Let’s look at some key pointers to guide your choice of classroom reading materials.
Comox Valley Schools’ inclusive classrooms are richly diverse in cultures, identities, languages, gender expressions, abilities, and lived experiences. To honor and reflect the vibrant makeup of our classes, we strive to ensure our classroom literature is equally representative. However, traditional literary canons often center White, English-speaking, cisgender characters without disabilities, leaving many voices unheard. Our goal is to authentically reflect our students’ lives in the texts we choose.
We recognize that selecting and integrating diverse literature into the curriculum can be challenging for educators. This guide provides a practical framework to help you diversify your classroom texts, drawing inspiration from contemporary research and the incredible novel collection at the Learning Resource Center.
What is discussed in this guide:
- Selection Criteria for Equitable and Culturally Relevant/Responsive Texts
- Whole class novels vs literature circles for diversity
- Helping Students Engage with Difficult Topics in Literature
- Inclusive Text Solutions for Diverse Learners