Step 1: Read an authentic story written for children as a class and get into small group discussions where students talk about their childhood, the stories they read, the music they listened to, movies they watched, etc and potentially reflecting on how the South Asian culture (or, homes) are different from the culture outside (in society, school).
Step 2: Skim through three different children’s book and make observation notes on Google document on what they appreciate, what they would like to change, if the books were appropriate for children and had a good representation of present day society.
Step 3: Brainstorm need-to-knows for writing a children’s story about the process, language and content. Jamboard is one of the tools that can be used for this.
Step 4: Engage in writing a story/ book for children that is relatable for the South Asian children, aligns with their experiences/ lives and represents their identity. The students write their stories in pairs. While the students work on their project during class, the ownership of learning is on students while the teacher is a resource and a guide available.
Step 5: After receiving the feedback, students work on their stories again and add audio for each page to make the stories accessible. Eventually students add images or pictures on the story to make it a book.
Step 6: Students give each other feedback and reflect on their books using “I see… I think… I wonder…” protocol.
Creating Children’s Book © 2024 by Mansi Bajaj is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0