Type of Resource
Text
Publication Date
2021
Abstract
It is important for all members of a culture or community (including school community) to “encourage children to understand cultural differences, to take pride in individual differences and use this understanding to develop uniqueness versus awkwardness in society” (Cox & Wallis, 1982, 264). If young children are supported within the visualization of how they reflectively see their fit within the world, there are possibilities to embrace the leadership benefits of heritage and belonging, and eventually gain the understanding of how to use their cultural authenticity as a strength of character development. Authors explored regional libraries for diverse books, specifically for preservice teachers to use as an emerging model of English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies curriculum planning with children’s literature. There was a lack of authentic cultural connections in these libraries to support multicultural populations in their historical and current diverse literature sections. The authors contend that developmentally, children must see themselves in picture books and other literature to make genuine connections for a cultural identity, language, and self-identification in children’s literature. Portrayal of all cultures accurately is important to reduce bias and misconceptions of others who might be different than the reader. We uncovered missing voices in Cajun, Creole and Native American in children’s literature.
Start Page
42
End Page
56
Note
Location URL: https://journalofliteracyinnovation.weebly.com/uploads/1/5/9/4/15949950/jlispring2021issue.pdf