Read Outside Your Bubble

Learn how to foster student engagement, cultivate empathy, and encourage a love of reading by bringing diverse literature into the classroom

Using an instructional coaching framework, Read Outside Your Bubble introduces teachers to a new mindset for helping students develop literacy and become lifelong readers. By building an accessible and inclusive literacy curriculum, you can pique students' interest in the world outside their #bubbles. “Bubbles” are identity markers of race, religion, orientation, and socio-economic status. In this book, instructional coach and parent Nita Creekmore takes a conversational and research-backed approach to introducing her L.E.A.P framework, which guides you through the process of crafting your curriculum. You'll also learn how to develop lesson plans that increase compassion, cultivate empathy, and encourage a love of reading and history.

• Follow the research-backed L.E.A.P. framework to choose diverse reading selections for K-12 classrooms
• Learn step-by-step techniques for creating an inclusive curriculum that engages students in literacy
• Help turn students into lifelong learners by encouraging them to think beyond their own circumstances and think critically about the world around them
• Teach students how to compare and contrast themes and ideas across content areas

The primary audience is teachers, curriculum coaches, curriculum specialists, instructional coaches, and homeschooling parents will appreciate the practical, future-minded approach in Read Outside Your Bubble. This book brings diversity into classrooms in a way that will prepare students to participate in the creation of a more inclusive world.

Foreword by Charnaie Gordon xiii

My Why xv

What Does the Title of This Book Mean? xvi

Why I Wrote This Book xvii

The Pathway xviii

What You Will Find in This Book xix

Let’s Reflect xxi

Chapter 1: What Is a Bubble? 1

Bubble 1

Reading and Your Bubble 2

Making a Change 3

Why Should We Read Beyond Our Bubbles? 5

Beginning to Step Outside Your Bubble 6

Let’s Reflect 12

Chapter 2: Expand Your Relationship Bubble: Relationships and Reading 13

Relationships 13

Community Is the Heart 14

Let’s Cultivate Love in Our Community—In Our Relationships 15

Community Meetings + Reading + Connecting Outside Your Bubbles 16

Getting to Know the Students in Your Learning Community 17

Let’s Visualize 18

Knowing Your Students as Readers 20

Expand Your Everyday 23

Let’s Reflect 24

Chapter 3: The LEAP Framework for Inclusive Texts 25

Framework 25

The Learning Ladder 27

The LEAP Framework 32

Learning Using the LEAP Framework 35

Let’s Reflect 39

Chapter 4: Learning: Seeing Mirrors with Inclusive Text 41

Learn 41

Let’s Visualize 42

The Importance of Mirrors 43

The Reflection of Mirrors Cultivate Engagement 44

Cultivating Active Readers 45

Creating an Inclusive Environment 45

Let’s Reflect 53

Chapter 5: Learning: Opening Windows with Inclusive Text 55

Learn More 55

Let’s Visualize 56

Why Are Windows Important? 57

Looking Out the Window Cultivates Engagement 57

Cultivating Active Readers through Windows 58

Creating an Environment of Windows That Cultivates Compassion 59

Let’s Reflect 66

Chapter 6: Learning: Gliding through Sliding-Glass Doors with Inclusive Text 67

Learn Some More 67

Let’s Visualize 68

Why Are Sliding-Glass Doors Important? 69

Gliding through Sliding-Glass Doors Cultivates Engagement 71

Cultivating Active Readers through Sliding-Glass Doors 73

Creating an Environment That Promotes Sliding-Glass Doors When Reading 74

Readers Often Forget about Sliding-Glass Doors 77

Let’s Reflect 78

Contents xi

Chapter 7: Equitable: Integrating Inclusive Texts in Equitable Ways 79

Equity 79

The Impact of Inclusive Texts and Equity 80

Whose Book Is Not Displayed? 82

Integrate Inclusive Texts Equitably 83

Community and Equity 86

Let’s Reflect 87

Chapter 8: Access: Getting Inclusive Texts into Everyone’s Hands 89

Access 89

Ways to Get Access to Inclusive Books 91

Make Teaching and Learning with Inclusive Texts Accessible 95

Let’s Reflect 97

Chapter 9: Purposeful and Professional Learning: Building Skill and Routine to Transform Teaching and Learning 99

Purposeful and Professional Learning 99

Before Professional Learning 100

Planning for Professional Learning 102

Integrating Inclusive Texts Professional Learning Pathways 108

Take Time to Reflect on Professional Learning 111

Continue the Professional Learning 112

Let’s Reflect 113

Chapter 10: Banned Books = VIBs (Very Important Books) 115

Banned? 115

A Reframe: VIBs (Very Important Books) 117

Using Our Voices 118

Teaching Today with Book Bans Swirling Around 119

What’s Next with VIBs? 124

Let’s Reflect 125

Epilogue 127

References and Resources 129

About the Author 131

Index 133

Nita Creekmore is a distinguished educator and instructional coach consultant. As the founder of Love. Teach. Bless., Nita has dedicated her career to enhancing literacy education through diverse texts and supporting teachers in their instructional journey. She is also the co-owner (with her husband Michael) of Creekmore Conversations, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in building school relationships and parent education. Visit www.love-teach-bless.com to learn more about her work or follow the handle @LoveTeachBless on Instagram.

Engage students in learning about diversity and inclusion to improve literacy and build a better world

It’s easy to get stuck in our bubbles—the spaces where our worldviews are confirmed, and we encounter people and scenarios that are reflections of ourselves. Being in a bubble can be comforting, but as we work toward a more equitable world, we need to challenge ourselves and our students to step outside our comfort zones. Students can learn, grow, and change when we “pop” their bubbles and expose them to the literature of other times, cultures, races, origins, and communities.

Read Outside Your Bubble is a practical, research-backed guide to developing reading curricula that introduces students to diverse literature, teaches them to draw conclusions from their reading, and encourages them to grow into resilient, compassionate human beings.

This isn’t just a book to help introduce learners to new people and life perspectives—it’s a vital step to celebrating our differences, embracing our communities, and discovering how we can cultivate connections for generations to come.

“This book is a powerful call to step outside our comfort zones and confront the limitations of our own perspectives. Through the lens of ‘bubbles,’ Nita brilliantly explores how learning, unlearning, and reading beyond our familiar narratives opens doors to a richer, more inclusive world. A must-read for anyone ready to expand their view of humanity and education.”
—NAOMI O’BRIEN, Read Like A Rock Star Teaching

Praise for Read Outside Your Bubble

“Everyone needs a copy of Read Outside Your Bubble in their classroom and at home libraries! It is a transformative, crucial read about the importance of reading inclusive books.”

—Kaitlin Johnstone, Co-Founder, Kind Cotton

“In Read Outside Your Bubble, Nita Creekmore calls educators to bring diverse voices into their classrooms, building spaces of trust, connection, and transformation. Through her L.E.A.P framework and practical classroom insights, Nita guides teachers on a courageous path, showing how inclusive texts deepen relationships, inspire greater learning, and empower us to meet today's challenges with purpose and intention.”

—Lori Cohen, co-author of The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development

“Nita Creekmore’s Read Outside Your Bubble inspired me to rethink how I approach reading and teaching. Her blend of personal stories and practical strategies makes stepping outside our familiar boundaries both accessible and necessary. This book is essential for anyone seeking to foster empathy and inclusivity through literature!”

—LaNesha Tabb, author, speaker, Founder of Reimagine Writing

“Nita’s L.E.A.P framework is everything a teacher needs to build an inclusive and empathetic literacy curriculum that truly resonates with students. As an instructional coach, this is my go-to resource for working with teachers as we build impactful classrooms that engage students beyond their ‘bubbles’ and foster a love for diverse perspectives. The framework goes beyond academics; it’s a transformative approach that prepares students for a more inclusive world by inspiring compassion, critical thinking, and meaningful impact. Nita’s research-backed steps make it easy for educators to create classrooms that leave a lasting, positive impression on students’ lives.”

—Nicole S. Turner, author and CEO of Simply Instructional Coaching

“Read Outside Your Bubble is a wonderful resource on the importance of diverse perspectives in the books that we read to our students. This book provides educators, instructional facilitators and administrators with a deep understanding of how varied voices can enrich classroom discussions and foster empathy. Nita shares her immense knowledge as an educator, parent, and instructional coach on the importance of incorporating inclusive books in order to learn more about our beautifully diverse world.”

—Jenny LaRocque

“This book is a powerful call to step outside our comfort zones and confront the limitations of our own perspectives. Through the lens of ‘bubbles,’ Nita brilliantly explores how learning, unlearning, and reading beyond our familiar narratives opens doors to a richer, more inclusive world. A must-read for anyone ready to expand their view of humanity and education.”

—Naomi O’Brien, Read Like A Rock Star Teaching

“Nita Creekmore has written a book that I will be gifting to every educator I can. It is not just a powerful book, but a necessary one. The impact and gift of literacy cannot go understated and Nita has perfectly encapsulated not only the importance of books but the real value in consuming a wide variety and how much it can change a life. I can't praise this book enough! I have sticky notes all over it!”

—Todd Nesloney, Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership at the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA)

“Read Outside Your Bubble is a compelling dive into the world of lesser-chosen reads, encouraging readers to step outside their comfort zones and open themselves to a myriad of books.”

—Silvana Spence