Literature Posters

Issues in Children's Lit

Multicultural Literature for Children

Multicultural Literature for Children

 

General Purpose

Reading multicultural literature can help children gain a better understanding of people from other countries and ethnic backgrounds. These stories may describe how people live in different parts of the world, or they may portraying how children from different cultural backgrounds live together in the same country. They can be fiction, nonfiction, folk tales, fairy tales, legends, or poetry, but above all they must be accurate and portray characters in positive, non-stereotypical ways. The information presented here will help parents, teachers, and other interested adults find bibliographical lists of high quality multicultural materials for children of all ages.

Why should children read mulicultural literature?

Reading literature about people from other cultures has been proven to have positive developmental affects on children of all backgrounds. For the children of a specific ethnic minority, reading positive stories about their own ethnic group can increase self-esteem and make them feel part of a larger society. For children of a "majority" group, reading stories about other cultures can increase their sensitivity to those who are different from themselves, improve their knowledge of the world, and help them realize that although people have many differences, they also share many similarities.

Childrens Lit Traditional, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction Definition

Folklore/Traditional Literature

Traditional literature is the term used to describe various forms of folklore, stories that come from the oral tradition.  They do not have a known originating author, but have been collected and retold by people like the Grimm Brothers.  Traditional literature includes folktales, mythology, legends, tall tales, folk songs,  nursery rhymes and fairy tales.  Fairy tales by known originating authors, such as those by Hans Christian Andersen, are not traditional literature.  Folklore may appear as a single illustrated story in picture book format, or a number of stories may be collected into an anthology.

Modern Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Animal Fantasy

Fantasy describes those stories that could not happen in real life. They are works of known authors who created the stories (those that came from the oral tradition are considered traditional literature). Fairy tales by known authors, such as those by Hans Christian Andersen, are considered modern fantasy. There are often talking animals, an element of magic, or imaginative creatures in tales of fantasy. Fantasies can be found in picture books (E) and in novels (F).

Science Fiction

The line between Fantasy and Science Fiction is often a thin one. Science fiction stories also could not happen in real life—at least not at this time. However, these books involve some aspect of science or technology. Futuristic stories are often science fiction. Science Fiction can also be in picture book format (E) or a novel (F).

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is a term used to describe stories that could actually have happened.  Contemporary realistic fiction means the book is set either “now” or in the recent past.  Books with talking animals or set in a place or time that do not exist (fantasy) or stories set in the past (historical fiction) are not contemporary realistic fiction.  Realistic fiction can be found in either picture storybooks (E) or in chapter books/novels (F).

Multicultural/Diverse Literature

Multicultural literature is a term used to describe literature of, by, or about various racial/ethnic/cultural groups. Sometimes the term is also used for books about sexual identity, disabilities, and age. Usually it is used to describe books portraying people that are not of Anglo-Saxon origin. Many books that are culturally neutral or generic do not have an assigned racial/ethnic subject heading, but most books that are "culturally specific" will have such a subject heading.

Early Childhood/Picture Storybooks

Technically speaking, a picture book is a 32-page book that uses either illustrations and text or all illustrations to tell a story or provide information.  A picture book is a format—stories, poetry, folklore, biographies, and informational books may be in picture book format.  However, more generally the term picture book is used to describe all books for young children, including board books, toy books, concept books and beginning-to-read books as well as the more typical picture storybook.

Notes-Topic:Phonetics and Phonology

IPA The symbol from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), as used in phonetic transcriptions in modern dictionaries for English learners

PRIMARY WORD STRESS the stronger degree of stress is called 'primary'.

SECONDARY WORD is the weaker of two degrees of stress in the pronunciation of a word; The symbol for secondary stress is a short vertical line preceding and at the foot of the stressed syllable:

in·to·na·tion 1.The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. 2.The action of intoning or reciting in a singing voice

vow·el    1 /ˈvaʊəl/ .(in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs ( opposed to consonant). 2. a letter representing or usually representing a vowel, as, in English, a, e, i, o, u,  and sometimes w  and y.

 

PHONOLOGY study of the sound systems in language

SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES The characteristics of supra-segmental of speech: speech sounds may also have length, intonation, tone, and stress.

ENGLISH SOUND SYSTEM

ENUNCIATION 1.To utter articulate sounds; the act of being very distinct in speech

LGA3101Tutorial Task W5

LGA3101 Tutorial Questions Week 5

Please choose children's books based on types of multicultural literature.

Be sure to refer to your previous lecture notes