Dr. Vivian Yenika-Agbaw, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Carla Zembal-Saul, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Critical Literacy Feminism Children's Literature Elementary Primary
Abstract:
Critical Literacy is a framework through which teachers can encourage critical thinking in their students, through an analytical and productive domain (Winograd, 2014). This thesis illustrates my journey as a pre-service teacher through an understanding of ideologies in children’s literature, to a discovery of how Critical Literacy can equip students with the analytical tools to parse those ideologies, and finally to an application of Critical Literacy in my classroom. I begin with an ideological analysis of a popular young adult novel, to demonstrate the extent to which author bias runs through the literature we instruct. Then, I introduce Critical Literacy as a pedagogical tool to empower students to consider how texts position themselves and others. Finally, I describe the ways in which I implemented Critical Literacy at a first grade level. Implications for future practice are discussed.
