Abstract

All educators are responsible for making their students feel safe, capable, and seen in the classroom. One way this can be accomplished is by implementing culturally responsive pedagogy. Our students will come from many different backgrounds. One of the most vital ways students will feel seen is by having characters in the books they read that they can identify with and learn from. Therefore, teachers should put effort into including children's literature in their classrooms by choosing culturally diverse books that are also high-quality and align with state standards. There are many high-quality pieces of children's literature that include culturally diverse protagonists, and finding these books is the focus of this study. High-quality multicultural literature exists and is celebrated by several race-based literature awards. This thesis analyzes race-based literature awards for African American and Hispanic children's literature, Florida's ELA standards, and the state's student demographics to create a standards-based inventory list of multicultural K-2 children's literature to distribute to teachers in Orange County. This inventory list acts as a guide and starting point for teachers to see how to choose literature with characters that represent the students, they teach without sacrificing the quality of education. When teachers have the resources to choose high-quality multicultural literature, they can implement them across other disciplines.

Thesis Completion

2023

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Spalding, Lee-Anne

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Teacher Education

Degree Program

Elementary Education, K-6 Certification

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

5-15-2023

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