What Is Your Language?

Title: What Is Your Language?

Author: Debra Leventhal

Illustrator: Monica Wellington

Purchase at: http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Language-Debra-Leventhal/dp/0525451331

Teacher Resource: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/equality/resource/34278.html

SJE: Element #2 Respect for Others

Grade Level: First Grade

Summary: What this children's book is about is a little boy who travels. During his travels, he encounters people from all different countries and ask them what language they speak. He explores 10 different languages and arrives back home with cultural knowledge.

Element #2 Respect for Others: This book represents Element #2 because it introduces different languages and countries to the readers. Young children can gain a well understanding about how there are different people all over the world. They can also become aware of the many languages that exisit in the world even though they are not exposed to them firsthand. Gaining knowledge about diversity in the world is critical for children at a young age. This book can help expand that knowledge and develop a respect for all different types of people in the world.

Activity: I would use this book in a classroom by having the students incorporate their own personal backgrounds and cultures to share with the class. Also I would ask the students what languages they are exposed to at home and have the parents come in to share their different language with the class.

What I liked about this book is that not only does it share the different languages of the world but the pictures also depict the different foods and cultures that correspond with it.