About the Course
The CSB/SJU Cohort for the 2021-2022 academic year united educators dedicated to integrating diverse literature into their curricula. Through a series of workshops and collaborative sessions, participants explored multicultural books, developed inclusive teaching strategies, and engaged in meaningful discussions to enhance student understanding and empathy.
Cohort Instructors
Get to Know the Members of the CSB/SJU Open Windows Literature Team
Madeleine Israelson, Ph.D., is a former elementary school teacher and an associate professor in the Education Department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. She specializes in literacy pedagogy and children’s literature, and loves talking about books and reading. Madeleine is excited to collaborate with Open Windows elementary teachers to use literature to foster empathy, compassion, and understanding in their learning communities.
Terry Johnson, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Education Department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. She teaches courses in social studies methods, children's literature, and Native Americans' histories and cultures. Her work with Open Windows Literature focuses primarily on supporting teachers who want to introduce their students to texts that accurately and sensitively represent cultural diversity.
Jennifer Meagher, Ed.D., is a former English/Language Arts teacher and secondary principal who currently serves emerging educators as the Director of Student Teaching at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. As an avid reader and former AP Literature teacher, Jennifer has personal and professional interests in connecting students and educators with texts that will challenge and comfort, engage and enlighten, and move and motivate.
Mary Jo Leighton is the Director of Field Placements, Partnerships, and Advising in the Education Department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Her work focuses on developing partnerships with area schools and matching college students with professional teaching mentors in the classroom. Her work with Open Windows literature is to assist in creating cohort groups and provide support for the founder and workshop facilitators.
Sessions
Session 1
Date: August 17, 2021
Resources:
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC): Diversity Statistics
https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/
Article: "What is critical race theory, and why is it under attack?" by Sawchuk, S.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
Infographic: "Diversity in Children’s Books 2018" by Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen
Homework Assignments:
Use one or more of your new books with students. Be prepared to share that experience with other members of the cohort.
Prepare a book talk on one of the books you received. There will be time to deliver your talk at our next cohort meeting. You may find the information provided in this Scholastic guide helpful.
Additional Materials:
Session 2
Date: October 12, 2021
Resources:
Social Justice Books: Reviews
Homework Assignments:
Select one of the books you received and create a mirrors and windows activity for your students. The goal is to help students reflect on ways the book helps them better understand themselves and others.
Additional Materials:
Author Talk Details: Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay on October 21, 2021, at Ardolf Science Center, Room 142 (College of St. Benedict). Learn more about the author & her book: Refugenius.
Session 3
Date: December 8, 2021
Resources:
Winkler, E. "Children are not colorblind: How young children learn about race."
https://nmaahc.si.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/resources/children_are_not_colorblind.pdf
Homework Assignments:
Implement the mirrors and windows activity in your classroom and be prepared to discuss the outcomes in the next session.
Additional Materials:
N/A for this session.
Session 4
Date: March 17, 2022
Resources:
N/A for this session.
Homework Assignments:
Reflect on the cohort experience and prepare to share your insights and any changes observed in your teaching practice or student engagement.
Additional Materials:
N/A for this session.
Session 5
Date: October 4, 2022
Resources:
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC): Diversity Statistics
https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/
Article: "What is critical race theory, and why is it under attack?" by Sawchuk, S.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
Infographic: "Diversity in Children’s Books 2018" by Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen
Homework Assignments:
Use one or more of your new books with students. Be prepared to share that experience with other members of the cohort.
Prepare a book talk on one of the books you received. There will be time to deliver your talk at our next cohort meeting. You may find the information provided in this Scholastic guide helpful.
Additional Materials:
N/A for this session.
Session 6
Date: November 29, 2022
Resources:
American Indians in Children's Literature: An outstanding resource for educators seeking to enhance their ability to critically analyze representations of Indigenous People in children's and young adult literature.
Homework Assignments:
Teach a lesson with one of the books received today and be ready to share your experience.
Read the article “Interrogating Classroom Libraries: From Diversity to Responsiveness and Inclusion.”
Additional Materials:
N/A for this session.
Session 7
Date: January 23, 2023
Resources:
Article: “Interrogating Classroom Libraries: From Diversity to Responsiveness and Inclusion”
Homework Assignments:
Teach a lesson with one of the books you received during this session and be ready to share your experience.
Read the article “Interrogating Classroom Libraries: From Diversity to Responsiveness and Inclusion.”