While it is important to examine the degree to which parents are involved in children’s education, it is essential to also look at how parents are involved. Another salient barrier to family engagement is that, based on their own experiences or cultural backgrounds, many parents feel uncomfortable visiting and doing business in schools1.
1. Harris and Goodall, 2007; Russell and Granville, 2005
Activities
Family volunteers
Suggested procedures:
1. Talk with your administrators and find out school regulations for parent visitations and volunteering.
2. Based on this information, design a clear plan to recruit family volunteers in your classroom.
3. At Open House, explain the importance of a strong school and home connection, and talk about your goals of creating a strong bond between school and home by incorporating parent volunteers. Discuss the kinds of volunteers or roles that you have in mind.
4. Survey families to find out how they are interested in being involved or provide a survey at Open House. Make sure to include various types of activities that demand different skills and also provide for opportunities for parents to be involved during and after school hours. Go to the resources page to see samples of surveys and volunteer schedules.
5. You may want to designate a family member who will be “room family representative.”
6. Create a system for families to volunteer. Be prepared so that the volunteers have a clear sense of the goal, the materials they need, the space to do their work, and a realistic amount of time to complete the task. Always have additional tasks ready in which parents can engage. See the resources section to learn more about why this is important.
7. Remember to be careful with confidentiality laws. For example, you should avoid having family members grade your students’ papers or enter grades into your data sheet. Check with colleagues and administrators to make sure you are following privacy and confidentiality laws and policies.
8. Read this imaginary situation between two teachers discussing the school’s endeavors to strengthen school and family partnerships by recruiting more family volunteers into the classroom. Think about how you welcome volunteers into your classroom. What are some other strategies you can try?
10. Now that you’ve read and discussed other strategies that you might try, look over the AFFECT team’s analysis and suggestions: Parent Volunteer Situation reflection
The following video is an example of a teacher calling a parent at the beginning of the school year to introduce herself and ask how the parent might want to be involved in the classroom. The scenario takes place at the beginning of the school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. After watching the video, identify which of the following skills the teacher demonstrates: active listening, questioning, clarifying, finding common ground, reflecting, summarizing, and making concrete plans for next steps.
What did the teacher do well? What might the teacher improve upon? How might you as a teacher use this example in planning how you will invite families into your classroom?
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
Standard #8: Instructional Strategies
8(n) The teacher knows how to use a wide variety of resources, including human and technological, to engage students in learning.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
1. “How to Increase Parental Involvement with Connection” at https://www.waterford.org/education/increase-parental-involvement-with-connection/
2. National Parent Teacher Association at https://www.pta.org
3. “5 Tips for Engaging Parent Volunteers in the Classroom” at https://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-for-engaging-parent-volunteers-karen-bantuveris
4. “Making the Most of Parent Volunteers” at https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/making-most-parent-volunteers/
5. Greenwood, G. E., & Hickman, C. W. (1991). Research and practice in parent involvement: Implications for teacher education. The Elementary School Journal, 91(3),279-288.
6. Hara, S. R., & Burke, D. J. (1998). Parent involvement: The key to improved student achievement. School Community Journal, 8(2), 219-228.
Open class
Suggested procedures:
1. Talk to your administrator about having one or two days in the school year in which you invite family members to visit your classroom during designated times to observe a typical day in the school life of their child, e.g. during Math, Language Arts, or content subjects. Set aside blocks of time; preferable to have the caregiver sign up for a designated time so that you can space out times without too many adults in the class at one time. Be aware that some family members may not be able to commit to a day/time ahead of time. Have an area in the back of the class where the adult can comfortably sit and watch the goings on of the classroom. Also, allow for periods of time for the family member to interact with his/her child and get to know the classroom. Additionally, you may have tasks built into the lesson in which the adults can participate (e.g. read aloud, partner read, peer tutoring, two-way information gap, etc.).
2. Make sure to communicate this event through a classroom newsletter, family letter, or weekly informational bulletin. Clearly explain its purpose, present the schedule with sign up times, and length of time the family member can stay. Motivate and encourage attendance.
3. Try to show a typical instructional day. Schedule family members for instructional subject areas such as Math and Language Arts. Don’t show a movie. Demonstrate how you’re teaching, in what ways students are engaged, and how they’re applying the content.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
3(q) The teacher seeks to foster respectful communication among all members of the learning community.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
1. National Education Association at http://www.nea.org
2. Casel (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) at https://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PDF-9-school-family-partnership-strategies-to-enhance-childrens-social-emotional-and-academic-growth.pdf
Extra-curricular activities
Suggested procedures:
1. Work with your classmates, professor, and mentor teacher (students and family members) to determine which activities might be more suitable for a series of family extra curricular activities.
2. Based on needs, resources, and feasibility, choose some extra curricular activities that can be implemented with students and families. Some ideas are:
- Family games night (family games should be focused , for example, on language arts or math)
- Garden club
- Family literacy night
- Family cooking and tasting night
- Family crafts night
3. Implement the extra curricular activities and assess their impact. Was it beneficial for the families, teachers and students? What could be improved?
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(e) The teacher understands that each learner’s cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development influences learning and knows how to make instructional decisions that build on learners’ strengths and needs.
1(f) The teacher identifies readiness for learning, and understands how development in any one area may affect performance in others.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(a) The teacher designs, adapts, and delivers instruction to address each student’s diverse learning strengths and needs and creates opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning in different ways.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
Standard #5: Application of Content
5(s) The teacher values flexible learning environments that encourage learner exploration, discovery, and expression across content areas.
Standard #8: Instructional Strategies
8(d) The teacher varies his/her role in the instructional process (e.g., instructor, facilitator, coach, audience) in relation to the content and purposes of instruction and the needs of learners.
8(e) The teacher provides multiple models and representations of concepts and skills with opportunities for learners to demonstrate their knowledge through a variety of products and performances.
1. After-school All-stars Hawaii offers extracurricular activities for low-income, at-risk students in various middle schools across the State. http://asashawaii.org
2. After-School Programs in Public Elementary Schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2009). This 55-page booklet describes statistics related to number of public schools reporting after school programs, student enrollment in these programs, the number of activities offered, etc. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009043.pdf
3. Hawaii Afterschool Alliance at https://www.hawaiiafterschoolalliance.org
3. McKenzie, T. L., & Kahan, D. (2008). Physical activity, public health, and elementary schools. The Elementary School Journal, 108(3), 171-180.
4. Mahoney, J. L., Parente, M. E., & Lord, H. (2007). The Elementary School Journal, 107(4), 385-404.
Tutoring programs
Suggested procedures:
1. Talk to your colleagues, administration, and PTA about organizing a tutoring program.
2. Survey and gather information on the needs of the students.
3. Find out the availability of tutors and classroom space, days/times, and transportation needs. Funds may be available through Title I or Title III funds or other grants. You may also be able to collaborate with a community organization to offer these services.
4. Think about the focus of the tutoring program. Here are some ideas:
- Mathematics. For example, specific topics such as adding two to three digits, learning of skills such as steps to solve word problems, or clarification of concepts such as patterns.
- Reading. For example, specific skills such as decoding strategies, working on specific literacy aspects such as enhancing reading fluency, or supporting the development of basic literacy skills.
- English Language Learning. This could include language skills for school and everyday life, information about ways to effectively participate in the classroom and interact with teachers, support in school subjects, and building literacy skills.
- Subject-specific support. In this case, the tutoring would be organized around the subject areas.
- Study habits. In this approach, students and families learn about how to enhance and support students’ study habits.
5. You may also consider combining these foci in different ways, depending on the needs of your students and their families.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(a) The teacher regularly assesses individual and group performance in order to design and modify instruction to meet learners’ needs in each area of development (cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical) and scaffolds the next level of development.
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(h) The teacher respects learners’ differing strengths and needs and is committed to using this information to further each learner’s development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(j) The teacher takes responsibility for promoting learners’ growth and development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(f) The teacher accesses resources, supports, and specialized assistance and services to meet particular learning differences or needs.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(o) The teacher knows how to contribute to a common culture that supports high expectations for student learning.
1. Built for Success: Good Practice in Volunteer Tutor Programs. A 30-minute documentary which can be found on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_l2I9WA_hs
2. Growing a Volunteer Tutor Program: Engaging Communities to Support Schools. You can find this article at https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED444245
3. Tutoring and Mentoring Packs from “Reading A-Z” at https://www.readinga-z.com/tutoring-mentoring-packs/
4. Center for Prevention Research and Development. (2009). Background research: Tutoring programs. Champaign, IL: Center for Prevention Research and Development, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois.
5. What makes a successful tutor? http://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-makes-a-successful-tutor-seth-linden
6. “Developing a Tutor Program” at https://www.readingrockets.org/article/developing-tutoring-program
7. Hawaii Afterschool Alliance at https://www.hawaiiafterschoolalliance.org
Special events
Suggested procedures:
1. Events do not always need to be held at the school. Instead, consider community locations such as a park, beach, community center, or church. Holding the event at one of these alternative sites may create a more social atmosphere and reduce the travel time for some families.
2. Events can be academic or social in nature or a combination of both. Go to the Resources Section to see our activity worksheet for special family-school events.
3. Event checklist: Decide on how many events you will do during the school year. You can start with one, the first time you try this activity and increase the number as needed.
4. Choose the focus of your event. Check out this file for a few ideas: Special events
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(j) The teacher understands that learners bring assets for learning based on their individual experiences, abilities, talents, prior learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as language, culture, family, and community values.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
1. “PTO Today” Events and Programs at: http://www.ptotoday.com/events-and-programs
2. Take Your Family to School Week; dates and details at www.pta.org. You can do a search to find the one appropriate for the current year or for 2013 go to http://www.pta.org/programs/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3262
3. “21 Ways to Engage Students in School” This 5-page handout from the National Center for School Engagement is available at: https://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/dropoutprevention/download/pdf/21_ways_engagement_students.pdf
Family-teacher workshops
Suggested procedures:
1. Talk with administrators, colleagues, PTSA members, and those from community organizations about offering family-teacher workshops. Brainstorm about possible offerings, availability of presenters, and funding.
2. Include workshop presenters that go beyond teachers, such as school administrators, district officials, family members, parenting experts, university professors, community leaders, and other special guests.
3. Conduct a needs assessment and determine the most salient issues that can be addressed in the workshops. Here are some ideas:
- Building children’s self-esteem.
- Information on the academic, social, and emotional development and needs of children (and how to support them).
- Ways to improve children’s behaviors and social skills.
- Cultural diversity (e.g. expectations in an American school, methods and strategies for an inclusive learning environment, ways to reduce miscommunication across cultures).
- Decide on a time and date for the workshop or series of workshops. Make sure you include the input of families about the best times to conduct the workshops.
- If possible, provide interpreters, as needed by attendees. Also, depending on the topics, some workshops might only be offered to families of English language learners in their native languages.
- Consider making workshop materials available to those who were not able to attend, on your website or as handouts home.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(j) The teacher understands that learners bring assets for learning based on their individual experiences, abilities, talents, prior learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as language, culture, family, and community values.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
1. Biggs, S. C. (2001). Writing workshops: Linking schools and families. The English Journal, 90(5), 45-51.
2. “Family Engagement Workshop Planning & Ideas” at https://www.kickboardforschools.com/family-engagement-communication/family-engagement-workshop-planning-ideas/
Family center
Suggested procedures:
1. Work with your school administrators and colleagues to establish a designated area where family volunteers can come and feel welcomed and comfortable. It doesn’t have to be an entire room. A small area or part of a room can suffice, as a place where family members know they can gather and are always welcome.
2. Make it a welcoming and cozy environment. Decorate with student work, school event photos, and photos of family volunteers. If possible provide refreshments.
3. Place a bulletin board in the space to post school newsletters, family communications, resources for caregivers, useful phone numbers, etc.
4. If there is space, provide a bookcase with parenting books, laminated tip sheets on supporting out-of-school learning, e.g., reading, doing homework, study habits.
5. If it is possible, create a permanent office (or space) for the school PTA president.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(j) The teacher understands that learners bring assets for learning based on their individual experiences, abilities, talents, prior learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as language, culture, family, and community values.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
7(m) The teacher knows when and how to access resources and collaborate with others to support student learning (e.g., special educators, related service providers, language learner specialists, librarians, media specialists, community organizations).
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
10(e) Working with school colleagues, the teacher builds ongoing connections with community resources to enhance student learning and well being.
10(l) The teacher understands schools as organizations within a historical, cultural, political, and social context and knows how to work with others across the system to support learners.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
1. Organizing a successful family center in your school. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED486648.pdf
2. A resource guide from the Los Angeles Unified School District with strategies for how to create a space for families at https://ca01000043.schoolwires.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/72/PFC%20RG%20Sections%201%20%202.pdf
Field visits
To learn more about your students’ and their families’ backgrounds, attend a community meeting where immigrant families of the cultures represented in your classroom are present.
Help teachers learn more about students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds by attending various festivals or relevant events.
In Hawai‘i, we have students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The following is an example for teachers who teach in the Nanakuli area and want to know more about Hawaiian culture and the communities of their students. Click on these links to find out more about Hawaiian cultures and what events are happening in this area.
1. Community learning center at Nanakuli. https://www.ksbe.edu/waianae_coast/kclc/
2. Kaala cultural learning center. https://kaalafarm.org/cultural-learning-center/
3. The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. http://www.bishopmuseum.org/
Some sites can help you understand the Hawaiian culture
1. Kaena Point.
2. Hawaii’s Plantation Village.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
The following sites can help you understand the Hawaiian culture:
Kaena Point:
http://www.friendsofkaena.org
https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2013/8/19/Kaena_Point_hike_Oahu
Hawai‘i’s Plantation Village:
http://www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org
http://www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org/images/2010_2011brochure_shrunk_to_fit_letter_sized_paper.pdf
Additional readings:
1. Waikiki 100 B.C. to 1900 A.D.: An Untold Story by George S. Kanahele
2. The Value of Hawaii: Knowing the Past, Shaping the Future edited by Craig Howes & Jon Osorio
Inside and outside stories
In order to help students learn, teachers need to understand inside stories, which refer to the experiences students have in their classroom, and outside stories, which refer to the experiences students have from their home and home countries, as well as their attitudes toward their new country.
In order to help students learn, teachers need to understand inside stories, which refer to the experiences students have in their classroom, and outside stories, which refer to the experiences students have from their home and home countries, as well as their attitudes toward their new country. [Adapted from Cary, 2007, p. 29]
Understand students’ inside stories
You can videotape yourself while you’re teaching or you can ask a colleague to observe you for several class periods. Then, examine your attitudes or tones when you talk to each of your students. You might notice that you treat students differently. Having a colleague watch your practice can show your blind spots to you. In addition, you can also examine how students are working with one another, especially when they are working independently from you. After doing this several times, you can change your practice to benefit your students, especially those who are new to the U.S.
Understand students’ outside stories
1. Check out the demographic data of students’ parents from the administrators or make a demographic survey to collect the information that you don’t know about yet, such as parents’ attitude toward education and parenting styles.
2. Design the assignment so that students need to interview their parents or describe their home cultures or values. Then, have students present the results in class. This experience will help you and your students be aware of the differences among one another.
3. During the drop off or pick up time, walk around the campus. You might see how your students interact with their parents or family relatives. Have breakfast at the cafeteria. Parents might have breakfast with their kids there, too. So, you can observe how they interact with each other.
W.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. Scholastic provides several resources for exploring family heritage for pre-k through 8th grade students: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collections/teaching-content/exploring-family-heritage/
2. The Family Writing Project. Another way to learn about your students’ stories is to invite parents to share their stories as well. http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/1785
3. The following article provides further insight into how our social and cultural contexts affect us as well as how the stories we choose to tell reflect the narratives we see as relevant to our lives and our identities. https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/NW/article/view/21576/25595
Inventories
Use pre-made or your own inventories to gather information about your students’ activities, interests, and preferences, as well as their families.
It’s important to build up a sense of community from the beginning of the semester. In order to do that, teachers and students need to understand one another well and feel comfortable being around each other.
You can have a lesson where students need to interview one another about
1) their interests or hobbies that they do after school.
2) their best friends in school.
3) their favorite books.
You can also have a follow up activity by asking students to interview their parents about
1) their expectation for teachers and learning.
2) their jobs.
The information will help you design your lessons for the rest of the year and can include working with the students’ parents.
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. Peer interview questionnaires can be purchased and downloaded (approximately $1-$5 per pdf download) at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com. Use search terms “student interview each other.”
Self-Introduction Speech
Students write self-introductions and publish and present them orally in front of the class. After each presentation, classmates ask questions.
Students will develop a sense of identity and community in their classroom by introducing themselves (e.g. likes, dislikes, family background, hobbies, favorite things, etc.) on a teacher-provided graphic organizer.
This lesson can be introduced at the beginning of the school year. Preface your lesson with some of these suggested questions:
- Do we all know each other well?
- What do we know about each other?
- Do we know what everyone likes, such as their favorite things? Do we know about each others’ families?
After having a discussion around these questions, tell them that they will be introducing themselves to the class. Brainstorm topics or categories of things that they would like to know about each other. Jot down students’ ideas on the board.
Introduce the speech graphic organizer. Go over it together and provide examples as necessary for them to understand. Agree upon expectations for the presentation (e.g. presenter and audience). Model and get them started in class but also assign as homework so that they can engage their families. Once the organizer is completed and returned to class, have them practice their speech for at least a day to also develop speaking proficiency.
After the presentations, you might ask questions such as the following:
- Why do you think we did this lesson?
- What are some things you learned about your classmates (that you didn’t know before)?
- What do you think we should do this school year to continue getting to know each other and getting along?
Hang graphic organizers on classroom wall and label them (e.g. Our Community, Who We Are, Learning Together, etc.). Refer to the presentations throughout the school year ~ identity, teamwork, cooperation, friendship, etc.
W.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. My multicultural self. This is an activity where students explore the many identities they have and how these identities affect their view of the world. http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/my-multicultural-self
2. Who I Am Poems. In this activity, students reflect upon who they are and express who they are through a poem. http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/poetry.html
Self-Introduction Collage
Students are given a blank card to introduce themselves and their families visually.
Students will develop a sense of identity and community in their classroom by introducing themselves (e.g. likes, dislikes, family background, hobbies, favorite things, etc.) on a teacher-provided graphic organizer.
Download Self-Introduction Collage PDF
Based on the fact it’s the beginning of the school year, preface your lesson with some of these suggested questions:
- Do we all know each other well?
- What do we know about each other?
- Do we know what everyone likes, favorite things, or about each others’ families?
After having a discussion around these questions, tell them that they will be introducing themselves to the class by using a collage. Tell them that you are now going to show and model your self-introduction collage (prepare a collage in advance). Introduce yourself while referring to images on your collage.
Once you finish, spend a few minutes for Q & A. Ask students to summarize what you just did and how you introduced yourself with the collage. Tell them that the collage is a creative tool to facilitate the process of having them reflect on their identity and of introducing themselves to the class. Answer any questions.
Explain and provide examples of what students can put on the collage paper: drawings, cut out pictures from magazines or newspapers, photographs (with parents’ permission), 3-dimensional objects, writings, etc. It should be examples which if stuck on the wall would be self-explanatory. Together with the students, brainstorm topics or categories of ideas that they should address on the collage (e.g. family, interests, hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc.).
Assign the self-introduction collage as homework in order to give students enough time and materials to gather the necessary images as well as engage their family in the development of it. For the writing component, we have provided two templates (one independent and one more guided) in order to better meet the needs of your students (especially ELLs who may need more scaffolding). Time permitting you may also want to guide students through the writing process.
W.2: Write an informative or explanatory text
W.5: Focus on a topic and strengthen writing by revising and editing
W.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources
SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L2: Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in writing
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. Narrating a Family Tradition. Students use art to express who they are. http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/arts_lang_arts/a_la_lesson30.html
Classroom Quilt
Families assist students to complete a quilt square that is combined to create a classroom quilt.
Students will develop a sense of identity and community in their classroom by introducing themselves (e.g. likes, dislikes, hobbies, favorite things, etc.) and their families on a square quilt, which the teacher will connect together as a classroom quilt.
Preface the lesson by asking students the following questions:
- Do we all know each other well?
- What do we know about each other?
- Do we know what everyone likes, favorite things, or about each others’ families?
Introduce the classroom quilt as one way to get to know each other and build community. Have a discussion and brainstorm the kind of information students would like to share on their quilt squares and to know about each other.
Explain and model how to complete the quilt square. The student should be introducing him/herself but also his family. Therefore, the quilt square should be taken home so that family members can participate in the designing and adding of ideas. When the assignment is due, each student holds and talks about the quilt piece to the class. Afterwards, the quilt pieces are arranged as a big “blanket” on the classroom wall to be displayed throughout the school year. Note: the teacher should also participate and add his/her own square. If possible, you may consider inviting parents as guests in the audience.
W.2: Write an informative or explanatory text
W.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources
SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. “Stitching It Together” at https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/stitching-it-together
2. This PBS webpage shares how teachers have used quilts in their classrooms. http://www.pbs.org/americaquilts/classroom/elementary.html
3. Classroom quilt activity PDFs can be purchased and downloaded (range between $1 – $5) at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com. Use search terms “classroom quilt.”
Culture boxes
Students use shoeboxes to represent their culture with their families’ help and present the results to the class.
The project asks students to create a Culture Box. Using a shoebox, students are asked to decorate and include items representing their culture. After completing the artistic aspect of the project, students are asked to work with their family to gather information about their family’s immigration story to Hawai‘i.
Some of the questions one can use to guide this part of the project are:
- Why did your family decide to move to Hawai‘i?
- Who was the first in your family to come to Hawai‘i?
- In what year did your family move to Hawai‘i?
- What mode of transportation did your family use to come to Hawai‘i?
The final part of the project asks students to present their Culture Box to the class and explain their family’s immigration story. Students are asked about their Culture Box.
To culminate the activity, students write about their own learning and what they learned from other students’ boxes and presentations.
Families can be invited to the students’ presentations or teachers can create a summary of the work done in class to be sent home.
Adaptation from Cary
SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L2: Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in writing
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. “Culture in a Box” – this pdf helps students with planning and designing their culture box, and asks them to summarize why they included the items they selected. This digital download is available for $2 at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Culture-in-a-Box-2873667 and is intended for students in grades 4-8.
2. “Culture in a Box” projects ideas at https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/teacher_academy/teaching_materials/culture-in-a-box-.htm
Country posters
Students work in groups to create posters representing the history, language, and culture of the countries of origin represented in the class. Families help with the process.
Students work in groups to create posters representing the history, language, and culture of the countries of origin represented in the class. Families help with the process.
The teacher discusses with their students what they think can be used to introduce their home countries to the whole class. Answers might be food, clothes, music, games, flags, books, stamps, pictures, and TV shows.
Each student can choose one category from the examples they mentioned to present.
Students will work with their parents to make sure that the items they are going to put on the posters are good examples.
When everyone is done, the teacher can have an exhibition to display all of the posters.
Teachers can have a family night in the classroom. Each family is going to talk about their posters and answer questions that other families might have for the posters. This activity will help students and their families understand deeply about each culture represented in the class.
SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L2: Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in writing
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. This heritage poster activity from Scholastic uses the example of Hispanic heritage, however, this activity can be applied to any culture represented in your classroom. This resource includes a free printable poster and is intended for students in 1st-5th grade. Available at https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/my-family-heritage-lesson-honoring-cultures/
2. Additional student heritage and cultural poster ideas/activities can be found by searching teacher blogs on http://www.pinterest.com
Countries Around the World
Students research and learn about people from different geographical and ethnic backgrounds from themselves. “Research” can be your instructional input, library visits, Internet searches, or for older students, independent research.
Have your students research and learn about people from different geographical and ethnic backgrounds from themselves. “Research” could be your instructional input, library visits, Internet searches, or for older students, independent research.
Set the context for this research-based lesson by reading aloud culturally and geographically rich texts and connecting to the diversity of your classroom.
Next, get at students’ background knowledge and interests by completing a K-W-L chart. K: Have students share what they already know about their local and global communities in regards to people, cultures, and places. W: Ask students what they would like to know about people, cultures, and places different from their own. Depending on your classroom and school resources, you might give students choices of countries that they would like to research, or negotiate the choices together with the students based on available resources, comprehension levels, and interests. You might have students choose the country they would like to research or you might have to assign them.
Again depending on students’ independent and comprehension levels, you may make this research material readily available in student handouts (and allow them to cut out pictures, highlight text, etc.), in various classroom or school library books, on school computers, or as an out-of-class research assignment. You may also consider whether you would like it done individually or as a group; length of time and comprehension levels should be considered.
When presenting the elements to be researched, you may want to discuss with the students what characteristics of the country they would like to know (more) about. Based on this information, create a criteria list. Afterwards, near the completion of the project, you can turn the criteria list into a rubric. To conclude, students present on the countries, a Q & A follows, and continued learning and reading can be ensured with readily available and displayed projects. L: Have students reflect what they learned based on their own research and listening to each other’s presentations.
RI.2: Identify the main topic
RI.3: Describe connections between historical events
RI.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text
RI.5: Know and use text features to locate key facts or information in a text
RI.6: Identify the main purpose of a text
RI.7: Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text
RI.8: Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text
RI.9: Compare and contrast the important points of two texts with same topic
RI.10: Read and comprehend informational texts
RF.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
W.2: Write an informative or explanatory text
W.5: Focus on a topic and strengthen writing by revising and editing
W.6: Use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing
W.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects
W.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources
SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L2: Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in writing
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. More information and examples on the K-W-L strategy. https://nicerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/KWL-Chart.pdf
2. This activity from scholastic.com offers students a way to virtual travel around the world. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/global-trek-virtual-travel-around-world
Culture and language teachers
Students become teachers of their cultures and backgrounds, and teach the other students about it. At the same time, the whole class learns about each other’s culture and the teacher gains a deeper insight into students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
The teacher can have a culture day at the beginning of the school year.
Identify how many cultural groups are represented in your class. For example, you might have 5 cultural groups.
Students work together according to the culture with which they identify.
Students work together to discuss what cultures or language they would like to teach the whole class.
It would be nice if the teacher could organize the presentation so there is a unity among the topics discussed. For example, every group will share what they usually do for the New Year. This will help students see cultural differences and have a respect for them.
SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
SL.2: Recount or describe key ideas aloud
SL.3: Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says
SL.4: Tell a story or recount an experience
SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences
SL.6: Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task
L1: Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage
L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when r/w/l/s
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(i) The teacher is committed to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as opportunities for learning.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
1. How do you say hello? This is a great activity to engage students with different cultures and their languages. https://www.teachervision.com/foreign-languages/lesson-plan/2440.html
2. Another great way to celebrate cultural diversity is to use storytelling. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/storytelling-celebrate-cultural-diversity
3. Activities that promote racial and cultural awareness. http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_activities.html