#ReadingBlackout: Children's Books Written by African American Authors Doing a YA Collection Diversity Audit: Understanding Your Local Community (Part 1) Tomorrow as part of the Library Journal/School Library Journal training on diversity Diversity and Cultural Competency Training: Collections & RA (which you should do), I will be doing a presentation on doing a diversity audit. I will outline what a diversity audit is, how to do one, and what I learned doing mine. I will be sharing parts of that presentation with you here tomorrow. As part of doing a diversity audit, I tried to develop an understanding of what a diverse/inclusive book collection might look like: I tried to develop target goals. This task was harder to conceptualize than I imagined; we all talk about the need for diverse YA collections but there isn’t a lot of discussion about what, exactly, that should look like in concrete terms. So as part of my research process I decided to do some community needs and assessment research. We can all tell you, informally and anecdotally, a lot about the local communities we serve. 1. Comprehensive Population Profile Political Leanings
Book List Jacqueline Woodson Latino & Multicultural Resources - Pat Mora On this page you'll find links to an extensive list of Latino Authors and Illustrators, resources for serving Latino children and families and more. Sampler of Latino Children's and YA Authors and IllustratorsBrowse the Sampler Publishing for the U.S.Latino PopulationRead now “Nation’s Population One-Third Minority” reads the headline of a news release from the U.S. Census Bureau dated May 10, 2006. The release states that Hispanics are the fastest-growing and largest group at 42.7 million. Aware that the U.S. I’d like to believe that although publishing is a business, many publishers are committed to sharing bookjoy and fostering a nation of readers. - Pat Mora, June, 2006 Creating Inclusive Schools Some questions to ask yourself, colleagues, administrators and community when thinking about creating inclusive schools.Read now Questions for reflection: Am I an active part of creating an inclusive school community, a community in which each person is valued? --Pat Mora Ada, Alma Flor.
Incombustible Ideas: The Subtle Bigotry of Book Banning by Jennifer LaGarde and Travis Crowder Books are powerful. They have the unique ability to transform, inspire, and educate, all while wrapping us in the singularly connective tissue of story. The ideas in books also have the potential to challenge the status quo, make us think differently, and encourage change in our world: a power which some find frightening. In her 2010 poem Manifesto, written in honor of Banned Books week, beloved young adult novelist Ellen Hopkins wrote, “A word to the unwise./ Torch every book./ Char every page./ Burn every word to ash./ Ideas are incombustible./ And therein lies your real fear.” Of all the books published in 2017, Angie Thomas’ debut novel, The Hate U Give, is one of the most celebrated. Recently, however, The Hate U Give has been in the news for another reason. The publishing world has long been faced with the challenge of producing and supporting titles that fully represent our diverse global family. This is where we come in. Access alone is not enough, though. Follow policy.
Black History, Sequential Art, and the Power of Representation *This post is part of our blog series on The World of the Black Panther. This series, edited by Julian Chambliss and Walter Greason, examines the Black Panther and the narrative world linked to the character in comics, animation, and film. Adequate—and accurate—representation of one’s culture is critical to any racial group’s collective self-esteem. Because we live in a visual society, images of people, events, religion, and places are often perceived as truth. These depictions, whether they are accurate or inaccurate, tend to define one’s reality—regardless of statistical truth. For people of African descent, it is essential that we become wise stewards of our own collective representation. Mainstream narratives in the media continue to portray Black people as void of a past—and future—they can call their own. The Black Panther film exemplifies the power of sequential art as a literary and visual medium. Copyright © AAIHS.
The Teaching Thief: Favorite Picture Books for Teaching Comprehension One of the first words my students learned this year was metacognition or thinking about your thinking. (I was pleased to see that some of my 3rd graders from last year remembered it!) I am a huge fan of Mosaic of Thought and Strategies that Work and use the Comprehension Toolkit frequently in my classroom to model and teach the comprehension strategies. I always start the year by introducing all the strategies using kid friendly language (connecting, guessing, picturing, wondering, noticing, and figuring out). It's amazing how quickly they are able to jump in the conversation with these simple sentence stems. Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor has great ideas for introducing each strategy in concrete ways. After a quick introduction of each strategy we start reading books together and sharing our thinking. Here is the anchor chart we made last week. I have found that book choice definitely matters when getting kids engaged and thinking deeply. Henry's Freedom Box
Hispanic Heritage Book Lists and Web Resources Book Lists These book lists and articles showcase Hispanic authors, illustrators, characters, and themes. Check out the Hispanic Heritage Month Book List for a collection of fiction and non-fiction novels and picture books all about Hispanic culture and themes. The Pura Belpré Award is presented every year to the Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work focuses on the Latino experience in a children's or young adult book. How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books is a compliation of advice from teachers, writers, and illustrators about how to find sensitive books that accurately portray a variety of cultures, including those of Hispanic heritage. Artist Carmen Lomas Garza brings Hispanic culture to life through her beautifully vivid paintings and reflections on her experiences growing up Hispanic. Author Pam Muñoz Ryan has written many books about Hispanic culture, including Esperanza Rising, Echo, and Becoming Naomi León. Web Resources
Why You Need to Diversify Your Diverse Books | Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain The other day, as I scrolled through my Twitter feed, I noticed that a lot of schools kicked off Black History Month with teachers, special guests, and even superintendents reading Black-themed books to groups of children. They posted pictures of a sea of brown, black, and white little faces, sitting cross-legged on the floor looking excited. The question I had was this: what were they reading to them? There’s an ongoing critique that too many of the culturally diverse books, especially those about African Americans, brought into our elementary and middle school classrooms are only about buses, boycotts, and basketball. In reality, Black life is diverse. So as we bring books into the classroom for Black History Month, we have to broaden our criteria for inclusion. Just look at Scholastic’s recent fiasco. The story never offers children a hint as to why it was not a “privilege” or a smiling affair to be enslaved. The School Library Journal called the book “highly problematic.” Canerow
Why children’s books that teach diversity are more important than ever If you think back to your childhood, what sticks with you? For many people, it’s those cosy times when they were cuddled up with a parent or grandparent, being read a story. But bedtime stories aren’t just lovely endings to the day or a way to induce sleep, they are also a safe way to experience and discuss all sorts of feelings and situations. So even when children think they’re just being told about an adorable bunny’s adventures, they are actually learning about the world around them. We know that children’s books can act like both mirrors and windows on the world. Research on prejudice shows that coming in contact with people who are different – so-called “others” – helps to reduce stereotypes. But while it may be ideal for children to actually meet people from different backgrounds in person, if that isn’t possible, books can serve as a first introduction to an outside world. Representing the world Role models But books aren’t just about “others”.