Every ELA teacher has been there. You're about to introduce a text you love, and you look out at a sea of faces ranging from politely interested to openly skeptical. The silent question hangs in the air: Why should I care about this?
Here's the thing: students don't resist engaging with texts because they can't read them. They resist when they don't see a bridge between the page and their lived experience. When they can't find an entry point that honors who they are and where they come from.
The good news? You don't need a complete curriculum overhaul to change this dynamic. What you need are concrete, research-backed strategies that help students see themselves in what they read and bring their full identities into your classroom.
We've all previewed texts for content warnings, but how often do we think strategically about how we prepare students for potentially challenging material? The difference between a derailed discussion and a productive one often comes down to the groundwork you lay. From anticipating what might resonate (or sting) based on your students' backgrounds to establishing discussion norms that create psychological safety, the "before" phase deserves more than a quick heads-up.
There's a massive difference between having a "diversity day" and genuinely weaving students' backgrounds into the fabric of your instruction. When students can draft initial ideas in their home language, compare how expressions shift in translation, or examine how their own cultural contexts shape their interpretation of a text, you're not just being inclusive—you're making them better critical readers and thinkers.
We talk a lot about "text-to-self" connections, but let's be honest: those can feel forced and superficial. Real connection happens when students use their backgrounds as an analytical lens rather than just a personal anecdote machine. It's the difference between "This reminds me of my grandmother" and "This author portrays intergenerational conflict in a much different way than it’s experienced in my family."
The strategies that create these shifts aren't theoretical or complicated. They're practical moves you can implement tomorrow:
The key is making these practices continuous and embedded rather than occasional and separate.
If you're thinking, "This sounds great, but I need the actual how”—we hear you.
We've created a comprehensive guide that breaks down every strategy mentioned here with specific implementation steps, timing suggestions, and examples across the reading process. You'll find concrete approaches for:
Whether you're an individual teacher looking to refresh your approach, a coach supporting teachers through this work, or a coordinator building district-wide capacity, this resource offers actionable strategies you can start using immediately.
Because at the end of the day, when students see themselves in what they read—not as a special occasion, but as an integral part of how we approach texts—that's when literature starts to matter and real learning happens.
Get these strategies (and more!) in our guide to fostering student connections.