social studies, science/geography.
Through detailed imagery in red charcoal drawings, readers learn about the emotional and physical hardships of one immigrant’s journey who in the end reunites with his family. Over 60 detailed images of immigrants of all ages in the end pages allow for varied, adolescent-appropriate critical aesthetic, social-emotional reflections.
Social studies: migration history of the United States; relating images to historic events (i.e., WWI, II imprisoner treatments)
ELA: sequence of events for one or several characters, identifying emotions orally and in writing, cause-and effect, impact of different visual perspectives and aesthetics on the interpretation of visual information
Geography: identifying criteria for, cause and effects of ports of migration, drawing cause-effect graphics for geographic locations
Science: Using facial expressions of characters of various generations to discuss aging processes and causes;
In intricately detailed, often fantasy-driven water-color images, readers follow a teen who discovers an old camera at the beach that reveals lives of those who owned it in the past.
Social Studies: Identifying details of photographs for historic fact interpretations
ELA: Usingimage details, practice describing details of sequence of events, items and characters with reasoning, or cause-effect, meaning discoveries of factual and fantasy elements.
Geography: Researching where the camera was prior to getting to the teen with reasoning based on photographs in the camera.
Science: Researchingflotsam items from the story and others that can be studied scientifically; discussing the impact of water, salt/nature on certain materials over time.
On a Tuesday night, frogs fly on lily pads to town to visit the town causing confusion before returning to their pond. The next week, pigs seem to be doing the same. This fantasy is illustrated in colorful, realistic watercolor technique displaying expressive, detailed animal and human faces.
Social studies: Impact of the unusual on communities; cultural symbolism of frogs/pigs
ELA: Discussing fantasy elements and their explicit or implicit message through colors, perspectives and actions in visuals; personality studies of characters; symbolism
Science: Discussing the importance of gravity; researching what dreams are and how imagery gets created in the brain; life cycles of frogs
Via detailed, colorful images, readers are taken in surprising image sequences from a farm to a city, a ship, and an island providing ample practice
ELA: Making predictions with supporting details and reasons; making hypotheses based on retracing evidence
Science: Discussing how hypotheses are made, on what revising hypotheses is based, and how hypotheses are tested based on detailed images
Geography: Discussing where on earth the different sites could be and how they could relate using details provided in the images
Social studies: Discussing differences, similarities and historic events that influence community lives; discussion of time period based on details in imagery
Banyai, I. (1998). Re-Zoom. Puffin Books ISBN: 978-0140556940
Readers are taken on a twisted image journey from an Egyptian pyramid to a jungle and a beach by zooming out of color-and-detail rich images that invite predictions turning page by page.
ELA: Making predictions with supporting details and reasons; making hypotheses based on retracing evidence
Geography: Discussing where on earth the different sites could be and how they could relate using details provided in the images
Science: Experiencing how hypotheses are created and tested based on interpreting images; comparing jungle habitats to desert habitats in Egypt; discussing how perception is impacted by angles of selections if imagery;
Social Studies: Engaging in Egyptian culture studies based on detailed images and beyond
Why are wordless picture books useful in middle or high school?
Public misconceptions about WLPBs include that they are only appropriate for young children and not challenging enough to working for adolescent students. Moreover, explicit VL skills do not need to be taught explicitly. These misconceptions contradict research findings that highlight how interpreting WLPBs contain an intricate amount of explicit and implicit information that requires developed VL skills to comprehend. Furthermore, it entices middle and high school students to apply varied sophistication in oral and written engagement with these WLPBs. Research also points out many benefits for middle and high school students:
VL practice with WLPBs allows for in-depth engagement with essential middle and high school English Language Arts (ELA) Standards through VL practices such as retelling/summarizing image information, inferencing, predicting and revising prediction, compare-contrast, cause and effect interpretation of visual imagery.
These VL practices with WLPBs prepare students for applying acquired critical VL skills in other content areas such as social studies, geography, or science where a mix of visual and written information need to be processed and analyzed (see Table 1 for examples).
WLPBs offer learning standards-based critical literacy skills through VL practices regardless of reading, writing, and speaking abilities, content or socio-cultural or background. Thus, with WLPBs everyone has equal access to practicing their development of visual literacy skills, including multilingual learners.
It is easier to activate intrinsic curiosity to engage with the visual information because everyone has an equal chance to engage uniquely with the content with a variety of acceptable interpretations rather than only one right answer.
ELA skills practices with WLPBs can be easily scaffolded. For students with more basic skills, only a select number of images could be used, simpler sentence frames for oral or written responses can be provided. More advanced students can benefit from and be challenged with more complex sentence structures to use, and more complex and detailed prompting questions. For ideas to prompt questions that strengthen VL skills with WLPBs, see Tables 2. For sentence frames to be used when verbalizing interpretations of WLPB images, see Table 3.
WLPBs allow for easy assessment of students’ critical, aesthetic and social-emotional comprehension and interpretation skills without being hindered by low writing skills. Oral performance rubrics can contain criteria such as ability to (1) summarize sequence of events, (2) make and revise predictions, (3) formulate questions, (4) describe emotional impact of images, (5) draw inferences, (6) connect story parts to personal experiences/ other real-life events, (7) use detailed descriptors to relate social-emotional story components and express empathy.
Ways to foster active use of visual literacy skills using WLPBs
For each of the VL skills areas, namely aesthetic skills, affective skills, critical thinking, and text comprehension, the following tables provide a) ideas for questions to activate students’ in-depth engagement with a WLPB (Table 2), and b) sentence frames with simpler and more complex structures for students to use to share their interpretations including dialog structures to discuss similarities and differences in story interpretations (Table 3). The sentence and dialog structures can be available to students on flip charts, table tents or flash cards to use during discussion time with each other or in response to teacher questions.
Table 2: Questions to activate critical engagement with visual imagery
VL Skill area
Ask students …
Aesthetic skills
how the author created a certain mood (i.e. suspense, fear, worry, excitement, joy) with colors, perspectives, item or character details and how that impacts the reader/viewer.
to identify how the author created the images in a page or in the whole book
why they like or not like certain images
what question/s they would like to ask the illustrator? Why?
Affective skills (compassion, emotions, relation to self, world, others)
how they experience characters, events and why they feel like that
how they or others they care about were in the situation of certain characters in certain situations and why.
how they would change the story for a different or the same main message.
to relate to a character, story event, emotion presented based on a personal experience or what they have watched on TV/in movies before.
to create questions about a story step, character.
Critical thinking
to give reasons for opinions/interpretations and prompt for direct connection to details in the WLPBs.
to compare and contrast their interpretations with those of peers. Prompt them to get reasons that relate back to details in the imagery and their personal experiences.
to predict, or revise a previous idea
to make connections to other readings or learning experiences in other disciplines in school, or outside of school or world events
what they sense (smell, hear, taste, feel) when they look at certain pages and why that might occur
to share what the story means them personally and why.
Table 3: Sample sentence frames for discussions that foster VL
VL Skills area
Sentence frames for students
Aesthetic skills
Simpler structures: The color/s make me feel…/ wonder if… /realize that…
I like the image on page…. because…
I feel I look at the page from (above, below). This makes me feel…
More complex structures: I think the author used …. (water colors, thick paint, chalk, different paper) to make the reader think that…/feel as if….
The top down/bottom up/eye-to-eye level perspective causes an impression of…./makes the viewer experience…..
The color/s of… evoke the feeling of… because…
Affective skills (compassion, emotions, relation to self, world, others)
Simpler structures: The detail from image reminds me of … (something in my world, another character in a story/historic event, current event)
I feel for…. because….
If I were in this situation, I would….
More complex structures: The expression of…/event on this page causes me to think about …
This story makes me want to …. help… by…..ing….
I can relate to… because I saw/read about… that…/I experienced something similar when….
Critical thinking
Simpler structures: I wonder/would like to know why… /if…
I like/don’t like what…. did/happened because….
I predict/conclude that… because
More complex structures: Seeing…(detail from image), I wonder if/why/when…
Looking at (detail from image), I predict/infer/conclude that…
I agree/disagree with how … (character action) because….
Story comprehension
Simpler structures: This page/story is about…./tells me that….
First, …. (action in story) and then…… (next action), then (next action). Lastly, (last action, resolution).…
More complex structures: The main message of the story is…. I conclude this because…….catches my attention because….
Looking at… (detail from image), I get the impression that….
I think this story wants me to realize that…. T he story begins with….Then, …..Afterwards, … because…, the story continues with…, … Finally, … (more variety of transitions and sentences)
Dialog structures
Expressing Agreement I agree with you because I felt/thought….
I also wondered about…/asked myself why….
I also interpreted…. to mean…
Expressing Difference Interesting. I see this totally differently. I understood (evidence from story)…. to mean.…. because…
I understood/reacted to …. differently. For me, …… because….
As opposed to your interpretation/prediction/inference/reaction, I …predicted/inferred/ thought/felt…. because…
I hear you- but I see … (character/problem/…) differently. For me, … because….
Comparing- contrasting When I compare your interpretation to mine,
I see we overlap in…. But we see… differently.
While you think…, I think…… Why do you…? How come?
Even though I agree with you on…. ,I interpreted…. differently because… For example, …
Compared to what you said about…., I concluded….
Asking for clarification What exactly do you mean when you say….?
Let me see if I understand you correctly. You are saying that…..
Am I understanding this correctly? You mean to say…..
Summarizing a peer’s comment So, in sum, you think…. because….
So, from your perspective, … because….
So, your group interpreted… Therefore, you….
Referring to a section in the book (to provide evidence) I infer/predict/ conclude that… I say that because on page x….
On page x/, do you see how the illustrator….? That makes me think/conclude/predict/infer that…. That gives me the feeling that…
On the right/left top/bottom/in the middle of page…/, I noticed that…
The…. on page x in the middle caught my attention because… This makes me think/predict/conclude/infer that….
For over 20 years, Dr. Elke Schneider has been a professor of literacy, special education, and multilingual learner education at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Have you ever handed out a text you thought your students would love, only to realize halfway through that they’re lost, disengaged, or overwhelmed? We’ve all been there. Sometimes, it’s not the students—it’s the setup. That’s where text sets come in.
What Are Text Sets?
A text set is a carefully chosen group of texts—articles, infographics, poems, podcasts, infographics, art pieces, even songs—that explore a common idea, theme, or question from different angles. Together, they build knowledge, deepen understanding, and give every student a way in.
Instead of relying on one “anchor text” to do all the heavy lifting, text sets layer multiple types of sources, each with its own voice, structure, and level of complexity, to help students make sense of big ideas. Sarah Lupo and her colleagues (2020) call this the layered text set approach: start with accessible, high-interest texts to build background knowledge, then layer in more complex disciplinary readings that push students’ thinking.
For instance, imagine a ninth-grade science unit on climate change and environmental impact. You might begin with a short infographic or video from National Geographic Kids that visually explains the greenhouse effect (an accessible, high-interest text). Next, students could read a news article summarizing local climate data or community responses to flooding—something concrete that connects to their lives. Once students have built some shared understanding, you could layer in a section of a scientific report or a peer-reviewed study that examines climate data patterns. Finally, students might read a commentary piece by a climate scientist debating mitigation strategies.
Each layer increases complexity: the first builds understanding, the next establishes relevance, and the final texts invite students to engage with disciplinary thinking—interpreting data, analyzing arguments, and evaluating evidence.
Josh Lawrence and Emily Phillips Galloway (2022) remind us that this balance of pedagogical and expert texts is key. Pedagogical texts (like the infographic and local news story) support comprehension by introducing key ideas and vocabulary. Expert texts (like the research article or scientific commentary) show students how scientists write, argue, and reason within their field. Pairing both types of texts allows students to move from “learning about science” to doing the work of scientists, where they get to analyze data, question sources, and communicate findings.
The same principle applies across disciplines. In English, pairing a contemporary poem about identity (pedagogical text) with a literary essay on voice and structure (expert text) helps students explore how authors craft meaning. In social studies, combining a political cartoon (pedagogical) with excerpts from historical speeches (expert) helps students analyze perspective, bias, and rhetoric.
When we layer and balance texts intentionally, we give all students the tools and confidence to enter complex conversations regardless of where they start. Differentiation happens naturally in this design: accessible texts provide shared entry points, while increasingly complex ones invite students to stretch their thinking at different levels of readiness. Because readability scores don’t tell the full story of what makes a text approachable, layering ensures that students who might struggle with dense syntax or specialized vocabulary can still engage meaningfully with ideas through visuals, multimodal sources, or shorter, conceptually rich pieces. In other words, text sets create multiple on-ramps to rigorous learning, allowing every student, regardless of reading proficiency, to participate in authentic disciplinary inquiry.
Why Text Sets Matter
Reading across multiple texts encourages students to build background knowledge, spot contradictions, and develop critical empathy, allowing them to see the world through others’ experiences while reflecting on their own (Savitz et al., 2024). The texts we choose send messages about whose knowledge matters and whose voices belong in the conversation (Savitz & Kane, 2023). When we design text sets with intention, we help students think critically, see themselves reflected, and recognize how knowledge is constructed (Sims Bishop, 1990).
For example, imagine an eighth-grade unit on migration and belonging.
Start with a short, illustrated article that introduces migration trends.
Add a poem or spoken word piece that captures the emotion of displacement.
Include a personal narrative or podcast that brings an individual story to life.
Layer in a primary source or historical document that gives context.
End with a local news story or youth interview connecting migration to students’ communities.
Each text adds a layer of meaning. Together, they help students connect ideas, think historically and empathetically, and practice disciplinary reasoning—all without relying on one lengthy or “perfect” text.
Understanding Text Complexity
Of course, choosing the right combination of texts isn’t just about variety – we need to think about complexity.
Text complexity isn’t simply how difficult something is to read. It describes how challenging a text is to read, understand, and use—and three interrelated dimensions shape it:
Quantitative measures – the “countable” features such as sentence length, word frequency, and cohesion. These provide a general sense of difficulty (similar to a Lexile score) but can’t capture meaning, structure, or cultural context. A scientific article full of short sentences might have a moderate Lexile but still require deep disciplinary reasoning.
Qualitative dimensions – the interpretive features of a text, such as multiple levels of meaning, abstract ideas, or cultural references. A novel like Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming (2016) may appear straightforward because of its verse format and accessible language, yet its layered exploration of identity, memory, and belonging invites readers to interpret its symbolism, navigate shifting perspectives, and connect ideas to historical context. The text’s qualitative complexity emerges through what students notice, question, and connect—especially when they analyze how Woodson’s poetic structure shapes meaning and how her personal narrative intersects with collective histories of race and resilience.
Reader and task considerations – the human factors: who your students are and what you’re asking them to do. The same article can be “simple” when students summarize it, but deeply complex when they compare sources, critique perspectives, or connect it to lived experience.
These dimensions remind us to ask three essential questions:
What makes the text itself complex?
What do we know about our students as readers?
What’s the purpose of the reading?
Complexity Is Both Found and Made
Something to consider when we determine the complexity of a text is that complexity is both inherent and constructed.
Inherent complexity lies in the text itself—its structure, language, and assumptions about readers.
Constructed complexity is created through what teachers and students do with the text—the questions they ask, the inferences they make, and the conversations they have.
That means a poem, infographic, or historical document becomes rigorous when students engage critically with it—not because it’s “hard,” but because it invites deep thinking.
Consider two quick examples:
A history teacher uses a primary source with archaic language. Students decode vocabulary (inherent complexity) and then debate the author’s bias (constructed complexity).
An art teacher studies Picasso’s Guernica. Students analyze form and symbolism (inherent), then discuss its political message and relevance today (constructed).
In both, rigor grows from the interaction between text, reader, and purpose.
Bringing It Together: Designing with Intention
When you plan a text set, you’re not just building reading lists—you’re creating pathways into complex ideas. You can adjust the quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task elements to support access and rigor for all learners. Scaffolds like visuals, vocabulary previews, or collaborative discussions don’t lower complexity, but they open the door wider.
That’s where Lupo’s Quad Text Framework can help balance
Complexity – texts that stretch students appropriately
Variety – genres and modalities that enrich understanding
Accessibility – supports that meet students where they are
Relevance – connections to students’ lives and interests
When we design text sets that do all four, we help students not only read like experts but think like experts—questioning, synthesizing, and creating new understandings that extend beyond the page.
Final Thought
Text sets remind us that literacy is not one-size-fits-all. The magic happens when multiple voices, formats, and perspectives come together, and when we, as teachers, design with both challenge and care. Because the real goal isn’t to make reading harder. It’s to make one think more deeply.
References
Lawrence, J., & Galloway, E. P. (2022, April 12). Disciplinary expert and pedagogical texts: Implications for creating text sets. Reading Ways.
Lupo, S. M., Berry, A., Thacker, E., Sawyer, A., & Merritt, J. (2020). Rethinking text sets to support knowledge building and interdisciplinary learning. The Reading Teacher, 73(4), 513–524.
Savitz, R. S., Irvin, V., & Soulen, R. R. (2024). Developing an empathic analysis: Using critical literacy, dialogue, and inquiry with literature to explore issues with gender labels. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 68(1), 14–22.
Savitz, R.S., & Kane, B. (2023). Trauma-sensitive literacy instruction: Building student resilience in English language arts classrooms. Teachers College Press.
Sims Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6(3), ix–xi.
Literacy Cited
Woodson, J. (2016). Brown girl dreaming. Nancy Paulsen Books.
Rachelle S. Savitz is an associate professor of reading/literacy at East Carolina University. She was previously a K-12 literacy coach/interventionist and high school reading teacher. She values working with graduate students and teachers and learning with and from them. She explores the intersections of critical inquiry, culturally sustaining pedagogy, trauma-sensitive practices, and teacher self-efficacy related to disciplinary literacy and equitable literacy materials and curricula. In addition, Dr. Savitz is widely published and serves as president of Literacy in the Disciplines, 6-12.
LiD is proud to host DAYLO as a tribute to our late secretary, Heather Hall. She was passionate about their work as a youth-led pro-literacy organization. Our webinar features officers and mentors to speak to the need for intellectual and academic freedom when choosing texts.
Immigrant and refugee students bring incredible linguistic, cultural, and life experiences to our classrooms—strengths that are too often overlooked. In my recent presentation, Literacy as a Bridge: Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Students in Today’s Classrooms, we talked about how literacy can act as a bridge, connecting students’ home languages and personal experiences to the academic content they’re learning. But what does that really look like day to day?
First, it helps to remember that literacy is about more than reading words on a page or writing essays. It’s about voice, identity, and belonging. When teachers intentionally draw on students’ experiences, they’re sending a simple but powerful message: your perspective matters. And the benefits go beyond engagement—they build confidence, critical thinking, and a sense of community.
Here are some practical strategies teachers can use right now:
1. Bring in Culturally Relevant Texts. Look for books, articles, or media that reflect your students’ lives. If you’re teaching a unit on community or family, include stories from different countries or immigrant communities. Ask students to share connections or differences with their own experiences—it makes the material come alive and shows that their perspectives are valued.
2. Invite Students to Share Their Stories. Journals, oral storytelling, and digital projects give students a chance to share who they are. A student might create a photo essay about a family tradition or write about their journey to a new country. These activities strengthen literacy while affirming identity.
3. Lean into Multilingual Strengths. Encourage students to use their home language as a tool, whether it’s for brainstorming, storytelling, or peer support. Multilingualism is an asset that can support English development while boosting confidence.
4. Connect Learning to Real Life. Design lessons that tie directly to students’ experiences. Math word problems could reflect real situations they encounter in their communities, or science projects could explore local environmental issues. This makes learning feel relevant and empowers students to see themselves as capable problem-solvers.
5. Use Collaborative Activities. Peer discussions, writing projects, and group tasks give students a chance to learn from each other. For example, students could co-write a story about a cultural festival or community event—building literacy, teamwork, and cross-cultural understanding at the same time.
6. Focus on Strengths. Teachers’ mindsets matter. When we focus on what students can do rather than what they lack, our lessons—and our expectations—shift. Reflecting on our own practice and learning from colleagues helps us recognize and leverage student strengths effectively.
When literacy connects academic content to students’ personal worlds, it becomes a true bridge. Classrooms become places where students feel seen, capable, and valued. Beyond building reading and writing skills, these inclusive practices nurture resilience, pride, and a sense of belonging that extends far beyond the school day.
By weaving these strategies into everyday practice, teachers can create classrooms where all students thrive. Literacy, when approached this way, is more than a skill—it’s a bridge to opportunity, understanding, and equity.
Dr. Mann is a Research Scientist at Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Policy, where she supports equity-centered education research focused on multilingual learners and their language and literacy growth. She presented a LiD6-12 webinar found here: Literacy as a Bridge
