Introduction “What would you all think about attending the Minnesota Council’s conference with me in May?” “What does that mean?” “What are we doing?” “Can you tell us more about it?” “How would that work?” “Yeah, can you tell us more about it?” “Of course!” And so, during our Methods of Teaching Reading course one … Continue reading “It Meant the World to Me!” PSTs Find Inspiration Through MCTE Annual Conference by Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez
Empowering Voices: Effective Literacy Strategies for Black Boys in K-12 by Keenan Jones
In May of 2005, I set out on a mission to present at the MCTE Conference Duluth, Minnesota, in hopes of providing educators with strategies to empower young Black boys. As a 15 year educator, I have witnessed too many young, intelligent minds fall victim to illiteracy. Alfred Tatum, a leading scholar in Black male … Continue reading Empowering Voices: Effective Literacy Strategies for Black Boys in K-12 by Keenan Jones
Building A Reading Culture: A Labor of Love and a Shared Passion for All Things Literacy by Katie Laugen and Kelsey Didrikson
Last spring, we presented Building a Reading Culture at the MCTE annual conference because we wanted to share our passion for fostering a love of reading with our students and because we felt like we had a few tips, tricks, and ideas that might come in handy for other teachers. However, we learned just as … Continue reading Building A Reading Culture: A Labor of Love and a Shared Passion for All Things Literacy by Katie Laugen and Kelsey Didrikson
NW Elysium by John Leppik (Introduced by Kathryn Van Wert)
The final assignment for my upper-division modern British literature course (taught at the University of Minnesota Duluth in Fall 2023) was to ask a question about a text from our syllabus and answer it in a format and medium of the student’s choosing. Beginning with Zadie Smith’s 2012 novel NW, John Leppik asked the question: … Continue reading NW Elysium by John Leppik (Introduced by Kathryn Van Wert)
A Short Introduction to Climate Literacy by Marek Oziewicz and Emma Ambrosi (Introduced by Emma Ambrosi)
A Short Introduction to Climate Literacy is an informational zine produced by the Center for Climate Literacy at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, with text by Dr. Marek Oziewicz and illustrations by Emma Ambrosi. The initial idea for this zine was to provide a brief and accessible way for the general public to learn … Continue reading A Short Introduction to Climate Literacy by Marek Oziewicz and Emma Ambrosi (Introduced by Emma Ambrosi)
Integrating Social Studies Through the Read-Aloud by Hiawatha Smith and McKenzie Rabenn
Before reading this article, we encourage readers to think and reflect openly and honestly on the two questions presented below. Introduction Knowledge of social studies and the world is crucial for every citizen and thus should be an essential component within schools. In recent years, there has been a notable decline in elementary content area … Continue reading Integrating Social Studies Through the Read-Aloud by Hiawatha Smith and McKenzie Rabenn
Cross-Cultural Competence and Caring For: An Autoethnographic Study on Building Teacher-Student Relationships in an Urban High School by André Borka
Introduction At the end of the day on the last day of school, all the teachers line up outside of the exit doors and clap for students as they leave for summer break. It was my first “last day of school” as a teacher. As I stood, clapped, and cheered for the students, one of … Continue reading Cross-Cultural Competence and Caring For: An Autoethnographic Study on Building Teacher-Student Relationships in an Urban High School by André Borka
Reading Worlds and Words: Building and Sustaining Culturally Diverse Learners’ Vocabularies by Terrance Kwame-Ross
Introduction Helping culturally diverse learners become conscious of the power of building, constructing, and sustaining a personal storehouse of words and vocabularies is the end goal of vocabulary teaching and learning in language arts. When learners become comfortable and competent in recognizing and knowing when, where, why, and how words work and understand how to … Continue reading Reading Worlds and Words: Building and Sustaining Culturally Diverse Learners’ Vocabularies by Terrance Kwame-Ross
A Review of Brett Pierce’s Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling Into Your Classroom by Marly Schrom
Screen time during students’ downtime has become inevitable. As a first year teacher, I started the year knowing there would be times when my students would have downtime in class, and I wasn’t going to fight them using their devices. After all, I did the same thing when I was in high school and I … Continue reading A Review of Brett Pierce’s Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling Into Your Classroom by Marly Schrom
A New Co-Editor, and a Note on Documentation of Sources in MEJ
The 2023 issue of Minnesota English Journal marks my seventh year as Editor—about as long a tenure as any past editor of the journal. I love this work; helping brilliant and passionate contributors reach our large and growing audience is a pleasure that sustains me through all the challenges that come with this role. Still, … Continue reading A New Co-Editor, and a Note on Documentation of Sources in MEJ
MEJ 