The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom, New Edition | 
 enlarge | Creators: Lisa Delpit, Joanne Kilgour Dowdy
Publisher: New Press
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $10.45
You Save: $7.50 (42%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 153451
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 1595583505
Dewey Decimal Number: 370.117
EAN: 9781595583505
ASIN: 1595583505
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
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Product Description
From the celebrated author of Other People's Children, a fifth anniversary edition of the pathbreaking collection examining the relationship between language and power in the classroom, with a new introduction.
At a time when children are written off in our schools because they do not speak formal English, and when the class- and race-biased language used to describe those children determines their fate, The Skin That We Speak offers a cutting-edge look at crucial educational issues. Now reissued with a new introduction by Lisa Delpit revisiting the politics of language instruction for students of color, The Skin That We Speak takes the discussion of language in the classroom beyond the highly charged war of idioms—in which "English only" really means standard English only—and presents today's teachers and parents with a thoughtful exploration of the varieties of English we speak and the layers of politics, power, and identity that those forms carry.
With groundbreaking work from Herbert Kohl, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Victoria Purcell-Gates, and Lisa Delpit herself, the book also includes classics by Geneva Smitherman and Asa Hilliard III. Hot-button topics range from Ebonics to the creation of a national public policy on making English the official language of our classrooms.
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| Customer Reviews:
J. Jack October 15, 2008
I felt that this was a great book to read. It reached me on a variety of levels. As a teacher it forced me to reflect on my own beliefs about language and literacy. As a person of Caribbean decent, it made me think about the injustice and prejudice that is so often placed on students of a different heritage. Each story in the book gives you another aspect of how language and the way we speak affects our lives. Whether we are the student in the classroom that is being negatively stereotyped or the teacher having to deal with multiple second language learners, this book has opened my eyes to understand both sides. From the teacher aspect, I have also received ideas on how to better relate to my diverse learners through one of the selections. I realized that by welcoming their culture into the classroom the student thus feels respected and welcomed, which makes it easier for them to attain the target language.
It's great tips like this and many others that you will find within the book "The skin that we speak." I recommend this book to those who are interested in looking deeper into language in the classroom and beyond.
 Delpit September 17, 2008
Outstanding book that helps change the methodology of teaching second-language students. Hearing the voices of actual students helps to relive their pains.
Satisfied Customer January 11, 2007
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am very satisfied with the quality of the book and the expedience of the delivery.
Showing your race/sexual orientation/socioeconomic status/culture by the way you speak. September 30, 2005
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
An interesting look at differences in language -- accent, vocabulary, and dialect. This book explores the judgements that people, even young children, make when they hear a voice. Well-rounded and very pragmatic about solutions. Doesn't just say 'Oh, people shouldn't judge each other.' Because, like it or not, we do.
 Language and the Classroom March 30, 2005
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
The Skin That We Speak, by Lisa Delpit, is a collection of essays written by various authors about the impact of language in the classroom. The author identifies the purpose of the book as the exploration of "the links between language and identity, between language and political hierarchy, and between language and cultural conflict." The book is divided into three sections starting with an individual inward look into languages, a examination of the consequences of language attitudes in the classroom, and finishes with a look at the language of teachers and what they need to know to become effective in the classroom. The author titled the book, The Skin That We Speak, because "just as our skin provides us with a means to negotiate our interactions with the world - our language plays an equally pivotal role in determining who we are." For each of us our language becomes intimately connected to our identity.
Overall, this was a good book. Because it was composed of so many short essays, it made the book easy to divide into sections and read it quickly. The essays were all very well written and easy to understand the authors' purpose and its connection to the book. IT contained a nice mixture of personal stories, research, and even some ideas that could be directly used in the classroom. I think that it would be an excellent book for all teachers, new and old, to read. It opened my eyes to all the different aspects of the English language that I never realized existed and how those aspects can affect all students in my classroom. It has caused me to reflect on how I use language in my classroom on a daily basis. This book has allowed me to realize how all students can struggle with language issues in so many different ways, and how we need to be sensitive to it as classroom teachers.
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