Benefits of Culturally and Linguistically

Diverse ClassroomsNatalie Waller

Walden UniversityNovember 8, 2015

Student Information Female 7 years old 1st grader Home Language: Spanish Fluent in Spanish, speaks English and Spanish moved to

the United States from Mexico when she was 2 years old Youngest child, has an older brother in 2nd grade

Background InformationHome Language

Mother is a native Spanish speaker and speaks very little English.

Older brother is bilingual in Spanish and English

Student speaks English, but is fluent in Spanish.

Socioeconomic Status Low socioeconomic status Mom works in a restaurant. She receives for free school

lunch.

Academic ChallengesStudent is able to read English. However, comprehension

is lower than expected. Student has the most trouble with thinking beyond the text

or making personal connection. This comes from a lack of background knowledge and English vocabulary.

Student has trouble expressing herself and her learning through writing.

Student does very well memorizing information.

Funds of KnowledgeLinguistic• Student is fluent in

Spanish.• Student is in the

developing stage of learning the English language.

• The mother speaks little English. Spanish is spoken at home.

Cultural• Understanding and experience of

Hispanic traditions and beliefs• Diversity of food experiences• Student does not remember living

in Mexico. The student's mother has set high expectations for her child's academic success. The student has respect for the education setting.

Funds of KnowledgeFamily

• The student has sibling support for school, academics and social behaviors.

• The student has a strong work ethic.• Family: The student lives with her

mother, older brother (2nd grader) and cousins. The family is very close and active in the children's education. Parents and other relatives come to after school events and conferences.

Experiences• Holiday and Cultural celebrations• The student's father lives in

Mexico. The student has not seen her father since she was very young. The student has not been back to Mexico since her family moved to the America.

Funds of KnowledgePractical• Enjoys reading• Has a lot of support at

home• Wants to learn and

perform well

Schools are Recommended by

the CCSS to Provide:• Appropriate instructional supports to make grade-level course work comprehensible(Common Core State

Standards Initiative, n.d.)• Modified assessments that allow ELLs to demonstrate their content knowledge(Common Core State

Standards Initiative, n.d.)• Additional time for ELLs to complete tasks and assessments(Common Core State Standards Initiative, n.d.)• Opportunities for classroom interactions (both listening and speaking) that develop concepts and academic

language in the disciplines• Opportunities for ELLs to interact with proficient English speakers(Common Core State Standards

Initiative, n.d.)• Opportunities for ELLs to build on their strengths, prior experiences, and background knowledge(Common

Core State Standards Initiative, n.d.)• Qualified teachers who use practices found to be effective in improving student achievement (Common

Core State Standards Initiative, n.d.)

Literacy Expectations of the Common Core State Standards

• “[the] goal is to provide all English-language learners, regardless of their language proficiency levels, the same opportunities to demonstrate their content knowledge and skills as their peers who are native English-speakers or former English-learners,” (Maxwell, 2013a, p. 1).

Strengths of the Standards for Language Learners:

• Prepares all students, including ELLs for college and careers and to participate fully in what has become a global workplace (Language Magazine, 2015).

• Encourages significant collaboration between content area teachers and teachers of ELL students, which my increase scaffolds and support for ELLs in the general classroom and content area instruction.

• The student is able to:• work diligently on tasks• decode simple text and understand

simple materials• carefully and thoroughly think

before responding to questions verbally and in writing.

• have unique experiences that provide background knowledge she can share with others.

• have a wide range of science related content vocabulary.

Challenges of the Standards for Language

Learners:• Making CCSS content accessible to ELLs who are deficient in oral and written communication skills, (Coleman & Goldenberg, 2012).

• Schools need to establish a school-wide focus on literacy, (Language Magazine, 2015).

• Extra scaffolding needs to be in place to support ELLs for vocabulary as well as oral and reading fluency in English

• Text complexity and the focus of the standards on the learner creating meaning, puts additional burdens on ELL students who could previously rely on the teacher to help with vocabulary and meaning construction.

• The student:• Does not often ask for help when

needed. The teacher has to be mindful to check in regularly and ask open ended questions.

• Needs assurance that making mistakes and not knowing is okay.

• Unfamiliar with common English phrases

• Uncomfortable talking in groups• Has a challenging time expressing

her opinion and thinking beyond the text.

Overcoming these Challenges

• Maxwell suggests teachers spend time, “…picking apart the standards, stripping them

down to the essential concepts, simplifying the language and developing strategies that all of them can use to support English-learners in

both content and ESL classes,” (2013b, p. S9).

Instructional Strategies to Help Overcome Challenges for ELLs and the Standards:

• Collaboration between ESL and content-area teachers• Including language and content instruction throughout the academic day• Utilizing “push-in” support to provide additional scaffolding for ELLs• Helping teachers develop a deep understanding of language acquisition• Time devoted to getting to know individual students and their specific

learning needs• Identifying and addressing cultural and linguistic differences that may

enhance or hinder learning• Explicitly teach academic language related to content(Maxwell, 2013b)

References:• Coleman, R. and Goldenberg, C. (2012). The common core challenge for English

language learners. Principal Leadership, 12, 46-51.• Common Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.). About the standards. Retrieved

from http://www.corestandards.org/• Language Magazine. (2015) Cutting to the common core. Retrieved from

http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=4130.• Maxwell, L. A. (2013a). Consortia struggle with ELL provisions. Education Week,

32(27), 1–17. • Maxwell, L. A. (2013b). Standards and English-learners: It takes a village. Education

Week, 33(10), S9–S12.