Total Physical Response 101

If you enjoy getting your kids up and moving, you'll love using TPR. This is an introduction to the research behind the method by James J. Asher. Aside from it feeling fairly dated, it shows fun ways to engage students in a non-verbal way.

A To-Do List

I recently celebrated my birthday, yay, and completed writing my yearly __ Things to Do While __ Years Old. Basically making a list of things I want to accomplish this year, trying to keep myself accountable and focused on goals I might otherwise overlook (like finally committing to that marathon...).

Well, last week I asked us to think about where our individual ELL programs are right now. This week I want us to think about what we want our ELL programs to look like next year. How can we improve our ELL services? What are some goals you can set for your program, and how can you keep your staff accountable for achieving them?

Here are some goal suggestions for you to consider!

Classroom Decor Is your classroom ELL friendly? Do you have pictures and sentence stems up on your walls? Do you use them on a daily basis? How often do you do upkeep on your classroom library, is it leveled and clear for students to know what to pull (and where to put back!)?

Student Placement Do you have trouble pulling your students in a timely fashion, or are you losing minutes with transit time? Did you know that NHA suggests clustering our high needs ELL students into one classroom? If you have 4-6 high needs students at a grade level you might think about having these students in one classroom. This not only helps with push-in/pull-out support scheduling, but it also allows your ELL teacher/coordinator to better support the classroom teacher. Instead of supporting all three sections of third grade, your ELL teacher will be able to spend more time with the designated ELL classroom teacher. Many of our schools do this already and to great effect.

Student Engagement How often are you incorporating experiential learning in your teaching? What's holding you back from doing more? Set up a classroom barter and trade day. Go on a nature walk to discuss seasons and weather.

So, take a minute and create a little to-do list for your ELL program. Write them down and post your commitment. I encourage you to share it with me, I'm here to support you in shaping the best ELL program for your school!

Where are We At?

As instructors our central mission is to teach students what they need to know. This is the obvious starting point that we all share. However, where do we go from there? How do we know what our students need? How do we assess their strenghts and weakness'? Know when to move forward, when to review?

How do we plan for our kids? And how do you as ELL coordinators evaluate lessons? These questions are helpful as a self-evaluation tool. Do you know how you would answer these personally? How your ELL teachers would answer them?

The strength of our programs is founded on the clarity of understanding that our ELL teachers have.
Start really thinking about your program. Begin by evaluating your own knowledge, ask yourself those questions above. From there have a conversation with your ELL staff and see where they stand.

Next week I'll be writing about what foundational pieces make up a good ELL program. I will also introduce some simple baseline assessments that can be used to help guide our teaching.

Until then, start talking!

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a restful and recharging holiday season. I also hope your kids came back happy and ready to learn :)

The start of the new year is a good time to review how we as teachers and coordinators can welcome our new ELL students into our classrooms and into our schools. We're likely to recieve new students periodically and it can be a challenge for you as the teacher and the student who comes in halfway through the year. Imagine that scenario for a newcomer to the country. It is our goal and our mission to allow newcomers to feel safe and comfortable in their new environment.

Here are two great video clips that demonstrate the need for teachers to connect to their students and tips on how to make that transition as easy as possible for the student.

Welcoming Newcomers

Want more tips to pass along to your teachers of ELL students?
http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/reachingout/welcoming/

http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/cultureshock.php

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/38575/

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/33042/

Immersion

A fellow ELL coordinator referred this short film to us here at the Service Center. Many of our teachers find this is a reality during standardarized testing, I know I did. I always felt especially bad when covering all our classroom work during testing.

Perhaps not the most uplifting new years post, but a reality nonetheless.