Providing the Mirrors and Windows of Multicultural Literature to Teens
My students need the capability to see aspects of themselves in the literature they encounter. They deserve to view the world through a discerning lens and relate to characters that mirror their own trials and triumphs.
Student populations are an ever-evolving school demographic. To better suit the needs of my students, increase student engagement and motivation, and create empathetic, discerning citizens, I must adapt how literacy and skills are taught within the confines of my classroom. One of my goals, as an educator, is to provide students authentic texts that mirror their own lives; wouldn’t it be incredible if students could analyze these characters and themselves using the personal connections, narratives, and other anecdotes found within truly relevant and multicultural literature? This would provide students a firsthand opportunity to understand aspects of characterization, motive, conflict, mood, as well as various other essential ELA skills. In order to accomplish this somewhat daunting task, I hope to integrate literature circles into my existing curriculum.
My Project
Reading and writing provide a mirror into the ever-evolving minds of the impressionable individuals educators impact and interact with daily. For years, the negative stigmas clouding the importance of the written word have fogged both course curriculum and student perception. To pierce through these stigmas and perceptions, educators must work diligently to adapt the methodologies that comprise reading and writing instruction. Reading and writing must be real. They must become to students what music becomes to a dancer. They must provide an adolescent the opportunity to challenge the status quo, to allow the ink to convey the triumphs and tribulations of his/her life, and most importantly change the world. But how?
As an English Language Arts educator, my goal is to create a community of readers, writers, thinkers, and discerning citizens.
Like many educators, I hope to “grow the writer, not the writing” (Bomer, 2010). Through high-quality mentor texts, student ownership, constant encouragement, opportunities for reflection, challenge, empowerment, and increased rigor, I hope to demonstrate to my students the power and impact of the written word through literature circles using each of the novels I have submitted for this DonorsChoose.org project. My hope is that each novel will provide my students a window into a world that they already know and inspire to venture into the imaginations and worlds that they don't. Each novel has been hand selected due to its literary merit and accreditation. For example, We Were Here and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter use anecdotes, narratives, and raw realities of what it means to grow up in a traditional Hispanic culture as viewed through the eyes of the Hispanic authors that transcribed them. Whereas, Turtles All the Way Down exposes the impact of living with anxiety, mental illness, and the desire to fit in.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Feranda and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
