Text Sets as Contexts for Understanding

Kathy G. Short, University of Arizona

Several years ago, Amy Edwards and I worked with her fifth graders in literature circles around a set of novels set in China. Her students had been reading and discussing global literature for several years, and so she didn’t hesitate in beginning the school year with these novels as a way to build off interest in the Beijing Olympics. The problem was that the novels were historical fiction, many set during the time of the Cultural Revolution, and it quickly became apparent that the students were struggling because they did not have enough knowledge about that time period. More worrisome, because the novels were historical, students were forming misconceptions about modern China as a repressive country set back in time.

We worked with the students to challenge these misconceptions. We asked them to identify the key issues in the books, such as violence, freedom and power, hunger, and homelessness, and create T-charts to compare these issues in China with how they play out in the U.S., particularly in the past. We also quickly gathered a range of contemporary materials on China, short articles for kids from the internet and a set of informational books, as well as arranging for an international student from Beijing to visit the classroom and answer children’s questions. We could not provide contemporary realistic fiction on China because those books were not available, a problem in the U.S. for many global cultures; one that perpetuates the image that the rest of the world is set back in time as compared to the U.S.

The lesson we learned as teachers is the importance of embedding children’s reading within a rich context of texts and experiences as a way to encourage deep understanding. Reading global literature about an unfamiliar culture can actually establish stereotypes and misunderstandings instead of opening children’s minds to other cultures and perspectives. Reading any book as a stand-alone experience lessens that reading experience, but reading global literature outside of a text set of related materials and books is problematic and dangerous. This literature needs to be read alongside of and within a set of other texts so as to transform readers and their understandings, not create stereotypes.

The purpose of these text sets around novels set in global cultures is not to build background knowledge– there is not a specific set of knowledge that kids need to be taught before they are allowed to read a book. The texts themselves are experiences that build on one another to create a web of connections that, in turn, create complex layers of meanings and understandings (Smith, 2008). The text sets created around a novel weave through the reading of that novel, so that readers have multiple opportunities to search for and make new connections.

The same needs exist in our reading as adults. In university children’s literature courses, we often read novels from a wide range of cultures and experiences, wanting to expose teachers to many different books. The problem is that the books don’t build on one another to create a rich web of connection for understanding. Instead the experiences are isolated and the problem is that even great books don’t stand alone well. One of the lessons I have learned is that when we read a series of interrelated texts and embed novels within text sets, the experiences are richer and more meaningful. We may “cover” fewer books and global cultures, but we gain insight and understanding. The trade-off of reading one or two books from each part of the world is that we run the risk of establishing a habit of reading only at the surface level and of viewing these books as interesting but not significant. Reading fewer books within a richer context of response encourages readers to immerse themselves into a specific cultural way of living and thinking. We need to create understanding and perspective, not perpetuate misunderstanding.

Amy Edwards (2009). Creating a Context for Understanding in Literature Circles. WOW Stories,1(3). http://wowlit.org/on-line-publications/stories/storiesi3/6/

Karen Smith (2008). Making Inquiry Intentional and Intertextual. School Talk, 13(3).

Journey through Worlds of Words during our open reading hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To view our complete offerings of WOW Currents, please visit archival stream.

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7 thoughts on “Text Sets as Contexts for Understanding

  1. Bryce Steele says:

    I think this is a wonderful idea. As adults, we have the resources and can research and find background information about historical events that we aren’t familiar with but children sometimes lack those resources. By creating a text set for children that focuses on establishing background knowledge, teachers are giving students many resources and skills that they can most definitely use in the future.

  2. Angela Ferrari says:

    I understand the need to offer students more than the minnimum exposure. In media, its often white culture is the main component and other cultures are supporting characters. Stand alone texts often leave children and teachers with unanswered questions that they must answer for themselves and the only resource they can fill those question is stereotypes.

  3. yoo kyung sung says:

    Kathy..
    The photo is our Korean language and book kit. Audience in this page may be confused with the photo with the Chinese book kit.

  4. Joanna Montoya says:

    I agree that international books should not be read alone. As a classroom teacher it is very difficult to “get through” a chapter book with my entire class. Literature circles are a great way to incorporate a variety of books/perspectives on a topic. Not only will this help in stereotype avoidance, but in overall comprehension and meaning making for the students.

  5. Jennifer Buntjer says:

    The scarcity of good Global and International literature is problematic, not to mention the volatile debates surrounding the definition of what constitutes an “authentic” book. The process of just choosing a single classroom text can be quite intimidating and fraught with nightmarish images of us unconsciously promoting a stereotype. A collection of books not only provides a richer opportunity for students to study different perspectives, but it also gives the teacher a broader base for intercepting cultural misconceptions.

  6. Genny O'Herron says:

    The mantra “build background knowledge” was beat into me as a pre-service teacher so much that I automatically defer to that mindset. I really appreciated the perspective that text sets are about providing experiences. It was also a great reminder that people (guests in the classroom) can be additional, important resources to expand and deepen the literary experiences we provide.

    There is so much pressure to cover as much as possible in one short school year. I resonate with the “sink deep” rather than stay superificial perspective. Especially when zipping through lots of books & cultures can create lasting inaccurate impressions and stereotypes. Thanks for these reminders!

  7. Choosing sets of books around a theme or culture provides many teaching opportunities for the kids as well as the adults. In our children’s literature course at UNM with Dr. Yoo Kyung Sung, we are working on a project with books sets right now. I am examining various books and looking for commonalities, running themes, as well as what is culturally embedded into the illustrations. What are the many cultural expressions we find in the illustrations? The colors, the way the lines and shapes are drawn? Yes, they are different from culture to culture. And why is that? These are questions to be explored.
    Looking at sets of books is much more in depth and not as superficial as examining just one book. You can really get a feel for the culture you are analyzing and the themes. It’s fascinating to look at 10 or more from a particular culture.

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