Date of Award
Winter 12-12-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Education (MSEd)
First Advisor
Sal Vascellaro
Abstract
This thesis examines the significance of picture book biographies of activists as accessible entry points to teach social movement history and embolden readers to lead courageous lives that confront injustice. The first section is grounded in lessons learned from 19 authors doing outstanding work in the field today: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Carole Boston Weatherford, Cynthia Chin-Lee, David Adler, Debbie Levy, Donna Jo Napoli, Doreen Rappaport, Duncan Tonatiuh, Emily Arnold McCully, Icy Smith, Jabari Asim, Jen Cullerton Johnson, John Hendrix, Kate Schatz, Matt Tavares, Michelle Markel, Richard Michelson, Sarah Warren, and Tanya Lee Stone. I identify and explore ten themes across the interviews I conducted: write from your gut, embrace heartless revision, let go of the superfluous, refuse to condescend, fully live your values, honor the obscure, read unceasingly, tirelessly dedicate yourself to the craft, recognize history as alive, and endure. In the second section I put these lessons into practice, concluding with original biographies of Emma Goldman and Rachel Corrie.
Recommended Citation
Saper, J. (2017). Lessons Learned from Authors of Picture Book Biographies of Activists and the Original Biographies They Inspired. New York : Bank Street College of Education. https://educate.bankstreet.edu/independent-studies/228
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Liberal Studies Commons
Comments
Early Childhood and Childhood General Education