"Stirring Up Justice: Adolescents Reading, Writing, and Changing the World" by Jessica Singer and Ruth Shagoury (Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 2005)
Any middle or high school teacher knows that adolescents are uniquely engaged when they can learn about topics of their own interest, especially if that means addressing injustices in their own communities. Singer and Shagoury present a thoughtful and cogent outline for how secondary English and humanities teachers can use a social justice framework to provide a range of book and issue choices alongside literacy skill instruction. The authors, who taught and researched together in a ninth-grade English class, provide clear rationale for their instructional choices, emphasizing the continuous nature of teaching and learning about activism and social justice and the importance of providing adolescents with agency in the classroom and beyond. Check out their comprehensive unit timeline and social justice booklist for ways to incorporate this critical work in your own classroom!
—Reviewed by Shannon L. Kelley, University of Connecticut
Singer, J., & Shagoury, R. (2005). Stirring up justice: Adolescents reading, writing, and changing the world. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(4), 318–339. https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.49.4.5
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