1 CHAPTER 1 Authenticity and the Sociocultural Context of Children and Adolescent Language Learners Maria Dantas-Whitney and Sarah Rilling This is the second volume of TESOL’s Classroom Practice Series dedicated to authenticity. The first volume (Rilling & Dantas-Whitney, 2009a) describes adult learning environments, and the current volume showcases English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) practices designed for children and adolescent learners. As with the first volume, the notion of authenticity is conceptualized not only in terms of the materials and tasks used in the classroom, but authenticity also is “framed in broader terms to include learner cognition, engagement, collabora- tion, problem solving, critical analysis, and the development of language for spe- cific, and often localized, communication purposes” (Rilling & Dantas-Whitney, 2009b, p. 1). AUTHENTICITY WITHIN THE SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT While visiting an indigenous outdoor market in Oaxaca, Mexico, a friend bought a beautiful handmade shawl usually used by the native women as headpieces or as shoulder harnesses to carry infant children. Happy with her purchase, our friend decided to use it as a scarf around her neck to match a business suit of the same color. Was her adapted use of the shawl considered authentic? Some may argue that it was not, because it did not exactly replicate the native norms—our friend was unlikely to wear the scarf as a headpiece or use it to carry a child. We would argue that our friend’s adaptation of the shawl was authentic. Her use reflected an authentic process of appropriation and agency, shaped according to the needs of her social context and situation.