Ditto! Here is a clearninghouse of information I discovered: https://proquest.libguides.com/educationcoursepack

While I am not in the classroom, I provide all educators with professional learning and technical assistance regarding our English Language Learners. One strategy/approach that is part of a professional learning workshop is project-based learning. In a PBL approach, students work on authentic, real-world projects that require them to use language skills in context while engaging with meaningful content. For example, a project about environmental conservation where ELLs/MLs could be tasked with researching environmental issues affecting their community or a global problem, such as climate change. They would need to read articles, watch videos, and engage in discussions to understand the topic. Then, they could collaborate to create presentations, posters, or multimedia projects to raise awareness or propose solutions.Throughout the project, students are not only practicing language skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening, but they are also engaging deeply with meaningful content that motivates them. PBL allows them to fully deploy their linguistic repertoires in a context that is relevant and personally meaningful to them and further enhances students' engagement and allows them to make connections across different subject areas when across content areas. As mentioned in the example above, in the environmental conservation project, students might integrate science concepts, mathematics for data analysis, and even art for visual representations.

Unfortunately with Math, there aren't many assignments related to the curriculum that I can do to incorporate student's heritage (and also have time to do). However, I did a mini-percents project in a supplemental class where they had to pick out components to make a meal from local newspaper ads (allowed us to calculate tax, tip, markups, markdowns, etc) and I encouraged them to find ingredients to their favorite dish. Having a large hispanic population at my school, the meals weren't traditional meals I was accustomed to and I loved learning about them.

My goal is always to build a good rapport with them. I encourage them to teach me things about their heritage and language.

One strategy or lesson that I have used recently to help make learning meaningful and authentic for my students, motivating them to connect and use their linguistic repertoires was with creating a class cook book that included recipes that were traditional and special to their family heritage. Students could go above and beyond and include more than one recipe if they wanted. Beyond this, if they felt comfortable and lead to do so, they could prepare the recipe to share with the class. Food often motivates students in general, but making a personal connection to their family, heritage, and traditions really seemed to engage students.

I use the database CultureGrams for students to celebrate their country of heritage. The database can be viewed in many different languages. The ELLs have the opportunity to research their country of heritage, use the database to conduct research in their native language, make decisions on how and what to research from a choice board and then they have the opportunity to collaborate with others. Finally every student can celebrate their heritage by sharing what they have learned. This student centered approach allows students to engage in authentic learning experiences while supporting the cultural and linguistic diversity within our class, and in turn, our school community.