A 29-page Exploratory Course, "My Story in the Wor(L)d: Knowing Self and Community" by Jason DeHart, PhD
 
For Grades 6-8
 
How do we link what we read and view to the world around us? How do we find ways to share our own stories and make the change we want to see in the world? The purpose of this course is to link literacy skills (e.g., comprehension, finding audience, analytical reading) to a close consideration of the ways we relate to ourselves and one another as a community through literature/stories and through social change. The unit focuses on being a close noticer of the work that authors do in sharing their stories and uses text examples created for the unit to demonstrate this. Special attention to given to characterization and questioning about texts.

From this close noticing, the unit then shifts focus to being attentive to ourselves and to the needs of their wider community as we begin to shape our story and think about the change we want to make in our communities. The overall purpose of this unit (and my work) is to empower readers to think critically and with compassion through writing, reading, and making.
 
Dr. Jason DeHart has been teaching literacy courses for over fifteen years, from elementary to middle grades to high school and beyond. He publishes about his research, continues to improve his practice, and is always looking to find new ways to share ideas.