[MUSIC] Hi, and welcome back. We know that there is a significant need for support and engagement of ELLs in our classroom and schools. In the first course of this specialization, you were introduced to many strategies for supporting ELLs through lesson planning and assessment. In this video, we're going to expand on some of those strategies and provide you with ideas for engaging ELLs beyond the textbook. We know that when students are engaged in class and their effective filter is lowered, they are much better prepared and equipped to learn the content. Let's take a look at some ways to really connect with ELLs in the classroom and in the school. We encourage you first to make connections with your ELLs' personal, cultural, and academic backgrounds. The more teachers know about their ELLs, the better they can engage and support them. Make sure your lessons are sensitive to various cultures and represent a wide variety of perspectives. Lessons should offer students opportunity to share their experience and parts of their story. You can do this by referencing certain facts in the lesson or having students themselves share their own experience as it relates to content. ELLs can make connections from the topics taught in class to their own culture. Once you know the backgrounds of your ELLs, you can find culturally relevant resources to use in your classes and to make connections to the topics in your lessons. A few words of caution, however. Consult more than one resource to get a well-rounded understanding of the student's culture. Do not expect ELLs to be perfect representatives of that culture or country. Be sensitive in ways in which you bring culture into the classroom. And finally, if you are referencing or spotlighting an ELL's culture, it's best to ask the student's permission first. He or she may not be very comfortable being in the spotlight. Let's take a look now at some specific resources that go beyond the textbook. By implementing supplemental materials, students become quickly aware that learning doesn't just take place within the pages of their textbook. Their interest is piqued, and they can immediately feel more engaged with others and the content. Resources such as art and music can be a good way to open up dialogue regarding culture and experience and are always engaging. Art and music can be used to illustrate different historical time periods, cultural traditions and personal style. It can be used as a springboard for discussion, sharing, and creating. Another way to engage ELLs in the classroom is providing culture kits or cultural awareness for students to access in the classroom. This could include any artifacts, readings or books, flags, pictures of cities and places from a specific culture or country that students could physically touch and manipulate. These kits or artifacts could help native English speaking students learn about cultures of their ELL classmates. Again, you should include a wide variety of cultures beyond that of the ELL. There is a delicate balance of being sensitive to culture but not targeting. The third way teachers can engage their ELLs in the content is through storytelling. The act of storytelling is quite common in many cultures around the world. Having students, or even parents or other family members of students, tell stories, whether a folk tale or a true story, is a great way to welcome diversity and new families into the classroom and community. Stories can be bridged to most subjects and can be used in a variety of ways. If your class is a diverse one, you might have students explore and retell similar folk tales from different countries. These are some ways to involve your ELLs in your classroom and to support them through sometimes difficult transitions. Bringing forth the cultures of all students in a class allows for deeper learning opportunities that can motivate students to learn more as well as dispel preconceived myths and prejudice of other cultures.