Multicultural Literature in the Content Areas - by Lakia M Scott & Barbara Purdum-Cassidy (Paperback)

About the Book

This text seeks to remedy the single-story paradigm that is often utilized in the literary canon by providing multicultural literature and supplementary resources that can be used across disciplines and grade levels. A more in-depth understanding of using inquiry-based approac...

Book Synopsis

Today's public schools represent a demographic of students that are more diverse than ever before. In turn, culturally responsive and affirming teaching practices should mirror the academic, social, and cultural needs of an ever-increasing population of diverse students. Through multicultural education students can discover the ways they are shaped by their own culture, as well as learn more about others. Multicultural education practices provide mutually beneficial dialogue between cultures, and the pedagogical practices increase learning outcomes for not just the ethnically and racially diverse, but all students who are participatory in the content. This book provides educational stakeholders with culturally relevant and affirming techniques for utilizing multicultural literature as a pedagogical tool in social studies, mathematics, science, and reading. Each chapter provides a brief summary about the selected multicultural text and also contains an instructional strategy to be used. Following this, an inquiry-based lesson is provided with supplementary materials and resources that allow for K-12 differentiation.

Review Quotes

Multicultural Literature in the Content Areas is a text able to serve both teachers and teacher educators. Each chapter highlights a multicultural book and its use in a content area classroom. All chapters include a lesson complete with objectives aligned to standards, detailed activities, suggested adaptations for differentiation, classroom-ready materials, proposed ability modifications, assessment recommendations, and resources all of which would be practical for any teacher wanting to infuse his/her curriculum with literature that matches the culturally and linguistically diverse students in his/her classroom as well as for a teacher educator to promote and model multicultural literature integration in the content areas. In addition, each chapter also includes the pedagogical basis for the lesson. The inclusion of the pedagogical and theoretical underpinnings of a lesson would be of interest to teachers and teacher educators concerned with instructional design and learning design. With the combination of a pedagogical approach and a complete lesson plan, each chapter in Multicultural Literature in the Content Areas is a nugget of wisdom and together they create a text with the potential to help transform instruction in K-12 schools as well as in higher education.

The book Multicultural Literature in the Content Areas; Transforming K-12 Classrooms Into Engaging, Inviting, and Socially Conscious Spaces is a wonderful tool for public school classroom teachers. As I read through the book, the thought kept coming to mind that this was not just another book: it is a true teaching tool and resource. From the background information of the text, to the pedagogical approach, clear lesson objectives, content overview, materials/supplies needed, pre-planned thought provoking and engaging activities for all age levels, support for different learners and even evaluation of the taught skills. This book gives teachers the recourses, activities and support needed to teach these important topics. After reading this book I feel equipped and empowered to take these to my classroom and transform the way I teach.

This is a vital book for our times. Now more than ever, educators and librarians need resources for engaging kids in big, complex questions about social justice and equity across content areas. This practical collection of lessons uses quality multicultural literature to do just that.

With spectacular harmony, the contributing authors combine engaging practical resources for educators with the essential elements of multicultural research. Educators will find this resource helpful in designing a classroom environment that provides an inclusive and uniting space for all students while allowing for underrepresented student voices to be heard. Through purposeful and authentic lesson design, clear and useful examples, and well-developed rationale, Scott and Purdum-Cassidy have created a resource for realistic multicultural engagement that amplifies the learning potential for all.

About the Author

Lakia M. Scott, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University. She currently teaches elementary reading methods and diversity issues courses to pre-service educators and graduate students.

Barbara Purdum-Cassidy, Ed.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University. She currently teaches elementary language arts methods to pre-service teachers and graduate coursework in advanced methods of teaching writing.