In the book Reading To Make A Difference by Lester Laminack and Katie Kelley they provide a framework that “deepen and broaden students’ understandings, insights, and empathy for the greater human family and world we all share” (Laminack & Kelly, 2019. Pg. xxi). This framework consists of five phases; selection, conection, reflection, action, and next steps. I will use this framework as I talk about We Are Water Protectors. 

 

Phase 1: Selection

 

The first phase of this framework is selection. There are a lot of factors that go into selecting children's literature for a classroom library. When considering We Are Water Protectors, I would immediately make note of the message the text is portraying, cultural diversity, challenges that the characters face, and what students would gain by reading this text. This book offers the invitation to learn about a culture that may be different from the student who is reading the text. Most importantly, as a teacher, I would examine the challenges that the main character faces throughout the story. I would examine these challenges to see if any students in my classroom could make a connection with the story. The main character in this story is fighting for environmental justice by fighting the “black snake” to protect the sacred water on the tribal land. My goal with this story would be to teach students about the importance of taking care of their environment and why it is so important to keep bodies of water from being polluted. 

 

Phase 2: Connection

 

The second phase of the framework is connection. We Are Water Protectors is a great book to begin having conversations with students about environmental justice. In this phase, the goal is to have students making connections with a character, situation, issue, or topic (Laminack & Kelly, 2019. Pg. xxiii). As a teacher, I will have to scaffold students to begin thinking about ways that they can make these connections. Once students have made these connections they will begin to empathize with the main character in the book by understanding that she is fighting to protect her home so that she can protect herself and her tribe. 

 

Phase 3: Reflection

 

The third phase of the framework is reflection. During this phase, students are asked to pause and revisit the text with an inspective approach (Laminack & Kelly, 2019. Pg. xxiii). As a teacher, I am guiding students to compare and contrast the connections that they have made with the character(s) in the text. Students are also beginning to reflect on the story as a whole by imagining themselves “in the character’s shoes”. This phase has a lot of potential for meaningful activities for students. For example, students could write or talk in small groups about how they would feel if something/someone was trying to invade their house or neighborhood like the main character of the story faces a “black snake” trying to enter her tribal land. Lastly, I would challenge students to come up with questions about the text that we can have a class discussion about. 

 

Phase 4: Action 

 

The fourth phase of the framework is action. In this part of the framework, students are “reacting individually or collectively that can make a difference (Laminack & Kelly, 2019. Pg. xxiiii). This is where the “so what?” question comes into play. Thus far students have been exploring a text, making connections, and reflecting and now they must make a call to action- they are thinking about what they can do to make a difference. This goes hand and hand with phase five, next steps. 

 

Phase 5: Next Steps

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The fifth phase of the framework is next steps.  In this phase of the framework, students are reflecting on their call to action and beginning to think about what they can do next. This is where students begin critically thinking about what they have done and what they can continue to do for their cause in the future.