Students use an essay by de la Peña as a model for writing their own literacy autobiography.

Students use Ringgold's books as a springboard for a discussion of race, gender, and civil rights, and then write and illustrate original picture books on these topics.

After students read the novel The Color Purple, dialect is discussed and students write a short piece of fiction or poetry using the dialect of their peer group.

Students read one of Dunbar's most famous poems and explore how critical excerpts shape their understanding.

Students read and respond to an essay by Baldwin, commenting on the contemporary resonance of his ideas.

Students brainstorm the kinds of stories they know and where these stories come from. Students return to these questions as they begin reading Hurston's novel.