Creating Culturally Inclusive Text Sets for an Elementary Classroom

Abstract

For this symposium project, my job was to research how to create a culturally inclusive text set for an elementary classroom. There are many different elements that a teacher should look for when selecting literature. These include having a diverse set of characters, authors, and an meaningful message behind the text. For my data analysis, I am making sure to select texts that hit these main elements as well as meet state standards. This is an important topic, because as educators we want to foster a welcoming classroom environment where all students can thrive. Before choosing texts, the teacher needs to develop a good understanding of the dynamics and background of the classroom. From there, the teacher can create a text set that is representative of their students. My findings after doing research, is that there are many children\u27s literature books that allow children to have a new perspective of the world around them. As a future educator, it is my job that my students develop important life skills of self-awareness and empathy. This can be achieved through the literature selected for class