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As part of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action at Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS, fourth graders studied the importance of representation in books and the book bans that have escalated throughout the United States since 2021.
We are pleased to share this powerful story and hope other schools engage students in similar activities.
Before the Week of Action, the fourth grade teaching team of Katie Soffer, Rim Haile, Jamirious Mooney, and Simeon Jackson discussed with students the importance of representation in books and the idea, first introduced by Rudine Sims Bishop, of books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors to see ourselves and understand others.
The fourth graders read the NEA Today article “Why We Need Diverse Books” and then looked at literature in their classroom for examples. Some students took photos of themselves with “mirror” and “window” books. Students will continue to add to the display of mirror, window, and sliding glass door books throughout the year. Soffer also read aloud A Kids Book About Systemic Racism and the class discussed why it is important not only to show diverse characters, but also to have authors who represent a wide range of backgrounds, or “Own Voices” books.
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