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Connecting a Community through a Family Literacy Project 

and Virtual Writing Collaboration: University Students 

Facilitate Access to Literature during the Pandemic 

Anne Katz 

Georgia Southern University 

 

Alexandra Sledge-Tollerson 

Georgia Southern University 

 
 

 

Abstract 
The importance of accessing and sharing children’s literature took on new meaning as educators pivoted 
to remote and online learning models over the course of the past school year. In light of the pandemic, 
College of Education pre-service educators enrolled in a Fall 2020 Language and Literacy Development 
course (which is usually scheduled to meet face-to-face twice a week) was re-structured as hybrid, where 
a group of students were scheduled to meet partially face-to-face and partially online on a weekly basis. I 
planned to adapt my family literacy project collaboration with a local community center, an academic 
service learning assignment that I incorporate each semester as part of the course. A second community 
literacy project embedded in the course involved reading and discussing Look both ways: A tale told in 
ten blocks (Reynolds, 2019), short stories that detail experiences of middle school characters on their 
walk home from school. My original plan was for both middle school students and pre-service educators 
to draft personal place-based writing short stories- inspired by the mentor text- and participate in writing 
conferences. Instead, Zoom sessions were conducted in which both sets of students virtually conferenced 
about their writing pieces when schedules allowed. In this manner, authentic conversations about writing 
were being cultivated through a virtual approach.  
 
Keywords: Community literacy, partnership literacies, place-based reading and writing, middle school    
literacy, virtual writing conferences 
 
 

      

Introduction 
 

The importance of accessing and sharing children’s literature took on new meaning as educators 

pivoted to remote and online learning models over the course of the past school year. In light of 

the pandemic, College of Education pre-service educators enrolled in a Fall 2020 Language and 

Literacy Development course experienced a class that was restructured as hybrid. In this 

arrangement, a group of students were scheduled to meet partially face-to-face and partially 

online on a weekly basis.  With insights shared from an undergraduate student and a professor, 

this article will describe two class assignments—a family literacy project designed for a local 

community center, as well as a place-based writing project conducted with local middle school 

students.  A pre-service educator self-study intertwined with a professor’s commentary will 

provide an additional lens for reflection.  

 In light of this course format, I adapted my family literacy project collaboration with a 

local community center, an academic service-learning assignment that is incorporated each 

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semester as part of the course. Students participated in online Discussion Boards and multiple 

Zoom sessions in order to peer conference, conference with the professor, revise, and present 

their projects—rather than traditional face-to-face conversations that were usually held in the 

college classroom. A second community literacy project embedded in the course involved 

reading and discussing Look both ways: A tale told in ten blocks (Reynolds, 2019), short stories 

that detail experiences of middle school students on their walk home from school. My original 

plan (pre-COVID 19) was for both middle school students and pre-service educators to draft 

personal place-based writing short stories- inspired by the mentor text- and participate in face-to-

face writing conferences at the university. Instead, Zoom sessions were conducted in which local 

middle school students and university students virtually conferenced about their writing pieces 

when schedules allowed, along with video recordings that allowed for writing conferences to be 

deconstructed at a later time.  

 This article provides insight into how authentic conversations about family literacy 

project development and place-based short story writing were cultivated through a virtual 

approach in the context of a university course. Teachers benefit from “carefully planned and 

mentored opportunities during preparation for debriefing and reconciling prior beliefs with new 

knowledge and theories about pedagogy” (Risko & Reid, 2019, p. 425).  The purpose of this 

work is to contribute to the literature on literacy teacher identity and funds of knowledge for 

family literacy activity development and place-based writing initiatives. An additional purpose is 

to strengthen connections between undergraduate teacher education candidates and community 

members (members of a local community center as well as urban middle school students). This 

will support efforts to cultivate an appreciation for diverse perspectives. 

Family Literacy Project for Local Community Center 

 I provided each student in the course with a picture book for the family literacy project. 

All books were submissions that were sent to committee members in consideration for the 2020 

Notable Books for a Global Society Awards Committee (Children’s Literature and Reading 

Special Interest Group, International Literacy Association)- http://www.clrsig.org/nbgs-lists.html 

Students were invited to design a family literacy activity around the picture book, incorporating 

research-based literacy skills and strategies they had learned over the course of the semester. 

These family literacy projects would be delivered to the Executive Director at a local community 

center for families at the Early Childhood Center to use with their children. Projects would 

include the following elements: 

-Part 1- A thoughtful letter to parent(s)/caregiver(s) explaining the family literacy activity.  

Please include a discussion of effective verbal and nonverbal techniques to foster inquiry and 

collaboration. 

 

-Part 2- Specific instructions for the activity. Please include all materials, step-by-step    

procedures, prompting questions, ideas for differentiation, and extensions. 

 

*Parts 1 and 2 will be included with the book and materials in a Ziploc bag to be donated to the 

community center. Students were invited to consider the following items for the family literacy 

letter and activity creation: 
 

                      Family Literacy Letter Constructs 

 

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Length (at least 3 paragraphs). Thoughtful description introducing the family literacy activity. 

Did the letter address all of these items? 

-Point out author and illustrator. Read the title and make a prediction about what the book might be 

about. 

-Do a picture walk to activate child’s interest. 

-Point out key vocabulary words/ discuss/ build schema. 

-Make text-to-self or text-to-text connections. 

-Encourage active conversation- extending questions. 

Did the letter address all of these items? 

-Developing child’s identity as a reader. If your child enjoyed this book, you might consider 

checking out other books by this author. If your child was interested in topic, you might consider 

(another book). 

-Introduce ideas for connected field trip or research/ website/ community connection(s). 

-Developing the child’s identity as a writer. Writing connections, such as writing a letter or journal 

entry to the main character. 

Letter is personable. Spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, professionalism. 

              Family Literacy Activity Constructs 

Name of book – author and illustrator/ list of materials and resources 

Step-by-step procedures 

Prompting questions (at least 5) 

Ideas for differentiation (at least 2) 

Extensions (at least 3) 

Activity is personable. Spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, professionalism. 

                                               

Virtual Discussion Board and Zoom Sessions- Family Literacy Letter 

 Students were asked to post a draft of their letter to the Discussion Board. They were then 

invited to find their peer review partner on the list that the professor had posted. A detailed rubric 

was provided (Table 1) that students could open, type, save, and attach to their post. As I review 

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and reflect upon student posts and responses, I was impressed by the depth of student responses 

in this virtual format. For example, in response to Alexandria’s post, a colleague noted, “In the 

last paragraph, you could recommend that they visit a special place or take a trip into their city to 

a location they have never been to before to create a new memory.” The colleague also noted, 

“At the end of your letter, you provided another book that the child might be interested in if they 

liked the story. I would recommend maybe attaching a website about creating photo collages of 

memories.”  

 I was was then able to provide additional feedback to Alexandria, as follows— 

“Nice job, Alexandria. Thank you for your valuable feedback, Jordan. 

A few more suggestions that you might want to incorporate in your final letter- 

1. Strong intro. Perhaps focus a little more on providing an introduction to the book rather than 

current world events for this family literacy letter (although you can certainly mention). Please 

let me know if you have any questions. 

2. "...any unfamiliar vocabulary that your child may not understand." (You might include an 

example of several sample vocabulary words that you recommend that they discuss and a page 

number in parentheses here). 

Thank you for your hard work for the families of the community center, 

Dr. Katz” 

 This virtual Discussion Board format enabled more in-depth exchanges between students, 

and provided students with a forum to review my feedback to each individual student. Students 

were encouraged to “Read the feedback from your peer review partner and from Dr. Katz on 

your letter. If you would like to respond, or ask a question about their feedback, please do so.” I 

noted that many students continued the conversation on the Discussion Board after their initial 

posts, responding to myself and colleagues, and ensuring their work incorporated feedback from 

all parties. During a Zoom session, several students commented that they planned to incorporate 

both my individual feedback to them, as well as other ideas gained from my feedback to 

colleagues, into their final letter. While I was initially concerned that this format would detract 

from authentic exchanges, the adapted virtual format in fact seemed to facilitate significant 

impact on students’ final family literacy letters, which was evidenced by the final product that 

was submitted. 

TABLE 1 

ITEM FEEDBACK- Please fill in this column with your 

feedback. 

A. Is the letter at least 3 paragraphs in 

length? 

 

B. Is there an area where you would like 

more detail? Please give the paragraph 

number and specific guidance (in a 

complete sentence please). 

 

C. Did the letter address all of these items? 

Please give specific feedback. 

 

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1. Point out author and illustrator 

2. Read the title and make a prediction about 

what the book might be about 

3. Do a picture walk to activate child’s 

interest 

4. Point out key vocabulary words/ discuss 

5. Making text-to-self or text-to-text 

connections 

6. Encouraging active conversation- 

extending questions 

D. Did the letter address all of these items? 

Please give specific feedback. 

1. Developing child’s identity as a reader. If 

your child enjoyed this book, you might 

consider checking out other books by this 

author. If your child was interested in 

topic, you might consider (another book). 

2. Introduce ideas for connected field trip or 

research/ website. 

3. Developing the child’s identity as a 

writer. Writing connections, such as 

writing a letter or journal entry to the 

main character. 

 

E. Did you see any spelling, capitalization, 

grammar, punctuation items that could be 

fixed?  Please be specific. 

 

F. Please give any general positive feedback 

about what your colleague did well. 

 

 

 

Family Literacy Letter 

Alexandria’s letter was as follows: 

           December 2020 

Hello Parent(s) and Caregiver(s),  

 As a country, we are going through some hard times. Our young ones at home need 

something interactive and inspirational to do while at home. With COVID-19 among us, some of 

us have lost family members dear to us due to the virus and to other unfortunate events. Our 

young people need something to help cope with these losses. They need to recreate those 

memories in some shape or form that they have shared with those loved ones.  

 A book to help is Grandpa’s Stories. The book follows a young girl who has to find a 

way to keep her grandfather’s memories alive while also finding a way to say goodbye. The 

book is beautifully illustrated with watercolor pictures and poetic lines. The story follows the 

young girl’s journey to recreating those memories that she shared with her late grandfather. 

Along with this book, I have created an activity for you and your young one to complete 

together. It will also help you both recreate and share those loving memories with each other 

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about a loved one. My hope for you all is that this activity will help create a bonding experience 

for you and your family. You can come together as a family by retelling stories and sharing 

memories about a loved one in a creative way.  

 The activity presented is inspired by the book Grandpa’s Stories, written by Joseph 

Coelho and illustrated by Allison Colpoys. Together, you will both read the book, exploring a 

poetic and heartwarming story about memories that the young girl and grandfather have shared. 

As you read, please highlight how the authors use the seasons to express certain feelings, how 

the illustrations “paint a picture” for you as a reader, and any unfamiliar vocabulary (p. 2 - 

budding, p. 9 - rustle, p.10- kaleidoscope) that your child may not understand. Doing this 

together will help you complete the activity to go along with the book. As a family (or just you 

and your child), you will create a journal similar to the one the little girl creates at the end of the 

story. This will be a place for you to share your favorite memories for each season, and discuss 

certain places that you all shared with a family member that you’ve lost.  

 The goal is to be creative and bond as you share these memories with each other. Feel 

free to ask your young one about what emotions they feel when they talk about those memories. 

You can illustrate these feelings through drawings and words. Grieving a loved one is a difficult 

experience for both adults and children. I hope this project opens discussions in the home about 

emotions, and how writing and sharing with people who care and love about you can help. If 

your child seems engaged in this form of coping with grief, I suggest reading the book I 

remember: Poems and pictures of heritage (Hopkins, 2019). “When someone you love becomes 

a memory, the memories become a treasure.” 

Best wishes,  

Alexandria Joy 

 

 

Virtual Discussion Boards and Zoom Sessions- Family Literacy Activity 

 During the following week of the course, students were invited to post a draft of their 

family literacy activity to the Discussion Board. In order to build a sense of rapport with the 

colleague that reviewed their family literacy letter, students conducted a peer review with the 

same partner. A detailed rubric was provided (Table 2) that students could open, type, save, and 

attach to their post. As I review and reflect upon student posts and responses, I noticed 

thoughtful student responses in this virtual format. For example, in response to Alexandria’s 

post, a colleague noted “In your first extension idea, I think it would be helpful to give more 

explanation. You can suggest that they make memories with the family member they chose. 

They can create another page in their journal as an addition.” I built upon this student feedback 

by suggesting that the student provide several sentence stems to facilitate the writing process. 

TABLE 2 

ITEM FEEDBACK- Please fill in this column with your 

feedback. 

A. Are all items included? Please give 

specific feedback. Are there sections 

 

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where you would like a little more detail? 

Please explain. 

• Name of your book- author and 

illustrator 

• a list of all materials 

• step-by -step procedures 

• prompting questions (at least 5) 

• ideas for differentiation (at least 

2) 

• extensions (at least 3) 

B. Did you see any spelling, capitalization, 

grammar, punctuation items that could be 

fixed?  Please be specific. 

 

C. Please give any general positive feedback 

about what your colleague did well! 

 

 

 In a similar fashion to the Discussion Boards around the family literacy letter described 

earlier, this virtual Discussion Board format enabled more in-depth exchanges between students. 

It also provided students with a forum to review my feedback to each individual student. 

Students were once again encouraged to “Read the feedback from your peer review partner and 

from Dr. Katz on your letter. If you would like to respond, or ask a question about their 

feedback, please do so.” I noted that many students continued the conversation on the Discussion 

Board, responding to myself and colleagues, and ensuring their work incorporated feedback from 

all parties. During a Zoom session, students clarified feedback from both colleagues and the 

professor. In addition, students shared additional ideas to strengthen their initial feedback, such 

as the importance of confirming that step-by-step directions were very clear to the reader and 

ensuring that ideas for differentiation appealed to a range of learning styles. I noted that the 

adapted virtual format strengthened students’ final family literacy activity submissions. 

 

Family Literacy Activity  

Alexandria’s family literacy packet contained the following activity instructions: 

A Time of Remembrance Journal Book: inspired by Grandpa’s Stories                                   

Author: Joseph Coelho; Illustrated by: Allison Colpoys  

List of materials needed for this activity:  

 Handmade journal (gifted by me)  Markers, crayons, colored pencils  Pens/pencils  

Favorite family photos (copies)  

Step- by-Step Procedures:  

You and your child will read the book together before starting the activity. Key items to pay 

attention to as you both are reading include the following: a) notice the poetic lines that the 

author uses, b) discuss how the illustrations play a role in telling the story, c) and consider the 

repeated lines of “If all the world were. . .” to later use in your memory journal.  

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Also, as you read, please ask some of the following prompting questions to start a discussion. 

1. After you have both read the book, have a discussion on which family member(s) you both 

would like to remember.  

2. Once the family member(s) has been chosen, begin reflecting on some of those specific 

memories you shared together throughout each of the four seasons. Feel free to write these ideas 

down on a scrap piece of paper before you work on the final product.  

3. Next, see if you all can find some pictures that reflect those memories. If not, feel free to be 

creative and let you and your child draw out these memories. 

4. With those memories that were written down still on scrap paper, let’s now put a poetic twist 

on them. Use the prompt “If all the world were (stories, dreams, memories, etc.), (memory you 

want use), (then describe the memory as done in the book).  For example: If all the world were 

stories, I could make my grandpa better just by listening, listening, listening to every tale he has 

to tell.  

5. You will use this prompt for each of the four seasons, as shown in the book.  

6. Once you have a memory for each season, please take the time to write some more memories 

with the prompt of your choice. These do not need to relate to the season, but could be powerful 

memories in general that you would like to reflect upon. 

Prompting Questions:  

1. How does the little girl relate her grandfather to each season (summer, spring, fall/autumn, and 

winter)?  

2. Are the illustrations for each season in the book similar to what you see during that season in 

your community? Why or why not? Please explain your thoughts, and discuss the illustrator’s 

choices in the book. 

3. Are any of the memories in the book similar to yours?  

4. Do you know why people use journals to write out their feelings?  

5. How is a journal similar to a photo album? How is it different? 

Ideas for Differentiation:  

A. Please feel free to make the brainstorming of ideas for your journal a field trip. If the family 

member’s house is close to home, or one of the locations that is associated with the memory is 

nearby, go visit it! Go to the park and do the project over a picnic to make it more relaxing!  

B. Instead of reading it together, let the Sankofa Read Aloud YouTube channel read it to you! 

This way, if your child is a visual learner, they not only have the book in front of them to follow 

along, but the audio to go with it as well. Link: https://youtu.be/_4K_K07a8LM  

Extensions:  

1. Feel free to do this activity not only for family members who have passed away, but also to 

create memories for your child to reflect on for when they get older.  

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2.The illustrations in the book reflect watercolor painting. As a family, make a trip to your local 

art supply store or find a painting group to relieve some stress. This can help you get through the 

hard days of grieving by being creative.  

3. The book is written in a poetic style, and poetry can be fun to explore on your own. Visit 

http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CLit/poetry_online.htm, where they explain what poetry is 

for children and also show them different forms and styles. Feel free to let your child and you 

both write some poetry of your own.  

4. Writing prompts can help a child develop writing skills and more. Visit Jason Reynolds, 

National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature website (https://guides.loc.gov/jason-

reynolds/grab-the-mic/wrr) where he has many prompts to spark creativity and discussion. 

Self-Study 

 Pre-service educators completed a pre-study survey and participated in a semi-structured 

interview to describe their current identity as a literacy educator at the beginning of the semester. 

Alexandria shared the following items, providing context for how she evolved as a literacy 

educator during the pandemic. 

1. How do I view myself as a reader? As a reader, I . . . 

I see myself as a reader who branches out into the various genres and doesn't mind exploring 

text(s) beyond my horizons. When reading books, I tend to focus on the characters at hand and 

try to visualize how they would look and behave from descriptions. Also, if there is a family 

involved, that would be the key idea or part that will stick with me after finishing reading the 

book. 

(Professor commentary- There is a focus on expanding as a reader through exposure to different 

genres and visualization strategies, as well as remembering key themes). 

 

 

2. How do I view myself as a writer? As a writer, I . . . 

I’m just now gaining my confidence in all forms of writing. I would rather write poems or  

creative stories because it gives me a chance to be true to myself and tell stories from different 

perspectives. I believe that I’m a strong writer now that I’m in college, and have received  

additional help, when needed. 

(Professor commentary- There is a focus on gaining self-confidence as a writer, developing 

one’s voice as a writer, and seeking help to better oneself as a writer). 

3. How will I reflect on my practice as a literacy teacher? 

Remembering to always evolve as a teacher and adjust my various tools with the different 

students I teach. I will take the time to reflect on certain instruction that does not work as  

effectively as I would have hoped.  I will continue to improve in my practice. 

(Professor commentary- There is a focus on self-reflection as a teacher and finding strategies 

that best meet student needs. There is a focus on continuous self-improvement). 

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4. What literacy strategies or activities can I use to get to know my students and their 

background? 

Let them become storytellers; have them share some of their favorite memories from a different 

perspective than themselves. Explore different forms of creative writing to see what style they 

enjoy most. Host mini book fairs in the class to spark conversation on what their peers are 

reading to feed their imagination. 

(Professor commentary- There is a focus on encouraging students to explore perspective and 

genres of writing, as well as reading motivation through peer interactions). 

5. What is my vision of literacy instruction for my classroom? 

To have both genders in the classroom be confident in their writing ability, communicating about 

text to their peers, and enjoy reading until the point where they are reading different types of  

literature. I will instill the importance of expanding their horizons through literacy, and how 

reading can open many curiosity doors. 

(Professor commentary- There is a focus on empowering students to be confident readers, 

writers, learners, and communicators). 

Virtual Discussion Board and Zoom Sessions- Place-Based Short Story 

 As the course progressed and we moved to the place-based short story project, students 

were invited to post an update on their writing progress to the Discussion Board. The following 

prompt was posted: “You might tell us about the topic of your story, something that you 

discovered while writing your short story, something that surprised you about your writing 

process, or how you are using what you read in the Look both ways text to inspire your own 

writing.” In order to continue building a sense of rapport with colleagues, students were invited 

to respond to two colleagues’ posts.  

 Alexandria shared the following: “For this short story, I choose to write about my 

neighborhood's hair store. My writing process for this story is pointing out small memories that 

remind me of the hair store. Then, I started coming up with the certain hairstyles that reminded 

me of the store and so on. This writing process is similar to what I'd normally do because I tend 

to always jot down my ideas first before writing. To help "paint the picture," I plan on using 

some key dialogue from myself and the people in the store and naming of some key hair 

products. As I'm writing this story, it made me realize how important this hair store has been in 

my journey as a young adult because this the only hair store I've been shopping at for my entire 

life!” 

 As I review and reflect upon student posts and responses, I noticed thoughtful student 

responses in this virtual format. For example, in response to Alexandria’s post, a colleague made 

a text-to-self connection as she wrote “I am excited for your short story because I remember my 

trips to the hair store and salon. When I was younger, I used to get my hair braided twice a 

month.  My mom would take me to the hair store on the way to the salon to pick out the kinds of 

beads (I loved clear) and any other hair accessories, such as bows, to match my school uniform 

and so on. My writing process is similar to yours, as I first come up with key memories and then 

key descriptors. I like your idea of using key dialogue from your visits and key hair products. I 

think it is a great idea and will add a lot to your short-story.” I appreciated the meaningful 

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connections that were being shared among students through the online Discussion Board, and 

their insightful reflections on their writing process. 

Place-Based Short Story 

 Alexandria wrote the short story “Hair Trips that Last a Lifetime” to share with the  

middle school students, inspired by the mentor text. The short story follows: 

 It was going to be a great weekend if I was going to the beauty supply store, “It’s 

Amazing.” Going to the beauty store was like winning the lottery. You had so many things you 

could buy—from hair products, flat irons, blow dryers, and anything else you could imagine! My 

neighborhood's beauty store was five minutes driving time from my house and ten minutes if you 

were walking. For as long as I can remember, this is the only beauty supply store that my family 

and I’ve used. Red glowing lights in a Times New Roman font with the size of about 82 read the 

words “It’s Amazing.” The parking lot was never full of cars so that meant we always had a 

chance to park right up to the front doors. As my mother and I, or even my grandmother, would 

enter the store, we would take the time to admire the hundreds of business cards, music 

promoters’ flyers, and local things happening in the neighborhood plastered all over the front 

door. “Look at that hairstyle on that little girl, that’d be cute on you!” my mom would say as she 

read the many business cards of local hair stylists.  

 Trips like these only came up once every month, twice if we had a special occasion 

approaching soon. The routine for the hair store was different for each hair style. If it was braids, 

it was the same ole phrase, no matter who did them. “You are going to need about 8-10 packs of 

hair, since YOU got a big head girl!” the hair braider would typically say. I’d go down the long 

aisles of the hair stores, like the ones you’d see in your churches. My hands would touch any and 

every pack of braiding hair as my mom would search for the color I needed. Once we reached 

the aisle, my mom would normally say, “Ah! Found it Alex, 1B. How many packs do you need 

again? Come here, girl, and stop messing around!” Sometimes, I would get my natural hair 

braided by my aunt's close friend, so that didn’t require us to buy any packs of hair, just JAM. 

The JAM would come in at least three different sizes, different holds, and each size was 

represented by a color. For as long as I can remember, we’ve always bought the medium sized, 

orange container, maximum ten hold! I loved the smell of the JAM. It sometimes smelled like 

fruit, and other times it reminded me of the smell of fresh wax.  

 Now, if it was a simple “do-it yourself” hairstyle presented by yours truly, Jocelyn aka 

my mother, it was time to really do some serious spending. Shopping for bows, beads, barrettes, 

knockers, and things of that nature was like shopping in a candy store. My mom normally would 

get the accessories that matched my school’s uniform. Those colors consisted of a navy blue, 

khaki, shiny teeth white, and any other color that would match my stylish elementary wardrobe. 

The aisle for the accessories were always next to the wigs and a huge mirror. I’d normally 

wander over there while my mom would choose the accessories. I’d do a couple of ballerina 

twists, maybe a Kool-Aid smile, or just play with the wigs before my mom would come looking 

for me. “Alex! Alexxx! Alexandria!” my mom would exclaim. I’d come running, just like Alex 

the Lion from Madagascar, just to show her that I heard her, and I wasn’t playing around.  

 There would be some days we’d just go to the hair store for just my mother, or just to go! 

Those trips were always time consuming, but it was fun because it meant I can wander around 

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the entire store! My mom would go on her separate journey, while I took my own into the 

wondrous aisles of products, jewelry, and my favorite— the wigs. The wig aisle consisted of two 

to three rows of a hundred types of wigs. You had your low pixie cut wigs, mid shoulder long 

swoop bang wigs, side part wigs with a splash of color, Afro funk wigs, and anything else you 

could imagine a mom, young adult, or maybe even your oldest sister would wear. That wasn’t 

even the best part of the wigs, it was the mannequin heads they were placed on! Some were a bit 

scary because they were missing the paint off of their eye, or they had no eyes! It was like 

walking down a haunted forest trail for Halloween. Imagine every time you walked past a 

mannequin head- the doll had pretty hair, but barely had a face! I’d normally run from the wig 

section to the jewelry section because they were surrounded by the bright, moon-like white 

lights. What topped the area off was the plush red carpet that filled it. I felt like a famous movie 

star window shopping for her Grammy or movie debut that was happening later that night.  

 As our trips would come to an end, we’d make our way to the one cash register in the 

front of the store. The cash register was so high up. The man behind the counter looked down to 

grab each item that was handpicked by my mother and I. “You all had a wonderful shopping 

experience, I see. Some accessories for the cutie, and jewelry for you, ma’am?” the cashier 

typically always said. The sound of him typing the prices on the register was somewhat soothing 

because you knew each item was yours to take as soon as he read you the total. The total would 

range from about 30 to 50 dollars a majority of the time. My mother would pay with either cash 

or card. The cashier would then hand us our receipt, and we’ll be on our way. It was sad to walk 

out of those front doors, but you knew your journey had come to a great end. You had just filled 

a cabinet, top of a dresser, or drawer with new hair items and were on your way to getting a new 

hairdo! That was the typical journey of our hair store trips, and it was something I’d look 

forward to all the time. 

Middle School Student Story 

           A middle school student wrote the short story “Peace of the Night and Day” to share with 

the college students, inspired by the mentor text. An excerpt of the short story follows: 

 The most important place for me is the backyard. It has two large iguana green outdoor 

chairs and a square patio table. Even though it is not such a big space, there are some really 

amazing hiding places, like in between the gate behind the house and also behind the firepit. I 

can sense the colors just by looking at the sky and feeling the wind blow around me. It’s calm 

and it’s also a place to meditate, play, and be peaceful. 
 

 I always sit in the first chair to the right when I first enter the backyard. When the wind 

brushes on me, I feel relaxed (especially at night time because that’s the quietest time). I think 

the world is allowing me to release my stress and letting me finally untense. I've been tensing up 

ever since school started, beginning in 5th grade. The thing is you can imagine playing games 

and then hide and seek in the backyard Also, we pretend we're playing our favorite imagination 

games too. 

 

Virtual Writing Conferences 

 Zoom sessions were conducted in which both sets of students virtually conferenced about 

their writing pieces when schedules allowed. The reading professor also shared sample middle 

school student writing with university students during our in-person courses and noted student 

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feedback, which was subsequently shared with middle school students. In addition, the reading 

professor shared university student writing with middle school students during our virtual 

sessions, recording elements of the conversation to share with the college students afterwards. In 

this manner, authentic conversations about writing were being cultivated through a virtual 

approach. 

 Middle school students commented that Alexandria’s story “used strong detail” that made 

them feel like they were at the hair store along with her. A middle school student said that “you 

could feel her excitement as you are reading it. It almost felt like I was watching a video of her 

trip because there were so many adjectives and descriptions. I would like to try that in my 

writing soon.” A second middle school student noted that “I can hear her voice in the story, and 

that makes me want to try that strategy in my own writing in the future.” Another middle student 

stated that it “made me think about special memories and times that I spend with my mom. 

Reading this story made me want to talk about them with her, and then later write about them as 

well. I realized that it is important to record these memories and put them on paper.” Alexandria 

found this feedback from middle school students to be powerful, and it made her proud of her 

writing piece. In reflecting upon these interactions, it is evident that these virtual writing 

conferences impacted both middle school and university students along their writing journey.  

Conclusion 

 After the project was complete, College of Education pre-service educators completed a 

post-study survey and participated in a semi-structured interview to describe their current 

identity as a literacy teacher. Alexandria shared the following insights: 

Prompt Response Analysis 

How do I view myself as a 

reader? 

As a reader, I now know how to 

make the reading more relatable 

to the world around 

me for my future students. I’ve 

become more critical about how 

things around me can have more 

than one meaning when taking in 

other perspectives. I can thank the 

film Life, Animated (Williams, 

2016) for helping me understand 

that the way someone intended 

for something to be can be seen 

differently by its intended 

audience. The way Owen can 

take simple Disney movies and 

create life lessons from them is 

now how I look at books that I 

choose to read. I now dissect the 

text of a book and try and make it 

relate to my world around me, as 

well as find a life lesson that I can 

now use for myself. 

The student has made 

gains in their literacy 

teacher self-identity.  

She possesses strategies 

for connecting reading 

to the outside world and 

teaching perspective-

taking strategies to 

future students.  

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How do I view myself as a 

writer? 

As a writer, I have grown from 

the start of this Fall semester to 

now. At the start of this 

course, we introduced ourselves 

through “I am From” poems. This 

is where my spark for creative 

writing was planted once again. I 

began to become more confident 

in my writing from this activity, 

as I explored what is important to 

me. Also, through Jason 

Reynolds “Write, Right, Rite” 

prompts that we were introduced 

to in class, I have grown as a 

writer. I feel more confident from 

these exercises to express myself, 

through whether it be poetry or 

any other form of creative 

writing. 

The student has grown 

as a writer through 

poetry, creative writing, 

and in-class writing 

activities. She feels more 

confident as a writer, 

which will transfer to 

confidence as a writing 

teacher. 

How will I reflect on my 

practice as a literacy teacher? 

 

Self-reflection will always be a 

start to see how effective the 

activities or strategies I 

choose to implement are being 

received. I will also take feedback 

from my students and colleagues. 

I would monitor my students’ 

progress and engagement level 

when giving certain 

activities/strategies, and even 

keep a self-reflection journal to 

jot down the “wins and wobbles” 

of how instruction went in the 

classroom. In addition to that, Dr. 

Victoria Purcell-Gates (2012) 

suggests that we should also find 

ways to learn from our 

communities and parents— to see 

how as teachers we can learn 

more about our students. In the 

video “How Teachers Can Learn 

from Communities and Parents,” 

she states that we must remember 

that as teachers, we aren’t the 

only ones with the answers. In 

order to better ourselves and 

students learning in the 

The student will 

continuously self-reflect. 

She will enlist feedback 

from students and 

colleagues in order to 

grow as a literacy 

educator. The student 

will learn from 

researchers, in addition 

to maintaining 

connections with the 

families and 

communities that she 

teaches. 

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classroom, we must communicate 

with both parents and the 

communities. 

What literacy strategies or 

activities can I use to get to 

know my students and their 

background? 

 

I would love to incorporate the “I 

am From” poems as an 

introductory activity in my 

elementary classroom to get to 

not only know my students, but 

also their background, values, and 

goals. Including books/text like 

Jason Reynolds Look both ways 

to spark interests about cultures 

and neighborhoods that have 

shaped students to be the person 

they are becoming will be an 

activity I would use as well. The 

article Six tips for using culturally 

relevant text in diverse 

classrooms (Kibler & Chapman, 

2018) suggests that a future 

teacher creates transformative 

experiences during reading. 

As a teacher, we can include text 

that shows students many 

perspectives from different 

individuals. While incorporating 

those types of text, I love the idea 

of using fishbowls to facilitate 

discussions regarding what has 

been read. 

The student will 

incorporate authentic 

literacy texts and 

meaningful activities in 

her future classroom. 

She will draw upon 

students’ funds of 

knowledge and research-

based strategies in order 

to build a strong literacy 

program for her future 

students.   

What is my vision of literacy 

instruction for my classroom? 

My vision for literacy instruction 

in the classroom is to make the 

instruction as much of a creative 

and interactive process as it can 

be. Students will already come 

into the classroom with 

misconceptions about literacy. 

My goal as a teacher will be to try 

and eliminate those 

misconceptions, and to show 

them different strategies through 

various activities. Also, I want to 

make literacy learning hands-on 

and meaningful for my students. 

The close reading activity is 

something that I would want to 

The student will 

incorporate close 

reading strategies as a 

future teacher. She is 

dedicated to ensuring 

that her students are 

critical readers who have 

access to hands-on, 

meaningful learning 

opportunities. 

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incorporate into my classroom 

when discussing those difficult 

texts to make it interactive. The 

activity really helped me as a 

college student become 

engaged in my reading by being 

able to use different colored 

Avery dots to represent how the 

text is working for the reader. 

 

 Alexandria presented on these two community literacy outreach projects during the 

university’s virtual Research Symposium. She shared the following insights: “These experiences 

have made me confident in my future career as a teacher, as it has helped me re-consider how we 

approach literacy in our daily lives. Thank you for the opportunity to highlight the course and my 

transformative experiences.” I would like to express my gratitude to Alexandria for sharing her 

experiences with us. Can literacy educators forge these powerful personal connections around 

literature with students and families through innovative academic service learning outreach 

initiatives, and through the use of online platforms, during challenging times? A family literacy 

project and a virtual writing collaboration with middle school students sheds light on how 

university students facilitated access to literature for their local community during the pandemic, 

helping local students thrive. 

 

Author’s Note: I wish to acknowledge the Faculty Research Committee of Georgia Southern 

University for their support of this publication. 

 

 

 

 

           References 

 

Coelho, J. (2019). Grandpa’s stories: A book of remembering. New York: Harry N. Abrams. 

  

Hopkins, L.B. (2019). I remember: Poems and pictures of heritage. New York: Lee & Low 

 Books. 

 

Kibler, K., & Chapman, L. A. (2018). Six tips for using culturally relevant texts in diverse 

 classrooms. The Reading Teacher, 72 (6), 741–744. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1775 

 

Learning for Justice. (2012, March 15). How teachers can learn from communities and parents: 

 Dr. Victoria Purcell-Gates. Retrieved from   

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37- vSuX0fd4&feature=youtu.be 

 

Lyon, G. E. (1999). Where I’m From. Retrieved from 

 http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html 

 

39

https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1775
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37-%09vSuX0fd4&feature=youtu.be
http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html


Article                             

 

 
 

Notable Books for a Global Society. Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group, 

 International Literacy Association. Retrieved from http://www.clrsig.org/nbgs-lists.html 

 

Reynolds, J. (2021) Library of Congress Research Guide: "Write. Right. Rite." Series.  

 https://guides.loc.gov/jason-reynolds/grab-the-mic/wrr 

 

Reynolds, J. (2019). Look both ways: A tale told in ten blocks. New York: Atheneum  

 Books for Young Readers. 

 

Risko, V. & Reid, L. (2019). What really matters for literacy teacher preparation? The  

 Reading Teacher, 72(4), 423-429.  

 

Sankofa Read-Aloud Channel. (2019, September 11). Grandpa’s Stories.  [Video]. YouTube. 

 https://youtu.be/_4K_K07a8LM                                                                                             

Williams, R. R. (Director). (2016). Life, animated [Film]. United States: Motto Pictures. 

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http://www.clrsig.org/nbgs-lists.html
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