Get Ready! Soar - PROGRAM SAMPLER

English Learners (ELs) represent a diverse group of children, and their home languages are interwoven with their cultural backgrounds . Educators can capitalize upon the robust canvas of knowledge students possess . This is referred to as their “funds of knowledge” (Moll, et al ., 2013) . Through this lens, students’ backgrounds are viewed as rich sources of information that can be built upon to make instruction meaningful, relevant, and culturally responsive (Llopart & Esteban-Guitart, 2018) . Culturally responsive teaching is a student-centered approach that includes children’s cultural references in all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings, 1994) . One of the goals of culturally responsive teaching is to ensure that students have the skills, attitudes, and knowledge to function within the cultures of their communities and across other cultures (Banks, 2008) . As newcomers, children must learn to navigate a complex path as they acculturate . Newcomers go through many sociocultural experiences, including consciously identifying and understanding traditional American values . Get Ready! includes many features that stimulate cultural inclusivity . Lessons begin with an Essential Question that activates prior knowledge . It also alerts teachers to what students need to access the lesson . The Teacher’s Edition and Student Book include overt cultural connections that link students’ cultures to mainstream US culture . Students are invited to discuss areas of cultural dissonance or affirmation . In addition, Culture Notes in the Teacher’s Edition provide background information to teachers about potential areas of cross-cultural miscommunication . Additionally, studies suggest that students who retain home languages while learning English have significant advantages (Barac & Bialystok, 2012) . Therefore, the Teacher’s Edition often encourages students’ metalinguistic awareness through students working in home-language pairs, alternating between home language and English . References Banks, J . A . (2008) . An Introduction to Multicultural Education. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc . Barac, R . & Bialystok, E . (2012) . Bilingual effects on cognitive and linguistic development: role of language, cultural background, and education . Child Development, 83:2, 413–422 . Ladson-Billings, G . (1994) . The Dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co . Llopart, M . & Esteban-Guitart, M . (2018) . Funds of knowledge in 21st century societies: inclusive educational practices for under-represented students . A literature review, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 50:2, 145–161 . Moll, L . C ., Soto-Santiago, S . L ., & Schwartz, L . (2013) . Funds of knowledge in changing communities . International Handbook of Research on Children’s Literacy, Learning, and Culture, 172–183 . Get Ready! in your classroom • Attend to the questions posed at the outset of the unit and the Essential Question at the start of the lesson’s activities . Have students think about what they know and how they connect to the topic . Revisit the Essential Question at the end of the lesson when there are relevant cultural connections . • Have students draw from their life experiences when engaging in the unit activities . Incorporate home culture and knowledge to develop feelings of trust and classroom community . • When students engage in unit activities that include culture, have them notice and discuss it . Ensure respect for all viewpoints in the classroom . • Document examples of expanding cultural knowledge . Ensure that the classroom reflects students’ growing body of knowledge . Develop collections of multicultural resources . • Encourage students’ metalinguistic awareness by allowing extra processing time to plan responses in both home language and English . Encourage students to work with other students who share the same home language . Txv CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING