The publication features 15 children’s books written and designed by parents and families sharing their stories in their home language and English. Many of parent authors will be in attendance Saturday to read their stories and answer questions.
Laura Liu, IU Columbus Education Associate Professor, has been working on this project for more than three years to foster community sharing of multicultural, multilingual funds of knowledge.*
Liu noted the project has several goals. “This project aims to support parents in sharing home cultures and languages within the community, including K-12 and university classrooms, so parent voices may be heard and valued. The audiences of these stories have the opportunity to share and appreciate the wealth of cultures, languages, and experiences around them.”
The project has received funding from the Bartholomew County Literary Task Force, directed by IU Columbus’s Karen Garrity, the Community Engaged Alliance, IUPUI’s Arts & Humanities Institute, as well as student projects funded by IU Columbus’s Office of Student Research. As Director of School and Community Relations in the Division of Education, Garrity has played a key role in the development of the anthology.
The anthology will be available in all area libraries and elementary schools. In addition, IU Columbus Education students are working on free lesson plans designed around the books to help teachers bring the stories to life in their own classrooms.
Home has been featured in an international webinar, at both a regional and a national education conference, a journal publication and book chapter. Stories in the anthology have been shared during parent author readings in libraries and classrooms, at literary festivals and parks, with IU Columbus teacher candidates, including a virtual learning exchange with Beijing Normal University teacher candidates.
*Funds of knowledge is a concept developed in by Professor Luis Moll and colleagues in the 1990s to support teachers in learning from the backgrounds, experiences, knowledge, and skills of multilingual learners and their families, and integrating this into class curricula.
Important dates
- April 6, 11 a.m.: Bartholomew County Literary Festival at Central Middle School will feature Home authors and readings
- April 11, 4 p.m.: Bilingual storytime at the Bartholomew County Public Library will feature author Fabiana Costa with Laura Liu and IU Columbus student Sydney Owens
- April 12, 1:15 p.m.: The Community Engaged Alliance Summit & Research Symposium at the IU Memorial Union at IU Bloomington to include Home authors
- April 27, 10 a.m.: Project to be featured at Delta Kappa Gamma Regional Conference at IU Columbus
Important dates
- April 6, 11 a.m.: Bartholomew County Literary Festival at Central Middle School will feature Home authors and readings
- April 11, 4 p.m.: Bilingual storytime at the Bartholomew County Public Library will feature author Fabiana Costa with Laura Liu and IU Columbus student Sydney Owens
- April 12, 1:15 p.m.: The Community Engaged Alliance Summit & Research Symposium at the IU Memorial Union at IU Bloomington to include Home authors
- April 27, 10 a.m.: Project to be featured at Delta Kappa Gamma Regional Conference at IU Columbus