Explanation
This is a review of five Children's books that would all be used in a hypothetical first grade classroom.
Together, these five books would help enrich a multicultural curriculum in a classroom with a diverse student body and ELLs.
Together, these five books would help enrich a multicultural curriculum in a classroom with a diverse student body and ELLs.
Friday, December 10, 2010
On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s Weather written by Marilyn Singer illustrated by Frané Lessac
This book provides information on the different climates that exist all over the world. It includes a large variety of places ranging from the Arctic, to Thailand, to Argentina. On the final page of the book, there is a longer note from the author, which explains the equator and the axis of the earth in simple terms, giving the premace of the book a more scientific explanation.
Used in conjunction with books on diversity and cultural awareness, On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s weather could provide children with an idea of different places around the world. Since the book covers such a wide geographical range and the illustrations make it clear that people look different and participate in different activities depending on where they live, this book could be a useful tool to begin to discuss different cultures around the world.
However, there are only very simplistic overviews and narrow snapshots of what those places and cultures are like. It would thus be necessary to couple this book with other resources and lesson plans about diversity (see links below) in order for it to be effective in a classroom setting.
Students may ask questions regarding the different cultures they see in the illustrations or they may wonder about where places such as Argentina are on a world map. A teacher could handle questions like these by incorporating other materials related to these cultures into the curriculum and around the classroom.
I would recommend this book to educators in a first or second grade classroom as well as to parents. It could spark children’s curiosity about the world and about cultures different than their own.
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