Blog Post #10 - Woke Read Alouds, They He She Easy as ABC (Argument)

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 Ms. Akiea or Ki from the Woke Kindergarten channel argues that kids should know what pronouns are so they can feel good about how they identify themselves. Ki chose to read the book They He She Easy as ABC because it’s about many different children and what pronouns they use. Ki makes the point multiple times in the video, that pronouns should make you feel good about yourself. Throughout the book they show the different children being confident in themselves and doing fun things. I think their way of showing that pronouns are not a scary thing, but an exciting thing is really important for an age group like kindergarten. Because in kindergarten, students are still learning who they are and what they like, lessons like this are important. It’s even more important that they know that pronouns are an exciting thing. That they should make you feel good and comfortable. 

While watching this video I saw many different lessons that are important for kindergarten students to know. One that stuck out to me was when they read about Kelly. Kelly uses he/him pronouns and Ki took a few minutes to explain this. In the book Kelly is drawn wearing pink with his hair in pigtails. Ki explains that when we meet new people we shouldn’t assume what their pronouns are just because of how they look or dress. Ki acknowledges that this may be confusing but we need to respect others and do what makes them feel comfortable.

I found an article that relates to Ki’s reading of They He She. It is from Planned Parenthood and discusses how to talk about gender identity with elementary age children. The article brings up some good points that at this age, students are connecting with many other children. Through this they’re going to learn about different identities and start to understand their own better. The article talks about making a safe space for your kids and avoiding harmful stereotypes. These sections were similar to what Ki said about not assuming people’s identities and pronouns. If you want a quick read about identity and how to talk about it with young students, I definitely recommend this one.




Comments

  1. Sara M.April 15, 2024 at 3:32 PM

    Hi Sarah! I really enjoyed your blog, and the point you made on how pronouns are exciting when explained as something that makes your peers and yourself feel comfortable! I also felt the character Kelly stuck out to me too, since it breaks students away from the habit of forming assumptions before really knowing more about each other:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaddieApril 17, 2024 at 6:47 PM

    Sarah I loved all your points you made! I also really liked the article you posted with your blog I think the way it was broken down was super easy and supported your blog points flawlessly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rey PlanteApril 18, 2024 at 10:49 AM

    I really liked the article you included. I liked Ki's overall message from the video but had some mixed opinions about how to put the matter into practice. The article from planned parenthood shed a lot of important light on such an intimidating topic, especially for young kids.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maria JapaApril 19, 2024 at 10:40 AM

    Your overview aligns well with the book's values.

    ReplyDelete

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