Culturally Diverse Student1st grader, Sam (pseudo)New MexicoKendra Wright

Student OverviewAge: 71st gradeFemaleBilingual – Navajo and English

Home LifeBilingual Navajo/English spoke at

homeLow income familySeparated parents/step parentsOne younger sibling with motherTwo older siblings with dad

AcademicsLow reading skills and abilityLow writing abilityMedium math skills and abilityBroken English skills

Sam’s broken English skills affect her reading and writing skills.

Funds of KnowledgeLanguageBilingual language skills – Navajo

and EnglishNavajo spoken in her homeIntroduces class to culture and

heritage◦Sam’s mother participated in Native

American Day, teaching students how to say some words in Navajo.

Funds of KnowledgeCulturalCelebrations

◦Sam shares about the “parade” and pow wow dances with the class through her writing.

Language◦Sam shares with classmates how to say

the names of objects in Navajo.Traditions

◦Sam shares cultural traditions with the class, such as sand paintings, games, and ceremonies.

Funds of KnowledgeFamilyFamily traditions

◦Attend ceremonies◦Participate in dances and the parade◦Cooking family recipes◦Create sand paintings with family

members are ill◦Plays games with siblings, cousins,

and parents

Funds of KnowledgeExperiencesLearn traditional dancesParticipate in bilingual class

◦ Speaks fluent Navajo◦Participates in discussions in

bilingual classCan teach others how to play

games and discuss how to sheer sheep for wool weaving

Funds of KnowledgePracticalUse sheep wool to show how to

weave◦Able to carry on family traditions and

life skillsTeach and play games with

others◦Social skills, share language

Can tell stories through storytelling◦Share cultural stories and practice

language skills

Strengths and ChallengesLanguage barrier

◦Affects reading and writingAble to contribute to class

discussionsWhen considering CCSS, our

school lacks the support of specialists to help ELL students

TESOL endorsement is required by all teachers in my district

Parent InvolvementParent involvement in our

classroom◦Volunteers to help bilingual Navajo

students during reading and writing◦Volunteers to assist with Native

American Day activitiesField trip volunteer

Challenges with CCSSStandards do not “define the full

range of supports appropriate for English language learners and for students with special needs (Yanoff et. al, 2014).”

Standards do not define a student’s reading success as much as how we see ourselves as readers (Abodeeb-Gentile & Zawilinski, 2013).

ReferencesYanoff, E., LaDuke, A., & Lindner, M.

(2014). Common Core Standards, Professional Texts, and Diverse Learners: A Qualitative Content Analysis. Language And Literacy Spectrum, 247-27.

Abodeeb-Gentile, T., & Zawilinski, L. (2013). Reader Identity and the Common Core: Agency and Identity in Leveled Reading.Language And Literacy Spectrum, 2334-45.