KaiLonnie Dunsmore, Rosario Ordoñez-Jasis, and George Herrera

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Welcoming Their Worlds:
Rethinking Literacy Instruction
through Community Mapping

E
ric rarely did his homework. He is a bright a large metropolitan area in the western United
sixth-grade student who is more focused States, became very excited about how this sin-
on having fun and making his fellow class- gle effort to integrate the literacies of home and
mates smile or watch in awe at his bravery than on school transformed student learning. Before that
following the classroom norms and engaging with moment, conscious of the economic poverty of
the curriculum. His teacher, George Herrera, says, many of his students, he had rarely asked them to
“He is one that we call ‘travieso’ [Spanish for mis- connect school work to conversations, practices, or
chievous or naughty]. Not a bad student but not resources at home. A number of his students were
one very engaged.” Yet, today, he came into class technically homeless, living in converted garages
clearly excited about his homework in the poetry or small sheds behind other homes (George, inter-
unit and, for the first time, fully engaged. George view, 11/2011). George believed that by not asking
describes the situation this way: students to bring things from home, he had been
Eric’s face and slouching body could easily be inter- “doing them a favor,” and “making the playing field
preted as saying, “Is this lesson over yet?” However, more even.” Over time, however, as he engaged in
this time there was something significantly different a form of community mapping (Tindle, Leconte,
and profound about the change in his demeanor and Buchanan, & Taymans, 2005), he began to develop
engagement. As it turned out, when his mother was ex-
an increasing awareness of the literacies already
pecting him, she had written an acrostic poem about
him coming into her life. She had never shared that present in students’ home lives, as well as the lack
poem with him. As a result of this assignment, she took of time and space in his classroom for the kinds of
out the poem and read it to him for the first time. He talk and texts that came from home.
was so thrilled that this poem existed about him, and he George Herrera’s community mapping work
was eager to share it with his classmates. emerged from his participation in a Family Literacy
In response to this particular unit, 31 of 32 students Community of Practice or CoP (Wenger, 1999), a
brought poems in from home. During the in-class group formed around a collectively owned inquiry
writing activity around their poems, Eric was ener- about the literacies in students’ family and commu-
getic and proud to share his poem. And he was not nity life and how those might support school-based
alone. George was taken aback at his students’ literacy learning. As part of this work, George was
“eagerness to get on task,” noting: using the analytic and conceptual tools of an eth-
This moment was somewhat surreal for me. . . . I kept nographer to map the literacies in the surrounding
wondering what happened. Up until they brought their community. This process was changing how he
poems from home, it had been me expending the great- thought about the role and value of out-of-school
est energy and making the utmost effort to keep stu- literacy practices and how they could support school
dents engaged. Now, the engagement was organic, and
learning. Along with the other teachers in the CoP,
the energy was being produced by them.” (written re-
flection, 12/2011) George had begun to redefine his understanding of
school-based literacy to recognize the multiple and
George Herrera, an elementary teacher in a mid-
complex literacies available to students—literacies
size urban K–12 school district located outside of
he had typically ignored. So, while he cast it as a

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“spur of the moment” decision to ask students to engagement, performance, and meaning making
bring a poem from home, George Herrera’s instruc- were mediated by the creation of a learning con-
tional practice had begun to reflect new insights text that valued and connected student words and
based upon his CoP inquiry, “How might home- worlds (Freire & Macedo, 1987).
centered literacies service the school curriculum
even more?” Theory
In this article, we focus on George Herrera as Community mapping is an inquiry-based method
both teacher and learner to examine the ways in in which “mappers” discover, gather, and analyze
which he developed insights about home and com- a rich array of resources from a specific geographic
munity literacy practices, and then intentionally area to develop new understanding of the cultural
drew upon these insights to facilitate school-based and linguistic practices that make up its commu-
literacy learning for his students. We describe his nity life (Ordoñez-Jasis & Jasis, 2011). In special-
change in practice in the context of the learning and ized fields such as sociology, urban planning, and
mapping activities of all members of the community environmental science, community mapping is used
of practice of which he was a member. Through this to build knowledge and awareness of community
lens, we look closely at learning and the ways that

S T R AT E GIE S T H AT P ROMOT E S T U D ENT EN GAGEM ENT

Mr. Herrera used many strategies to engage the students in his classroom. These resources from ReadWriteThink.org
can highlight a few of those strategies:

Rummaging for Fiction: Using Found Photographs and Notes to Spark Story Ideas
In this lesson, students use found notes and found photographs as inspiration to help them identify subjects, settings,
characters, and conflicts for pieces of creative writing.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/rummaging-fiction-using-found-1108.html

Utilizing Visual Images for Creating and Conveying Setting in Written Text
This lesson supports students in grades three through six as they communicate story setting to their readers through
the use of visual image prompts. Activities include individual work and cooperative learning group work, as well as
whole-class discussion.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/utilizing-visual-images-creating-30506.html

A Trip to the Museum: From Picture to Story

Visit a museum or art gallery (either online or in person) with children and teens, helping them find inspiration for a
story based on a piece of art that they particularly enjoy or relate to.

http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/activities-projects/trip-museum-from-picture-
30302.html

Looking at Landmarks: Using a Picturebook to Guide Research

This lesson uses Ben’s Dream by Chris Van Allsburg to highlight ten major landmarks of the world. Students research
the landmarks and present their findings to the class.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/looking-landmarks-using-picture-841.html

—Lisa Fink
www.readwritethink.org

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assets, needs, and historical/demographic trends and to co-construct meanings that they committed
(Tindle, Leconte, Buchanan, & Taymans, 2005). to immediately apply to actions as educators.
Tredway (2003) describes community mapping as
an inquiry-based method that has the potential to Methods/Context
change the perspective of the teacher from one of This study was constructed as a teacher action
an outsider to that of an insider. research project where schools and communities are
Luis Moll’s work (see Moll & Gonzalez, 2004) viewed as sites for both learning and inquiry (Lytle &
on funds of knowledge has helped to frame teacher Cochran-Smith, 1992). Teacher research is a means
action research—including teachers’ observations to construct new knowledge and improve practice;
and documentation of how students and community its power and potential are enhanced when teach-
members attach meaning to language and literacy ers have the opportunity to collaborate and critically
practices—as a central approach to developing reflect with others to expand the number of shared
effective curricula in which out-of-school knowl- perspectives (Hobson,
edge practices support school-based knowledge 2001). As such, this study Teacher research is a means to
practices. New understandings gained from sys- is centered on George
tematically locating language and literacy resources construct new knowledge and
Herrera, an experienced
through inquiry-based investigative work such as elementary school teacher improve practice; its power and
community mapping may also broaden teachers’ of 17 years, as a member
understanding of literacy instruction so they may potential are enhanced when
of a teacher-led CoP that
approach reading, writing, speaking, listening, focused on family literacy. teachers have the opportunity to
and viewing as permeated by social and emotional Using his students’ com-
issues (Gee, 1989; Taylor, 2010). In other words, collaborate and critically reflect
munities as settings for
by mapping the literacies in students’ cultural lives study and critical analy- with others.
in the home and the surrounding community and sis, George carried out a
intentionally working to situate those authentically teacher inquiry project that required him to map the
in the core of school-based practices (Auerbach, cultural, linguistic, and literacy “geographies” (Moll,
2001), teachers allow the emotional and intellec- 2010, p. 454) surrounding his school site.
tual dimensions of literacy—which make prac- George and the other CoP members visited
tices authentic and purposeful—to guide student local religious, cultural, civic, and commercial sites
learning. to identify the literacy practices that were typical
George’s attempts to tap the funds of knowl- and the ways families and communities engaged
edge of his students and families involved appropri- with them; they met with parents in focus groups
ating the ethnographic tools of community mapping and interviews to discuss literacy routines and prac-
and applying them to his students’ local communi- tices; they created physical and conceptual maps
ties. These data-gathering methods include collect- delineating the values and knowledge in the com-
ing and interpreting surveys, interviews, artifacts, munity that could be an effective resource to sup-
and recorded/documented observations of com- port school-based literacy learning. Unlike the fam-
munity events. Community mapping also involved ily literacy activities in their school, which focused
a process of deep reflection and conversation on getting parents to attend evening academic events
between George and other members of the commu- or utilize particular strategies or resources at home,
nity of practice to understand the patterns, themes, these teachers actively worked to instantiate in their
and relationships between the worlds of students classroom practices their growing belief in the inter-
in and out of school. CoP meetings provided an connected nature of in- and out-of-school literacies.
opportunity for George and his colleagues to share During mapping activities, George took field
what they had learned from the activities they had notes and maintained a journal to record new find-
selected to “map” in the weeks between meetings, ings or discoveries that caused him to question

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his previous understandings about families and/or curriculum was a central theme of students’ experi-
the community. Through this ongoing process of ence as learners in this work and of George’s insight
critically reexamining and reinterpreting his own as a teacher. As a result, all names in this article are
knowledge and experiences, we believe George was real. We believed it important that participants own
able to enter the community with a fresh perspec- their own stories.
tive and a new disposition, allowing him to gain a
more comprehensive understanding of the commu- What Is a CoP and Who Are the
nity and the reciprocity that could be developed in Members of the Family Literacy CoP
literacy practice as students engaged in composing in This Study?
and comprehension activities that were authentic There were 10 members of the Family Literacy CoP,
across contexts. one of whom was a parent invited to join the group
mid-year as the group became more conscious of
Who We Are? their need to bring the voices of parents into the
As the three authors of this study, we work in design of the inquiry and analysis of data. This dis-
diverse organizations (foundation, university, pub- trict has nearly 16,000 students in 23 schools, 58%
lic school) but share a commitment to collaborative of whom are eligible for free and reduced lunch,
inquiry that improves student literacy achievement, and 34% of whom are English Language Learners.
especially for those students whose linguistic and Ethnically, the district is approximately 60% Latino
socio-historical experiences often marginalize and and 30% Asian, with very small numbers of Euro-
disenfranchise them in classrooms. In one sense, pean American, African American, and other eth-
George Herrera was, along with other CoP mem- nic/racial groups.
bers, originally a research “subject”; Dunsmore and The district itself has undergone rapid demo-
Ordoñez-Jasis were given access to his reflective graphic change over the past 20 years, moving from
journals, action research field notes, as well as per- an agrarian community with European American
mission to attend and take field notes on CoP meet- dominance to sprawling urban and suburban neigh-
ings, conduct semi-structured interviews, video/ borhoods with either Asian American or Latino
audio record CoP meet- communities that are predominantly immigrant or
Naming oneself and locating ings and calls, and log first generation. There is a constant theme in dis-
one’s identity in the academic emails for later analysis. trict conversations about the need to build “recipro-
In the process of analyz- cal relationships” with families; this goal, in fact, is
curriculum was a central ing data for this article codified in the 2008 strategic plan (Rowland Uni-
theme of students’ experience and engaging in “mem- fied School District, 2008).
ber checking” (Creswell, The majority of George’s CoP members self-
as learners in this work and of 2009), however, Her- identified as Latino; half had a personal connection
George’s insight as a teacher. rera became more “co- to one of the school communities (e.g., attended the
researcher” as he actively district as children or currently lived in the district).
and skillfully moved back and forth between his The CoP members represented different schools/
roles as research subject and researcher, wherein grades in the district and self-selected into this
he contributed to analyses of the student work, vid- group, which was supported by the district as part
eotaped instruction, and student interviews that all of a systematic effort to create voluntary, teacher-
parents and students in the classroom had consented led learning communities on topics identified by
to share. In addition, during follow-up interviews teachers themselves.
with the focal students in this article, they requested The explicit rationale for communities of prac-
(and parents consented) for their real names to be tice in this district was built on a theory of action in
used (we chose to use first names only). Naming which sustained change in literacy achievement for
oneself and locating one’s identity in the academic all students was premised on creating a professional

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culture in which collaboration, inquiry, and shared mapping trips to enter a building with “Welcome.
agreements about practice characterized the daily Come In” written in Spanish on the front (George,
work of teachers. Based upon the research and the- personal communication, 7/2011). With no signs
oretical grounding of Etienne Wenger (1999), com- indicating its purpose, he imagined multiple scenar-
munities of practice reflected ways people learned ios (including a drug rehabilitation center); it turned
together (around areas of common interest; through out to be a vitamin store. Over time, George gained
self-directed and shared inquiry, with a focus on more comfort and skill with the tools of recogniz-
developing individual and collective expertise). ing, observing, and recording the literacy practices
The community of practice model employed and resources of families and communities.
as part of this work was integral to the commu- Although George had worked in the district for
nity mapping process, since meaning making and many years and shared similar cultural and linguis-
action for both the group and the individual were tic backgrounds with many members of his school
tied to the conversational tools and protocols teach- community (which was predominantly Latino),
ers used. The question “What are we learning?” he was unsure how to use what he was learning
in the community mapping process was always about students and community literacies as a way
followed by “And now what will we do?” Specifi- to organize curriculum. In a second round of com-
cally, the collaboration allowed George to learn munity mapping, George and two members of the
about the community and its literacies from other CoP decided to conduct parent interviews and home
participants. He often found the mapping activities visits in order to develop a better understanding of
of other CoP members equally important for his families’ language and literacy-related beliefs and
own learning. George explained that, “It’s that col- practices.
lective piece that was most powerful. . . . we bring While interacting with parents and their chil-
it all together and we all connect and we find the dren, George observed several examples of story-
themes” (George, interview, 5/2011). telling, particularly those stories or consejos (fam-
ily or generational, morally oriented teachings) that
Data & Interpretations held cultural and religious value for the families.
He also discovered ways in which parents engaged
Making the Unfamiliar Known their children in culturally relevant literacy-based
Although extremely outgoing, comfortable with activities. These included creating and designing
talking to parents and inviting them into his class- calaveras (sugar skulls)
room, fluent in Spanish, and conversant in the cul- for Day of the Dead and While interacting with parents
tural mores of the Latino community, when George teaching games such as
and their children, George
ventured out to observe, interview, and capture Loteria (Mexican game
practices, he was surprised at how nervous and similar to bingo) and La observed several examples of
uncomfortable he was outside of his classroom. Pirinola (traditional Mex-
storytelling, particularly those
When visiting the public library just blocks from ican game). At the follow-
his school, he entered with a clipboard, walked ing CoP meeting, George stories or consejos . . . that held
around the library, and stood back observing a folk excitedly reported back to
cultural and religious value for
music performance. Taken for an “inspector,” he the group about the many
realized that he was using his clipboard to distance rich practices he was able the families.
himself by creating a safer space as a visible out- to identify. These candid
sider. Surprised by his discomfort, he realized that conversations with families in their homes also con-
he needed to develop skills and strategies to explore tributed to a significant shift in George’s perspec-
places and spaces that were unfamiliar. Because of tive; he moved from viewing schools as the center
his “fear of the unknown,” it took him three separate of the community toward a renewed appreciation

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that schools and households actually inhabit the George explained that “the most important
community equally. thing that I have seen is that by going out into the
It’s so different when you walk inside of a house, when community and talking to parents, I learn more
you’re sitting there with a family. It changes your per- about students. If I learn more about my students,
spective. . . . I always saw the school as a center of the I can connect better with them” (George, interview,
community and they come to us. . . . We see ourselves 5/2011). The next step was to figure out how to
as the center of the community but to them, [school is]
build curriculum that reflected that connection.
just one aspect [of their world].

After conducting the home visits and parent Connecting to the Classroom
interviews, the CoP reflected upon the process of As the school year was quickly coming to an end,
community mapping and their collective insights, George was still struggling to identify ways in
which they called their “aha” moments. Table 1 syn- which his growing knowledge about his students’
thesizes the CoP’s summarizing and sense making as family and community literacies could inform his
the group members moved to more actively explore instructional practice. In CoP discussions and indi-
implications for their pedagogy and practice. vidual reflections and interviews, George voiced the

Table 1. A synthesis of the CoP’s mapping steps and subsequent insights

Community Mapping Activities Significant “Aha” Moments for CoP Members

Scout the geographical location to identify possible Recognized stereotypes of community and redefined
community resources. CoP members drove, walked, and function and meaning of spaces, events, organizations (e.g.,
used public transportation to learn about the community’s local park that was deemed “unsafe” by teachers and staff
libraries, parks, churches, small family-owned businesses, was actually a vibrant community center with art and dance
and nonprofit agencies. classes, organized sports, cultural events, and activities).
Photograph and/or videotape the various places of interest. Saw incredible diversity of resources, organizations,
CoP members photographed interesting cultural and and culturally significant spaces with which they were
linguistic symbols found throughout the community. previously unfamiliar; when images were publicly shared,
they discovered surprising relationships (e.g., a teacher in
Dunsmore’s school was a local library president; others
were local church members) that had been hidden in the
professional life of school teaching.
Collect artifacts. CoP members collected documents such Learned that many parents were not aware of the
as brochures, maps, and pamphlets from the various sites community resources available to them. Members
to share with the other members. brainstormed ways to share this information with families
districtwide. Few teachers were aware of these resources
or that the resources could support their work (e.g., public
library close to school, which none had ever visited).
Survey or interview parents/primary caregivers. CoP Reframed traditional notions of literacy to include culturally
members developed survey and interview protocols aimed and linguistically relevant literacy practices (poems, songs,
toward developing a better understanding of how parents games, storytelling). Recognized a need to create critical
construct literacy experiences for children. spaces for student voice and student interest in pedagogy
and practice.
Conduct home visits. CoP members visited the homes of Moved from viewing schools as the center of the
several families with the goal of learning about families community and the locus of educational power and control
and developing positive, reciprocal relationships with toward an understanding that schools and households are
parents. critical components of the same community.
Meet and interview community informants. Teachers Developed insight into how multiple and situated
and parents spoke with community members (residents, community literacies support, rather than contradict,
librarians, bus drivers, pastors, small business owners) to literacy learning within the classroom (e.g., members
obtain various perspectives on literacy-based resources learned about the efforts of local churches to promote
and community assets. literacy in children’s primary language—such as Spanish,
Korean, Chinese—in afterschool and weekend programs).

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need for a significant “shift in paradigm” in order to
practice a pedagogy of inclusion that was more rep-
resentative of multiple and situated literacies (field
notes, 3/2011). This reflected a new understanding,
grounded in data, about how community literacies
support, rather than contradict, literacy learning
within the classroom. It also led him to think about
the purpose of the classroom routines: “I’m begin-
ning to make a distinction between reading and writ-
ing and literacy,” George explained in a CoP meet-
ing. “Literacy means that you are reading things that
are important to you, that matter to you, that some-
how change your way of thinking or drive you into
making a change for something, and that’s where
I’ve seen students become more passionate” (field
notes, 3/2011). In his classroom, he began to try out
half-formed ideas about what instructional practices
that connected students worlds’ might look like.
In the context of teaching his sixth-grade stu-
dents a six-week standards-based poetry unit,
George decided that for the next CoP meeting, he
would have some specific actions he could share Figure 1. Samantha recognized George’s local photo as the
about how he had connected the community to his front of her home.
classroom instruction. George explained his process:
One afternoon, I had a few minutes to spare, so I got father had purchased it and built the glass enclosure
in my car and started driving around the community. when her aunt was very sick; it also commemorated
I was on a quest to photograph anything that might be a Samantha’s middle name (Guadalupe).The aunt
cultural or linguistic symbol. . . . After a few moments
got well and the statue remained as a testimony to
of enjoying my pictures . . . [I] realized that the pictures
in and of themselves, colorful as they were, had mini-
their faith in the Virgin. The mainly Catholic Latino
mal if any value for me as a teacher. “So what?” The immigrant neighborhood used it as an altar for their
next day at school I was not sure of what to do with the own petitions and memorials. Most of the students
pictures, so I decided to show them to my students to in the classroom were familiar with it. The energy
see what value the pictures might have, if any, for them. and engagement was so “passionate and real” that
. . . As soon as I flashed the first picture on the screen,
George created an extension activity to utilize their
their engagement, disposition, and enthusiasm shifted
into what I refer to as a heightened state. (written reflec-
motivation and interest in support of writing. They
tions 12/2011) were requested to select four photos and write a short
prose poem for each that described their personal
Together, students began making meaningful
connection. Student enthusiasm with the writing task
connections with the images of their worlds. After
was “unparalleled, reflective, and profound” (written
showing a variety of photos, George displayed an
reflections 12/2011). He later noted that:
image of a seven-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary,
surrounded by candles and encased in glass. It sat by As a teacher, I find myself at times trying to persuade
students to invest themselves in the writing task. That
the street in front of a house (see Fig. 1). One student,
persuasion was not necessary here. Upon reading their
Samantha, exclaimed with surprise and pride, “That’s writings, the lesson for me was how connected and
my house! That is our statue to Mary.” Samantha interconnected my students were to their community.
explained that this was the Virgin of Guadalupe. Her Samantha’s writing on the Virgin of Guadalupe was

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especially touching. Though she struggled with the and personal connections students made with the
writing exam a few days later, her thoughts and lan- community images. Inspired by this experience,
guage flowed beautifully.
the group discussed the power and potential of tak-
Samantha, classified as an English Language ing a more student-centered approach by providing
Learner, had struggled with completing the district opportunities for students to actively negotiate and
English Language Development (ELD) benchmark “decode” the multiple literacies within their own
writing exam that George had administered and communities (field notes, 4/2011). Soon thereaf-
scored. Writing, George noted, had been a labor for ter, George made another “spur of the moment”
her all year. In this assignment, writing about an instructional decision. He asked students to bring
aspect of her family life that was deeply meaning- in a poem from home that was significant to them.
ful and of which she was extremely proud, she was According to George, this simple request created
intensely engaged. She was very excited to share a “change in their energy and disposition that was
the writing with her classmates and teacher as well immediate and palpable that caused me to be opti-
(teacher reflection, 5/2011). mistic that at least five or six students might bring
George noted in amazement that the writing poetry artifacts from home” (written reflections,
she produced about this important family icon had 12/2011). However, the following day when he
a significantly higher quality and quantity of words arrived at school:
and provided evidence of a two-point increase in I was surprised to see that many of my students were
her ELD level (as measured by the district rubric); already waiting outside of the classroom door sharing
it was far more advanced than anything she had their poetry with each other. . . . Of the 32 students in
produced throughout the year. In addition, she my classroom, 31 brought back some form of an artifact
with a poem that was meaningful to them. The average
sustained the writing to
Eric described the shift in his complete an organized, for homework return is rarely that high. Swiftly, in order
to focus their energy . . . I asked students to write about
engagement and interest in coherent, engaging piece, the specific poem they brought in, where it was kept in
something that rarely hap- their house, and why it was meaningful to them. Their
learning, writing, and talking pened and not without passion and connection to their writing could be sensed
in their intense concentration and the manner in which
about poetry as directly centered significant support and
their pencils moved across the pages. . . . [This] dictated
prodding by the teacher
on finding a connection to his (email, 12/2011). Saman- that I take a step back and become a facilitator of what
they wanted to do. . . . I learned about their hopes, fears,
mother through poetry. tha admitted putting more and dreams.”
energy into this writing
Especially eye-opening was the engagement of
because “it was what I really feel about real life”
Eric, the aforementioned disengaged and disinter-
(Samantha, interview, 5/2012). For Samantha, the
ested student. Eric was suddenly eager, present, and
ability to talk and write about something with a
articulate in writing when talking about the poem
deep personal and family connection was more than
his mother had written about him. Eric described
an opportunity to utilize her prior knowledge, it was
the shift in his engagement and interest in learn-
an opportunity to connect to and share her feelings,
ing, writing, and talking about poetry as directly
her values, her beliefs through literate practices
centered on finding a connection to his mother
(speaking, writing, interpreting iconography) that
through poetry: “I didn’t feel really energetic about
were “real life.”
them [poems] because I wasn’t a really good poem
Curriculum That Names person myself” (Eric, interview, 5/2012). Then he
Me and My Community was assigned to locate a poem from home. When
he asked his mother for help, she shared poetry that,
Two weeks later at the CoP meeting, George
unbeknownst to him, she had periodically written
recounted this “spontaneous” classroom activity
over the years. “She had poems,” he commented
with the other members. He described the poignant
“and, well, I turned out to like them because they

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were about me when I was small, and she actually He was now determined to use the three-week
was really creative about the writing.” He talked Memorial Unit (the culmination of the poetry unit
about how reading them made “me feel that I was that connected to social studies goals and bridged
cared for and my mom, all those things my mom the Memorial Day week-
said in the poem were nice and just makes me feel end) to integrate students’ [George was determined] to
like really happy and to know that she took her time worlds into the classroom
integrate students’ worlds into
to write those,” and although he thought he might by building upon what he
be “shy, embarrassed” to share the poem with his had learned—that student the classroom by building
classmates, he wanted to “show my mom that I engagement and increased
upon what he had learned—
like what she does so she can also feel important” achievement in writing
(see Fig. 2). For Eric, his connection to the Lan- result from connecting to that student engagement and
guage Arts Standards came through a conversation experiences with family
increased achievement in
at home, with his mother, and by reading and shar- meaning and value. He
ing with his classmates poetry that had meaning in started by having a dis- writing result from connecting
his family. cussion with his students
to experiences with family
George saw that letting “poetic words of the about the national tradi-
students’ worlds” come in did not take any planning tion behind this holiday. meaning and value.
or time, but it did require a belief in the capacity Much to his dismay, their
of his students to engage at a cultural and spiritual interest was “lukewarm at best.” Then, a few stu-
level with their teacher and their classmates, as well dents recalled that some of the photos he had pre-
as their willingness to share their intimate world viously shared included familiar murals honoring
with the world of the classroom. Thinking back on soldiers in their community, and they requested that
the ease with which he was able to open a space for he display them again.
home literacies, he noted that “there was also a con- Taking on the role of community informants,
nection between sixth-graders searching to claim an the students proceeded to share with the class other
identity and a process that validates who they are memorials in the community. In the past, George
and what matters to them” (George, personal com- would have typically redirected this conversa-
munication, 12/2011). tion back to what students knew about Vietnam or
about memorials honoring Ameri-
can soldiers (George, interview,
6/2011). In fact, he had done so
when teaching this unit to his
previous year’s class. Then, sev-
eral students suggested that the
Vietnam Wall was like a “memo-
rial” that had been erected on the
school property. Repeatedly, he
told students that there was no
memorial at the corner nearest
the school, but the students kept
insisting there was. When George
drove home that evening and
passed that corner, he noticed the
weather-beaten flowers, stuffed
Figure 2. Eric makes a meaningful connection with a poem his mother wrote animals, candles, and wreaths that
while pregnant with him. sat commemorating an accident

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and the loss of a community member at that loca- the boys even wore ties (field notes, 5/2011). The
tion. Instantly, he realized that he was thinking highlight of the event was Mrs. Elsa, who was per-
about memorials in terms of statues, but students sonally invited by the students as a guest speaker.
were thinking of the act of using space to remember. She spoke about her son and why it was important
Understanding what students were noting, for her to remember him. She shared the things she
he still thought there was a significant difference does to pay tribute to his memory, and she spoke
between these private acts and the learning he about the tree and her feelings toward it. Then a
wanted them to have about the Vietnam War Memo- student asked if there was a poem that reminded
rial. Eventually, however, George came to realize her of her son. She carried one with her but was
that students needed an opportunity to fully con- unable to read it, asking instead if George would
nect their community with classroom concepts. As read it for her. George remembers the intensity of
a result, he decided to build this unit around the that moment, when sixth-grade students on the sec-
“memorializing” practices of students (George, per- ond to last day of school sat quietly, attentive, and
sonal conversation, 6/2011). intensely engaged. Some students cried as they lis-
In the past, George had rejected local customs tened to the poem. After Mrs. Elsa left, the students
and practices as different from the school-sanc- “begged” him for time yet that day to write her a
tioned knowledge; now he sought to see in his stu- follow-up letter (see Fig. 3). He noted:
dents’ experiences the embodiment of concepts that Keeping them on-task was effortless. If anything, the
intersected their worlds. Students listed numerous challenge was bringing the writing segment to a close. As
sites as well as family practices around remember- I was putting the letters together to deliver to Mrs. Elsa, I
ing and honoring those who have passed. He showed was struck by two major things. One was the level of stu-
dent voice, heart, and sincerity. The other was the natural
students a tree planted on the school grounds in
flow of their writing that is frequently lacking in many of
memory of the deceased son of a school secretary, their writing products. For example, one student, Jenni-
Mrs. Elsa, who also lived in the community. Con- fer, struggled all year to include her voice in her writing.
necting the abstract concept of a memorial to sto- In her letter to Mrs. Elsa, she found her voice, and I was
ries and symbols that were tangible, relevant, and especially touched by her prose (see Fig. 3).
meaningful to students heightened their interest. As
a result, students in his class suggested that they cre-
ate their own memorial space in the classroom and
hold a remembering event. George was hesitant at
first, since scheduling constraints meant this would
happen on the second to last day of school.
Parents and community members were quick to offer
their support for this event. Students wrote either let-
ters or poems to soldiers who lost their lives. . . . Some
offered to bring flowers or candles, others photos, pins,
medals, certificates, and other service memorabilia. A
few students asked if they could also place a picture of
a lost loved one at the memorial. My first instinct was
to say “no” because the project was focused on remem-
brance of loved ones who have served in the military.
Fortunately, the little community mapping voice in my
head told me to embrace the students’ suggestions, and
we created a more inclusive Memorial Project. (George,
written reflection, 12/2011)

The day of the unveiling, students decided on

their own that it was a “dress-up event.” Several of Figure 3. Jennifer writes to Mrs. Elsa after hearing her
speak about the loss of her son.

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Jennifer explained that this writing gave her that intentionally connected the world inside of
“the liberty to express myself,” and it was about school with that outside. “That’s when it [my teach-
something that “I felt really connected to,” and ing] came to life” (George, interview, 12/2011).
“because it had to do with me” it supported “con- Through the monthly CoP discussions, reflec-
necting to the teacher” (George, interview, 5/2012). tions, and analysis of data gathered as part of the
She commented that she had come to see that poetry community mapping project, George began the slow
and facts in books about memorials actually “con- process of reframing traditional notions of literacy
nect to, like, real life and how you live right now.” to include culturally and linguistically relevant lit-
For George, the event invited student, family, eracy practices, such as the ones uncovered during
and community worlds to create a learning space the home visits and par-
in which motivation and engagement were high and ent interviews mentioned George’s learning within the
the literacy practices surrounding the event captured above. George’s learning context of a CoP helped him
students emotionally as well as intellectually. George within the context of a CoP
noticed that the writing in the letters to Mrs. Elsa helped him to integrate to integrate daily classroom
was, for many of the students, a dramatic improve- daily classroom instruc- instruction with vision for
ment over what he typically saw in classroom writ- tion with vision for teach-
ing. The letters featured longer, more complicated ing that was built upon teaching that was built upon
sentences, more detail, and increased length (more collective insights about collective insights about
words!). Evaluated on the district rubric, the writing students’ out-of-school lit-
consistently had higher voice, more sophisticated eracy practices. Through students’ out-of-school
description, and better organization. By creating a conversations with col- literacy practices.
personal connection and an authentic audience and leagues, George began to
purpose, students became engaged, and the facts in redefine and broaden the practices that “counted”
what Jennifer described as “the books” came to be as literacy and develop beliefs about the kinds of
part of their real life, just as real life entered into the curricular experiences that simultaneously tapped
core of classroom conversation. local expertise and knowledge and supported (and
extended and refined) school-based literacy goals.
Discussion George Herrera is considered an excellent
This article examines how a teacher in a CoP with teacher and, by many accounts, holds the back-
a focused inquiry on family literacy utilized ethno- ground, experience, and practices needed to con-
graphic tools and methods to map the community struct classroom pedagogies that are culturally
and family literacies of his students and use that responsive and inclusive. He is viewed by par-
knowledge to build curriculum that connected stu- ents, colleagues, and administrators as a caring
dents’ in- and out-of-school worlds. In the initial and accessible teacher, hard working, and con-
conversations about the goals for family literacy, stantly engaged in professional learning and action
George talked generally about making families wel- research to improve his practice. Yet, George
come in the classroom. Mapping the literacies pres- explains, it was the process of community map-
ent in families and schools moved him to place the ping and the collective meaning making in his CoP
literacies of the home and community at the heart that provided the impetus and conceptual tools he
of instructional design and literacy practice. By the needed to reinvent his teaching in ways that better
end of the year, he was wondering how he might allowed student voices and knowledge to inform
“develop curriculum units with parents” (recorded and guide instruction.
CoP session, 5/2011). For George, the focal case Through this work, George began creating
in this story, the community mapping process sup- spaces that invited students to bring the artifacts,
ported development of the dispositions, knowledge, meanings, values, and resources of their home and
and skills needed to create classroom experiences community into the real work of classroom learning.

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Student engagement, learning, and achievement D. Hobson (Eds.), Teachers doing research
increased when home, community, and school liter- (pp. 173–191). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
acy routines were equally valued and legitimate. By Lytle, S., & Cochran-Smith, M. (1992). Teacher research
as a way of knowing. Harvard Education Review, 62,
asking students to bring in resources or stories from
447–475.
home or having them write about objects in their
Moll, L. (2010). Mobilizing culture, language, and
community, the students became deeply excited educational practices: Fulfilling the promises of
about classroom learning. And, significantly, in Mendez and Brown. Educational Researcher, 36,
a time of test scores and standards, as George 451–460.
tapped into previously dormant student interests Moll, L., & Gonzalez, N. (2004). Beginning where children
and experiences, they began to demonstrate strik- are. In O. Santa Maria (Ed.), Tongue-tied: The lives
ing improvements in their writing. Literacy became of multilingual children in public education
(pp. 134–151). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
personal and included the affective dimension of
Ordoñez-Jasis, R., & Jasis, P. (2011). Mapping literacy,
human experience that gives meaning to our liter-
mapping lives: Teachers exploring the sociopolitical
ate lives. George sums it up this way: “What I have context of literacy and learning. Multicultural
found to be incredibly important was the message I Perspectives, 13, 189–196.
was sending, more so than the words I was saying. Rowland Unified School District. (2008). Rowland Unified
I was letting students know that their worlds were School District Strategic Plan 2008-2013. Rowland
welcome in our classroom and relevant to our learn- Heights, CA: Author.
ing” (written reflections, 12/2011). Taylor, D. (2010). “I don’t want you to die in your entire
life. If you do I’ll bring you flowers”: Words in families
and word families at school. In K. Dunsmore &
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Freire, P., & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the Unpublished manuscript prepared for the Principal
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KaiLonnie Dunsmore is the associate director of the National Center for Literacy Education and can be
reached at [email protected]. Rosario Ordoñez-Jasis is a professor in the Department of Reading at
California State University, Fullerton and can be reached at [email protected]. George Herrera is
is a Program Specialist at Giano Intermediate School and can be reached at [email protected].
These authors are active members of and contributors to the National Center for Literacy Education’s
Literacy in Learning Exchange community. Learn more about how their work in community mapping
is being scaled from one community of practiceto a districtwide (21 schools) initiative by going to
http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/community-mapping. There you can choose to follow
their group, listen to an archived webinar, read a vignette, or watch a video clip of participants
talking about their learning and work.

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