Mother Goose Programs | Literacy Programs | Beyond Difference Program

MATH & SCIENCE LITERACY CONNECTIONS

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What have teachers, librarians and students said about the Beyond Difference Program?

"As we become more and more diverse in our school district, there is a great need to share these books. I learned a great deal and became so much more aware of what needs to be done and what can be done with our students. It was a wonderful experience being part of the Beyond Difference team in my school."

"My students and I learned that 'beyond difference' is not just about overcoming obstacles. People of all ages, gender, color, etc. are all living a life but with different experiences and places. We look for similarities or small connections with characters and events in the books that we are reading. When we finish reading every Beyond Difference book we clarify with questions and connections. I am so proud of my class. We did build a caring classroom community."

"Part of doing this project is to see how literature can help heal, and give comfort and strength to someone going through a difficult time. We all experience feelings of exclusion, fear and not being a part of a group. Reading books gives us courage to deal, examples to follow. These books help us cope."

What's included in the Beyond Difference Starter Set?

Books
	Baseball Saved Us Mochizuki, Ken
	Beyond Difference Educator Resource Guide
	Dear Benjamin Banneker Pinkney, Andrea Davis
	First Day In Grapes Perez, L. King
	Jingle Dancer Smith, Cynthia Leitich
	Moses Goes to a Concert Millman, Isaac
	Sitti’s Secrets Nye, Naomi Shihab
	Together in Pinecone Patch Yezerski, Thomas F.
	Wilma Unlimited Krull, Kathleen

Materials
	Mother Goose Programs Family Bag

The main goal of Beyond Difference is to infuse children’s learning with pictures, stories and facts to help them understand the nature, development and complexity of U.S. society. At the same time, Beyond Difference helps them understand and articulate how they and their lives, families and communities are the same, and yet at the same time different from people and situations they may see as “other.”

Using diverse picture books helps children become more careful social observers and critical thinkers. With the guidance of an educator, they can learn how to think about a story and ask important questions such as:

Who’s telling the story?
What would the story be from another perspective?
What are the benefits and what are the disadvantages of a given situation?

What's included in the Core Collection?

By reading, talking, making connections and seeing new and diverse characters and situations, children and educators are truly able to go Beyond Difference.

Download a free sample activity from the Educator Resource Guide or browse through its table of contents.

$122.00

Why use picture books to talk about diversity?

And why use picture books in an upper elementary classroom, when children usually "graduate" to chapter books?

Educators and children have found that using picture books reopens an incredible world of story and art that provides a powerful means of connection to key curriculum ideas and meeting multiple curriculum standards.

Picture books:

can be read and discussed in the same day and can be revisited many times
can be used to engage children in discussions about similarities, differences, prejudices, inclusion, exclusion and social justice
level the playing field for less advanced readers, at the same time encouraging new levels of book experience for more advanced readers
lend themselves to explorations or conversations that address multiple learning styles
inspire extended cross-curriculum projects
provide opportunities for the development of visual and social literacy
introduce complex vocabulary, concepts and stories

The illustrations show new and often exciting places and characters who act and feel just as we do but who look different, have different abilities and live in different parts of our country. Picture books spark innumerable conversations tying the story to children's lives, to the world, to the curriculum.

Using Picture Books to Introduce Diversity Into Elementary Programs

Beyond Difference infuses children's learning with pictures, stories and facts to help them understand the nature, development and complexity of U.S. society. At the same time it helps them understand and articulate how they and their lives, famiilies and communities are the same and yet at the same time different from people and situations they may see as "other."

By reading, talking, making connections and seeing new and diverse characters and situations, children and educators are truly able to go Beyond Difference.
The program is based on the Beyond Difference Core Collection, picture books that reflect a diversiy of race, ethnicity, cultural background, age, physical abilities, gender, religion, family make-up, class, work experience and personal characteristics. The stories address specific and universal themes that encourage dicsussion among children and educators.

The Beyond Difference Educator Resource Guide contains curriculum connections, suggestions for discussion and other resources. If you would like to integrate Beyond Difference into your program, please contact us.

What are this year's Best of Beyond Difference titles?

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