Using children's literature on gender, religious diversity, and minority issues as a springboard for critical reader responses in an Israeli-Arab EFL classroom

This study describes my journey as a teacher-researcher with a group of Israeli-Arab EFL ninth-graders over an intensive Summer course. Grounded in critical literacy theory and transactional theory, I introduce students to picture books on gender, religious diversity, and minority issues and invite them to respond to the texts in varied modes. Students' oral, written, and visual responses are examined for themes and critical dimensions through video analysis, visual analysis, the four dimensions framework of critical literacy, and critical events analysis. Findings include students' critical responses to the text, the elements of a critical literacy curriculum that are applicable in the Israeli-Arab EFL context, the significant roles of the teacher and students, and a resigned model of critical reader response.