Contents Introduction • Bringing Global Cultures and World Languages Into K-8 Classrooms: Manual for Language and Culture Book Kits
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Contents Introduction • Bringing Global Cultures and World Languages into K-8 Classrooms: Manual for Language and Culture Book Kits . 2 • Guidelines for Language and Culture Book Kits . 4 • Evaluating Authenticity. 5 • Global and Intercultural Understanding . 6 • Critical Inquiry and Global Literature .. 7 • Begler Model – Global Culture: First Steps toward Understanding . 8 • Rubric: Global Competencies . 13 • Rubric: Student Friendly Global Competencies . 14 • Rubric: “I can . .” Global Competencies . .. 15 Strategies for Responding to Literature • Critically Reading the Word and the World . 17 • Literature Circles with information on shared texts . 27 • Overview of Strategies . 32 • Cultural X-Rays . 34 • Save the Last Word for Me . 37 • Sketch-to-Stretch. 39 • Consensus Board. .41 • Venn Diagrams . .43 Teacher Vignettes • Encouraging Reflection through Graffiti Boards and Literature Circles. .44 • Engaging Students with the Unfamiliar .. .51 • Exploring Culture through Literature Written in Unfamiliar Languages. .58 • Mapping Our Understanding . .67 • Encouraging Symbolic Thinking Through Literature . .73 • Encouraging Intertextual Thinking in the Classroom . .81 • Exploring Flow Charts as a Tool for Thinking . .94 • Creating a Context for Understanding in Literature Circles. .104 Resources • Annotated Book Lists Arabi . .112 Korean . .116 • Maps . .123 • Web Sites . 160 • Language Information .. 162 Bringing Global Cultures and World Languages into K-8 Classrooms: Manual for Language and Culture Book Kits Most U.S. students do not encounter less commonly taught languages until they enter high school or the university. Our goal is to introduce K-8 students to less commonly taught cultures and languages so that students will be more open to later choosing that language for study and are more comfortable with exploring a range of world languages and global cultures. Literature is a powerful way to engage K-8 students in a study of the world to explore global perspectives and languages. Engagements with international literature can increase international understanding, support language development, lead to a recognition of similarities across cultures as well as an appreciation of differences, and foster critical thinking on global issues and concerns. There are many ways of opening the world for children and adolescents, including technology, world language study, student exchange programs, and global studies. All of these are significant but literature offers unique possibilities, in particular the opportunity for students to go beyond a tourist perspective of surface-level information about another culture. Literature invites readers to immerse themselves into story worlds to gain insights about how people live, feel, and think around the world—to develop emotional connections and empathy as well as knowledge. These connections go beyond the surface knowledge of food, dance, clothing, folklore, and facts about a country to the values and beliefs that lie at the core of each culture. Language and Culture Book Kits each contain 12-15 picture books written in English, 3-5 read- aloud novels in English, 3-4 picture books in the world language, and beginning language learning materials. The purpose of each kit is to provide a set of books to share with students that authentically reflect historical and contemporary experiences and views of the diverse peoples within that culture. The kits meet the concerns and obstacles that teachers and librarians face in locating and using literature about global cultures. One is that many of these books are not well known and are recent publications and so are difficult to identify and locate. Another major issue is that they are not familiar with the culture and so are unsure about which books authentically reflect the culture and the range of lifestyles within that culture. An additional challenge involves uncertainties about how to effectively use international books with students, given that many contain unfamiliar stylistic devices and terminology and the experiences and settings in the books, at first glance, seem far removed from students’ lives. Educators struggle with how to support students in making significant connections to these books in order to move their responses beyond viewing other cultures as exotic or strange. They are also unlikely to introduce students to the language because of their lack of familiarity with that language. The kits provide resources and materials for teachers and students to explore that respond to these concerns and needs. The focus of the kit is exploration, not an in-depth study of the culture or the language. The process for developing each Language and Culture Book Kit involves first identifying a specific language and culture. These include world languages based in a specific country, such as Hanguel in South Korea, and languages that cut across countries, such as Arabic in the Middle East and South Asia. Once a culture and language are identified, we invite an insider from that culture to work with our team to explore possible materials for the kit, including picture books, novels, and beginning language teaching materials. The process includes: • Data base searches to identify as many children’s books as possible that are available in the U.S. about that particular culture. • Web-based searches for books in the language of that country and beginning language teaching materials (both in the U.S. and in the country) • Identifying and locating books selected from these searches that reflect diverse perspectives on that language and culture. • Reading through the books and materials to make final selections based on the guidelines. Readers include both an international consultant who is an insider to that culture as well as an expert in children’s literature, who each read through the materials and then meet to discuss the selections. • Creating an annotated book list for the materials in the kit. • Creating audio recordings by a native speaker and English translations for books in the world language. • Identifying key web sites that provide access to further information on the culture and language. • Compiling teaching strategies and suggestions for uses of the materials. Guidelines for Language and Culture Book Kits • Select 12-15 picture books with 3-4 novels, focusing on books that are good read-alouds. • Include a range of genres – traditional literature, historical fiction, information books, poetry, and contemporary fiction. • Balance historical fiction and folklore with contemporary fiction and information books. • Select books that show the diversity of the culture, such as rural/urban, different social classes, range of ethnic groups within the culture, etc. • Include some books which highlight common universal values and other books that highlight cultural differences and specific values within that culture. • Include a book that raises issues for readers and can be used to discuss common stereotypes of that culture. • Select books originally written and published within the culture and then translated to English or books published by an immigrant from that culture so that insider perspectives are included in the literature. • Check the cultural authenticity of all books through reviews and critiques by cultural insiders. • Include books in the language of that culture, particularly bilingual books and companion books (separate editions of the same book in English and in the language of the culture). Books in the language of the culture should be simple with strong illustrations and a small amount of print so as not overwhelm readers. Include a audio recording of a native speaker reading the book and a written translation into English. • Include one common book in the language of the culture that is already well known to readers (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). • Include music specific to that culture • Select simple language learning workbooks and charts • Include a list of web sites that provide cultural information and ideas for language study. Evaluating Authenticity Evaluating authenticity involves considering complex issues, not making a simple yes or no decision about a book. These issues and questions can be useful in thinking about the complexity of cultural authenticity. • Literary Qualities How well does the author tell the story? Is it quality literature? • Origin of book What is the origin of the book? Who was the original publisher and in what country? Who is the author? illustrator? translator? What are their backgrounds? • Authorship How do the author’s experiences connect to the setting and characters in this book? What are the experiences and/or research on which the book is based? Why might the author have chosen this story to tell? • Believability Is this story believable? Could it happen? In what ways does it feel real? Are the characters larger than stereotypes but less than “perfect” heroes? • Accuracy of details and authenticity of values What are the inaccuracies within the details of the book? What values are at the heart of the book? How do these values connect to the actual lives of people within the culture? Does this book reflect a specific cultural experience or could it happen anywhere? • Perspectives Whose perspectives and experiences are portrayed? Who tells the story? What is the range of insider perspectives? • Power Relationships Which characters are in roles of power or significance within the book? Who takes action? How is the story resolved? Where does the story go and how does it get there?