ABSTRACT
Literacy involves doing something with our body and mind. It involves material objects and our bodies within spaces, and our feelings and interactions. Embodiment is how these things come together within and around us. The authors discuss embodiment in relation to brain systems, the peripheral nervous system, the endocrine system, the visceral system, and the environment. Teachers can benefit from an understanding of how these systems impact thinking and learning because the brain is organized and restructured through experiences in the home, school, and community. In this chapter, examples of research-backed instruction highlight embodied literacy through play, centers, book study, writing, and funds of knowledge. This chapter concludes with issues related to inequities in society and how these affect children's development and learning.
