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Session 1 of the Program

Subject: Examining lack of representation within the classroom while exploring the benefits of including multicultural children’s literature as a possible solution.

Topic: The importance of finding oneself in a book and the importance of providing access to literature from different cultures in the classroom.

Objective: For this first session, the goal is to provide participants with knowledge that extends to include the importance of the topic. Participants will read articles, watch videos, and participate in discussions that provide context for the importance of multicultural literature in the classroom. Participants will also explore and discuss the effects of multicultural literature in the classroom and gain insight on the importance of accurate representation of all races for the children they will be teaching in the classroom.

Purpose: This first session will be used as a way to bring awareness to the topic and allow participants to take in background information regarding the impact multicultural literature has within the classroom and in the lives of students. The resources will serve as a way to allow participants to get into the mindset that is needed moving forward, which would allow for participants to effectively work with the information presented as well as be able to evaluate the status of representation within their own classrooms in such a way that they will be able to think of these sessions as a growth opportunity rather than a criticism.

Summary of Tasks: The first reading chosen for this first session is “African American children’s literature that helps students find themselves: Selection guidelines for Grades K-3″ by Bena R. Hefflin and Mary Alice Barksdale-Ladd (link: http://www.soe.vt.edu/tandl/pdf/Barksdale/Publication_Barksdale_HefflinBL.pdf). This article focuses on the idea that every child should be able to find themselves in a book, which is the encompassing thought surrounding the importance of multicultural children’s literature and the overall focus of this program. The article goes on to tackle this idea through the lens of African American literature and the fact that this idea rarely extends to African-American children since they are presented with too few opportunities to relate to a book as many books feature characters that are unable to provide accurate representations of the lives and sentiments of African American children in modern times. The article details the detrimental affects the exclusion of books featuring accurate representations of African-Americans in classrooms has on an African-American in their youth and adulthood. The article excels in providing the historical context of stereotypes depicted in literature as a result of slavery and the negative message it is sending to African-Americans across the nation. In order to tackle this message and improve the access children of any race have to multicultural literature the article also includes guidelines or suggestions for selecting African-American books but by extension can also be applied to books in general to determine their quality and value for the audience of children.

After reading this article, participants will have five minutes to write down their immediate reactions to the article. Once everyone is finished writing, or once the time has elapsed, the floor will open up for a group discussion. If participants are reluctant to share, some questions to facilitate discussion can include: What aspects of the article did you agree or disagree with? Was there any information that you found surprising? How does this article reflect some of your own experiences or experiences you have had in the classroom?

The next part of the session includes the reading “Heightening Awareness about the importance of Using Multicultural Literature” by Susan A. Colby and Anna F. Lyon (link:https://search.proquest.com/docview/216508634?pq-origsite=gscholar). This article includes discussion of “African American children’s literature that helps students find themselves: Selection guidelines for Grades K-3″ which I felt would be a good way to extend the discussion. After reading “Heightening Awareness about the importance of Using Multicultural Literature” I have pulled out quotes that were included from preservice teachers detailing their experiences and thoughts on the use of multicultural literature in the classroom, which will be used for the following activity.

Quote Walk: The following quotes will be printed on pieces of paper and hung on the walls of the room. Each participant will be given Post-Its to write down their thoughts after reading each quote. The participants will stick their reaction under the quote they are reacting to. After the activity, the reactions will be discussed, using the anonymous sticky notes to begin the discussion.

“I do not recall reading much literature geared toward African Americans...as a white child I never really thought about it because I already had books that I could relate to.”

“I cannot fully understand what it must be like to have a dominant culture being portrayed everywhere I looked, however, I can only imagine the stifling effect it would impose on someone.”

“It seems obvious that readers want to identify with characters, but I never considered how all-white characters would affect African American students.”

“....Everyone referred to these books (All Things Fall Apart and the Autobiography of Frederick Douglas) as books about black people. When we read books like Romeo and Juliet, The Doll House or Mac Beth no one thought of these as being white because it was normal to read about these types of Caucasian characters.”

“ I know as an African-American child in the classroom, that you rarely ever see African-Americans or any other minority depicted as normal people... It was very hard to relate to the books that we had to read... Sometimes it would feel like I was out of place.”

“ It makes sense on a very personal level for me that African American children struggle to establish their own identity as people who can and especially who are EXPECTED to succeed when so much of what they are exposed to suggests otherwise.”

“I can definitely see how an African-American child would feel left out and confused if they only see white characters in the books they read. Growing up, I felt much the same way about the lack of disabled children in stories. I use to feel like I was made wrong because I rarely saw any characters in wheelchairs.”

“ We should not just be reading books with black main characters, and books written by black authors just because black students are feeling left out, but because all students should be subjected to books by authors of every race and culture.”

“Bringing culturally diverse literature in a classroom brings culturally diverse knowledge to all students. Since knowledge is power, we will be empowering our students with cultural diversity and tolerance.”

“ While this article doesn't really talk about it, I have seen figures that suggest that by 2020, Hispanics will make up a larger part of the U.S. population than do African Americans.... While good Hispanic literature would probably be even harder to find than good African American literature, the point is the same, find all that you can and make it available to your students.”

The final part of the session will have participants watch the following video:

youtube

In this video, the speaker, Grace Lin, compares books to mirrors and windows. She details her own personal experiences with the lack of books that showcased her Asian culture and how as a result, she always tried to erase that part of herself growing up. The purpose of showing this video is to showcase a personal experience of someone who was deprived of seeing themselves within a book, but also showcase the effect that this lack of multicultural literature had on the people around her. In this case, it shows that multicultural literature is not only important for the children who need to find themselves in a book, but the importance of allowing other children to see the representations of their peers and other cultures through literature.

After the video, participants will be asked to come up with an idea for a children’s book they would want to write. They will be asked to describe the plot and detail any characters that will be included in the book. They will need to identify the purpose for the book as well as why they would want to write it. Finally, to relate the activity to the video, they should answer the question “How will this book be used as a mirror or a window for children?”

Materials/Equipment:

The reading materials that have been provided as links and in the reference section.

The quotes printed on pieces of paper.

Post-Its

A projector to screen the video to the class.

References:

Colby, S. A., & Lyon, A. F. (2004). Heightening awarness about the importance of using multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 11(3), 24-28. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/216508634?accountid=10216

Hefflin, B. R., & Barksdale-Ladd, M. A. (2001). African American children's literature that helps students find themselves: Selection guidelines for Grades K-3. The Reading Teacher, 54(8), 810-819. Retrieved December 3, 2017, from http://www.soe.vt.edu/tandl/pdf/Barksdale/Publication_Barksdale_HefflinBL.pdf

The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf|Grace Lin|TEDxNatick [Video file]. (2016, March 18). Retrieved December 3, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wQ8wiV3FVo&t=638s

#lesson #part one #multicultural literaure #multicultural children's literature #equity #equity project

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