Supporting

Multilingual/
Multicultural
Students and
Families
 California State University, East Bay
College of Education and Allied Studies- Department of
Teacher Education
TED 503
Equitable Teaching Practices in a Multiple Subject Classroom
Professor Cindy Sawchuck

Presented by:
Christian Brioso
Wana Kohistani
Padmaja Jadhav
Helena Silva
 Table of contents
Immigration Immigration
Books Movies
Books for Read alouds and
01 02
Movies on Immigration
Families

Posters and Curriculum/

Handouts Programs
Posters and handouts to 03 04 Curriculum or Programs that
help families and celebrate can assist in teaching and
every family. helping multicultural
families and students.
 01
Books
 I’m an Immigrant too!

“I’m an Immigrant too” is a fun, rhythmic book that explores immigrants that

have enriched the country of Australia. Each page includes vibrant

illustrations exploring different cultures and highlighting what each culture

has brought to Australia. The book would make a great read-aloud, as

students come from all different cultures, and each culture has impacted the

community we live in, the school community, and the classroom community.

-written by: Mem Fox

 Dreamers
“Dreamers” is a beautiful story about a mother and her son’s journey as

they made their way from Mexico to California. Their journey together was

not easy, but it was changed forever when their journey led them to a

library. The library became a second home for they explored and learned

together through stories. The story reminds us of what we can learn when

we open a book. Books provide us with more than we could ever imagine.
-written by: Yuyi Morales
This beautiful book reminds us that books can help us grow and learn,

even if it is not in the language we know. This can then lead to a trip to the

library with our students and their families.

 The Circuit: Stories from
the Life of a Migrant
This book is one of twelve autobiographical stories on his life experiences

crossing the border of Mexico at the age of four to emigrant into California for a

better life. He recounts his youth in detail as a life lived out of cardboard boxes,

moving from one tent labor camp to the next, following the various picking

seasons, such as cotton and fruit. By sharing his experiences, he is also the

voice of many children or young adults who grew up in a different, extremely

complicated immigration environment. Jimenez's journey is full of obstacles and

– written by Francisco Jimenez challenges, but he has found comfort in his history. This book is a great

educational tool for those who struggle and face many challenges in their

identity development as a immigrant.

 What is a Refugee?
It’s a bold picture book that explains a refugee is just like you and

me. It brings awareness to all the hardships refugees endure on their

journey. It prevails a message that everybody is created equal. At the

end of the book, there is a page filled with refugee kids sharing

details about themselves and another page mentioning famous

refugees. Students will benefit from hearing others talk about their

struggles and provide them with a better understanding of their

classmates who are a refugee. Also, understand privilege. By

understanding privilege, it will have an advantage and drive to act – written by Elise Gravel

compassionately towards others.

 02
Movies
In America

❖ “In America” depicts an Irish family's trials and

tribulations to settle down and start a new life in
America.

❖ Set in the hustle of New York City, the alienation and

poverty that the family seems to encounter is amusing
and melancholic to observe.

❖ In America celebrates the little achievements and

everyday adventures of its immigrant protagonists
rather than, delving into melodramatic titles.
Namesake
❖ The story is based on the novel by
Jhumpa Lahiri.

❖ Young Indian couple builds a life

and raises a family in America.
The storyline is about the tension
between immigrants and their
children raised in the U.S.

❖ The story mirrors real-life dramas

that play out daily across America.

❖ Similar themes are present in the

U.K.-based film Bend It Like
Beckham.
 Persepolis
❖ Persepolis is a black-and-white animated movie that
captures a young girl's life in a war-torn and
authoritarian Iran.

❖ As her liberal parents live in the fear of both Western

imperialism and local religious extremism, a teenage
Marjane migrates to Vienna for higher studies.

❖ The ensuing culture shock and solitude further lead her

to a downward spiral.

❖ Persepolis depicts its protagonist's coming-of-age in a

darkly satirical manner as the teenage Marjane struggles
to find her identity.

❖ At her Iranian home, she feels like a foreigner while in

Vienna, she feels like an outsider. It's this constant
search for herself that makes Persepolis all the more
personal.
How Democracy Works Now
❖ How Democracy Works Now is the
documentary film series on government ever
produced.

❖ It shows immigration battles in and out of

Congress and local fights in Iowa and
Arizona.

❖ It is interesting because the viewers are

inside the room as key Senate staffers meet
with one another and their Senators to craft
legislation. We are there when advocacy
groups across the ideological spectrum meet
with Senators and Congressional staff.

❖ In the documentary, viewers go where they

have never gone before.
 03
Posters &
Handouts
 Welcome to Our
School
"Welcome to our School" is a beautiful poster to have in the front of a classroom or

school. It is essential that every student and family feels welcomed into the community

we are all a part of. The poster can be used in the classroom for students to share how

"Welcome" is said in their home language. "Welcome to our School" poster can be used

in a lesson to have students teach each other how to say hi and welcome in their

language. What the students learn can be used when students enter the classroom to

start a morning meeting and are a great way to introduce yourself to your students'

families. Expressing and showing families that you want to learn their language can help

build a last relationship with the families.

 I Am An
Immigrant
“I Am An Immigrant” is an inspirational poster in
the classroom and around the school. The posters
show how people, who are immigrants, create a
new life for themselves by doing the jobs they
love. Students and families need to be
represented as the leaders of our world, making a
difference in our day-to-day lives. Students and
families that have immigrated to the United States
can and have impacted their community, and it is
important to celebrate where they have come
from and where they are now.
 04
Programs
Lecturabooks.
com
Lectura Books is a website dedicated to providing
access to award-winning bilingual books. In addition
to providing access to these types of books, they
also have a section for reading programs that can be
purchased by families/teachers, a section for
professional development, and a section for blogs. In
the blogs section, there are many resources that
exist outside of the website itself. These resources
can come from the state, counties, individual
parents/teachers, and even national resources. Many
of the resources linked through these blogs are free
to access which is useful as the parent programs on
the site can be a bit pricey.
Goodsamfrc.org
Good Samaritan Family Resource Center is an
organization dedicated to providing a
continuum of support for for vulnerable
families, including immigrants and bilingual
families. Their goal is to help families develop
self-sufficiency so that they can be a part of
the community as a whole. They offer many
different services through their organization
such as free parent/child support systems,
free/low-cost youth programs, and affordable
preschools. The organization also provides a
free school-readiness program aimed at early
brain and motor skills development. There are
also a series of classes that parents can take
in order to learn how to effectively use some
of these development strategies at home.