In my 75-minute presentation, I will lead a guided discussion on the topic of promoting translated literature in elementary schools. The first part of the discussion will serve as a space where the participants and I can share our pre-existing knowledge of translation theory and translated children’s literature—and how incorporating translated literature into elementary schools would prompt a loving environment enriched by multiculturalism and multilingualism. I will provide additional resources so that participants have the opportunity to do more research on this topic in their own time.

In the second part of the discussion, I will outline a two-step proposal that I devised for a final project in my Warner course, “EDU 442: Race, Class, Gender, and Disability in American Education.” The first step in this proposal, intended for educational administrators, is to source translated children’s literature in elementary school libraries and classrooms. I will share a list of publishers who produce children’s literature in translation, as well as exemplary books that I have read and reviewed myself. The second step in the proposal is to form a partnership between elementary schools and local colleges and universities, in which undergraduate and graduate students run Translation Outreach Workshops in elementary school classrooms. I will share exemplary workshop lesson plans, such as those run by students at Queen’s College in Oxford, England. Using the breakout room function, I will have participants brainstorm potential lesson plan ideas for workshops in US schools, which we will then all share together as a large group.

Catherine (Katie) Hurwitz, class of 2023 at the University of Rochester, is an aspiring educator for elementary-aged students. She is currently in the Guaranteed Rochester Accelerated Degree in Education program through the Warner School of Education. Passionate about globalizing her knowledge of the arts to later integrate into her pedagogy, she is studying world music, creative writing, and comparative literature as an undergraduate student. Outside of the classroom, Katie has developed an interest in equitable music education through her work with the Newport String Project, ROCmusic Collaborative, and the Little Orchestra Society, and she has been advocating for the exposure of translated literature through her work with Open Letter Books and Outside in World. This summer, Katie is working with FableVision Learning and The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning & Creativity for more experience in creating and teaching curriculum.