1. Ensuring a smooth transition for ELL students from the Mexican culture
1.1. Who can help?
1.1.1. Classroom teacher
1.1.2. Staff members
1.1.3. Translators (fellow students or staff)
1.2. What can be done?
1.2.1. Research Mexican culture, the Spanish language, customs, traditions, and holidays. Become familiar with significant holidays, like the Day of the Dead, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Revolution Day, Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc. These days are a good opportunity to invite the ELL student, and/or family members, to share with the class. It would make a great social studies lesson.
1.2.2. Get to know the family by scheduling a meeting. Have a translator present, if needed. Talk about the family's culture and customs. Ask if they'd be interested in coming in to educate the class about special Mexican holidays and/or traditions. Have books in the classroom that teach about the Mexican culture. Ask the family about any challenges the student may face. Learn their preferred communication method so the lines of communication stay open. Most of all, make them feel welcome and comfortable.
1.2.3. In class, talk slowly and maintain eye contact. You can tell a lot by a person's facial expressions, so watch the ELL student closely to see if they seem to be understanding the material being presented.
1.2.4. Include visuals and hands-on activities. This is not only good for the ELL student, but for all students. For the Spanish-speaking student, visuals and hands-on lessons will help bridge a gap where a language barrier exists.
1.2.5. Have a network of translators to call upon if the need arises. Translators could be fellow students who speak both English and Spanish. They could also be fellow staff members.
1.2.6. Be patient so that the ELL student isn't afraid to try. Being patient will lead to a relationship built on trust and respect. The ELL student will be more comfortable asking for help, which is necessary for success.
1.2.7. Have students work in small groups. To make the ELL student feel comfortable, include a student in the group that speaks both English and Spanish to act as a translator.
1.2.8. Use of a Spanish to English/English to Spanish translating website and/or software when translators aren't immediately available.
1.2.9. Make sure that transportation arrangements to/from school are very clear to avoid any issues. Be sure these arrangements are included in sub plans.
1.3. Where should ELL students be supported?
1.3.1. In the classroom, when students go to their specials classes (PE, computers, science, and performing arts), lunch, and recess. Talk to the specials teachers, paraprofessionals, and aides to be sure that the student is comfortable and has a translator available. Again, this translator could be a student "buddy" who can speak both English and Spanish. Provide staff members with a network of translators to call upon if the need arises. Be sure specials teachers, aides, and paraprofessionals know the unique needs of the ELL student. The goal is to make the ELL student feel comfortable everywhere.
1.4. When should ELL students be supported?
1.4.1. To ensure success, the ELL student must be made to feel welcome, comfortable, and supported at all times. Communication with family must be ongoing. Communication with ESL and/or special education teachers must be constant to discuss the student's challenges and how to address them in the general education classroom. Sensitively should be given to the immigration status of the family (if known) to track the effects it has on the child. In Arizona, there is a good possibility that some Spanish-speaking ELL students may have parents or extended family who are not legal residents. This may cause fear for ELL students if they hear talk of deportation. Educators must be mindful and sensitive to these fears at all times.
1.5. Why should ELL students be supported?
1.5.1. Because they are children with great potential. It is the duty of educators to educate all children, including those who may not speak the English language. While this poses challenges, it is a great opportunity to incorporate differentiated instruction into the classroom. By including more visuals, hands-on activities, etc., you will be helping more than just the ELL student. By having students work collaboratively, they will build problem-solving and leadership skills. ELL students will enrich the classroom by teaching others about their culture, language, customs, and traditions. Learning about a student's culture is a wonderful addition to a teacher's social studies curriculum. Teachers must remember that, despite there being varying feelings on undocumented immigration, children should not be treated any differently. Our goal should be to help ELL students become productive members of society. This will benefit our country in the long-run.
1.6. How will support be accomplished?
1.6.1. It must be a coordinated effort between teachers, staff members, and family. School staff must create a welcoming environment and build relationships based on trust. Family must be kept in the loop via a communication method that is best for them. Educators and the ELL student's family must realize that differences exist between the English and Spanish languages, as well as Mexican and American cultures. The key is education, being patient, and working through struggles together as they arise.
2. Ensuring a smooth transition for ELL students from the Vietnamese culture
2.1. Who can help?
2.1.1. Classroom teacher
2.1.2. Staff members
2.1.3. Translators (fellow students or staff)
2.1.4. Community members familiar with the Vietnamese culture and language. Because it is uncommon in southern Arizona, teachers and staff need to be resourceful and reach out to those in the community who may be familiar.
2.2. What can be done?
2.2.1. Research Vietnamese culture, the language of Vietnamese, customs, traditions, and holidays. Become familiar with significant holidays, like the Vietnamese New Year (TET), Mid-Autumn Festival (a celebration of harvest time and family), etc. These days are a good opportunity to invite the ELL student, and/or family members, to share with the class. The Mid-Autumn Festival is held in the fall and involves the displaying of lanterns. A fun activity for the class might be to make lanterns and display them in the classroom.
2.2.2. Get to know the family by scheduling a meeting. Because Vietnamese is not widely spoken in southern Arizona, a translator may need to be present. This could be a family member of the ELL student, a staff member who happens to speak both English and Vietnamese, or a community member who speaks both English and Vietnamese. Talk about the family's culture and customs. Ask if they'd be interested in coming in to educate the class about special Vietnamese holidays and/or traditions. Of special interest to students might be the differences in courtesies between the cultures. For example, to speak too loudly and with excessive gestures is considered rude in the Vietnamese culture. Learning some of these differences may alleviate confusion and disagreements. Have books in the classroom that teach about the Vietnamese culture. Ask the family about any challenges the student may face. Learn their preferred communication method so the lines of communication stay open. Most of all, make them feel welcome and comfortable.
2.2.3. In class, talk slowly and maintain eye contact. You can tell a lot by a person's facial expressions, so watch the ELL student closely to see if they seem to be understanding the material being presented.
2.2.4. Include visuals and hands-on activities. This is not only good for the ELL student, but for all students. For the Vietnamese-speaking student, visuals and hands-on lessons will help bridge a gap where a language barrier exists.
2.2.5. Have a network of translators to call upon if the need arises. This could be challenging since Vietnamese is not as widely spoken as other languages, like Spanish. Talk to the family about people in the community who may be able assist. Also, research online translation programs and/or software that could assist when translators aren't available. Talk to the family about their recommendations.
2.2.6. Be patient so that the ELL student isn't afraid to try. Being patient will lead to a relationship built on trust and respect. The ELL student will be more comfortable asking for help, which is necessary for success.
2.2.7. Have students work in small groups. To make the ELL student feel comfortable, have a translator on hand (if available). This will be culturally enriching for both the ELL student and non-ELL students.
2.2.8. Make sure that transportation arrangements to/from school are very clear to avoid any issues. Be sure these arrangements are included in sub plans.
2.3. Where should ELL students be supported?
2.3.1. In the classroom, when students go to their specials classes (PE, computers, science, and performing arts), lunch, and recess. Talk to the specials teachers, paraprofessionals, and aides to be sure that the student is comfortable and has a translator available if possible. Be sure that staff members have access to Vietnamese to English/English to Vietnamese translation websites and/or software in case translators aren't available. Be sure they know the unique needs of the ELL student. The goal is to make the ELL student feel comfortable everywhere.
2.4. When should ELL students be supported?
2.4.1. To ensure success, the ELL student must be made to feel welcome, comfortable, and supported at all times. Communication with family must be ongoing. Communication with ESL and/or special education teachers must be constant to discuss the student's challenges and how to address them in the general education classroom. Sensitively should be given to the immigration status of the family (if known) to track the effects it has on the child. Educators must be mindful that every family's circumstances are unique, and that all students and families should be treated with concern and respect.
2.5. Why should ELL students be supported?
2.5.1. Because they are children with great potential. It is the duty of educators to educate all children, including those who may not speak the English language. While this poses challenges, it is a great opportunity to incorporate differentiated instruction into the classroom. By including more visuals, hands-on activities, etc., you will be helping more than just the ELL student. By having students work collaboratively, they will build problem-solving and leadership skills. ELL students will enrich the classroom by teaching others about their culture, language, customs, and traditions. Learning about a student's culture is a wonderful addition to a teacher's social studies curriculum. The goal of educators should be to help ELL students become productive members of society. This will benefit our country in the long-run.
2.6. How with support be accomplished?
2.6.1. It must be a coordinated effort between teachers, staff members, family, and community. School staff must create a welcoming environment and build relationships based on trust. Family must be kept in the loop via a communication method that is best for them. Educators and the ELL student's family must understand and respect that many differences exist between the English and Vietnamese languages, as well as Vietnamese and American cultures. That is why family involvement is so important and enriching. Because the Vietnamese culture and language is fairly uncommon, community resources should be researched and called upon to assist.