Reading Respose #3 (Culturally Relevence Rubric)

Context:

During EDLIT 735, Survey of Instructional Approaches for Language and Literacy Development, we learned about the concept of culturally relevant texts. In this reading log, I reflected on an experience that I had selecting a culturally relevent text for one of my students, using Freeman and Freeman's checklist. A culturally relevant text is one that relates to the student based on social factors, setting, time period, age and sex of the characters, world views, and personally experiences. Selecting a text that is culturally relevant encourages reading and fosters a love of reading. 

Reflection:

The concept of culturally relevant texts seems like an obvious strategy to use when selecting books to read to your students. However, it was something I never really thought about. As a new teacher, I normally selected books based on the grade level, lesson I was teaching, and whether or not I thought the students would enjoy the book. However, selecting cultually relevant texts is extremely important in terms of engaging students in reading. For this assignment, I selected the text The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything. I decided to read this book with my student because it was just around the time of Halloween and my student LOVED scary things and anything that had to do with the holiday. While reading this book, I noticed a change in how engaged she was with the text. Not only did the text keep her attention, but she also seemed more determined to solve unknown words and read along with me. As a new teacher, it was amazing for me to see how text selection makes a huge difference. Now, years later, I constantly think about Freeman and Freeman's checklist when selecting books for my students, to ensure that my readers are excited and engaged in their reading. This is especially important for emergent bilinguals and struggling readers. Providing books where students can relate to the setting, characters, or events in the story is integral when it comes to building a love of reading. Overall, this experience taught me how important it is to look at more than just the reader's interests and to actually think about the reader themselves. Providing a child with a book that they can both enjoy and connect with will result in an enjoyable, meaningful, and effective reading experience.