Memes and Social Messages: Teaching a Critical Literacies Curriculum on DAPL

Abstract

This article documents the design and implementation of a culturally responsive critical media literacies curriculum centered around media representations of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Students (grades 6-8) were invited to discuss media imagery relating to DAPL and to create memes reflecting their understandings. To situate this work, we articulate a framework that blends critical media literacies and culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy. We analyze students’ spoken and multimodal responses to a curriculum that purposefully foregrounded Native perspectives and digital media. Ultimately, we argue that students must be invited to leverage their epistemic privilege in responding to contemporary social issues.

Deepening middle school english teachers' understanding of and capacity for critical literacy practices through coach-facilitated professional learning communities

“…Critical literacy skills are typically not taught separately from content or standards but are instead embedded within the existing curriculum (Batista-Morales et al, 2019;Beucher et al, 2020;Coppola et al, 2019;de los Rios, 2018;Dyches Bissonnette & Glazier, 2016;Elmore & Coleman, 2019;and Steiss, 2019). This, in theory, should make it easier to incorporate into existing practices.…”

“…In order for students to be able to analyze and interact with these texts, literacy education needs to better address them. Beucher et al (2020) examined ways students could critically consider relevant current issues like those related to the Dakota Access Pipeline by analyzing digital media like memes. Likewise, de los Rios ( 2018) studied how students used digital tools, particularly social media, to express their ideas related to oppression and power.…”

“…Another noticed he always centered himself in making connections with students, but has since shifted to centering students as individuals (Dyke et al, 2020). Beucher et al (2020) elaborates on this delicate balance by reminding educators that while understanding commonalities within cultural groups is important, one needs to be careful not to treat our minoritized students as monoliths. One way of doing this, as Zanin-Yost & Freie (2020) observed, is when a student wants to change a topic of study, or picks one that is not completely appropriate to the task, encourage them to keep the general concept while expanding the kinds of information they might consider.…”