Keep a portfolio of the student's work throughout the year. You might audiotape conversations with the student at different times of the year to show him how he has progressed. Support continued literacy development in the student's first language, because literacy skills in the native language enriches English-language development. Encourage the student to continue reading and writing in her native language and invite her to practice this during free-reading time. Encourage the family's involvement.
Different cultures have different perspectives on family involvement in school.
Find out what special skills, talents, or interests families might be willing to share with the class. If possible, have school communications translated into the parents' native language. Foster an appreciation of cultural diversity. Consider a whole-group social studies unit on family origins and cultural heritage. You might display a world map on the bulletin board and have all students put pushpins with their names on their families' countries of origin.