Hanna Szigeti
Standard #2: Learning Differences
"The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards."
During my placement in a fifth grade language arts class, I worked with students who were from diverse cultural backgrounds. In planning for reading on a daily basis, my lessons incorporated reading from texts with diverse characters who immigrated to the United States. In daily whole group and differentiated reading instruction, we analyzed the characters and discussed their distinct culture and the impact of immigration on their lives. Students also answered questions about the text and how different groups of people from around the world shaped (and continue to shape) America.
The discussions that I led--and were sometimes led by my students--were focused on the topics of immigration, world cultures, and diverse characters. These discussions occurred on the floor, literature circle-style, and students responsed not only to my questions and comments, but to the questions and comments of their peers as well. After a time of reading and discussion, students completed a "creative assignment." The creative assignments varied from group to group, depending on the reading and learning differences of the students.
Reading
Writing
Autobiographies are an excellent way to learn more about others and oneself. The autobiographical writing unit that I taught gave students the option to chose one of two prompts. Prompt one required students to focus on how one specific moment affected them, whereas prompt two required students to focus on how several significant moments in their lives affected them.
To support the learning differences in the classroom, I created graphic organizers (one for each prompt) to guide the students through the prewriting stage. Throughout my instruction of this writing unit, I read portions of Gary Paulsen's Caught by the Sea and Gloria Houston's My Great-Aunt Arizona aloud to the students to support them. I also provided autobiographical examples that I had drafted for the students. They had numerous examples available to them while drafting, revising, and editing.
The autobiographical essay allows students to share their diverse backgrounds, family history, and significant events in their lives in a written form. Students who ordinarly dislike writing suddenly could not seem to write enough about themselves, their families, and significant moments in their lives. The students truly were honest in their essays, and trusted me as their teacher. I learned about their diverse cultures and families. Reading my students' autobiographies enriched my experience as a teacher, and I was proud to be able to support my students in an accepting and diverse learning environment.
