Books are Mirrors and Windows

How can we see ourselves and learn about others in the books we read?

To answer this question, my 3rd graders and I went on a multi-day journey about how books can be mirrors and windows. 

Standards:

AASL: Include/Create II.B.1 Interacting with learners who reflect a range of perspectives.


Social Justice Standards: 7. Students will develop language and knowledge to accurately and respectfully describe how people (including themselves) are both similar to and different from each other and others in their identity groups.


Day 1: Books as mirrors

Agenda: How can we see ourselves in the books we read?

mirror and window
I introduced the concept of "mirror" books. 


Book Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away
We read and made the "me too" signal when we had mirror moments like, "my best friend moved away too." 


Day 2: Books as windows

Agenda: How can we see others in the books we read?
I introduced the concept of window books.

Book Patchwork Bike
We read and drew "windows" in the air when we had a window moment like, "they have mud for walls and I do not."
 

Day 3: Applying the thinking

Agenda What kind of books have I been reading?
We applied our learning to the books we had read together.



student work sorting books read into mirrors and windows
Next level thinking: Students use Destiny Discover to find examples of mirror and window books they have read.


Day 4: Reflecting


graph showing more students read mirror books
Students shared their reading preferences 



Student work: I like when it's me in a book
Students explained why they made the choice they did.

Student work: I like to learn about other people

My takeaways:


The work we did on these four days gives us a common language for talking about books.  I love that this skill can now be integrated into conversations.  This was a series of lessons I did with a 3rd grade class, but I have modified the books and activities for grades 1-5.

My goal for the year was to incorporate Social Justice Standards in my lessons.  This felt like a solid start to great conversations.

Resources/Templates:

Sorting books into mirrors and windows
My reading preferences

Related post: 

Mirrors and Windows (November 2019)



 



 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Reading Identity: Who am I as a reader?

Image
This lesson was about making a visual representation of our reading selves.  We drew, we laughed, we learned about each other as readers, and started building a reading community.  We did this on a remote day.  *This was developed in conjunction with my brilliant colleagues.* Standards:  AASL: Inquire/Share I.C.1 . Interacting with content presented by others. I decided we needed a theme to tie a disjointed year together and settled on the question:  I spent much of my summer thinking about "identity" but needed a concrete landing place for those big, abstract thoughts.  I wondered what would happen if we thought about "identity" through a reading lens. We read Reading Makes You Feel Good We practiced looking at two options and showing our choice for where we like to read by holding up that number of fingers. Next, we moved on to our directed draw. When we were done drawing, we had a big reveal.  Students were tasked with looking for someone with ...
Read more

Circulation Policies in our Library

Image
Developing relationships with students and families is my priority. I want them to have what they need from our library, but I also want (and need) them to respect our library and other students and return books so others can borrow them. Lost books are a reality. We lose MANY of them (too many of them) because it isn't something I spend much time or energy dwelling on. My hope is that the "lost" book has found its way into a home and is being loved there. However, this is something that has been increasingly on my mind. This past summer I read Rebeka Barringer's Knowledge Quest article  “How Inclusive and Human-First Circulation Policies & Practices Can Impact a Child’s Relationship with Elementary Library Spaces” (Nov/Dec 2022) and it spoke to me. It made me think about the language used to communicate with families student buy-in (or lack thereof) in the circulation of books I decided on action items for this year to address lost books: Help students underst...
Read more

Books as mirrors and windows (with sticky notes & reflections)!

Image
Every year I examine books as mirrors and windows with my students.  Every year I tweak the exploration and this year was no different.  This year's additions included sticky notes and reflections.   Day 1: Mirror moments Sticky notes I created with Tony Vincent's template (link below) After modeling mirror moments (and having students make "me too" signals), students identified a mirror moment from a stack of books at their table.  "This is like my sister and I.  We fight all the time." - 3rd grader "When my mom tells me to clean my room I just sit because I don't know where to start." - 3rd grader Day 2: Window moments In the next class I modeled "window moments" and we drew windows in the air when we heard moments that were "not like us."   Students identified "window moments" at their tables with sticky notes. Students shared their "window moments" through the window we passed around our sharing circl...
Read more