10-05-18

Culturally and
Linguistically
Diverse Students
CHAPTER 5: CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE
INSTRUCTION
Since 1980, the number of children in school speak
a language other than English at home has Mathematical Connections
increased from 4.7 million to 11.2 million.
You want to make sure that your students can see
mathematical ideas that they can understand and
relate to. When working with any section in math
they can make meaningful connections between
Lesson Considerations: the subjects they are learning about. For example,
when working with addition and multiplication.
- Build Background
Context Connections

- Use Comprehensible Input Is it important for students to be able to relate

- Engage Students in Discourse That
Reflects Language Needs
- Plan Cooperative/Interdependent
Groups to Support Language
content to real world. One way to help them is by
allowing them to communicate in class. By allowing
them to communicate students are more open
about learning. Communicating using cards or
different hand-held items is a great way to motivate
students to want to communicate in class.
Focus on Academic Language

By valuing the student’s native language and

allowing them to use it at times during a lesson
helps them to see that you value their culture.
When having students discuss questions you can
have them partner with someone of the same
native language and allow them to work together in
their native language. Using visual aids and
pictures to communicate with the students allows
them to see what you are discussing, which helps
with comprehension. Lastly, you must focus on
teaching vocabulary they do not know. By focusing
on the vocabulary in the content, it allows them to
comprehend the content you are discussing.
 10-05-18

Assessment
Considerations
STRATEGIES:
Select Tasks with Multiple Entry and Exit Points Provide Accommodations

When students are shown different ways to solve a
problem, they have a better time understanding the
problem. They might even come up with their own
way of solving a problem that helps them to be able
to solve the problem on their own.
Refers to the strategies you use to make sure that
the assessments given to your students is
understandable. Examples of these types of
accommodations would be to ask the questions out
loud so that the students can hear the questions.
Another way to accommodate would be to have
shorten the assessment given or allow the students
more time.

Incorporate Self-Assessment

Using self-assessment allows the students to see

where they can improve. They can monitor their
work and see what areas they need improvement
in. After a lesson, or quiz, talk to your students
about what they thought. See if they have any
questions that still need to be answered.

Use Diagnostic Interviews

Before drawing conclusions on what your students

can and cannot do, it is important to observe
whether the student is struggling with the content
or if it’s the language that is causing the problem.

Limit Linguistic Load

When you are trying to see what your students

understand and do not understand, you have to be
careful of the vocabulary you use. Some
vocabulary may interfere with the students
understanding.