Question 1:
Culturally Relevant Reading
by Tinashe Ganyau
The book I read as a seven-year-old child, centered around a lake and canoeing, offered vivid imagery, yet it unintentionally alienated me from the experience. At age seven or eight, I was familiar with ships and boats, but the word "canoe" held no meaning until decades later. This disconnect illustrates how texts can inadvertently assume cultural familiarity, leaving learners on the margins of meaning-making. To enhance cultural relevance, educators can contextualize unfamiliar elements by incorporating footnotes, illustrations, or classroom discussions that bridge cultural gaps. For instance, comparing a canoe to locally known watercraft or modes of transport can foster understanding. Additionally, inviting personal narratives allows learners to share stories from their own environments, rivers, lakes, or travel experiences, thereby co-constructing meaning. As an author myself, I make sure whenever I use image presentations I then heavily describe what they stand for.
Multimodal resources such as visuals, videos, or community guest speakers can further connect the text to local contexts. Reframing the theme to focus on broader concepts like exploration, solitude, or nature across cultures also deepens engagement. This approach aligns with Watson et al., (2025), who emphasize animating care and support through values-based education. By honoring learners' lived experiences, educators animate the curriculum with relevance and empathy.
Challenges in Procuring Diverse Texts
The pursuit of culturally diverse texts is fraught with systemic and philosophical challenges. Resource limitations often hinder schools from acquiring texts that reflect a wide spectrum of cultures, particularly those outside dominant narratives. Moreover, the overgeneralization of culture presents a significant barrier. As noted, "addressing a culture completely is impossible," since culture is not monolithic and individualism cuts across cultural lines. This complexity makes it difficult to select texts that resonate universally.
Gatekeeping within publishing further exacerbates the issue, as many diverse voices remain underrepresented due to systemic biases in publishing, curriculum design, and literary canon formation. A lack of collaborative dialogue compounds these challenges. King Thorius & Simon (2014) advocate for multidisciplinary collaboration to center culture in literacy interventions, emphasizing that without intentional dialogue among educators, families, and communities, texts remain disconnected from learners' realities. White & Fletcher (2025) add that teachers in mainstream schools often struggle to navigate inclusive education due to limited training and systemic constraints. These insights underscore the need for structural reform, not merely the acquisition of more books, but the development of robust frameworks for inclusion.
Culturally relevant reading is not solely about representation, it is about resonance. It requires educators to recognize gaps in learners' cultural schema, reframe texts through inclusive pedagogy, and advocate for systemic change in curriculum design and resource allocation. The reflection on the canoe serves as a metaphor for what many learners experience: being present in the story, yet absent from its meaning. By centering culture and individual experience, educators shift from passive reading to transformative learning.
Question 2:
A favorite book of mine to read aloud to children is Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. This book is about a girl with high intelligence who has (undiagnosed) Dyslexia that causes her to struggle to read. She hides this struggle until a teacher notices and helps her. To make this book more culturally relevant, I would guide conversations about other invisible or unseen challenges such as language barriers or neurodivergence. This opens the door to dialogue to discuss similarities across cultures and learning differences. It also creates opportunities to see strength in diversity and to build compassion and understanding among students who may feel isolated or misunderstood.
There are many challenges that exist for procuring more diverse texts. While Fish in a Tree shares insights and experiences into dyslexia, it does not represent racial, cultural, or linguistic diversity. Teachers should be thoughtful with providing texts that features characters from different backgrounds. Limited funding for classroom libraries can be a barrier for providing diverse texts. Additionally, some schools have a specific curriculum they use and the texts utilize are provided by the curriculum company leaving teachers without autonomy in selecting classroom texts. Addressing this issue with curriculum companies is necessary. Bringing awareness to teachers, administrators, and families helps to create a recognition of the instructional potential for a diverse classroom library (Pomerantz, 2025). Need Assignment Help?
Reference:
Pomerantz, F. (2025). Teacher candidates' use of inclusive children's literature in interactive read-alouds: Successes, challenges and implications. Education Sciences, 15(2), Article 245.