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2/11/16
1
Engaging readers with culturally relevant texts
Dr. Krista Calvert, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools
Educating children is an awesome and enormous task that requires thoughtfulness. The selection and presentation of children’s literature is only one aspect of the school experience, but it is one that has a tremendous impact on children’s lives.
DISCUSSION: Why is it important for all teachers— from pre-K through the university level—to integrate culturally diverse literature in their teaching? Why do all readers need a rich and varied diet of books that reflect the many different ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic ,gender and linguistic groups and individuals that make up the world?
What is culturally RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION?
“In a culturally responsive classroom, children are individually empowered as the teacher validates the personal cultures of the students in the classroom so they may be able to authentically participate in the curriculum.
But just as students are individually empowered, they are also collectively empowered. As students begin to know and value their own cultures, they also begin to know and value the cultures of others, seeing them as assets essential to innovation, empathy, and mutual respect.”
Gaitan, C.D. (2006). Building culturally responsive classrooms: A guide for K–6 teachers.
What is culturally relevant literature?
CULTURALLY RELEVENT LITERATURE IS DIFFERENT FOR ALL OF US AND INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
RACE
ETHNICITY
CULTURE
LIFESTYLE AND INTERESTS
GENDER
AGE
FAMILY ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY
ABSENCE OF BIAS,- ISMS, INVISIBILITY, AND OVERGENERALIZATIONS OR STEREOTYPES.
Windows, mirrors, doorways
Mirrors – I see myself and my life in the literature in my classroom and school library.
Windows – I have access to a wide variety of literature about people, places, cultures, genres, and topics outside of my experience.
Doorways – I have access to literature where I can see my path to the future- my dreams, my ambitions, my calling.
-Bishop, 1990; Galda, 1998; Glazier & Seo, 2005
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WINDOWS Mirrors
doorways
If children see only themselves in the books they read, they may come to the understanding that those who are different from them are not worthy of appearing in books.
Why offer a large range of culturally relevant texts?
When teachers use culturally relevant books, students understand the books more fully, and, as a result, become more engaged in their reading. When students become engaged in texts, they are motivated to read more.
Multicultural vS. culturally relevant
Multicultural books open up new worlds to students, and students need to read from a variety of texts. Many teachers include multicultural literature in their curriculum to expose students to a wide range of experiences.
However, multicultural books are not the same as culturally relevant books, and at least some of the books students read should be culturally relevant.
(Freeman & Freeman, 2006)
Evaluating one book
Yvonne Freeman (2006) uses a rubric to determine cultural relevance, including the factors of: Characters Experiences Place Time Gender and Age Language Frequency
LET’S TRY IT!!
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WE ALL STAND ON A PILLAR OF BOOKS
WHAT BOOKS INFLUENCED WHO YOU ARE TODAY? WHAT BOOKS ARE IN YOUR “ON DECK” STACK?
Evaluating our collection
STORY:
• Are the stories interesting to children?
• Are there various conflicts for children to
explore?
• How are the conflicts resolved?
CHARACTERS:
• Do characters represent people from a variety of cultural groups?
• Do "good" characters reflect a variety of backgrounds?
• Are females as well as males depicted in leadership roles?
THEMES:
• Does the story offer children a variety of things to think about, to question, and to consider?
• Are values being explored instead of preached?
• Are there lessons to be learned?
SETTINGS:
• Do the stories reflect a variety of settings?
• Are urban, suburban and rural settings represented realistically?
• Are cultural settings represented realistically?
Evaluating our collection
ILLUSTRATIONS:
Are diverse populations represented?
Is there diversity represented within cultural
groups?
Are characters realistically and genuinely represented?
Do the illustrations avoid reinforcing societal stereotypes?
-Assessing Children’s Literature (2013) - By Linda A. Santora
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Will the stories encourage discussions?
Are children exposed to multiple perspectives
and values?
Do the stories promote understanding of our diverse society?
Are the stories age appropriate to ensure children can understand what is presented?
How do culturally relevant texts
support the development of a reading process?
DISCUSSION
Reading multicultural literature is not just connected to reading motivation. A number of researchers have shown that reading culturally relevant texts is crucial to student performance. McCullough (2008) explains that “when readers interact with literature that relates to their culture-specific experiences, their reading comprehension performance will improve”.
Development of an effective
reading process
Freeman (2000) conducted research with students in Arizona in which she used miscue analysis to compare students’ reading of a culturally relevant book with their reading of another book that had little cultural relevance.
She found that students made higher quality miscues and produced better retellings with the culturally relevant story.
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Fountas & Pinnell (2008): “It is imperative for children to read high-quality texts. Too often, texts for struggling readers are shockingly inferior or just boring. Readers who struggle need the same variety and quality as proficient readers. They need stories that engage them and nonfiction texts that offer interesting new information. They need to read challenging texts that stretch their processing systems and easy texts that build confidence and fluency. The success of any intervention program ultimately depends on children’s being interested – even delighted – by the books they are reading and writing about.” -When Readers Struggle (p. 500)
In their work with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, McCollin and O’Shea (2005) found that using culturally and linguistically relevant reading material not only
fostered reading comprehension, but also
helped address phonological awareness
gaps and contributed to improved fluency. They argue that using materials that hold meaning to the students is essential to supporting their reading-acquisition skills and strengthening their reading motivation.
ROAMING AROUND THE KNOWN AND LITERACY LESSONS
• Talking about texts and listening comprehension
• Building on the known, partially known
• Print features
• Oral language development
• Writing stories from own life
• Alphabet books
• Leveled readers
When do I use culturally relevant
texts in literacy instruction?
READ ALOUD SHARED READING GUIDED READING READING RECOVERY READING WORKSHOP WRITING WORKSHOP AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Students need to find their own lives reflected in classroom reading materials in order to value school as personally relevant.
EFFEcts on oral language acquisition and comprehension
Combining the strategies of Reading Aloud culturally relevant texts and Text Talk, improved the comprehension and oral-language skills of all of the second- grade students who participated in Conrad, et al’s study, thus providing “a gateway to successful reading for students who were finding learning to read challenging” (189).
They concluded that when adults take into consideration children’s knowledge, interests, conceptions, and culture during storybook read-alouds, they are able to more effectively promote learning.
Books in the classroom
NOT every book has to be culturally relevant.
Although, every book SHOULD be of HIGH QUALITY!
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Names
LITERATURE/idea circles
critical literacy
common core
Critical literacy
Harste (2000) believes that in order to have conversations about social issues, the books a teacher selects should meet one or more of the following criteria:
• explore differences rather than make them invisible
• enrich understandings of history and life by giving voice to those traditionally silenced or marginalized
• show how people can begin to take action on important social issues
• explore dominant systems of meaning that operate in our society to position people and groups of people as “others”
• don’t provide “happily ever after” endings for complex social problems
Books that meet such criteria lend themselves to critical read-alouds by providing opportunities for children to critique the text and question the status quo.
EXAMINING MY OWN CLASSROOM COLLECTION: QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: ü When I select literature, what criteria am I using? ü How am I including culturally relevant literature in my classroom? ü What do I need to know and learn about all of my students in order to select and
evaluate relevant and appropriate high-quality literature? ü What informed decisions about culturally relevant literature do I need to make
in order to help my students meet the Common Core State (or your state’s Grade Level) Standards?
-Boyd, Causey, & Galda (2015)
THANK YOU
When teachers use culturally relevant books, they ensure that their students always connect reading the word with reading their world.