Your Words Are Fire

Language—how we use it and what we think about it—can help or hinder our students’ high-level learning, especially kids from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Despite our best efforts to ensure students and their families are connected and thriving in our classrooms, sometimes we miss the mark, and they feel isolated by their languages, dialects, and cultures.

Your Words Are Fire presents ten teaching strategies to help you build a bridge between the languages your students are using and the languages they need for academic success, while supporting their cultural and linguistic identities. Authors Lissette Jacobson and Maurice McDavid show how to: 

• Connect languages, dialects, and cultures to classwork
• Build relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse students and families
• Teach students that communication involves words, tone, and body language 
• Use linguistics to prepare students for an interconnected world
• Expand multilingual vocabulary in all subjects so everyone grows and learns

Break beyond the status quo that leaves you searching for better ways to connect with your students and the languages and cultures they bring into your classroom. Empower your multilingual and bi-dialectical students to learn and succeed while teaching everyone in your class the value of diverse cultures, dialects, and communication styles.

Your Words Are Fire offers clear, strategic guidance for incorporating linguistics in your classroom and school to help students learn, express ideas, and solve problems. The conversations you exchange with all students are paramount to their success in an interconnected world.

Your words can break down learning barriers and invite diverse perspectives and approaches into the classroom—blazing a new trail to high-level learning.

Learn more about Lissette Jacobson and Maurice McDavid.

"'Your Words Are Fire' is a thought-provoking read for educators at all levels, especially in today's linguistically diverse society. The book invites readers to reflect on their own perceptions of language and the rich linguistic experiences that both students and teachers bring into the classroom. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of embracing and honoring linguistic diversity in every level of our nation's schools."

"This book will change the way you think about language and language learners - we are all language learners! It is also written in such a practical way that any educator or administrator can implement the hacks. Your Words are Fire is a must-have for educators at all levels working with any students and those working in education adjacent fields."

"This book is a game changer in how you frame your thinking about multilingual learners and the fact that we are all learning language perpetually. Whether you are a seasoned English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher or a recent graduate, you must add this book to your list. McDavid and Jacobson artfully marry big-picture thinking and practical application in this accessible and worthwhile read."