A Funds of Knowledge Approach for Scaffolding a Culture-Based Narrative Writing Curriculum for iPanchitos

• In Event: 34.078 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 34.078-7 - Funds of Knowledge and Grammars for Diverse Education Communities

Abstract

Researchers have been calling for new curriculum designs to support students’ accomplishments in diverse life situations in a digital world, including the often undeveloped writing skills among the rapidly increasing number of English Learners (ELs) in the United States. Previous studies demonstrated that a critical component of Funds of Knowledge (FoK) research is to develop new curricula and instructional approaches. Therefore, the purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore the FoK within young Mexican-American ELs’ (iPanchitos’) families through home-visits, in-depth interviews, field notes, and informal observations. Research findings revealed four categories of FoK: family-based, center-based, community-based, and technology-based, which also provided an innovative approach to scaffold a culture-based narrative writing curriculum to contribute to iPanchitos’ multiliteracy development.

Authors

• Yan Chen, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Hayley J. Mayall, Northern Illinois University

• Cindy S. York, Northern Illinois University

• Ying Xie, Northern Illinois University