Overview
The Danger of a Single Story
“…to insist on only these negative stories is to flatten my experience, and to overlook the many other stories that formed me...The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”
Module Objective: Identify the importance of reading about diverse perspectives in literature
To Do:
1. Watch the, The Danger of a Single Story, and answer the following questions:
- A. What are at least 3 “singlestories” others have believed about you? Why was the story incomplete?
- B. What are at least 3 “single stories” you have believed about others?
For example, Adichie had a single story of Fide and his family: they were poor. That was all she knew about them, and when she saw them, that’s all she saw.
C. Record your favorite quote from the Ted Talk.
- 2. Create a list of children's books that represent a variety of people. Use websites like Reading Rockets, Links to an external site.American Library AssociationLinks to an external site., Social Justice BooksLinks to an external site., Diverse Book Finder Links to an external site.or any other sources you prefer to find books to read with kids and young adults that represent various elements of identity for various grade levels. Create a table like the one below to complete the assignment.
| Element of Identity | Title and author of book | Lessons learned from the story | Grade Level (K-12th grade) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | |||
| Ethnicity | |||
| Gender | |||
| Socioeconomic status | |||
| Religion | |||
| Language | |||
| Disabilities | |||
| Social Status |