Rising Voices Themes and Anchor Texts
Rising Voices texts are organized by five culturally relevant themes. These themes provide springboards for all students to connect to concepts that resonate with their lives, experiences, and interests. The themes provide a lens for reading that guides readers to consider concepts and ideas that affirm and celebrate aspects of their identities. In addition, you and your students will be able to use these themes to make connections between Rising Voices books and other texts you have been exploring in your classroom. Use Rising Voices books to help build discussion of these five essential themes within and across texts. Connecting to Texts Anchor texts for each of the five Rising Voices themes are intended to be shared through an interactive, teacher-led read-aloud experience. Teaching Cards for each anchor text provide discussion questions and activities that bring the theme to the forefront, promoting discussion, conversation, and deep thinking. Building on anchor text instruction and discussion, you and your students can read on in the collection, continuing to make connections and deepen their exploration of each theme.
Expand Theme Connections to Other Texts • What problems does the main character face? • What issues or ideas are most important to the main character? • What are the main character’s talents or strengths? • Which friends and family members does the main character have a strong relationship with? • What makes the main character happy? • How are different family members important to the main character? • What community does the main character belong to? • In what ways does the main character’s family and community support him/her when things get difficult? • What does the main character do to help his/her family or community?
Anchor Texts Theme
Questions to Reflect On
Someone Like Me/Memorable Characters How does understanding ways that people I read about are like me or people I know help me to better understand myself and the world? Family, Culture, and Community How do the people around me help me feel safe and protected and enrich my life? How can I help others around me?
• How do the main character’s actions, thoughts, or words remind me of myself? • How do the main character’s actions, thoughts, or words remind me of someone I know? • What does the author want me to take away from this book? • What important ideas does the book inspire me to think about? • Who makes up my community? • What do I appreciate most about my family? • What do I appreciate most about my community? • How does my family and community support me when things get difficult?
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10 • Rising Voices Library
6 Rising Voices | Books Celebrating Black and Latino Boys
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