Building Literacy Environments to Motivate African American Boys to Read

Abstract

AbstractThe early reading gap among diverse subgroups of students in schools has made teachers conscious of how students’ culture affects their perceptions of reading and the literacy materials now being used in classrooms. The reported racial and gender gap among elementary literacy readers leaves African American boys on the fringes of literacy growth and development. Therefore, teachers are responsible for implementing strategies to build an emergent and early literacy classroom that motivates all boys of color to enjoy reading at an early age while shining a positive spotlight on all student backgrounds. Adopting a culturally responsive approach to literacy, increasing student responsibility in the literacy selection process, and supplying culturally relevant texts that positively influence student self‐perception will foster motivation for male students of color who are marginalized during the literacy‐learning process.