The document discusses a 7-year-old Spanish-speaking student who is developing English language skills. It outlines her academic strengths such as diligence and memorization, as well as challenges with comprehension, expression, and connecting ideas. The student's cultural background and home language of Spanish are assets. The Common Core Standards aim to prepare all students, including English language learners, but implementing them poses challenges requiring support strategies from teachers. These include collaboration, scaffolding, understanding language acquisition, and addressing individual student needs.

1. Benefits of Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse
Classrooms
Natalie Waller
Walden University
November 8, 2015

2. 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

3. Background Information
Home 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.

4. Academic Challenges
Student 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.

5. Funds of Knowledge
Linguistic
• 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.

6. Funds of Knowledge
Family
• 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.

7. Funds of Knowledge
Practical
• Enjoys reading
• Has a lot of support at home
• Wants to learn and perform well

8. 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.)

9. 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).

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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).

13. 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)

14. 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.