The topic Tony and I chose to explore is diversity in literature. I think diversity is an important topic that should be actively incorporated into every aspect of the classroom but that research pinterest board would be enormous and very daunting, which is why we just narrowed it down to the literature aspect of it. I remember being in school and hating the generic textbooks- I wanted to read books about far away place or better yet a book about a girl like me. I want my students to be able to explore and relate to different cultures so that when they do come face to face with diversity they know how to appreciate it instead of being confused. Our research will focus on a wide variety of cultures, races, and ethnicity so students can be exposed to as much as possible.
I know that I want to explore textbooks and articles about diversity in the class but I'm still searching for articles. I want to use Debbie Miller because I have read two of her books and like her approaches to literature. Miller thinks that giving student choices allows them to feel greatly empowered in their reading journey. I want to find ways to incorporate these choices with the diversity activities and books that we find. The texts I've read have only touched on Miller's stance on diversity in the classroom so I'm interested in seeing more of her opinion on the matter. Another book I want to re-explore is The Girl with the Brown Crayon: How Children Use Stories to Shape Their Lives. I remember reading this book and being inspired at how the kindergarten class was making such amazing connections to the Leo Lionni. I'm curious to see if the author Vivian Paley has any other articles, blogs, or books because I was inspired at how she created a year long author study at such a young age.
I am in a 6th grade class this semester for practicum and after spring break we will be diving into the book Esperanza Rising. This was one of the first book I truly connected with as a child. I remember asking my grandma if Mexico was really like how Esperanza described it and listening to her stories of growing up. I'm excited to see how my practicum teacher addresses the culture of the book while still having discussions about the normal literary aspects (metaphors, similes, tone, etc.). I will be teaching half of the class so it will give me an opportunity to test some of the activities and discussions I want to have in my classroom while having an experience teacher's opinion and help.
Our topic relates to many topics that we are covering in class. One big idea that goes with our topic is reading for meaning. By picking books the serve a great purpose (learning about diversity) students have to work hard to make connections and understand another culture's point of view, which will allow them to gain so much more from the text. Students will often have to explore outside the text to understand a character or to learn more about a country. These types of books can easily be incorporated into other lessons making students see how literature plays such a large role in the classroom. I can't wait to continue our research and see how incorporating diverstiy in literature can be an easy and beneficial thing to do.
I know that I want to explore textbooks and articles about diversity in the class but I'm still searching for articles. I want to use Debbie Miller because I have read two of her books and like her approaches to literature. Miller thinks that giving student choices allows them to feel greatly empowered in their reading journey. I want to find ways to incorporate these choices with the diversity activities and books that we find. The texts I've read have only touched on Miller's stance on diversity in the classroom so I'm interested in seeing more of her opinion on the matter. Another book I want to re-explore is The Girl with the Brown Crayon: How Children Use Stories to Shape Their Lives. I remember reading this book and being inspired at how the kindergarten class was making such amazing connections to the Leo Lionni. I'm curious to see if the author Vivian Paley has any other articles, blogs, or books because I was inspired at how she created a year long author study at such a young age.
I am in a 6th grade class this semester for practicum and after spring break we will be diving into the book Esperanza Rising. This was one of the first book I truly connected with as a child. I remember asking my grandma if Mexico was really like how Esperanza described it and listening to her stories of growing up. I'm excited to see how my practicum teacher addresses the culture of the book while still having discussions about the normal literary aspects (metaphors, similes, tone, etc.). I will be teaching half of the class so it will give me an opportunity to test some of the activities and discussions I want to have in my classroom while having an experience teacher's opinion and help.
Our topic relates to many topics that we are covering in class. One big idea that goes with our topic is reading for meaning. By picking books the serve a great purpose (learning about diversity) students have to work hard to make connections and understand another culture's point of view, which will allow them to gain so much more from the text. Students will often have to explore outside the text to understand a character or to learn more about a country. These types of books can easily be incorporated into other lessons making students see how literature plays such a large role in the classroom. I can't wait to continue our research and see how incorporating diverstiy in literature can be an easy and beneficial thing to do.
That is such a great point about picking books that are relevant and meaningful. This will allow student to make deep connections and be more engaged in a text. I think this can also offer a lot of connections amongst different subject areas as well.
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