Below is an annotated list of children's literature for the elementary classroom. The books are organized by the Six Elements of Social Justice Curriculum Design (Picower, 2007). It is based on work by pre-service teachers at Montclair State University. They have read and reviewed these books and provided insights into how they can be used in K-5 settings.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

LUNA:

Luna 

    by Julie Anne Peters



Summary: 

A coming of age story of two sisters becoming themselves and stumbling along the way. Told through the perspective of their sister Regan, we watch as Liam, longing to spread their wings and escape the entrapment of their basement, begins to live as their true self as Luna.

What does it mean to be true to yourself?

What are you willing to risk to be free?

Regan barely knows who she is when her "perfect" brother begins to change. Soon, everything she knows changes too. As she struggles to accept her brother, she learns lessons of love and acceptance. 

Liam Luna is a transgender woman who is tried of living only as herself in her basement. She grows the courage to begin to live as her true self sacrificing all that she has accumulated for all that she truly wishes for. 


Element 5 (Raising Awareness):

Students are able to draw connections between marginalized communities and their shared struggle for acceptance and love. I would use this book as a jumping off point to draw connectivity between marginalized communities and the American dream of love, acceptance, and a place to belong. 


Activity: 

  • After having modeled the exercise (using a nurse) the teacher will explain how students will use the same questions to analyze their perceptions of the following communities:
    • Gay 
    • Lesbian 
    • Transgender
    • Bisexual

  • Students will be split into groups and given one of the following communities to answer the following questions on their poster board:

    • What does…community look like?

    • What does… community wear?

    • What words do you think of when you hear … community?

    • How is … community portrayed in the media?

    • How is … community treated in the community?

  • Students will explain their posters to the group and their findings 

  • Students will explain the answers to their given questions


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/316445.Luna 



 





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