Dear Teacher,
The following book ladder includes a total of 10 books related to the theme of racial diversity, all of which was inspired by the book ‘Feathers’ by Jacqueline Woodson. The books chosen will teach your students the value of diversity in all forms, the power of kindness, and how to accept themselves in every form. These books are a great addition to any classroom library or to a black history month instruction or lesson. With this ladder posted in your classroom you will hopefully spark the interest in your students to learn more about black history or about their own background, which is always welcomed in tougher units as these. The great part about this ladder is that it allows race to be addressed in all age levels, and not just with the older children. With younger children I think things like race are ignored because we may think they are too young, but the fact is that they will experience diversity every day in and out of school. With these books in your arsenal you can talk to every grade level of students about race and teach the importance of equality for everyone no matter their background or skin color. The books included also address race beyond black and white and talk about being mixed and other races as well as the cultures too. When teaching units covering slavery and segregation I believe that these books make the information more real or comprehensible for the students. Some are told from the point of view of a child and others like ‘Who Was Martin Luther King Jr?’ provide facts, but when the children are able to relate to the characters it allows a deeper and more personal understanding of racism and how it impacts people. Then when you are teaching them about subjects like slavery and segregation it is not detached from them they are able to realize the impact those events had on their lives. This ladder and these books provide an extra tool to reach out to your students and spark interest in the topics that may be more difficult to relate to. These books make our history real for students they allow them to face the reality of racism and its impacts but they also show that racism is not a thing of the past and it is still present. This in turn will create the desire for equality and racial harmony in your students and classroom.
Thank you,
Margaret D’Jernes
