Thursday, May 26, 2011

How prepared were you to deal with ELLs in your classroom?






Public School Teacher Exposure to ELL Pedagogy Survey Part I
Public School Teacher Exposure to ELL Pedagogy Survey Part II


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

How do you like these apples?

New unit available in my TpT Store!! This will make your back-to-school planning easy so that you can relax this summer!

Modifying the mainstream classroom to fit the needs of English Language Learners

Too often, good teachers forget that just because a student has language difficulties does not mean that s/he has learning difficulties. A language barrier is something that, with proper instruction and time, can be overcome- unlike dyslexia or other learning disabilities (which can be managed, but not cured).

Making modifications for English language learners (ELLs) does not mean "dumbing down" the material. The material can still be complex, but the language needs to be simplified to a level where the student can understand it (this goes back to Krashen's comprehenisible input theory). Surprisingly, making modifications to your everyday assignments is not as hard or as time comsuming as you may think. That's not to say it doesn't take some time, because it does. However, once you've modified something, you have that modified version for life!

What are some simple ways that you can modify your classroom and materials to make them more ELL-friendly? Here are some tips:

  • Make it easier for the ELL to express his or her content knowledge- provide word and sentence walls to help students find the language to express their knowledge of the content. Often students know and understand the content, but are unable to express their knowledge due to their limited English proficiency.Allow them alternative methods to express their knowledge without language, such as drawing or acting something out.
  • Make the content comprehensible- There are a few ways that you can adapt a text to make it comprehensible for an ELL. The easiest is to simplify the language in the text (but not the content!) so that students can access the content without working too hard for the language. Again, you are not "dumbing it down"! You want to keep the content rigorous while making the language accessible to the student. Another way is to expound the text, which means to include additional information that might be helpful to the ELL in understanding the text.Again, the language must be on the student's level for this to work.
  • Provide explicit vocabulary instruction- English language learners need explicit instruction on the specific vocabulary that is related to your content. This means instructing them not only on the meaning of the word, but the contexts in which it is used. By the way, if you do this as a whole-class activity, then your other students will benefit as well!
  • Don't forget the Multiple Intelligences- Remember that not every student learns the same way, and this means that not every ESL student learns content or language in the same way. Provide multiple options to help students learn the material and express the knowledge they possess. This means lots of visuals, manipulatives, hands-on activities and repetition, repetition, repetition.
  • Repetition, repetiton, repetition- You may feel rediciulous repeating everything, but English language learners usually need to hear things more than once. This goes for directions and the content you are teaching. Also consider providing directions and notes in a written format for your ESL students.
  • Provide Cloze notes- Note taking can take forever, especially for someone learning English as a second language. Consider creating "cloze notes" that cover the content you are teaching, but omit important words. Students can fill in the important words as you teach. This eliminates the frustration of trying to keep up notes in a fast paced classroom as well as the propensity to miss important information because they are rushing.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of tips, but I hope these tips are useful to you in making modifications for your English language learners. Feel free to leave questions or comments!!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Building background knowledge prior to reading and learning

A few days ago, I wrote about activating background knowledge in learners before reading or learning new material. Today I will talk about building background, which I believe is a different but equally important process from activating background. I would like to discuss not the ways that we awaken the knowledge our students possess already, but ways in which we can help them to fill in the gaps of between the knowledge that they have and the knowledge that they need to fully understand the lesson or the text.

When it is apparent that students have gaps in their knowledge and background information, the teacher must take steps to assist students in building background before reading. Following are some strategies that teachers can use to assist their students in building background knowledge:
  1. Picture walk/Previewing the text. A picture walk is an essential element, in my opinion, of any pre-reading program, and should be done prior to any other background building activities in order to give students a framework for how the new background knowledge will be used. It gives students an opportunity to specifically preview the story they will be reading. If students have individual copies of the book or text, have them take a picture walk in pairs. They should discuss what they see in the pictures and titles, what they think the book or reading might be about, what they hope to learn from story, and how they can relate the pictures to their own knowledge or experience. Then, together as a class, take a picture walk and give the students the opportunity to share what they and their partners discussed. Make sure to ask questions about what the students see and help them make explicit connections between their own lives and experiences and the story.
  2. Video Viewing. Find a video or video clip about the topic of the reading.  Show it to the class and discuss it with students. Add any new knowledge to the KWL chart and any new words to the vocabulary chart.
  3. Manipulatives and Predictions. Select several items from the story or related to the topic for which you can find miniature representations. Divide students into small groups and provide a basket of the miniatures to each group. Have students discuss each of the manipulatives and discuss what they remind them of and predict how they might be related to the story or topic.
  1. Concept Definition Mapping. The concept definition map can be used to clarify and explore the key words or concepts in a lesson. Below is a sample Concept Definition Map for “war”, of course, this is only one example of a concept definition map, which can take on many forms and formats.
  1. Think-pair-share. After introducing a concept or topic related to the reading, give students 2 minutes to think and write a few sentences about what they already know, and one question that they hope will be answered. Then have students pair off and share what they wrote with a partner. Return to large group and give students an opportunity to share what their partner new or wanted to know. Give students the opportunity to answer another student’s question if they can.
  2. Current events. If reading a non-fiction book about a real world event, situation or phenomena (hurricanes, tornadoes, homelessness), then gather a selection of news and magazine articles related to the topic (preferably with pictures). If necessary, adapt the text for readability for students. Give students the opportunity to read in pairs or small groups. Then have the groups discuss and write 1-2 sentences about how the article they read may relate to their lives or personal experiences.
  3. Cubing. This is a writing activity that can be useful for looking at a subject from six different sides. It can also be used as an individual or pair activity for building background knowledge. This strategy can be used for something as simple as a pencil or water to a complicated issue such as homelessness.
    1. Describe it: consider and visualize the subject in detail. What does it look like? Think about colors, shapes and memories.
    2. Compare it: What is the object or idea similar to? What is it different from? Explain how.
    3. Associate it: What does it make you think of?
    4. Analyze it: How is it made? How does it work? If you are not sure, make a prediction.
    5. Apply it: Tell what you can do with it. How can it be used? How does it work?
    6. Argue for or against it: Take a stand. Why are you in favor of or against this object?
  4. PreP strategy. This strategy helps teachers to assess the background knowledge of the students and to build their background knowledge by hearing what their peers know about the topic. The PreP strategy follows the following steps:
1.       Initial associations- students are asked to jot down whatever comes to their mind when they think of a particular word or concept
2.      Sharing- students are asked to share what they wrote. The teacher checks to ensure that each student has a chance to get his or her idea listed on a collective list.
3.      Reflecting- if a student does not offer a rationale, the teacher should ask each student why s/he make that particular association. The added discussion facilitates the building of background for the rest of the class.
4.      Organizing conceptually- once each student has had the chance to share, students are divided into groups to consider what types of categories they might be able to classify these terms into  (the teacher may also designate the categories and simply have students organize the words within them).
5.      Discussion- the teacher should now lead a full-class discussion to determine the thinking of various groups.
Once students have completed the PreP strategy, they should have discovered that even if they thought they knew nothing about a topic or concept, they have discovered through discussion with their classmates that they really do know something.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Top 10 reasons to be a teacher!

I know that the end of school is approaching, and many of you are running low on fuel and losing steam. So here's something to put the umph back into the end of your school year. Here are some of the highlights of my 3 years of teaching, and the reasons I get out of bed every morning to do it again!

10. Those unexpected hugs, thank-yous, and other little ways they show you their appreciation.
9. The joy of sharing your knowledge with spongy little minds ready to soak it up.
8. The fun you (sometimes) have when planning awesome lessons.
7. The excitement in their voices when they tell you their latest "news".
6. Occasionally taking time out to work on something artsy or just color with your kiddos- "You're gonna make one too, Mrs. J?"
5. Their rapt attention as you read them a new story for the first time.
4. The days when they come back to "visit" you after going to middle school, high school, or beyond and you can see the amazing people they've turned into.
3. Drawings of YOU to hang on your.....(wall, fridge, desk, door, bulletin board, etc)
1. That amazing "ah-ha" moment when you can see they finally get it!!

The only amazing thing I left off of here is the "surprise" birthday party my middle schoolers threw me on my birthday two years ago during study hall! They all planned together secretly (all three grades!) and brought snacks, food, music, and homemade birthday cards!! Best. Birthday. Ever.

Very few jobs have rewards like these folks. We certainly don't do it for the pay, we don't to it for the respect, remember...WE'RE ALL JUST HERE FOR THE KIDS!

And another little bonus boost for your end of year.....a little FREEBIE from my TpT store!! This Language Arts Word Wall is free for a limited time only, so grab it while its hot!

Time is running out....


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Here it is!!

My new unit on I Hate English! by Ellen Levine is now available at my TpT store. Make planning easy for the end of the year with this fun unit!

Head on over to my TpT store and check it out!

Activating Background Knowledge before Reading



0 I have never heard of this word or concept before
____ evaporation____
____ condensation____
____ precipitation____
____ collection____
Eggs-Anticipation Guide
Put a  ü  next to each statement you think is true.
1. ____  Animals that lay eggs always build a nest.
2. ____  The baby animal growing inside the shell is
called an embryo.
3. ____  All eggs have hard shells to protect them.


Monday, May 16, 2011

Turning reluctant readers into EAGER readers through Classroom Novel Studies

Many students today struggle with reading, and as a result, they say they "don't like reading". How can we change that for our students? How can we turn reluctant readers into EAGER readers? I do it by incorporating novel studies into my classroom.

Lately, I've been working with my 4th and 5th graders on a novel study of Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks. This is a book I first did during my first year of teaching; the kids really enjoyed it then and I have looked forward to doing it every year since. After checking out the lexile level of the book, I decided it would also be appropriate to do with my 4th and 5th graders this year. If you're not familiar with the story, check it out at Scholastic.

Each chapter in the book is told by a different character in the story- many of them from other countries and cultures. This makes it a great starting point for a multi-cultural unit for any classroom. Furthermore, as the garden grows, the sense of community among the gardeners also grows, and it gives students the chance to think about what a community is and what it means to the people in it.

During the study of the book, we not only read the book, but we also learn cross-curricular content. Since the story is about a garden, we learn about the life cycle and parts of a plant. Because many of the characters are immigrants, we learn about past & present immigration to the US. We also do some "garden math" to figure out how many people can fit in the garden or solve other problems that the gardeners might face. During the study of one book, we are able to cover four content subjects- Reading, Science, Social Studies, and Math.

Today, we worked on Chapter 2, written by Ana. First we did a vocabulary word sort to help familiarize them with some of the more difficult words in the story. I divided the students into two groups, and each group got a piece of poster and an envelope filled with words and categories. The first group's categories were "People", "Places" and "Things". They had words like "Rumanians" or "Mexico" or "Guns". The second group's categories were "Words that show ACTION" and "Words that DESCRIBE". They had words like "suspicious" or "watched". The students categorized the words, and then we discussed them as a class.

If you've never done a word sort in your classroom, I highly recommend it. I'm always amazed and impressed about how well this easy activity works. The students have to discuss why they think a word goes into a particular category, and while they are working, you can circulate and stop to discuss as needed. A word sort can be done for almost anything!

After the word sort, we read the chapter and then answered some questions about Ana. When they come back to me on Wednesday, we'll write Cinquain poems about Ana. I always alternate a chapter with content that is related to the story.

When I first started teaching (in middle school), and I told my first class of students that most of our work in our ESL Language Arts class would be based on novel studies, you should have heard the groans! By the time we finished our third book and were ready to start on Seedfolks, the kids were super excited and couldn't wait to find out what book we would be reading next.

A well-planned novel study with carefully selected books can be invaluable to your classroom- almost any objective can be taught at some point in the novel study. It demonstrates to students that reading can be fun and enjoyable- even in school!! Each year, I turn a classroom of reluctant readers into a classroom of EAGER readers by showing them how much fun reading can be. I also try to live by example- when we have silent reading time, I take out my book and read right along with the kiddos, which shows them how much I value reading, too.

Today is the day!!

Now for the news you've all been waiting to get awesome FREE STUFF!

14 Teachers have banded together to bring you the drawing of a lifetime!! You will receive one entry for each time you "follow" two of the teachers' stores or Facebook pages, up to 15 entries. At the end of the week, we will put all of the entries in a drawing, from which 2 teachers will receive 14 FREE RESOURCES from 14 different TPT Teachers!! How awesome does that sound? To find out more information, and how or where to follow the teachers, click the picture below!!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

New Unit in the works!!



Explicit vocabulary instruction for ELLs in the content classroom

1.      I’ve never heard or seen this word before
4.      I know this word very well.