Criteria for Quality Multicultural Literature

Using multicultural literature in the classroom is extremely beneficial for students, yet some multicultural literature can be more harmful than helpful. Therefore, having the ability to examine and choose quality multicultural literature to use in the classroom is vital. This is not always as easy as it sounds, which is why through collaboration with fellow teacher education students we have developed a criteria for examining multicultural literature:

1. Language and illustrations elevate rather than diminish the underrepresented population being portrayed.
2. Author/illustrator has earned the “right to write” based on life experiences and/or research.
3. Illustrations and storyline are free of bias and/or tokenism connected to the underrepresented population.
4. Social consciousness – or lack thereof – buried in the subtext has been examined.
5. The book represents underrepresented people and/or ideas in a socially conscious way. 
6. The book is an example of good writing. 
7. The set of books provides more than a single story.

Hopefully this list will help you when you are choosing multicultural literature to use in your classroom!

Spelling City

Parents and teachers looking for a great way to help your students and children practice those notorious spelling words, you HAVE to check out spellingcity.com! It is a great interactive site that will create spelling tests and vocabulary games for children with their spelling and vocabulary words. It has resources for students, teachers, and parents with ideas to best assist students in their learning.

Differentiated Instruction

Classrooms are full of diverse learners, each with their own cultures, background knowledge, language, and preferred learning styles. No two students are exactly alike; therefore instruction that works for one student may not work for another. This is extremely prevalent in the English language arts, as students are at different reading levels, have different interests, and speak different languages. It is our job as teachers to meet students where they are and find ways to best assist students in their learning, regardless of their academic level. In order to do this, we need to get to know our students on a personal level and adjust lessons to fit the needs of individual students. When we become flexible in their teaching and release some of the control differentiated instruction can take place. 

So what is differentiated instruction? It is when teachers tailor instruction to meet the needs of individuals, which can take the form of differentiated content, processes, products, or the learning environment. In language arts this can take the form of grouping students according to reading level and interest, having students listen to books on tape, reading aloud, and using a combination of strategies to demonstrate students’ knowledge.  Differentiated instruction allows students to have equal learning opportunities by providing entry into the curriculum, assignments, and outcomes that are tailored to the individual students’ learning needs.  It is not a single strategy, but rather an approach to instruction that incorporates numerous strategies that best fit the individual learner.