Chesney 1 Amber Chesney EDSE 460 Dr.

Sheryl Muir 25 November 2013

Case Study #2

1. Based upon the information in this case study on Fajar and Corina, and by using the table on page sixty in our textbook, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Students (CLDES), I have determined that both Fajar and Corina are in the preproduction stage of language acquisition. Fajar is silent in most of his classes and can only respond to basic verbal commands. Although Corina is fluent in her native language, she also does not respond verbally but is able to respond to common classroom verbal cues when they are visually supported. All of these traits indicate students who are in the early preproduction stage of language acquisition.

2. Sheltered language supports that should be implemented by Mr. Wizard The teacher should speak more slowly, with longer pauses between sentences and ideas. The teacher should limit use of contractions, he should use high frequency words, and explain less common words. The teacher should use objects, videos, pictures, diagrams, gestures, and provide books in the native languages of the ELL students. Allow the students to present their knowledge in alternate ways such as a model or diorama, a poster, or a computer presentation.

Chesney 2 Hang posters in the classroom of the different types of cells that have labels in the students native languages and in English.

Hang a poster in the classroom of a diagram of a microscope that has labels in the students native languages and in English. http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

In order to better understand Corinas educational background and her needs, I will need to have further conversations with her parents to determine what kind of educational exposure she has had in the past because she has not had significant experience with formal education practices. I would also like to conduct a home visit to get a better understanding of the familys cultural background, customs, and educational beliefs. During discussions with the parents, I will ask questions about Corinas birth, development, and health history to help me rule in or out any issues she may have due to any of those areas. I will also want to do academic achievement testing on her in her native language to determine her current language acquisition and academic levels. I would test her for both Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and in Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Skills (CALPS). (CLDES pages 78-79) One of my largest concerns about Corina is the fact that she keeps to herself and does not look at people. I assume that this may be a cultural factor and will have more information to determine this after my home visit and conversations with her parents. In order for her to become an active part of the classroom community, she will need to learn how to be more comfortable with interacting with her peers and teachers. I think that if she was assigned a peer buddy that it would help her to build relationships with other students and help her to get used to the school environment and routine. (CLDES page 234)

Chesney 3 Corinas unfamiliarity with how a book works and is oriented is also of great concern because this will be an integral part of her continued learning. This may be due to a lack of knowledge about books if she was unable to have that exposure while living in a remote village in Guatemala. This issue will need to be addressed immediately. She will need some instruction in the use of a book including how to orient it properly, how to read from left page to right and from left side of text to right, parts within the book, location of page numbers, title, author, illustrator, table of contents, and index if available. These skills will be a necessity in order for her to access academic areas and will need to be reinforced daily. Writing will be another very important skill for Corina to develop. Her inability to hold a pencil or write her name has to be addressed. Conversations with the parents need to take place to determine her abilities in these areas at home. Does she hold writing utensils at home? Does she exhibit any early writing behaviors such as scribbling or drawing? If it is determined that her writing issues are not due to lack of exposure, then it is recommended that she have a fine motor evaluation to determine if she is having issues in this area and to determine if her form of pencil grip is adequate and if she has any fine motor fatigue issues.