Students Use Anti-Bias Protocol to Analyze Picture Books

Upper school English teacher Miriam Emery walked down to the Dobbs Ferry Public Library with her Untold American Stories junior seminar class on Monday, September 9.

Once there, students were tasked with analyzing children's picture books by going through an anti-bias protocol in small groups. The protocol was based on an article titled “Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism" by Louise Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force.

Prior to the library trip, students were asked to write a personal narrative about a picture book that stuck with them from childhood. They followed that up by looking at their chosen books under a critical lens, attempting to uncover any potential biases in the process.

"Overall, we are investigating the dominant narratives with which we might have grown up," Emery said.

Untold American Stories is one of a few new self-selected seminar courses being taught in the 11th grade. Others include Off the Grid; What are We Afraid Of?; American Dream/American Nightmare; Home Fires Burning; and Virtue and Scandal.

SHARE Article