Module 7

Module 7: Diversity in Children's Literature

• •  Identify multicultural themes taught through children's literature

  • Design a read aloud lesson plan that teaches a specific multicultural lesson

  • Explore bias and representation in childrenʻs literature

  • Identify ways teachers can avoid bias and encourage acceptance through literature

It is important for teachers to spend time thinking about how they can most effectively raise complex issues such as racism, bias, stereotyping, bullying, and exclusion with their students. Educators should keep in mind that these conversations should not be limited to special programs and holidays or in response to a hate or bias incident. Instead, messages about understanding and respect should be a part of everyday business in the classroom. Creating inclusive, respectful classrooms is an ongoing effort and working for social justice is a life-long endeavor. Read alouds often provide a non-threatening platform in which to broach sensitive issues and topics.

    In this module, you will be designing a read aloud lesson plan to teach a specific issue relating to multi-cultural education and diversity.  The chosen read aloud book can discuss any topic under the umbrella of multi-cultural education including but not limited to: bullying, racism, stereotyping, cultural differences, bias, socio-economic status, educational equality, physical and spiritual differences, and acceptance.

    In addition to designing your own read aloud lesson plan, we will also look at the issue of gender bias and how it appears in children's books.  As the introductory video suggests and your reading will support, we often see issues of gender or racial bias and stereotypes perpetuated in the common children's characters and books that surround us.  You may or may not agree with the material presented, however the goal is to consider the concepts shared and then decide as a future teacher, what are some steps you might take in order to avoid these stereotypes and bias in the classroom.

    A lesson is a relatively brief instructional sequence that focuses on one or a few objectives.  When students master the objectives of the lesson, they are ready to move on to the next lesson within your unit.  A unit is a cluster of lessons that fall under one topic and focuses on several goals and objectives.  When writing objectives teachers should ask themselves, "what should my students be able to do by the end of this lesson" and be able to articulate this within the lesson plan.  Common Core or HCPSIII standards are what guide lessons and units.  These are the base that provide the "goals" for instruction.  Teachers will align their assessment choices with these standards to evaluate whether or not students have met the goals by the end of the lesson and unit.  Overall, teachers want to be sure that they are making learning meaningful and relevant for their students.  In this module, we will delve deeper in to lesson planning, and you will be designing your own plan for this week's assignment.

1.  View the video clip above: Why Diverse Childrenʻs Books are Good Tools

• What does this video clip say about using childrenʻs books to teach about diversity?

• Why is it important to introduce a varied selection of books with messages about diversity?

2.  Read Article: Multicultural Education in Children's Literature

• What does the author say about using children's books to teach multicultural themes?

• How might you incorporate read alouds in your own classroom?

3.  Read Aloud Lesson Plan: See the Lesson Plan Template and Rubric in Assignment Tab

• You will be designing a read aloud lesson plan following the template.  You will first identify a piece of literature (picture book, or poem) that you could read aloud in a classroom of students.  Remember that this is a read aloud - so chapter books would not be conducive for this lesson plan. 

• This is meant to be taught in one reading block, therefore it is not ideal for chapter books.  This should be a quick read aloud or poem if you are aiming upper secondary.

• Think about the overarching multicultural message, lesson or moral of the story.  

• What will students be able to do as a result of this read aloud lesson?  

• You will also think of a follow-up or extension activity.  

• View the rubric to see how you will be graded.  

• Also see student samples (in assignment tab) for an idea of what the lesson might look like.  

• You may choose to submit this lesson as either a Word document, PDF or a Power Point - however must be converted to PDF before you submit.  You must follow the template.  Submit through laulima assignments by due date.

4.   Familiarize yourself with the Leeward Lib Guide

Leeward Community College Library has also created a lib-guide to show you different ways to find books in our system and in the public library system.  It is a helpful site to help you think about the book you will use and how to locate it.  Below is a video from the lib-guide to show you one way to search.  Here is the LINK to the lib-guide itself.

5.  Start selecting Common Core Standards for your lesson

HERE IS A LINK TO THE COMMON CORE SITE.  This will link you to the HIDOE working document.  Scroll to the page where standards begin (see image above)

• Select your grade level

• Select Reading Literature

• Your standards for this lesson plan and your selected grade level will appear, and this is where you choose from.

• Read through the various language arts standards for the grade level youʻve selected.  Choose no more than 3 standards you will target for this lesson.

• Once you select your standards, turn them in to I Can statements.

Example: Strand: Reading Literature//Topic: Key Ideas/ 

K.RL.1:  

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

I can ask and answer questions about important things in the book.

***The key is taking the common core standards, and translating them into student-friendly I-can statements.

***A NOTE ON LESSON AND UNIT PLANNING:

• Donʻt choose too many standards/benchmarks.  Choose a few that are attainable by the end of the lesson.

• Choosing many benchmarks does not make a lesson plan stronger, it makes the achievement of all benchmarks/standards by the end of lesson a more difficult task for both Student and Teacher

• Save the cute font for letter writing and face book posting - in any academic paper, use a standard font such as Times New Roman

• Since this is a Read Aloud lesson, you will use CCSS (Common Core State Standards) not HCPSIII

6.  View resources relating to multicultural literature and the read aloud lesson

Power Point:  Introduction to Read Aloud

Reading List:  Anti-bias Education - Books that teach topics such as:

Culture & Language

Racial Identity

Gender Roles

Economic Class

Abilities & Disabilities

Family Structure

Activism

Article:  Multicultural Education in Children's Literature

This article gives brief descriptions of many different children's books that teach multicultural themes

7.  View video clip:  Thunder Boy Jr.

• What does the author of this book say about his purpose for writing the book?

• What does he say about identity and names?

• How might you use this book in your own teaching?

8.  Read more about Choosing Culturally Responsive Books for the classroom - Click below:

9.  Read Article: Gender Bias in Children's Literature

10.  Click below to learn more about teaching young students about Bias, Social Justice and Diversity through children's books:

 In thinking ahead to your future classrooms, you will have to design creative ways to approach sensitive topics.  Issues surrounding bullying, racism, cultural differences, physical appearance, acceptance, gender bias, and stereotypes are all challenging topics to present to a classroom of students.  Using literature to teach these concepts can prove to be a helpful and powerful teaching strategy.  Designing effective before, during and after reading questions help students stay engaged and develop their understandings of the  multicultural concepts taught in the book.  Lastly, creating a meaningful extension activity that extends the learning and  increases comprehension solidifies the concepts taught.  Overall, using children's literature is an effective and non-threatening way to approach difficult topics among students.

• • Supplemental video- Stand and Deliver

  • Ideas for thematic units http://www.theteacherscorner.net/thematicunits/index.htm/

  • Hawai’i Department of Education (HIDOE)Standards toolkit http://standardstoolkit.k12.hi.us/index.html

  • Leeward CC - Online Learning Resources

  • Leeward CC- Writing Center

  • Leeward CC- Learning Resource Center

Social Class and Educational Equality