Building a Diverse Classroom Library

1. BUILDING A DIVERSE
CLASSROOM LIBRARY:
THE IMPORTANCE OF MIRRORS, WINDOWS, AND DOORS
LIST 5354: Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults
Professional Presentation: Spring, 2018
Dawn Gosse
Pearland Junior High West
Reading 8

2. Objectives
At the end of this presentation, you will be able to…
~ name resources to help you select books of diversity to add to your
classroom library and implement instructional ideas for classroom use.
~ describe the terms mirror, window, and door as they relate to
multicultural and diverse literature.
~ explain the reasons for building a classroom library that includes
diversity of race, gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, and religion.
~ evaluate your own classroom library and formulate a plan to integrate
diverse literature into your classroom using a variety of methods.
After this presentation, you will…
~ list ten books you will add to your classroom library.

3. Why do our
classroom libraries
need diverse books?
Introduction: Rationale

4. Here is a picture of my students reading outside during a fire drill:
White
White
White
Latino
Latina
Latina
Asian
Asian
Asian Black
Black
Black
Latina
Black
Black
Black
Introduction: Rationale

5. Here is a picture of two shelves in my classroom library:
How many ethnicities are represented?
White Main Characters =
Black Main Characters =
Asian Main Characters =
Indian Main Characters =
Native American Main Characters =
65
4
0
0
1
Introduction: Rationale

6. According to a study done by the
Cooperative Children’s Book Center
(CCBC) in 2012, 93% of books included
primarily White characters.
In 2015, the number had dropped to 73%.
Progress is being made, but the diversity in
books published is still not representative of
the kids in our classrooms.
Introduction: Rationale

7. ”Children’s literature should affirm the diversity of our society.”
- Botelho & Rudman (2009, p. 10)
Introduction: Rationale

8. Diversity is not just about skin color. It is about all of the details that make
our students special and unique, and, often, in their eyes, different.
RACE
GENDER
CLASS
SEXUALITY
ETHNICITYRELIGION
FAMILY
STRUCTURE POLITICAL
BELIEFS
LANGUAGE
DIFFERENTLY
ABLED
BODY TYPE
INTERESTS &
HOBBIES
RESIDENCEETHNICITY
Introduction: Rationale

9. “Imagine a world in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book.”
- We Need Diverse Books
“…literature
can
authentically
mirror or
reflect one’s
life”
(Botelho and Rudman, 2009, xiii)
“The mirror
invites self-
contemplation
and
affirmation of
identity”
(Botelho and Rudman, 2009, xiii)
Books as Mirrors
Introduction: Rationale

10. “…literature
can look
through a
window to
view
someone
else’s world”
(Botelho and Rudman, 2009, xiii)
“The
window
permits a
view of
other
people’s
lives”
(Botelho and Rudman, 2009, xiii)
Books as Windows
Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book! A message to us from the dead, — from
human souls whom we never saw, who lived perhaps thousands of miles away; and yet these, on those little
sheets of paper, speak to us, teach us, comfort us, open their hearts to us as brothers. ~Charles Kingsley
Introduction: Rationale

11. Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life."
~Helen Exley
“…literature
can…open
doors offering
access both
into and out of
one’s
condition”
(Botelho and Rudman,
2009, xiii)
“The door
invites
interaction”
(Botelho and
Rudman, 2009, xiii)
Books as Doors
Introduction: Rationale

12. Young Adults Need Access to Diverse Literature
as
mirrors
as
windows
as
doors
Introduction: Rationale

13. But I’m an overworked
teacher! I hardly have
time to go to the
bathroom! How can I
possibly read all of the
diverse young adult
books on the market?
It’s impossible!
Body: Resources

14. Never fear!
Help is here!
Scholastic Book Clubs
We Need Diverse Books
Ultimate Diverse Book List
GOODREADS
Diversity Book Lists
Diversity in YA
Body: Resources

15. Books with Diversity
Coming Up:
Get
your
pencils
ready!

16. Body: Resources
Diversity of Race: Latina Protagonists

17. Body: Resources
Diversity of Race: Latino Protagonists

18. Body: Resources
Diversity of Race: Black Female Protagonists

19. Body: Resources
Diversity of Race: Black Male Protagonists

20. Diversity of Race: Asian/Indian Female Protagonists
Body: Resources

21. Body: Resources
Diversity of Race: Asian/Indian Male Protagonists

22. Diversity of Sexuality: Gay Female Protagonists
Body: Resources

23. Diversity of Sexuality: Gay Male Protagonists
Body: Resources

24. Diversity of Sexuality: Bisexual Protagonists
Body: Resources

25. Diversity of Gender: Transgender Protagonists
Body: Resources

26. Diversity of Abilities: Differently-Abled Protagonists
Body: Resources

27. Diversity of “Issues”: Protagonists with Disorders
Body: Resources

28. Diversity of Bodies: Protagonists with Body Image Issues
Body: Resources

29. Diversity of Class: Low-High SES Protagonists
Body: Resources

30. Integration of Literature
How to
incorporate
diverse literature
into your
classroom

31. Integration of Literature
add
Diverse
Books to
your
classroom
library
✔ “Penny believes every child in America needs access to books
that will keep them turning pages, racing to the end,
discovering new ideas and learning to understand the diversity
in our world. She believes all children deserve books they can
and will want to read and teachers that will guide them to
improve as readers.
We need access to books from every corner of the world and
from every field of study. Students should have access to all the
current award winners in literature and to the wide range of
genres they will read in the future. Every classroom should
have hundreds of books to inspire curiosity, hope, and vision
for the future.”
The most important thing you can do to encourage
the reading of more diverse books is to have more
diverse books in your classroom library.
Penny Kittle
www.pennykittle.net

32. Integration of Literature
do
A LOT
of Diverse
Books
Book Talks in
your
classroom
✔
Students need to hear you do Book Talks on a
regular basis. Make a plan to use a diverse book at
least every other time you do a Book Talk.
Katherine Sokolowski
www.nerdybookclub.wordpress.com
~ Plan what you’re going to say
~ Don’t give spoilers
~ Make eye contact
~ Keep it short and sweet
~ Pick a mainly unknown book
~ Compare to other books
Book Talk Tips:
~ End with a cliffhanger
~ Be passionate about the book

33. Integration of Literature
use
mini-lessons
with Diverse
short texts,
excerpts, and
poems
✔
Using short pieces of text is the best way to
teach the concepts of literature & poetry.
The mini-lesson is only 5-15 minutes
long but packs a huge punch because it is
succinct and relevant.
Nancie Atwell
www.c-t-l.org
“What happens in reading minilesson matters a lot. We elevate
reading workshop and give it literary bona fides when we teach
students how to be literary—how to identify their criteria for
book selection and rejection, unpack a poem, observe and
comment on the features of works of fiction, figure out what
they like and why, identify form, notice figurative language and
symbolism, differentiate between reading for pleasure and
reading to learn, and plan for and manage their experiences as
readers across a school year.”

34. Integration of Literature
do
A LOT of
read-alouds
using
Diverse
Books
✔
Students need to hear you read aloud a lot.
You can use anything for a read-aloud:
a short story, a novel, or a poem.
Build them in to your routine on a very
regular basis.
Mem Fox
www.memfox.com
1. Read aloud, ten minutes every day.
2. Read with animation, joy, and enjoyment.
3. Avoid “teaching” reading during read-aloud.
4. Just read and have fun.

35. Evaluation
~ Name resources to help you select books of diversity to add to your
classroom library and instructional ideas for classroom use.
~ Describe the terms mirror, window, and door as they relate to
multicultural and diverse literature.
~ Explain the reasons for building a classroom library that includes
diversity of race, gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, and religion.
What have you learned?
Discuss your answers with a partner:

36. ~ Evaluate your own classroom library and formulate a plan to integrate
diverse literature into your classroom using a variety of methods.
What you will do to get started…
~ List ten books you will add to your classroom library.
Accountability & Follow-up
1. Fill out the Diversity Text Survey and return it to me by the end of the week (see next slide & handout).
2. Implement one diverse book into your lessons in a way described in this presentation.
3. Fill out the Diversity Text Reflection Survey (see next slide & handout).
4. Schedule a time to meet with me during your conference period within the next two weeks.
Evaluation

37. Diversity Survey Diversity Reflection Survey

38. METHOD OF ANALYSIS
• I will analyze the data by recording the information
from each teacher’s Diversity Survey. This will tell
me their tendencies to use diverse books in their
classrooms after my presentation but before their
implementation.
• I will meet with the teachers after they have
implemented at least one activity in their
classrooms using a diverse book and a strategy I
taught.
• We will go through the information and discuss
the results recorded on the Diversity Reflection
Survey, and I will then interpret the survey
answers.
METHOD FOR REPORTING DATA
AND RESULTS
• I will compile a one-pager with the results of the
implementation of diverse books by summarizing
the successes and challenges that the teachers
expressed on the surveys.
• I will create a graph of the literature currently in
the teachers’ classroom libraries and develop a
plan of action for propositioning the principal for
more budget money to purchase diverse books.
• I will work with each teacher to set up a Donors
Choose request for Diverse Books.

39. Bibliography
Bibliography of Scholarly Sources
Book Talks by Katherine Sokolowski. (2016, November 16). Retrieved March 08, 2018, from
https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2016/11/18/book-talks-by-katherine-sokolowski/
Botelho, Maria Jose, & Rudman, Masha Kabakow (2009). Critical multicultural analysis of children’s
literature: mirrors, windows, and doors. New York: Routledge.
Drive Brand Studio - Branding, Advertising, Marketing, Websites. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved March 08,
2018, from http://www.pennykittle.net/
Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2018, from http://c-t-l.org/
Ten read-aloud commandments. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2018, from http://memfox.com/for-
parents/for-parents-ten-read-aloud-commandments/

40. Bibliography
Bibliography of Young Adult Literature
Ahmed, S. (2018). Love, hate & other filters. New York, NY: Soho Teen.
Albertalli, B. (2018). Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins .
Chao, G. (2018). American panda. New York, NY: Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing Division.
Crutcher, C. (2018). Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins .
DeWoskin, R. (2016). Blind. New York, NY: Speak.
Farizan, S. (2015). Tell me again how a crush should feel. Algonquin Books (division Of W.
Fukuda, A. X. (2010). Crossing. Las Vegas, NV: AmazonEncore.
Gino, A. (2017). George. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Green, J. (2018). Turtles All the Way Down. Penguin.
Haddon, M. (2011). The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. New York, NY: Vintage Contemporaries.
Hijuelos, O. (2009). Dark Dude. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Howe, J. (2007). Totally Joe. New York, NY: Aladdin Mix.
McManus, K. M. (2017). One of us is lying. London: Penguin Books.
Medina, M. (2013). Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass. Someville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Menon, S. (2017). When Dimple met Rishi. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.
Moore, L. (2013). Heft. Windmill.
Murphy, J. (2015). Dumplin. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Murphy, J. (2017). Ramona Blue. New York, NY: Balzer Bray.
Peña, M. D. (2011). Mexican whiteboy. New York, NY: Ember.
Priemaza, A. (2017). Kat and Meg conquer the world. New York, NY: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Reynolds, J. (2015). When I was the greatest. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

41. Bibliography
Bibliography of Young Adult Literature
Reynolds, J., & Kiely, B. (2016). All American boys. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Ribay, R. (2018). After the shot drops. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Rorby, G. (2006). Hurt go happy. New York, NY: Tor Teen.
Rowell, R. (2016). Eleanor & Park. New York, NY: St. Martins Griffin.
Russo, M. (2017). If i was your girl. Flatiron Books.
Silvera, A. (2017). History is all you left me. New York, NY: Soho Teen.
Smith, A. (2015). Grasshopper Jungle. Harper Collins UK.
Stone, N. (2017). Dear Martin. New York, NY: Crown.
Strasser, T. (2015). No place. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
Stvil, L. (2016). Girls Like Me. Hmh Books for Young Readers.
Sugiura, M. (2017). Its Not Like Its a Secret. HarperCollins .
Sánchez, E. L. (2017). I am not your perfect Mexican daughter. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Talley, R. (2016). Lies we tell ourselves. Don Mills, Ontario: Harlequin.
Talley, R. (2017). Our own private universe. Don Mills, ON: Harlequin Teen.
Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Toten, T. (2015). The unlikely hero of room 13B. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.
Voorhees, C. (2008). The brothers torres. New York, NY: Hyperion.
Watson, R. (2018). Piecing me together. London: Bloomsbury.
Wittlinger, E. (2015). Parrotfish. Simon & Schuster.
Yoon, N. (2018). The sun is also a star. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company.
Zentner, J. (2017). The serpent king: a novel. New York, NY: Ember, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a division of
Penguin Random House LLC.

42. Webliography
Webliography: Books, N. @. (2016, December 27). The Ultimate Diverse Reading List: Over 300
Book Recommendations! Retrieved March 08, 2018, from
http://readdiversebooks.com/the-ultimate-diverse-reading-list/
Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents. (n.d.). Retrieved March
09, 2018, from http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/multicultural-reading-
resources/diversity-book-lists-for-kids/
Diversity in YA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2018, from
http://www.diversityinya.com/
Listopia > Diversity Book Lists. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2018, from
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/diversity
Scholastic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2018, from
https://clubs.scholastic.com/homedef?k_clickid=8dc99cc0-b65e-4574-9da4-
4e0c809b81f7&msclkid=a9af3148f380131e378a6be828fceb9f&psch=SBC%2F
ps%2F2018%2FBing%2Ftxtl%2F%2FENT%7CBrand%7CBooks%7CBMM%2
F%2Bbooks
%2Bscholastic%2F%2Fb%2FMultiBULandingSiteLink%2FEnterprise
B002Q848
We Need Diverse Books. (2018, February 28). Retrieved March 08, 2018, from
https://diversebooks.org/
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS
WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS
THE ULTIMATE DIVERSE
READING LIST
GOODREADS DIVERSITY
BOOK LISTS
DIVERSITY BOOK LISTS
DIVERSITY IN YA