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I've always had questions on how to select inclusive books for the classroom. I did not know about Cultural Relevance Rubrics to have students help determine if the books are culturally relevant and appropriate, so I found that to be useful information.

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I learned that it can be hazardous to assume what culture is relevant to certain students and the text I choose without understanding. If I assume the cultural relevance of certain texts I could end up reinforcing stereotypes of certain cultures or ethnicities as well as further alienate students who may think those stereotypes are inherent in the classroom.

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I thought the discussion about background knowledge was very interesting. If it is widely accepted that background knowledge is key in reading instruction, then it follows that every student's background knowledge should be considered, not just the majority of students.

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Culturally relevant text can be defined as texts that help students understand who they are and where they come from because they connect to students' lives, not just to their cultural heritage.

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I like that the author of the article defined culturally relevant as something that related to the children's' every day lives, and that students who can relate to a text have fewer miscues when reading.

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I was intrigued by the “positive perspective of families” bullet point. I hadn’t thought about the importance of affirming home culture and parent values as the teacher before.

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I liked the idea of involving the students in rating whether they thought the texts were relevant.

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One thing I learned about promoting culturally relevant literature is that it promotes a sense of belonging and identity. When children can connect to the text it facilitates comprehension.

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One thing I learned is that some books that is thought to be culturally relevant may not be relevant to a culturally diverse student that has grown up in the US. One consideration is that students can rate books and engage in discussions about what personal connection they do or do not have with the literature. I also like the phrase about literature being a mirror and how a student see themselves.

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Promoting culturally relevant texts in the classroom helps the students develop historical understanding, and allows them to create their historical narratives and demonstrates the teacher is culturally sensitive and aware of the social background of all of her/his students.

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Promoting culturally relevant literature can be done in several ways in the classroom.  This can be done through reading stories out loud, small group discussions about a story, and connecting a story to a student’s own personal narrative writing activity.  This has inspired an idea to have small group book studies where students read a story and then compare and contrast the story to their own backgrounds as well as their backgrounds to their fellow students’ backgrounds.  This is a great resource to find books to use: Notable Trade Books for Young People, published annually by NCSS.

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One thing that I learned about promoting culturally relevant literature was to involve the students in deciding if the texts are culturally relevant to them. You can have the students read the text, and then answer a series of questions to rate the book on it's cultural relevancy. This allows students to provide their input, and helps them become more engaged when they are texts that they feel a connection to and helped choose.

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When teachers use culturally relevant texts (text where the events or information is reflective of that child's experience), students have a better understanding of the books which naturally makes them more engaged in their reading.  Enjoyment and interest increase, and they become motivated to read more.

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Using fairytales and folklore to introduce culturally relevant literature is not enough, the books should include historically accurate events, have believable characters and authentic language. This helps students relate more to the content and create those meaningful connections.

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One thing that I learned about promoting culturally relevant literature from the article is that as educators it is important for students to see themselves reflected in their learning. One quote from the article that really stood out to me was "In order to successfully prepare young students for active citizenry in a democratic society, effective teachers recognize, honor, and incorporate children’s voices in all areas of curricula." This is so important to for teachers to do, and it increases student participation and buy in to lessons. One of my favorite bi-lingual books to read to my class is Zombies Don't Eat Veggies. It's fantastic, and has great lessons that students can relate to themselves.

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Culturally relevant texts are not just about cultural heritage. They are more specific because they help students understand who they are and connects to their lives. This provides the link to prior knowledge which is so helpful for comprehension.