Scenario 1: Li Ming's Forever Family

Ms. Patton teaches kindergarten in an ethnically diverse, middle-upper-class school. Many of her students' parents are immigrants who worked hard to enter and succeed in American universities and businesses. Students commonly hear Spanish, Persian, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese spoken when parents drop off and pick up their children.

An American family adopted one kindergartener, Li Ming, at the age of two. She lived the first years of her life in an orphanage in China. Today is not only the first day of the Chinese New Year, but also the anniversary of Li Ming's adoption.

Ms. Patton and her students sit in a circle. She opens a picture book. "This book is called Families are Forever," Ms. Patton says, showing the cover to the class. "Li Ming brought us this book to read, because today is a very special day." She smiles at Li Ming. "When Li Ming was two, her mommy and daddy adopted her from China." Ms. Patton points to a map on the wall. "She came from a city called Shanghai, and then she flew all the way here, to the United States." "Whoa!" some of the children exclaim. Madu, an Indian girl, reaches over and holds Li Ming's hand.

After Ms. Patton reads the book, she and her class talk a little bit about adoption. "Now I have a 'forever' Mom," Li Ming says quietly. "Can anyone tell us what else is special about this day?" Ms. Patton asks. Several children squirm and raise their hands, saying, "Oo! Oo!" Ms. Patton calls on Khan, a boy whose mother is Vietnamese and father is Caucasian. "Today is the Vietnamese and Chinese New Year!" he answers.

"That's right," Ms. Patton says. "Today is the first day of the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year. Khan, Li Ming, and Jason are going to pass out special red envelopes to each of you. This is a tradition in China and Vietnam. Does anyone know why red envelopes are given to children on New Year's Day?"

Jason's hand shoots in the air. "Money is put in the envelopes and given to children for good luck in the New Year." Jason picks up his bag of red envelopes and walks around the circle, giving one to each classmate. He has put gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins in his envelopes. "Thank you," the children sing. Khan passes out his red envelopes next, and finally Li Ming distributes hers.

Next, Ms. Patton brings a large tray filled with sliced fruits and gummy candies. "Another tradition during the New Year is making a Tray of Togetherness. Many families keep a tray ready to welcome guests into their home." Ms. Patton calls on Madu and Cory to distribute forks and napkins to the class.

After the class finishes the Tray of Togetherness snack, Ms. Patton says, "We have several fun activities planned to celebrate the New Year. Jason's mom is here to teach you how to write Happy New Year in Chinese. She will be working with groups of three at that table."

"At the language center, we have a set of Chinese zodiac stamps. The zodiac calendar is posted above the table. We have created a blank calendar for you to fill in with the stamps. This is the year of the dragon! Two students at a time may work at that center." Next, Ms. Patton walks over to a table with art supplies and mask templates. "At the art center, we are going to make dragon masks. Ms. Fenton, our assistant teacher, will be helping up to three students at a time."

"Finally, at the listening center, you can listen to traditional Chinese and Vietnamese music. There are four CDs for you to choose from. Remember to handle the CDs gently. Paper is also provided at the center if you feel like drawing a picture while you listen to the music. When you are not working at a center, you may work in your language or handwriting workbooks."

1			The type of student diversity characterized in the scenario is
			A)	socioeconomic differences.
			B)	cultural differences.
			C)	gender differences.
			D)	learning style differences.
2			Which of the following statements best characterizes Ms. Patton's approach to classroom curriculum?
			A)	The curriculum reflects the majority American culture.
			B)	The curriculum is most likely at odds with the values and behaviors children learn at home.
			C)	The curriculum emphasizes Asian culture and excludes other ethnicities represented in class.
			D)	The curriculum includes a multicultural education component to teach students about various cultures and their contributions.
3			Studies of successful teachers of minority children reveal several factors that lead to increased student success. Which of the following is NOT included in these factors?
			A)	Involve parents, siblings, and caregivers.
			B)	Take into account students' cultural and language differences when planning lessons.
			C)	Use the same type of instructional strategy so that students adjust quickly to the classroom routines.
			D)	Gradually increase expectations of what students' can achieve.

Scenario 2: What's the Difference?

Ms. Merrell teaches middle school English. Since beginning her career nine years ago, she has noticed an increasingly diverse student population entering her classroom door. The types of student diversity are as diverse as the students themselves! Her students differ widely in language, culture, learning style, ability, and the list goes on. Ms. Merrell relishes the challenge of meeting the needs of her students. A long-time advocate of professional development for teachers, she regularly consults professional literature, current research, and colleagues to learn new ways to teach diverse student populations.

A few weeks into school, Ms. Merrell decides to write brief "biographies" about selected students. Writing about specific student characteristics, classroom events, and challenging issues help her frame new solutions for the class.

Sami is a star basketball player. She has a sunny personality and is well liked by her peers. Sami pays attention in class but struggles with the class material. Her written reports are unstructured, filled with mechanical mistakes, and lack an understanding of complex material. Sami has difficulty understanding what she reads and struggles to express her ideas in writing. Several students like her are low-performers academically, but excel in a non-academic area and exhibit no behavior problems.

Goals: Provide remediation in basic English skills in a motivating way. Learn about and implement testing modifications so that students with learning disorders can demonstrate what they have truly learned. Review cumulative records to identify specific learning disorders; discuss with specialists.

Antonio is one of the lowest-performing students. He didn't attend school during his earliest years in Mexico, and he is three years older than his classmates. Antonio towers above most students in class, has facial hair, and wears an angry expression. He rarely speaks and hasn't turned in a single assignment all year. His mother does not speak English and nothing is known of his father. Anecdotal comments from his past teachers note that Antonio's mother is too busy working to be bothered with conferences and phone calls. "Do the best you can!" was one teacher's comment. "At this point, I can't even be sure of Antonio's language ability." He regularly visits the counselor and language specialist, but no one seems to have "tapped" into Antonio and his varied needs.

Goals: Touch base with the counselor and language specialist. Learn more about Antonio's English language level and locate interesting reading material at that level. Provide varied student activities that span a wide range of cognitive levels.

Miguel is a highly talented student who emigrated from Cuba four years ago. He comes from an affluent family that values education. Miguel is a budding artist and he submits stunning artwork with his reports. He is equally talented in language and he writes in a beautiful, poetic style. Miguel performs far beyond his years and is able to understand abstractions and multiple layers of meaning in the literature. Girls love Miguel and his romantic style; boys have been disciplined for trying to pick fights with him.

Goals: Provide Miguel and the other gifted students with highly motivating and thought-provoking material. Identify and develop the talents in each student. Offer classroom experiences in which all students can succeed.

4			When teaching Limited English Proficiency (LEP) learners like Antonio, Ms. Merrell should plan to do all of the following EXCEPT:
			A)	use visual aids.
			B)	provide outlines or notes of presentations.
			C)	engage them in activities that require them to listen rather than do.
			D)	avoid forcing them to speak.
5			Which of the following statements provides an accurate summary of Miguel's biography?
			A)	Ms. Merrell is concerned that Miguel thinks academic achievement is "uncool and acting white."
			B)	Ms. Merrell recognizes Miguel's cognitive abilities and is determined to provide challenging, motivating material.
			C)	Ms. Merrell plans to integrate multicultural themes into the curriculum, including Cuban culture.
			D)	Ms. Merrell identifies Miguel as a gifted student and will develop customized curriculum for him.
6			Some of Ms. Merrell's students exhibit characteristics of learning disorders. Working with learning-disabled students requires many skills from classroom teachers. Ms. Merrell plans to do all of the following to meet the needs of students with learning disorders EXCEPT:
			A)	speak with specialists.
			B)	review students' school records.
			C)	provide pre-written class notes.
			D)	learn about and implement testing modifications.