What Do Students Deserve in Secondary ELA Classrooms? Promoting Criticality with We Deserve Monuments

This chapter explains how secondary English language arts (ELA) teachers can use young adult (YA) novels to support their students in questioning issues of power and challenging injustice, so they can act to make the world a better place. First, this chapter defines and explains the terms criticality and critical literacy pedagogy . Then, the chapter overviews how teachers have already used YA novels to promote criticality in their classrooms. Next, this chapter provides specific suggestions and activities teachers can use to engage their students in criticality with the YA novel We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds. The chapter concludes with an extension activity and encouragement for teachers.