Picture Books: Starting Conversations with Children About Social Justice

Waleska Santiago-Centeno & Alice Levine

Waleska Santiago-Centeno is an elementary (K-6) teacher-librarian with a special interest and expertise in multicultural, social justice, gender, and equity issues; Alice Levine has many years of experience in leading workshops and classes for elementary school parents, and has trained teachers, staff, and parents to utilize books reflecting both local and global diversity.

Class Description

In this workshop, we will explore how to utilize carefully selected books to explore issues of diversity, equity and social justice with children in grades K-6. We will spend time reading a book together and brainstorming the kinds of questions adults might ask children—and which children might ask adults! Following that, participants will have the opportunity to spend time looking at a wide range of picture books on such topics as racism, historical fights for justice, immigration status, experiences of refugees/asylum seekers/immigrants, environmental justice, questioning gender roles, and more. Join us!