A review of Kia Jane Richmond's Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature: Exploring Real Struggles through Fictional Characters. ABC-CLIO, 2019. After meeting Kia Jane Richmond at the Annual NCTE Convention in Baltimore in 2019, I knew I had to read her work. Rather than starting with a short article—of which she has written many—I began … Continue reading New Kinds of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors: Destigmatizing Mental Health in Our Classrooms through Young Adult Literature by Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez
Beyond Color: Strategies for Introducing Diverse Books, and Some Book Recommendations Too by Rosalind Hudson and Hiawatha Smith
Reflection Pause for a moment and reflect on your response to these thought-provoking questions: Introduction The world is rich in diversity, and it is crucial for students to learn about and engage with this diversity. Diversity encompasses much more than the representation of “color” and the well-known non-dominant groups; it reflects the broader pluralistic world. … Continue reading Beyond Color: Strategies for Introducing Diverse Books, and Some Book Recommendations Too by Rosalind Hudson and Hiawatha Smith
Centering LGBTQ People of Color with Young Adult Literature in Secondary ELA by Cody Miller & Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko
As English language arts teachers, we believe young adult literature offers an avenue for voices and experiences that are largely ignored by canonical texts. LGBTQ voices are among those omitted from many English language arts textbooks. In the past, we relied heavily on young adult literature to provide our students LGBTQ texts. However, the mostly … Continue reading Centering LGBTQ People of Color with Young Adult Literature in Secondary ELA by Cody Miller & Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko
Beauty and the Beast Triptych: Re-imagining Stereotypes and Gender Roles by Melanie Magaña
[Ed. Note: At the end of this Introduction, readers are directed by links to the three pieces comprising the triptych.] Introduction I’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the story of Beauty and the Beast ever since the Disney movie put it on my radar. On the one hand: dancing teacups! Catchy tunes! Bookworm … Continue reading Beauty and the Beast Triptych: Re-imagining Stereotypes and Gender Roles by Melanie Magaña
Addressing Racial Injustice Through Allyship: Teaching to See by Using Poetry by Sharon Rudnicki
(Note: The editors have chosen to partially redact a form of the n-word that appears when quoting Kendrick Lamar's lyrics.) Introduction In 2016, America was treated to two excellent television series that focus on the life of O.J. Simpson, FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson and ESPN’s O.J.: Made in … Continue reading Addressing Racial Injustice Through Allyship: Teaching to See by Using Poetry by Sharon Rudnicki
Read Them Together: Paired Book Reading for Global Literature by Jongsun Wee & Barbara A. Lehman
[pdf version here: Wee-Lehman-ReadThemTogether] Abstract: The need for global literature is growing as the society rapidly becomes more diverse. This study documented American children’s responses to global literature when it was paired with a home country book. The data were collected in a third grade classroom in a midwestern state. The results showed that in paired … Continue reading Read Them Together: Paired Book Reading for Global Literature by Jongsun Wee & Barbara A. Lehman
Minnesota Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of LGBT-Themed Children’s Literature by Jongsun Wee
[pdf version here: Wee-Perceptions of LGBT-themed Children’s Literature] Diversity is an important topic that preservice teachers need to explore a great deal before they launch their career. The state of Minnesota recognizes the importance of understanding diverse learners in education and lists it in standard 3 in Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers (see: … Continue reading Minnesota Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of LGBT-Themed Children’s Literature by Jongsun Wee
Students Teaching Teachers to Teach Students by Michael MacBride
Every semester I tell my students that I learned from them, and I'm sure this is something that most teachers say, or at least think, at the end of the semester. This last semester, Fall 2014, I thought my students should take this to the next level by writing their own pedagogical essays. The logic … Continue reading Students Teaching Teachers to Teach Students by Michael MacBride
Teaching The Giving Tree by Kandi Heenan
[pdf version here: Heenan-TeachingTheGivingTree] Introduction The struggle is real. Defending the significance of using literature across the curriculum is something many instructors face—especially teaching “kid’s books.” Lessons, moral or academic, can be gained from any type or genre of literature. Children’s books specifically, even those as perceivably simplistic as works by authors like Seuss and … Continue reading Teaching The Giving Tree by Kandi Heenan
Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen: Unusual History of Censorship by Laura Cattrysse
[pdf version here: Cattrysse-Sendak’s In The Night Kitchen] Every child has their favorite fantasy book that mom and dad read every night five times before they can actually fall asleep. Maurice Sendak's book In The Night Kitchen is a fantastical story that parents actually enjoy reading because of Sendak's clever rhymes and other-worldly, yet relatable … Continue reading Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen: Unusual History of Censorship by Laura Cattrysse
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