Ms. Weiss is a third year teacher who is teaching reading for the first time. The past two years she has taught only science and social studies so she is excited to foray into reading and writing as a special education teacher. 

As a new EC teacher, she wants to know what the best strategies are for ALL students. She wants to share best practices with all the teachers she works with. Read on to find out the advice her coworkers shared! 

For my special education students I find that rubrics, checklists and graphic organizers are extremely valuable! Graphic organizers provide a visual element and allow students to organize ideas. Rubrics and checklists help students know what to expect with an assignment. One tip is to use graphic organizers and rubrics to scaffold work and modify assignments based on student's ability. 

- Mrs. S

Special Education Teacher

As a teacher who works with many English Learners (EL's) I find that a strategy that helps is vocabulary development. Students need to be exposed to vocabulary as many times as possible. As a class we discuss the new words, come up with our own definitions and the students write their own sentence using the words. The more exposure to a new word, the better! 

- Ms. H

EL Teacher

As a teacher in a diverse school, I use the guidelines of culturally responsive teaching to inform my teaching. I set high expectations for ALL my students, I create positive relationships with my families and I use a variety of teaching methods to engage all students. I use manipulatives and kinesthetic learning as well as visuals and technology to support everyone. See the next page for some tips and tricks to incorporate into the classroom.

- Mr. B, 

5th Grade Teacher

            TIPS and TRICKS for a                  Culturally Responsive Classroom

1. Include visuals such as videos and put up the daily schedule for all to see

2. Encourage writing and drawing

3. Give opportunities for students to read, write and speak in native language

4. Have different cultures represented in curriculum and materials such as books