Social Studies Journal

Sacrificial listening is the practice of listening attentively to unfamiliar voices and adjusting one’s own interpretations to adapt to what a speaker (or, in some cases, a text) is saying. This ongoing act promotes “listening for understanding” rather than focusing on “listening to respond.” Sacrificial listening can be used to frame instruction through its application as an underlying framework. When implemented as part of social studies instruction strategies, including read-alouds and group discussions, sacrificial listening can assist students in developing positive relationships with peers, promote a high level of understanding of other perspectives, and reduce bias in active listening. One key way this can be achieved is by applying its ideas and tenets to the selection and reading of children’s literature books. In this article, we provide examples where the framework of SL might be paired with specific children’s literature books to help students build empathy, reconsider the interconnectedness of people and the world, and think critically. We also provide questions that can be used to guide discussions about literature situated in a sacrificial listening frame.