Scaffolding such as visual guides and templates can make it easier for ELLs to grasp material in courses with complicated vocabulary.

At the intersection of social studies and world language curricula are opportunities to explore students’ prior learning with
vocabulary-rich content designed to support language acquisition goals. “Funds of knowledge” is defined as socio-cultural,
economic, and historical knowledge from home and community settings.1
The instructional strategies presented in this inquirybased unit were sequenced by two Spanish-speaking teachers in two-way bilingual classrooms to provide space for students’
families to contribute “funds of knowledge” to learning activities in early childhood and elementary classrooms. In contrast
with an additive approach to multicultural education, a funds of knowledge approach invites educators to craft a curriculum
organically, drawing from their students’ home experiences and cultural knowledge. An additive approach to multicultural education has been criticized for its superficial ethnic representation in curriculum.2
In contrast, the funds of knowledge approach
represented in the unit requires the teacher to invite students and families to co-create content in the instructional sequence

Areli Schermerhorn is an ESL educator in the Syracuse City School District. In this article written for Colorín Colorado, she shares ideas on how to use primary resources from the Library of Congress archive with English Language Learners (ELLs).

Students who struggle with English have a doubly difficult task in history classrooms. Not only are they challenged with learning core historical knowledge and skills but they are also learning English. History lessons offer rich opportunities to teach both language and content. In this feature, we highlight instructional strategies and key information to help history teachers better serve the English Language Learner (ELL) student population.

Stanford professor Claude Goldenberg reviewed existing research on teaching ELLs and compiled three guidelines to focus thinking about instruction for these students (see “Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does — and Does Not — Say,” American Educator, 2008). While these guidelines are not confined to history teaching, we use them to introduce and frame this feature.

It is difficult to overstate the power of visual images, particularly historical primary source photos, to provide a window into the past. Here, the authors outline how educators can utilize historic photos to provide students with a deeper understanding of the past. When students do not see their heritage and culture represented in images, the development of their historical understanding can be incomplete or fragmented. Historical understanding can be enhanced, however, when students “see themselves” in the primary sources presented to them.

What is a community? Who makes up a community? What do you contribute to the community that you are a member of? Can you be a member of more than one community? These are all essential questions to ask a class full of students who do not have a sense of identity and lack an understanding of who or what they will become in the future. "Community means where you live" said an eight year old third grader. "We live in the New Haven community" said another student in response to my question: What is a community? When you ask twenty seven third graders about community, almost everyone thinks about a location and where you live in a town. They acknowledge that a community has people living together; however they cannot tell you what it takes to be a part of a community or what it takes to build a sense of community. My students know that they live in the "Hill" or "Ville" sections of New Haven and that these different communities do not typically get along with each other. This is the main reason why I set out to gather information on the communities that my students are a part of and to provide my students with an alternative outlook on who or what they are capable of becoming.

Strategically designed word walls can help students build the vocabulary needed to ask and explore important questions in the social studies.