Children who speak different home languages and dialects in a monolingual classroom
often carry the challenge of having to develop literacy in a different language.
This article presents a qualitative study of five first graders who speak different
home languages in an inner city mainstream English classroom. Through interviews,
classroom writing, field notes, and recorded classroom interaction, I present
findings that indicate that writing in mainstream English can be problematic
cognitively and emotionally for these children. I also offer some ways to foster an
intercultural space for these children in a monolingual classroom and help find a
way of validating diverse students’ language and culture.
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