ABSTRACT

Many children in Canada and the United States are kept from their most powerful cognitive and social tool, their first language (L1). By the year 2030 the U.S. Census Bureau projects that an estimated 40 percent of school-age children will need English language teaching. Presently in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area (GTA), an estimated 40 percent of the current school population are English language learners (ELLs). Cultural and language diversity has always been a reality in Canada. At the time of this writing, we are three Canadian elementary school teachers (Lisa, Padma, and Patricia), a doctoral candidate (Sarah), and a university professor (Maria José). Our chapter builds upon the conceptual framework guiding this volume in light of the growing cultural and linguistic diversity found in schools and classrooms similar to Lisa’s. Specifically, we will consider the pedagogical possibilities of respecting children’s cultural and linguistic knowledge and drawing on it as resources for learning multiliteracies. Inviting children and families to create dual language texts to augment school library book collections, as Patricia recommends to Meghana, is one literacy practice that honors children’s lived experiences and reconciles the roles of teacher and learner.