Using Multicultural Literature as Mentor Texts


Hello Friends and Fans of  The Reading Crew!

Thanks for joining us this month as we share books that celebrate diversity! It is so important to use mentor texts that depict a wide range of cultures and experiences in our literacy lessons~

One Green Apple by Eve Bunting is one of my favorites for fall.  It tells the story of a young Muslim girl and her first trip to an apple orchard.
Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.

Farah and her family are new to the U.S. and do not speak English yet.  This makes her first days of school very different and very scary.  Before reading the story to my class, I like to lead a discussion on how they might feel as the new student.  Then I ask them how they would feel if they did not speak the same language as others and could not communicate easily.  Once we have charted their list of worries, feelings, and concerns, I ask them to pay attention to how Farah feels as her first field trip to an apple orchard unfolds.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.



Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


As I share the story, I stop reading so that the group can discuss how Farah is dressed differently from the other children and how she is not accustomed to sitting with boys because of her culture and customs.  I take time to talk with my class about how certain styles of dress are not the same and how it is important to respect the appearance and choices of others.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.



Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


Throughout the rest of the story, I focus on comparing and contrasting Farah to the other students in her class.  We spend a lot of time discussing how she feels like a lone green fruit in a basket full of red apples.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.



Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.



Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


The turning point in the story is when Farah drops her apple into the cider press and joins her classmates in pushing the handle of the cider press.  This part of the story always brings a cheer from my students, because they are happy to see Farah being included by the other children.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


I love this story excerpt the most, and often read it twice.  My students often nod their heads quietly and comment.....Farah is finally feeling like she belongs.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


What I love most about this story is that it ends with a Farah feeling hopeful, not fearful.  She learns that her new peers are not that different from those she left behind.  Even though their language may be strange and different, their laughter is the same.  She knows that those smiles and more shared laughter will help them become friends.

One of the best and most simple ways to help primary grade students recall important details from One Green Apple is to create a  large compare and contrast Venn diagram using chart paper.  Older students can use this worksheet included in my FREEBIE to record their ideas.  I have also included the photo quotes from this post in the PDF that you can either print as small posters or display on your Smartboard to lead a class discussion.  You can grab the complete file {HERE}.


Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.


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Use multicultural literature as mentor texts to teach important literacy skills and life lessons. Respect, tolerance, consideration, and kindness are all character traits that can be modeled through the use of diverse books in your classroom.

As always, thank you for stopping by to celebrate diverse literature!  Be sure to visit the rest of these posts from The Reading Crew teacher-authors for more great mentor text ideas and featured freebies!

Happy blog-hopping!






2 comments

  1. Thank you so much, Jennifer. I love this book on diversity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is just fabulous! Thank you for sharing the free resources and for exposing us to a great text to add to our classroom libraries. Eve Bunting is one of the best!

    ReplyDelete