FINAL CASE STUDY

1
In-Depth Exploration of a Learner
Using a Student Biography to Inform Classroom Practices
Stefani Messick
Colorado College

IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF A LEARNER 2
In-Depth Exploration of a Learner
Using a Student Biography to Inform Classroom Practices
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2013), during the 2011-2012
school year, 81.9 percent of all teachers in public and private elementary and secondary schools
were White. In contrast, only 53.8 percent of the country’s resident population between the ages
of five and seventeen were White (NCES, 2013). The percentage of White students has declined
every year since 1980 (NCES, 2013), which indicates an increasingly racially and ethnically
diverse student population. Students whose cultures differ from that of the school or whose
native languages conflict with the school curriculum are now being inclusively referred to as
culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students (Herrera, 2010). In a society where English
language learners represent the fastest growing segment of the public school population
(National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, 2007), it is important that teachers
are aware of their privilege as well as the dissonance between their biographies and those of their
students. If a teacher is aware of herself and others, then she can “shift the center” of her
teaching toward her students. Andersen and Collins (2004) posit that shifting the center is
fundamentally about reconstructing knowledge to include the perspectives and life experiences
that have not traditionally been heard. This concept is important because students in learner-
centered classes are more likely to be academically successful than those in traditional teacher-
centered, lecture oriented, one method-for-all classes (McCombs & Whisler, 1997). Shifting the
center values diverse histories and recognizes the importance of historically marginalized groups
and is the basis of culturally responsive teaching.
This case study follows Cheryl, a first grader in a local K-8 school located in the lowest
socioeconomic district in the county. The purpose of this study and paper is to examine what role

a student’s biography plays in her educational experience, and to address what teachers can do to
best meet students’ needs through culturally responsive teaching practices. Cheryl, at the age of
six, is learning Spanish and English simultaneously. She spends half of the reading time with the
English Language Learner specialist. She has family ties in Mexico but has spent all six years of
her life in the United States. She lives in a large family with two older brothers and many
cousins, while her parents are both blue-collar workers with two different levels of English
language proficiency. Her classroom teacher told me that Cheryl is performing below grade level
in all subjects. This teacher also taught Cheryl’s older brothers and noted that the family doesn’t
lack a history of education, so Cheryl’s struggles are unprecedented and puzzling.
Literature Review
In practice, culturally responsive teachers acknowledge and include student biographies
in instruction by creating a “third space.” The third space is a set of classroom conditions that
make it possible for students and the teacher to collaborate and create knowledge in culturally
relevant ways; teachers create these spaces by drawing on students’ background knowledge and
life experiences (Herrera, 2010). Further, teachers who capitalize on students’ ways of knowing
and interacting with the world understand that CLD students’ assets have the potential to
accelerate learning and create true teaching and learning communities (Herrera, 2010). Another
important way to meet individual CLD student needs is through implementing Krashen’s Input
Hypothesis. Similar to Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development, Krashen’s equation,
“i+1,” considers a student’s current position in development – the i – and the point just beyond
the student’s current limit of development – the +1 (Herrera, 2010). It is important for a teacher
to understand the multiple perspectives and elements that help create a student’s “i,” as well as
determining an appropriate next step, or “+1.” For example, a lesson should begin by activating

each learner’s past experiences and existing knowledge, and moving forward, the students and
the teacher should continually connect the past to the present (Herrera, 2010). Teaching and
learning with Krashen’s and Vygostky’s models in mind requires purposeful planning and
continuous assessment with the biographies of the learners in mind.
Successful culturally responsive teaching is made up of certain practices. Following a
revision to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), literacy began to take on a new identity –
one of an iterative process that involves strategies such as critical thinking and metacognition, as
well as interdisciplinary skills. The shift moved from content area instruction and an emphasis on
strategy use to a greater focus on the actual content of the disciplines and the ways that literacy
can be used to foster disciplinary understandings (Brock, Goatley, Raphael, Trost-Shahata, &
Weber, 2014). Emphasizing disciplinary literacy involves utilizing writing, reading, and
classroom talk to support learning and connections across disciplines. Additionally, instruction
should connect to conceptual tasks in the discipline that can apply to real-world contexts (e.g.
writing a persuasive letter or taking observational notes). A study examined the process and
impact of an instructional intervention that promoted science and literacy achievement in CLD
elementary students. The interventions included professional development and classroom
practices that better involved home languages and cultures, and emphasized disciplinary literacy
skills. Significance tests of mean scores between pre- and posttests indicated statistically
significant increases: 3rd grade, (pre-test M=0.40, SD=0.69, posttest M=1.25, SD=0.86), t (16.66)
=1.23, p<0.000; 4th grade, (pre-test M=0.75, SD=.81, posttest M=1.76, SD=0.77, t (22.03) =
1.25, p<0.000 (Lee, O., Deaktor, R. A., Hart, J. E., Cuevas, P., & Enders, C., 2005).
Another study, in an effort to break the pattern of new teachers who poorly their students’
needs, studied how a teacher preparation program that emphasized teacher inquiry ultimately

produced teacher candidates who were better prepared to meet the needs of CLD students. New
teachers sometimes get stuck in a pattern of focusing on self-image, procedures, and
management, in a top-down approach from self, to curriculum, to students (Athanases,
Wahleithner, & Bennet, 2012). Researchers hoped that by participating in a learner-focused
teacher inquiry, teacher candidates would learn to focus attention on special needs or concerns of
CLD students. Of the 80 student teachers that were studied over a six-year period, most included
6-12 CLD indicators (of a possible 17) in their written teacher inquiry after a ten-week
observation period. The reports included things like an attention to community, school, and class
demographics, using research questions framed around CLD students, noting high challenge and
high support instruction, learning about student interests, and analyzing patterns of learners.
Participants used teacher inquiry elements in varying degrees, in various ways, and with varying
levels of success, which demonstrates how necessary it is to keep ongoing monitoring and
support to student teachers to keep inquiry responsive to and effective for CLD students
(Athanases, et al., 2012).
Without attention to Cheryl’s student biography and social history, a standard approach
to classroom practices may be less effective and fail to properly meet her needs. This paper will
explore the ways in which her biography cannot be separated from teaching practices.
Method
In order to study the role that biographies play in constructing an educational schooling
experience, students in a Culturally Responsive Teaching and Disciplinary Literacy class
participated in classroom placements at a local K-8 school. For three weeks, researchers
observed classroom teaching practices for three hours each day and engaged in those practices
when appropriate. Student researchers also got to know several students on a more personal

level, through observation, informal interaction, and interviews, in order to construct biography
cards. By collecting biographical information on students, researchers attempted to understand
how to best meet the needs of the students from a culturally responsive pedagogical standpoint.
Researchers also collected learning preferences of the classroom learners in order to construct an
appropriate and culturally responsive lesson plan (Appendix A). Researchers gathered student
work samples and used them in conjunction with their observations to contextualize course
content and analyze the performance of the students in relation to their biographies. This case
study was prepared in relation to one specific student, who for this purpose will be called
“Cheryl.”
Findings
The first assessment, learning preferences, revealed (Appendix B) that in this particular
first grade classroom, a majority of the class prefers working alone and prefers learning with
content that concerns people, human relationships, and conflict. Students have a strong
preference for oral instruction but a substantial number of learners also prefer visuals and
kinesthetic action in the classroom.
The pertinent information regarding Cheryl’s background and educational experience can
be found in Appendix C on the biography card. Classroom observations revealed that Cheryl has
the most difficulty comprehending what she has read and articulating her thoughts in writing.
Working one-on-one with a teacher seems to be the most helpful, and audiovisual instruction
seems most effective. The observations were compared to the WIDA (2009) standards, and the
continuum it provides is helpful in making sense of Cheryl’s progress in developing literacy
through reading and writing. On both the reading and writing continuums, she falls mostly within
the “Developing” Stage. To reference a sample of Cheryl’s work, please see Appedndix D. She

spells phonetically and makes a lot of errors. She reads books with simple patterns, reads her
own writing, uses finger-print-voice matching, knows most letter sounds and letter clusters, and
recognizes simple words. However, Cheryl struggles with identifying the main idea of passages
and has no sense of identity as a reader. Many times while reading aloud, Cheryl spends too
much time decoding words to comprehend what she has just read. She often has trouble showing
initiative to complete work and struggles with in-class behavior.
Implications
Based on the findings, Cheryl should receive certain classroom supports in order to
further her literacy. Because her older siblings, who are also developing Spanish and English
language skills simultaneously, do not have a history of struggling in school, Cheryl’s struggles
are concerning. Response-to-intervention (RTI) is a model that potentially provides a way to
support English language learners when they show signs of struggling with reading. The model
features a regular progress assessment to catch students who need intervention before they fall
too far behind (Orosco & Klingner, 2010). The model shifts what has been the traditional
procedure from special education referrals and searching for within-child deficits to a new
paradigm of examining the instructional context and other factors that can affect students’
learning (Orosco & Klingner, 2010). Because Cheryl is already involved with the English
Language Learner (ELL) Specialist, perhaps it is time for the school to look further for new ways
to support Cheryl. She is an ideal candidate for an RTI IEP, whether this comes in the form of a
formal IEP or from a set of individual practices a classroom teacher implements to support
Cheryl.
Observations revealed that Cheryl has difficulty adding detail or taking initiative. She
would benefit from having an in-class aide, who could assist Cheryl during clas until she gets to

a point where she can take her own initiative to complete her work and do so at a high standard.
Her “+1” in this scenario is a physical person who is intentionally in her zone to help her build
her self-efficacy. It will also be helpful to set up a personal learning plan with Cheryl, one where
she writes a goal for herself, the teacher writes a goal for Cheryl, and the pair writes a goal
together.
Finally, because Cheryl seems to perform well during one-on-one instruction when
provided with appropriate prompting, it is important that she is paired with the correct student to
work collaboratively. Cheryl does well with oral instruction, and catches most of her writing
mistakes while reading aloud. She would benefit from reading aloud and revising written work
with peers. A paring with a student who also spends time with the ELL Specialist will be most
helpful, since Cheryl prefers to work independently and can be stubborn. Working alongside and
with peers who can support her and grow with her will support more successful learning and
literacy development.
Synthesis of Learning
Engaging with the content related to CRP has helped me hone my self-perception and
direction as a teacher candidate. While the experience has certainly reinforced my strengths,
including my compassion and kindness in the classroom and my willingness to understand
student perspectives, it has also identified areas of weakness that need strengthening. The
Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, InTASC (2011), published Model Core
Teaching Standards, and several of the most important items for my personal development as a
teacher candidate include Learner Development, Application of Content, and Instructional
Strategies.

My classroom practicum experience has been across the board, but more of my
experiences have been in upper elementary or middle school classrooms. My experience in the
first grade this block emphasized the necessity of understanding social and cognitive
development of the students in order to determine appropriate teaching practices. I was struck by
how much variance I saw in students in just one grade level, and at times was unsure of how to
appropriately prompt or assist them with their work. I need to focus on providing a suitable “+1.”
Next, my observations in the classroom helped contextualize the importance of
developing disciplinary literacy skills. The InTASC model asserts that relating to content
application, teachers should be able to use differing perspectives to connect concepts and engage
learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving. Something I’ll be sure
to take away from this course is the understanding that literacy is thinking. I hope to develop
students’ interdisciplinary skills by using relevant assignments and demanding critical inquiry
across all domains.
In sum, in order to be an effective culturally responsive teacher, I need to provide
academic choice that empowers my students and gives them the space to reach learning
objectives with the proper guidance and scaffolding. I will never be finished growing and
learning in relation to my personal privilege, my intersections with other faces and places, and
my working knowledge regarding how to live and connect with others in a multicultural society.
It is up to me to learn and understand other perspectives to create a relevant and productive
“third space.” My teaching will most certainly not be about me, but it will be for, and centered
around, my students.

Appendix A
CRT Lesson Plan

Students
Grade level(s): 1st
200 word description of learners with specific reference to socio cultural, linguistic, cognitive and academic
dimensions found through course data collections and other available information:
This classconsistsof the lower level half of the entire firstgrade. About 8 students are pulled out for half of the
readingtime to work with the ESL Specialist. Three students strugglewith behavior duringclass timeand need
more supervision in order to prevent the disruption of their learningas well as thelearningof the entire class.
(One para is in the classto help with one student in particular;the other two students’ behaviors areup to the
teacher to handle.) Students rotate between readingstations in groups of 2-6 for four rotations of 20 minutes
each. Two-thirds of the classprefers audio/oral instruction whilenearly half of the classalso prefers to learn
visually and kinesthetically.Students prefer to learn content that focuses on people. Because I have noticed some
students are not familiar with all thewords that are on the classroomdeck of word cards,I havealso developed
my own working listof words to use for my instruction thatalso reinforceother disciplines,includingspellingand
science.
Lesson
Disciplines[s] addressed:
Reading
 Phonics
Writing
 Spelling
Science
 Vocabulary
Essential Question:
How do longand shortvowels affect pronunciation and spelling?
Objectives: What skills,knowledge or understandings (content) will students gain by the end of the lesson? What
listening,speaking,readingor writing(language) objectives will students gain by the end of the lesson?
Students will havea better understandingof how longand short vowel sounds existin language.Students will be
ableto identify the vowel sounds in context. Students will be ableto use written phonetic context clues to help
decide if a vowel is longor short.
Key Vocabulary:
Science words: penguin, woodpecker, owl, habitat,trait,parent, offspring,bird,egg, tree, drill,beak,feather
Math words: add, subtract,math
Spellingwords:animal
Other words: aim,fame, bat, date, band, eat, create, desk, sea,sit, dinner,mint, fright, kite, stop, crop, snack,mad,

bake, snake, cat, beans, ten, men, pet, meat, lick,side,dime, time, light,rob, hope, mop, knot, coat, note, cube,
hug, cute, ice,home, song, name, iPad,book, read
Connection to Common Core State Standards:
Reading Standards:Foundational Skills K-5
 Grade 1 Standard 2 – Demonstrate understandingof spoken words,syllables,and sounds.
 Standard 2 Parta – Distinguish longfromshortvowel sounds in spoken singlesyllablewords.
Materials (attach sample when applicable):
Word cards with pictures – in Ms. DePace’s classroom;students arealready familiar with these words from
previous station work
White boards and dry erasemarkers – at the desks
My listof words to have students work through
How will you ensure the lesson:
(1) Delivery
and
(2) content
My lesson delivery will beculturally responsivebecauseitwill play to the learningpreference of the class
(kinesthetic, audiovisual) and itinvolves words thatthey should be familiarwith.I’m trying to work within the
third space(Herrera, 2010) by consideringthelevel of familiarity students have with the content, especially
the English languagelearners.Becausemy lesson also incorporates several task-oriented objectives,including
spellingand recognition,the lesson also includes other disciplinary contentin an effort to promote
disciplinary literacy (Brock,2010).
reflect connections to culturally responsive teaching & disciplinary literacy? Cite at least 2 course readings and
how these concepts are reflected in your plan.
1. Activation phase
Because this is notthe firsttime students have engaged with the concept of longand shortvowels, the activation
phasewill be relatively short.I will ask students what the shortvowels sound like.We will also go over what the
longvowels sound like,emphasizingthat long vowels tend to say the “name” of the vowel (e.g. long“a” says “a”).
Their classroomteacher reviews the vowels before every small-group readingsession.Thus,the activation phase
does not need to be longsincewith the continued lessons and stations thatfocus on this concept seems to
communicate that the students need more practicewith application.
2. Connection phase
Duringthe connection phase, students will work with word cards thathave previously been used for reading
station instruction.Wherestudents have previously been workingindependently to decode words and sort them

into shortor longvowel lists,this phaseduringmy lesson will bemore interactive. I will hold up the word card and
say the word aloud (audiovisual) and in response,students are asked to crouch if they hear a short vowel and to
jump up if they hear a long vowel (kinesthetic). Because students identified a wide range of learningpreferences,
and because drawingon multiplemodalities helps establish morecognitiveconnections,I feel this approach will
help students make better connections to the sounds of the vowels in their contexts.
3. Affirmation phase
The final phasewill requirethe students to join their knowledge of longand shortvowel sounds with spellingand
phonics skills.With the students workingon their white boards,I will read a word from the listI havegenerated
that has either a longor a short vowel (most of the words are monosyllabic,which aligns with the CCSS). Some of
these words are vocabulary fromrecent scienceunits,others are recent spellingwords,and others are words that I
feel are familiarenough that all students haveaccessed the words in a classroomor home context.

Appendix B
Learning Preferences Assessment and Results

1. When learning something new, I learn best by:
Listening to the teacher Reading by myself
Listening and reading at the same time
2. I remember spelling words when I say them out loud.

3. During Social Studies, I like learning about:
People
Places
4. Charts and pictures help me understand what I’m
reading.

5. I like when the teacher explains new ideas out loud.
6. I like working best:
Alone With a partner In a group
7. I like doing activities when we learn a new idea.

8. I like reading stories about:
Adventure People
Animals and Nature Mystery or Puzzles
9. I like to move around while I’m learning.

10. I like to watch videos about new ideas.
11. I learn best by:
Touching things Listening to the teacher
Looking at words and pictures

A B C D
Q1 AUDIO - 6 VISUAL - 4 AUDIO/VISUAL - 6
Q2 AUDIO - 10 NO AUDIO - 2
Q3 PEOPLE - 5 PLACES - 11
Q4 VISUAL - 12 NO VISUAL - 1
Q5 AUDIO - 12 NO AUDIO - 1
Q6 ALONE - 10 PARTNER - 4 GROUP -2
Q7 KINESTHETIC -
13
NO
KINESTHETIC -
1
Q8 ADVENTURE -
11
PEOPLE – 0 ANIMALS/NATURE - 3 MYSTERY/PUZZLES - 2
Q9 KINESTHETIC -
7
NO
KINESTHETIC -
6
Q10 VISUAL - 8 NO VISUAL - 7
Q11 KINESTHETIC -
2
AUDIO - 10 VISUAL - 4
Working Alone or
with others
Preferred Modalities Content
Alone Others Audio A/V Visual Kinesthetic People Nature
Class 63% 37% 67% 38% 47% 51% 56% 44%
Teacher X X X x

Appendix C
Student Biography Cards

Data CollectionGuide
Student Biography Cards
Student 1:
Name: “Joey” Sociocultural Dimension
Home + Community + School=
Background Knowledge
Has a brother whois 12 and a sister who is 10.
He hugs me a lot and seems toalways want
affectionand attention. Mom cleans houses and
dad worksa lot.
Age:6
Grade:1st
CountryofOrigin:USA
Timein USA:6 years
L1: English
R: partiallyproficient
W: partiallyproficient
Linguistic Dimension
Valuing L1 & L2
He speaks English at home and has no
knowledge of other languages.
He seems behind some of his peers in terms of
learning phonics, especially vowelsounds.
L2 Proficiency(LAS/IPT/Other):
O:
R:
W:
SLA:
Student Processing:
Needs time to think things through – doesn’t
always give himself the proper time; other times
teacher doesn’t allow proper time.
Cognitive Dimension
Implications for Practice
I see him spending a lot of time building
relationships withpeers, sometimes in a
perceived attempt to gain social status. He tries
to impress his peers with his knowledge of
popular rap music or references and I’ve also
seen him flirting with girls, whereas I’ve
observed much fewer of these behaviors with
other students (specifically in the academic
setting only).He also seeks attention from
teachers oftenduring class. I think he might be
trying to make up for a lack of socialization at
home while he is at school. I get the feeling from
my conversations with him that schoolis a place
he tries to build strong relationships at. He
doesn’t speak fondly of home.
He wants to feel accepted and valued as a
learner in the classroom – it will be important to
find ways to include his voiceand engage him in
waysthat don’t take him off task. Maybeif he
feels like he’s a valuable part of the classroom
community instead of the constant problem, he
will want to participate more productively.
LearningStyle:
Does well when manipulating materials or
moving his body.
PriorAcademicExperiences:
Had positive experiences in Kindergarten with
math and science, which is why they are his
favoritesubjects now.He mentioned that he got
to do a lot of activities with his hands and
materials.
He has a timer that the teacher sets for10
minutes. He gets a star if he has stayed on task
for those 10 minutes. After fivestars he gets a 5-
minute break. I have not seen success with him
and the timer.
Have heard teacher reference him as having a
serious “behavior disorder.” I wonder how much
of this is “real” and how much of it is a
behavioral response to being constantly
monitored.

PreferredGrouping:
He is his most focused when he is 1-on-1 with a
teacher. Working with or around his peers is too
distracting.
Academic Dimension
State of Mind
I think that because the teacher is hyperaware of
his behavior it makes him less inclined to try in
school. Misbehavior is his norm. It’s difficultto
change something when it’s alwaysbeen that
way.
Other:
School Situated Biography Situated
Student 2:
Name: “Jake” Sociocultural Dimension
Born in Colorado Springs, movedhouses twice.
Lives with baby brother, sister who is 11, mom,
grandma, grandpa, aunt, and uncle.
Likes to play games on his Xbox- Spiderman,
Batman, COD, Lego.
Enjoysreading booksabout superheroes on his
own.
Has chores at home but he “really likes helping
out.”
Completes all his schoolworkby himself. “I don’t
know why,but I do everything by myself.”
Likes to follow the rules – gets noticeably
uncomfortable when others don’t.
Obedient, hardworking, and seems convincedof
his ownbrilliance – sometimes to his downfall.
Age:6
Grade:1st
CountryofOrigin:USA
Timein USA:6 years
L1: English
R: proficient
W: proficient
Valuing L1 & L2
Speaks English at home and has no knowledge
of other languages.
He’s good at getting his thoughts down on paper
and I see him making the common mistakes of
kids at this stage of English language
development.
L2 Proficiency(LAS/IPT/Other):
O:
R:
W:
SLA:
Student Processing:
Likes to give help to other students more than
Cognitive Dimension

he likes to receive it. Having concrete steps to complete will help
motivate him and give him pride as he
accomplishes each task.
Use his interest in reading and knackfor
comprehension to strengthen other areas.
Maybe more words for math instruction.
LearningStyle:
Seen a lot of success with visual processing –
especially related to reading and
comprehension.
Said that he wouldread on his own even if it
wasn’t a homeworkrequirement.
PreferredGrouping:
Works wellalone – self motivated. Can work
well in groups, though, due to his insistence on
followingrules.
Academic Dimension
State of Mind
I think it willbe important to let him know that
his obedience is appreciated, but also be
conscious of rewarding him forappropriate and
exceptional classroom engagement and work.
His identity seems to hinge on being praised and
making people in power proud, but this needs to
be more related to academics than it does
straight complacence.
Other:
Student 3:
Name: “Serenity” Sociocultural Dimension
She lives with her mom, dad, brother (whois 9),
grandpa, and a dog.
Moved froma hotel to a “blue house.” Shares a
room with her brother and sometimes has
trouble sleeping.
She gives both me and the teacher a lot of hugs.
Age:6
Grade:1st
CountryofOrigin:?
Timein USA:?
L1: Spanish
R:
W:
Valuing L1 & L2
I’m not sure of how much technicalfluency she
has in either language. She noted that it was
hard to be learning both at the same time. I
believe she speaks Spanish at home, but her
parents also help her with her homework so
they must also be bilingual.
I’ve observed that her writing skills are poor but
L2 Proficiency(LAS/IPT/Other):English
O:
R:
W:
SLA:

her reading seems better than her writing, even
if it is on a slightly lowerlevel than her peers
She takes her time and makes fewererrors, even
if she is slower.
Student Processing:
Does well when she has the space to take her
time. Workingwith another peer whois at a
similar level seems to help keep her engaged.
Cognitive Dimension
Pair her with other CLD students and encourage
them to include Spanish in their discussions if it
is helpful to contextualize information.
Make sure to have eye contactto be sure she is
listening.
LearningStyle:
She said she finds listening to the teacher the
most helpful.
Classified as SPED– no indication under what
category
PreferredGrouping:
She does well with other students, especially
when they are at her level. I find that when she
is workingin groups withstudents at varying
levels, she gets lost more easily.
Academic Dimension
State of Mind
I think school is a place where she feels glad to
be paid attention to. Because she is learning two
languages at the same time, she needs to feel
like she has the time to express herself fully and
effectively – this includes pausing to allow her
time to articulate her thoughts when she is
addressing the class or small group, forexample.
Other:
Student 4:
Name: Cheryl Sociocultural Dimension
Lives in a large family.Mom cleans houses and
dad, formerly in the army, is now in
construction.
Evictedand moved in with other family
members recently.
Unclear if she has 9 brothers and 3 sisters
related by bloodor if she has lumped some of
the cousins she is living within withthis total.
Age:6
Grade:1st
CountryofOrigin:Mexico
Timein USA:6 years
L1: Spanish
R:
W:
Valuing L1 & L2
Speaks Spanish at home with family. Baby sister
is only learning Spanish right now but she isL2 Proficiency(LAS/IPT/Other): English

O:
R:
W:
SLA:
trying to also teach her some English. Parents
are bilingual in English and Spanish.
Student Processing:
Has trouble comprehending what she has read
and articulating her thoughts in writing.
Does well working 1-on-1 with me but has little
self-awareness to checkherself as she goes.
Cognitive Dimension
Might need to be strategic about peer groupings
and abilities so that her partner/s willbe able to
help scaffoldthe learning.
LearningStyle:
Her preference is reading. If she is focused,I
have seen her do well whilereading.
PreferredGrouping:
Alone. Ihaven’t seen her be very successful
working in pairs or groups.
Academic Dimension
State of Mind
I think it’s important that she has access to quiet
spaces to workand learn because I don’t think
she has much of that at home. I haven’t seen her
really able to thrive in the classroom when it is
noisy and chaotic thus far.
Other:

Appendix D
Student Work Sample

References
Andersen, M. L. and Collins, P. H. (2004). Shifting the center. In M. L. Andersen & P. H.
Collins (Eds.) Race, class and gender: An anthology (pp. 14-22) Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Athanases, S. Z., Wahleithner, J. M., Bennett, L. H. (2012). Learning to attend to culturally and
linguistically diverse learners through teacher inquiry in teacher education. Teacher
College Record, 114(7), 1-50.
Brock, C. H., Goatley, V. J., Raphael, T. E., Trost-Shahata, E., & Weber, C. M. (2014).
Engaging students in disciplinary literacy, k-6: Reading, writing, and teaching tools for
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