According to Dhonielle Clayton, COO of We Need Diverse Books, rather than highlighting books for their diversity, a more inclusive approach is to highlight diverse books. For example, when creating a Valentine's Day display include books about all types of love. When highlighting a specific genre, display books by all kinds of authors with all kinds of characters.
Highlight diverse books, as opposed to highlighting books for their diversity.
Valentine's Day display include books about all types of love.
specific genre, display books by all kinds of authors with all kinds of characters.
TIPS:
Read each book before you use it, to make sure it fits what you want to teach.
Make sure you know how to pronounce all words that you are not familiar with.
When evaluating your collection and looking for new reads, consider Zaretta Hammond's framework:
Awareness: recognize your own cultural lens
Learning partnerships: help students create a positive mindset
Information processing: help students process new content using read alouds
Community of learners and learning environment: ask students what stories you are missing from your library and what stories they would like to see
from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
Look to see if the author/illustrator has a webpage to find more background information.