Chapter 3- Getting to Know Students:Developing Culturally Relevant Practices for Reading and Writing

I wonder...

• Ms. Garrity demonstrates the value and importance of different languages in many different ways. In her classroom, she makes sure to acknowledge foreign languages. By reading "Gathering the Sun", she introduces English and Spanish words to her students, which are mostly English Speaking. Creating a bilingual environment in a classroom can be very beneficial for both students who know the language and also students who don't know the language. Non-English speakers become more comfortable in their classroom and begin picking up meanings of words. The rest of the students are exposed to a new world that can also help facilitate their interaction with their English learning peers. I think Miss Garrity did an excellent job bringing in books of Mexican culture to the classroom. This allowed Angie to feel more comfortable and accepting of her cultural background.


• Miss Garrity's experience's illustrate the positive impact multi-cultural literature can have on students. Angie was resistant in acknowledging her culture due to her uniqueness in the classroom. She was just trying hard to blend in with the rest of the students. It wasn't until Ms. Garrity began introducing Mexican culture to the entire class, simply by incorporating Mexican themes in story telling and writing, that Angie began to open up and share some of her personal representations of her culture. It just shows how important it is to encourage our students to be proud and aware of their culture by offering themes that are representative and relative to our students and their lives.


• Ms. Garrity decision in meeting with Angie's mom was very beneficial in helping Angie's acceptance of her culture. After talking to the mother, Miss Garrity became more aware of what Angie's home life and culture was like. She used the information she learned from Angie's mother and applied it in the classroom. Ms. Garrity shared her pictures and stories of her visits to Mexico with Bianca. This gesture created a personal connection between the teacher and the student.

Further Reflection...

• Culturally relevant pedagogy is making literary instruction more meaningful to students. Multi-cultural literature is being introduced to children allowing them to open their mind to new cultures and their own cultures. This also allows teachers to research and discover more about who their students are. Gathering this information can help teachers develop curriculum that is more relevant and applicable to their students. This can make instruction more impacting to their students.
• One can better get to know their students through observation. Observing your students while they're working alone or in group, or when they're playing outside. Taking a closer look at their working and social habits. Distributing surveys to the students and/or the parents can help one cultures and traditions or students can be asked to interview a parent or grandparent to learn more about their own culture. When I was in the 3rd grade we had an assignment where we were paired up with a partner and we interviewed each other and then created a book about our partner that included all the new information that we learned about them. I found that to be a fun informative activity that I would probably apply to my own classroom. I also recall doing Family tree projects. In my fourth grade class we each had to create an all about me board that we presented in front of our class.