+ Technique Gaining Confidence and Effectiveness on Building Literacy Communities within your...

+

Technique Gaining Confidence and Effectiveness on Building Literacy Communities within your Classroom!

Megan CroweLauren FloodAmanda HaynesMillie Kidder-Goshorn

+

“In 2011, nearly a quarter -- 23.9 percent -- of pre-K-12 students were Hispanic, many either immigrants or the children of immigrants who speak another language at home. And that proportion is projected to grow in the

coming years, bringing new challenges and opportunities to schools across the country.”

-Anne O’Brien, Deputy Director of Learning First Alliance

+

“According to the Pew Hispanic Research Center, there are roughly 1.7 million undocumented students under

age 30, who are enrolled in high school, have graduated or obtained a GED, or are currently enrolled in elementary or middle school. Additionally, this past

summer our nation witnessed a spike in unaccompanied minors crossing our southern border

with more than 50,000 children fleeing persecution from Central America and Mexico.”

- Sara Burnett, American Immigration Council

+

“Ten percent of all public school students are English as a Second Language Learners (ESL), meaning they have limited English proficiency. But less than 1 percent of

public school teachers are ESL instructors. That means that there’s just one ESL instructor for every 150 ESL

students. The standard classroom ratio across America is one teacher for every 15 students.”

-Susan Oud and William Hussar, National Center for Education Statistics

+Techniques for Teaching Speaking

BICS – (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) For beginning ELL students this is where the focus is because it is the first set of skills.

Silent period – lasts anywhere from several weeks to a year.

+Techniques for Teaching Speaking• Typical strategies include:

- Listening to fluent English- Building receptive vocabulary through repetition and

schema building- Using gestures to show comprehension- Choral reading

• As listening comprehension and vocabulary increases, typical activities include:- Using common social greetings- Engaging in community-building activities (schedules,

events)- Discussing current events/pop culture- Expressing an opinion or thought- Explaining why they did or didn’t do something

+Incorporating English Vocabulary in Speaking  Direct vocabulary instruction should be done

particularly when the students have mastered grade-level content.

Authentic instruction is more meaningful to students.

Some best practices for both listening and speaking vocabulary include: Short, targeted discussions about interesting themes Sharing images/objects that spark conversation Watching short videos in all content areas/theme (art,

music, dance, sciences, etc) Reciting rhymes, jokes and poetry Using music, songs, rhythm, tongue twisters that

reinforce the meaning of challenging words Playing games such as charades to pair an action with a

vocabulary word

+Incorporating English Grammar in Speaking  

Modeling correct sentence structure and grammar gives students opportunities to hear and rehearse.

Use advanced students (both native and ELL) to model

Over-correcting students’ pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar while speaking has the potential to decrease students confidence.

“Rather than single out which student made what error, ESL instructors model and reinforce correct usage.”

+Incorporating English Pronunciation in Speaking Listening to fluent English in a variety of contexts is a

great tool for teaching pronunciation.

Rather than isolating sounds, focus on intelligibility, interaction and practice.

Best practices for increasing intelligibility: Clap out syllables Practice stressing the correct syllable when speaking Use visual aids (phonetic spelling, accents over stressed

syllables, coding of vowel sounds)

+The Power of Story

Speaking slower, putting more dramatic emphasis on the speakers voice.

Using more physical actions and sound effects to help associate universally recognized body actions (running, sleeping, etc.) with new English words.

Frequently asking the audience to repeat key words and actions.

Using more physical humor. Laughter is essential to breaking down the barrier of language.

Let’s go to the beach!Beach Ball Activity

• Split classroom equally – approximately 5 groups•Must toss ball to person that did not pass it to your prior•When you catch ball, look at your right thumb and pick closet question•Answer question!

Supporting ELL Reading Skills

+Sample Differentiated Reading Lesson

Reading Tasks for Lower-Performing ELLs ELLs extract and list all names of people/places/numbers. Classify them into

groups. ELLs work only with a specific paragraph, looking for specific information. ELLs underline all the words that they know. Ask them to look up the difficult

words. These students become the experts. True/false type questions

Reading Tasks for Middle-Performing ELLs ELLs answer questions that relate to general ideas. Multiple choice type questions. True/false questions where ELLs correct the false questions and/or give

evidence from the text.

Reading Tasks for Higher-Performing ELLs Oral reports on a text. Questions for reading between the lines. Answer detailed questions about the text. Make up questions and swap with a

partner.

+Classroom Strategies: Steps for Teaching Comprehension Skills

Additional steps for comprehension for ELLs Identify vocabulary words that you think might be difficult

for students to understand when they read the text. Write ELL-friendly definitions for each - that is, simple, brief definitions ELLs can easily understand.

Model think-aloud. Demonstrate fix-up strategies. Partner ELLs with more dominant English speakers and ask

each student to take a turn reading and thinking aloud with short passages.

After working with partners successfully, ask ELLs to practice independently by using a checklist such as the following.

Narrative Multicultural books are great for comprehension.

+Reading activity!While I was reading, how did I do?

+Classroom Strategies: Additional Comprehension Skills for Advanced ELL students

In pairs, have students survey the text and use an idea map to record the main idea and details.

Ask partners to read the text.

Have partners restate the main idea and supporting details. At this point, they can add to their idea map or make necessary corrections.

Then ask students to reread the text and either develop their own questions (pretending to prepare a test for their partner) or write a short summary of what they just read.

After that, have partners check each other's work.

Finally, partners can share their questions or summaries with other teams.

+Opening Minds Through Writing

Some students may have little experience with creative writing due to some cultures being unsupportive of expressing opinions or feelings.

Select writing themes with vocabulary and concepts that reflect their students’ diverse backgrounds.

Encourage students to use their native language to substitute for words they do not know when they are writing.

Model good writing from mentor texts that are on the students English Language Level.

+Techniques for Teaching Writing

Prewriting/brainstorming stage: graphic organizers are an excellent resource in helping student envision their writing.

Allow multiple opportunities for meetings with students so they can express their thinking and knowledge of their piece of writing.

Frequently model your steps for writing to students.

Break writing tasks into manageable steps because it allows for greater success.

Beginning with nonfiction writing may be more beneficial then narrative writing.

+Incorporating Writing through Vocabulary and Grammar

Building English Vocabulary through Writing Students can slowly compile lists of words that they

organize alphabetically and keep in a personal dictionary. Beginning Ells may add pictures, color coding, or other cues.

Teaching English Grammar through Writing One way to keep grammar instruction varied and

challenging is to vary students purposes for writing and the genres of their writing projects.

Let's travel! • Postcard activity

*For complete Postcard Activity

Information refer to Appendix B

+Integrating Speaking, Reading and Writing

E-mail Writing/Reading Activity for ELL and General Education Students

E-mail centered activities give students a chance to not only use technology but to interact with their peers through well thought out conversations. They are able to craft and then analyze authentic conversations over a longer period of time, versus automatic in-person conversations.

Students could even use e-mail writing programs to pen pal students internationally.

This can greatly improve the confidence and self-esteem of your ELL students!

+Integrating Speaking and Reading in the ELL Classroom Readers Theatre

Readers Theatre is an authentic and engaging way to incorporate speaking and reading into the classroom. It can also be integrated into all subjects!

It is especially beneficial to ELL students because it promotes fluency, comprehension, expression, and often times new vocabulary.

This activity also benefits all of your students because they are reading the text multiple times before they perform Readers Theatre, enhancing everyone’s comprehension and fluency.

*Refer to Appendix C for a guide to Readers Theatre and a list of available scripts.

+

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”

‒Rita Mae Brown

“Language is the soul of intellect, and reading is the essential process by which that intellect is cultivated beyond

the commonplace experiences of everyday life. It’s a language that is adaptive to emotions, ideas and feelings.”

-Katherine West

+Contact Information

Megan Crowemegan.crowe@live.longwood.edu

Lauren Floodlauren.flood@live.longwood.edu

Amanda Haynesamanda.haynes@live.longwood.edu

Millie Kidder-Goshornmillicent.kiddergoshorn@live.longwood.edu

*Reference Page can be found on Appendix A

+Appendix A

Belisle, R. (1996, December 1). Email Activities in the ESL Writing Class. Retrieved January 1, 2015, from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Belisle-Email.html

Best Practices for Teaching ESL: Speaking, Reading, and Writing. (2013, January 1). Retrieved January 1, 2015, from mastersinesl.org

Brown University. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.brown.edu/

Colorín Colorado. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/

Cornwell, L. (n.d.). What is Readers Theatre? Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/programs/whatisrt.htm

Friday, M. (2014, November 12). How Storytelling Inspires Children to Learn English. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/storytelling-inspires-children-learn-english-matthew-fridaysample lesson

+Appendix A continued

Haynes, J. (n.d.). EverythingESL: The K-12 ESL Resource from Judie Haynes. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.everythingesl.net/

Krajka, J. (2000, November 1). Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction. Retrieved January 1, 2015, from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html

Robertson, K. (2009, January 1). Reader's Theater: Oral Language Enrichment and Literacy Development for ELLs. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/readers-theater-oral-language-enrichment-and-literacy-development-ells

Sasson, D. (2014, December 1). Integrating ELL Students in General Education Classes. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-ells-general-education-classes-dorit-sasson

Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners | ELL Topics from A-Z | Colorín Colorado. (2007). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/14342/

Appendix B

+Appendix C

-How do I use Readers Theatre?

www.readingrockets.org Reader's Theater: Oral Language Enrichment and

Literacy Development for ELLs by Kristina Robertson This is a short and easy to read article on introducing

Reader’s Theatre into your classroom, keeping ELL students in mind.

Appendix C continued Kristina Robertson’s Steps to a Successful Readers Theatre

1. Introduction to concept of Readers Theatre and story selection

2. Highlight Vocabulary using various activities prior to introducing script

3. Teacher lead Read-Through – asking comprehension questions

4. Assignment of Roles (if there are not enough roles she suggests using multiple casts)

5. Practice – teacher floats through classroom providing assistance

6. Staging – creating props and practicing movement

7. Evaluation – explain to students how you will grade them and show rubric

8. Performance!

+Appendix C continued

List of Resources for Scripts: www.freereaderstheatre.com www.timeslessteacherstuff.com www.readerstheatreallyear.com http://www.aaronshep.com/extras/index.html http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?id=

4502&external=http://www.fictionteachers.com/classroomtheater/theater.html&original=http://www.proteacher.com/070173.shtml&title=Readers%20Theatre%20Scripts