Teaching Hard History through Children's Literature about Enslavement

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Patterson, Timothy J., Shuttleworth, Jay M.
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 2020
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author Patterson, Timothy J.
Shuttleworth, Jay M.
author_facet Patterson, Timothy J.
Shuttleworth, Jay M.
Patterson, Timothy J.
Shuttleworth, Jay M.
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents Teaching Hard History through Children's Literature about Enslavement Patterson, Timothy J. Shuttleworth, Jay M. History Instruction Controversial Issues (Course Content) Childrens Literature Primary Education United States History Racial Discrimination Slavery Teaching Methods Social Studies Cultural Awareness Elementary School Teachers Because of a long tradition of children's literature depicting enslavement, elementary teachers have an expansive assortment of books from which to choose. These books, however, can be filled with inaccuracies, troubling illustrations, and dubious interpretations of the "peculiar institution." The recent controversy over "A Birthday Cake for George Washington," a book written for first-through-third graders, filled with illustrations of enslaved persons smiling while they work in bondage, demonstrates just how problematic these books have the potential to be. In this article, the authors offer lessons from their study of recently published children's books that depict enslavement. Their analytical framework aims to assist teachers as they decode the interpretive stances embedded in the narratives and illustrations of books that depict enslavement. They then offer recommendations for an instructional strategy aligned with the "College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards" that will support students' learning about enslavement from any of the books in their study, or other books that may be available in a particular school library.
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ1244663
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2020
record_format eric
spellingShingle Teaching Hard History through Children's Literature about Enslavement
Patterson, Timothy J.
Shuttleworth, Jay M.
History Instruction
Controversial Issues (Course Content)
Childrens Literature
Primary Education
United States History
Racial Discrimination
Slavery
Teaching Methods
Social Studies
Cultural Awareness
Elementary School Teachers
Teaching Hard History through Children's Literature about Enslavement Patterson, Timothy J. Shuttleworth, Jay M. History Instruction Controversial Issues (Course Content) Childrens Literature Primary Education United States History Racial Discrimination Slavery Teaching Methods Social Studies Cultural Awareness Elementary School Teachers Because of a long tradition of children's literature depicting enslavement, elementary teachers have an expansive assortment of books from which to choose. These books, however, can be filled with inaccuracies, troubling illustrations, and dubious interpretations of the "peculiar institution." The recent controversy over "A Birthday Cake for George Washington," a book written for first-through-third graders, filled with illustrations of enslaved persons smiling while they work in bondage, demonstrates just how problematic these books have the potential to be. In this article, the authors offer lessons from their study of recently published children's books that depict enslavement. Their analytical framework aims to assist teachers as they decode the interpretive stances embedded in the narratives and illustrations of books that depict enslavement. They then offer recommendations for an instructional strategy aligned with the "College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards" that will support students' learning about enslavement from any of the books in their study, or other books that may be available in a particular school library.
title Teaching Hard History through Children's Literature about Enslavement
topic History Instruction
Controversial Issues (Course Content)
Childrens Literature
Primary Education
United States History
Racial Discrimination
Slavery
Teaching Methods
Social Studies
Cultural Awareness
Elementary School Teachers
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1244663