This article demonstrates the potential for critical inquiry in twenty-first century primary classrooms. The authors (two university professors and a first grade teacher) present an overview of theory/practice relationships in Mary's (teacher) multiethnic classroom with an emphasis on critical literacy, technology and multimodal learning. Readers are invited to journey with the authors as they come together in a community of practice with the express purpose of learning together to affect change in the classroom. One extended learning engagement, "Grandma Ruth," illustrates how multiple literacies including digital, visual, and print literacies can be used to learn about and act upon a critical social issue. (Contains 3 figures and 7 online resources.)