Students With Linguistics And Cultural Differences

Chapter 14

Students with Linguistics and Cultural Differences

Presenters Ercilia Delancer and Kayley DeLorm 

Students with Linguistics and Cultural Differences Are those who: Speak standard English Speak non-standard English Are bilingual Speak no English at all 

Newcomers to the U.S. include: Asians Latinos/Hispanics Pacific Islanders Middle Easterners Africans East Indians Europeans 

Where do most of them settle? In major port cities in states such as: New York California Florida Texas 

Are not all newcomers alike? Newcomers are quite different in terms of

social economic status as some come from professional backgrounds and have high earning potential while others come from impoverish backgrounds and live at or near the poverty line.

How many English Language Learners do we have in our classrooms? There are about 5 million ELL students in the

United States. 42% of all classroom contain at least one ELL student. The largest percentage of ELL is of Latino/Hispanic descent.

All Latino/Hispanic Students are the Same A common misconception among teachers is

that all Latino/Hispanic students share the same Spanish language use, culture and social economic status. Students from Mexico, Central and South America differ significantly in all of these aspects. 

Concerns about ELL Insufficient time is devoted exclusively to

expanding knowledge of English vocabulary and structure. Ignorance about the student’s rich knowledge of their first language Disregard for bilingualism as students struggle to retain their first language while acquiring English.

Approaches for Teaching ELL Immersion – English only instruction Sheltered approach – First language instruction

at first while acquiring English. Two-way bilingual – Instruction in both English and the first language for the entire classroom. Bilingual – Instruction in both first language and English for ELLs only.

At-Risk Students Physical Impairments Emotional Disturbances Drug Abuse Often from Urban or Rural Areas

Successful Students… Are read aloud to by older siblings Come from homes with fair discipline Have a home full of books Come from an organized home Have parents who keep up with current events Have parents who read Have parents who value education Have parents who show an interest in their

children and their children’s interests P.470

School Related Problems Low- Expectations Unavailable Resources (books, tutors, etc.) Lack of help programs

Success for All 2 parts: Regular classroom reading and

tutoring Students grouped according to reading level Small group instruction (15 students) Uses basal reading material along with other material Progress checked every 8 weeks PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT!

Goal of Success for All? This program tries to ensure that all students

learn to read the first time they are taught Used in grades 1-3

America Reads Tutoring program for at-risk students Pairs at-risk students with college students on

government money

Illiteracy and Functional Illiteracy Illiterate: an individual who lacks the ability to

read and write (p.476) Functional Illiterate: older youths and adults who read, but to such a limited extent that they cannot understand basic written information needed to function in their daily life (p.476) 

How many people in the U.S. are Illiterate? 4% of U.S population (estimate) illiterate 5% of U.S population (estimate) functionally

illiterate 

How do we Determine Illiteracy? Reading Level….

eh Grade Completed….  eh Skills Mastered….  hmmm 

How to teach an adult to read Organic Primers Song lyrics Poetry Important! “Reading strategies advocated

throughout this book are appropriate for adult clients. While suitable materials may be different in format and content, adults must still learn to identify unknown words and comprehended the message.” (p.480)

The Important Stuff Job applications 