ED 558G - Literature in the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classroom

Credits: 4

Children from many cultures, speaking many languages, now enter classrooms each year. Culturally and linguistically diverse children seek to find themselves in the literature they read. They and their first language classmates broaden their background knowledge, develop cultural awareness, and explore the values and traditions of each other’s cultures through reading multicultural literature. This course introduces students to children’s literature from non-western countries, literature about relationships between cultural groups, and literature written by members of other cultures that represent the unique experience of the people of that culture. Students will also learn how to select multicultural literature and teach it in culturally or linguistically diverse classrooms. Finally, they will learn to evaluate works of children’s literature that exemplify excellence, from cultural and traditional perspectives.