Ability Resources

Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis

Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis is a story of a young girl named Susan. The story of familiar feelings and activities is told through rhymes. The illustrations portray Susan as a busy young girl who laughs, sings, dances, paints, hugs, throws, plays with friends, swims, It shows Susan feeling happy, sad, angry, proud and scared. She goes to school and gets some things right and some things wrong. The last page of the book shows Susan in a wheel chair and says, “That is Susan through and through – just like me, just like you”.

Teachers can use the book Susan Laughs to open discussions abilities and disabilities with young children. Children are able to relate to the experiences and feelings of Susan before they realize that she even has a disability.Many children’s books discuss disability issues through children with disabilities overcoming their disability or achieving things despite their disability. Often the entire book centers around them as working hard to overcome their disability and to be able to do things that other people can. This book takes a different approach by focusing on all the things Susan can do and ways in which she is similar to all children instead of focusing on his she is different and the things she cannot do. This book is a good tool for normalizing acceptance of people with disabilities. The problem in the story is not about Susan having a disability. In fact, Susan’s disability is never even mentioned. It is not until the last page of the book where readers see a picture of Susan in a wheelchair. Her being in a wheelchair is never addressed or seen as a disability. It is a non-issue. There are no bullies or students who are mean to Susan in this story. There is joy, support, and celebration of Susan loving her life. She is never portrayed or viewed as different. Everything Susan does is something that almost all kids have experienced or can relate to. This sends an important message to young children about normalizing and accepting differences.

Teachers can facilitate a discussion with students about how her disability is never seem as a limitation and why the author chose to write the story like that. Discussions about other types of disabilities such as physical, learning, social, emotional, etc. can help children understand that people are still people even if they do have disabilities. This book is a great resource for normalizing disabilities and helping children see people with disabilities as just like them.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Homeschooled all his life, August heads to public school for fifth grade and he is not the only one changed by the experience, something we learn about first-hand through the narratives of those who orbit his world. August’s internal dialogue and interactions with students and family ring true, and though remarkably courageous he comes across as a sweet, funny boy who wants the same things others want: friendship, understanding, and the freedom to be himself. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. This book can be used to teach about empathy and kindness.

We're All Wonders by R. J. Palacio

The unforgettable bestseller Wonder, now a major motion picture, has inspired a nationwide movement to Choose Kind. Now parents and educators can introduce the importance of choosing kind to younger readers with this gorgeous picture book, featuring Auggie and Daisy on an original adventure, written and illustrated by R. J. Palacio.

Over 8 million people have fallen in love with Wonder and have joined the movement to Choose Kind. Now younger readers can meet Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face, and his beloved dog, Daisy. Countless fans have asked R. J. Palacio to write a book for younger readers. With We’re All Wonders, she makes her picture-book debut as both author and artist, with a spare, powerful text and striking, richly imagined illustrations. Palacio shows readers what it’s like to live in Auggie’s world—a world in which he feels like any other kid, but he’s not always seen that way. We’re All Wonders may be Auggie’s story, but it taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are. It’s the perfect way for families and educators to talk about empathy and kindness with young children.

Autism Awareness Books

https://www.Autismspeaks.org/blog/books-about-Autism

This resource is a list of books about students with Autism. My current building houses the district-wide substantially separate CEP (Communication Enhancement Program). All students in this program have Autism, are non-verbal, and have limited verbal skills. This resource is a list of books about Autism with a brief description of the book. These books can be used throughout the year and are often used during April, which is Autism Awareness month. These picture books can be used as mentor texts by teachers. Additionally, they can be read aloud to students and a discussion can be held around differences. As a building principal, I would use this resource to further anti-bias curriculum and support inclusion in two ways. First, I would purchase the books on the list and do a “book tasting” with teachers. This would first open conversation and also push teacher’s thinking around different ways to support inclusion and understand Autism. Second, I would share this resource with teachers so they had a reference page. After sharing the list, I would ask teachers to have one or more lessons around Autism, anti-bias, inclusion, and use these books as mentor texts.

Another way that this resource could be used is with students who have a sibling who have Autism. This resource could also be shared by teachers and principals with parents as a reference guide for strategies to talk about and share about Autism with their children.

Since We’re Friends: An Autism Picture Book by Celeste Shally & David Harrington

A story about two friends who like to have fun. Even when one of the boys struggles in social situations, his friend is there to help him. The two boys love playing sports watching movies, reading books, and talking about animals. By working together, a best friend’s understanding and compassion change Matt’s frustration into excitement. Present to class and discuss friendship and compassion, could also address anxiety and frustration. Activities around students helping one another while encouraging their friends.  Discussions around feelings and the importance of being aware of others.

Another lesson could be around the importance of including others in activities.

How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby

Lily loves her half-brother, Adam, but his autism has taken over her life. Lily can't make friends or go out after school -- caring for Adam has forced Lily to become as much mother as sister. All Lily wants is for her stepfather, Don, to acknowledge that Adam has a real issue, and to find some kind of program that can help him. Then maybe she can have a life of her own. Adam's always loved dolphins, so when Don, an oncologist, hears about a young dolphin with cancer, he offers to help. He brings Lily and Adam along, and Adam and the dolphin -- Nori -- bond instantly. Don is sure this is the answer to their problems. Though Lily sees how much Adam loves Nori, she also knows deep down that the dolphin shouldn't spend the rest of her life in captivity, away from her own family. Can Adam find real help somewhere else? And can Lily help Nori regain her freedom without betraying her family? This is a deeply moving story about love, freedom, and letting go.

Maria and Me: A father, a daughter (and Autism) by Miguel Gallardo

Giving a father's insight into life with his daughter Maria, aged 12, who has autism, this comic tells the story of their week holiday in the Canary Islands, Spain. Delightful illustrations and dialogue between father and daughter show the day-to-day challenges that people with autism and their carers face, and how Miguel and Maria overcome them. Funny and endearing, this comic helps to show how Maria sees and experiences the world in her own way and that she's unique, just like everyone else.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Caitlin has Asperger's. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon was killed in a school shooting, and Caitlin's dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn't know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure--and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be so black and white after all.

My Friend with Autism by Beverly Bishop

This book is geared toward the classmates of students on the autism spectrum. The book describes the ways in which children with autism are the same as or different than others. While this book focuses on Autism, it could be read aloud and pertain to any disability type.  An activity could be a “same” and “different” conversation as well as uniqueness. Celebration activities around neurodiversity and how differences are to be acknowledged and celebrated. Another activity is to have sensory items introduced to students as well as an explanation of how they are useful for a student with ASD (ie: sensory bottles, weighted vests/blankets, headphones, fidgets, tension bands etc).

Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman

Moses and his school friends are deaf, and they communicate in American Sign Language. Even though they can’t hear they can still do many different activities. using visual signs and facial expressions. Moses and his classmates are going to a concert and their teacher, Mr. Samuels has a surprise for them. This book can be a tool in order to combat ableism and it is an excellent introduction to teaching the sign-language to children. It provides examples of how students with a physical disability can live happy, fulfilling lives and partake in many different activities. Furthermore, it provides students with exposure to differently abled students in a journey towards acceptance.

Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls

This is a story about a boy, Emmanuel, born in Ghana that has an underdeveloped leg from birth. His father leaves him and his mother behind because of this. Most students like him cannot even go to school, but he is determined. At first his mom brings him but then he hops 2 miles there and 2 miles back on his one good leg every day. Emmanuel grows up and wants to get a job to help send money to his mom who is sick, but it is very challenging and no one wants to hire him. His mother passes away and on her deathbed reminds him to never give up. He made a plan and needed a bike. In order to get the bike he wrote to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Eventually, they sent him a bike and Emmanuel began his journey riding around the country talking about how disabled people should not give him. He became a national hero and continues to ride his bike and bring awareness to the challenges people face with disabilities.

Whether or not there are students with disabilities in your classroom, it is important that students are comfortable discussing and acknowledging people with disabilities and learning about them at a young age. This resource can teach children about how a disability does not mean inability. It can be explored how students can persevere and change the world regardless of their background and race. Students can learn more about the importance of acceptance and diversity through this book. The book is written about a man that is still alive and the class can look him up and discover more of the work he has done and relate it back to their community and lives.

No Fair to Tigers / No es justo para los tigres by Eric Hoffman

This book is about a disabled girl and her stuffed tiger who needs a bit of repair. On her way to the pet store to buy the tiger a treat, she encounters an unfair problem due to the layout of the store and has difficulty with her wheelchair. This book is a way to introduce the perspective of those that have physical disabilities and the challenges they may face on a day-to-day basis. If possible, bring in a wheelchair and allow students the opportunity to see one up close. Allow them to perform tasks in the wheelchair and discuss how sitting in the wheelchair felt. Note: This book has bilingual text and includes activities and discussion topics at the end of the story.

The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin

This book is intended for those with the sense of sight to experience color like someone who is blind might experience color. The drawings are raised on black paper and braille letters and alphabet are included at the end of the book. This book allows for teachers to discuss the senses and how senses are used to help us live our everyday lives. Teachers can ask students to acknowledge how the world might appear if one of those senses (i.e., sight) was no longer intact. Sensory activities might include using blindfolds, a touch box, ‘find a tree’ or having students simply close their eyes and describe their surroundings. For more in-depth discussions, teachers can have students talk about the notion of color. Students can create drawings of their favorite color and associate everyday objects for how that color makes them feel.

My Friend Has Down Syndrome by Amanda Doering Tourville

My friend Sarah has a disability called Down Syndrome. But that doesn’t matter to us. We tell jokes and laugh, go to ballet class together, and have a lot of fun. I’m glad Sarah is my friend! My Friend Has Down Syndrome is a story of two girls, Sarah, who has Down Syndrome and Carmen. The book highlights their differences and similarities. It explains to children that although kids with Down Syndrome may look different, everyone looks different.

My Friend Has Dyslexia by Amanda Doering Tourville

My friend Darius has a disability called dyslexia. But that doesn’t matter to us. We make our own comics, help each other with our homework, and volunteer at a nearby animal shelter. I’m glad Marius is my friend!

My Friend Has ADHD by Amanda Doering Tourville

My friend Robby has a disability called ADHD. But that doesn’t matter to us. We play basketball, tell jokes, go canoeing, and help each other with our homework. I’m glad Robby is my friend! The Friends with Disabilities series tackles such conditions as autism, dyslexia, and Down syndrome by having the narrator of each book describe a friend afflicted with each disability. In this volume, a boy named Marcus talks about his buddy Robby, who has ADHD.

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon

This is a storybook about a child, Ginny, who suffered from double-vision, making her time in Kindergarten very difficult. The solution, an eyepatch, helps Ginny become ultimately successful in Kindergarten with reading, running around and cutting shapes. This text, although not necessarily portrayed as anti-bias curriculum, would certainly be helpful to read with children in the context of celebrating learning differences as strengths and superpowers rather than hinderances and differences to make fun of. Imagine a student coming into school with an eyepatch, large bandage, even just glasses. Fellow students, having read this story, will have a better context from which to pull positive sentiments rather than teasing due to misunderstanding or misconceptions of differences.

Special People, Special Ways by Arlene Maguire

This is an example of a book that brings various different special needs to the forefront. Teachers can utilize this to incite curiosity about people who may need special accommodations in their everyday lives. This book and the subsequent discussion about special needs invites curiosity and encourages respect for others. It allows children to see and understand various different types of special needs, including those with physical impairments and are wheelchair-bound, those who are visually impaired, those who need a service animal, etc. Underlying these introductions are the interactions between the various characters as the children play together and help each other. The characters illustrated in the book are also racially diverse, which shows that disabilities are represented by ALL aspects of the population. This presents a positive message of being tolerant and accepting of everyone children may encounter. The activities in the first link (“Blind Walk”, “Sculpting Activity”, etc.) are examples of ways in which we can show students a glimpse of what people with those disabilities have to live with on a daily basis. Extension conversations can be facilitated so students can express what kinds of challenges they may face.

Teaching Resources: https://classroom.synonym.com/activities-teachingpreschoolers-disability-awareness-12131972.html http://6elementssje.blogspot.com/2013/02/specialpeople-special-ways.html

The Princess and the Pea in San Francisco by Dorothée Chabas

A retelling of a classic story, with a modern twist featuring some key elements of San Franciscan life. This story goes beyond racial diversity, and includes a princess in a wheelchair. What makes this book so special is that she is not defined by her disability.

SnapType App

SnapType helps students keep up with their peers in class, even when their penmanship or difficulty with spelling (often due to dyslexia) holds them back. Students feel more self-confident, intelligent and independent, because teachers can take any worksheet and make it digital where responses can be recorded using an iPad or tablet. Assistive technology can support the inclusivity of students with disability in classroom settings. This device allows a student to use an alternative method to respond to classwork besides paper and pencil which can be difficult for many students with disabilities.

Sesame Street: “Meet Julia”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=dKCdV20zLMs

The attached video clip (and image to illustrate) show a character who joined the cast of Sesame Street in 2017. The character “Julia” is a new friend to Elmo and the gang and she has autism. She is an integral part of the Sesame Street cast now and is featured in many clips of the show. This video clip, where Julia’s new friends on Sesame Street engage with Julia, struggle to understand her differences, and ultimately accept her as special in her own way, reveals an important story about inclusion and friendship.

“Accessibility Icons in Action” lesson by Teaching Tolerance

https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/lessons/accessibility-icons-in-action
This is a lesson from “Teaching Tolerance” that aims to expose children to images and icons that are commonly used to illustrate accessibility while also inviting children to roleplay scenarios where these icons come to be useful. While introducing students who may commonly use materials with these symbols with ultimately teach them where to find resources to support them, it also provides an opportunity to teach tolerance, acceptance and allyship to individuals with diverse needs. For students, it will provide them the language and experience in how to appropriates speak to, interact and communicate with people with these diverse needs as well as provide support and resources for those in need

American Sign Language

Teachers can incorporate simple sign language into activities and make hearing disabilities more visible in the classroom. In the first link, teachers can implement the “Unable to Hear” activity to give students a glimpse of what it is like to live in a world where they can’t hear. Sign language is used in many preschool programs to encourage infants and toddlers to communicate before they begin speaking, so teaching preschoolers simple words or phrases should be fairly intuitive. Teachers can print out a poster with the alphabet in sign language and incorporate it into singing the ABCs. They can also teach students to sign the letters that are in their name. Teachers should facilitate conversations with students about how we communicate using words, and how sign language allows those with hearing disabilities to be able to communicate as well. As a bonus: when I was a Pre-K teacher, one of the graduation programs that we did was the “3 Little Bears” story in sign language. We practiced it for months, but the children got REALLY into it and did a great job at graduation!

Teaching Resources: https://classroom.synonym.com/activities-teachingpreschoolers-disability-awareness-12131972.html https://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschoollesson-plans/110221-teaching-about-sign-language/

The Present by Jacob Frey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96kI8Mp1uOU&feature=emb_logo

Short animated video depicts a boy who is set on playing his video games. His mother brings home a surprise puppy for the boy. After being told to open the box, the boy finally does and is excited to see it is a puppy, until he realizes the puppy has three legs. The boy quickly throws the puppy away from him and does not want to play with him. The puppy ends up finding a ball and wants the boys to play with him, but the boy insists on playing his video games. At the end of the film, the boy decides to go outside and play with the puppy and at this time it is made known to the viewer that the boy is differently-abled as well, with something wrong with his leg (similar to the puppy).

This video can be used with young children to have discussions on differences among individuals and noticeable disabilities. The video can also be used to teach children that no matter what the disability is, everyone is capable of anything they set their minds to; even if a modification is needed in order to find success.

Posters of Students with Needs

These are posters of students with special needs that can be hung throughout the classroom. By hanging posters of students with various special needs, students with special needs will see themselves as community members within the classroom. Additionally, students without special needs will also see students with needs represented as community members within the classroom. When the teacher reads books about differences, in addition to engaging students in discussions about their differences in race, culture, and family, the teacher can also engage students in differences in the level and type of need that each student requires at various times in their life and day.

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Gender and Gender Identity Resources

Pink is a Girl Color and Other Silly Things People Say by Stacy Drageset

This book by Stacy Drageset addresses gender identity and gender stereotypes in a brightly colored child friendly format. This book challenges gender stereotypes as it celebrates the authentic child, making decisions of what to wear, do, play with and study in school that is based on personal preference and not typical stereotypes. This book can be used in a preschool classroom to illustrate the acceptance of exploring all roles and dress within the play centers of the classroom. This book will provide students an example of acceptance as they experiment with roles and dress that are non-stereotypical. Students who are exploring non-stereotypical roles and dress will see themselves and their peers will learn language of acceptance.

It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn

Thorn explores gender identity in a straight forward and child-friendly way. This book discusses the fluidity of gender while providing appropriate and sensitive vocabulary. Books often open a pathway to deeper discussion of topics that may feel confusing to them. Gender is so engrained in the messaging of those around us. However, we know that gender is not everything. Some children do not feel they match up with what society perceives their gender to be. Even if there are not children that are exploring their gender identity or gender fluidity in a classroom, they will learn the importance of acceptance and understanding of those who do not meet societies stereotypical showing of gender.

You Be You!: The Kid’s Guide to Gender, Sexuality, and Family by Jonathan Branfman

This is an illustrated children's book for ages 7-11 that makes gender identity, sexual orientation and family diversity easy to explain to children. Throughout the book kids learn that there are many kinds of people in the world and that diversity is something to be celebrated. It covers gender, romantic orientation, discrimination, intersectionality, privilege, and how to stand up for what's right. With charming illustrations, clear explanations, and short sections that can be dipped in and out of, this book helps children think about how to create a kinder, more tolerant world.

They, She, He Easy as ABC by Maya Gonzalez and Matthew Smith-Gonzalez

Gonzalez and Smith-Gonzalez explore identity and inclusion in this rhyming book. Each letter represents a child with their own unique likes. The authors used a range of pronouns and diverse images to expand on gender. Books often open a pathway to deeper discussion of topics that may feel confusing to them. Gender is so engrained in the messaging of those around us. However, we know that gender is not everything. Some children do not feel they match up with what society perceives their gender to be. Even if there are not children that are exploring their gender identity or gender fluidity in a classroom, they will learn the importance of acceptance and understanding of those who do not meet societies stereotypical showing of gender.

Keep Climbing, Girls by Beah E. Richards

“The only way to make a bid
for a girl's equality is to climb right up to the
toppermost bough
of the very tallest tree”.

The dynamic ode to girl power was written by noted Afro-American actor, poet, and playwright Beach E. Richards. First published in 1951, her poem is given new life in this edition with its inspirational message, this book will empower children with the realization that "the path of life goes up and up/not down!" Intended to inspire girls in all places to live their grandest dreams. The language provides a great read-aloud for the teacher to infuse in lesson planning. This book can serve as a foundation for young children that young girls and woman can and do succeed even in the face of adversity. It pairs nicely with the Kindness Curriculum in addressing the bullying and the ways that we need to lift one another on the climb. Additionally, it supports gender equity and can be used to develop activities for young boys and girls to think about gender and equity. Activities can include a look at barriers on the climb and things that help us to succeed. Additionally, this book offers diverse authorship to be included in the anti-biased curriculum.

Man Up! by Riley Campbell, London Jones, and Shirelle Hurt

In Man Up, Aaron is outgoing and funny and a whiz at kickball. He’s also compassionate and kind, reading books at the old folks’ home down H street. Basically, he’s great. But he’s got a problem: everyone calls him a Crybaby. When his friends cheat at a game, he cries out of anger. When he sees his friend hurt a neighborhood dog, he cries out of empathy. And when misses his oldest brother, Sage, who’s away at college, he cries out of loneliness. His dad, his friends, and his classmates tell him to “Leave that crying for the girls.” How can Aaron learn to value his feelings and nurture his sensitivity in a world telling him to “Man up”?

Man Up!  is part of the Reach Program through Shout Mouse Press.  Shout Mouse Press works with communities whose voices largely go unheard in typical publishing arenas: authors of color; authors of limited resources; authors who are marginalized due to disability, lifestyle, or illness etc.  Man Up challenges stereotypical definitions on manhood which can often lead to the development of toxic masculinity and an inability for young boys to fully immerse themselves in anti-bias education for fear of appearing weak or vulnerable.  By incorporating this discussion early on, educators can promote positive masculinity developing including how young boys develop their understanding of race, gender, sexual orientation and so on. Teachers can use this book to discuss emotions, it compliments the Kindness Curriculum, gender equity and creates a bridge to discussion gender identity in anti-bias education. Creative ways to ensure that children feel comfortable expressing emotions related to the book can be developed and children can create their own story of how they cry and why that’s okay.

They, She, He, Me: Free to Be by Maya & Matthew Gonzalez

They, She, He, Me: Free to Be provide children with a much-needed picture book about pronouns and gender fluidity. Minimal text complements illustrations: a solid-color strip runs along the bottom of each spread and indicates the pronoun (“She, “He,” “They,” “Ze,” etc.). Some figures appear twice, emphasizing that people can use multiple pronouns to describe themselves. The outcome of the book reveals a plethora of familiar faces and the word we sprinkled jovially throughout. They, She, He, Me: Free to Be is a visually captivating and gentle exploration of identity and kindness.

In consideration of the gender fluidity and children who are nonbinary gender, a natural inclusion when teaching young children about male and female gender roles and identity, is to create a more inclusive and affirming understanding of who identifies differently.  This dialog should be predicated by educators educating themselves and examining their own positionality and beliefs.  This book provides a more text-heavy “Pronouns” section explaining pronoun function and flexibility in language suitable for young children. Back matter discusses gender ambiguity and inclusivity “for the grown-ups” and stresses the importance of embracing nonbinary gender terminology in the book and beyond. This book is meant to be an introductory for young leaners and again, can easily be combined with the Kindness Curriculum to deepen understanding of inclusivity and with Different Differenter to highlight how we can be different in many ways and be kind, inclusive etc.

The Hope Chest by Karen Schwabach

The Hope Chest by Karen Schwabach is a historical fiction story that addresses the social issues of sexism racism, and xenophobia. The story is set in the 1920s and follows the women’s suffrage movement. It interweaves leaders in the women’s suffrage movement with a fictional story about an eleven-year-old girl named Violet’s journey to find her sister Chloe. Violet’s parents say that Chloe has turned into “the wrong sort of person” since she decided to use her dowry to buy a car, get an education, and fight for women’s suffrage. Along the way she meets a girl named Myrtle. Myrtle is an eight-year-old girl who ran away because she was being forced to become a maid because she is black. They form a friendship and become activists to overcome stereotypes and to fight for equal rights.

Teachers can use this resource to further the anti-bias curriculum to address social issues such as sexism racism, and xenophobia. Sexism is a common theme throughout The Hope Chest. Women were thought of as inferior and did not have equal rights in the 1920s. Teachers can facilitate conversations about the history of sexism and gender stereotypes and connect it to ways in which sexism and gender stereotypes still exists today. Racism is a common theme throughout The Hope Chest. Myrtle is not allowed in the same train car, restaurants, or hotels as the other main characters. The book refers to Jim Crow Laws and the prejudice and racist practices that continued after the end of slavery. Teachers can facilitate conversations about the history of racism and connect it to ways in which racism still exists today. The character Mr. Martin is a kind and supportive man who is accepting of everyone and is an activist in fighting for equal rights. Since he is from another country, the Palmer Agents are after him because they consider him to be dangerous. The Palmer Agents call him Bolshevist and want him arrested for his radical ideas. This situation opens the discussion for xenophobia and prejudice against immigrants. Teachers can connect the experience of Mr. Martin to how immigrants continue to be treated unfairly in today’s society.

 This book can be used as a way to get children thinking about how they make a difference in today’s social issues. Teachers can use The Hope Chest to get children thinking about ways in which sexism, racism, and xenophobia still exist in today’s society. Teachers can help inspire students to discuss ways in which they can become social activists and change agents like Violet and Myrtle. Teachers can use The Hope Chest as a way to start discussing social issues and to illustrate how children can be empowered to make a difference. This can be used as a springboard to begin brainstorming ways in which children can become socially active in todays society and to create action plans that students can carry out.

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman

In a wildly whimsical, validating, and exuberant reflection of the LGBT community, This Day In June welcomes readers to experience a pride celebration and share in a day when we are all united. Also included is a Reading Guide chock-full of facts about LGBT history and culture, as well as a Note to Parents and Caregivers with information on how to talk to children about sexual orientation and gender identity in age-appropriate ways. This Day In June is an excellent tool for teaching respect, acceptance, and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Filled with saturated colors and vivid illustrations, this picture book uses rhyming couplets to convey the fun and exuberate feelings associated with a pride parade for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and families. For example, "Rainbow arches/Joyful marches/Motors roaring/Spirits soaring." The cartoon artwork is richly detailed and capture the "Banners swaying/Children playing." The diversity shown at the pride parade is realistic; both homosexual and heterosexual people, young and old, are depicted as well as individuals, couples, and families. At the end of the book, a "Reading Guide" provides explanations for the images and allusions in the book. Additionally, a "Note to Parents and Caregivers" offers suggestions for talking to various age levels of children about LGBT families. This beautifully illustrated book is a great addition to a school or personal library to add diversity in a responsible manner without contributing to stereotypes about LGBT people. –April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

Shopping with Dad by Matt Harvey & Miriam Latimer

Shopping With Dad challenges the perception of what moms and dads are “supposed” to do (and features a multiracial family!). Teachers should push back on the idea that moms do all the domestic work, like cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. while dads fix things, watch TV, or sits on the computer.

Made by Raffi by Craig Pomranz & Margaret Chamberlain

Raffi is a shy boy who prefers quiet over rough-and-tumble games. At recess, a teacher offers to teach him to knit. Raffi's enthusiasm burns as brightly as Chamberlain's digitally colored drawings of the myriad colors of wool at the yarn shop. The boy knits an enormous rainbow scarf for his dad while on the bus, at breakfast, everywhere. Raffi offers to make a cape for the school play's prince; a spread gives instructions for readers to replicate. Raffi's skills are admired by family and friends and he knits many new items with their encouragement. Readers learn that the child likes to sing and draw and knit, but it's a bit of a stretch that he somehow knows how to sew and easily figures out how make a velvet cape. No matter. Chamberlain's energetic illustrations are creative and fun, just like Raffi's designs.

A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman

Ruthie loves to visit Nana, but they don’t always like to play with the same things. Ruthie loves fire engines and motorcycles, while Nana loves dolls and dress-up clothes. Nana’s neighbor, Brian, gets to play with fire engines and motorcycles. So why doesn’t Ruthie? Energetic illustrations capture the loving relationship between Ruthie and Nana in this insightful and sensitive story.

Red, a Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

Red is the story of a mislabeled blue crayon. Everyone feels he is red and tries to force him into being the red crayon they think he is. However, no matter what he does, he can’t escape blue. It is not until a friend helps him feel confident in his identity as a blue crayon that he finally has the courage to be his true self.  Books often open a pathway to deeper discussion of topics that may feel confusing to them. Gender is so engrained in the messaging of those around us. However, we know that gender is not everything. Some children do not feel they match up with what society perceives their gender to be. Even if there are not children that are exploring their gender identity or gender fluidity in a classroom, they will learn the importance of acceptance and understanding of those who do not meet societies stereotypical showing of gender.

One of a Kind, Like Me / Único como yo by Laurin Mayeno

Teachers can use the book One of a Kind, Like Me / Único como yo to discuss the concepts of gender identity, gender stereotypes, gender fluidity, transgender, diversity, and acceptance. Many children’s books discuss transgender issues through transgender children overcoming bullying. This book takes a different approach by normalizing the acceptance of transgender individuals. The problem in the story is not that Danny wants to wear a dress, the problem is him finding one in time. Danny wearing a dress is a non-issue. There are no bullies or students who are mean to Danny in this story. Instead, him wearing the princess dress is a positive experience that is supported by his family and friends. This sends an important message to young children about normalizing and accepting differences.

 Teachers can use this approach to engage students in discussions about gender related topics where no one is being mean, making fun, or thinking the transgender person is weird. There is joy, support, and celebration when Danny embraces his identity. This book is a great tool for teachers to teach and facilitate discussions about diversity and accepting people the way they are. This story is based on a true story about the author’s son. Sharing this fact with children can help them make connections to real children navigating issues related to gender identity, gender stereotypes, gender fluidity, transgender, and diversity. By encouraging discussions about these topics, teachers can help students become more comfortable talking about gender and accepting differences in gender diversity.

 This book is bilingual and includes the text in both English and Spanish. Presenting both languages allows children the opportunity to read, hear, and discuss the Spanish language with their peers. Lessons on the Spanish language could easily be incorporated as part of this unit.

Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton

“Errol’s teddy bear, Thomas, is sad until telling Errol the bear is actually a girl teddy bear and wants to be called Tilly. Errol and Tilly move the bow-tie from her identity as Thomas to a hair bow for Tilly. Errol only cares that the teddy bear is his friend.” – American Library Association

This book is repeatedly described as a “gentle story” about friendship with someone who wants to be a different gender. It does a wonderful job promoting acceptance in a simple, matter-of-fact, and friendly way. Especially in a group of children where a child wishes to be considered a different gender, it may be helpful to read this book to show that friendship continues undeterred even with a change. For more lists of books that can be helpful in social justice and anti-bias education see the lists at: https://socialjusticebooks.org/ and https://www.teachingforchange.org/anti-bias-education

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff

“When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl,” but “he was really another kind of boy.” Aidan is transgender. One day, Mom and Dad have a big announcement: Aidan is going to be a big brother. Aidan notices a lot of people ask about the new baby’s gender, which makes him uncomfortable. Aidan worries about whether or not he will be a good big brother. When the baby is born, their gender is not revealed, and Aidan holds his new sibling, knowing that “to love someone” is “the most important part of being a brother.” Kyle Lukoff is a transgender man. Kaylani Juanita identifies as multiracial and queer. When Aidan Became a Brother was awarded the Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.

Jazz Jennings, a transgender girl who is one of the first publicly documented children to identify as transgender, reads her own book I am Jazz on YouTube. You could share this video with students, as Jazz explains what it feels like to be transgender in a very kid-friendly way. However, she also reinforces some common gender stereotypes (girls like pink, girls like princess dresses, etc.). The Horn Book interviewed Kyle Lukoff, and they asked a good question about gender expression. Educators might want to read this article to prepare to answer questions their students might ask if they read the book.

This book could be a great way to discuss gender stereotypes and offer children a safe space to share some stereotypes they don’t like. Although gender identity can be controversial, it’s important that educators do not shy away from addressing it. You might find NCTE’s position statement on Rating or “Red-Flagging” Books helpful; they discuss the importance of having a rationale for books. The publisher of When Aidan Became a Brother created an excellent teacher’s guide for the book (PDF) that can help educators wanting to use the book to frontload the book with prereading questions and set a purpose for reading the book. In addition, the guide offers after-reading discussion questions and activities.

Anti-bias, social justice teachers should educate students about gender identity; I find that many high school students and adults are really confused about it, and they might be more accepting if they had more understanding, but representation of transgender children, especially from Own Voices authors, is hard to come by.

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

This autobiographical picture book about a transgender child chronicles the story of her life (so far); in her words, “I have a girl brain but a boy body.” This is an excellent choice to jump-start a conversation about gender, identify, compassion, and honesty. From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boys' clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz's story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.

A Princess of Great Daring by Tobi Hill-Meyer

The book A Princess of Great Daring can be used as a resource to help teach children about gender stereotypes, gender identity, transitioning, and transgender. Teachers can use this book to help facilitate conversations about gender identity for young children. The character of Jamie identifies as a girl although everyone thinks she is a boy. This character helps raise awareness for young children about gender expression and presentation. Many children grow up with a binary concept of gender: boys and girls. This book can be used as a resource to help children understand complicated concepts such as gender identity and gender fluidity. Children who are struggling with gender identity or know someone who is can make connections to this text from their own experiences. Teachers can help children become more comfortable talking about gender in a nonbinary fashion while increasing their understanding and acceptance of these concepts.

Jamie’s friends show children ways that they can be supportive of transgender individuals. Jamie’s three best friends remain her best friends throughout the book. They support her by using her preferred pronouns and by continuing to accept and include her in their play. They adapt the storyline of their play to respect the needs and wishes of their friend. Jamie’s friends show children how they can be supportive and remain loyal to their friends while transitioning. Jamie shows incredible strength by advocating for herself. Teachers can facilitate discussions about the importance of and ways for children to advocate for themselves. This includes being honest with themselves, caregivers, and friends. Jamie’s friends did not always know how to be supportive. By talking to them and asking them to use certain pronouns, Jamie teaches them how to be supportive. Teachers can use this book as a platform to help teach young children ways to advocate for themselves and others.

George by Alex Gino

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

I Love My Purse by Belle DeMont

An award-winning book that explores gender identity. The book is about a boy named Charlie's determination to wear his purse that was given to him by his grandmother. It can primarily be used as a starting point for a discussion about gender roles. In the book, Charlie inspires others to be true to themselves and less concerned with societal norms.

Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

This book is about a little boy named Julian that goes swimming with his abuela and one morning he is on the subway going to swim and he sees people dressed up as mermaids. He sees how happy and confident the people are and immediately becomes in love with them. He goes home and tries to become a mermaid through dressing up. When his abuela catches him in his costume he looks scared he is going to get yelled at, but instead she hands him a necklace to wear and brings him to the mermaid parade. He sees people that are just like him at the parade!

This story explores gender roles and the way that people dress. It is a story that shows how a little boy wants to dress like a mermaid and shows how the little boy is accepted by his abuela and by others when he goes to the Brooklyn Mermaid Parade. This can be used in the classroom to show how little boys can dress how they want and how little girls can dress how they want and that we should be accepting of all choices when it comes to genders. Students can further connect this to any pretend play or dress up area in the classroom. It can be read early in the year so students know they are free to express themselves however they wish when it comes to dressing. This is also a good exploration with gender roles and stereotypes that students might face for their likes and dislikes.

Neither by Airlie Anderson

Teachers can use the book Neither to discuss a variety of topics related to diversity, acceptance, empathy, and inclusion. The character of Neither lived in a binary world where creatures were either this or that. Neither did not fit into this binary world because it was both. This book can easily be connected to discussions about identity and diversity in gender, race, and ability. Teachers can use this book as a resource to teach students about gender. For many people, gender is still thought of as binary: male and female. Many people including children find themselves struggling with the concept of gender as binary. Neither is a great example of how the world is not binary. Neither can serve as a concrete example to help children understand the concept such as gender identity and the gender spectrum by helping them to see how this creature does not fit into a binary category because it encompasses characteristics of multiple groups. It helps children realize and discuss how there are more than two choices.

Teachers can use Neither as a resource to teach students about race. Society still has people check off boxes to identify their race. Many people do not fit into one box or category and are multiracial. Children of multiracial backgrounds can relate to the character of Neither by not exactly fitting into one category and having characteristics of multiple categories. Teachers can also use this book as a resource to teach students about ability. The character of Neither was not able to do all of the things that its peers could do. While it was unable to hop like a bunny, it was able to do something that bunnies could not do: fly. Teachers can use this book as a way to teach students that everyone has different abilities and that everyone is unique and talented in their own way. While this book is a great resource for young children, teachers can continue to use it as a resource for older children as a way to introduce concepts related to gender, race, and ability as well as a resource for teaching diversity, acceptance, empathy, and inclusion of others.

Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman

This cheery book about a confident young boy who feels best when he’s wearing a dress is a terrific way for parents to start a conversation with kids feeling their way through unfamiliar terrain.

Think Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison

This is a board book that features 18 women of varying races that have made a difference in their field of choice. The book highlights women such as Wang Zhenyi, who explained how the moon eclipses the sun and Frida Kahlo, who painted both her feelings and opinions. The book encourages readers to have big dreams and follow them.

This board book can be used to introduce students to different females throughout history. The illustrations are beautiful and inviting. There are women of varying races and the diverse book is a strong representation of how important women are and how many things women have done to change the world despite challenges that they have faced. The students in my classroom have explored this book and have requested to know more about different women. I have used this as an opportunity to help them look up the women and learn more about each woman. This supports the anti-bias curriculum and supports inclusion as well because it can be clear to students that there are many types of people who make the world a special place. When learning about different types of explorers, scientists, artists, etc. are accessible to the students, it can spark curiosity and inform the students of roles that they could take on in the future someday, regardless of race or gender. I think celebrating all human accomplishments is meaningful to the students when they see themselves in these famous and powerful women.

Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison

Dream Big, Little One is a board book by Vashti Harrison. This book talks about reaching for your dreams just like people did before you were born. For example, the book points out Mae Jemison, Katherine Johnson, and Josephine Baker. The book highlights women that have made changes in their field of work. All of the women in this book are black. It is a very simple book with very few words. The illustrations are beautiful and point out how the many different types of careers women of any race can have.

This book can be used to read in the classroom to children of all races and genders to show the many roles that black women have had throughout history. This book furthers anti-bias because it makes students familiar with new historical figures beyond the typical white men and women in history. The students in my class discussed how they related to the women in this book and looked up their names outside of the classroom. The book encouraged conversation about the many jobs men and women can have and how there is always a “first” person to do things both through gender and race. This resources allows students of different races to see themselves in these powerful and diverse women. This book can also be used to encourage ideas for choice time/play time in the classroom. Students can get new ideas of people they may want to pretend to be and act out the many different roles women of all colors have had throughout history.

Band-aid Activity

Mothers can do Anything by Joe Lasker

Text and illustrations demonstrate many occupations of mothers including plumber, dentist, subway conductor, and others. While this story focuses on what moms can do, it opens the conversation about non-gender binding careers. We often use many gender specific terms when referring careers (mailman, Policeman) and many careers are automatically thought of as either men or women (nurses, dancers). A great follow up to this story would be to have parents/family members come in to discuss their careers, especially those that may be nontypical gender roles. Helping children form their language without bias is important. It is also important to let children know that they can have any career they want, be good at subjects and sports that are not typical for them based on their gender.

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Multilcultural Resources

My Family, Your Family by Lisa Bullard

Teachers can use My Family, Your Family this book as a way to open discussions about diversity in sexual orientation, race, and language for young children. Makayla’s parents are an interracial couple and the main character Makayla is a mixed race. She visits families who are a variety of races including other interracial couples. Children can see positive images of loving families of different and mixed races. This book also exposes children to people of different sexual orientations. Although Makayla’s parents are a heterosexual couple, she spends time with a lesbian couple without children and a gay couple with an adopted son. Teachers can open the dialogue about children with two moms, two dads, or children who do not have a mom or a dad.

Teachers can also use My Family, Your Family as a way to springboard other topics that children may relate to such as divorce, adoption, or not being raised by their parents. Children who are not being raised in heterosexual two parent households are given an opportunity to see other families that may be similar to theirs. It also gives the chance for them to share their experiences and stories with their peers. In the back of the book are resources for parents and educators to help teach and extend the concepts presented in this book. There is a glossary of terms to help children understand some of the different family dynamics. There is also a suggested follow-up activity to reading this story where children are encouraged to make a “One Great Thing” poster about their family. This activity gives children a chance to reflect on their own families and what makes them special. Children will have a chance to share their families with their peers and learn about their peer’s families. This book can be used as a tool to help children learn about, discuss, and appreciate differences in families.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman

Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yarmulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn from each other's traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year. All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, they are welcome in their school.

Putumayo Kids Record Label

Introduce music from other cultures: The Putumayo Kids record label produces upbeat, culturally authentic music — including folk, Celtic, reggae, Latin and African music. Exposing students to varied cultural music throughout the day to celebrate other cultures. Extension activities could be to make instruments that are used in the music (ie: maracas, drums, rain sticks). Students make their own music/ songs.

Under My Hijab by Ena Khan

This book discusses the purpose and style of a hijab. Throughout the text the author demystifies why a hijab is worn, as well as how women personalize and stylize it. The hijab is a very outward part of the Muslim faith. As such, the primary area of focus is based on religion and the differences of religion. To address this portion, the teacher could take time with students to discuss the difference of religious traditions. Additionally, this text can significantly demystify the purpose of the hijab, which can lead to a sense of otherness. If students in class wear a hijab, they could speak about where and when they wear it. Ultimately, this book serves to remind students that while differences exist in religion, culture, and traditions, the end point is that we are more similar than is realized.

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard

Fry bread has become a staple of Native cuisine, but it originated because of Native removal. In this book, readers learn about all the special associations fry bread has for Native communities and culture. The book even includes a recipe for fry bread and extensive notes. Kevin Noble Maillard is a member of the Seminole Nation. Juana Martinez-Neal is Peruvian American.

Juana Martinez-Neal depicts Native people as all different skin complexions, which defies a common stereotype. Have students look closely at the pictures and tell what they notice about the people in the book. The notes on “Fry Bread is Color” offer some questions to think about: What makes a person American Indian? Blood? Enrollment? Physical appearance? Cultural ties? Some of these identifiers might be complex for kindergartners, but you might start with the first question and consider what you see in the book to answer the question. This book has a recipe for fry bread in the back. Try making fry bread with your class. Treat this like a science experiment: have students make a hypothesis about what it will taste like. Then they can test their hypothesis by tasting it and recording the results. Have students do a poll. Who likes fry bread? Who doesn’t? Students could graph the results of the poll.

This book refers to the Trail of Tears, but not as directly. Maillard writes, “Fry bread is history / The long walk, the stolen land / Strangers in our own world / With unknown food / We made new recipes / From what we had.” Open a discussion about what this refers to. In the Notes section, Maillard says that “Without the familiar crop of corn, historic farming practices and dietary traditions drastically changed. Many tribes trace the origin of modern Indian cooking to this government-caused deprivation. From federal rations of powdered, canned, and other dry, government-issued foods, fry bread was born.” There may be an opportunity to talk about other food traditions that arose from similar circumstances—making do with what is available.

The end papers list Native nations. Find out what Native people lived in the area where your students now live. Study their history. Find out what they called the place where you live (for example, I live in what was formerly Quinsigamond, home to the Nipmuc people). You can use this website to find out who lived in the place you now call home.

The Proudest Blue by Ibthaj Muhammad

This is a story about a Muslim American student that is excited about her sister wearing a jihab for the first time to school. She watches as her sister proudly wears it and realizes that not everyone thinks it is as beautiful as she does. She is so proud of her sister and sees the hijab as something that makes her special and believes it is worth celebrating.

There are very few children’s books about Muslims and this book teaches students the importance of wearing a hijab and what it means to the women that wear them. Students can explore what makes them special and what is special about things that they celebrate in their homes that may differ from other homes. This is a story that can be very relatable to Muslim students in the classroom that may get excited to share what they know to their friends. It can be used as a book to celebrate inclusivity in students of all religions and explore how one reacts to being different or being made fun of for something that is part of their home life when they are in school. This book can be used to help students learn how to ask questions about one another’s religions and cultures and learn from them in a positive manner.

Bread, Bread, Bread By Ann Morris

This colorful picture book has few words per page and reflects cultural diversity as it shows how most cultures (or places) have a commonality with bread products. Each type of bread is shown in photographs that represent the local culture and a brief desecration is given. I have used this book to share many different types of foods and breads across the world. Helping children see that while we may have differences, many of us also have similarities, such as eating types of bread. I have also used this to implement a taste test, to try as many of the breads in the book as possible. This part of the activity can be graphed and tuned into a math activity. We can also look at a map/globe to see where the countries and paces in the world are. My experience as a QRIS technical assistant guided me to share this book, and other by Ann Morris, to increase the diversity books in the child care programs that I worked with. I also use this book as an example when teaching Early Literacy at the college level as a book that reflects diversity. Not only in the food, but in the faces of people from all over the world, their clothing, how/where they eat, and their dress. The photographs in this book are realistic photos, not cartoon characters which is important when showing the difference between real and pretend or make believe.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac

We Are Grateful explores the seasons from fall to summer, teaching about the Cherokee language and culture through examples of traditional celebrations, naming practices, and foods as well as activities. The book asks its readers to reflect on their own gratitude. Traci Sorell is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.

Because this book centers on gratitude, it seems natural to bring it into a unit on Thanksgiving; however, I would advise caution. You want to avoid teaching the myth that Pilgrims and Native people were friendly. This oft-repeated myth causes confusion and erases the experiences of Native people. You can begin by asking students to think of what they are grateful for. Have students draw a mini-book on the seasons, depicting activities they do in each season (for example, picking apples in fall, swimming in summer, etc.). Students can share their books with each other.

Have students compare their season books to this one. What seasonal activities are similar? Which are different? This book mentions the Trail of Tears, which offers an opportunity to teach about this difficult period in history. You can find Talequah, Oklahoma on the map. Trace the path of the Cherokee from the Southeastern U. S. to Oklahoma.  Discuss the book: What did you learn about Cherokee culture from this book? What would you still like to learn about Cherokee culture (can be used as a jumping off point for inquiry/research)?

You might find this interview with Traci Sorell helpful for background. The author shared a discussion and activity guide on her website (PDF).

Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohon

This simple read-aloud text introduces young children to the visual world of religious attire. Head coverings are a common practice in a variety of faith systems around the globe. This book is culturally sensitive and well researched with interfaith text. It helps open the door to a conversation about religious diversity and acceptance of others. Using accurate terminology, phonetic pronunciations and bright, beautiful imagery, Hats of Faith helps educate and prepare young children and their parents for our diverse modern world. Religion is difficult for many to talk about, however, there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about head coverings. By showing that many faiths have a type of head covering can help eliminate bias while showing that we are more alike than different. I would encourage a hat day, where children can bring in their favorite hat or a head covering that is common in their culture. Having family members come in to talk about and share real items would be great as well. This book supports inclusive practices by acknowledging observable religious differences found in our Modern World.  It made me think back on the argument of not seeing color, so often children are taught to ignore visible differences out of respect rather than show curiosity. This book not only embraces curiosity but builds children up to explore and embrace others for diversity. I would support this reading by adding a variety of hats and head coverings to the dramatic play area to encourage further student-led conversation.

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

This book introduces artist Jean-Michel Basquiat as a child in his home in New York City. It shows the artist, who is African American and the son of a Puerto Rican mother, growing up in an urban setting, all the while drawing and sharing time with his mother. This book is an excellent introduction to the life of a famous American artist. Art teachers can use this book to introduce the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and launch a unit on street art, graffiti and/or mixed media. It is important for children to see that famous artists begin as children themselves, and it is even more important to have representation where children can see themselves reflected in that artist.

Think Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison

This is a board book that features 18 women of varying races that have made a difference in their field of choice. The book highlights women such as Wang Zhenyi, who explained how the moon eclipses the sun and Frida Kahlo, who painted both her feelings and opinions. The book encourages readers to have big dreams and follow them.

This board book can be used to introduce students to different females throughout history. The illustrations are beautiful and inviting. There are women of varying races and the diverse book is a strong representation of how important women are and how many things women have done to change the world despite challenges that they have faced. The students in my classroom have explored this book and have requested to know more about different women. I have used this as an opportunity to help them look up the women and learn more about each woman. This supports the anti-bias curriculum and supports inclusion as well because it can be clear to students that there are many types of people who make the world a special place. When learning about different types of explorers, scientists, artists, etc. are accessible to the students, it can spark curiosity and inform the students of roles that they could take on in the future someday, regardless of race or gender. I think celebrating all human accomplishments is meaningful to the students when they see themselves in these famous and powerful women.

First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch

The story of two young Kenyan boys, one Maasai and one Kikuyu, who find a way to overcome their traditional rivalries and become friends. One day when Abaani, a Maasai boy, takes his family's cattle out to graze, he is surprised to see a Kikuyu boy, Haki, tending a new fruit and vegetable stall alongside the road. The boys know of the traditional conflicts between the Maasai and the Kikuyu. They take an immediate dislike to each other. A short while later, as customers surround Haki's stall, a dangerous situation suddenly arises. Abaani calls to Haki, and together they act quickly. Little do the boys know they have also taken the first step in overcoming their differences and forging a path to friendship. Framed by the annual great migration of animals to Kenya, First Come the Zebra looks beyond current conflicts toward the hope for peaceful coexistence. This appealing story is an encouraging tribute to the potential of today's youth to make a difference in the world.

My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin

This book shows the relationship of a little girl and her grandmother while she grows up in Iran. They share a special bond, doing everything together from praying to cooking. It celebrates maternal familial bonds as well as religious life. This book is an excellent resource for art teachers to use when beginning a unit on the family portrait. Since it shows that family does not always mean “father, mother and child,” students can feel encouraged to include extended family or members of older generations in their portraits. This book also recognizes religion in family life, allowing students to learn about a new religion and/or include these personal aspects in their family portraits.

Red Kite, Blue Kite by Ji-Li Jiang

When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, fly kites from their roof and look down at the crowded city streets below, they feel free, like the kites. Baba loves telling Tai Shan stories while the kites--one red, and one blue--rise, dip, and soar together. Then, a bad time comes. People wearing red armbands shut down the schools, smash store signs, and search houses. Baba is sent away, and Tai Shan goes to live with Granny Wang. Though father and son are far apart, they have a secret way of staying close. Every day they greet each other by flying their kites—one red, and one blue—until Baba can be free again, like the kites. Inspired by the dark time of the Cultural Revolution in China, this is a soaring tale of hope that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to love from a distance.

The Herd Boy by Niki Daly

Malusi is a herd boy. It is a big job for a small boy, yet he does it well, no matter the danger. But he also dreams of being more than a herd boy someday: Malusi wants to be president. This simple but poignant story explores the idea that many great leaders have come from humble beginnings. Perhaps what gives someone the strength and integrity to lead well isn't so different from what it takes to be a good herd boy.

Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye

Mona’s grandmother, her Sitti, lives in a small Palestinian village on the other side of the earth. Once, Mona went to visit her. The couldn’t speak each other’s language, so they made up their own. They learned about each other’s worlds, and they discovered each other’s secrets. Then it was time for Mona to go back home, back to the other side of the earth. But even though there were millions of miles and millions of people between them, they remained true neighbors forever.

The Sky of Afghanistan by Ana A. Eulate

This Afghan girl doesn’t stop dreaming and her dreams flies towards all the regions, entering homes, families and hearts.

For You Are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Kunane

Imagine you live in a small Kenyan village, where the sun rises over tall trees filled with doves. You wake to the sound of a rooster's crow, instead of an alarm clock and the school bus. Your afternoon snack is a tasty bug plucked from the sky, instead of an apple. And rather than kicking a soccer ball across a field, you kick a homemade ball of rags down a dusty road. But despite this, things aren't that different for a Kenyan child than they would be for an American kid, are they? With so much going on around you, it's just as easy to forget what your mama asked you to do!

Pancakes to Parathas: Breakfast Around the World by Alice B. McGinty

Breakfast varies from country to country, but it's how all children begin their day. Explore the meals of twelve countries in this playful approach to the world! With rhyming text and bold colorful illustrations, Pancakes To Parathas takes young readers on a tour around the world to explore the breakfasts of twelve different countries, from cornmeal porridge in Jamaica to soured soybeans in Japan and deep-fried bean fritters in Nigeria. From Australia to India to the USA, come travel around the world at dawn. Children everywhere are waking up to breakfast. In Japan, students eat soured soybeans called natto. In Brazil, even kids drink coffee - with lots of milk! With rhythm and rhymes and bold, graphic art, Pancakes to Parathas invites young readers to explore the world through the most important meal of the day.

Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock by Dallas Hunt

Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock is a charming story that celebrates Cree dialects and traditional storytelling. During an unfortunate mishap, young Awâsis loses Kôhkum’s freshly baked world-famous bannock. With the help of her animal friends, goes on an adventurous journey to find all the ingredients again. Includes a pronunciation guide and the recipe for Kôhkum’s world-famous bannock.

Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour

Living in a refugee camp, little Lubna’s best friend is a pebble. Pebble always listens to her stories and always smiles when she feels scared. But when a lost little boy arrives in the World of Tents, Lubna realizes that he needs Pebble even more than she does. Emotionally stirring and stunningly illustrated, Lubna and Pebble explores one girl’s powerful act of friendship in the midst of utter uncertainty.

The Adventures of Pili in New York by Kike Calvo

Hand-in-hand with Pili, the reader discovers the adventures of a little girl who travels the world with her dad, National Geographic Image Collection photographer Kike Calvo. In this brilliantly illustrated book, Pili, the Little Explorer, follows her dreams all the way from New York City to the Colombian rainforest. The core message of this Little Explorer, Big World series is environmental conservation and sustainability. It tackles the concepts of cultural diversity and empowerment, global readiness and peace, entrepreneurship and climate change.

Follow Pili as she travels the world from New York City to the Colombian rain forest with her dad, National Geographic photographer Kike Calvo. The Adventures of Pili in New York is the first book in a bilingual series about Pili’s adventures. The Little Explorer, Big World series tackles the concepts of cultural diversity and empowerment, global readiness and peace, entrepreneurship and climate change.

Little Frida: A Story of Frida Kahlo by Anthony Browne

This book tells about the childhood of artist, Frida Kahlo in Mexico. She uses her imagination in the story to cope with feelings of being an outsider and loneliness. This book helps children to see that all famous artists started as children like them. This is an excellent book to introduce children to the artist, Frida Kahlo. Representation is important for children to see themselves in literature, and this book shows both a future artist who is Mexican and a woman. Children can see that imagination is important to view the world and interpret one’s life. The book also highlights how Frida felt like an outsider since she was diagnosed and living with polio.

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Sexual Orientation

In a Heartbeat by Beth David and Esteban Bravo

A boy develops a crush on another boy and has his heart broken due to the fear of rejection and of being outed as a gay boy. This video can be used as an anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexism tool. It normalizes a feeling that everyone has had, the fear of rejection from a first crush. Furthermore, it provides gay boys with a positive representation and it destigmatizes their feelings.

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman

In a wildly whimsical, validating, and exuberant reflection of the LGBT community, This Day In June welcomes readers to experience a pride celebration and share in a day when we are all united. Also included is a Reading Guide chock-full of facts about LGBT history and culture, as well as a Note to Parents and Caregivers with information on how to talk to children about sexual orientation and gender identity in age-appropriate ways. This Day In June is an excellent tool for teaching respect, acceptance, and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Filled with saturated colors and vivid illustrations, this picture book uses rhyming couplets to convey the fun and exuberate feelings associated with a pride parade for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and families. For example, "Rainbow arches/Joyful marches/Motors roaring/Spirits soaring." The cartoon artwork is richly detailed and capture the "Banners swaying/Children playing." The diversity shown at the pride parade is realistic; both homosexual and heterosexual people, young and old, are depicted as well as individuals, couples, and families. At the end of the book, a "Reading Guide" provides explanations for the images and allusions in the book. Additionally, a "Note to Parents and Caregivers" offers suggestions for talking to various age levels of children about LGBT families. This beautifully illustrated book is a great addition to a school or personal library to add diversity in a responsible manner without contributing to stereotypes about LGBT people. –April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

You Be You!: The Kid’s Guide to Gender, Sexuality, and Family by Jonathan Branfman

This is an illustrated children's book for ages 7-11 that makes gender identity, sexual orientation and family diversity easy to explain to children. Throughout the book kids learn that there are many kinds of people in the world and that diversity is something to be celebrated. It covers gender, romantic orientation, discrimination, intersectionality, privilege, and how to stand up for what's right. With charming illustrations, clear explanations, and short sections that can be dipped in and out of, this book helps children think about how to create a kinder, more tolerant world.

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, presented by HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and written by LWT staffer Jill Twist, is a picture book that celebrates inclusiveness and democracy and embraces same-sex marriage. It was published to coincide with the release of a similarly titled book written by Vice President Mike Pence’s daughter (featuring his real-life family pet rabbit, which is named Marlon Bundo), as a response to Pence’s on-the-record positions on same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues.

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian

You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of a worm...and a worm. When a worm meets a special worm and they fall in love, you know what happens next: They get married! But their friends want to know—who will wear the dress? And who will wear the tux? The answer is: It doesn't matter. Because worm loves worm. Authored by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato / Whether you read this as a smart take on same-sex marriage and changing gender norms or a celebration of free and kindred spirits, Worm Loves Worm is irresistible.

Daddy, Papa, and Me and Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman

This short picture book story captivates readers with its diversity about unique families. This book is a wonderful depiction of a young child whose family isn't like everyone else's. Leslea Newman is the author of over fifty books, including Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way. Having a child in my class that had two moms, this book would have been a great addition to our library. While many educators that I have worked with over the years have been uncomfortable with same sex parents, I try to help them see that books like these are important for the child. No matter how we as adults feel about same sex parents, the child deserves to see him or herself in books and materials in the classroom. This has helped some educators add these types of resources to their classrooms. As for activities to go along with the story, this is an opportunity to talk about who lives in our house. Many cultures have multi-generations families under the same roof. Some children are being raised by single moms or dads. This does not have to be just about same sex families, but about how we all have different members of our family at home.  As a teacher, I would ask each family to send in photographs of who lives in the home so that all children can have family members on display in their space and to celebrate each of them as special.

Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman

Twenty-five years after its controversial debut, this updated version of a now-classic tale of a little girl with same-sex parents comes across as a sweet, gentle message of inclusion and acceptance.

Home At Last by Vera B. Williams

This sensitive portrait of a loving and recognizably human family in which school-age Lester is adopted by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich has clear adoption and LGBTQ themes, but the feelings will be recognizable to any kid who’s felt anxiety. After Lester is adopted by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, he develops a big problem—he can't fall asleep. Night after night he creeps into his parents' room and attempts to crawl in between his two daddies, confident that if he's with them and their dog, Wincka, nothing bad will happen to him ever again. But every night, Lester's new dads walk him back to his own room, hoping that eventually Lester will get used to the new house and his new family and feel as though he belongs. They buy him a bike and take him for ice cream. They make cocoa and introduce him to his cousins. But no matter how happy Lester seems during the day, he still gets scared and worried at night! It's the sweet dog Wincka who finally solves the problem when she climbs into Lester's bed and promptly falls asleep, serving as both his pillow and his protector. Lester feels home at last.

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Better Nate Than Ever is a charming story of a boy who sneaks away from home and falls in love with New York City. Nate’s a lovable hero for misfits and dreamers everywhere, and especially for young gay teens and kids who, like Nate, aren’t ready to declare anything about their sexuality.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama is a funny, affecting graphic novel about what it takes to put on a middle school musical. The engaging cast of diverse personalities includes a forthrightly gay male character and another exploring his own sexuality. The author treats the subject with sensitivity and discretion.

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake

This gentle book about a 12-year old’s first same-sex crush explores both LGBTQ themes and universally human themes of family, first love, and navigating life’s unexpected challenges.

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari

My Mixed-up Berry Blue Summer main theme is prejudice against same-sex marriage and gay people in general. The main character’s emotional growth is believable, and the resolution is satisfying. Twelve-year-old June Farrell is sure of one thing—she’s great at making pies—and she plans to prove it by winning a blue ribbon in the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. But a backlash against Vermont’s civil union law threatens her family’s security and their business. Even when faced with bullying, June won’t give up on winning the blue ribbon; more importantly, she won’t give up on her family.

Addie on the Inside by James Howe

13-year-old Addie’s story is told completely in narrative poetry that poignantly captures the turmoil and confusion she faces about issues. She helps organize the Gay and Straight Alliance in support of her openly gay friends and dares to hold a Day of Silence even when it’s nixed by the principal.

Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima

In one seamless story, this book introduces an exuberant multiracial girl who has two dads, sends her on a fantastic hot-air balloon journey with penguins, and throws her a rollicking rooftop party.

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Anti-bias resources for educators

The Teach Thought Podcast

https://www.teachthought.com/podcast/

This podcast that is also available online. The target audience is teachers of all grade levels. Their goal is to help teachers grow professionally as inclusive and well rounded educators. There are a wide range of topics discussed ranging from “Navigating the Landscape of Labels in Social Justice and Equity” to “How Do We Teach Kids to Talk About Taboo Topics.” 198 episodes available

This resource cannot be used in the classroom. Nevertheless, it potentially has massive impacts on what happens inside classrooms. The Teach Thought Podcast is a teacher resource that exposes teachers to tough discussions that are necessary in a diverse, global society. If we want to encourage anti-bias education, then it is equally important that our teachers are well versed in anti-bias language and knowledge, so that they can carry these skills into their classrooms. The Teach Thought Podcast is free professional development that can be taken anywhere. Teachers do not need to access transportation to get to a college classroom or money to buy books. They simply need either access to the internet, or access to podcasts. Given that the early childhood teacher workforce is predominantly white, it is important to educate each other on culturally inclusive teaching practices, and diversity as a whole, so that we can fully connect and meet the needs of all students that walk through our door.

2020-2021 Planning to Change the World: A Plan Book for Social Justice Teachers edited by Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Margaret Kavanagh, Thomas Nikundiew, and Carla Shalaby

This teacher plan book has a wealth of resources. Important anniversaries with suggested resources (books, lesson plans, films) are marked on the calendars. For example, the birth of Winona LaDuke, an environmental and Native rights activist and author, is marked on August 18, accompanying the description of a high-school level book by LaDuke called All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life. Note: This plan book is published each year.

Because the curriculum ideas and resources are linked chronologically, teachers can use anniversaries to teach pertinent lessons. This book is really for a K-12 audience, so not all the curriculum ideas would be appropriate for the elementary level. In the back of the book, the curriculum ideas and resources are also organized thematically, so educators can tap into such themes as Latinx/Latin American History, Issues, and Rights, or Environmental Justice Issues. This book can be used as a simple teacher plan book and can easily be adapted for teachers at elementary, middle, or secondary levels. However, because it has so many resources, it can also be used as a guide for teaching anti-bias and social justice curriculum. The resources are briefly described and bit.ly URLs for each resource are provided in both the chronological and thematic sections.

Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman-Sparks & Julie Olsen Edwards

Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves offers practical guidance to early childhood educators (including parents) for confronting and eliminating barriers of prejudice, misinformation, and bias about specific aspects of personal and social identity; most importantly, it includes tips for adults and children to respect each other, themselves, and all people.  Individual chapters focus on culture and language, racial identity, family structures, gender identity, economic class, different abilities, holidays, and more.

Given the critical nature of implementing anti-bias education, teachers should be prepared to support anti-biased learning by having a comprehensive of understanding of the why, how and more importantly what it means to them.  The book itself, challenges implementers to explore why anti-bias education matter?  Used as a resource, early childhood teachers should review prior to the beginning of the school semester.  Implement round table discussions for classroom implementation, as well as cross classroom and grade learning, and brown bag lunch forums to ensure fidelity to the recommendations and connection to classroom resources being used to further promote an anti-biased curriculum. 

Topics: Equity, Anti Bias, Cultural Competence, Diversity, Dual Language Learners, Gender, Race and Ethnicity, Social and Economic Status

Beyond Heroes and Holidays by Enid Lee, Deborah Menkart, & Margo Okazawa-Rey

This interdisciplinary guide for teachers, administrators, students, and parents offers lessons and readings that show how to:

·       Analyze the roots of racism

·       Investigate the impact of racism on all our lives, our families, and our communities

·       Examine the relationship between racism and other forms of oppression such as sexism, classism, and heterosexism

·       Learn to work to dismantle racism in our schools, communities, and the wider society

Using Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed as a focal point on race and class-based inequity in education, Beyond Heroes and Holidaysanalyzes multicultural education through multiples lenses and from multiple levels: the individual and personal (micro); community (meso); and the societal (macro) and how this plays out in the classroom K-12.

This resources services two purposes, first being that teachers continue to create a space to learn and dialog the ways in which race, power and privilege plays out in the classroom, in their lives, the lives of their students and in the curriculum. Secondly, when considering early childhood education from pre-K to third grade, the book provides activities and suggestions for teaching activism in at an early age and anti-biased strategies of having children look race and culture through art and poetry.

Start Seeing Diversity by Ellen Wolpert

Start Seeing Diversity helps teachers recognize and reduce bias in young children by illustrating one community's effort to create a responsive childcare program. Developed by teachers at Washington-Beech Community Preschool in Boston, this training handbook provides a framework for understanding bias among preschool children, reorganized for stand-alone use as a student text. Nine detailed chapters treat six areas of bias: gender, age, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, economic class, and physical abilities, as well as the goals and guiding assumptions of anti-bias curriculum. Accompanying discussion questions encourage readers to examine their own memories and experiences.

Again, considering that this work requires reflection on identity, positionality, as well as values and ethics this book provides strategic guidelines for challenging oppression and responding to incidents involving bias in the classroom setting. Using this book, teachers and administrators are able use a checklist for creating and assessing anti-bias environments to ensure that their efforts are holistic and well-rounded. There is a guide for use to assist in analyzing children's books to ensure that they promote anti-bias and anti-racist learning versus promoting stereotypical narratives. There are games to use with children in the early education environments, as well as vignettes and scenarios for classroom activities, suggested resources for additional skill in creating the anti-biased classroom and guidelines for leadership.

Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences that make a Difference by Howard C. Stevenson

This book “explores how schools are places where racial conflicts often remain hidden at the expense of a healthy school climate and the well-being of other students of color.”

Chapters include:

• Stress and incompetence in the politics of American race relations

• Recasting the history of racial “firsts”: dancing around stereotypes in American schools

• Fearing racial discourse: the socialization of racial threat in schools

• Recasting racial threat: a model for coping and assertiveness during conflicts

• Walking while talking: what parents and educators can do to promote racial literacy

• Racial literacy as civil disobedience: practicing racial assertiveness in schools

This book helps educators to understand how racial stress can impact student learning.  This book is written to help “students, educators, and social service support staff find workable strategies to improve racial literacy skills to read, recast, and resolve racially stressful encounters when they happen” to enable students to feel safer and better able to learn. 

This book includes: “a model that applies culturally relevant behavioral stress management strategies to problem-solve racial stress in schools; examples demonstrating workable solutions relevant within predominantly White schools for students, parents, teachers, and administrators; measurable outcomes and strategies for developing racial literacy skills that can be integrated into the K - 12 curriculum and teacher professional development; and teaching and leadership skills that will create a more tolerant and supportive school environment for all students.”

Raising Race Questions: Whiteness & Inquiry in Education by Ali Michael

Talking about race can be hard, especially for white people.  This book covers:

• Raising race questions and managing the inquiry Impasse

• Racial Identity is not just another tool—It’s the toolbox

• A multicultural curriculum is not sufficient for building an antiracist classroom

• Talking about race in the classroom

• From theory to practice to theory: facilitating inquiry

This resource can be especially helpful for white teachers as they navigate questions about race, and their role as a white person in education.  This resource asks teachers to use inquiry to think more deeply about racial questions, by laying out a process for developing these questions and a vision for where these questions may lead.  “Sustained race inquiry is meant to lead to antiracist classrooms, positive racial identities, and a restoration of the wholeness of spirit and community that racism undermines.” This resource includes case studies, approaches for talking about race in the classroom, strategies for having race conversations among adults, and different resources useful to help inquiry groups explore this thinking more deeply.

Teaching While White podcast

This podcast features interviews with scholars and teachers. Most teachers in U. S. schools identify as White, but their students are increasingly diverse. This podcast offers important background for White teachers engaged in learning about anti-bias teaching practices. Listen to the podcast and create professional learning communities to discuss them with peers. Teaching White White’s Mission is to explore the following questions (which would be great for discussing with colleagues):

• What are the best practices for making whiteness explicit in classrooms?

• What skills are needed to become racially literate both for teachers and students?

• How does investigating whiteness impact the identity development of white students?

• How does investigating whiteness in the classroom relieve or create stress for students of color?

• How do teachers, who do not understand their own racial impact, cause stress for students?

• How do racially literate teachers ease the burden for students?

• How do we measure success—what does it look like, sound like, feel like to be “racially literate”?

The site also includes a great blog that explores topics that are similar to the podcast.

Let’s Talk: Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students

This resource is a 44 page guide to help teachers engage students in open discussions about discrimination and social inequality. It helps teachers prepare themselves and their students for having these critical conversations by providing activities for laying the groundwork. It also includes strategies for facilitation of these discussions by giving strategies and activities teachers can lead before the conversation, when opening the conversation, during the conversation, and when closing the conversation. This step by step guide helps teachers examine their concerns, strengths, weaknesses, and needs for talking with students about topics related to social justice.

This guide addresses the topics of ability/ableism, age/ageism, body type/sizeism, ethnicity/ethnocentrism, gender identity/gender discrimination and transphobia, immigration/xenophobia, race/racism, language/English Language Learner discrimination, religion/religious discrimination (Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia), sexual orientation/homophobia, and socioeconomic status/classism. This resource can be used to honor the experiences of students by giving techniques to explore their identities and to help them feel valued and respected. Teachers are given strategies for setting up their classrooms to reflect the students in it. They can ensure that the curriculum reflects their students by choosing texts that reflect the cultural experiences of their students and discussing the voices or the absence of voices in these texts. Student experiences can be incorporated into assignments through the use of community related activities. Teachers can provide opportunities for students to learn from each other’s differing experiences and perspectives. 

Techniques are provided for building relationships with families. One of these techniques is home visits. Home visits can help build family engagement, improve student achievement, decrease disciplinary issues, and improve relationships among parents, teachers, and children. For teachers who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with having critical conversations due to the strong emotions that arise, there is support for how to respond to these strong emotions. It guides teachers in creating a plan to help ensure emotional safety for the teacher and students and navigating a polarized classroom. This is a helpful guide for teachers who have little experience or who may feel uncomfortable facilitating critical conversations in classrooms. It walks educators through the process of preparing themselves and their classrooms for important topics related to diversity, discrimination, and social inequality.

Teaching Tolerance

https://www.tolerance.org/

This website has an abundance of resources for students and teachers. Teaching Tolerance contains professional development opportunities and curriculum resources and offers workshops at a variety of locations for only $30. The Teaching Tolerance magazine is FREE. Printable posters are available as PDFs for more diverse visuals

Curriculum resources, such as specific lesson plans, can be created through this website. The lessons can be designed with age groups in mind to ensure that they are developmentally appropriate. Texts at a variety of reading levels are accessible, in addition to many photographs and activities. At its core, Teaching Tolerance is a magazine dedicated to anti-bias education and spreading a message of acceptance and inclusivity. The articles produced in the magazine are through provoking, and all teachers should have a subscription. Additionally, Teaching Tolerance has a podcast that is also free and easily accessible. Podcast topics range from “Teaching About Indigenous Identities” to “Incorporating LGBTQ History in your Classroom.” Lastly, Teaching Tolerance hosts webinars that are later posted to their website for anyone to listen to. The webinars last about an hour and include a variety of topics including, “Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage” to “How to be an Ally in the Classroom.”

NPR Talking Race with Young Children

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716700866/talking-race-with-young-children

 This twenty minute podcast is accessible online. It breaches the conversation on how to talk about race with young children and explicitly details five strategies for talking with children about race. This is an important listen for teachers and parents of young children. While the podcast cannot be listened to in the classroom, the new learning that teachers gain from listening can be implemented through instructional and conversational practices. Many early childhood educators have expressed concern over raising these tough topics with their young students. This podcast not only implies that it is possible to hold these conversations with young children, but it is mandatory to clear up misconceptions and expose students to race at an early age. Eye opening, real world examples that actually happened are discussed. Hosts and guests point to the specific example of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters as a text that can be used to teach that princesses can have diverse appearances, and do not always have long, straight hair. Fairness is discussed as an idea that ALL students, regardless of age, can relate to. What is fair vs. what is unfair is an easy entry point for teachers to use for race discussions.

Using Their Words

http://www.usingtheirwords.org/

This site is a multimedia space to see social justice projects in action. Teachers can see pictures of anti-bias lessons, find lesson units, and access other resources. This site shows teachers and students engaged in social action on complex topics. Find lessons focuses on social justice issues such as racism, gentrification, fairness, child labor etc.

What are Gender Stereotypes? & Analyzing Gender Stereotypes in Media

https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/what-are-gender-stereotypes

https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/analyzing-gender-stereotypes-in-media

This resource includes two lesson plans, one that introduces K-3 students to gender stereotypes and another that applies the concepts by having students explore gender stereotypes in children’s media. The lessons include objectives, essential questions, materials, key vocabulary, lesson procedure/steps, and extension activities. Educators can use this resource to provide students an opportunity to examine the media they see everyday on the television, on the radio, or internet for bias. The introductory lesson dives into the definition of gender stereotypes to provide some foundational understandings before going into the next lesson where children will look at children’s tv shows, advertisements, games, etc. Looking at the various media sources, children will be asked to identify what is typically seen as targeted for boys vs. for girls; exploring the implications and facilitating discussion around the harm in labeling items as “for boys” or “for girls”, allowing them to talk about instances where they did not feel they fit into the stereotype.

Finding Joy in Teaching Students of Diverse Backgrounds: Culturally Responsive and Socially Just Practices in U.S. Classrooms by Sonia Nieto

This resource outlines approaches and strategies for teaching students of different backgrounds, including Chapter 2 that outlines different ways to prepare teachers to teach students of all backgrounds.  This resource is grounded in case studies and chapter 10 is focused on how to become a culturally responsive teacher, which includes:

• Enacting values in the classroom

• Engaging in critical self-reflection

• Valuing language and culture

• Insisting on high-quality, excellent work from all students

• Honoring families

• Exemplifying commitment to lifelong learning

This resource can be really helpful as a way to see HOW to enact culturally affirming (anti-bias) practices in your classroom through so many example teachers and approaches.  This is a resource that spans grades and I think can be applicable ECE-higher education.  This resource gives more of a background on the context for education in the U.S. as a way to understand what needs to be done in classrooms to make children feel more valued and safe.  Once the context and a brief history is outlined it dives into many different ways to teach students of diverse backgrounds with the examples from teachers.  Use this resource to explore ways to be more culturally competent in the classroom.

Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years edited by Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson

This K-12 teacher resource offers lesson plans for teaching the history of Columbus, the Age of Exploration/Settler Colonialism, and Native people of the Americas. Two chapters are dedicated to elementary school issues and Thanksgiving, but elementary educators will find ideas in other sections of the book as well. Note: Available from Rethinking Schools, which has other similar teaching resource books that focus on different social justice issues.

This book will especially be helpful for educators looking to teach about Columbus and the exploitation and genocide of Native people of the Americas. Many of the activities can be adapted for different age levels by changing the level of scaffolding. Many of the resources are more appropriate for teachers to read in order to educate themselves about a side of history they often were not taught. For example, the mythologized Thanksgiving in which Tisquantum and Samoset taught Pilgrims how to grow corn and use fish as fertilizer and then were welcomed, along with many other Native people, to a feast of friendship is a lie I was taught early in elementary school. This book is a valuable resource if it’s used for nothing more than a teacher resource; however, it also has handouts and lesson plans that would be appropriate for early elementary school students. For example, on pp. 42-43, “The Untold Story” by Tina Thomas (Cherokee and African American) can be cut into sentence strips that students could illustrate and put together in the form of a book. This resource tells the story of Christopher Columbus’s subjugation of the Taínos.

Another resource reviews several books about Christopher Columbus, some of which are appropriate for second or third grade. The book suggests you offer opportunities for students to critique books (p. 39) by asking questions such as: 1) How many times did Columbus talk? 2) How many times did we get to know what he was thinking? 3) How many times did the Native people have names? 4) How many times did the Native people talk. The book also includes a helpful collection of resources, such as videos, books, curriculum guides, posters and maps, and internet resources.

Rethinking Schools Magazine

This K-12 teacher magazine includes articles about social justice issues and lesson/curriculum ideas. Note: Available from Rethinking Schools, which has other similar teaching resources that focus on different social justice issues. Costs vary depending on the subscription level and time period, but I purchased a three-year subscription that includes print and digital (app and PDF online) version access for $61.41. The magazine is published four times per year.

This resource includes reporting on important issues in social justice education and teaching ideas for educators. Pocketmags describes Rethinking Schools’ “wide range of articles” as “[portraying] classrooms that are academically rigorous, ant-racist, multicultural, and engaging.” A recent issue includes features on the 1964 New York City school boycott, talking about race with teachers, climate justice, and science vocabulary with English language learners. Issues also include resources, such as books, videos, and websites, that teachers can use in anti-bias, social justice teaching. This resource will help educators keep abreast of issues in social justice education and develop ideas about how to address social justice in the classroom; it is great social justice professional development reading.

Teaching Tolerance Magazine

This free teacher resource includes articles on issues pertinent to social justice and anti-bias educators and can be used as an educational resource for teachers. The magazine is published three times per year by Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Like Rethinking Schools, this magazine is a must-have for social justice educators, and the best part is that it’s free as are all of Teaching Tolerance’s materials. They also do workshops that are extremely cheap, if you can find one close to you.

Teaching Tolerance’s magazine focuses on different themes each month. For example, recent issues have focused on YA literature’s recent trends, Black Minds Matter, and the movement to destigmatize menstruation. Some issues also include free posters you can put up in your classroom. Magazine issues include information about and reviews of resources such as books, similar to Rethinking Schools.

The Zinn Education Project

This K-12 teacher resource offers lesson plans for “teaching people’s history.” The site offers a wide variety of teaching materials, including lesson plans. Their early childhood education resources can be found at this link. This website offers a wealth of teaching resources for K-12 educators organized by theme, time period, and grade level. Some of the resources include book recommendations, while others are lesson plans. For example, one early childhood education lesson plan is a role play activity designed to teach students about redlining. Some of the teaching activities include all the handouts a teacher might need, saving time for the teacher. Note: This organization partners with Rethinking Schools, so many of the resources come from that organization, which has made them freely available on the Zinn Education Project.

The best way to use this resource is to look for materials and lessons that will enhance your curriculum and show other stories or other sides so that students are exposed to more than the White, middle- to upper-class, male version of history that so many of us learn without understanding there are other points of view. In order to download the resources, you will need to create a free account. The Zinn Education Project may start sending you email newsletters as a result, but you can unsubscribe and still access the website’s materials. I find the newsletters helpful and timely.

Teaching Tolerance’s Social Justice Standards

This “framework for anti-bias education” divides social justice learning standards into four domains: identity, diversity, justice, and action. The standards are broken down into grade levels. You can download a PDF of the standards, which includes a version of each standard with outcomes written in age-appropriate language and example scenarios for the standards’ use. Use these standards to build your lessons and include anti-bias learning opportunities in your classroom. You can use Teaching Tolerance’s learning plan builder to create lessons based on the standards.

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

In this book for educators, Zaretta Hammond shares the research on brain science that supports culturally responsive teaching and anti-bias work on the part of teachers. This book is a must-have for anti-bias educators because it will arm you with the research behind why this work is critical. Zaretta Hammond describes brain responses such as the “amygdala hijack” that happens when a student feels threatened. For example, confusing one Black student for another can result in an amygdala hijack that will prevent the student from focusing on learning in the classroom for 20 minutes, during which time they will miss a great deal of important learning opportunity.

Hammond writes in the tradition of great educators and researchers like Lisa Delpit and Geneva Gay. I would recommend reading this book with the faculty you work with in a book discussion group. Try doing the activities Hammond suggests in the book as you go. Discussing this book with others will help you reflect on its teaching. Having this book in your arsenal will offer you scientific evidence to refute colleagues who claim anti-bias work is not important or who claim to be colorblind.

Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education

This resource provides a framework for anti-bias education in various educational levels. Frameworks are broken down into grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. This resource provides frameworks and suggested material for teaching anti-bias education. The categories of education that this resource can assist with include: classroom culture, family and community engagement, teacher leadership, and the anti-bias frameworks. With so much information included in the document, it can help support teachers in planning their anti-bias curriculum.

Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books by Louise Derman-Sparks

http://www.antibiasleadersece.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Guide-for-Selecting-Anti-Bias-Childrens-Books-_-Teaching-for-Change-Bookstore.pdf

This guide offers steps for selecting anti-bias children’s books:

• Check the Illustrations

• Check the story line and relationships between people

• Look at messages about different lifestyles

• Consider the effects on children’s self and social identities

• Look for books about children and adults engaging in actions for change

• Consider the author’s or illustrator’s background and perspective

• Watch for loaded words

• Look at the copyright date

• Assess the appeal of the story and illustrations to young children

This resource can be used to help determine books to use in curriculums and/or offer in libraries that align to anti-bias curriculum. This resource can be helpful for those at any stage of their journey of aligning to anti-bias curriculum: this list can be used to assess current libraries and stories used in current curriculums, and this guide can also be used to make choices about purchasing new books for libraries and/or to use in curriculum. Particularly the section on the guide for checking illustrations helps to give concrete ways to think about the content in the reading: look for stereotypes, look for tokenism, and look for invisibility.

Social Justice Books Website

Social Justice Books, a project of Teaching for Change, curates and reviews books for children of all ages. Their focus is social justice and anti-bias education. In addition to sharing recommendations, they also caution educators and parents about books that are problematic. This website is a great place to start if you are looking for certain books. It’s a good idea to check multicultural books on this website. They make efforts to have Own Voices reviewers read books so that the perspective of the reviewer is not the dominant culture.

Social Justice books also includes a great guide for how to select anti-bias children’s books. This website is a great resource for any teacher looking to learn more about bias and how to avoid it in classroom reading selections. Don’t miss their “Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books,” their curated booklists, and free or low-cost teaching resources.

Celebrate! An Anti-Bias Guide to Enjoying Holidays by Julie Bisson

This is a comprehensive text to guide early childhood teachers through religious and culturally diverse holiday celebrations. It includes creating and implementing policies, selecting holidays that are both representative and diverse, and developmentally appropriate hands-on activities to do with students. This book can also be used as a resource to help families understand the need to learn about religious traditions outside of Christianity while pushing back against stereotypes and commercialism. Holiday celebrations are the simplest way to introduce young children and reluctant adults to religious diversity. Although it is absolutely a place to start and never to end this book is full of lessons, book recommendations, and activity guides to celebrating a variety of holidays you may otherwise be unfamiliar with. This resource is best used as a reference text or first step in planning for anti-bias holiday celebrations.

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