Children Writing Against a Border Wall

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: Reading and Writing Toward Critical Identity Constructions and Meaningful Learning

Abstract

This paper describes a qualitative case study of one third grade classroom in the Southwest borderlands in which students addressed xenophobic political rhetoric through letters to the their congressional representative. Inductive analysis revealed the ways in which students drew on politicized funds of knowledge (Gallo & Link, 2016) to name and address inequities related to immigration policy. Students' letter-writing served also as a means of displaying and developing their knowledge of genre features of persuasive writing. These finding have implications for ways to connect language arts instruction to preparation for civic engagement.

Authors

• Leah Durán, The University of Arizona

• Michelle Aguilera, The University of Arizona