1. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Infusing Culturally Relevant Texts
in the Classroom
By: Arianna N. Allen, Dasha Harris, & Simone Paige
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
School of Education
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

2. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Problem Statement
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Many public school districts have witnessed
an increase in culturally and linguistically diverse
students (NCES, 2014). However, “school curricula
reflect Anglo traditions and disempower students of
color by marginalizing their culture and heritage”
(Lazar, Edwards, McMillon, 2012, p.37).

3. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Introduction
The purpose of this panel is to highlight the
importance of infusing culturally relevant texts into the
classroom to promote literacy success for all students.
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4. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Context of Population
▪ 17% Reading Proficiency Rate
▪ 93% Free Lunch
▪ Grades Pre K-5, 263 Students
» 81% Black
» 14% Hispanic
» 4% Asian
» 1% White
4(NICHE, 2016)

5. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Research Questions
1. How does reading culturally relevant text foster students’
learning engagement?
2. How do children use the texts to deepen their
understanding of the world?
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6. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
“Why Are Culturally Relevant Texts
Important?”
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7. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Culturally Relevant Texts: 3rd Grade
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8. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Culturally Relevant Texts: 4th Grade
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9. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Culturally Relevant Texts: 5th Grade
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10. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Transactional Theory
Developed by Louise Rosenblatt
(1986)
Reader:
Uses Background Knowledge
Makes Connections
Ask Questions
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(Galda, 2013)

11. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Data Collection: Digital Tools
Digital books (Kindle)
Bubbl.us
Sticky Notes App
Prezi
Comic Strip App
Blogging
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Podcasts
Word Salad
Voki
Edublogs
Venn Diagram App
Data Analysis
Constant Comparative Approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1965)

12. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Findings
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13. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Findings 1: Building On Students’ Schema
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“I know that word because it
relates to engineering and I want to
be a robotics engineer.”

14. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Findings 2: Fosters Intrapersonal Intelligence
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Relationships/FriendshipsBullying

15. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Findings 3: Fosters Social Consciousness
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• Teacher candidates and
elementary students shared
personal experiences of
people who fled from various
countries because of issues
they were facing
• This sparked the
conversation of current
events (i.e. Syria & ISIS).
Return to Sender

16. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Reflection
▪Teacher Implications
▪Student centered classrooms
▪Importance of higher-order thinking
▪Limitations
▪Variety of book selection
▪Amount of time allotted for “Digital Book Clubs”
▪Recording all interactions to use for data
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17. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Questions, Concerns, Comments
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18. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
www.ncat.edu
Resources
▪ W.M. Hampton Elementary School in Greensboro, NC - Niche. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://k12.niche.com/wm-hampton-elementary-school-greensboro-nc/
▪ Galda, L. (2013). Learning From Children Reading Books: Transactional Theory and the
Teaching of Literature. Journal of Children's Literature, 39(2), 5-13.
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