Critical Literacy and Read-Alouds for Social Justice Instruction in Primary Education

Paul, E. How can primary-elementary teachers use critical literacy and read alouds to teach social justice to young learners? (2020) Primary-aged children undergo extensive cognitive development. During these years, children’s estimation of self-worth and value goes under significant development and by age eight, children express whether or not they like themselves. As advocacy for social justice such as the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements gain momentum, adults must determine how and when to have courageous conversations with children in which they support children’s pride in their own identities, disrupt pre-prejudices, and develop their skills to critically evaluate the world around them for justice. This capstone analyzes current literature surrounding critical literacy, read-alouds, and social justice through picture books to help answer the research question: How can primary-elementary teachers use critical literacy and read-alouds to teach social justice to young learners? The culminating project demonstrates how these elements can be used in a social studies curriculum for first grade learners. Final reflections upon major learnings, the literary analysis, and this project make evident the viability of critical literacy instruction via interactive read-alouds and social justice in picture books for primary aged children