Getting to Know your Multilingual Students: QUICK USER GUIDE

 “It sounds so simple, but if we as teachers put more effort into who we are teaching, more of the what would take care of itself”

-Katie, Elementary Teacher (Freeman & Freeman)

(Colorin Colorado Link) (Understanding Values/Beliefs by Ethnicity/country Link)

WHO	What to ask?	Who to ask?
Cultural background	Where is my student or his/her family from?  Where else have they lived?  Keep in mind the danger of the “single story”, every family is unique.	Parents/Students: Focus on building trust.  Meet families on their terms-but meet them.  Show you are listening.
Traditions/Hobbies/ Interests	What do you like to read?  What do you like to write/draw about?  What do you like to talk about with friends? What do you like to play? What makes you special, what are you proud of?  What would make you feel that this classroom was a welcoming place?	Parent/Students: Focus on building trust and showing that you are authentically listening and truly interested.
Family circumstances	Who does the student live with?  Who is the family contact? Are their parents, siblings or grandparents who live outside the U.S.? Is the student working?  Does the student have adult responsibilities in the family?	Colleagues: In addition to parents and students, your ESL, Bilingual and some World Language Colleagues may provide insight. The Multilingual Department shares this information with ESL teachers.
Prior academic experiences	Where have they gone to school? What have they enjoyed about school?  How do they like to learn-what has worked well for them as learners?  What has been challenging? Has English language been measured?  What is their level?What type of programming have they experienced-ESL/Bilingual?	Colleagues: In addition to parents and students, your ESL, Bilingual and some World Language Colleagues may provide insight. The Multilingual Department shares this information with ESL teachers. Parents share this information during enrollment.
Bilingualism and Bilingual Literacy	Does the child use more than one language on a daily basis?  In which ways, when?  Does the student read in the home language?  How similar is their home language and literacy to English-what transfers?  Multilingual students have different feelings about their home language that range from pride and confidence, to shame and fear. Link