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In-School Literacy and Cultural Connections Program
Changing Worlds' Literacy and Cultural Connections program works in partnership with public schools and teachers to implement curricula and educational practices that utilize students' lives, cultures and family histories as a springboard to teaching core concepts in language arts, fine arts and social studies.
The program integrates the arts with reading and writing to help students affirm their identities, improve their learning and enhance their understanding and acceptance of other cultures. As part of the program, we conduct joint literacy and arts residencies, and bring cultural and ethnic performances and activities into school communities.
During the residencies, which span 10-15 sessions, Changing Worlds' literacy specialist and teaching artist work in collaboration with classroom teachers to implement the program. Through the program, students become historians and artists. They conduct interviews with family or community members to learn more about their cultures, families and community histories.
The information gathered through the interview process is brought back to the classroom. It is then compiled and synthesized into an integrated arts and literacy product. As young artists, students explore the work of professional artists, learn and apply art techniques and principles in creating art and develop the vocabulary and confidence to talk about their own art and that of the professional artist. At the end of the residency component of the program, students produce interdisciplinary final art projects and student work exhibitions, such as quilts, plays, collages and murals.
The goal is to work classroom by classroom to build the capacity of teachers to adopt the program and strategies into their standard teaching repertoire and curriculum.
Multicultural classroom libraries are also provided for participating teachers to ensure that students have access to literacy-rich environments that are a mirror of themselves and a window to the world of other cultures.
Click here for a listing of our current In-School partners
For more information on how to bring the Literacy and Cultural Connections program to your school district or community, contact Karen Ekpenyong at kekpenyong@changingworlds.org or 312-421-8040.
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