When scholars examine multicultural literature and its use in classrooms, most of the attention often is paid to the books in use—whether they contain stereotypes, how relationships of power are constructed, etc. These are valuable pieces of information for teachers to have. However, not as much attention has been paid to teachers' practices as they use this literature with students. This case study examines one middle school classroom teacher's practices, analyzing how her language and actions constructed the literature being read, her own identity, and that of several focal students. Data generation procedures included taking field notes, collecting documents, conducting interviews, and taping and transcribing classroom language and activities. Literary theories and theories of language and identity proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin are used to guide analyses.; The author found that the case study teacher's practices were shaped by a variety of factors, including the voices or cultural models within her school and community, her relationships with colleagues, her personal history, and her professional training. Further, these practices impacted students' identities and conceptions of literature being read in the classroom. Students' responses to the instructional practices in place in the classroom were affected by how they were authored by the teacher and by their own preexisting identities and knowledge. At the end of this study, the author discusses implications for literature teaching and for teacher education, asserting the need for creating space for personal response and critical thinking in literature classrooms and posing questions for future research with prospective teachers.
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