reading the world promoting awareness inclusivity and empathy
TRANSCRIPT
How can we heal our battered country? Will
we ever love each other? How can we
prevent this turmoil from happening again?
How can we improve the lives of everyone
and build a stronger global family together?
How can we celebrate our shared humanity
and abolish hate, violence, fear, and injustice
in our world?
“November 9th” –Nerdy Book Club, November 6, 2016
Many teachers--black, white, and “other”--harbor
unexamined prejudices about people from ethnic
groups or classes different from their own. This is
partly because teachers have been so conditioned by
the larger society’s negative stereotypes of certain
ethnic groups, and partly because they are never
given the opportunity to learn to value the
experiences of other groups.
(Delpit, 2006)
. Children who live in poverty are less likely to…
o Begin school with adequate early childhood literacy experiences like read alouds & vocabulary exposure.
o Attend schools with experienced, certified teachers & librarians.
o Attend schools with adequate school & classroom libraries.
o Live in neighborhoods with public libraries & bookstores.
o Own books at home.
o Receive literacy instruction delivered through test prep, scripted programs, basal textbooks, and worksheets instead of authentic literature.
o Experience gaps in schooling because of unstable housing, unemployment, and illness.
o Drop out of high school with poor literacy skills.
Children who live in poverty are more likely to…
.
Books in the home are as important as parents’
educational level in determining level of education children will attain.
–Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, June 2010
“Giving kids access to books may be one
of the most overlooked solutions to helping
ensure kids attend school with the tools
they need to succeed.”
“Where Books Are All But Nonexistent”
—The Atlantic, July 14, 2016
“No one is suggesting that people —
including children — should not be held
responsible for bringing books back.
People talk about the moral hazard. But
there’s also a moral hazard in teaching poor
kids that they will lose privileges to read,
and that kids who can afford fines will not.”
“Libraries Are Fining Children Who Can’t Afford to Be Without Books”
-The New York Times, May 4, 2017
“…providing self-selected
books for summer reading
produced as much or more
reading growth as attending
summer school! For the
poorest children the effect of
our summer book distribution
was twice as large as attending
summer school.”
(Allington & Mc-Gill Franzen, 2013)
Access to a full-time, degreed
school librarian increases students' test
scores, closes the achievement gap, and
improves writing skills.
(Lance, 2012)
“Citing DOE data, The Harlem Council of Elders found that 40 of the 46 schools in five Harlem
districts that qualified for librarian staffing didn’t have one.”
--“DOE Fails to Provide Harlem Schools With Librarians”–New York Post, August 4, 2017
“Although his light skin makes
him one of the world's
minorities, the white child learns
from his books that he is the
kingfish.”“The All-White World of Children’s Books” (Larrick, 1965)
“It’s no secret that every February, Black History
Month forces many educators scramble to develop
curriculum that celebrates the contributions of
African-Americans. However, we must take a step
back in order to leap forward and ensure that these
valuable legacies are celebrated all year round.
We must reflect upon our current practices.
Focusing on African-Americans primarily during
the month of February contributes to the
marginalization of people of African descent. Dr.
Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in
1925 as a starting point, knowing how racist the
nation was at the time.
If we are developing curriculum that reflects the
perspectives and contributions of all Americans, all
the time, there would be no need for
acknowledgement months. African-American
achievements, struggles, and perspectives, must be
weaved into the fabric of the curriculum all year
round and in every subject because they are
important and represent American history.
“Getting Beyond Black History Month” (Fakhrid-Deen, 2016)
ALA Awards Honoring Diverse Books
Coretta Scott King Award (African-American)
Pura Belpre’ Award (Latinx)
Asian/Pacific American Award (Asian and Pacific Islander)
American Indian Youth Literature Award (Native)
Schneider Family Award (Disability)
Stonewall Award (LGBTQ)
o Does your book list or collection include books with characters of color?
LGBTQ? Differently-abled?
o Does it include books with a main character of color? LGBTQ?
Differently-abled?
o Does it include books written or illustrated by a person of color? Of
different nationalities, religions or sexual preference?
o Are there any books with a person of color on the cover? Do the
characters on the book covers accurately reflect the characters in the
book?
o Think about your student population. Does your list provide a mix of
“mirror” books and “window” books for your students—books in which
they can see themselves reflected and books in which they can learn
about others?
o Think about the subject matter of your diverse books. Do all your books
featuring black characters focus on slavery? Do all your books about
Latino characters focus on immigration? Are all your LGBTQ books
coming out stories?
o Do you have any books featuring diverse characters that are not
primarily about race or prejudice?
o Consider your classic books, both fiction and nonfiction. Do
any contain hurtful racial or ethnic stereotypes , or images
(e.g. Little House on the Prairie or The Indian in the
Cupboard)? If so, how will you address those stereotypes
with students? Have you included another book that
provides a more accurate depiction of the same culture?
Bad libraries build collections,
good libraries build services,
great libraries build communities.
–R. David Lankes
Teach children about our
(ongoing) struggle for civil
rights and liberties, including
our voting rights.
Guiding Questions for
Examining Historical Events
Who are the people in your text?
How did they get involved in ___________?
What were the short term consequences
for them?
What were the long term consequences?