Reclaiming Route 66: A Hidden Histories Framework for Digital Storytelling and Critical Literacy
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| Title: | Reclaiming Route 66: A Hidden Histories Framework for Digital Storytelling and Critical Literacy |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Shanna Peeples, Ruth DeAnda, Ramona Emerson, Melodie Graves, Ashley Lamb-Sinclair, Anita Palmer |
| Source: | English in Texas. 2025 55(1):28-39. |
| Availability: | Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. 919 Congress Avenue Suite 1400, Austin, TX 78701. Tel: 512-617-3200; Web site: http://www.tctela.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Story Telling, Geographic Information Systems, Maps, Transportation, Local History, School Community Relationship, Community Involvement, Minority Groups, English Instruction, State Standards, Primary Sources, Critical Literacy, Secondary Education |
| Geographic Terms: | Texas, New Mexico (Albuquerque) |
| ISSN: | 0425-0508 |
| Abstract: | This study examines how digital storytelling, specifically through ArcGIS StoryMaps, can help Texas English teachers engage students in critical literacy while meeting state standards. Drawing on a 2-year participatory research project centered on the southwestern stretch of Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle and Albuquerque, New Mexico, this article demonstrates how educators can use digital tools to help students uncover and document overlooked local histories. While traditional representations of Route 66 often reflect a whitewashed vision of Americana, this project revealed complex histories of racial segregation, Indigenous displacement, and economic inequality embedded in the highway's legacy. Through collaboration with community researchers in Amarillo, including members of Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities, the project developed a framework for integrating digital storytelling into literacy instruction. The article provides specific strategies for implementing place-based digital storytelling projects that align with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards while fostering critical engagement and authentic student voice. This approach offers Texas teachers a method for teaching complex historical narratives through primary sources and community connections, particularly valuable given current constraints on classroom discourse about race and identity. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1483583 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study examines how digital storytelling, specifically through ArcGIS StoryMaps, can help Texas English teachers engage students in critical literacy while meeting state standards. Drawing on a 2-year participatory research project centered on the southwestern stretch of Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle and Albuquerque, New Mexico, this article demonstrates how educators can use digital tools to help students uncover and document overlooked local histories. While traditional representations of Route 66 often reflect a whitewashed vision of Americana, this project revealed complex histories of racial segregation, Indigenous displacement, and economic inequality embedded in the highway's legacy. Through collaboration with community researchers in Amarillo, including members of Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities, the project developed a framework for integrating digital storytelling into literacy instruction. The article provides specific strategies for implementing place-based digital storytelling projects that align with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards while fostering critical engagement and authentic student voice. This approach offers Texas teachers a method for teaching complex historical narratives through primary sources and community connections, particularly valuable given current constraints on classroom discourse about race and identity. |
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| ISSN: | 0425-0508 |
