Chpt 3: CulturallyResponsive Teaching in Diverse Classrooms Diversity Technology Project RDG 3533 R. Stortz

Weebly Site Your Weebly site should contain the following sections each labeled with the appropriate heading:  Freewrite one paragraph defining yourself (Slide 3).  Most Important book poem (Slide 4)  Responses to Discourse questions from Slides 9 and 10  Response to Angelou poem (Slide 11)  Response to Slide 12 about the science class  Activity for last slide (Slide 15)

Freewrite (Tab on Weebly)  How do you define yourself? Write a paragraph defining yourself. Using what you write in the paragraph, create a poem about yourself using the format found in the picture book entitled The Important Book. The format is on the next slide.

The Important Book Format Example The important thing about an apple is that it is round. It is red. You bite it, and it’s white inside, And the juice splashes in your face, And it tastes like an apple. But the important thing about an apple is that is round.

Think about the following questions (no writing):  How do we define any one person?  What does an average classroom look like in terms of cultural and linguistic diversity?  Is there diversity in literacy among students with special needs?  Is there diversity in literacy among English language learners?

Biker Bar Scenario  Imagine I park my motorcycle, enter my neighborhood “biker bar,” and say to my leather-jacketed and tattooed drinking buddy, as I sit down: “Might I have a match for my cigarette, please?”  What’s unusual with this response?

Biker Bar Scenario (cont.) Now imagine I say a more appropriate statement (“Gotta match?” or “Give me a light, would ya?”), but while I am saying it, I carefully wipe off the bar stool with a napkin to avoid getting my newly pressed designer jeans dirty.

 This scenario is an example of Discourse— ways of speaking, thinking, and behaving in the world. Discourses operate as ways of integrating and separating individuals and groups.

Answer the following questions in a separate tab on your Weebly site:  What are some Discourses in which you claim ownership?  How would others recognize you as a member of these Discourses?  Do you change your way of speaking, thinking, and behaving when you move from one Discourse to another? Why?  What connections can you make between the example of the Discourse of the biker bar and the Discourses you are apt to find in various school settings?

Dialect and Reading Comprehension  How does dialect have an impact on reading comprehension?  Read pp in Vacca et al. to answer this question. Add your response to the Discourse section of your Weebly.

Gendered language in the classroom and the text (Tab on Weebly site) Read the poem Phenomenal Woman by May Angelou found on my Weebly page. Then respond to the following prompts: 1. Consider what message Maya Angelou is conveying. 2. What instructional practices can ensure the texts you use encompass all genders? 3. How can this poem reflect inclusive practices?

Explain how you would teach photosynthesis to your class. (Tab on Weebly site) Imagine that you are a science teacher. You have a class of 25 students. Five of these students are Hispanic. They speak English with varying degrees of fluency and their English reading and writing skills are minimal. Today’s lesson is on photosynthesis. Your textbook contains a good description of ways to do this.

Guidelines for Effective Literacy Instruction of Adolescent English Language Learners  Know the learner  Provide continued instruction in native language  Peer tutoring in primary language  Use small group instruction with native English speakers  Use cooperative learning techniques  Integrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking in content area learning  Use culturally relevant and familiar texts  Use instructional level texts

More Guidelines  Provide explicit strategy instruction  Allow self-selected independent reading  Teach process writing approaches  Allow students to write before speaking out  Use Word walls  Use Repetitive talk  Bridge home and school

Final Activity (tab on Weebly) Complete one of the following activities: 1. Discuss how you would apply the seven characteristics of culturally responsive teaching and learning listed on pp to a lesson in your content area. 2. Write an explanation for each of the following:  Sheltered instruction  SIOP Model  Difference between bilingual classrooms and ESL programs 3. Tell how you might use the strategies described on pp in your content area.