Katya has shown some of her extracurricular articles and stories to teachers. According to her, the teachers have all been positive regarding her skills. 11.

As mentioned above, Katya has always been a good and conscientious student, particularly in terms of language and numbers. She strategizes in terms of time, allocating a specific time per day for each subject that requires her attention. She also allocates this time in terms of the effort level required for each subject. For the subjects in which she has a lower level of interest, such as the natural and biological sciences, Katya attempts to allocate more time than she would to a subject in which she has both an interest and a high performance level. During tests and exams, Katya allocates an amount of time according to the effort that each content amount would take to master.

Katya is an extremely responsible student, and attempts to achieve as high as possible a grade for each subject she is involved in. Although she is a foreign student, many of her American friends have approached her for help with their work and their study regimes.

12.

As mentioned, Katya has demonstrated both great skill and interest in writing and numbers. In writing, she has written not only letters, but also stories and articles for submission to magazines. She has combined her writing interests with numbers by attempting submission to mathematical and scientific magazines.

Katya's teachers have been supportive by providing advice, critique and extra reading for Katya's areas of interest. She is also involved in leading a study group of students who wish to improve their grades in the specific areas of interest.

13.

Katya is interested in becoming either a writer or mathematician. She has shown a great interest and talent research and teaching, which opens up many professions for her. Katya's communication and leadership skills will enable her to even begin her own company, if she were so inclined. Specifically, she is interested in the intricate relationships of numbers and letters, along with an interest in human relationships.

Sources

California Dept. Of Education (2007). DataQuest. http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

Valdes, Guadalupe. (1998, Aug-Sept). The World outside and inside Schools: Language and Immigrant children. Educational Researcher, Vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 4-18. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1176090

"A Framework For Learning About Your Students."

Appendix A: Interview with ELL student

Question: When did you come to the United States?

Answer: We came here four years ago, when I was 11 years old. My parents...

I however soon made new friends, and my teachers were extremely friendly and supportive.
Q: Do you feel that you developed well in terms of your studies?

A: Yes, I especially enjoy languages and numbers. I also scored best for Russian, English and French in my home country.

Q: What are the subjects that you enjoy least?

A: I don't like natural or biological science all that much. But I try to keep up my grades in these, because I don't want to disappoint my parents or my teachers.

Q: Do you feel that your English has improved while you were here?

A: I was already good in reading and writing when I came here. Only my speaking and listening skills were not up to standard. These soon improved with practice. And it helped that I was already good in the other language skills.

Q: So you enjoy reading and writing?

A: I love both very much and I was able to use them as a vehicle for the improvement of my other skills. While I miss reading and writing in Russian, I do enjoy the English language as well. I am exercising my skills by means of chatrooms on the Internet, and have even tried submitting some articles and stories to local magazines this year. My teachers are also impressed with the work I showed them.

Q: Did you read a lot of English when you were in Russia?

A: I mostly read English for school, but I did enjoy it, and I think I was already quite good when I came here.

Q: Were you able to easily understand the teachers when you came to the United States?

A: It was a little difficult at first, but both my teachers and peers were extremely supportive. They invited me to ask questions whenever I needed help, and when I did so they always made sure that I understood what they explained before going on to the next topic.

Q: Do you think your parents made a good decision to bring you to the United States?

A: While I think I could make a success of my life wherever I am, I do believe that the United States offers opportunities that I might not be otherwise exposed to. So yes, I do think that ultimately they made the right decision.