Twenty-Four Engaging, Culturally-Affirming
Books Written to Increase Representation among Young
Readers
NEW
YORK, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media
company, announced the pre-order of Our Stories Decodables,
a collection of 24 culturally affirming decodable books designed
for young readers. The collection, which will be available for
classrooms in September, supports children in grades K-2 who are
learning the foundations of sounds and spelling, as well as
students who need additional support through grades 3-5. To ensure
the collection represents diverse children and their families, the
titles were written by authors representing various backgrounds
including first-time writers responding to a call for entries from
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Learn more about Our Stories Decodables here:
www.scholastic.com/ourstories.
The Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report™ found that
nearly half of children who are Black or Hispanic have a difficult
time finding books with characters who are like them, and over half
of Black and Hispanic children age nine or older wish there were
more books with diversity available. Our Stories Decodables
aims to bridge this gap for teachers and students, particularly for
early readers as they begin their literacy journeys. Grounded in
the Science of Reading, the series was designed to support young
readers develop the essential skills they need to learn to read and
read to learn.
"Now more than ever, children need to see themselves in
literature from a young age as the American literacy crisis
continues with students of color being disproportionately
affected," said Dr. Amanda
Alexander, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic. "Our
Stories Decodables was born out of a need for culturally
affirming phonics materials while also helping children see
themselves through engaging stories. By forging partnerships with
students and alumni from HBCUs and diverse colleges and
universities, we hope the collection will provide students of color
with decodable stories on a variety of topics and genres that will
authentically represent their lived experiences."
The Our Stories Decodables collection includes 24 student
books written by students and alumni from Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, Spelman
College, Texas A&M
University, and the University of
Oregon alongside Scholastic editors. In addition, the
collection provides 18 decodable student texts, six review books, a
teacher's guide, oral reading rubric, and downloadable take-home
books. Through these texts and resources, students are able to
practice sounds and spellings, recognize themselves in the stories,
and increase confidence in their reading capabilities.
The collection shares stories from cultures including Jamaican
Creole, Karuk and Spanish. Educators can use the collection as a
supplement to a comprehensive phonics program and aligns with all
Scholastic Ready4Reading™ modules. The scope and sequence of this
collection is based on the Ready4Reading™ Scope & Sequence
developed in collaboration with Dr. Anne
Cunningham, Professor of Learning Sciences and Human
Development in the Berkeley School of Education, and Linda Gutlohn, a Science of Reading product
consultant and editorial director and co-author of the CORE's
Teaching Reading Sourcebook.
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SOURCE Scholastic Inc