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

Pre-reading questions

  1. Differences in this have an effect on how students personally respond to reading and writing:
  1. linguistic knowledge
  2. teacher styles
  3. gender
  4. percentage of students of color in the classroom
  1. An issue teachers need to find a way to overcome is:
  1. the lack of resources of the children in the classroom
  2. children’s language that doesn’t conform to Standard English
  3. many students out-of-classroom experiences are not recognized in the classroom
  4. the unwillingness of students to do homework
  1. In the classroom, communication in the classroom should often be:
  1. in writing
  2. oral
  3. question and answer
  4. authentic
  1. In his/her classroom, a teacher must:
  1. make sure the classroom library represents diversity of cultural backgrounds
  2. seat an English Language Learner (ELL) next to a native English speaker
  3. take into account the ELL who will not be able to learn English
  4. the parents who will not become involved in the classroom
  1. To build community at the beginning of the year, a teacher should:
  1. assess students to gauge their reading levels
  2. allow students to demonstrate their abilities
  3. allow children to choose their own groups so they are more comfortable
  4. give each child his/her own individual “cubby” so they have personal space

Post-reading questions

  1. A factor in the ease with which English Language Learners (ELL) learn English is:
  1. the competence of the family
  2. the attitude of the teacher
  3. whether there is another student in the class who speaks the same language
  4. whether the primary language is Latin based
  1. The knowledge and skills children learn in their communities can be termed:
  1. virtual backpack
  2. kidwatching
  3. cultural responsive pedagogy
  4. funds of knowledge
  1. A way to connect students’ background knowledge and personal experiences is through:
  1. talking to relatives and friends
  2. access to multicultural books
  3. teaching important vocabulary
  4. the teacher getting more training in working with ELL
  1. Students should be able to write words in their primary language because:
  1. they can express more complex ideas
  2. it allows a bigger vocabulary
  3. it helps them transition to English
  4. it demonstrates teacher flexibility
  1. The most authentic reading events take place:
  1. while reading books
  2. reading directions
  3. in the home and community
  4. when taking tests
  1. Initiate-respond-evaluate is an example of:
  1. a teacher-centered classroom
  2. assessment
  3. teacher-student interaction
  4. all of the above
  5. none of the above
  1. An example of cultural mismatch is:
  1. child enters your suburban classroom from an urban school; you start them in a low reading group
  2. a Korean child enters your classroom; after testing, you start them in a high reading group
  3. a child speaks African-American Vernacular English in the classroom; the teacher attempts to have a conversation
  4. a child is reading a comic book in the classroom; the teacher takes it away
  1. Overall, a Reading Attitude Survey should gather information about:
  1. a child’s favorite book
  2. how often the child reads for his/her own purposes
  3. how many books a child reads in a year
  4. how old a child was when he/she learned to read
  1. The majority of teachers in schools are:
  1. from working class families
  2. male
  3. overachievers
  4. Caucasian
  1. The way one acts, thinks, learns, responds is a reflection of one’s:
  1. diversity
  2. knowledge
  3. culture
  4. pedagogy
  1. An important aspect of interactive journals is:
  1. sharing with the class
  2. having students respond to specific questions
  3. the teacher not correcting language use
  4. the teacher grading it generously
  1. Storytelling, drama and brainstorming all encourage:
  1. comprehension
  2. oral language development
  3. writing skills
  4. reinterpreting past experiences
  1. Qualities of a student-centered perspective include:
  1. no predetermined questions
  2. students read any book they choose
  3. teacher assesses students’ understanding of a story
  4. student-teacher interaction patterns
  1. One way to manage “kidwatching” information is:
  1. to interview each individual
  2. to write biographies of students
  3. to write in a journal each day
  4. to keep stickynotes on file folders
  1. There is a large increase of this type of learner in all regions of the country:
  1. African-American
  2. English Language Learners
  3. American Indians
  4. students with disabilities
  1. The knowledge, resources, competencies of families and communities is called one’s:
  1. cultural responsiveness
  2. funds of knowledge
  3. cultural mismatch
  4. cultural diversity
  1. A characteristic of culturally responsive pedagogy is:
  1. recognizing students experiences as strengths for learning
  2. recognizing that ELL are literate in their primary language
  3. something that begins the moment babies start making sense of what is around them
  4. determining whether students are literate in their primary language
  1. Children’s literacy activities at home revolve around:
  1. imitating parents and siblings
  2. television and video games
  3. environmental print
  4. interests, values, relationships
  1. Viewing students from a deficit perspective based on cultural or linguistic differences is called:
  1. bias
  2. an interaction pattern
  3. cultural mismatch
  4. lack of cultural diversity
  1. Culturally relevant pedagogy assumes:
  1. the historically accumulated knowledge that children bring to school
  2. that teachers have made a home visit to learn more about their students
  3. there will be several ELL in the classroom
  4. the teacher will meet the academic and social needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students
  1. An example of authentic literature is:
  1. Social Studies textbook
  2. a story on bullying
  3. basal readers
  4. comprehension questions after reading a story
  1. Which scenario is an example of culturally relevant pedagogy?
  1. students interview their parents to determine the meanings of their names
  2. including Spanish words on the spelling list
  3. have a rule that students speak English in the classroom
  4. ensure that all students have an opportunity to answer questions
  1. To better understand their students, teachers should:
  1. examine their own beliefs
  2. share their own cultural experiences so the children can also understand them
  3. learn about home and community literacy patterns
  4. learn the children’s primary languages
  1. The goal of culturally relevant teaching is:
  1. to include books from all cultures
  2. provide materials that encourage students’ background knowledge to learn new skills
  3. to stay neutral so no student feels singled out or left out
  4. to bring in as many parents and speakers as possible to represent different cultures
  1. An effective way to learn about the children in your class is:
  1. assessing them early in the year
  2. closely observing them in a various settings
  3. reading their permanent file
  4. asking their previous teachers for updated reports