MARESA Literacy Monthly: February Edition

 

Spotlight on the Essentials

TEXTS Reflecting Children's Backgrounds and Cultural Experiences

Essential 8, Bullet 2: The classroom includes books and other materials connected to children’s interests and that reflect children’s backgrounds and cultural experiences, including class- and child-made books. 

Have you ever read a text that made you feel like you were looking into a mirror?  The character was a representation of you and/or your life experience?  Maybe he/she shared a tradition, a style, a similar relationship.  This concept, often referred to as a mirror, allows us to connect to books and characters. We engage and fully comprehend because we have lived similarly.  All children deserve an opportunity to connect to texts in their classrooms and Essential 8, Bullet 2 guides us in our practice.  

Research has shown that when children read texts with characters and cultural themes that match their experience, they comprehend it more successfully.  View this 2-minute video from Dr. Nell Duke to learn more.  This month, we will share ways to increase the diversity of characters and themes in the text within your classroom.  It is an equitable thing to do as it allows all students to have the opportunity to engage in text that they can be successful with.  

For the Love of reading

Youtube read alouds Bring diverse characters into the classroom

One way to increase the diversity of characters and cultures within books is to incorporate quality read alouds found on Youtube.  When doing so, there are a few must do tips:

• Try to choose books that are written in #OwnVoice which is to say that the author is writing from his/her own perspective rather than an outside perspective.  

• Try to find the actual author doing the read aloud.  Powerful!

• Make sure that the read aloud has correct permissions from author and/or publisher. 

Many quality read alouds that offer a variety of characters and cultural backgrounds can be found on YouTube.  We will offer some here and invite you to share links you find by commenting below!  Here are a few to start your resource list:  

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda Child

Managing it all

How to Increase Text with Diverse Characters In Your Classroom!

Every teacher has a desire to do what is best for his/her students, yet financial resources are stretched thin!  If you are looking to add books to your classroom to make sure that many cultural backgrounds and experiences are represented, here are a few ideas:  

1. Include student and class-made books.  Let their own stories be honored!  Automatic cost savings and high interest text!

2. Organize a digital text collection that students can access while in the classroom or learning remotely.  

3. Put a wish list together and think of funding sources.  Is this something that your school or district could support with funds?  If not, what local businesses or organizations might provide funding?  Could a grant support this work? 

4. Visit MeL and your local library eBook collections

Engaging families

Name stories to honor families

        “Names are powerful because they reflect something about a child’s background.”

                                            -Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow 

Behind every student’s name in your classroom, is a story of love.  What better way to honor our families’ rich and diverse experiences than through sharing their child’s name story. 

Children’s literature is full of beautiful stories for beginning this conversation with students and families. The texts below can be read in class or during a family read-aloud on FaceBook Live, Zoom, or Google Meet. You can find any of the following texts on YouTube if you do not have access to the books. 

                                                     

• The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

• Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

• My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed.

• My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits

• Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal 

After reading any of the text above, see the ready-to-go family engagement activities for honoring every child’s background and story.

• K-1 Parent Letter & Writing Prompts

• Seesaw Name Story Family Interview    GO GO GABY! 

• 2-3 Parent Letter & Writing Prompts 

• Flipgrid (or without) Name Story Family Interview    GO GO GABY! 

• 4-5 Scholastic Family Interview Research & Graphic Organizer

• My Name Story ebook using Google Slides 

Go! Go! Gaby

It's a seesaw special

I know it is not fair to share something with some and not others, the truth is you can use any of this activities regardless of what tool you use!

This particular collection was made to be Seesaw friendly but don't let that stop you! Over 700 google slide templates you can use!

I do hope you enjoy, call me if you have any questions.

After you open de collection I recommend you save a shortcut to the original deck in your drive or bookmark it. Don't make a copy, that way you will always have the latest version.

Reading into things

Book Study coming soon!

Bringing books into the classroom that reflect children’s backgrounds and cultural experiences is a topic that deserves our full attention.  We will explore this further in a 3-part book MARESA book study:  Seeing Ourselves and Others in Our Classroom Library!   We will dive deep into the concept of books acting as mirrors while also exploring the concept of “windows” as text offers students an opportunity to learn about and develop an understanding of cultural experiences unlike their own.  SCHECHs will be offered.  Be on the lookout for registration information soon!