Multicultural Text Set

Morgan Pastorfield
February 17, 2016
ELED 310
1. Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Summary: Same, Same but Different tells the story of two boys that
are writing back and forth to each other as pen pals. One of the boys
lives in America and the other lives in India. They write to each other
about what their cultures are like and about the different activities they
participate in. The two boys learn that although their worlds are pretty
different, they are actually quite similar.
Grade Level: Preschool-2
Key Words: Culture, Awareness, Sameness
Evaluation: This novel is a great tool to help students become aware
of cultural differences and similarities. Hearing these two boys write
back and forth to each other gives students a direct comparison of two
very different places. The vivid imagery also helps to give students an
idea of how different America and India look from one another. This
novel also helps students understand that they can relate to and be
very similar to people from other cultures as they learn that the two
boys
are very similar to one another. Through promoting cultural awareness
it helps students develop an understanding of different cultures and
places.
Recommended Use: An activity that would be beneficial to do with
students that goes along with this novel is Flat Stanley. Each student
would make a Flat Stanley doll and send it to one of their family
members or friends who lives somewhere else or who is going on a
cool trip. The family member would have to take pictures of the
different activities that they do on the trip and after its over they
would send the Flat Stanley back to the student. The student would
then compile a visual project on the trip that Flat Stanley went on and
share it with their class. From the different presentations the students
could get an understanding of the different lifestyles and cultures that
exist around the world.
SOLs: 1.6-The student will describe how the location of his/her
community, climate, and physical surroundings affect the way people
live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and
recreation.
2. Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
Summary: Whoever You Are is a novel that is describing the cultural
differences that exist all over the world, but then goes on to say that

despite these differences everyone feels the same emotions and this
similarity allows us to connect and relate to everyone in the world.
Grade Level: Preschool-3
Key Words: Different, Emotions, Same
Evaluation: This novel teaches students about cultural awareness and
lets them understand that its okay to be different. It helps students to
realize that the lifestyle they are living isnt the only way to live and
makes them aware about different languages, skin colors, and homes.
This book will allow the students in the classroom who are different
ethnicities and races to feel comfortable with who they are and their
background.
Recommended Use: A good activity to go along with this book is to
assign groups of students a different culture to do research on and
provide us with basic information about that culture. Then the different
groups would share their results with the class and would compare and
contrast the differences and similarities between the different cultures.
SOLs: 2.4-The student will develop map skills by a) locating the United
States, China, and Egypt on world maps; b) understanding the
relationship between the environment and the culture of ancient China
and Egypt; c) locating the regions of the Powhatan, Lakota, and Pueblo
Indians on United States maps; d) understanding the relationship
between the environment and the culture of the Powhatan,
Lakota, and Pueblo Indians.
3. Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin
Summary: Not Exactly the Same is a compilation of stories about two
Chinese-American identical twin sisters. It describes different
adventures and activities the two sisters go on and shows the reader
that despite looking exactly the same, they both have very different
personalities.
Grade Level: 1-4
Key Words: Individuals, Relatable, Entertaining
Evaluation: This novel is an entertaining way to teach students that
despite looking the same, everyone is different and have different
characteristics that make them who they are. This can help children
also understand that people who come from the same culture or who
look alike dont all have the same beliefs or act in the same ways. This
helps children realize that its okay to be different from the set societal
standards because everyone is actually different and unique in their
own ways.
Recommended Use: This book would go along well with an activity
done at the beginning of the year where everyone in the class does a
presentation about themselves. This is a good way for everyone to get
to know their classmates and shows that their class is full of a unique
set of individuals that all offer a lot of value to the classroom.

SOLs: K.8- The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen
involves
a) taking turns and sharing;
b) taking responsibility for certain classroom chores;
c) taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to
others;
d) following rules and understanding the consequence of breaking
rules;
e) practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others;
f) participating in decision making in the classroom;
g) participating successfully in group settings.

4. The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella

Summary: The Red Bicycle is a nonfiction novel where an American
boy gets a red bicycle that he rides all the time and loves a lot. He
eventually outgrows the bike and decides to donate it to an
organization that sends bikes to Africa. The novel tells the stories of
the different people who get to own the bike and their stories.
Grade Level: 3-7
Key Words: Donation, Kindness, Culture
Evaluation: This novel is good to read in class because its based on a
true story and shows the benefits that occur when someone does a
good deed like donating to others who cant afford certain luxuries like
a bicycle. It helps students realize that not everywhere in the world is
lucky enough to have access to something as simple as a bicycle,
which is most likely something that students have taken for granted. It
also helps to show what the culture and life is like in Africa.
Recommended Use: An activity that would be good for a lower grade
level would be for them to take a map and mark the different places
the bicycle traveled. This would give students a perspective on how far
away Africa is and help deepen their understanding on geography.
SOLs: 3.4-The student will develop map skills by
a) locating Greece, Rome, and West Africa;
b) describing the physical and human characteristics of Greece, Rome,
and West Africa;
c) explaining how the people of Greece, Rome, and West Africa
adapted to and/or changed their environment to meet their needs.
5. Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley

Summary: Everybody Cooks Rice is about a girl who is sent to go get

her younger brother for dinner and while out in the neighborhood
looking for him she enters many different households and discovers all
the ways that rice can be cooked.
Grade Level: 1-4
Key Words: Diverse, Ethnic, Food
Evaluation: This novel is great for helping students to become aware
of the differences in the lifestyles of different cultures. Food is a huge
aspect of culture and showing students the many different ways a
common dish like rice can be made gives students a perspective of
what food is like in different cultures.
Recommended Use: After reading this book, the class could have a
world culture party where students bring in different food dishes from
around the world. This will help to show students all the different types
of food that exist and how its important to each culture.
SOLs: WG. 4-The student will locate and analyze physical, economic,
and cultural characteristics of world regions: Latin America and the
Caribbean, Europe, United States and Canada, North Africa and
Southwest Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Russia and Central Asia, South
Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands, and
Antarctica.
6. Henrys Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Summary: Henrys Freedom Box tells the true story of a young boy
who grows up as a slave. At a young age he was torn away from his
family to work at a warehouse. Again, when he was married, his family
was separated. Tired of living a life without freedom, Henry decides to
get in one of the boxes at the warehouse and mail himself to the North
where he is finally freed.
Grade Level: Preschool-3
Key Words: Slavery, Freedom, Escape
Evaluation: This novel can be used to open childrens eyes to the
injustice that used to exist in society and to help them understand
what slavery is and all the injustices that slaves had to endure. The
fact that its based on a true story and that it tells the personal story of
one slaves makes it more relatable for children and easier for them to
understand what exactly occurred in a slaves life.
Recommended Use: This novel could be read before showing
students a movie that talks about slavery as a whole and not just one
persons story. This allows students to have a basic understanding of
one persons experience and can relate what they learned from the
book back to the movie.
SOLs: USII.4- The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life
changed after the Civil War by

a) identifying the reasons for westward expansion, including its impact

on American Indians;
b) explaining the reasons for the increase in immigration, growth of
cities, new inventions,
and challenges arising from this expansion;
c) describing racial segregation, the rise of Jim Crow, and other
constraints faced by African Americans and other groups in the postReconstruction South;
d) explaining the impact of new inventions, the rise of big business, the
growth of industry, and life on American farms;
e) describing the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor,
working conditions, the rise of organized labor, womens suffrage, and
the temperance movement.
7. Sukis Kimono by Chieri Uegaki
Summary: Sukis Kimono is about a young girl who decides to wear a
Kimono from her grandmother to the first day of first grade. At first,
she is laughed at for looking different but Suki doesnt let that get her
down and everyone ends up loving her kimono.
Grade Level: Preschool-3
Key Words: Different, Confidence, Independent
Evaluation: This novel is good to read to students because it touches
upon cultural differences and children that are dealing with not fitting
in. It helps students understand that being different is a good thing and
that everyone is different in their own ways and can always add a lot to
the class. This can be seen in the fact that Suki was able to teach the
rest of her class about the typical Japanese dress and cultural customs
like dance. This novel helps students to feel more confident in who
they are and to embrace their differences.
Recommended Use: After reading this novel, students could be
given an assignment where they have to go home and bring in an
object to share with the rest of their class that represents their culture
or ethnicity in some way. This will help students feel more confident in
their cultural differences and will familiarize the class with many
different cultures and ethnicities.
SOLs: 1.6-The student will describe how the location of his/her
community, climate, and physical surroundings affect the way people
live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and
recreation.
8. The Red Blanket by Eliza Thomas
Summary: The Red Blanket is about a woman who adopts an infant
girl named Pan Pan from an orphanage in China. The first thing she
gives her new daughter is a red blanket. The book traces the life of the

mother and daughters and shows how their relationship develops and
strengthens over the years.
Grade Level: Preschool-2
Key Words: Adoption, Family, Home
Evaluation: This novel is important to read to students because it
helps inform them about adoption and different family structures. This
will help children in the class who have been adopted feel more
confident about being adopted and familiarizes other children in the
class with the process of adoption.
Recommended Use: This novel would be great to read before doing a
unit about different family structures. Its a great way to introduce the
concept of adoption to the students and divorce and other different
family structures could be introduced. Talking about this in classrooms
will make students feel more comfortable and accepting of the fact
that they come from a different family structure.
SOLs: 2.12-The student will understand that the people of Virginia b)
have diverse ethnic origins, customs, and traditions, make
contributions to their communities, and are united as Americans by
common principles.
9. One Love by Cedella Marley
Summary: One Love is based off of the Bob Marley song and shows a
young girl who gets the help of people in her community to make it a
better place to live.
Grade Level: Preschool-K
Key Words: Community, Togetherness, Love
Evaluation: This novel is a really great read for young children to
show them the importance of working together to help out the
community. It shows that you can never be too young to make a
difference in the world. This is also a great read because it goes along
with the Bob Marley song so you can make it a fun and interactive
read.
Recommended Use: After reading this novel with the students, the
teacher and the class could plan an activity to do around the
community or at the school that would help benefit it. For example, if
the school had a garden you could plant some flowers or vegetables in
it. An activity like this would get students actively involved in making a
difference in their community.
SOLs: K.8 The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen
involves
a) taking turns and sharing;
b) taking responsibility for certain classroom chores;
c) taking care of personal belongings and respecting what belongs to
others;

d) following rules and understanding the consequence of breaking

rules;
e) practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others;
f) participating in decision making in the classroom;
g) participating successfully in group settings.
10. The Bus Ride That Changed History by Pamela Duncan
Edwards
Summary: This novel retells the story of Rosa Parks. It shows the huge
impact she made on the Civil Rights Movement when she violated a Jim
Crow law by refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white
passenger.
Grade Level: Preschool-3
Key Words: Civil Rights, Courage, History
Evaluation: This novel is a great way to introduce students to the Civil
Rights Movement and Jim Crow Laws by narrowing in on the story of
Rosa Parks. It tells the story in a way that children can easily absorb
the extremely important historical event. It helps children see the
amount of bravery and courage it took to stand up against society and
that the people who did so were heroes. It also helps children
understand the social injustices that existed during that time.
Recommended Use: After reading this novel to students, a good
assignment would be to give groups of students an important figure in
the Civil Rights Movement and for them to create a presentation on
that figure to share with the class. This would introduce students to
many different important historical figures and help get them more
familiarized with the Civil Rights Movement.
SOLs: USII.4- The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life
changed after the Civil War by
a) identifying the reasons for westward expansion, including its impact
on American Indians;
b) explaining the reasons for the increase in immigration, growth of
cities, new inventions, and challenges arising from this expansion;
c) describing racial segregation, the rise of Jim Crow, and other
constraints faced by African Americans and other groups in the postReconstruction South;
d) explaining the impact of new inventions, the rise of big business, the
growth of industry, and life on American farms;
e) describing the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor,
working conditions, the rise of organized labor, womens suffrage, and
the temperance movement.