As part of the Equity and Inclusive Education department, one of the primary questions we get is often around text selection. Educators are always looking for a great read aloud to share with their students – something engaging, something beautiful and inspiring, and often something that invites students to look into mirrors, peek through windows, or walk through sliding glass doors.
After reading hundreds of books over the years, I’ve learned a lot about text selection, but I also feel like it’s something I explore more and more about each year. There are so many different factors to consider when choosing a story to share. Let’s start with the students:
- Who are the children you share your spaces with?
- What do you know about their identities?
- How are they prepared to learn about others’ identities?
- What genres do they enjoy? Or types of characters? Or authors they already read?
When I think about students first, it helps me to remember who I am centering. Each book, text, or read aloud is an experience that we will share and hopefully learn alongside each other. It’s important to think about the student experience first.
The next thing I consider is the text itself. We can often shortlist a few books together, but when I am previewing a new story I have a list of considerations that I use for myself. A few of those include:
- Who is this story about and who is it for?
- Is the author writing from their own lived experience? From an adjacent experience? Or from another perspective entirely?
- What am I hoping that the students will learn from this story?
- How can I ensure our conversations lend themselves to that outcome?
Educators are always running short on time, but I do recommend that you preview or pre-read a text before sharing with your class. This will enable you to think about the book in a way that creates a safe and inclusive learning environment. Some of the things you might consider are:
- What work would we have to do before reading this story? For example, we might have to build our background knowledge
- Are there any difficult parts in the story? Some particular characters or events that might need a gentler approach or which might revisit some traumatic experiences for students?
- How will I navigate questions and conversations with students about certain topics while not upholding stereotypes or biases?
- Is this the right story for this time of year? For the current classroom climate?
While there are many places to find your next great read aloud, my very favourite place to go is the library. Librarians have such a wealth of knowledge of the authors, award winning titles, and popular texts with students. Whether you ask the school librarian or pay a visit to your local public library, I guarantee you will find a number of options to help guide your decisions.
As I think about my list of considerations when choosing or reviewing a new book, I’m wondering what you might add to these lists? What are some questions that go through your own minds?
