Teaching PreK-8 Magazine . August 5, 1997. Written by Carol Hurst . Edited by Rebecca Otis . Bringing children's literature to your workshop, conference and classroom.
Families Exploring families in literature makes a strong theme with very personal implications.
In the younger grades, it's often connected to the social studies curriculum. We're going to expand it into upper grades as well, however, because it brings into focus some very good books for more mature readers. It's important, of course, that once you start such an activity you make sure that every child can find him or herself or a situation very like theirs somewhere in the literature. You want to show a diversity of family structures, dwellings and neighborhoods. Otherwise you do some a disservice and the theme, rather than being an inclusive study, will make some children feel rejected or excluded.