I was inspired by this graphic to start tracking the books I read and use in my Spanish classroom. I want to invite other World Language teachers to join me! I'll be using the hashtag #WLBookAudit to share what I learn. #langchat
Here's a thread of what I've done so far.
Here's a thread of what I've done so far.
First, if you haven't read the article that accompanies the infographic, I highly recommend it. But one important update is this version uses broken mirrors to "illustrate the continued misrepresentation of the underrepresented communities"
Knowing how often underrepresented communities are misrepresented in literature, I make a conscious effort to include as many books #ownvoices authors as I can find. In WL circles we often call these #authres, although that term can be problematic(that's for another convo though)
So as I keep a record of the books I read and use in my classroom, I've tried to differentiate which of those books are written by #ownvoice authors and which are not.
For the books that are not written by members of the communities they represent, I do research to see how they are received within those communities. If the book has a poor reception in the community it tries to represent, I won't use it.
Here's a pie chart that includes the books I have used so far, but also includes books I know for a fact I'll read because I read them every year. #WLBookAudit
It's kinda scary putting this out there publicly because I know I have a lot room for growth. But I also know I won't grow if I don't recognize a problem. And also, I know you all will give good ideas and hold me accountable.
But here are a few things to note. In my spreadsheet, I also take note of which specific Native voices are being represented. So far I have Taino (own voice), Zapotec (own voice) and Maya (not own voice).
I added a "multi" category because some books feature a mix of people. In this category, I don't include background characters who don't add to the story. For a book to be multi, it has to have main characters from different backgrounds who shape the plot.
Also, I only included books. I've know for a while that I lack Afro-Latinx books in my library, so I compensate by bringing in Afro-Latinx videos, music, and other teaching materials. I also bring in Afro-Latinx perspectives and stories through lessons and units.
So know that what is represented in this graph does not represent everything in my classroom.
I'll continue this thread after I teach for a little bit :)
Ok done teaching. So... where was I?
Ah, another thing I should mention is that there were a lot of books I left out completely. For example, in 1st grade we’ve read a lot of counting or color books that don’t have any characters at all. In 2nd we read about a Mexican marketplace that had no characters.
The last part of the thread was going to be about how simply diversifying our bookshelf isn’t enough, but this tweet sums it up perfectly so here you go:
@threadreaderapp unroll
