Theme I: Experiencing Learning
Unit 2: Styles and Needs
CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR S.C. TEACHER CADET COURSE | EXPERIENCING EDUCATION, TENTH EDITION
Role of Women. Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own initiative and
intelligence, or are they due to their good looks or to their relationship with boys? Are sex
roles incidental or critical to characterization and plot? Could the same story be told if the sex
roles were reversed?
3. Look at the Lifestyles
Are minority persons and their setting depicted in such a way that they contrast unfavorably
with the unstated norm of white middle-class suburbia? If the minority group in question is depicted as "different", are negative value judgments implied? Are minorities depicted exclusively
in ghettos, barrios, or migrant camps? If the illustrations and text attempt to depict another culture, do they go beyond over-simplifications and offer genuine insight into another lifestyle?
Look for inaccuracy and inappropriateness in the depiction of other cultures. Watch for instances of the "quaint-natives-in-costume" syndrome (most noticeable in areas like clothing
and custom, but extending to behavior and personality traits as well).
4. Weigh the Relationships Between People
Do the whites in the story possess the power, take the leadership, and make the important
decisions? Do racial minorities and females of all races function as essentially supporting
roles?
How are family relationships depicted? In African-American families, is the mother always
dominant? In Hispanic families, are there always lots of children? If the family is separated,
are societal conditions - unemployment, poverty, for example - cited among the reasons for
the separation?
5. Note the Heroes
For many years, books showed only "safe" minority heroes - those who avoided serious conflict with the white establishment of their time. Minority groups today are insisting on the right
to define their own heroes (of both sexes) based on their own concepts and struggles for justice.
When minority heroes do appear, are they admired for the same qualities that have made
white heroes famous, or because what they have done has benefited white people? Ask this
question: "Whose interest is a particular hero really serving?"
6. Consider the Effect on a Child's Self-Image
Are norms established which limit any child's aspirations and self-concept? What effect can
it have on images of the color white as the ultimate in beauty, cleanliness, virtue, etc., and the
color black as evil, dirty, menacing, etc.? Does the book counteract or reinforce this positive
association with the color white and negative association with black?
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