21st Century Literacies Resources

Resources for 21st Century Literacies

Where to Start? Here are a few recommendation for resources, our "Top Picks" in the areas of information, media multicultural, and visual literacies. A more complete list is available as you scroll down the page. A list of the non-web literacy resources are available by clicking here. If you would rather view a list of resources that are all available on the web, click here.

Media Literacy Multicultural Literacy Visual Literacy

Top Picks from Each Literacy

Multicultural Literacy

Chu, Clara M. "A Model of Literacy as Engagement" (draft)

Recognizing cultural differences, this model engages individual (attitudinal position), group (social/cultural schema), and societal (socio political environment) factors toward developing shared knowledge.

Information Literacy

American Association of School Librarians National Guidelines &Standards.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/ip_implementation.html

While the site is designed for school librarians, classroom educators and administrators will also find this a valuable site for its coverage of information literacy standards and resource guides.

Electronic Literacy pre K-12,Montgomery County Public Schools.
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/elit/index.htm

This site focuses on the skills necessary to find and use information in electronic environments; it addresses search strategies, research process models, and web site evaluation. The website also provides electronic literacy curriculum and lessons plans for elementary, middle and secondary grades. There is a well-balanced selection of internally developed materials and links to outside resources.

California School Library Association. From Library Skills to Information Literacy - a handbook for the 21st Century. 2nd ed. San Jose, CA: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 1997.

A practical guide for classroom teachers, library media specialists and others to support the integration of information literacy into their curriculum. It provides models and strategies and enables students to find, analyze, create and use information.

Media Literacy

Brunner, Cornelia. New Media Literacy Handbook: An Educator's Guide to Bringing New Media in the Classroom. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 1999.

Identifies five critical questions students can use as a tool for analyzing any medium they use whether the media is traditional or new, personally developed or composed by others.

Media Awareness Network - English home page.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/

This Canadian site is designed for educators, parents, and others interested in promoting media literacy. It offers teaching units, student handouts, and resource materials for K-12. There are also three discussion groups - educators, secondary students and younger students with agendas appropriate to each age group.

Visual Literacy

On-Line Visual Literacy Project, Pomona College.
http://www.pomona.edu/Academics/courserelated/classprojects/Visual-lit/intro/intro.html

This site provides a good introduction to the basic elements of visual literacy. Visual literacy is defined and each of the visual elements - dot, line, shape, texture, hue, scale, etc. are illustrated with a small graphic.

Visual Literacy
http://vlo.educ.kent.edu/

This module presents essential information about visual literacy, visual images, and the relationship between visual images and instruction. You will find a definition and description of visual literacy as well as a number of activities that encourage practice with instructional visuals.

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Full List of Resources

Information Literacy

Allen, Christine. Skills for Life: Information Literacy Skills Grades 7-12. 3rd ed. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishing, Inc., 1999.

Organized around the nine information literacy standards, each chapter focuses on one standard and provides instructional guides or lessons for different areas of the curriculum. One volume focuses on the elementary level and the other on middle and high school learners.

American Association of School Librarians National Guidelines &Standards.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/ip_implementation.html

The AASL site contains links to the standards, guidelines and resources to educate and assist school librarians to promote information power for students. The information and materials referenced by this site are taken from or based on the book INFORMATION POWER: Building Partnerships for Learning. The site also contains presentation materials to promote the importance of information power in the schools. While the site is designed for school librarians, classroom educators and administrators will also find this a valuable site for its coverage of information literacy standards and resource guides.

American Association of School Librarians Position Statement on Information Literacy
http://www.ala.org/aasl/positions/ps_infolit.html

The AASL issues position statements on a variety of issues that are key for school librarians. The AASL position paper defines information literacy as "the term being applied to the skills of information problem-solving". The paper identifies the key elements of information literacy and argues that it is critical to integrate these elements into the curriculum. The section of the paper on "Information Problem-Solving Skills" contains specific steps for achieving basic competency. The section on "Information Literacy in Action" contains 8 different examples of how information literacy can be integrated into classroom lessons and activities. The National Forum for Information Literacy, an umbrella group of over 60 organizations, has adopted this position paper.

American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning. Chicago and London: American Library Association, 1998.

Provides a conceptual framework and broad guidelines for describing the information literate student. Prepared by the American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, it presents nine core information literacy standards and indicators for each standard. The twenty-nine indicators help educators and librarians recognize ways the standards can be achieved. Also includes levels of proficiency for each performance indicator.

American Library Association. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Library Association and Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1998.

Includes the Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning that will help students become skillful producers and consumers of information along with the guidelines and principles that will help create a dynamic, student-centered program.

California School Library Association. From Library Skills to Information Literacy - a handbook for the 21st Century. 2nd ed. San Jose, CA: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 1997.

A practical guide for classroom teachers, library media specialists and others to support the integration of information literacy into their curriculum. It provides models and strategies and enables students to find, analyze, create and use information.

California School Library Association. The Research Process. November 1993

A twelve step process designed to identify, search, evaluate and analyze information to meet criteria created for use, presentation and communication.

Colorado Standards for Information Literacy with Information Literacy Guidelines.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/slinfolitindex.htm

This site contains links to the Colorado Information Literacy guidelines and references. The section on "Standards for Information Literacy with Colorado Information Literacy Guidelines" charts the AASL nine IL standards against the applicable Colorado IL guidelines and requisite skills. The "Model Information Literacy Guidelines" expand the Colorado Guidelines by specifying a list of specific skills and activities that demonstrate a student's ability to meet each of the five guidelines. An especially useful resource is the "Information Literacy Rubrics" document that provides a chart for each of the five IL guidelines. Each guideline chart consists of a list of "Target Indicators" and the skill level that a Beginning, Partially Proficient, Proficient, and Advanced student would demonstrate. Searching for "information literacy" on the Colorado "Standards in Action" page returns an extensive list of Information Literacy resources including literacy units for several grade levels.

DORIL: Definition of Information Literacy and Related Terms.
http://nosferatu.cas.usf.edu/lis/il/definitions.html

This site is referenced by many Information Literacy sites for definitions of information literacy, information competence, media literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, lifelong learning, and resource-based learning.

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Electronic Literacy pre K-12,Montgomery County Public Schools.
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/elit/index.htm

This site focuses on the skills necessary to find and use information in electronic environments. It addresses search strategies, research process models, and web site evaluation. The site also provides electronic literacy curriculum and lesson plans for elementary, middle and secondary grades. The site contains a well-balanced selection of internally developed materials and links to outside resources.

Evaluation of Internet Information.
http://thorplus.lib.purdue.edu/~techman/eval.html

This site provides, in outline form, a concise description of first, why we need to evaluate information found on the Internet and then, how to evaluate information and sources for reliability and credibility. Focus is on who wrote it, accuracy, author's perspective, and the intended audience. A bonus feature, not always found on evaluation sites, is a set of suggestions for where and how to check the above criteria.

FIT: Fitness in Information Technology.
http://depts.washington.edu/itlit/

This web site resulted from a summit held at the University of Washington on February 8, 1999 to discuss Information and Technology Literacy. It contains links to summit presentations including Lawrence Snyder's presentation on the National Research Council's report "Being Fluent with Information Technology." This report was authored by the Committee on Information Technology. This report documents why fluency is important, the requirements for fluency, relevant issues, and implementation considerations to achieve fluency.

ISTE Curriculum Standards -Information Literacy Standards
http://cnets.iste.org/c_standards.htm

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) developed the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) initiative to define national standards for integrating educational uses of technology that facilitate Pre K-12 school improvement. This site lists national standards for various subject curricula including science, math, English language arts and information literacy.

Loertscher, David V. and Woolls, Blanche. Information Literacy: A Review of the Research. San Jose: Hi Willow Research & Publishing, 1999.

A guide for classroom teachers and librarians that provides a review of the research related to information literacy, including models and strategies. Includes seven stages of the research process. Each stage gives a review of research from library and information science, from various curricular areas, along with possible applications from the research. Each section includes a one page Summary Chart to be used in workshops and inservice sessions.

Managing Information in a Digital Age, Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School. http://www.ues.gseis.ucla.edu/news/informan.html

At UES, the Information Management Curriculum is designed to promote the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to develop effective lifelong information awareness, seeking, management, and presentation strategies. The curriculum is based on seven steps starting with the reason students seek information, progressing through framing and focusing questions, identifying and collecting, evaluating, sense-making, reflecting and refining, to finally using the information. The site contains the curriculum table of contents and directions for obtaining a copy of the complete document.

Maryland Library Association: A Model Statement of Objectives for Bibliographic Instruction. http://research.umbc.edu/~romary/teachingobjectives.htm

This paper identifies four skill objectives that must be met for an individual to be information literate. These objectives parallel the information seeking, selection, and evaluation process. For each of the objectives, specific sets of competencies are listed that the student must be able to perform to successfully retrieve and use information. The objectives and competencies are listed in a succinct form that facilitates their incorporation in learning activities. They could also be used as a checklist to ensure that necessary skills are taught and measured.

National Forum on Information Literacy: Selected Resources.
http://www.infolit.org/publications/index.html

This site provides an annotated list of books, publications, reports and videos on Information Literacy including National Institute of Literacy's "Teaching and Learning with Internet-based Resources." http://www.nifl.gov/susanc/inthome.htm National Institute of Literacy Home Page. Online. Internet. 23 March 2000.

Oklahoma Information Literacy Standards (Acrobat format).
http://sde.state.ok.us/acrob/pass/infolit.pdf

Oklahoma emphasizes the acquisition of information literacy skills across the curriculum. The state uses the nine AASL Information Literacy Standards for student learning as the basis for integrating Information Literacy into all subjects across grade levels. For each standard, two to five measurable skills are defined on three levels - basic, proficient, and exemplary. The site also contains a glossary of terms related to Information Literacy. This document is available as a web page for online viewing . These sites and others can also be reached from the Oklahoma State Department of Education home page by following the links for Curriculum-> Priority Academic Student Skills -> Integrated Curriculum ->Information Literacy

Pickering Thomas, Nancy. Information Literacy and Information Skills Instruction - Applying Research to Practice in the School Library Media Center. Englewood, NJ: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1999.

Although aimed primarily towards the school library media teacher, classroom teachers will benefit from the examination of current research on how students learn and can be taught to use information effectively. Topics covered include a history of the roots of library skills instruction, impact of computers on information skills instruction, and an examination of the current assessment models and its implications for library media programs.

QUICK
http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm

As we all know, not all the information on the WWW is created equal. How can you decide which is the best information? Use Quick, a list of eight questions that lets you be the judge, picking the best Websites out of the mix. A quiz is also available for teachers to check students' progress.

So You have to do a Research Project? http://www.ri.net/schools/East_Greenwich/research.html
Spitzer, Kathleen L., Eisenberg, Michael B. , and Lowe, Carrie A. Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, 1998.

This site contains a set of questions and caveats to use when evaluating web sites for accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage. In addition to evaluation criteria, there are links to sample sites illustrating each of the five criteria.

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Media Literacy

Brunner, Cornelia and Tally, William . New Media Literacy Handbook: An Educator's Guide to Bringing New Media in the Classroom. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 1999.

Identifies five critical questions students can use as a tool for analyzing any medium they use whether the media is traditional or new, personally developed or composed by others.

About-Face: who we are.
http://www.about-face.org/who/index.html

"About-Face is a media literacy organization focused on the impact mass media has on the physical, mental and emotional well being of women and girls," and the actions necessary to change the message being sent. This web site is very up-front in its content and message. Content areas include a gallery of the worst advertising offenders, actions to promote a new model, making changes, and additional resources on a variety of subjects such as body image and women's health.

Center for Media Literacy Links to Media Literacy Online.
http://www.medialit.org/othersites.html

This organization maintains a list of links to online media literacy organizations and resources. The category "Good Sites for Teachers and Classes" lists a variety of resources including lesson plans, student activities, and PBS videos. Two other categories provide additional links - "Student Productions" and "Commercial Sites with Resources for Teachers and Classes." The CML home page provides additional resource links that may be of interest including a media education crash course available in the Los Angeles area .

Just Think Foundation: Media Literacy Education.
http://www.justthink.org/index.html

"Just Think" is a non-profit organization focused on promoting media literacy and critical thinking. The organization maintains resources for classroom teachers including a Lesson Bank that contains a collection of detailed lessons with links to online resources that promote media literacy in the context of language arts, social studies, science, etc. These lessons are designed primarily for middle and high school. Educators are invited to submit additional lessons for inclusion in the bank. The organization maintains a list of online media education sites, Links to Think, which includes Media Literacy organizations, projects, and curriculum resources. The organization also develops media education programs that are available for purchase.

Media Awareness Network - English home page.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/

This Canadian site is designed for educators, parents, and others interested in promoting media literacy. It offers teaching units, student handouts, and resource materials for K-12. There are also three discussion groups - educators, secondary students and younger students - with agendas appropriate to each age group.

Media Literacy Clearinghouse.
http://www.med.sc.edu:1081

This site is an excellent resource for an amazing amount of material on media literacy. Resources include articles, lesson plans, and background information listed under the categories of gender, media literacy, tobacco advertising, commercialism, advertising, television, magazines, newspapers, motion pictures, health/prevention, media literacy resources, propaganda, and the Internet. The section on the Internet deals specifically with Information Literacy. There is also a "Handouts for K12 Educators" section. In addition there is a workshop on assessment and a media literacy listserv.

Media Literacy Review
http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/home/index.html

The College of Education at the University of Oregon created this site to support teachers. It contains an exhaustive list of resources divided into 5 sections. The "Teachers Desk" in section A contains links to lesson plans, guides, materials, and standards. Section A also contains a list of 250 organizations and recommended web sites. Section C contains a list of web sites that deal with Media Literacy issues such as advertising, gender, violence, etc.

Project LOOK SHARP
http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/

Ithaca College's Project Look Sharp promotes the integration of media literacy across grade levels by providing support and resources to teachers. The project promotes 12 principles for integrating media literacy into any classroom and details specific activities for applying these principles at 4 levels - early elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. Resources include basic concepts, key questions, and links. A key area in the links is "Media Literacy Curriculum Integration". The links in this section are subdivided by subject area and reference lesson plans, projects, activities, print media, etc.

Tyner, Kathleen. Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998.

The text examines definitions of multiliteracies identifying the commonalities and differences, key concepts and principles underlying media literacies. Media education has emerged primarily in Europe and Canada as a focus for increasing students' critical understanding of mass media.

Zettl, H. "Contextual Media Aesthetics as the Basis for Media Literacy. " Journal of Communication 48.1 (1998) 81-95.

This article is an introduction to a four level process to interpret how content is constructed using aesthetic fields (light & color, 2D and 3D space, time/motion and sound) to critically analyze and develop a framework for investigating the implications of various mediums on a wide societal level or a single situation level. Media literacy should become integrated into all students' learning.

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Visual Literacy

Arnheim, Rudolf. Visual Thinking. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1969.

Bebes, Jack. "Some History of Visual Literacy". Visual Literacy, Languaging, and Learning. Lincoln, NB: Visual Literacy Center,1978.

Dondis, Donis A. A Primer of Visual Literacy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1973.

Hoffman, Donald D. Visual Intelligence. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998.

Image Technologies in Education
http://projects.ilt.columbia.edu/edviz/curriculum.html

Of the more than 3,000 languages that exist in the world, only one, according to the author of A Primer of Visual Literacy, Donis A. Dondis, nears universal understanding: visual language. Visual intelligence is crucial to understanding the physical realities of our environment, symbols found in gesture and text, and abstractions of reality, such as those found in works of art. In reading visual messages, the brain comprehends visual information as a whole while unconsciously synchronizing the individual forms that create the whole. It is these forms, or compositional elements, which must be learned to become visually literate. Composition is the arrangement of forms that we read in our surroundings and which are found in every work of art. In reading composition, humans automatically find an equilibrium in forms and organize them into a complete whole. Teaching compositional elements to children allows them to read and better understand the visual messages in their world. There are three levels of visual information that we perceive: physical (what we see - an ant, a building, etc.), perceptual (what we think we see based on the elements), and conceptual (the reading of meaning from the image).

IVLA - International Visual Literacy Association
http://www.ivla.org/organization/whatis.htm

Benedict, Joel A. and Benedict, Irene A., What is Visual Literacy? Visual literacy as defined by the International Visual Literacy Association is "a group of vision competencies a human being can develop by seeing and at the same time having and integrating other sensory experiences. The development of these competencies is fundamental to normal human learning. When developed, they enable a visually literate person to discriminate and interpret the visual actions, objects, and/or symbols, natural or man-made, that are [encountered] in [the] environment. Through the creative use of these competencies, [we are] able to communicate with others. Through the appreciative use of these competencies, [we are] able to comprehend and enjoy the masterworks of visual communications."

Messaris, Paul. Visual Literacy: Image, Mind & Reality. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994.

On-Line Visual Literacy Project, Pomona College.
http://www.pomona.edu/Academics/courserelated/classprojects/Visual-lit/intro/intro.html

This site provides a good introduction to the basic elements of visual literacy. Visual literacy is defined and each of the visual elements - dot, line, shape, texture, hue, scale, etc. are illustrated with a small graphic. Clicking on the individual visual element displays a description of the element and how it can be used to communicate with the viewer. The description for each element includes visual examples with commentary, additional links, and references.

Visual Literacy
http://vlo.educ.kent.edu/

This module presents essential information about visual literacy, visual images, and the relationship between visual images and instruction. You will find a definition and description of visual literacy as well as a number of activities that encourage practice with instructional visuals.

Visual Literacy Exercise, Cleveland State University.
http://www.csuohio.edu/history/exercise/vlehome.html

The exercise consists of a series of 15 woodblock prints depicting a variety of Japanese landscapes. The student is asked to view all 15 prints and then answer 3 basic questions about what he/she deduced about the geography and climate of Japan based on the prints. The student is then shown the 15 prints again but this time annotations have been added pointing out significant geographical and climatic features in the scenes. The student is asked to compare what they now know about geography and climate. The exercise takes about 30 minutes to complete. The format and basic ideas could be used with other images in a variety of learning environments. The site also contains teaching notes that include suggestions for classroom adaptation.

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Multicultural Literacy

Banks, James A. "Multicultural Literacy and Curriculum Reform," Educational Horizons 69.3 (Spring 1991), 135-140.

Banks argues that "regarding knowledge as a social construction and viewing it from diverse cultural perspectives are key components of multicultural literacy." (p. 135) By critiquing the Eurocentric perspectives of cultural literacy theorists Hirsch and Bloom as well as exploring relevant curriculum and canonical examples of culturally-biased classroom teaching, Banks illustrates the need for an education system that fosters multicultural literacy so that students will be able to attain the "knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to participate effectively in the next century's global society." (p. 140)

Chu, Clara M. "A Model of Literacy as Engagement" (draft)

Recognizing cultural differences, this model engages individual (attitudinal position), group (social/cultural schema), and societal (socio political environment) factors toward developing shared knowledge.

Cortes, Carlos E. The Children are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.

Cortes examines how multicultural issues are treated in the mainstream media and encourages the critical analysis of the media as a way to further multicultural education. He believes that examples of multiculturalism as found in the mainstream media should be brought into the classroom as a way to help students analyze and evaluate its content. This text can help teachers think critically about the types of information that surrounds their students outside of the classroom and can enable its readers to develop a multicultural literacy framework when processing information found in different mainstream media outlets.

Courts, Patrick L. Multicultural Literacies: Dialect, Discourse, and Diversity. New York: Peter Lang, 1997.

Courts provides detailed analyses of multiculturalism and multicultural literacy issues in education. He argues that non-dominant discourse systems need to be acknowledged, accepted, and respected as valid forms of knowledge acquisition and comprehension in order to achieve such goals as increasing communication, acquiring multiple discourse systems, and improving literacy teaching in schools. Courts constructs a framework of multicultural education which promotes the acquisition of multicultural literacies as foundations for "learning about and respecting our own and others' discourse systems, mitigating against linguistic and cultural biases, and providing students an opportunity to become knowledgeable, conscious users of their own and others' discourse systems." (p. 2)

Diamond, Barbara J. and Margaret A. Moore. Multicultural Literacy : Mirroring the Reality of the Classroom. White Plains, N.Y.: Longman Publishers, 1995.

Diamond and Moore adopt a thematic approach to multicultural education, one in which multicultural literacy is incorporated into all aspects of the curriculum and is beneficial to all students. They demonstrate how multicultural literacy "activates silent voices, opens closed minds, promotes academic achievement, and enables students to think and act critically in a pluralistic, democratic society." (p. 7) To support the development of a multicultural literacy curriculum, the book features specific teaching strategies, implementation techniques, samples of students' work, graphic organizers, overviews and summaries, and FAQs.

Dresser, Norine. Multicultural Manners: New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Dresser's book describes selected customs and traditions aimed at avoiding cross-cultural miscommunication learned from first-hand experience or through her work as Multicultural Manners columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Organized by subject matter and through the fragmented use of third-person anecdotes, this multicultural guide serves to illustrate the importance of multicultural literacy as it pertains to interpersonal communication skills. However it does not provide a comprehensive overview of all the different customs nor explain the underlying reasons for the particular customs and traditions presented related to a particular culture. Despite the limited scope of the book's content, the examples which the author selects may be useful in developing lessons to support a multicultural curriculum that enables students to understand the importance of multicultural literacy skills in reading and understanding cross-cultural behaviors.

Gay, Geneva. Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.

Gay identifies four critical aspects of culturally responsive teaching: caring, communication, curriculum, and instruction. She analyzes these areas based on a combination of pedagogical theory, educational research, and instructional practice. The book may be useful for instructors designing a multicultural literacy curriculum as it views literacy skills as the foundation of instruction and learning, and explores the importance in "recognizing the worth of the information and contributions ethnic groups have made to the fund of knowledge [that] students should learn." (p. xvi)

Gorski, Paul. "Toward a Multicultural Approach for Evaluating Educational Web Sites," Multicultural Perspectives 2.3 (December 1999). Available at: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/multicultural/net/comps/eval.html

Gorski discusses the importance of adopting a multicultural approach for evaluating websites. He begins by summarizing current website evaluation techniques and practices (pointing out their shortcomings in terms of incorporating multicultural issues into the evaluation process) and then presents a new approach consisting of seven categories to consider when evaluating websites from a multicultural perspective. Gorski's insights into the evaluation process can be useful for multicultural literacy instructors as a way to incorporate multicultural sensitivity, particularly when discussing the reliability of information found on the internet. Mary: this resource should also be in the Web resource section

Grant, Carl A. and Christine E. Sleeter. Turning on Learning: Five Approaches for Multicultural Teaching Plans for Race, Class, Gender, and Disability. Up Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 1998.

Turning on Learning is a practical, lesson-based companion guide to Sleeter and Grant's Making Choices for Multicultural Education: Five Approaches to Race, Class, and Gender. Grant and Sleeter discuss issues related to race, class, gender, disability, language and sexual orientation and offer lesson plans covering different areas for the grade 1-12 curriculum. Instructors Teachers may find this guide useful in applying different strategies to construct a multicultural literacy curriculum for their own classroom.

Grant, Carl A. and Gloria Ladson-Billings, eds. Dictionary of Multicultural Education. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1997.

The Dictionary of Multicultural Education is a useful reference source for instructors teachers interested in exploring the different issues and perspectives operating within the area of multicultural education. The dictionary attempts to address "both the literal meanings of words and terms as well as the contextual meanings and exemplars that help create those meanings." (p. xvii) Entries include key terms, court cases, and conceptual theories. The dictionary includes entries about the development and practice of multicultural literacy/literacies and may be beneficial in providing a theoretical foundation towards building a curriculum that supports multicultural literacy.

Miller, Suzanne M. and Barbara McCaskill. Multicultural Literature and Literacies: Making Space for Difference. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1993.

This anthology of writings approaches multicultural literature and literacies from three different positions: writing literature, writing policy, and teaching. "With essays on literature, policymaking and education, the groups of writers discuss pedagogical strategies, program philosophies, aesthetics and poetics, and research agendas that have arisen from the debates on multicultural literature and literacies." (p. 8) By presenting a myriad of voices, this book showcases multicultural literacies as viewed, interpreted and implemented from a variety of perspectives. It includes an appendix of selected resources of multicultural education.

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Multicultural Literacy
http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/multilit.htm

This site includes links to instructional resources, background information, and booklists of multicultural literature. It is part of a larger project entitled The Literacy Web compiled by the University of Connecticut, one of its goals being to "locate ideas for integrating literacy strategies into the classroom." The site includes links to literacy strategies sorted by grade level and type of literacy (early literacy, literacy and technology, media literacy, multicultural literacy, etc.)

Multicultural Readings and Resources: Providing Windows and Mirrors
http://www.coe.ohio-state.edu/dyford/multicultural.feb200.htm

This site provides extensive bibliographies related to different aspects of multicultural education. It approaches different areas of the core curriculum from a multicultural perspective, including multicultural math, science, social studies, and literature, as well as links to other multicultural resource sites. The variety of resources available points o how multicultural literacy can be incorporated into all segments of the curriculum.

Online Resources for Promoting Cultural Understanding in the Adult ESL Classroom
http://www.cal.org/ncle/multicultures.htm

This site was compiled by the National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) to serve as a resource for adult ESL instructors in order to "promote cultural understanding, tolerance, and cross-cultural communication in their adult ESL classrooms." It features a wide variety of materials and collections on teaching tolerance, cultural understanding, and developing instructional resources. The site includes materials for children ESL learners as well as adult ESL learners, which can be modified and applied to work in a K-12 environment.

Ramirez, Lettie and Olivia M. Gallardo. Portraits of Teachers in Multicultural Settings: A Critical Literacy Approach. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2001.

Ramirez and Gallardo examine the importance of literacy instruction using such tools as literature, technology, arts, and writing. They advocate the "use of critical theory as a foundation for the incorporation of multicultural education [which] results in students learning about themselves and the world around them." (p. xi) They also explain how certain texts and examples can be inappropriate for the classrooms, especially if they are not explained and evaluated from a multiculturally-inclusive context. The book also considers school/parent/child relationships in multicultural education as well as the changing cultural settings of the classroom, particularly within the framework of transformative education.

Sleeter, Christine E. and Carl A. Grant. Making Choices for Multicultural Education: Five Approaches to Race, Class, and Gender. Up Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 1999.

Sleeter and Grant discuss five different approaches to incorporating diversity into the classroom. Geared toward the K-12 curriculum, each chapter contains the goals, theoretical framework, and instructional strategies and recommended practices for implementing each approach. The book covers issues that can be directly related to or interpreted within the framework of multicultural literacy, such as the consideration of different historical points of view, the social construction of social theories and "natural" categories; and the analysis of different literacy and knowledge systems based on factors such as race, culture, gender and ability. This book can be used in conjunction with Grant and Sleeter's companion volume, Turning On Learning, which provides examples of lesson plans using each of the approach.

Tiedt, Pamela L. and Iris M. Tiedt. Multicultural Teaching: A Handbook of Activities, Information, and Resources. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1999.

This multicultural teaching handbook provides practical strategies on implementing multicultural education throughout the K-8 curriculum. The authors focus on "two major components of multicultural teaching: (1) a knowledge base for teaching multiculturally and (2) activities that provide equitable learning opportunities for diverse students." (p. ix) The book includes essays about the development of multicultural education theories, strategies for planning curriculum, sample lesson plans, thematic units, and curriculum evaluation. Part 2 of the book would be particularly useful for developing a multicultural literacy curriculum as it deals with such topics as culturally-reflective learning, increasing student perspectives, and exploring linguistic diversity.

Ward, Angela. "Literacy in Multicultural Settings: Whose Culture Are We Discussing? An Invited Commentary." Available at Reading Online: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/ward.html

Ward discusses the importance of multicultural education in working toward a more inclusive society and building a "community of caring." She repositions multicultural literacy within a context that "views knowledge of several languages and cultures as a distinguishing mark of the educated person." This essay appears in Reading Online, a peer-reviewed journal, whose mission is to "support professionals as they integrate technology in the classroom, preparing students for a future in which literacy's meaning will continue to evolve and expand." Educators and other members of the general public may contribute to the discussion via the online discussion board.

Weil, Danny. "Towards a Critical Multicultural Literacy: Advancing an Education for Liberation," Roeper Review 15.4 (May-June 1993), 211-17.

Weil argues for implementing a critical multicultural curriculum to foster the personal and social empowerment and freedom of all students. He defines the term critical multicultural literacy as the "commitment to recognizing the relationship between theory and practice in pedagogy aimed at constructively creating a praxis that promotes dialoguing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing issues of relevant historical and contemporary multicultural concerns." (p. 211) He advocates for three essential components of critical multicultural literacy: educational equity, prejudice reduction, and understanding the common struggle for human dignity and the logic of oppression. This article is a valuable resource for instructors teachers as they formulate and implement their own goals for a multicultural literacy curriculum.

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Other 21st Century Literacies

The American Association of School Librarians.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/index.html

The AASL web site contains resources related to information literacy, media literacy, the use of technology to solve information problems, and children's use of the Internet. Information Literacy is addressed in the section on National guidelines and Standards. Browsing the section on resources provides an overview of topics addressed by this organization. The section on technology has a valuable link to the ALA's "Libraries and Internet Toolkit" which contains guidelines and resources designed to help librarians manage children's use of the Internet.

Blue Web'n Learning Sites Library.
http://www.kn.AT&T.com/wired/bluewebn/

Blue Web'n is a searchable database of over 1000 outstanding Internet learning sites -- lesson plans, instructional units, learning activities, and background information -- categorized by subject area, audience, and type. Sites are selected for their quality and usefulness with new sites being added on a regular basis. To find good literacy sites, search using keywords literacy, media, and/or information literacy.

Burniske, R.W. Literacy in the Cyberage. Arlington Heights, IL: Skylight Publishers, 2000.

This book identifies literacy in the Cyberage as an aggregation of multiple literacies, including media, visual, global, pedagogical, etc. Each receives a chapter of explanation, complete with an instructional strategy and examples for promoting it. Mr. Burniske provides step-by-step lessons that embody principles of good pedagogy and clear, concrete guidelines, all the while remaining mindful of the high stakes in this perpetually changing age. Education is an ongoing, lifelong process, not a product to be consumed once. This book provides the beginnings of a bridge between educators raised on text with students raised on a media saturated culture.

Children's Partnership.
http://www.childrenspartnership.org/

This organization focuses on identifying and publicizing the needs of children, especially the low-income and underserved. They are particularly concerned with access to the Internet and information technologies. Two areas of particular interest to educators are the publication "Parents Guide to the Information Super-Highway and their new campaign "Young Americans and the Digital Future." State by state statistics have been compiled and made available in the "Young Americans: Toolkit for Action". Copies of their publications and research reports are available online at their site.

ED Technology Digital Divide.
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/digdiv.html

Government reports show that the "digital divide" continues to grow. This site contains annotated links to key government reports, publications, and web sites addressing this problem.

AT&T/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies.
http://www.newliteracies.gseis.ucla.edu/

This site describes the AT&T/UCLA 21st Century Literacies joint project designed to evaluate the meaning of literacy in the rapidly changing, technology driven, environment of the 21st century. The initiative addresses three areas - educating the user, improving the information system, and addressing policy issues. Initiative projects supporting each of the three areas are briefly described. A 15-minute video entitled "e-literate?" is available through the web site. This video is designed to introduce "21st century literacies" to young people by highlighting the rapidly changing technologies that are dramatically reshaping how we live our lives. While designed for young people, the video is both entertaining and informative for anyone living in today's world.

University of Minnesota CLA Language Center:Using the Internet for Language Teaching and Learning.
http://languagecenter.cla.umn.edu/lc/surfing/InetTandL

This site provides education links for both ESL and foreign language teachers. It contains links for teachers on how to use the web to teach languages and how to select and evaluate sites. It also includes links to more than twenty examples of web-based language activities.

Wilton Library: Innovative Internet Applications in Libraries.
http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/innovate.html

This site is a collection of links high-lighting innovative library applications on the Internet. Many of these links are specifically for children and teens. The links are divided into 14 categories ranging from "Ages & Stages" to Special Collections & Online Exhibits, Tutorials/Guides, and Virtual Tours. The referenced sites are sites designed by libraries across the US.

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This page was last updated July 30, 2002
This resource was created to support the AT&T/UCLA Initiatives for the 21st Century Literacies.