Centered around the question of how to teach both with and beyond the mandated core curriculum, Amelia Coleman focuses the teaching in her sixth grade language arts class on the intersection of what her students bring to the classroom and the curriculum she is provided with to teach.  In a district and school with a strong emphasis on accountability through testing, this site illustrates how a teacher prepares her students for assessments while teaching beyond the standard curriculum through bringing in literature and allowing for discussions that connect to students’ heritages, experiences and goals.