Strand
Language Arts, Literature, Social Studies
Objectives
Identify the leading authors of children’s and young adult literature, analyze the recent trends in the field of Latino children’s literature, consider the importance of children seeing themselves in the curriculum of our schools.
Cultural Perspective
Though Latino children have been in American schools for many years it has only been recently that children’s and young adult literature about Latinos has begun to take its place on the shelves of our schools’ libraries and classrooms. Today, more that 50 percent of students in the public schools of our largest cities identify themselves as Latino American. The publication of Latino children’s literature has grown partly to meet the demand of a growing population.
Early childhood development research has shown that learning the cultural values and varied histories of Latino Americans helps in the development of confident and secure young Latino students. The heterogeneous identities of Latino/a writers means that this body of writing is rich and varied, reflecting the many cultural backgrounds of the writers themselves. Reading and hearing these voices are important not only for Latino/a students but for all students.
Pacing
Two class periods
Materials
Expository Writing
Students will have the opportunity to write an annotated bibliography (see Extension below).
Key Questions
Who are the leading authors of Latino children’s literature?
What trends and themes have recently developed in the field of Latino children’s literature?
Why might it be important for Latino children to see themselves in the school curriculum?
· Why might it be important for non-Latino students to learn about the cultures and heritages of Latinos? Point of View
Each student will write a review of contemporary Latino children’s literature for a hypothetical parent–teacher magazine. The review should address the importance of multicultural curricula in American schools, identify the trends in Latino children’s literature, and give suggestions of authors and stories. Students will research the articles found in The Latino American Experience to develop main ideas and connect them to specific details supporting their thinking. Have students use the suggested links to complete the exercise. Encourage them to use the Graphic Organizer as they take notes for their writing.
DBQs
To start students thinking about the importance of schools developing curricula rich in diverse voices, have them think about the three quotes below.
Key questions they should answer are:
- How does what we learn in school affect our perceptions of our identity?
- What role do stories play in our development and learning?
- What is due process?
- What might lead some Latino parents to be fearful about their children being educated in American schools?
“I had two children and they started asking me for stories, so I started making stories for them. That was the beginning”.– Julia Álvarez
“All my childhood I had dressed like an American, eaten American foods, and befriended American children. I had gone to an American school and spent most of the day speaking and reading English. At night, my prayers were full of blond hair and blue eyes and snow.”– Hilda Perera
“In the southwestern Chicano culture that I came from, many parents, consciously or unconsciously, discourage children from pursuing higher education because they are afraid that education will change their children or that the children will be lost to them. I think it’s incumbent on people like me to convince parents that they won’t lose their child to education, but that it will enrich the child and thus the family.”– Lydia Villa-Komaroff
Directions
Distribute the student activity sheet or have students access it via The Latino American Experience’s Classroom Resources. Have students read the three quotes. Tell them the speakers are Latina writers of children’s literature. Have the students keep in mind the following topics in mind as they conduct their research:
- Development of Identity
- Validating a Student’s Heritage
- Variety of Latino Perspectives
- Students as Bilingual Speakers and Readers
- Growing Latino Population in the U.S.
- Stereotypes of Latinos
Tell students to use the Main Ideas Chart Graphic Organizer to take notes. Remind students that their review should have at least three main points and at least nine specific details (three per topic) to illustrate their points.
Assessment
Use the Generic Writing Rubric Rubric to assess students’ performance. Have students reflect on their writing and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.
Extension
Have the students use The Latino American Experience to research children’s literature authors and construct an annotated bibliography for parents and children in their school. Students could read a number of available titles to give their personal recommendations.
(May be copied for classroom use.)