Critical Fishbowl

I found our class today to be very insightful. I found the "fishbowl" discussion to be very eye-opening and very though provoking. Prior to the fishbowl discussion I had my own beliefs that some ages/grades may be too young to introduce such controversial issues as slavery, racism, and even socially constructed gender roles, and that these topics of discussion should wait until students are mature enough to handle and confront them. However, after hearing everyone's contributions, which were jam-packed with new ideas and beliefs resulting from Kuhlman's article on critical literacy, I think that the earlier these controversial and problematic issues are presented to children the more able they are to build their own background knowledge from which they can begin to construct their own beliefs on such topics. By presenting them at a younger age students are not only able to begin to form their own opinions, but they are also able to begin questioning their experiences and things that they see everyday that may relate to such issues; kids are intelligent, never underestimate what they absorb and what they observe on a day to day basis.

I think that it is important, though, to keep in mind that each and every piece of literature we set our eager eyes upon is strictly one person's perspective; one single point of view, which sometimes may be formulated from certain biases (as shown by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House" series). So, although I believe that a variety of literature should be presented to children at a young age, we must be sure, as it is our duty as responsible educators, to provide our students with a variety of perspectives telling multiple sides of the story and looking at these debateable issues from as many angles as literaturely possible.

Book Award Discussion

I think that our exploration of the different book awards and the reading of the Aronson and Pinckney articles really prompted some great discussion in class last Wednesday. Many intriguing issues were surfaced and I found myself double-thinking my own opinion on the matter.

After our discussion I still do believe that these specific cultural awards are very appropriate as I said in class, because they highlight excellent examples of unheard, and unrepresented voices and experiences. I think that in the classroom, as teachers there are going to be a lot of questions dealing with multiculturalism that we will not know how to answer and/or where to look. The issue of diversity and multiculturalism is one that must be presented in the classroom, and must be presented in the most effective and accurate way possible.

I am still holding strong to my belief that these awards act as an aid, or at least somewhere to begin, when searching for good examples of multiculturalism in childrens literature. While it may not be safe to assume that each award-winning piece is an ideal example or representation of a specific experience, they do pave the way for our own research and exploration of such literature.

The Coretta Scott King Award

When & Why Created?
The CSK Award was established in the late 1960’s to commemorate the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as to honor Coretta Scott King and her continuing effort for peace and work towards civil rights issues. The CSK award was first presented to Lillie Patterson in 1970 by the New Jersey Library Association. In 1979 a separate award was created for illustrators. In 1982 the American Library Association recognized the award as an association award.

Rationale for award:
The award was created to encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience through literature and the graphic arts, including biographical, historical and social history treatments by African American authors and illustrators.

Selection Committee:
The award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Committee of the ALA’s Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). The CSK Task Force appoints and nominates an award jury of seven committee members who make the final decision of the award recipients. It is very easy to become a member of EMIERT by simply filling out an online application and mailing in a membership fee.

Sponsors:
The award consists of a plaque and a donation of $1000 granted by Johnson Publications for the author’s award and Book Wholesalers for the illustrator’s award. In addition to this a set of encyclopedias is donated to the author by Encyclopedia Britannica and to the illustrator by WorldBook Encyclopedias.

Selection Criteria:
- Must portray some aspect of the African American experience, past, present, or future.
- Must be an original work, written and/or illustrated by an African American. The award may be granted to a text with only one African American author or illustrator.
- Must be published in the year before the presentation of the award.
- Must have a clear plot and well-drawn characters portraying growth and development.
- The writing style must be consistent, suitable to the intended age, and accurate.
- The title should encourage the reader to develop attitudes and behaviors pertaining to a good citizen.
- The illustrations must meet qualitative standards, must relate to the text and enlarge on the elements of the story, should provide an appreciation of beauty, and it should awaken and strengthen the imagination of the reader.
- Must fall under one of the following categories:
o Preschool-4th grade
o 5th – 8th grade
o 9th – 12th grade

Websites:
There is an official website for the award which can be accessed through the official American Library Association website; additional award information can be found at the official website for African American Literature Book Club.
- www.ala.org
- www.aalbc.com

Seal:
The symbol represents Dr. King’s teachings and doctrines, including a circle for the continuity of movement from one idea to another. Also portrayed is an image of a black child reading a book below five religious symbols that each represents nonsectarianism. The pyramid stands for strength, but also Atlanta University where the award was headquartered when the seal was designed. Atop the pyramid is a dove representing peace as well as a ray of sun that shines toward peace and brotherhood.
The bronze and black seal denotes an actual award winner, the new pewter and black seal denotes and honor book.