Qasim is one member a growing immigrant community, having arrived only recently with his mother, father, and older sister, Daba, from Syria. Qasim is two years old. At home Qasim’s family speaks Arabic, but both parents are taking English classes and are committed to become skilled in the language of their new home. Through an interpreter, Qasim’s parents report that he has an extensive vocabulary and seems to be adding new words and using longer sentences, in Arabic, each day. The journey to their new home was a perilous one. His family has shared that Qasim sometimes has bad dreams about their journey that wake him up and require stroking, rocking, and soothing words to get him back to sleep. His family calls him a “little professor” based on the fact that he is extremely curious, quite perceptive, and very interested in how things work.
To support his English development and help him begin to feel at home, his family has sent him to your nearby early childhood program each day. As his teacher, you notice that he often seems withdrawn and quiet, but is also watching the other children to see and follow what they’re doing. How would you support his transition into your classroom and engage his family in this new early learning experience? Discuss with peers.
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