Aubrey Brammar Southall, Ed.S.

Ph.D. Candidate
Georgia State University
Aubrey.Southall@gmail.com
K-12 Culturally Relevant ESOL Social Studies Connections
Elementary School
Kindergarten
SSKH1 The student will identify the purpose of national holidays and describe the people or events celebrated.

Students can share their home country/parents home country national holidays.

SSKH2 The student will identify important American symbols and explain their meaning.

Students can share symbols from their home country/ parents home country.

SSKG1 The student will describe American culture by explaining diverse community and family celebrations and customs.

Students can all share individual cultures, celebrations and customs.

First Grade
SS1H2 The student will read or listen to American folktales and explain how they characterize our national heritage. The study will
include John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan, and Annie Oakley.

Students can share folktales from their home country/parents home country.

SS1G3 The student will locate major topographical features of the earths surface.

Students can share the continent of their home country/parents home country and landforms found there.

SS1CG2 The student will explain the meaning of the patriotic words to America (My Country Tis of Thee) and America the Beautiful.

Students can share patriotic songs from their home country/parents home country.

Second Grade
SS2G1 The student will locate major topographical features of Georgia and will describe how these features define Georgias surface.

Students can compare and contrast the topographical features of Georgia to their home country/parents home country.

SS2CG2 The student will identify the roles of the following elected officials: a. President (leader of our nation) b. Governor (leader of
our state) c. Mayor (leader of a city)

Students can compare and contrast elected officials in the United States to government officials in their home
country/parents home country.

Third Grade
SS3H2 The student will discuss the lives of Americans who expanded peoples rights and freedoms in a democracy.

Teachers can incorporate culturally relevant biographies into classroom instruction to help all students seem themselves in
the curriculum.

SS3G1 The student will locate major topographical features.

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Students can locate their home country/parents home country and show to other students in the classroom.

SS3CG1 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that provide the foundation of a republican form of
government.

Students can compare and contrast their home country/parents home countrys government with the United States
government.

Fourth Grade
SS4H4 The student will explain the causes, events, and results of the American Revolution.

Students can study if their home country/parents home country was ever a colony or is currently a colony.

SS4CG3 The student will describe the functions of government.

Students can describe how government functions in their home country/parents home country.

Fifth Grade
SS5H4 The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was involved in/ affected by WWI.

SS5H5 The student will explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of Americans.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was affected by the Great Depression.

SS5H6 The student will explain the reasons for Americas involvement in World War II.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was involved in/ affected by WWII.

SS5H7 The student will discuss the origins and consequences of the Cold War.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was affected by the Cold War.

SS5CG1 The student will explain how a citizens rights are protected under the U.S. Constitution.

Students can compare and contrast the governing law for their home country/parents home country and the Constitution.

Middle School
Sixth Grade
The sixth grade curriculum lends itself to tying in various cultures. The areas of study are: Latin America, Canada, Europe, and
Australia.
If the home country of my students is not included in the areas of study, I weave it in throughout the year. I often do this through
primary source readings, visuals, and compare and contrast activities.
Seventh Grade
The seventh grade curriculum lends itself to tying in various cultures. The areas of study are: Africa, Southwest Asia, Southern Asia,
and Eastern Asia.
If the home country of my students is not included in the areas of study, I weave it in throughout the year. I often do this through
primary source readings, visuals, and compare and contrast activities.
Eighth Grade
SS8H3 The student will analyze the role of Georgia in the American Revolution.

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Students can study if their home country/parents home country was ever a colony or is currently a colony.

SS8H4 The student will describe the impact of events that led to the ratification of the United States Constitution and
the Bill of Rights.

Students can compare and contrast the governing law for their home country/parents home country and the Constitution.

SS8H8 The student will analyze the important events that occurred after World War I and their impact on Georgia.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was involved in/ affected by WWI.

S8H9 The student will describe the impact of World War II on Georgias development economically, socially, and
politically.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was involved in/ affected by WWII.

SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement.

Students can also study Cesar Chavez, Sylvia Mendez, and Dolores Huerta.

SS8CG6 The student will explain how the Georgia court system treats juvenile offenders.

Students can study how their home country/parents home country treats juvenile offenders.

High School
American Government/Civics
My approach to these standards is on global citizenship, service to school, comparing and contrasting different forms of
government. Additionally, we focused on natural rights. This approach worked well in my own sheltered (ESOL only) government
class. My students still studied information in the standards, but we looked at it from a wider view and incorporated their working
knowledge of their home country backgrounds.
World Geography
The nature of World Geography and the study of every major region of the world allows teachers countless opportunities to bring in
students home culture.
World History
The nature of the course focuses on major regions of the world. My approach to this course is to also include the history of students
countries that was not present in the standards. I would weave the content in throughout the year. I also had students complete
projects on their home countries as well. Many of my high school students in my sheltered World History classes had a lot of
background information from previous school experiences to share about their home countrys history.
Economics
SSEIN1 The student will explain why individuals, businesses, and governments trade goods and services.

Students can discuss their home country/parents home country trade agreements.

SSEIN2 The student will explain why countries sometimes erect trade barriers and sometimes advocate free trade.

Students can discuss their home country/parents home country trade barriers/ advocate for free trade.

SSEIN3 The student will explain how changes in exchange rates can have an impact on the purchasing power of individuals in the
United States and in other countries.

Students can research exchange rates between their home country/ parents home in relation to the United States and
other students countries represented in the class.

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United States History

SSUSH1 The student will describe European settlement in North America during the 17th century.

Students can study why Europeans originally came to North America and compare that with why people come to North
America today.

SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.

Students can study if their home country/parents home country was ever a colony or is currently a colony.

SSUSH5 The student will explain specific events and key ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United
States Constitution.

Students can compare and contrast the governing law for their home country/parents home country and the Constitution.

SSUSH7 Students will explain the process of economic growth, its regional and national impact in the first half of the 19th century,
and the different responses to it.

I also include Adelina Otero-Warren one of the women who fought for women to get the right to vote.

SSUSH8 The student will explain the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward expansion.

The Mexican-American War is a substandard here. I focused on how the size of Mexico was reduced during this war and we
had class discussions about the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.

SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial growth.

Ellis Island is a substandard. I use this to study why people came and come to the United States. We do compare and
contrast activities.

SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era.

Jane Addams is substandard here. I focused on her and her interactions with newly arrived immigrants. We studied the Hull
House and its purposes.

SSUSH14 The student will explain Americas evolving relationship with the world at the turn of the twentieth century.

The Chinese- Exclusion Act is a substandard here. While the act of excluding someone based on race is not something to be
proud of, it is also not something to be taught quickly. I use this standard as a starting point to discuss rights students have
been given or maybe rights they feel like have been taken away.

SSUSH15 The student will analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was involved in/ affected by WWII.

SSUSH17 The student will analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was affected by the Great Depression.

SSUSH20 The student will analyze the domestic and international impact of the Cold War on the United States.

Students can learn if their home country/parents home country was affected by the Cold War.

SSUSH22 The student will identify dimensions of the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1970.

Students can also discuss Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

Students can discuss Civil Rights for English language learners and the court cases associated with them.

SSUSH24 The student will analyze the impact of social change movements and organizations of the 1960s.

Cesar Chavez is a substandard here and can be discussed in detail.

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