The website I decided to explore was KitaabWorld. It’s a great a place for finding books that represent South Asian literature. The home page has links to where you can purchase books; there is a recommended reading list that separates the books into different categories; author interviews, where you’re able to select an author and read some question and answers about their process/inspiration for their book. If you select Lesson Plan, you’re given a list of books that are filed under specific categories and have age ranges assigned to them, so you’re able to see if the book is the appropriate reading age for your class. One you choose a book there is a detailed lesson plan that can be implemented into your class.
Above on the left you can see the collection of books that KitaabWorld has to offer, and on the right, you can see the books broken up into categories with a list of different categories going down the side. Below, on the left, is the lesson plans that are available. On the right is an example of a lesson plan.
The lesson plan was pretty awesome. It was customizable and had suggestion on what could be taught about the book. There were sections that had short answer questions, and multiple-choice questions in the form of tests and quizzes. The website would link to other sites and the lesson plans depended on the website it came from and the age recommendation of the book. One of the lesson plans was simple compared to the one linked above. It went over the themes and setting of the book and had questions for the class about each. It also had two activities, the first was where the students could try and to spell and speak some common words and phrases in the Hindi language. The second activity was a recipe for baking a bread that was featured in the book. I think the lesson plan portion of the website is great because it can be accessed and used by teachers in any grade and there is a wide range of activities that are listed for each book to get students engaged with the source material.
This website also has a mission to stop islamophobia. With its campaign Counter Islamophobia Through Stories, they try to change the stories and misinformation about Muslims. Teaching children about different cultures and showing them that it’s okay to be different at an early age is important. By learning about similarities and understanding differences through story telling we’re able to create an environment of respect and acceptance towards one another. The movement has books separated into different themes so that teacher, parents, librarians, and anyone else in the student’s life that helps teach and guide them through the different stories.
I think that this is a useful tool because of the 50+ categories the books are separated into, it allows you to go to the site and with an idea of what you are going to teach and pull a book from a list that is associated with the topic. Then once you have the book you can use lesson plans from the website to help educate your students in ways that you might not have thought of. I liked the lesson plans that incorporated activities that were not strictly educational, like the one I found about baking bread that was featured in the story or trying to say some words in Hindi. It makes the stories that are being learned about more applicable and gives students a way to connect to the stories. I think one thing that is important is make sure student take something away from what is being taught and I think lesson plans that can make learning more engaging and fun help to make that goal of understanding more attainable. In the future I look forward to implementing different activities to make lessons more engaging and enjoyable.