As the semester comes to a close, it's important to reflect on just where we've come from, and what critical literacy means to us. For this future educator, critical literacy has three major tenets which include analyzing texts, formulating discussions (creating space), and relating ideas to self or world. I think that these three things come in different stages, and can be approached using different techniques at the different grade levels that I may teach. Here is the break down:
Analyzing Books:
Critical and powerful readers will constantly be looking for stereotypes in books. For examples, are the children in books always assumed to come from two parent, heterosexual homes? Are both parents white if the child looks white? These are questions that we oftentimes take for granted when reading children's books. However, it is important that we take the time to choose texts which have a deeper meaning, and show characters who are truly different, and who kids can relate to. One the same note, as "10 Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism" by the Council for Interracial Books for Children, we must ensure that the characters in books don't simply serve as "token" characters, such as the "token" African American or Asian child, but rather they play an important or major role in the book.
Formulating Discussions:
With all texts, it is important for readers to express how they are feeling about a certain issue, and for teachers to create space for discussions around cultural and social justice issues. For example, in an earlier post I discussed how one of my students talked about the importance of whale blubber in the book "Whale's Song" when the discussion came up about killing whales. This completely unprompted comment/discussion by the class is exactly what any educator would like in their classroom.
When looking at books with social justice issues, it's always important to allow for students to have a follow up activity, whether it be a journal or drawing for the younger students, or maybe a research project for the intermediate or upper grades. One great example of this in my current school is the idea around homelessness in the DC area. The past few weeks, our class has been reading books about homelessness, and had some mini discussions about what it would be like to be homeless, and what are some ways we can help (including treating them with respect etc.) The past few weeks culminated with three gentlemen from the National Coalition of the Homeless coming to our school to speak to the students. WIth this discussion, the books we read have come alive, and students can see real life people, almost like the characters in the books, talk to them about their struggles and hardships. Things such as these discussions are vital to creating space for critical literacy.
Relating to Self:
Finally, critical literacy is about the reader taking something personal away from the text or the discussion. Whether this be a newly discovered fact, or a passion to explore something more, every piece of knowledge gained is important. Sometimes this means looking at books from another angle, or creating an alternate version, much like we are doing in this class. We often look at fairy tales such as Cinderalla and see this view of the main characters, but what are the other characters doing, how are they feeling and what are they thinking? In my alternate text, I decided to write it from the view of the King in "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters." In this, we can see the decision making process of the King and his hopes to find a wife that is not only pretty on the outside, but one that is also caring and compassionate towards other people.
Therefore, relating the book back to themselves, and attempting to light a spark in your students for future discussions or action is extremely important. This is the "buy in" and how teachers have to appeal to students that what they are learning is important, and that they should pay attention.
In conclusion, critical literacy boils down to getting beyond the surface of the book, and analyzing the real issues that are present. It means asking tough questions about not only the books themselves, but why we read what we read. Why are we reading stories where white boys and girls are the main characters? Why do the characters always have a mommy and a daddy? As educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that our students are presented texts which reflect the real world, and bring to light situations and people that they will eventually encounter, and prepare them to welcome diversity with open arms.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Alternate Cinderalla Text
So I'm in the process of writing an alternate Cinderalla story for my class. My idea is to take it from the Prince's view, rather than the Cinderalla view. Here are my thoughts so far
- Introduce the Prince
- Prince is going to a ball and really needs a date
- Meets very pretty girl, and invites her to the ball
- Prince is excited, and picks out nice suit, buys flowers etc.
- Goes to girls house to pick her up for the ball, and she's not there
-Prince meets the pretty girls sister, and asks her if she wants to go
- Sister agrees, and escorts the prince to the ball
- Prince thinks the girl is pretty, but really not as pretty as the sister
- They dance, have a great time, and Prince says that he really likes sister
- Says that although his first impression wasn't great, he really likes her, and enjoys her funniness, and being down to Earth
The biggest challenge for me is going to be the illustrations, as I'm a terrible artists. I may think about alternate ways to do this, like computer graphics or something. If you have suggestions, please let me know, as I'll be working on this over the course of the next month or so.
- Introduce the Prince
- Prince is going to a ball and really needs a date
- Meets very pretty girl, and invites her to the ball
- Prince is excited, and picks out nice suit, buys flowers etc.
- Goes to girls house to pick her up for the ball, and she's not there
-Prince meets the pretty girls sister, and asks her if she wants to go
- Sister agrees, and escorts the prince to the ball
- Prince thinks the girl is pretty, but really not as pretty as the sister
- They dance, have a great time, and Prince says that he really likes sister
- Says that although his first impression wasn't great, he really likes her, and enjoys her funniness, and being down to Earth
The biggest challenge for me is going to be the illustrations, as I'm a terrible artists. I may think about alternate ways to do this, like computer graphics or something. If you have suggestions, please let me know, as I'll be working on this over the course of the next month or so.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Halloween
On the day before Halloween, my second grade students were fortunate enough to have a "pumpkin patch" at our school provided by the PTA. The afternoon was filled with pumpkin decorating, trick or treating, and of course educational math games with pumpkin seeds and pieces of candy. This got me thinking...what does Halloween really mean to these kids? It means getting candy, dressing up in costume, and most of all...an excuse to act silly for one, two, maybe three days. However, the roots of Halloween, and its inception to being an actual Holiday are rooted in many different cultures from around the world.
In reality, Halloween traces itself back to the Celtics from Ireland. This holiday, was meant to mark the separation of two different times of the year, Beltrane (May 1) and Samhain (Nov 1). The Celtics believed that Samhain was the time when the things separating the two worlds became very thin, and the ability for evil spirits to enter our world from theirs came eerily true. This led to the Druids (Celtic priests) conducting certain rituals and prayers to ensure that their world would stay safe, and that the evil spirits would be turned away and cast back to the underworld. These rituals included dressing up, chanting, and lots of prayer to protect their world.
So...how exactly did we get to where we are today with corporations such as Hershey and Nestle making millions off of the festive day (not even mentioning the profits on costumes!). The modern day trick-or-treating comes from Samhain, which was the highest night of demonic jubilation. During this time, people would return to houses which they formerly lived in and the present day dwellers would present them with fruits and goods so that they would leave them alone...sound familiar?
I know what you're saying...how does this relate to children's literacy? Well, like many holidays it is important that we, as teachers, educate our children around the history of holidays, and why they have come to existence. Why are they important? Who developed this holiday? How has it changed over the course of the past hundred or so years? These are all questions which could be posed to our students to begin to have them think about the holiday. This is the rare opportunity for us to turn the table and have a teachable moment with students around a holiday that so many of them enjoy. So, in addition to reading books like Pumpkin Eye, or the Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything, add a little history. For older grades, have them research the historical meaning of Halloween and how it has changed. Do something fun, and educational to celebrate the holiday!
In reality, Halloween traces itself back to the Celtics from Ireland. This holiday, was meant to mark the separation of two different times of the year, Beltrane (May 1) and Samhain (Nov 1). The Celtics believed that Samhain was the time when the things separating the two worlds became very thin, and the ability for evil spirits to enter our world from theirs came eerily true. This led to the Druids (Celtic priests) conducting certain rituals and prayers to ensure that their world would stay safe, and that the evil spirits would be turned away and cast back to the underworld. These rituals included dressing up, chanting, and lots of prayer to protect their world.
So...how exactly did we get to where we are today with corporations such as Hershey and Nestle making millions off of the festive day (not even mentioning the profits on costumes!). The modern day trick-or-treating comes from Samhain, which was the highest night of demonic jubilation. During this time, people would return to houses which they formerly lived in and the present day dwellers would present them with fruits and goods so that they would leave them alone...sound familiar?
I know what you're saying...how does this relate to children's literacy? Well, like many holidays it is important that we, as teachers, educate our children around the history of holidays, and why they have come to existence. Why are they important? Who developed this holiday? How has it changed over the course of the past hundred or so years? These are all questions which could be posed to our students to begin to have them think about the holiday. This is the rare opportunity for us to turn the table and have a teachable moment with students around a holiday that so many of them enjoy. So, in addition to reading books like Pumpkin Eye, or the Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything, add a little history. For older grades, have them research the historical meaning of Halloween and how it has changed. Do something fun, and educational to celebrate the holiday!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Banned Books...Justified or Knee-Jerk?
"It's not just the books under fire right now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers." - Judy Blume
The issue around banned or challenged books has been around for quite some time. In determining the curriculum, and what literature should be read by students, some texts are challenged by teachers, administrators or parents because of the topic or issues that are presented. I was surprised to do some research, both at my current school and online, and found that some popular titles have been challenged or banned. One example of this is the popular series Harry Potter, by JK Rowling.
The reason behind banning Harry Potter from schools is the idea that it encourages witchcraft and disobedience to social and cultural norms. As Harry progresses through his years at Hogwart's, the readers are able to see a boy who starts of timid and malleable turn into a strong young man, clearly capable of handling even the most wretched of evil-doers (he who shall not be named!) In the opinion of this blogger, texts like these are crucial to the creative development of students, and the expansion of one's imagination. By entering this "Potter realm" students (and adults) are able to step out of the stresses of everyday life and walk alongside Harry as he challenges adversity.
The most widely banned book by the American Library Association in 2006 was "An Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This book explores the issue around same sex couples, and how two male penguins come to raise a baby penguin at the zoo. The book was banned because of the issues of homosexuality. WAIT...it was banned because of the ISSUES around homosexuality? I'm sorry, but we're in 2007, isn't it time for all people to be afforded the same rights? Rather than shying away from texts that explore same sex couples, shouldn't we be embracing and educating our students about diverse families. I know that in the school that I'm in, there are numerous children from same sex homes who are cared for and loved just like any child. Shouldn't we do justice to these children to make sure that their background and upbringing are explored as well?
Banned books is clearly a hot issue in children's literature, and will remain controversial just as long as censorship is present. I am not a proponent of having a free for all on what texts are being used in the classroom. Obviously the most gruesome and vulgar texts should remain outside of the classroom. However, when texts are banned and the reason for the ban is "issues around homosexuality" or "unsuited to age group," the decision should really be challenged. As educators, it is our duty to present texts that explore the diverse backgrounds of our families, communities and country. To ban books isn't doing the children any justice, its just making them ignorant to the world around them. Rather than banning books, why not educate students around the issues that are being presented, and in older grades, challenge the texts. Have students write about the stereotypes that are present, and how the author could have better explained their point without using staunch exaggerations and manipulating the truth to make it more appealing to their readers.
The issue around banned or challenged books has been around for quite some time. In determining the curriculum, and what literature should be read by students, some texts are challenged by teachers, administrators or parents because of the topic or issues that are presented. I was surprised to do some research, both at my current school and online, and found that some popular titles have been challenged or banned. One example of this is the popular series Harry Potter, by JK Rowling.
The reason behind banning Harry Potter from schools is the idea that it encourages witchcraft and disobedience to social and cultural norms. As Harry progresses through his years at Hogwart's, the readers are able to see a boy who starts of timid and malleable turn into a strong young man, clearly capable of handling even the most wretched of evil-doers (he who shall not be named!) In the opinion of this blogger, texts like these are crucial to the creative development of students, and the expansion of one's imagination. By entering this "Potter realm" students (and adults) are able to step out of the stresses of everyday life and walk alongside Harry as he challenges adversity.
The most widely banned book by the American Library Association in 2006 was "An Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This book explores the issue around same sex couples, and how two male penguins come to raise a baby penguin at the zoo. The book was banned because of the issues of homosexuality. WAIT...it was banned because of the ISSUES around homosexuality? I'm sorry, but we're in 2007, isn't it time for all people to be afforded the same rights? Rather than shying away from texts that explore same sex couples, shouldn't we be embracing and educating our students about diverse families. I know that in the school that I'm in, there are numerous children from same sex homes who are cared for and loved just like any child. Shouldn't we do justice to these children to make sure that their background and upbringing are explored as well?
Banned books is clearly a hot issue in children's literature, and will remain controversial just as long as censorship is present. I am not a proponent of having a free for all on what texts are being used in the classroom. Obviously the most gruesome and vulgar texts should remain outside of the classroom. However, when texts are banned and the reason for the ban is "issues around homosexuality" or "unsuited to age group," the decision should really be challenged. As educators, it is our duty to present texts that explore the diverse backgrounds of our families, communities and country. To ban books isn't doing the children any justice, its just making them ignorant to the world around them. Rather than banning books, why not educate students around the issues that are being presented, and in older grades, challenge the texts. Have students write about the stereotypes that are present, and how the author could have better explained their point without using staunch exaggerations and manipulating the truth to make it more appealing to their readers.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Local Library Observation
I recently had the chance to sit back in a DC Public Library and browse the shelves to see what readers were being offered in terms of good diverse books, that addressed the needs of the neighborhood, and the readers. On this approach, I wanted to compare the same books that I blogged about in my Barnes and Noble experience, and see if they were dually available in this public library. Surprisingly most of them were available. There were a few that I was told were "out on loan" or that they could get from another DC Public Library. The availability of these books, and across the whole public library system was fairly up to par, and what I was expecting.
Like any place, these books hadn't been pulled from the shelves as some sort of feature or spotlight books, but they were certainly easily accessible with the other fiction books on the shelves. What I found interesting was that some of the books were labled as "MLK Day" or "Hispanic Heritage" which clearly indicated, to me at least, that these books at some point were part of a showcase for a particular day. I think that holidays or observances such as these (two for example) are vital for highlighting certain cultures, and tradtions that oftentimes aren't part of mainstream curiculum.
Being in DC, I had expected to see many books about diverstiy, and the different cultures that exist, however I feel that too often "diverse" books are based on skin color, or background. It is the opinion of this blogger, that there aren't enough teachers out there willing to introduce topics such as same gender parent households, or socio-economic status. Decades ago, it would have been taboo to read a text with a biracial family, but those times are done. It's time now to take another step and realize that situations such as the two examples are present in our society and are welcomed with open arms (in some cases). We must identify them, and allow the next generation (our students) to embrace the differences in family structure, or socio economic class and come to realize that its not wrong, just different...and difference is good!
Like any place, these books hadn't been pulled from the shelves as some sort of feature or spotlight books, but they were certainly easily accessible with the other fiction books on the shelves. What I found interesting was that some of the books were labled as "MLK Day" or "Hispanic Heritage" which clearly indicated, to me at least, that these books at some point were part of a showcase for a particular day. I think that holidays or observances such as these (two for example) are vital for highlighting certain cultures, and tradtions that oftentimes aren't part of mainstream curiculum.
Being in DC, I had expected to see many books about diverstiy, and the different cultures that exist, however I feel that too often "diverse" books are based on skin color, or background. It is the opinion of this blogger, that there aren't enough teachers out there willing to introduce topics such as same gender parent households, or socio-economic status. Decades ago, it would have been taboo to read a text with a biracial family, but those times are done. It's time now to take another step and realize that situations such as the two examples are present in our society and are welcomed with open arms (in some cases). We must identify them, and allow the next generation (our students) to embrace the differences in family structure, or socio economic class and come to realize that its not wrong, just different...and difference is good!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Fun Children's Literacy/Literature Pages
I've come across quite a few interesting Children's Literature web sites, and figured that I would share them with you, and why I found them interesting:
Database of Award Winning Children's Literature (by Lisa Bartle)
http://www.dawcl.com
This web site is truly amazing. It gives the viewer the opportunity to sort through, and search thousands of children's literature texts. Through this site, you can search for texts based upon age, genre, award, time period and many more. This is a vital resource for teachers of any age, and can save so much time and resources when trying to pick out those "Just Right" books for our students.
American Library Association: Caldecott Medal Page
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.htm
This site lists and describes all the Caldecott Medal recipients from its inception. This site lists the Honor Books as well, and gives a good insight into what the book is about, and how you could effectively use it in the classroom.
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Page
http://www.carolhurst.com/
What an amazing site. This site showcases, a "featured texts" which pulls from the books in its database and highlights the content and benefits of using the books that are featured. This offers a great search function, and also allows educators to search through lesson plans to help them plan for an effective lesson on the book.
Random House
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/
The tabbed feature at the top of the page allows for easy navigation of the page based upon grade level, as well as a master index of awards and teacher resources. Pages such as this allow educators to search through categorized texts in which the work has already been done! Too often time is spent on choosing a book and trying to figure out the level of the book, rather than identifying key themes to the text and such.
BookHive
http://www.bookhive.org/
The BookHive website was really appealing to the eye, with its bright colors and easy to navigate website. This site allowed the user to search a variety of categories, and listed detailed descriptions and pictures of the books that were featured. Much like the other sites, it allowed a filter to search for award winning books as well.
These websites were particularly interesting, and appealing to me because of the content that they offered, and the idea that it can really aid educators in finding a text that will be useful in their classroom. However, in the opinion of this future educator, picking a book is the easy part. The challenging part is having the book come alive in your classroom, and allow every reader (even the most withdrawn) to be actively engaged.
Ways to engage students in reading and learning can be anything from writing their own short story, to storytelling, and having an engaged read aloud. Participation during the read aloud is one of the most vital aspects of this tool. The kids love making sounds (Woo-Hoo of an owl, as I did in the book Owl Moon), or being able to "turn and talk" to their reading partners with a prompt given by the teacher.
As the title of my blog indicates, Reading is FUN, and its the job of the teacher to ensure that every student loves, and is engaged in reading.
Database of Award Winning Children's Literature (by Lisa Bartle)
http://www.dawcl.com
This web site is truly amazing. It gives the viewer the opportunity to sort through, and search thousands of children's literature texts. Through this site, you can search for texts based upon age, genre, award, time period and many more. This is a vital resource for teachers of any age, and can save so much time and resources when trying to pick out those "Just Right" books for our students.
American Library Association: Caldecott Medal Page
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.htm
This site lists and describes all the Caldecott Medal recipients from its inception. This site lists the Honor Books as well, and gives a good insight into what the book is about, and how you could effectively use it in the classroom.
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Page
http://www.carolhurst.com/
What an amazing site. This site showcases, a "featured texts" which pulls from the books in its database and highlights the content and benefits of using the books that are featured. This offers a great search function, and also allows educators to search through lesson plans to help them plan for an effective lesson on the book.
Random House
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/
The tabbed feature at the top of the page allows for easy navigation of the page based upon grade level, as well as a master index of awards and teacher resources. Pages such as this allow educators to search through categorized texts in which the work has already been done! Too often time is spent on choosing a book and trying to figure out the level of the book, rather than identifying key themes to the text and such.
BookHive
http://www.bookhive.org/
The BookHive website was really appealing to the eye, with its bright colors and easy to navigate website. This site allowed the user to search a variety of categories, and listed detailed descriptions and pictures of the books that were featured. Much like the other sites, it allowed a filter to search for award winning books as well.
These websites were particularly interesting, and appealing to me because of the content that they offered, and the idea that it can really aid educators in finding a text that will be useful in their classroom. However, in the opinion of this future educator, picking a book is the easy part. The challenging part is having the book come alive in your classroom, and allow every reader (even the most withdrawn) to be actively engaged.
Ways to engage students in reading and learning can be anything from writing their own short story, to storytelling, and having an engaged read aloud. Participation during the read aloud is one of the most vital aspects of this tool. The kids love making sounds (Woo-Hoo of an owl, as I did in the book Owl Moon), or being able to "turn and talk" to their reading partners with a prompt given by the teacher.
As the title of my blog indicates, Reading is FUN, and its the job of the teacher to ensure that every student loves, and is engaged in reading.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Saturday Afternoon at Barnes and Noble
This past Saturday I was able to spend a good amount of time in the Barnes and Noble in downtown Bethesda, MD. The heart of this affluent DC suburb was bustling with families running their weekend errands, grabbing their afternoon coffee, or simply going out for a walk in the posh downtown area. The bookstore was just as happening as the sidewalks outside. I quickly found the children's book section, and began to scour the area for diverse, multicultural books.
I looked....and looked....and found quite a few titles which seemed to be fairly multicultural, and one's that I would especially like to use in my classroom. Here are the names and titles of those books:
Black is Brown is Tan
Adoff, A
Amazing Grace
Hoffman, M
Are you There God, its me Margaret
Blume, J
Going Home
Bunting, E
Is there really a human race?
Curtis, J
Ruby's Wish
Bridges, S
It's Okay to Be Different
Parr, T
If the World Were a Village
Smith
These texts were all locacted in the children's section of the book store, in the picture books section. What was interesting was that they are all somewhat scattered around, some out of place, others right where they had belonged. My initial thoughts in going into the bookstore, would be that I could ask an associate (bookseller) about where the multicultural children's section was...but quickly found that I would be presented with a blank stare, and told to rummage through the regular picture book shelves for anything that I may be looking for. As a future teacher, I would think that bookstores would take multicultural books out, and place them in their own section so that teachers, parents, and kids could easily access them and learn from them.
Along with the books themselves, the authors who write them seemed to be multicultural as well, from what I could tell. After reading the inside sleeve, it was sometimes hard tell the background of the author, and in that case, Google came in very handy. I find that the most credible people to write a childrens book on a certain subject are those people who can directly relate to what they are writing about. For example, if an author was to write about a biracial child, I would find it more helpful, and credible if the author themself was biracial, or had a child who was biracial. That is simply this bloggers opinion. However, in all these texts the portrayl of the characters was fairly accurate. One of my goals going into the observation was to see if I could find consistent stereotypes, such as that we have discussed in "Loud Lipped Lucy." Luckily, none were found, at least in the books that I browsed through.
As always I think that multicultural/ social justice literature is vital introduce to students at the earliest age. This type of literature will be sure to build a firm foundation for tolerance, understanding, and accuracy in their judgements. This bookstore, although in a highly white, affluent suburb was suprisingly full of multicultural texts and stories of people from different backgrounds.
I looked....and looked....and found quite a few titles which seemed to be fairly multicultural, and one's that I would especially like to use in my classroom. Here are the names and titles of those books:
Black is Brown is Tan
Adoff, A
Amazing Grace
Hoffman, M
Are you There God, its me Margaret
Blume, J
Going Home
Bunting, E
Is there really a human race?
Curtis, J
Ruby's Wish
Bridges, S
It's Okay to Be Different
Parr, T
If the World Were a Village
Smith
These texts were all locacted in the children's section of the book store, in the picture books section. What was interesting was that they are all somewhat scattered around, some out of place, others right where they had belonged. My initial thoughts in going into the bookstore, would be that I could ask an associate (bookseller) about where the multicultural children's section was...but quickly found that I would be presented with a blank stare, and told to rummage through the regular picture book shelves for anything that I may be looking for. As a future teacher, I would think that bookstores would take multicultural books out, and place them in their own section so that teachers, parents, and kids could easily access them and learn from them.
Along with the books themselves, the authors who write them seemed to be multicultural as well, from what I could tell. After reading the inside sleeve, it was sometimes hard tell the background of the author, and in that case, Google came in very handy. I find that the most credible people to write a childrens book on a certain subject are those people who can directly relate to what they are writing about. For example, if an author was to write about a biracial child, I would find it more helpful, and credible if the author themself was biracial, or had a child who was biracial. That is simply this bloggers opinion. However, in all these texts the portrayl of the characters was fairly accurate. One of my goals going into the observation was to see if I could find consistent stereotypes, such as that we have discussed in "Loud Lipped Lucy." Luckily, none were found, at least in the books that I browsed through.
As always I think that multicultural/ social justice literature is vital introduce to students at the earliest age. This type of literature will be sure to build a firm foundation for tolerance, understanding, and accuracy in their judgements. This bookstore, although in a highly white, affluent suburb was suprisingly full of multicultural texts and stories of people from different backgrounds.
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