Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the ...Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward...

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Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom Author(s): Jessica Whitney Source: The English Journal, Vol. 94, No. 5 (May, 2005), pp. 64-69 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047356 Accessed: 23/08/2010 00:28 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncte. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. National Council of Teachers of English is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The English Journal. http://www.jstor.org

Transcript of Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the ...Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward...

Page 1: Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the ...Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom Jessica Whitney argues that teachers must value students'

Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the ClassroomAuthor(s): Jessica WhitneySource: The English Journal, Vol. 94, No. 5 (May, 2005), pp. 64-69Published by: National Council of Teachers of EnglishStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047356Accessed: 23/08/2010 00:28

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available athttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unlessyou have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and youmay use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.

Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained athttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncte.

Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printedpage of such transmission.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

National Council of Teachers of English is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toThe English Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

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VOICES OF DEMOCRACY

Jessica Whitney

Five Easy Pieces: Steps

toward Integrating AAVE

into the Classroom

Jessica Whitney argues that teachers must value students' home language "and use it to help students become more effective rhetoricians." She offers five steps for educators to take.

There is no reason to believe that any nonstandard vernacular is in itself an obstacle to learn-

ing. The chief problem is ignorance of language on the part of all concerned. -William Labov, Language in the Inner City: Studies in the Black English Vernacular

I am confused. Hesitant. Slightly ob- sessed. I am a white teacher trying to

get a handle on the Black English or African American Vernacular English

(AAVE) controversy. What exactly is AAVE? How can I create a classroom environment that genuinely respects the diverse home languages of my students? How can I walk the tightrope of language and power honestly-acknowledging my influential place in the classroom as facilitator of learning and as a physical representation of white America and Standard En-

glish? Will I be harming students if I encourage them to incorporate AAVE into their oral and written work?

I am not the only one who is having a hard time determining AAVE's place in the classroom.

Although the history-making Oakland, California, school district decision to recognize AAVE was made

nearly eight years ago, educators and leaders are still

trying to reconcile themselves to the topic. Every- one has an opinion on the AAVE (or Ebonics) debate that they are eager to share with the media. In fact, Bill Cosby's statement on the fiftieth anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision has been viewed as anti-AAVE sentiment. He stated, "They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: 'Why you ain't?' 'Where you is?' ... Everybody knows it's im-

portant to speak English except these knuckle- heads. ... You can't be a doctor with that kind of

crap coming out of your mouth!" (qtd. in Coates, par. 4).

I am not going to argue with Mr. Cosby. How- ever, his comments do not accurately reflect the AAVE controversy. Mr. Cosby's remarks, and the public re- action to them, demonstrate that we are as confused about AAVE today as we were eight years ago. Recog- nition of AAVE in the classroom is not about eradi- cating education about the English language. It is not about raising a new generation of students incapable of speaking anything other than AAVE. Advocates in the AAVE debate are calling for students to no longer be unfairly penalized for the use of their home lan- guage in the classroom. They are also pleading for teachers to build on home language to teach about Standard English (what Geneva Smitherman refers to as the "Language of Wider Communication") rather than ignoring or belittling it.1

Students with linguistic differences sit in our classrooms now, and we need appropriate tools to work with them. I offer five steps that we as educa- tors may take toward respecting and making the most of AAVE in the classroom to best help students.

Step One: Teacher, Educate Thyself Educators must understand AAVE. According to Geneva Smitherman, it is "a set of communication patterns and practices resulting from Africans'

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appropriation and transformation of a foreign tongue during the African Holocaust" (19). (Yes, this is a distinctly political definition, one that touches on the important links among race, language, and power. To appreciate the scope of the debate, we must recognize this connection.) The Linguistic So- ciety of America confirms that "distinctive Ebonics pronunciations are all systematic, the result of reg- ular rules and restrictions; they are not random error'-and this is equally true of Ebonics gram- mar" (Rickford, par. 5).

To better understand AAVE, let's first examine the facts:

> AAVE is not slang, improper grammar, or broken English (Smitherman 19).

> Ninety percent of African Americans use one or more aspects of AAVE some of the time (Smitherman 19).

> "Studies by researchers at Stanford University show that black children who have been taught using the Ebonics program-which recognizes so-called black English as distinct from standard English-- have improved their ability to read and write standard English" (Milloy, par. 3; emphasis in original).

> "[Tlhe child who speaks in a vernacular dialect is not making language errors; instead, she or he is speaking correctly in the language of the home discourse community" (Wheeler and Swords 471).

One of the biggest obstacles that teachers of linguistically diverse students face is ignorance. Our ignorance of specific cultures and languages can, un- fortunately, be passed on to students who interpret it as a judgment that one language is better than an- other. Many of the educators working with African American students are "white, middle-class, mono- lingual English-speaking women and men who have had little direct experience with cultural, ethnic, linguistic or other kinds of diversity" (Nieto 122). Educating ourselves requires acknowledging the cru- cial link between language and power and setting aside any preconceived notions about users of differ- ent varieties of English: "Perhaps the most signifi- cant aspect of teaching non-mainstream children is a teacher's attitude and behavior toward a child's oral

language" (Sorace 75). Teachers are more likely

to view students speaking AAVE as "slower, less able, and less intelligent" than their Standard En- glish-speaking classmates, reducing teacher expec- tations for the students' abilities (Wheeler and Swords 472). Unfortunately for students, "[als teacher expectations are reduced, so potential child performance is diminished" (472).

Working with a student's home language, in- stead of against it, is crucial to ensuring students' academic success.

Step Two: Incorporate Multiculturalism into the Classroom

Multicultural education is based on the ideals of so- cial justice and educational equity, and it is an essen- tial forum for reforming schools to support equality and pluralism. To respect AAVE in the classroom, we must create a learning environment that values di- versity in experience, culture, and language.

Multicultural education in practice is incredi- bly varied. There are enough methods of integrating multiculturalism into the classroom to allow teach- ers to choose one or more with which they feel com- fortable. Kim Brian Lovejoy discusses his success with the following activity: "After introducing some examples of nonmainstream varieties (for example, rap lyrics, advertisements, excerpts from fiction), I invite students to bring in [other nonmainstreami samples of writing. ... These samples ... provide the subject matter for class discussions of language uses, for analyses of written discourse, and for class work on the differences between EAE [Edited Amer- ican English] and other varieties" (98).

Opponents of multiculturalism argue that it waters down the curriculum and forces out crucial components, facts, and figures: "It constructs, as well, a curriculum which, far from being represen- tatively diverse, is unified around a theme of race and sex and the debunking of Western culture" (Famu- laro 128). True multiculturalism does just the op- posite-it provides students with a more accurate view of Western culture and allows experiences and voices that have been ignored to be heard and ap- preciated. Every student needs to understand the

rampant inequities in our society based on differ- ences in language, gender, and race.

Our school system is failing children from di- verse backgrounds; how else can we explain the fact

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that only 56 percent of African American students

graduate from high school (Rotherham 136)? Our current methods of teaching African American stu- dents are not working-methods that include hy- percorrection, avoidance, or punishment of students' use of their home language in the classroom. We must work with diversity in the classroom more hon-

estly and effectively. Culturally relevant teaching has a positive ef-

fect on students' academic achievement. According to Geneva Gay, "[clurriculums infused with multi- cultural education boost academic success and pre- pare students for roles as productive citizens" (30)

Multicultural texts can serve to connect people of diverse backgrounds

and can be used as a

starting point for deeper examination and

discussion about our

experiences.

because "multicultural educa- tion makes schooling more relevant and effective" for mi-

nority students (34). Students are more likely to perform suc-

cessfully at school when there is a greater correspondence between their cultural back-

grounds and school experiences such as "task interest, effort,

academic achievement, and feelings of personal effi-

cacy or social accountability" (34). Incorporating works that use a variety of styles,

voices, and languages demonstrates the validity of these differences and familiarizes students with them (see sidebar for examples). Using such works en- dorses diversity in literature while allowing students to better appreciate and understand the background from which the author is speaking. According to Elaine Richardson, "Educators may deem English monolingualism as more effective for student learn-

ing. Yet restricting languages other than English from the classroom limits access to literacy by lim-

iting students' ability to construct meaning and

knowledge from other discourse, culture, and lan-

guage communities of which they may be a part" (49-50). Multicultural texts can connect people of diverse backgrounds and can be used as a starting point for deeper examination and discussion of our

experiences. Students can draw on class discussions to reflect on appropriate uses of home language and school language, as Lovejoy detailed.

Introduce students to works that incorporate varieties of English so that they have access to the

writing of authentic writers that reflects the real world. Adrienne Rich said, "When someone with

RECOMMENDED WORKS THAT INCORPORATE AAVE

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. 1918. New York: Dodd Mead, 1993.

Hughes, Langston. "Cora Unashamed." The Ways of White Folks: Stories. 1934. New York: Vin- tage, 1971.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Perennial, 1990.

Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Laurel, 1968.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Plume, 1970.

Mowry, Jess. Six Out Seven. New York: Anchor, 1994.

Porter, Connie Rose. Imani All Mine. New York: Houghton, 1999.

Reed, Ishmael. Mumbo Jumbo. New York: Scribner, 1996.

Shange, Ntozake. For Colored Girls Who Have Con- sidered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. 1975. New York: Scribner, 1997.

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Pocket, 1982.

Wright, Richard. Black Boy. 1945. New York: Harper, 1993.

the authority of a teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing" (qtd. in Bohn and Sleeter 158). It is neither feasible nor fair to present students with a one-sided view of the world.

Step Three: Create a Learning Environment Rich in Oral Language Children acquire language through practicing the skills of speaking and listening, "upon which the other [communication] skills are formed" (Sorace 76). Students proficient in oral language are also more proficient in reading and writing (Vacca and Vacca). Therefore, we must create an English lan-

guage arts program rich in oral language activities that "promote rich repertoires of communication contexts, provide opportunities for trying out com- munication behaviors, and supply feedback with which students may evaluate their communicative effectiveness" (Holdzkom et al., qtd. in Sorace 76).

It is not difficult to establish a classroom en- vironment that develops students' oral language

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skills-engaging students in small-group discus-

sions, brainstorming, word games, choral reading and creative dramatics, debates, storytelling, general discussion, and even listening to recordings all cre- ate an orally rich environment (Sorace 76). When we read texts aloud to students, we help them put lan-

guage in context and discern the differences between Standard English and their home language. "Allow-

ing children's home language to serve legitimate functions within the classroom, allowing their home

experiences or street experiences into the classroom 'could be a starting point for crucial and truly enriching discussions' of relationships among lan-

guage, knowledge, culture, identity, politics" (Gil- yard, qtd. in Sorace 76).

An oral-rich classroom provides an appropri- ate forum for students' home languages. Students

may code-switch as necessary (see Step Four), rein- forced by the spontaneous translating that occurs in the classroom. Orellana et al. stress the importance of engaging students in activities that link the lit-

eracy activities that occur at home with those in school because they affirm the significance of the stu- dents' home language. Students could work in pairs to make sense of instructions and then review their

interpretations with other pairs or the entire class. Students could translate or paraphrase non-Standard

English texts for their family, which many of them are doing already, and reflect on their experiences in a journal. The research provided by Orellana et al. ef-

fectively demonstrates that "being literate in our modern social world requires the ability to navigate multiple literacies" (32). As educators, we must re- member that proficiency in AAVE enhances profi- ciency in Standard English.

Step Four: Encourage and Demonstrate Code-Switching in the Classroom

Mark Twain did it. Toni Morrison does it. Microsoft

cocreator Bill Gates, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and rock star/activist Bono continue to do it daily. I did it today, countless middle school and high school students from around the country did it, and you probably did, too. It's called code-

switching, the ability to "choose the language variety appropriate to the time, place, audience, and com- municative purpose" (Wheeler and Swords 471; ital- ics in original).

Once we realize that languages come in differ- ent styles and that each is governed by a set of rules and patterns, we are able to approach them in a more fair and open-minded way. We are not as inclined to automatically correct students every time they devi- ate from Standard English (which has been proven to be ineffective as a teaching technique). Instead, we can work with students to build on their repertoire of linguistic skills. A powerful way of doing this is by facilitating discussions with students about dif- ferent linguistic styles and the situational appro- priateness of each one. When teachers work with students to contrast the differences be- tween non-Standard English such as AAVE and Standard

English, students are less likely to use features of AAVE in their writing. Rickford's re- search proves that "when the teacher helped the students ex-

plicitly contrast the structure

When teachers work with students to contrast the differences between non- Standard English such as AAVE and Standard

English, students are less

likely to use features of AAVE in their writing.

of AAVE and the Standard, their success in writing Standard English improved by 59%" (Wheeler 14; italics in original). "Taylor observed that students were often unaware of the detailed differences between African American English and Standard

English. Thus, contrasting the two systems helped students 'limit AAE intrusions into their SE usage' " (Taylor, qtd. in Rickford, qtd. in Wheeler 14).

Erin Burns, a middle school English language arts teacher working with minority students in the

Bronx, New York, confirms the importance of en-

couraging code-switching:

I see how it [AAVE] affects their reading and writing, but I also think that if code-switching was taught and practiced earlier on, it [students' use of their home lan-

guage] would not have posed a problem. I think that both languages are extremely crucial in their lives and that they need to be fluent in both. I teach this to my students and reinforce it constantly throughout the school year [by encouraging code-switching, incorpo- rating multicultural literature that uses the home

language of students, and facilitating discussions about formal versus informal languages, home versus school languages] and for the most part they truly do understand and are able to make the transition.

As professionals, we have an obligation to learn about students' cultures. Does that add to our workload?

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Yes. Will it enable us to understand our students bet- ter and enhance our effectiveness as teachers? Yes! Teachers do not need to understand every facet of every culture, but we must be familiar with the basics so that we do not criticize students for making mistakes that are just cultural "errors." The benefits of allowing stu- dents to code-switch are undeniable: allowing students to use "their own culturally acceptable conversational

style to talk and write about ideas they read in texts" helps them to "become more content-literate and to

improve their literacy skills" (Vacca and Vacca 10). By encouraging code-switching in the class-

room, we help create effective writers and speakers. "Discussions centered on the different kinds of talk used in different situations and then engagement in activities centered on those concepts will assist the

This awareness of audience in conjunction with the ability to code-

switch appropriately can help us create a

generation of successful speakers and writers.

child in a growing awareness of

language" (Sorace 77). Sorace re- minds us that it is not enough to discuss these issues with stu-

dents; we must provide them with opportunities to use what

they have learned. This requires that we give students the re- sources they need to convey

effectively their thoughts and ideas to different audiences. In many situations, including college ad- missions and job interviews, students will need to understand "the language of the dominant mainstream culture in American society-the 'culture of power,' according to Delpit" (Vacca and Vacca 11). Students should understand that cultural contexts influence everything they encounter, and that, "[allthough be- coming proficient in standard American English may be an important school goal for all students, it should not be viewed as a prerequisite for literate classroom behavior.... When it is viewed as a prerequisite, teachers deny students the opportunity to use their own language as a tool for learning" (12).

Teachers must incorporate activities that demonstrate respect for various cultures and lan- guages. Allowing students to reference their home language and culture while working through issues in the classroom ensures that linguistically diverse students are not left behind mainstream peers.

Step Five: Allow Students to Write like Real Writers

Real writers write for an authentic audience, with a specific purpose, and with a keen awareness of them-

selves as writers. Different audiences react to writing styles in varying ways, which is why we write one way when addressing the editor of a local newspaper, another way when corresponding with a close friend, and yet another way when writing an article for a

scholarly journal. We need to teach students how to write for different audiences, to understand that they need to be aware of their mission and the ethos that they are projecting. Allowing students to use AAVE in written and spoken tasks can help us accomplish this. The essence of AAVE is to capture accurately the genuine flavor of discourse and to represent how things are truly expressed and pronounced. Isn't this also the essence of most writing?

When students are aware of the intended audi- ence, they can critically reflect on their choice of words. They may employ non-Standard English because it sounds more realistic in dialogue. In addition, writers can effectively use varieties of English to convey infor- mation about a character's social status such as having a character speak in non-Standard English to show that he or she does not belong to the establishment. As John Russell Rickford and Russell John Rickford state, "speakers deploy it [AAVE] to greater or lesser extents to delineate identity, to mark differences of social class, gender, and age, and to express how comfortable they are with their audiences and topics" (128).

Knowing their audience helps students be- come aware of possible strategies for revising their work. Linda B. Nilson declares, "If fellow students are to provide honest and useful feedback, they should constitute the real audience, at least in the revision stages. This places students in the position of writing truly to communicate" (37).

Students need opportunities to be engaged in authentic tasks, which entails writing for true pur- poses to real audiences. Opportunities range from writing persuasive letters to real people or organiza- tions to creating an editorial for the local newspaper. For more useful suggestions, read Lovejoy's "Practi- cal Pedagogy for Composition."

Safeguarding the Linguistic Freedom to Express Ideas

The suggestions in this article are valid for working with any linguistic diversity in the classroom and are not limited to AAVE. Students flourish in classrooms in which they feel comfortable. By allowing students to express their ideas openly and without fear of being corrected or criticized for grammatical errors, teach-

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ers achieve a sense of comfort and mutual respect. On the other hand, "[wihen students have an opportu- nity to engage in learning and they are consistently told that what they say or how they express them- selves is wrong, with no explanation of the reason that it is not acceptable or [Sitandard English, then stu- dents begin to shut down and will at some point, ei- ther intellectually or physically, drop out of the

process," states Oakland California Schools Superin- tendent Carolyn Getridge (qtd. in Holman, par. 14).

Literacy is a key component in achieving power and success. People without strong oral and written communication skills are not able to com-

pete with their fully literate peers. It is time for a

revolution, one in which teachers respect and value students' home language and use it to help students become more effective rhetoricians. This is not nearly as daunting as it sounds; the suggestions detailed above lay a solid foundation for such a revolution. The research is on our side.

Note

1. Although I take issue with referring to a specific variety of English as standard and a different variety as non- standard (and, thus, less valuable than the standard), I use these terms because most readers are familiar with them, if not comfortable. In addition, they serve to highlight the po- litical and social ramifications of these designations within the greater AAVE controversy.

Works Cited

Bohn, Anita Perna, and Christine E. Sleeter. "Multicultural Education and the Standards Movement: A Report from the Field." Phi Delta Kappan 82.2 (2000): 156-59.

Burns, Erin M. Email interview. 29 June 2004. Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "Ebonics! Weird Names! $500 Shoes!" Vil-

lage Voice 26 May-1 June 2004. 27 Dec. 2004 <http:// www.villagevoice.com/issues/042 1/coates.php>.

Famularo, Thomas J. "The Intellectual Bankruptcy of Mul- ticulturalism." Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Contro- versial Educational Issues. Ed. James W. Noll. 12th ed. Guilford: McGraw, 2003. 126-30.

Gay, Geneva. "The Importance of Multicultural Education." Educational Leadership 61.4 (2003): 30-35.

Holman, Kwame. "English Lesson." Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. PBS. 23 Jan. 1997. Transcript. 27 Dec.

2004 <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/congress/ january97/ebonics_1 -23.html>.

Lovejoy, Kim Brian. "Practical Pedagogy for Composition." Language Diversity in the Classroom: From Intention to Practice. Ed. Geneva Smitherman and Victor Vil- lanueva. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2003. 89-108.

Milloy, Courtland. "Nothing's Funny about Ebonics." Wash- ington Post 29 Dec. 1996: B1. 27 Dec. 2004 <http:// www.englishfirst.org/ebonics/ebonpro.htm>.

Nieto, Sonia. "What Does It Mean to Affirm Diversity?" Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Educational Issues. Ed. James W. Noll. 12th ed. Guilford: McGraw, 2003. 122-25.

Nilson, Linda B. "Improving Student Peer Feedback." Col- lege Teaching 51.1 (2003): 34-38.

Orellana, Marjorie Faulstich, Jennifer Reynolds, Lisa Dorner, and Maria Meza. "In Other Words: Translating or 'Para-phrasing' as a Family Literacy Practice in Im- migrant Households." Reading Research Quarterly 38.1 (2003): 12-34.

Richardson, Elaine. "Race, Class(es), Gender, and Age: The Making of Knowledge about Language Diversity." Language Diversity in the Classroom: From Intention to Practice. Ed. Geneva Smitherman and Victor Vil- lanueva. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2003. 40-46.

Rickford, John R[ussell]. "What Is Ebonics (African Amer- ican Vernacular English)?" Linguistic Society of America. 30 Dec. 2004 <http://www.lsadc.org>.

Rickford, John Russell, and Russell John Rickford. Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English. New York: Wiley, 2000.

Rotherham, Andrew. "Can Federal Initiatives Rescue Fail- ing Schools?" Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Contro- versial Educational Issues. Ed. James W. Noll. 12th ed. Guilford: McGraw, 2003. 134-39.

Smitherman, Geneva. Talkin that Talk: Language, Culture, and Education in African America. London: Routledge, 2000.

Sorace, Gail Beem. "Rainbow Teachers, Rainbow Students: Building Bridges to the 'Language of Wider Com- munication.' " EnglishJournal 87.3 (1998): 74-78.

Vacca, Richard T., and Jo Anne L. Vacca. Content Area Read- ing: Literacy and Learning across the Curriculum. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn, 2002.

Wheeler, Rebecca. "From Home Speech to School Speech: Vantages on Reducing the Achievement Gap in Inner City Schools." Virginia English Bulletin 51.2 (2002): 4-16. 29 Dec. 2004 <http://users.cnu.edu/-rwheeler/ professional/innercity.pdf>.

Wheeler, Rebecca S., and Rachel Swords. "Codeswitching: Tools of Language and Culture Transform the Dialec- tically Diverse Classroom." Language Arts 81.6 (2004): 470-80.

Jessica Whitney left the nonprofit sector to pursue a career in teaching. She recently completed student teaching in Dix Hills, New York. email: [email protected].

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