Hello! Hola! Shikamoo! Multicultural Stories In Our Class Library

Funded Aug 27, 2019

Thank you so much for your generous donation. I introduced the package of books to my students by allowing them to explore them on their own first. I read them a few of the different stories and having a dominant Bengali and Hispanic population, they were so excited when I read the books they were able to relate to and make a connection to.

We discussed cultures and how being different does not matter but should be embraced. I always call my class a family and these books allowed me to better express how families of different colors and cultures can come together.

I first introduced the concept of different cultures and equity to the class as a whole, I read the stories aloud and then the children wrote and/or drew a reflection piece about their own culture and family. The students were also able to explore the books, independently, as they worked.

Many of my students are not used to hearing or seeing stories that use words in languages that they speak or that they hear often, so my students were extremely excited, when they heard these different stories. It was exciting and inspirational to see how proud my students got when listening and responding to these stories.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Vargas