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Even though the backgrounds of my students and the community that my school services are extremely diverse, our classroom library is not. Most of the storybooks in our class library have non-human main characters and there are very few main characters that represent the backgrounds of our students. My students have no representation in the literature in their own classroom. In today’s diverse society it is important to have a truly multicultural curriculum that starts in the early grades. A good place to start is to have quality, multicultural storybooks to read available to students. Storybooks are a powerful tool to utilize when educating young children. Literature can inform and enlighten children. It also has several psychological benefits, as well. Storybooks can help children identify with characters and events to make sense of their own beliefs, actions and emotions. They can also see what the world looks like through the eyes of another person, helping them make connections to the real world and other people. Multicultural literature benefits both children of color and white children as it acts a “mirror” to children of that culture and a “window” to the other children. At NHCS, 81% of the students are children of color. Therefore, it is imperative that they have characters in stories that they can relate to. In modern culture, it is essential that white children find a way to relate to and understand others who do not look exactly like them. It has been proven that the best ways to diminish children’s prejudges is to acknowledge the similarities between cultures.

About my class

Even though the backgrounds of my students and the community that my school services are extremely diverse, our classroom library is not. Most of the storybooks in our class library have non-human main characters and there are very few main characters that represent the backgrounds of our students. My students have no representation in the literature in their own classroom. In today’s diverse society it is important to have a truly multicultural curriculum that starts in the early grades. A good place to start is to have quality, multicultural storybooks to read available to students. Storybooks are a powerful tool to utilize when educating young children. Literature can inform and enlighten children. It also has several psychological benefits, as well. Storybooks can help children identify with characters and events to make sense of their own beliefs, actions and emotions. They can also see what the world looks like through the eyes of another person, helping them make connections to the real world and other people. Multicultural literature benefits both children of color and white children as it acts a “mirror” to children of that culture and a “window” to the other children. At NHCS, 81% of the students are children of color. Therefore, it is imperative that they have characters in stories that they can relate to. In modern culture, it is essential that white children find a way to relate to and understand others who do not look exactly like them. It has been proven that the best ways to diminish children’s prejudges is to acknowledge the similarities between cultures.

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Help teachers & students in your hometown this season! Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Ms. Chisholm's Classroom Edit display name

Support her classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

Support Ms. Chisholm's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

About my class

About my class

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Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.