by Kathy G. Short
The focus of the June blogs is on the classroom resources that we have been developing in Worlds of Words to encourage the integration of global literature into preschool, elementary, and middle school classrooms. Each blog will focus on a different resource, describing the resource and the ways in which we are exploring that resource in classrooms as well as providing links to book lists and engagements for educators who want to create their own sets of these resources. The resources that will be shared include Language and Culture Book Kits, Cultural Community Story Boxes, Family Story Backpacks, and award lists of global literature.
The Language and Culture Book Kits are a collaborative project with CERCLL, the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy, a federally funded language resource center that focuses on less commonly taught languages. Most K-8 students have little or no opportunities to study a language other than English and so our focus is on introducing children to less commonly taught cultures and languages in order to encourage them to later pursue these languages in high school and university contexts. We want to arouse their curiosity and create an interest in language and an open mind to diverse cultural perspectives. While adults often struggle with language learning, children are more open and excited about exploring new languages and cultures.
The Language and Culture Book Kits each focus on a specific language and global culture, such as China (Mandarin), Russia (Russian), Brazil (Portuguese), Korean (Hanguel), and Arabic-Speaking countries and cultures. The kits each contain 12-15 picture books, 3-4 novels, and language study materials along with a few cultural artifacts and a resource notebook. We developed a specific set of guidelines for selecting materials, particularly wanting to be sure that the books show the diversity within that culture, such as rural/urban and different social classes and ethnic groups. We also include a range of genres, including folklore, historical fiction, information books, poetry, and contemporary fiction. As much as possible, we select books that are written and illustrated by insiders to the culture, but all books are evaluated by a cultural insider for authenticity before being added to the kits. The advantage of being at a large university is that we have access to many international students who are insiders to the cultures.
The most difficult problem has been finding enough contemporary fiction to balance the historical fiction and folklore. We have consistently encountered a lack of contemporary fiction for global cultures and that can lead children to misconceptions and viewing these cultures as set in the past. Contemporary fiction from those global cultures is not being translated and made available in the U.S., a reflection of publisher’s beliefs that teachers only use folklore and historical fiction in classroom inquiries. We often have to rely on information books, website links, and youtube videos to provide contemporary images for children.
The majority of the books in each kit are in English because our major focus is on cultural explorations; however, since we believe that language is absolutely integral to culture, we also include books in that language. When possible, we select bilingual books and include CDs of cultural insiders reading the books in that language. In addition, we include one book in the language of that culture that is well known to our readers, most often The Very Hungry Caterpillar, to encourage language explorations. We have been able to find this book in almost every language and so put that book into the kit in both English and the focal language. In addition, we include a CD of music from that culture to provide another way to immerse children in the language and musical traditions.
The resource notebook that is included with each kit has an annotated book list, maps, lists of web sites, and ideas for beginning explorations of the language and culture that are specific to that particular global culture. In addition, the notebook contains a set of strategies for responding to the books and several articles and classroom vignettes that provide ideas for using these books in classrooms as well as a rubric for intercultural understanding.
On a more limited basis, we have sometimes been able to fund an International Consultant, a graduate student from that country, to go to classrooms to interact with students. They have worked with teachers and students in a range of ways. Most often they have provided beginning language explorations and engaged with students around contemporary life in that culture.
Children have been particularly enthusiastic about learning about the language from a native speaker and eagerly engaged in writing their names and speaking a few words from the language.
Classroom explorations have primarily involved teachers selecting books from the kits for read alouds, followed by a response engagement such as a graffiti board, sketch to stretch, or cultural x-ray, and putting the books from the kit out on display for independent reading. The novels have served as a whole class read aloud while the picture books support independent exploration and short read alouds. Some teachers have divided the books into smaller text sets by genre or theme and engaged students in different explorations with each set. Others have extended the kits by using the materials to introduce the culture and gathering student questions from these explorations in order to move into student investigations. The list of web sites and youtube videos included in each kit has been particularly useful for these projects.
The book lists and resource notebooks for all of our kits are available on the Worlds of Words website under Resources and can be browsed on-line or printed for your use. Information on the following Language and Culture Book Kits are available:
Russia/Russian
China/Mandarin
Korea/Hanguel
Arabic/Arabic-Speaking Countries of the Middle East
Brazil/Portuguese
Japan/Japanese
East Africa/Somali
Bhutan & Nepal/Nepali
American Indians of the Southwest/Hopi and Navajo
Finland/Finnish
Mexico/Spanish
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- Themes: Kathy Short
- Descriptors: Books & Resources, WOW Currents