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Grades level iconsGrades 2–4
Genre information iconInformational
Resource type iconSparks

Representation, Self-Advocacy, & Marley Dias

Author image
Ashley Houston-King, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students will learn about representation, self-advocacy, and the work of Marley Dias before writing about this young advocate.
About the Author

Ashley HoustonKing is a Ph.D. student at Boston University studying Language and Literacy in Education.  Her research interests include studying the intersections of identities, race, and Blackness in education.  As a former elementary teacher and reading specialist, she is interested in studying in-and-out-of-school humanizing literacy spaces to better understand how youth navigate injustice systems and work towards collective liberation.

What Your Students Will Learn

Students will identify key details in reading to apply while writing an informational text.

Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2 Common Core Standards Icon
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2 Common Core Standards Icon
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 Common Core Standards Icon
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
What You Will Do

Marley Dias is the visionary behind #1000BlackGirlBooks, a book drive focused on collecting books that feature women and girls of color as the protagonists. In this lesson, students will learn and write about Marley. STEP 1 Share or present the “Marley Dias” slide deck for students. All of the resources needed to complete this lesson are included in the slide deck. STEP 2 Discuss key vocabulary terms: representation and self-advocacy. STEP 3 Students will learn about the life of Marley Dias through included media. As they read and watch, students should note key details about her life and work in...

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