This class has completely opened my eyes to the elements and factors that are involved in choosing and reading through diverse literature. Before this course, I would read through literature and look for the basics (characters, plot, setting, problem, solution, conclusion) but now I have learned about getting more out of it. When choosing a piece of diverse literature, there are many elements that play a major role; insider versus outsider voice, representation, cultural/historical aspect, etc. with all of these aspects made me realize how difficult it is to create a complete and well developed classroom library. Through this course I have also gained the understanding that with literature there is not just one view; within literature there are multiple viewpoints and it is crucial to recognize them all as equal. I can not even put into words how much I have learned by taking this class, but within doing so, I have also realized I still feel uneducated and uninformed with what are “good” pieces of diverse literature. What my idea of good literature is completely different from others. Through course readings, especially the McLean article, I have gained the perspective that with stereotypes there comes certain truth; that there is a reason why certain stereotypes exist and that you shouldn’t disregard a piece of text just because those stereotypes exist within it.
The only thing that I still feel really unsure about is the fact that I went into this class wanting to become educated about multicultural literature but the more we talked about it week to week, the more complicated and complex the concept and issue seemed to get. I have come to realize that was the whole point; that literature isn’t black and white, there are a variety of gray areas.
Overall this course has made me look at literature in a new perspective while gaining a better understanding of what I want my classroom library to look like for the future. I want to be able to open my student’s eyes and world through literature while providing literature that is relatable to their lives on all different types of literature. I have a huge challenge ahead of me, but like everything the reward of creating something spectacular is worth all the hard work. I understand this course is just a stepping stone to what I need to obtain, but I am glad I have taken the first step of realizing what kind of multicultural journey I have ahead of me.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Reflection of my Text Set
The literature that I chose to read about and focus my final project on is African American literature. There were many reasons as to why I chose to focus my study on this cultural group. The main reason for choosing African American literature is because next year I will be placed in either Mount Clemons or Detroit area school districts, both of which are predominantly African American students along with many other cultural groups. With this in mind, I thought it would be extremely beneficial to become educated with this multicultural group of study. Since I grew up in a small town, 99% being white population, I have never really been introduced to young adult and children’s literature from other cultures. Since African American is going to be predominant within my future school districts I wanted to read these books with the inside authors to gain more experience and knowledge working with this underrepresented cultural group. Since building a classroom library is crucial to my student’s academic career I need to gain a foundational knowledge of working with African American literature at both children and young adult literature level.
Another reason I chose this cultural group to study further because I wanted to become educated in the history of it as well. I believe I do not even come close in carrying a sufficient amount of knowledge about the history of African American’s, let alone what is an accurate and authentic portrayal of this underrepresented group. Through the professional article, I was able to gain a better understanding of it is not just about fulfilling one aspect of the group, it is about having a complete and overall correct portrayal and presentation without major discrepancies. Just through my text set I was able to gain more, but still not sufficient, information about this cultural group because never before have I been introduced or educated on what is a correct depiction of African Americans. For me, it is about carrying an overall correct image of what my students should be getting out of reading such literature and by doing this project I have been able to understand what African American literature entailed. I have a great length of research and investigation to go to be a sufficient provider of this type of literature to my students. It is not only for me, but I did this mainly for my future students so I am able to be a more sufficient and well-rounded teacher for all of my students, not just in one subject matter.
My text set contains a wide range of themes and purposes; when choosing these books I wanted to try and gain an overall image through using insiders’ points of views and perspectives of each of these subject matters. Each of the books relates to the authors own life in one way or another, and through that I am able to gain a deeper perceptive of the book and the meaning that goes on behind the text. A theme that seemed to be relevant in 3 out of my 4 books was historical fiction. Each of these books had some kind of history, or historical figure throughout the text. I believe the reason for choosing these historical pieces were a way to become educated in not just African American literature, but through the history behind it all as well. The history of slaves, Harriet Tubman, racism, jobs (cotton) and different historical figures/heroes that play a role in many lives throughout history has taught me that this an extreme weakness of mine and in being a future educator I need to buckle down and become knowledgeable in the different aspects that may be playing a role in all of my students’ lives. The book Visiting Day was also a great way to show the use of troubling issues within children’s text as well. Some children struggle with the lose of a family member and having to visit them in prison; I believe this book is a great way for students going through the same kind of situations to be able to relate to. Even though I thought there were some different stereotypes that played a role throughout the text, it still had an overall good theme of unconditional love for your family. Also since it was through an insider’s perspective, once reading the author’s note I was able to gain a better understanding as to why she included certain things within this text as well. When choosing my books I didn’t have in mind that I wanted to keep with up with the historical aspect of African American culture and literature, but reflecting on my text set as a whole I am able to see that I unconsciously chose books that centered around that theme and I believe I became more educated within this cultural group by doing so.
Overall, I believe my text set does an excellent job representing the African American culture, even with some common stereotypes here and there. In McLean’s article about homosexuality stereotypes he really brought out a good point that has stuck with me when thinking of stereotypes, “However, stereotypes frequently embody some truth and another fact is that some gays and lesbians do fit those stereotypic images” (McLean, pg 194) Even though this is about gays and lesbians, I believe it still fits with the idea that there is some truth behind stereotypes, and with that I was able to learn about the African American culture in that sense as well. I really enjoyed this project in realizing how much time and effort I need to start making in becoming more educated in different cultural areas so I am able to meet all of my students wants and needs within my future classroom.
Another reason I chose this cultural group to study further because I wanted to become educated in the history of it as well. I believe I do not even come close in carrying a sufficient amount of knowledge about the history of African American’s, let alone what is an accurate and authentic portrayal of this underrepresented group. Through the professional article, I was able to gain a better understanding of it is not just about fulfilling one aspect of the group, it is about having a complete and overall correct portrayal and presentation without major discrepancies. Just through my text set I was able to gain more, but still not sufficient, information about this cultural group because never before have I been introduced or educated on what is a correct depiction of African Americans. For me, it is about carrying an overall correct image of what my students should be getting out of reading such literature and by doing this project I have been able to understand what African American literature entailed. I have a great length of research and investigation to go to be a sufficient provider of this type of literature to my students. It is not only for me, but I did this mainly for my future students so I am able to be a more sufficient and well-rounded teacher for all of my students, not just in one subject matter.
My text set contains a wide range of themes and purposes; when choosing these books I wanted to try and gain an overall image through using insiders’ points of views and perspectives of each of these subject matters. Each of the books relates to the authors own life in one way or another, and through that I am able to gain a deeper perceptive of the book and the meaning that goes on behind the text. A theme that seemed to be relevant in 3 out of my 4 books was historical fiction. Each of these books had some kind of history, or historical figure throughout the text. I believe the reason for choosing these historical pieces were a way to become educated in not just African American literature, but through the history behind it all as well. The history of slaves, Harriet Tubman, racism, jobs (cotton) and different historical figures/heroes that play a role in many lives throughout history has taught me that this an extreme weakness of mine and in being a future educator I need to buckle down and become knowledgeable in the different aspects that may be playing a role in all of my students’ lives. The book Visiting Day was also a great way to show the use of troubling issues within children’s text as well. Some children struggle with the lose of a family member and having to visit them in prison; I believe this book is a great way for students going through the same kind of situations to be able to relate to. Even though I thought there were some different stereotypes that played a role throughout the text, it still had an overall good theme of unconditional love for your family. Also since it was through an insider’s perspective, once reading the author’s note I was able to gain a better understanding as to why she included certain things within this text as well. When choosing my books I didn’t have in mind that I wanted to keep with up with the historical aspect of African American culture and literature, but reflecting on my text set as a whole I am able to see that I unconsciously chose books that centered around that theme and I believe I became more educated within this cultural group by doing so.
Overall, I believe my text set does an excellent job representing the African American culture, even with some common stereotypes here and there. In McLean’s article about homosexuality stereotypes he really brought out a good point that has stuck with me when thinking of stereotypes, “However, stereotypes frequently embody some truth and another fact is that some gays and lesbians do fit those stereotypic images” (McLean, pg 194) Even though this is about gays and lesbians, I believe it still fits with the idea that there is some truth behind stereotypes, and with that I was able to learn about the African American culture in that sense as well. I really enjoyed this project in realizing how much time and effort I need to start making in becoming more educated in different cultural areas so I am able to meet all of my students wants and needs within my future classroom.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Professional Article Review
The Black Experience in Children's Fiction: Controversies Surrounding Award
Winning Books
Joel Taxel
Curriculum Inquiry, Vol. 16, No. 3. (Autumn, 1986), pp. 245-281.
The article The Black Experience in Children’s Fiction: Controversies Surrounding Award Winning Books by Joel Taxel, focuses on evaluating “the black experience” more thoroughly to illustrate it isn’t just about getting blacks into more literature, it is about how they are correctly represented as well. Joel uses and compares three different award winning books to show how differently and sufficiently blacks are portrayed in each of these texts. Two historical young adult novels, Sebestyen’s Words By Heart and Fox’s The Slave Dancer, are criticized for presenting a “distorted and inaccurate view of black culture and history” (Taxel). The different controversial issues that these texts face are compared and examined in relation to a third novel, displayed in my text collection, by Mildred Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. As Taxel states, this is “a book lauded for both its literary qualities and its perspective on black history.
The article continued to work through statistics of how the black population is poorly presented and portrayed through much of the multicultural literature throughout history. This article is an extensive 39 page description of the different movements for minorities (blacks, women, etc.) throughout history and how these movements not only affected society, but literature as well. For example, “the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s did succeed in raising the sensitivity and consciousness of authors, editors, and publishers to the extent that these “plantation” caricatures and stereotypes appeared with diminished frequency in the newer books being published” (Taxel, pg 247). The main focus is how these portrayals of the black experience in children’s literature is truly affecting and impacting the viewpoints and knowledge of these young readers. After displaying all the arguable points of what a good and accurate piece of black literature should look like, Taxel goes through each of these award winning novels in showing why or why not it is portraying the black culture/history in an accurate tone.
Since it is a 39 page article, I am going to strictly focus on Taxel reviewing one of my chosen pieces (Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry) and how he depicts it in being “a success both in terms of its literary values and in its historical, cultural, perspective on the events it describes” (Taxel, pg 260). In the article, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is extensively discussed from pages 256-261 but is referenced to throughout the entire article. Taxel gives a thorough summary of the book and then goes into details the different ways the book works as a good piece of African American literature. Taxel also describes through the analysis of Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry it has been shown "that out of the depth and richness of Taylor's characterizations and the strengths and authenticity of her narrative style, a model of social action emerges that is believable and satisfying on all levels" (Taxel, pg 271). Taxel continuously raves about this piece of literature and how authentic she is by Taylor using other works and by putting her own experiences in to build this masterpiece. Taxel goes on to describe the other two texts as having different stregnths but many weaknesses that gives him reason to question in what forms they are able to recieve the different awards.
Overall, I have learned through this article that there are many different levels that go along with recieving awards and the ability to question the authenticity. It is not that these different books shouldn't be on the shelves, but it is how we are going to deal with them as "award winning" novels when they clearly show many different weaknesses. In the article it gives a criteria of characteristics and qualities that need to be shown throughout the different texts to show that the author is "culturally conscious": 1)Afro-American heritage and history; 2) pride in being Black; 3)a sense of community among Blacks; 4)the importance of warm and loving human relationships particularly within families; 5)a sense of continuity; and above all, 6) the will and strength and determination to cope and survive. With this set of different criterian that should be met, Taxel goes through and shows how Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry hits on these different points throughout the novel.
Through the analysis of this article I was able to gain a deeper understanding of truly how important it is to have accurate pieces of litearture and diverse literature throughout your classroom library. Students are the ones to pick up these books while trying to become educated about a wide-range of topics; and through this diverse literature course and this article I have gained the understanding of how crucial it is to have an accurate and authentic diverse library for my students. I have also learned that I am not always going to pick the most accurate pieces to include in my literature, because through this article it shows that different books with awards sometimes don't portray that group in the right light as well, but it is about teaching my students to research and analyze these different cultural groups and to become educated on what is correct and what is not. It is about giving them the opporutnity to explore these different groups through the different text sets while coming to understand that you can't always believe everything you read, but it is about understanding the differences within the text that is fact and fiction.
Taxel, Joel. "The Black Experience in Children's Fiction: Controversies Surrounding Award Winning Books." Curriculum Inquiry 16 (1986): 245-281. 1 Apr. 2008.
Winning Books
Joel Taxel
Curriculum Inquiry, Vol. 16, No. 3. (Autumn, 1986), pp. 245-281.
The article The Black Experience in Children’s Fiction: Controversies Surrounding Award Winning Books by Joel Taxel, focuses on evaluating “the black experience” more thoroughly to illustrate it isn’t just about getting blacks into more literature, it is about how they are correctly represented as well. Joel uses and compares three different award winning books to show how differently and sufficiently blacks are portrayed in each of these texts. Two historical young adult novels, Sebestyen’s Words By Heart and Fox’s The Slave Dancer, are criticized for presenting a “distorted and inaccurate view of black culture and history” (Taxel). The different controversial issues that these texts face are compared and examined in relation to a third novel, displayed in my text collection, by Mildred Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. As Taxel states, this is “a book lauded for both its literary qualities and its perspective on black history.
The article continued to work through statistics of how the black population is poorly presented and portrayed through much of the multicultural literature throughout history. This article is an extensive 39 page description of the different movements for minorities (blacks, women, etc.) throughout history and how these movements not only affected society, but literature as well. For example, “the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s did succeed in raising the sensitivity and consciousness of authors, editors, and publishers to the extent that these “plantation” caricatures and stereotypes appeared with diminished frequency in the newer books being published” (Taxel, pg 247). The main focus is how these portrayals of the black experience in children’s literature is truly affecting and impacting the viewpoints and knowledge of these young readers. After displaying all the arguable points of what a good and accurate piece of black literature should look like, Taxel goes through each of these award winning novels in showing why or why not it is portraying the black culture/history in an accurate tone.
Since it is a 39 page article, I am going to strictly focus on Taxel reviewing one of my chosen pieces (Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry) and how he depicts it in being “a success both in terms of its literary values and in its historical, cultural, perspective on the events it describes” (Taxel, pg 260). In the article, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is extensively discussed from pages 256-261 but is referenced to throughout the entire article. Taxel gives a thorough summary of the book and then goes into details the different ways the book works as a good piece of African American literature. Taxel also describes through the analysis of Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry it has been shown "that out of the depth and richness of Taylor's characterizations and the strengths and authenticity of her narrative style, a model of social action emerges that is believable and satisfying on all levels" (Taxel, pg 271). Taxel continuously raves about this piece of literature and how authentic she is by Taylor using other works and by putting her own experiences in to build this masterpiece. Taxel goes on to describe the other two texts as having different stregnths but many weaknesses that gives him reason to question in what forms they are able to recieve the different awards.
Overall, I have learned through this article that there are many different levels that go along with recieving awards and the ability to question the authenticity. It is not that these different books shouldn't be on the shelves, but it is how we are going to deal with them as "award winning" novels when they clearly show many different weaknesses. In the article it gives a criteria of characteristics and qualities that need to be shown throughout the different texts to show that the author is "culturally conscious": 1)Afro-American heritage and history; 2) pride in being Black; 3)a sense of community among Blacks; 4)the importance of warm and loving human relationships particularly within families; 5)a sense of continuity; and above all, 6) the will and strength and determination to cope and survive. With this set of different criterian that should be met, Taxel goes through and shows how Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry hits on these different points throughout the novel.
Through the analysis of this article I was able to gain a deeper understanding of truly how important it is to have accurate pieces of litearture and diverse literature throughout your classroom library. Students are the ones to pick up these books while trying to become educated about a wide-range of topics; and through this diverse literature course and this article I have gained the understanding of how crucial it is to have an accurate and authentic diverse library for my students. I have also learned that I am not always going to pick the most accurate pieces to include in my literature, because through this article it shows that different books with awards sometimes don't portray that group in the right light as well, but it is about teaching my students to research and analyze these different cultural groups and to become educated on what is correct and what is not. It is about giving them the opporutnity to explore these different groups through the different text sets while coming to understand that you can't always believe everything you read, but it is about understanding the differences within the text that is fact and fiction.
Taxel, Joel. "The Black Experience in Children's Fiction: Controversies Surrounding Award Winning Books." Curriculum Inquiry 16 (1986): 245-281. 1 Apr. 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
By: Mildred D. Taylor
ISBN-13: 9780140384512
Cassie Logan, the narrator, is the spirited 9 year old girl living in 1933 on the 400-acre farm in Mississippi with her family. The Logan family works extremely hard trying to keep up their farm while facing the many racial prejudices that existed during this time period. Cassie and her brothers have to tread for miles to attend the badly equipped schoolhouse where they are a part of a class that uses hand-me-down supplies. Everyday they have to walk past the large Whites school building while having to watch the school bus pass them on the same road, while having the kids laughing and saying discriminating things as they get filled with mud and dust from the bus. Throughout the book there are several acts of prejudice towards the blacks in the community. The first is the Wallace boys burning and even killing some black men at the local store. Mama and Papa decide that the local store is no place for the children and they make it known that they aren’t allowed to go there. Because of another fight at the store, Mama tries to get the community involved and boycott from buying goods from there. Since Papa is away most of the time working and trying to make a good life for his family, Mama and Papa’s mother are trying to keep up with the children and the discriminating issues that are surrounding the community. The Whites in the neighboring towns are trying to stir things up by planning and going through with different attacks on the local black residents. Papa brings home a friend (L.T.) that got fired from his local job, for fighting with a white, to help and look after his land and family. T.J., the trouble-making teen and the (sort-of) friend of the Logan children teams up with two trouble-making Whites (Melvin and R.W.) that end up not being friends at all. Melvin and R.W. decide to take T.J. along with them on a vicious murdering route and then frame him to taking the fall for it. T.J.’s ultimate outcome for his actions is to be murdered; to stop the local chaotic scene in town Papa starts a fire in the cotton field. By doing this it the blacks and whites has to join forces in order to be able to put out the fire, which is a local commodity for all.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is a realistic piece in the genre of fiction that takes you through historical events that sufficiently demonstrate showing how life was throughout this time period of the 1930s. This story puts together the overlying themes of the importance of family while fighting against the evil strings of racism. The story is told through the voice of Cassie Logan, who the author does a fantastic job putting it into perspective the kind of life those individuals led during that time period. The importance of family shines through the entire novel as the Logan family demonstrates what it means to “stick together” during the hard times. Cassie firmly believes in the value of family ties as she has witnessed through Big Ma and Papa that it is about never abandoning one another, especially during the rough times. During this rough time, this novel also brings the issue of Hope when all seems lost. Numerous troubling events effect many characters and the community of this piece with the sense that all might be lost, especially through the racist acts; but by the end of the text both white and black people have to work together to extinguish the flames of the cotton field. This situation shows the ray of hope of overcoming these racial barriers as they work together to achieve the common goal to save the cotton commodity while effectively working through the racial differences altogether. The final theme that is evident throughout the text is how unfair and prejudice life can be, especially when living in the South of this time period. Racism is everywhere and can effect anyone, and through this novel it shows how one is able to overcome many obstacles, simple to very life-threatening, if you use your strong will to do so.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is a novel that puts life in the 1930s into perspective for readers today. It is about giving a historical feel to what life was like as a black family living in the South, as it is told through Cassie Logan life experiences. I believe this text is an excellent piece and source of information for all readers to enjoy. This text brings you into the story and life of those during this time period as you are able to imagine yourself taking the journey as well. This piece of literature also brings about the historical feel of what being a part of the African American culture was like living in a “white” dominant society. I believe this novel puts into perspective how much turmoil the blacks had to go through and are still going through today. It is a wonderful piece of adventure and historical events that I would use within my future classroom to represent this time period.
This piece of literature is more than a work of fiction as it is retells many events that came from Mildred Taylor's own family's life while being a portrayal of an important record of an African-American experience throughout a our country's very complicated history. It is a fictionalized piece that works through actual real life events that were told to her from her father's perspective. Even though oral tradition has some discrepencies, Mildred Taylor is able to retell these different events as she and her family were all insiders of these different experiences.
Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2002.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
By: Carole B. Weatherford
Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson
ISBN-13: 9780786851751
Harriet Tubman is a heroic and historical figure throughout the period of slavery. She is a woman who fought against the issues of slavery in the hopes of becoming free. This text takes you through her adventure of escaping slavery in the mid-19th century. She is led by her faith to not only free herself and her family, but other slaves through the use of the Underground Railroad. She rises above all her doubts and fears of getting caught as she has the strength of God behind her the whole way. Through her journey she receives help from farmers and their wives, and boatmen although always thinking in the back of her mind that they are going to turn her in. As her adventure continues of becoming free she decides through her faith in God that it is her duty to not only free herself but many others; through the text it states “Save all you can, daughter” in the words of her spiritual being and she proceeds to do just that because there is nothing else in the world she wants but Freedom!
This text includes a Foreword about the statistics of slavery and an Author’s Note about Harriet Tubman’s life.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom is a notable and award-winning picture book that takes you through the fictitious biographic journey and life of the heroic Harriet Tubman. The text has a rhythmic and lyrical tone as it goes through her spiritual journey of breaking free from her slavery duties and overcoming the fears the come along with this adventurous expedition. The author puts a unique spin on this biography as she takes the reader through the thoughts and feelings Harriet Tubman experienced in escaping slavery and discovering freedom. The text is set up to show the different conversations she has with God through the historical events that she went through by fleeing to the North. Harriet’s thoughts and feelings are italicized while God’s words of wisdom and strength are in different color and capitalized font; this text is also free-flowing through the pages to give a new feel to the reader.
The illustrations captivate the reader through the realistic feel of Tubman’s journey through this time. The artwork is extended on both pages and they are nothing short of amazing. They are clear, vivid depictions that collaborate with the text in showing both expression and emotion. Even though most of the illustrations use many dark colors it still bring much light into the book through Tubmans everlasting hope and faith in discovering freedom for not only herself but for many others as well.
Reading this text for the first time, it took me through the adventure of breaking free from slavery by traveling through the fears of being captured while ultimately uncovering the elements of freedom altogether. For me, it wasn’t just learning about Harriet Tubman’s life and adventure through the Underground Railroad, it was about taking me through the thoughts and feelings while using her spiritual strength of God to get her through such terrifying times. The text and illustration combination is an amazing portrayal in educating all readers not just about the historical feel, but how life was really like for the slaves in the mid-19th century. For my future classroom library, I will be sure to include this piece in my set but make sure to educate my students before giving this portrayal of slavery. Through much of the text, Harriet goes through dangerous circumstances and I believe that my students will need to understand the difficulties that slaves faced during this time period to show their troubling times and conditions. The only concern I would have placing it into a public set would be the many references to God, but I believe that it gives a strong and factual touch to how Harriet Tubman’s spiritual element got her through this time thus creating a heroic and historical figure of our past. Overall, I really enjoyed this piece of historical picture book and it gave me a sense of not only what journey she went through but who she was and the life of slavery through both the Foreword and Author’s note throughout the book.
I chose this book through a insiders view because Carole Weatherford describes Harriet Tubman as being one of her heroes since childhood. She is able to identify with Harriet Tubman because Weatherford has roots in Dorchester County in Maryland where Harriet was born a slave and from which she eventually fled. She chose to do the spiritual side of Harriet Tubmans journey because Weatherford is both a wife and daughter of ministers and she wanted to touch on that spirituality in her writing. She feels she is able to relate to Harriet Tubman on the spiritual being of the book because the trust they both instill in God and the strength he gives both of them; she felt that this was a necessary touch to the story and where she was really able to let her voice and knowledge shine in as well.
Weatherford, Carole B. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2006.
Visiting Day
Visiting Day
By: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by: James E. Ransome
ISBN-13: 9780590400053
Visiting Day is a once a month occasion where this little girl and her grandmother get to visit her Dad in prison. They go through the same routines each month of taking fried chicken, cornbread, and sweet potato pie on the long bus ride upstate to visit her father in prison. Along with other families on the bus, they share the sense of hope and comfort to each other in showing they understand how exciting it is to visit your loved one, but how hard it is to leave knowing you have to wait yet another month to see them. The little girl in this text goes through the different emotional obstacles of missing her father but being reminded from her grandmother that he will be out and with them soon enough. Even though the little girls misses her father, her grandmother gives her a good home and life with giving her the hope to plan on the things they can do once her Dad returns.
The text includes an Author’s Note and Artists Note to describe their intentions of the book, and to also describe how even though this is a work of fiction, it is based on true events from the Author’s childhood.
This picture book goes through the different emotions and events of the joyful little girl’s life of the agonizing anticipation of visiting her father who is prison. It is told through her voice and perspective as she lives with her grandmother and visits her father on a monthly basis. The text focuses on the straight-forward events that the girl goes through while keeping up with the “only on visiting day” theme. The girl not only focuses on her what she goes through to prepare for this exciting day, but imagines what kind of preparation her father goes through as well. The illustrations are very realistic images that along directly with the text. Through these images it gives the reader a direct feel for what is going on through these events with the little girl and her grandmother. There are two separate pages where this is no text, it just displays the images of grandma doing the little girls hair, and them boarding the bus to go the prison. By leaving out the text I believe this is a way for the reader to just imagine the sequential events compared to having to read it piece by piece. I really liked this element because through this, words were not needed and the reader is still able to understand what is going on, just by relating to the illustrations. The illustrator also used some very bright and vivid colors to pull the reader into the book while not only concentrating on the text. I believe this the text and illustrations truly compliment each other while bringing the reader in wanting to read more about the adventures of going to visit dad on “visiting day”.
Visiting Day is an excellent read for children to identify and share the feelings of hope for anyone who has experienced or is experiencing being separated from a loved one. The element I was most keen about in this text is how the child, narrator, never placed judgment on her father or why he is in prison. This gave me the sense of showing unconditional love towards your family regardless of the situation. I believe this is a way for those who are able to relate to this book to look for at the positive things when visiting your loved one, in comparison of focusing on the negative aspects as to why he/she may be separated from you. The two major problems I had with this book is the use of some familiar stereotypes. Even though the author stated that this is based on actual events that she too experienced, and that some stereotypes may be true within different cultures, they still jumped out at me. For instance, the use of fried chicken, cornbread and sweet potato pie is more then often used when referring to African American families; and even though this may be the case I believe that making this a part of their monthly routine on visiting day made it seem a little stereotypical. Another instance is the fact that this African American girl is living with her grandmother, without a mother, having to visit her father in prison. I am not conveying the thoughts and message that these aren’t true and shouldn’t be used, but it seems like they are sometimes overused within African American texts and that if I wanted to include this in my classroom text I need to incorporate other portrayals of African Americans as well. I believe this is a book for children to be able to relate to that are going through the same situations, but not a piece of literature that I would use as a way to display African American culture. It is a book that brings up the difficult issue of separated families while using the illustrations to provide heart within the story, while also touching on the important fact of showing how the love for your family is unconditional. Overall I enjoyed the book for the message that is trying to convey, but wouldn’t use it as a piece of literature to depict the African American culture as a whole.
Visiting Day is also an insider voice piece as Jacqueline Woodson writes about her experiences of the circumstances of visiting a loved one in prison in her Author's Note. She writes about visiting her favorite uncle, and even though she never knew of what crime he committed, it didn't matter because when it was time for visiting day she went through the routines, just as in the text, with her grandmother to visit her favorite uncle. "Although Visiting Day is a work of fiction, it is based on true events from my childhood. The dad in Visiting Day is a lot like my uncle. The grandmother- alot like my own grandmother." With this author's note, I was able to truly relate the text to her own life and the different ways visiting day affected her life; thus making a more relatable piece.
Jacqueline, Woodson. Visiting Day. New York: Scholastic P, 2002.
I dream of trains
I dream of trains
By: Angela Johnson
Illustrated by: Loren Long
I dream of trains is the story of a boy that dreams the days and nights away of being on a train. The African-American boy narrates through his journey of living out his lifelong dream of being a train conductor, just like the famous Casey Jones and his side kick fireman Sim Webb. It takes you through him getting through his long days of working in the Mississippi cotton fields while listening for the Casey’s whistle on the train, as it takes him to where he one day want to be. Through his adventures he dreams of working with the historical figure Casey Jones and traveling through the plains, past the desert, and to the ocean. Through the boys dreams, it also takes you through the adventure of Casey Jones and final days on the train as he crashed his engine on April 30, 1900 and ultimately saving Sim Webb’s life by making him jump out of the train leaving him to take full control. The little boy snaps in and out of reality, getting glimpses of him pursuing all that he wants, dreams of leaving Mississippi and being one with the train.
On the final page of the text, there is a note of the book giving background and historical information of this time period and the reasons for the book. There is also short passage of John Luther “Casey” Jones life.
I dream of trains is a historical piece of fiction that takes you through the historical figure of “Casey” Jones through the eyes of an admiring African American boy. Through the voice and perspective of this boy, he takes you in and out of not only his life but through Casey Jones as well. The text uses a simple format that plays off the exquisite illustrations that piece the book together. The illustrations are beautifully displayed through either a one or two page spread flowing and collaborating perfectly with the text. The illustrations bring you into the story while the text informs and educates you about Casey Jones and the dreams this little boys leads. It is a text that plays off the theme of speaking to every child that has a hero and wants his/her to be just that. I believe this story does a superb job of taking you through the life of an African American sharecropper through this time period while showing the audience that dreaming of becoming something/someone else is how they got through their days. This little boy dreaming of trains is a way of showing a historical figure but ultimately who he wanted to be and exactly how he wanted to get there. Even though it is a rollercoaster of watching his dreams being flattened and then restored, “it is a story of the force that sustains the human spirit-hope” (Johnson, I dream of trains). I would recommend this book as a piece to include in a future classroom because it takes a child through how a little boy would do anything to be like his favorite hero, but it is about overcoming the many obstacles that get in your way of pursuing your dreams. I believe this is a great text to show the historical events of Mississippi sharecropper as the final pages, note about this book, gives the references of history and how African Americans had the exhausting task of picking cotton to make a life for their families. It is also through this text, to show the historical significance of those sharecroppers listening for the trademark whistle of Casey Jones which was a symbol of hope. The hope that one day they could pursue all the dreams they wished and envisioned for themselves as they worked through the cotton fields of Mississippi. Overall, this picture book not only takes you through the historical time period of what it consisted of when working on the cotton fields, but it also conveys the message of following your dreams and never settling until you have reached who you want to be.
Angela Johnson is a very extraordinary woman that has over 25 published pieces and in an interview with TeachingBooks.net that describe her writing process and the signifcance in each of her pieces of text. In making her an "insider author" she describes her pieces as, "Every book has pieces of my life" (http://www.teachingbooks.net/content/JohnsonA_qu.pdf). Through this quote, it makes I dream of trains an insider voice as she describes many of her experiences through observing and taking part in her nieces and nephews lives.
Johnson, Angela. I Dream of Trains. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003
David Levithan
I was so intrigued by Boy Meets Boy and all the different elements it contained that I wanted to learn more about the author. I explored through David Levithan's website http://www.davidlevithan.com/ to learn about who he was and the reason(s) for him creating this piece of diverse literature. He created Boy Meets Boy as a way to get out a different message about gays, not just the common gay teen norms that all other books go for (i.e. it has to be about a gay uncle, or a teen who gets beaten up for being gay, or about outcasts who come out and find they're still outcasts, etc.). He wrote this piece as a way to give a new outlook through a gay teens life and what it could be like. He is often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and he believe it is a little of both. As David Levithan states, "it's about where we're going, and where we should be". The book is about love, friendship tolerance, and taking a stand for what you believe in (thus making it a relatable text for all, not just the gay community). As a straight female I was able to relate to the underlying themes of relationships between friends and families and the issue of having a significant other and the elements that go along with that. David Levithan created this piece as a way to show the direction our society should be going in the notion of acceptance for one another and the way we choose to live our lives. On his webpage he also had reviews of all of his books and I believe this review fits Boy Meets Boy perfectly; "Levithan's prophecy of a hate-free world in which everyone loves without persecution makes this a provocative and important read for all young adults, gay and straight." School Library Journal, starred review. Through exploring his webpage I was able to gain the sense of what kind of world David is trying to create, regardless of it being real or fantasy, he is trying to inform everyone of the world that we might one day have :)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Idealistic versus Realistic
After reading Boy Meets Boy, and through discussion in class I couldn't stil help but ponder on the idea of this created community in the book. When reading the book it was so refreshing to read about a community that accepted each individual for who they were, not for who or what their sexual orientation was. This community accepted gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, cross-dressers, and what seemed to be everything and anything under the sun. It was such a refreshing take compared to the world/society we live in today, but in class the discussion turned to being too idealistic and not even close to being realistic. When reading the book, I never once thought about the community being unrealistic because for me it was just reading. That is why these Question the Text papers have been really difficult for me because I have been trained to read for setting, characters, plot, problem, and solution. I have never had to "question" what the author's intent was or what problems I see with the how the story is being portrayed. After the discussion in class about how unrealistic this community is in today's world I could only think about it isn't just about being "realistic", the author could be doing this as a way to be hopeful to all those that wished a place like this existed. When reading a book it shouldn't always be about being finding whats wrong it in, we should be discussing all of the right concepts in it. The concepts of being a gay being accepted in not only his/her school but in the community as well. The concept of the star football players being a cross-dresser and the concept of a boy finally finding the strength to lead the life he had been longing for. For me, this is what I found throughout the book; even though this community was jampacked with all of these different scenarios that arent usually accepted throughout society as a way to show hope. Hope that one day a community is accepting of even just being gay/lesbian; or a society that understands the world isn't just about black and white, there are a lot of gray areas in between.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Where I am from...
In my TE 402 class, we have been working on the topic of Poetry and how to incorporate it into our classrooms. As an introduction to this topic we had to write a poem about where we are from and who we are. This brought me back to the very first assignment in this class and how I wanted to focus my new piece of poetry. The main difference that I wanted to focus on was making it very specific to my life; whereas my first poem was a very broad part of me, without specific details. I wanted to write a post about this because by writing these two different pieces I was able to gain a sense of who am I in a multitude of ways. Here are my two pieces:
TE 448
I am just a small town girl without much of the stereotypes.
I am surrounded by farmland without the overall jeans.
I am very sheltered without living in an extreme bubble.
I am a sister to more people than just my 2 brothers.
I am someone who has been born and raised in the same town without getting caught up in the "norms".
I am a mother without bearing a child.
I am educated with certain limitations.
I am naive while realizing there is much more out there.
I am a hypocrite without being a discriminator.
I am a leader without being too demanding.
I am a follower without having to exactly follow.
I am a teacher without having a classroom.
I am a survivor who has dealt with my own sense of pain.
I am not excessively happy, I am really just that happy.
I am not overly nice, I really care that much.
I am not spontaneous, I just live up to my own expectations.
I am a daughter, girlfriend, and most importantly a friend.
I am what I am, and all I can be is me.
TE 402:
I am from the small town “where everybody knows your name”
Where Friday nights are reserved to going to high school events
The boardwalk is known for the place to meet
And a coffeehouse is a new, exciting establishment in town.
I am from the house that always has that “home” feeling.
I went from being raised in “jungle town” to moving into River Ridge subdivision.
No matter where we are my mom always knows how to add those warming touches,
While filling the house with pictures and memories that take us through our lives.
I am from a family that has a mom, dad, two boys, a girl, and always a dog.
I am 18 months younger and about 18 years older then my brothers.
I am the middle child that reaped all the benefits of being the youngest.
We are a family that loves to watch home-videos and play sports indoors.
I am from the “as long as you do your best”
And “your family will always support you”
To the “you can’t leave the table until everything is gone from your plate”
And the “loves ya” not love you from my dad.
I am from traditions that surround food.
Thursdays are always spaghetti night,
Thanksgiving is always the time where we make homemade perogies,
And our birthdays are when we get our favorite dinner and dessert made just for us.
I am from the trying to vacation type family.
From our annual trips to Silver Lake when we were little,
To the Las Vegas, love to gamble type tradition.
A vacation is the time we spend together, regardless if we leave our town or not.
I am from the memories that will never die.
From being a tom-boy and private school attendee
To being the busy body with sporting events and practices galore
But have been lucky enough to have supporting family and friends the entire way.
I am very honored to say this is where I am from
And where I am from has shaped me to be who I am.
With these very different pieces of poetry I still found that they hit who I am to a tee but in very different ways. I wanted to share these as a way to show that no matter how different poetry is, you still are able to gain different perspectives of who a person is through their descriptions, both being vague or very specific. Through these two different assignments it really showed me how important poetry is and how easily it can be overlooked throughout curriculum but by including it you can bring out many apsects of a child that you never knew existed.
TE 448
I am just a small town girl without much of the stereotypes.
I am surrounded by farmland without the overall jeans.
I am very sheltered without living in an extreme bubble.
I am a sister to more people than just my 2 brothers.
I am someone who has been born and raised in the same town without getting caught up in the "norms".
I am a mother without bearing a child.
I am educated with certain limitations.
I am naive while realizing there is much more out there.
I am a hypocrite without being a discriminator.
I am a leader without being too demanding.
I am a follower without having to exactly follow.
I am a teacher without having a classroom.
I am a survivor who has dealt with my own sense of pain.
I am not excessively happy, I am really just that happy.
I am not overly nice, I really care that much.
I am not spontaneous, I just live up to my own expectations.
I am a daughter, girlfriend, and most importantly a friend.
I am what I am, and all I can be is me.
TE 402:
I am from the small town “where everybody knows your name”
Where Friday nights are reserved to going to high school events
The boardwalk is known for the place to meet
And a coffeehouse is a new, exciting establishment in town.
I am from the house that always has that “home” feeling.
I went from being raised in “jungle town” to moving into River Ridge subdivision.
No matter where we are my mom always knows how to add those warming touches,
While filling the house with pictures and memories that take us through our lives.
I am from a family that has a mom, dad, two boys, a girl, and always a dog.
I am 18 months younger and about 18 years older then my brothers.
I am the middle child that reaped all the benefits of being the youngest.
We are a family that loves to watch home-videos and play sports indoors.
I am from the “as long as you do your best”
And “your family will always support you”
To the “you can’t leave the table until everything is gone from your plate”
And the “loves ya” not love you from my dad.
I am from traditions that surround food.
Thursdays are always spaghetti night,
Thanksgiving is always the time where we make homemade perogies,
And our birthdays are when we get our favorite dinner and dessert made just for us.
I am from the trying to vacation type family.
From our annual trips to Silver Lake when we were little,
To the Las Vegas, love to gamble type tradition.
A vacation is the time we spend together, regardless if we leave our town or not.
I am from the memories that will never die.
From being a tom-boy and private school attendee
To being the busy body with sporting events and practices galore
But have been lucky enough to have supporting family and friends the entire way.
I am very honored to say this is where I am from
And where I am from has shaped me to be who I am.
With these very different pieces of poetry I still found that they hit who I am to a tee but in very different ways. I wanted to share these as a way to show that no matter how different poetry is, you still are able to gain different perspectives of who a person is through their descriptions, both being vague or very specific. Through these two different assignments it really showed me how important poetry is and how easily it can be overlooked throughout curriculum but by including it you can bring out many apsects of a child that you never knew existed.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Extra Credit
When walking into the room for the Native American author reading, it seemed like a very formal setting. Some people were formally dressed with suits and the chairs were set up in nice even rows, all facing the stage with a podium and microphone. From the atmosphere, it felt like the readings were going to be somewhat formal and ceremonial, but once it started it was everything but that. They had us all get away from the whole “row seating” and move ourselves closer to the readers so we could feel like a group rather then individuals. As being an outsider to this culture and not knowing what to expect, getting out of what I thought “formal setting” completely changed my assumptions of how the readings were going to be because they wanted us all to be comfortable and close to the readers. The seminar began with a prayer; even though I didn’t understand the language it was very inspiring to be a part of a culture that I am not familiar with. Before coming to this seminar, I had certain predictions and assumptions as to what the readings were going to be about and how the seminar would be; but frankly I was completely wrong. Each author chose what pieces they wanted to share with the audience and some of them went with a certain theme. This may sound stereotypical but I went into this seminar thinking it was going to be based discrimination and how they are not respected within society, not just in the past but in today’s world as well. Even though these issues came up, but the readers were able to make it so they could connect to you rather then preach about it. It was very inspiring to sit there and listen to them, even though I can not directly connect to what they have been through, I was able to connect to their feelings and how they were affected based on their readings.
The first reader Eric Gansworth was an author of six books. His books featured painting and visual works while writing about art and art criticism. He has been to a lot of readings, but said it is about listening to those that inspire you. His inspiration to become a writer was from listening to Leon Howell during a reading. All of the pieces he chose to share with us were poems; poems about his body being a huge force or speaking about the modern changes and changing Native American culture. One reading that really hit me was the reading called “a half life and heart function”. It was about his life of being poor compared to the rich whites. He talked about how whites viewed throwing out cigarettes as spare changes where his people viewed that as a lot of money. Even though he talks about being envious of the whites and the money, he found things like cologne that made him forget all about being poor. Listening to this reading made me think about the life I lead and how it isn’t about the clothes I wear or where they come from it is about how those things make me, personally, feel. The little things like “cologne” make you forget about how much money you do or don’t have because you feel like a million bucks regardless of it.
The next reader Qwo-Li Driskill was a very passionate reader. His poems were about injustices of Native American history. He is the author or “Walking with Ghosts”, and has a PhD in rhetoric writing. His theme throughout his readings was going through different Presidents and their relationship with Native Americans. I did not seem to understand some of his poems, but I am not very educated with earlier presidents in history and their impact on the past.
The last two readers were my favorite two presentations. Jim Northrup was a very dynamic individual who spoke about his experiences not only as a Native American but as a soldier going through Vietnam. A strategy that was very effective was him choosing to memorize his readings. I believe if he would have read them just out of a book, it would have been less effective to the audience. I was very into his readings in wanting him to continue reading more; he was a very inspiring reader and I felt very moved and stimulated listening to what it was like to be a soldier during the times of Vietnam. His readings were very personal, especially the one about his struggles with post-traumatic stress when returning from the war. I believe it was a very strong approach to speak about personal issues because I believe I often connect better to a reader when they speak about their own life rather than trying to talk about someone else’s. The final reading by Richard Van Camp was the most shocking reading of them all. His reading was about a woman’s life experiences of being a victim and the ways she wanted to overcome it by accomplishing certain tasks; getting a G-spot orgasm, finding a handsome man, etc. This reader did an amazing job of keeping the audience entertained as I and many others couldn’t stop laughing throughout his story.
Going to this seminar was a completing eye-opening experience and exceeded all or any of my expectations. I went into the seminar thinking it was going to be about how Native Americans have been treated and effected throughout history and even today, but it was even more then that. These readings proved how Native Americans are just normal people. They experience the same things and live similar lives to those of others. I was completely taken away by this seminar and it leaves me with an open mind to attend more in the future.
The first reader Eric Gansworth was an author of six books. His books featured painting and visual works while writing about art and art criticism. He has been to a lot of readings, but said it is about listening to those that inspire you. His inspiration to become a writer was from listening to Leon Howell during a reading. All of the pieces he chose to share with us were poems; poems about his body being a huge force or speaking about the modern changes and changing Native American culture. One reading that really hit me was the reading called “a half life and heart function”. It was about his life of being poor compared to the rich whites. He talked about how whites viewed throwing out cigarettes as spare changes where his people viewed that as a lot of money. Even though he talks about being envious of the whites and the money, he found things like cologne that made him forget all about being poor. Listening to this reading made me think about the life I lead and how it isn’t about the clothes I wear or where they come from it is about how those things make me, personally, feel. The little things like “cologne” make you forget about how much money you do or don’t have because you feel like a million bucks regardless of it.
The next reader Qwo-Li Driskill was a very passionate reader. His poems were about injustices of Native American history. He is the author or “Walking with Ghosts”, and has a PhD in rhetoric writing. His theme throughout his readings was going through different Presidents and their relationship with Native Americans. I did not seem to understand some of his poems, but I am not very educated with earlier presidents in history and their impact on the past.
The last two readers were my favorite two presentations. Jim Northrup was a very dynamic individual who spoke about his experiences not only as a Native American but as a soldier going through Vietnam. A strategy that was very effective was him choosing to memorize his readings. I believe if he would have read them just out of a book, it would have been less effective to the audience. I was very into his readings in wanting him to continue reading more; he was a very inspiring reader and I felt very moved and stimulated listening to what it was like to be a soldier during the times of Vietnam. His readings were very personal, especially the one about his struggles with post-traumatic stress when returning from the war. I believe it was a very strong approach to speak about personal issues because I believe I often connect better to a reader when they speak about their own life rather than trying to talk about someone else’s. The final reading by Richard Van Camp was the most shocking reading of them all. His reading was about a woman’s life experiences of being a victim and the ways she wanted to overcome it by accomplishing certain tasks; getting a G-spot orgasm, finding a handsome man, etc. This reader did an amazing job of keeping the audience entertained as I and many others couldn’t stop laughing throughout his story.
Going to this seminar was a completing eye-opening experience and exceeded all or any of my expectations. I went into the seminar thinking it was going to be about how Native Americans have been treated and effected throughout history and even today, but it was even more then that. These readings proved how Native Americans are just normal people. They experience the same things and live similar lives to those of others. I was completely taken away by this seminar and it leaves me with an open mind to attend more in the future.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Personal Philosophy
The reason why I chose to be apart of this class is because as a language arts major within the elementary education profession I wanted to be able to become more educated about not only children’s literature but diverse literature. When choosing my classes for to fulfill my language arts major, I was very pleased to have this as an option instead of the typical thesis papers that I have been writing all throughout my college career. When choosing language arts as my major, I thought I would be studying about how language arts goes on throughout the elementary education setting and different strategies you would use within your classroom to be a more effective literacy instructor but it was not even close to what I had expected. The main focus has been on writing thesis papers based on the literature and articles that we had been reading. Besides this struggle I have faced within finding classes that suited my future profession, I have found this class extremely beneficial to my future. This class has been teaching me to look at literature in a whole different light. It just isn’t about what is good literature and what is not, it is about how different cultures are portrayed and in what ways you need to make sure your book is an accurate portrayal when teaching in your classes as well. I have realized that diverse literature is just not incorporating it into your classroom, but to make sure you are educated on the books that you do choose to use within your classroom and the stereotypes that may come out of your books. It is about educating your students about what they are reading and the different cultures reading and learning about and to make sure they are getting the correct portrayals of that culture. My personal philosophy about multicultural education is that the more educated I become the better. Diverse classrooms are a huge part of a teacher’s job and the more I can learn about how I can accommodate to such settings, the better teacher I will become. Children’s literature is a vital element in a student’s education and academic success. I believe that reading does not just help children academically but it expands their knowledge on so many different levels. With reading, I believe the children are able to find who they are and what interests they may have through reading various types of books. I have been creating my classroom library ever since TE 348 and now by taking this class it has taken me on a whole different level. It now isn’t just about finding literature that fits your students and the classroom setting, but it is about finding books that hits upon different cultures and by doing so in a correct manner. It is no longer about creating a classroom library, it is about creating a diverse multicultural library to accommodate all of my students needs, wants, levels, and cultures. As being a future teacher comes near, some concerns that I have is that I am not fully prepared to be in a classroom or a diverse one at that. By taking this course I have learned that it is not just about being “politically correct”; it is about making sure you are completed educated especially when teaching about another’s culture. I have come to realize that I am going to make mistakes, but it is about fixing it and making sure my students become correctly educated especially when it comes to one’s culture.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Throughout the reading of this narrative, I kept questioning why they would not say what exact condition Natalie had. I obviously knew it was some kind of form of Autism, but I didn't understand why they werent establishing it until reading the Author's Note at the very end. This book takes place in 1935 and Autism was not identified until 1943; but then I question is this book depicting all of the stereotypes that Tal describes in his article for disabled people? Common stereotypes in books "include portraying the disabled character as weak or pathetic, a burden to others, or incapable of participating fully in everyday life". Even though Natalie was able to participate in everyday life, she still had some major struggles. Al Capone Does My Shirts was published in 2004, 3 years after Tal's article about criteria for evaluating children's literature about disabilities came out. Therefore, when producing this text the author obviously knew all about different stereotypes that existed with children's literature. I know that all of Natalie's characteristics depict the elements of Autism, but it goes right along with the stereotypes within literature as well. I understand that the books setting takes place in 1935 so these "stereotypes" were not classified thus far, but reading the articles after reading the text really makes me question some of the factors in the text. Another thing I questioned while reading the text is the way Piper's character is used towards Natalie in the beginning. She uses words such as "retard", "stupid", and "different" to describe her. Also in the Tal article it goes on to explain ways to avoid stereotypes within text; "Information about the disability needs to be accurate and up-to-date, and the language describing the disability chosen with sensitivity and an awareness of current usage". With this quote it helps explain how important and crucial it is to be sensitive when portraying characters with disabilities in the text, because as shown in the Williams, et al article they too are considered their own "group". I am not trying to put this book in a bad light because I really enjoyed it and would really consider using it in my classroom; but if someone is not there to explain these different aspects to children will they really understand that along with differences there are many similarities between them and children with disabilities? Or will this be a way of justifying their actions when they use those types of words towards other students? Not every book is perfect and I can understand the different reasons as to why an author may or may not include certain things, but just as the Williams, et al article describes that by reading books about children with disabilities and chronic illness it opens the door for discussion thus helping to build a foundatino for acceptance of people who may look or act differently. This type of discussion is the exact ways I, as a future educator, will help my students realize the various aspects of text and make it relatable to their life while hopefully concluding with an accurate portrayal of certain groups.
Pura Belpre
The Pura Belpre Award was first established to recognize and honor Latino writers and illustrators whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of children's literature. This award was first presented in 1996 and is presented biennially to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator. It has been in the works of changing this award to an annual award because there are more and more authors and illustrators and will begin taking place in 2009. The terms and criteria are extremely complicated within the criteria for the text and the criteria for the illustrations but I will sum up the overall terms:
1. Two medals shall be awarded biennially, one to a Latino author and one to a Latino illustrator.
2. The award-winning books must be published in the United States or Puerto Rico.
3. Recipients of the Pura Belpre Medal must be residents or citizens of the United States or Puerto Rico.
4. Only eligible books within these terms may be considered.
5. Fiction and nonfiction books for children published in Spanish, English or bilingual.
Within each of the different medals (text and illustrations) there are their own terms and criteria as well. They differ but stay along the same type of theme:
1. Identifying an author/illustrator of an outstanding book while having an accurate and positive portrayal of the Latino culture.
2. Considering other aspect of the book that make the book whole (illustrations vs text).
3. Not only is this award based on the illustrations and text but it is on how it portrays and celebrates the Latino culture.
4. Particular attention will be paid to the "insider's voice" and cultural authenticity.
etc.
The award is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA).
The selection committee is those that are part of the co-sponsoring committees.
There is no official website for the award but there are different resources that provide information about this award. Many library websites have posted a description of the award as a link. Some websites included:
1)ALSC: Association for Library Service to Children
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprmdeal.cfm
2)http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/awards/purabelpre.htm
3)Book Spot: http://www.bookspot.com/awards/belpre.htm
This award was first created in 1996 to acknowledge Latino authors or illustrators who best depict and celebrate the Latin cultural experience in children's literature. Pura Belpre was the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. This award was named after her to recognize all of her hard work to address the misconceptions as well as to promote the Latino culture as a children's librarian, an author, and a storyteller.
Some books that we chose to display in class were:
-"Parrot in the Oven" by: Victor Martinez
-"The Tequila Worm" by: Viola Canales
-"Magic Windows" by: Ventanas Magicas
-"Chato and the Party Animals" by: Gary Soto and Susan Guevara
-"Snapshots from the Wedding" by: Gary Soto
Nikole, Allison, Sarah
1. Two medals shall be awarded biennially, one to a Latino author and one to a Latino illustrator.
2. The award-winning books must be published in the United States or Puerto Rico.
3. Recipients of the Pura Belpre Medal must be residents or citizens of the United States or Puerto Rico.
4. Only eligible books within these terms may be considered.
5. Fiction and nonfiction books for children published in Spanish, English or bilingual.
Within each of the different medals (text and illustrations) there are their own terms and criteria as well. They differ but stay along the same type of theme:
1. Identifying an author/illustrator of an outstanding book while having an accurate and positive portrayal of the Latino culture.
2. Considering other aspect of the book that make the book whole (illustrations vs text).
3. Not only is this award based on the illustrations and text but it is on how it portrays and celebrates the Latino culture.
4. Particular attention will be paid to the "insider's voice" and cultural authenticity.
etc.
The award is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA).
The selection committee is those that are part of the co-sponsoring committees.
There is no official website for the award but there are different resources that provide information about this award. Many library websites have posted a description of the award as a link. Some websites included:
1)ALSC: Association for Library Service to Children
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprmdeal.cfm
2)http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/awards/purabelpre.htm
3)Book Spot: http://www.bookspot.com/awards/belpre.htm
This award was first created in 1996 to acknowledge Latino authors or illustrators who best depict and celebrate the Latin cultural experience in children's literature. Pura Belpre was the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. This award was named after her to recognize all of her hard work to address the misconceptions as well as to promote the Latino culture as a children's librarian, an author, and a storyteller.
Some books that we chose to display in class were:
-"Parrot in the Oven" by: Victor Martinez
-"The Tequila Worm" by: Viola Canales
-"Magic Windows" by: Ventanas Magicas
-"Chato and the Party Animals" by: Gary Soto and Susan Guevara
-"Snapshots from the Wedding" by: Gary Soto
Nikole, Allison, Sarah
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Looking at Poetry in a new light
I just finished reading Bronx Masquerade and even though I was skeptical at first, I ended up loving it. I haven’t ever seemed to get into the whole poetry thing, but after reading this book it totally put a new spin to what poetry can do in a classroom. When first reading it, I was getting confused with all of the different characters and what each of them represented through their poems but after getting use to the rhythm of it all, it really grew on me. I realized it wasn’t about putting a face with a theme, but by understanding the different themes that existed through each of the characters. With each of the poems, there was also a unique style portrayed in each of their writing. I also really enjoyed the use of Tyrone in the book. The way he narrated and worked through the different pieces made the poems even more significant to piecing the story together. After reading through a poem and the way I felt about it, I was always excited to see what Tyrone felt about it and how different or similar our views/takes were on the same piece. Through this, that is what I found most enjoyable about reading the poems, what different ideas/themes you are able to get out of a poem and comparing those ideas with others to see how different it is to theirs.
I was able to relate to the characters, because just like them, they weren’t at first sure of how well they liked poetry until they got into it. I feel like I have never been a fan of poetry because most of my poetry classes were about “finding the meaning” which meant, finding what my teacher wanted me to find. I have found that poetry has different stories within itself; it is about finding your own type of meanings because everyone’s life experiences are different therefore each poem is going to be read in a different light. Overall I really liked this book because it got me into a genre that I have never really enjoyed reading before. Just like books, there are all different types of poems that are out there, through this I have found the kind of poems that I enjoy reading and that I am able to relate to the most.
I was able to relate to the characters, because just like them, they weren’t at first sure of how well they liked poetry until they got into it. I feel like I have never been a fan of poetry because most of my poetry classes were about “finding the meaning” which meant, finding what my teacher wanted me to find. I have found that poetry has different stories within itself; it is about finding your own type of meanings because everyone’s life experiences are different therefore each poem is going to be read in a different light. Overall I really liked this book because it got me into a genre that I have never really enjoyed reading before. Just like books, there are all different types of poems that are out there, through this I have found the kind of poems that I enjoy reading and that I am able to relate to the most.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Nikki Grimes
After reading "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes, I became very interested in finding out more about the author and her ideas in creating this piece. As I began to research her name on the internet, the first website I came across listed a lot of her works; "Bronx Masquerade" not even being mentioned. Right then, because I really enjoyed this piece, I thought how great must her other pieces be if this one wasn't even mentioned. Nikki Grimes was born and raised in New York City, where she began composing verse at the age of six and has continued her writing ever since. "She is happy to own the title Poet." Nikki Grimes has traveled the world conducting both child and adult poetry readings and lectures. She has been "crossing the borders" on all different levels; especially through "Bronx Masquerade" Nikki shows how poetry can do extraordinary things between cultures. In the 1970's, Nikki found time in her busy schedule to even coproduce and host The Kids Show on WBAI in New York; she continued her way through the radio business when she hosted a radio program in Sweden for immigrants as well. On top of her traveling she has produced many award winning books for children and young adults including the novels Bronx Masquerade, Jazmin's Notebook, and many other poetry collections. Along with her numerous book awards, Nikki Grimes was a recpipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children and was awarded the Golden Dolphin Award by the Southern California Children's Book Association.
Nikki Grimes is not only talented in the art of poetry, she has made a name for herself in other creative arts through photography, jewelry, and handmade cards. Her fiber art, beaded jewelry, and handmade cards are all made from recyclable materials. Her work has been featured in fine art fairs and bookstores and have been seen all around the nation from Utah to New York City.
Nikki Grimes is an extremely extraordinary individual who has developed herself as an author, poet, lecturer, and educator all across the nation and world. As an author of more than two dozen books for children, Nikki Grimes has a talent that can touch many lives on all different levels while connecting different cultures through the art of poetry.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mascot Debate
When looking at other people's postings, an issue that really caught my attention was the the Mascot debate as to whether native americans should be used as a represenation of a university/school or not. I understand that this post is kind of late compared to when we discussed the issue, but as i continue reading other posts it really made me want to give my two sense as well. Before watching the movie in class or reading The Heart of a Chief I have never put that much thought or emphasis on the matter. After being a part of the discussion it really hit me how big of an issue this can be and how many people it affects. When watching the movie I was completely torn with which end of the spectrum I would be at. I understand where both sides are coming from in the debate of whether to keep a native american mascot or not. Many universities take pride in their "symbol" but are not always portraying them in the correct light. Most of them depict these symbols with stereotypes. As described in the Reese article, "They'd be wearing feathers, They'd havewar paint on," and "They'd be carrying a tomahawk". Nowhere in there is that respecting the culture of the Native Americans. When they have mascots dancing around on the field, it is mocking their form of prayer and spirituality and should not be used as entertainment. The thing that got me so confused with the whole debate is the kind of passion and love the fans had for their mascot. It seemed like they were not trying to make a mockery of their culture, but the reason they didn't want to change mascots is because it is a mascot that they have come to love and is a part of the school's history. It is so hard to take a complete stance as to ban all native american mascots because it is a part of their schools history but I cant say I know what it like to see my culture portrayed in a negative tone like they see on a regular basis.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Insider versus Outsider
While reading the articles, I have discovered that I am not a very good debater because every time an author would make a stand I would find some way to connect with their argument. I kept going back and forth on what I stood for when finally discovering I am able to take away ideas from both sides of the arguments while gaining a perspective on multiculturalism. I agree with Shannon as he describes culture as "ways of acting, believing, and valuing; it's a shared set of ideas, behaviors, discourses, and attitudes which internally and externally define a social group. Culture, then, is not limited to race". I fully agree that culture should not be solely based on race when so many important aspects should be a part of who you are, not just the color of your skin. As for defining multiculturalism, I find myself agreeing more with Cai when he describes multiculturalism not to just focus on race, but it is about exploring outside of the mainstream. As he states, "Multiculturalism is about diversity and inclusion, but what is more important, it is also about power structures and struggles". By reading this article, I have become to understand what it takes to produce a piece of literature outside of the mainstream and how much efforts have to be made for their voice to be heard. As stated in the articles, if multiculturalism included all races/cultures, including mainstream, the term and concept would lose all meaning. It is not about discriminating against mainstream, "it is to call attention to the voices that have been traditionally omitted from the canon ... the part of the picture that needs to be filled in". When referring to multiculturalism, the debate shouldn't be about who or who should not be included in the "list", it should be about what we should be doing about becoming more informed while more accurately informing others about these extraordinary pieces of literature. When reading The Heart of a Chief as a white female I was able to gain a different perspective of what other cultures and living situations are like. I believe the point of multiculturalism is to educate one another about cultures that we are not familiar with. By including white literature in the multicultural "list", there would be no separations thus losing all purpose and meaning.
As for the debate upon who should produce these pieces of literature, I believe it should be all about accuracy. I think that everyone has the ability to produce both accurate as well as inaccurate pieces of literature regardless if you are writing about your own culture or a culture other than your own. I think everyone has the right to write and illustrate diverse pieces of literature if they do so in the correct and most accurate manner. Even though that I am a white female, that does not mean I can create a piece of literature that represents all white females. I am only able to write according to my own life experiences as well as my upbringing. No two people are the same and to say one person has a better picture of what it means to be a white female would be going against what I view as correct or accurate in regards to my life. I believe that no one is able to paint a completely accurate portrayal of any one culture; but they should do so accordingly and to the best of their knowledge especially if portraying a different culture other than your own. I am neither for or against the insider or outsider as to who should be the one producing these pieces of literature because everything is viewed in a different light. As for my perspective I believe that both insiders and outsiders are able to produce extraordinary pieces of diverse literature because it is about how accurate and to what extent they portrayed a certain culture. I understand that my views may seem to be the "easy way out" by not taking a side; but I decided I would rather explain and explore further as to what my views are rather then taking a side that I do not fully agree with. If I find myself leaning towards one way more then the other, I will edit this post accordingly; but until then I plan to keep learning and become more educated on this subject that I have been so naive to as a student and future educator.
As for the debate upon who should produce these pieces of literature, I believe it should be all about accuracy. I think that everyone has the ability to produce both accurate as well as inaccurate pieces of literature regardless if you are writing about your own culture or a culture other than your own. I think everyone has the right to write and illustrate diverse pieces of literature if they do so in the correct and most accurate manner. Even though that I am a white female, that does not mean I can create a piece of literature that represents all white females. I am only able to write according to my own life experiences as well as my upbringing. No two people are the same and to say one person has a better picture of what it means to be a white female would be going against what I view as correct or accurate in regards to my life. I believe that no one is able to paint a completely accurate portrayal of any one culture; but they should do so accordingly and to the best of their knowledge especially if portraying a different culture other than your own. I am neither for or against the insider or outsider as to who should be the one producing these pieces of literature because everything is viewed in a different light. As for my perspective I believe that both insiders and outsiders are able to produce extraordinary pieces of diverse literature because it is about how accurate and to what extent they portrayed a certain culture. I understand that my views may seem to be the "easy way out" by not taking a side; but I decided I would rather explain and explore further as to what my views are rather then taking a side that I do not fully agree with. If I find myself leaning towards one way more then the other, I will edit this post accordingly; but until then I plan to keep learning and become more educated on this subject that I have been so naive to as a student and future educator.
Monday, January 28, 2008
About Diverse Literature
I am interested in learning more about diverse literature, especially focusing on Children's literature. The more exposure I have to different and diverse pieces, the better my own classroom library will be; thus fitting the needs of my students as a whole. By taking this course I hope to develop the necessary skills and strategies as to what a good piece of literature looks like. As a future teacher, I do not want to be completely naive and have a library full of one type of writing and reading style. I want to have a diverse and well rounded library to fit all types of students and cultures. By taking this course I hope to obtain the knowledge as to what to look for in literature and what type of books to steer away from. I have high expectations for myself as both a student and a teacher and hope to fulfill these to the best of my knowledge and ability.
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