Developing Curriculum to Support Black Girls’ Literacies in Digital Spaces

Teacher educators, literacy scholars, and classroom teachers are beginning to develop curricula that leverage digital literacy practices and make visible what elementary students are learning across modalities. Although this body of work provides valuable examples (e.g., digital storytelling, innovative uses of digital apps and platforms, creating podcasts, and integration of tablets) of twentyfirst-century literacies in action, little is known about how these curricular choices support Black girls as they navigate digital spaces. In this article, I employ a Black girls’ literacies framework to better understand how classroom teachers can design curriculum with layered opportunities for Black girls to develop critical literacy practices in digital spaces. This framework makes visible how digital tools can (1) highlight technological capabilities, (2) promote exploration of social issues, (3) promote agency and confidence with digital literacies, and (4) showcase learning across modalities as Black girls navigate their multiple, political/critical, historical, intellectual, collaborative, and identity-laden literacies.