A "print rich" classroom is one in which many different kinds of print are evident. These include age-appropriate books, magazines, newspapers, student journals, and examples of student work. It can also include signs, word walls, word displays, labeled charts and graphs, big books, listening centers, and multimedia capable computers. When you walk into a print rich classroom you know immediately what is being taught and learned. They are inviting, lively, colorful rooms that focus on the production of student's written work.

Print rich classrooms are full of opportunities for students to read and write in a number of different ways and environments. Students have access to personal thesauri and journals, dictionaries, word cards, hand-made books, and other print materials. A wide variety of print materials are evident, from age-appropriate literature titles to comic books, shopping lists, checklists, posters of the writing process or letter writing examples, board games, student mailboxes, and the daily schedule, to cite but a few.

Infusing the Cultural Component

Classroom materials should also include books and other printed materials that represent the interests of the students and are reflective of those students. Until the mid-1980's or later, it was not uncommon to find classrooms in America completely void of reading materials that either were written by African American or Latino authors or which prominently featured the lives, stories, and rich histories of those peoples.

Though exceptions might be found in history texts and an occasional literature title, many young students were never exposed to the rich fabric and heritage of their own cultural groups through materials provided throughout their many years in school. At the Center we promote the idea that classrooms should contain print materials and instructional materials that are inclusive. There are simply too many excellent resources that feature the images and stories of our students to exclude them from our classrooms!

How does the Center support Print Rich Classrooms? At the Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning we address this lack of culturally appropriate print materials and contribute to the overall effectiveness of print rich classrooms by supporting the development of age-appropriate classroom libraries, publishing our own collection of classroom instructional "toolkits", and by providing additional print and/or cultural instructional materials. We also direct educators to existing resources from outside of our center that can also positively impact their classroom environments.

How can I tell if my classroom is "print rich" and "culturally responsive?"

For starters, download our "print rich classroom checklist." Judge how your own classroom compares to ones that are considered to be print rich and effective and reading and writing instruction. Also, review your classroom's collection of literature titles and informal reading materials. Are a wide range of student's interests and reading levels represented? Do positive images of the lives of individuals reflected by your student population evident throughout the classroom? How might you improve your classroom library collection through high-quality literature titles that feature different cultures, peoples, and histories?

What can I do to help create a more student-centric, age and culturally appropriate, print rich environment in my classroom? The Center offers a number of products to help you.

Where can I go for more information?

Start with the web. There are numerous online resources for developing your culturally responsive print rich classroom.