Synopses & Reviews
Given the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity of American students, it is important for all teachers, regardless of content area or grade level, to be knowledgeable about research-based instructional strategies to assist all studentsa (TM) learning a especially ELLs. This practical, concise guide to what all teachers need to know about language, how it is learned, and how it is used presents key concepts and insights for future and practicing teachers about how to teach language/literacy in their subject areas.
Designed to help teachers modify their instructional plans to maximize the education of students from varied backgrounds, Understanding Language in Diverse Classrooms provides critical information on language diversity in America and the relationship of languages to culture. Helpful features include hands-on materials such as sample lessons, assessments, and student work; cases from successful classrooms; checklists of practices to help teachers prepare for the challenge of diverse classrooms; and comparison charts showing how the most common heritage languages represented in American classrooms compare with English. Each chapter includes questions and reflection/discussion topics on major chapter points.
Synopsis
With the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity of students in U. S. schools, all teachers, regardless of the content area or grade they teach, need research-based strategies for assisting all students to gain English proficiency. This practical, concise guide shows teachers what they need to know about language, how it is learned, how it is used, and how teaching about it can be incorporated into lessons throughout the curriculum.
Understanding Language in Diverse Classrooms offers a model of how learning takes place and describes the critical role of teachers in that model. It includes comparison charts showing how some of the most common heritage languages represented among present-day students compare with English, and it provides examples of hands-on materials including checklists, rating scales, and sample lessons to help teachers prepare to teach all their students in diverse classrooms. Each chapter ends with questions to stimulate discussion and reflection on major chapter points, to enable readers to review and evaluate the information and then integrate it into their own practice.