MY STUDENT Part 3: Benefits of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

Background Information o 7 years old o 2 nd grade o Female o African American o Home language – English (nonstandard dialect) o Low Socioeconomic Status – receives free breakfast/lunch and food to take home over weekends and long breaks This child is both academically challenged and brings a rich cultural and linguistic background to the classroom.

Academic Challenges ■Speech and language impaired ■Significantly below grade level in ELA –Reading at an independent D (Benchmark for 2 nd grade is an independent M) –Can identify 68/248 second grade sight words

Funds of Knowledge What does ‘funds of knowledge mean’? o According to Marshall, funds of knowledge refers to “cultural practices and bodies of knowledge and information that households use to survive, to get ahead, or to thrive” (Marshall, 2010).

Funds of knowledge continued…. Linguistic ■Speaks English (nonstandard dialect) Ex: “She do that!”, “What he do?” ■Uses code-switching between what is expected of her at school and the dialect that is used at home -Changes language setting by setting (Wheeler, n.d.).

Funds of knowledge continued…. Cultural ■African American ■Risko & Walker-Dalhouse (2007) state that African Americans students are the students that require the most educational support.

Funds of knowledge continued…. Family ■Single parent home with multiple siblings ■School is not valued -homework never comes back -permission slips never signed -parent will not respond to phone calls or notes that are sent home ■Lack of parental involvement – Parent involvement correlates with student success (Ghiaciuc et al., 2006) ■Older siblings are constantly in trouble with the law (Focus is on the older siblings)

Funds of knowledge continued…. Experiences ■Lacks many childhood experiences such as going to parks, the zoo, visiting a farm, riding bikes, family vacations, etc. ■Limited exposure to learning opportunities – students lack appropriate background knowledge (O’Neal & Ringler, 2010). ■Her mom is usually focused on her older siblings – pays little attention to her – this is why she constantly seeks social interactions at school (can often be behavioral to seek attention)

Funds of knowledge continued…. Practical ■Students know how to complete certain tasks or skills because of who they are surrounded by. ■At home, this student is not expected to put forth her best effort. Meanwhile at school, I scaffold her to complete tasks independently which requires her to put forth a great deal of effort.

Strengths related to literacy expectations of the CCSS ■My student is able to write down the sounds of the letters that she hears to create words. ■Excels with writing CVC words.

Challenges related to the literacy expectations of the CCSS ■Reading - understanding the meaning of vocabulary from certain topics or themes. ■Writing – brainstorming ideas on certain topics or themes. ■Lacks a lot of necessary background knowledge

References Ghiaciuc, S., McIntyre, E., Kyle, D., & Sutherland, M. (2006). Conflicts and Challenges of Educators', Students' and Families' Education Goals. Journal Of Urban Learning, Teaching, And Research, Marshall, E., & Toohey, K. (2010). Representing Family: Community Funds of Knowledge, Bilingualism, and Multimodality. Harvard Educational Review, 80(2), 221–241. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. O'Neal, D., & Ringler, M. (2010). Broadening our View of Linguistic Diversity. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(7), 48–52. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Risko, V. J., & Walker-Dalhouse, D. (2007). Tapping Students' Cultural Funds of Knowledge to Address the Achievement Gap. Reading Teacher, 61(1), 98–100. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Wheeler, R. S. (n.d.). Code-switching: Insights and strategies for teaching Standard English in dialectally diverse classrooms. Retrieved from