A Toolkit for Bridging Gaps by Cierra Haskins

Classroom Code of Conduct

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 19:57:27 UTC

At the beginning of the year, set clear expectations for how students should treat others. Highlight traits such as respect, empathy, and compassion. Hold a classroom discussion centered on these topics and why they are included in the Code of Conduct. This should then be posted somewhere in the classroom for students to see daily and be reminded of their commitment to a respectful classroom environment.

Family Culture Night

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 20:08:59 UTC

Organize a school-wide Family Culture Night. This event could include families sharing their culture with each other through food, activities, music, or language. This provides the school community an opportunity to both proudly share their own culture, and learn more about the world around them.

Utilize the ESL Team

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 20:31:28 UTC

English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers' responsibility are to guide any ESL student through school. There are many different types of ESL teachers, each with a different objective. Not every school has ESL staff members, so if they are available, utilize them. These teachers can provide differentiated instruction, small-group or individual intervention, or even simply advice on how to best meet the needs of ESL students.

Multicultural Literature

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 20:33:40 UTC

When choosing books for read-alouds or classroom libraries, include stories written by multicultural authors, offering first hand experience into their diverse worlds. This offers students an opportunity to explore different cultures through the eyes of the ones living in it.

Multicultural Read-aloud Examples:

My Papi Has A Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Mendez

Multicultural Chapter Book Examples:

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

The Watson's Go To Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Joshua Greene and Renee Hartman

Speaking in Native Language

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 20:34:47 UTC

When provided with an ESL teacher that speaks the same language as ESL students, allowing students to respond or answer questions in their native language is a great way to meet their needs. As long as the assignment or test is not on the student's language or English, answering in their native language can be an effective ESL accommodation.

Communication in Native Language

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 20:36:08 UTC

If families do not speak English fluently at home, providing all communication translated into their native language is a must. Wether this is a translated newsletter or an interpreter during conferences and meetings, effective communication with parents is required when it comes to what is best for the student.

Class Culture Day

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 20:36:38 UTC

Host a culture day in the classroom, where students have the opportunity to present on their own individual cultures and backgrounds. Students can teach their peers about specific holidays, traditions, or recipes from their culture. This instills a strong sense of pride in students, and offers a safe space for others to learn about and experience the multicultural world.

Universal Design for Learning

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 21:06:35 UTC

Utilizing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) allows educators to best meet the needs and abilities of all of their students. With an approach focused on flexible learning, UDL promotes offering multiple ways to present content and curriculum, giving students multiple changes to comprehend new information. (Cornell University, 2024)

Inclusive Professional Development Training

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-15 21:09:24 UTC

Educators should participate in inclusive and multicultural professional development to further educate themselves on the intricate ways culture affects education. One such example is the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, aimed at breaking down biases in the STEM field, and providing inclusive teaching methods for educators. (What You Can Expect | Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, 2025)

Cultural Exploration in Social Studies

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 00:07:55 UTC

In the context of the core curriculums, there are many opportunities to incorporate multicultural learning into social studies. In upper education, when studying different countries of the world, take time to explore and learn about the diverse cultures and worldviews in each country. Projects based on investigating and reporting on culture are another great way to incorporate multicultural perspectives into curriculum.

Contextual Learning

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 00:37:55 UTC

A small way to incorporate multicultural perspectives into curriculum is by relating the material to real-world examples that fit into diverse cultures. This offers students a concrete example for them to relate to, making the content easier to understand. (Richardson, 2024)

Social Emotional Learning

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 00:45:55 UTC

Integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into education helps to create a much more positive, caring, and empathetic classroom, safe for diverse cultures to coexist. SEL focuses on promoting healthy ways to manage emotions, while fostering a strong sense of empathy and respect. (CASEL, 2022) These positive values help to build an inclusive classroom, where students can feel seen and heard when it comes to their individual cultures.

Multicultural Book Studies

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 00:52:59 UTC

Incorporating multicultural perspectives in ELA could be done effectively through a class book study. Reading a book that highlights a diverse worldview, while breaking it down through discussion and writing assignments, offers students the chance to explore the world through this multicultural lens and gain a deeper understanding of it.

Multicultural Celebrations and Holidays

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 01:22:27 UTC

Take time as a class to recognize cultural celebrations and holidays and explore how they are celebrated. (11 Creative Ways to Celebrate Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, 2023) Allow students who celebrate these holidays to share their own family traditions. Another way to highlight these holidays is through Christmas Around the World- a program some teachers use that highlights the different ways Christmas is celebrated worldwide.

Cultural Ambassador Visits

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 01:37:37 UTC

Encourage parents or family members to come to school as a "Cultural Ambassador". A program started in Whiting Lane Elementary School, in West Hartford, Connecticut, these Cultural Ambassadors share stories from their culture, and offer students the opportunity to explore and ask questions. (Building Belonging with Cultural Ambassadors, 2024)

Parent Workshops

cierrarhaskins — 2025-06-16 01:51:35 UTC

To help ease parents with the ins and outs of education, offering them with workshops can help to bridge this gap. An event centered on learning how to navigate the school system or providing support for at-home learning are both effective ways to enable parents with the knowledge needed to actively participate in the school system.