Profile: Ali is an 8 year-old, grade 3 student. He moved
to Canada from Saudi Arabia at the beginning of grade
3 and was placed in French Immersion.
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Possible Special Education Factors
Ali has a very hard time sitting still both on the carpet and at his desk. He is quite impulsive and often
interrupts lessons. This may be due to ADHD. He has a hard time with writing, both in terms of flow of
ideas as well as fine motor. Although it is too early to tell, he have sequencing, organization and expressive
language difficulties. His difficulty with problem solving and critical thinking may be due to problems with
mathematical reasoning and difficulty with multi-step problems. It's important to note that we shouldn't
make pre-mature assumptions about possible special education factors, as he might just simply need more
time. His difficulties might be in large part due to language acquisition rather than to cognitive factors. I am
in favour of giving him more time!
Previous Schooling Factors
Ali was born in Egypt, but moved
to Saudi Arabia when he was 4.
He speaks Arabic (L1) at home, but
the main language of instruction
was French (L2) as he went to an all
French school in Saudi Arabia. He
speaks Arabic and French fluently,
and can also read and write in
these two languages. He learned
English (L3) a few times per week.
Current Achievement and Support
Oral: STEP 2 Reading: STEP 2 Writing: STEP 1
Oral language:
Requires assistance
with multi-step
problems Doesn't
hesitate to try
speaking in English,
although he makes
structural errors ("I go
washroom").
Reading: Can
decode texts
with basic
understanding,
but has
difficulty with
more difficult
comprehension
questions.
Writing: Difficulty with
generating ideas,
writing conventions
and fine motor skills
Support: Ali receives 40 minutes of ESL
support on a withdrawal basis every other
day (on English days of the French Immersion
program). He works one-on-one or in small
groups with the ESL teacher. He also receives
occasional classroom support by the ESL
teacher.
Ali is in French Immersion. As such, he alternates between
French one day, and English the next day. English subjects
include: Language Arts, Math, 2 strands of Science, Phys. Ed.
and Music. French subjects include French Language Arts, 2
strands of Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, and
Drama/Dance.
Personal and Family Factors
Has a sister in grade 4, and a
younger autistic brother who is
preschool-aged. Ali loves soccer,
and is an avid player. His
parents are very motivated to
work with him and his siblings.
Dad works as an accountant,
mom stays home with the
children.
Cross-cultural Factors
Ali is proud of his heritage and doesn't hesitate
sharing his experiences with the class. He's
encouraged to use both French and Arabic as a tool
for English acquisition. His parents are eager to
integrate and become part of the community, but
still hold onto to their values. They have worked with
a settlement worker, and have made a good number
of Arab family-friends already.
Social and Psychological Factors
A.li has adjusted well so far to his new classroom and community environment. He has a
good attitude towards learning and doesn't hesitate to try. He has made a number of
friends already, both Arab and non-Arab students in the school He does have difficulty
staying still, and is always moving around the classroom. He participates in
extra-curricular school activities like pinball, running club, and basketball. He does have a
hard time sitting still in class, and is often observed moving around the classroom. He
also finds it nearly impossible to sit for long periods on the carpet.
Programming Implications and Possible Strategies
Ali would benefit from accommodations, and possible
modifications to his program (he does not have any
modifications yet). Accommodations might include visuals,
graphic organizers, seating with other L1 speakers,
sentence-starters, scribing, exemplars, vocabulary lists, etc.
Universal Design strategies of co-constructing goals and
criteria would be beneficial for Ali. He would also benefit from
ongoing feedback and positive reinforcement. Also, Ali should be
presented with information using a variety of materials and
methods. For instance, he is a kinesthetic and visual learner, so
hands-on activities as well as graphics would be good for him.
Ali loves using computers and iPads. He would really enjoy the website, "Great Website for Kids" with all those math and language
games. He would also enjoy the dual-language books in Arabic-English and French-English. I could see him being motivated to try
creating his own as well. He would also really like the Global Trek website and explore different countries around the world. He could
also work on these webistes at home. Also, in terms of technology, he would benefit from assistive technology to help with his writing.
The classroom environment needs to be print-rich and Ali
should have easy access to resources. Ali does feel welcomed,
comfortable and safe in the classroom, and his first and
second languages as well as his cultural background are
valued. It would also be beneficial to involve his peers in his
learning (ex. reading buddies, make dual-language labels).
Cross-curricular factors
Ali would benefit from integrated units that include Language Arts components within Science and Social
Studies units. For example, a unit with modified expectations in Pullies and Gears or Habitats integrated with
Reading, Writing and Oral Communication, would help Ali make connections between what he is learning in
Science while developing his skills in literacy. Mathematics could also be integrated in this unit with critical
tasks or problem solving questions related to those Science topics.