Facilitating Conversations on Difficult Topics in the Classroom - Teachers’ Stories of Opening Spaces Using Children’s Literature

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia

This Occasional Paper Series edition explores how children’s literature can serve as a foundation for deep, meaningful classroom conversations about difficult topics. Educators share practice-based stories showing how books act as mirrors and windows, enabling rich dialogue around real life challenges children experience. The introduction situates the work within Bank Street College’s developmental-interaction approach and highlights narrative, social justice, and critical inquiry as core values guiding teachers and teacher educators.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages131

Reading Time5 h 30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Facilitating Conversations on Difficult Topics in the Classroom: Teachers’ Stories of Opening Spaces Using Children’s Literature

Storytime is a Sunrise: Employing Children’s Literature to Mediate Socio-Emotional Challenges in the Life of a Young Child

Angry Like Me

Taking a Journey to the Land of All: Using Children’s Literature to Explore Gender Identity and Expression with Young Children

We Are All Learning about Climate Change: Teaching with Picture Books to Engage Teachers and Students

Focus on Friendship or Fights for Civil Rights? Teaching the Difficult History of Japanese American Incarceration through The Bracelet

Gender-Inclusive Children’s Literature as a Preventative Measure

What Do You Do When You Don’t Know How to Respond?

Choosing Difficult, Choosing Important in Fifth-Grade Read-Aloud

Shattering, Healing, and Dreaming

Discussing Race, Policing, and Privilege in a High School Classroom

If I Knew Then What I Do Now

Conversations about Death that are Provoked by Literature

| Occasional Paper Series | 11. 2020 | | --- | --- | | | 44 | Facilitating Conversationson Difficult Topics in the Classroom: Teachers’ Stories of Opening Spaces Using Children’s Literature Introduction Mollie Welsh Kruger Susie Rolander Susan Stires Essays by Carolina Soto Bonds Catherine-Laura Dunnington Shoshana Magnet Kerry Elson Kindel Turner Nash Ysaaca D. Axelrod Denise Ives Rachel Weaver Noreen N. Rodríguez Shelby Brody Kathryn Struthers Ahmed Nida Ali Chiara Di Lello Carla España Arianna Banack Stephen Adam Crawley Cara E. Furman Table of Contents Introduction Facilitating Conversations on Difficult Topics in the Classroom: Teachers’ Stories of Opening Spaces Using Children’s Literature Mollie Welsh Kruger, Susie Rolander, and Susan Stires Storytime is a Sunrise: Employing Children’s Literature to Mediate Socio-Emotional Challenges in the Life of a Young Child Carolina Soto Bonds Angry Like Me Catherine-Laura Dunnington and Shoshana Magnet Taking a Journey to the Land of All: Using Children’s Literature to Explore Gender Identity and Expression with Young Children Kerry Elson and Kindel Turner Nash We Are All Learning about Climate Change: Teaching with Picture Books to Engage Teachers and Students Ysaaca D. Axelrod, Denise Ives, and Rachel Weaver Focus on Friendship or Fights for Civil Rights? Teaching the Difficult History of Japanese American Incarceration through The Bracelet Noreen N. Rodríguez Gender-Inclusive Children’s Literature as a Preventative Measure: Moving Beyond a Reactive Approach to LGBTQ+ Topics in the Classroom Shelby Brody What Do You Do When You Don’t Know How to Respond? Supporting Pre-Service Teachers to Use Picture Books to Facilitate Difficult Conversations Kathryn Struthers Ahmed and Nida Ali Choosing Difficult, Choosing Important in Fifth-Grade Read-Aloud Chiara Di Lello Shattering, Healing, and Dreaming: Lessons from Middle-Grade Literacies and Lives Carla España Discussing Race, Policing, and Privilege in a High School Classroom Arianna Banack If I Knew Then What I Do Now: Fostering Pre-Service Teachers’ Capacity to Promote Expansive and Critical Conversations with Children’s Literature Stephen Adam Crawley Conversations about Death that are Provoked by Literature Cara E. Furman 3 9 17 25 37 48 60 68 80 90 101 110 121 Introduction Facilitating Conversations on Difficult Topics in the Classroom: Teachers’ Stories of Opening Spaces Using Children’s Literature Mollie Welsh Kruger, Susie Rolander, and Susan Stires Educators have long extolled the brilliance of Rudine Sims Bishop (1990) and her exploration of how books can serve as both mirrors and windows for children—mirrors in which children can see themselves and windows that widen their world. What if we broadened her formulation to include the realm of conversation? We assert that books are the base and what follows is the possibility of rich, deep conversations in classrooms. For this edition of the Bank Street Occasional Paper Series, we invited educators to share stories from their practice: times when they utilized children’s literature and conversations to address real life; the difficult topics that children experience through the mirror of their own experiences or the windows of their peers, communities, or world. As guest editors for this issue, we (Mollie, Susie, and Susan) are strongly influenced by Bank Street College, an institution that values the intersection of academic learning and the real world. In fact, the credo states,“The mission of Bank Street College is to improve the education of children and their teachers by applying to the education process all available knowledge about learning and growth and by connecting teaching and learning meaningfully to the outside world”(Mitchell, 1951). This edition underscores these beliefs. These stories are the stories of educators who have tried, and

FAQs

How does the paper connect children’s literature to classroom conversation?

It argues that books are a base for enabling rich, deep conversations in classrooms. Educators use children’s literature as mirrors and windows to prompt dialogue about real life challenges.

Which educational philosophy and institutional values does the introduction emphasize?

The introduction highlights Bank Street College’s developmental-interaction approach, centered in constructivism, as well as a focus on narrative, social justice, and critical inquiry.

What kinds of difficult topics do educators address using children’s literature?

The paper covers sensitive areas children experience, including socio-emotional challenges, gender identity and expression, climate change, difficult histories, LGBTQ+ topics, and conversations around death and grief.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia