If students don't verbalize...

If students don't verbalize, students don't internalize.

 

I attended the Michigan Association for Bilingual Education, MABE event last week along with some of our fantastic colleagues across our NHA Michigan schools. As always, talking with our team served to refresh and renew my spirit!

 

 

Like any conference, there were hits and misses. Two break out sessions really spoke to me. I'll share some highlights and encourage you to follow the links to learn more.

 

"Improving English Language Learners' Writing: Focus on Accuracy and Fluency"- Dr. Zuzana Tomas http://supportingwriters.webs.com/apps/documents/

- I loved how she opened this session up: she had all participants respond to a prompt either a) in a language other than English (if known) or b) by writing from left to right. It was a great framing exercise for us. We immediately felt the struggle of a non-native English writer.

- she gave concrete examples on how to improve and develop students' accuracy and fluency

- she recommended a pretty great resource here http://www.brainfriendly.co.uk/ which I'm excited to explore further

- and to top it off she gave us a new and exciting EL-related blog to read http://eslcarissa.blogspot.com/2012/09/5-fun-ways-to-use-dictagloss-in-efl.html

 

"Language and Literacy for ELLs Creating Systematic Change for Academic Achievement"- Melissa Castillo  https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B62A1VcJ6ws3TWRoZDU4OWhrYWs&usp=sharing 

- here's a video clip showing Melissa's ideas for Building Academic Vocabulary

- Melissa works as an EL coach on a national level. I actually sat by a team of EL teachers from Montcalm that are currently working with her.

- I used her phrase 'if students don't verbalize, students don't internalize', a great reminder that we, and all teachers of ELs, need to speak less and listen more. Get our students talking purposefully!

- she addressed the Brick and Mortar word concept

 

These are some great resources! I encourage you to dive into these links and see what takeaways you can find and apply to your own teaching!

 



Get the Party Started!

It's only right to talk about parties on cinco de mayo. Am I right? :)

So many of our schools take time to celebrate our kids, families and cultures they represent. This is more than a day of fun, its a great example of how schools show they want to know about our kids.

At the most recent Service Center meeting, one of our very own success stories was mentioned by a proud parent. A parent/colleague that works here at the Service Center talked about the great cultural night held at Excel Charter Academy this past week. Please join me in applauding Heidi at Excel for initiating this event, a first for the school.

That's a whole lot of happiness!

 

I think any school that has similar events will say that for all the work it takes to plan and coordinate the event it is completely worth it.

 Many of our schools that do a cultural night have classrooms choose a country to research and present on. They'll usually have cultural ambassadors, either kids or parents, that talk to the class about the country.

 

And the food...have we mentioned the food?!

 

So if you haven't tried this at your school and want to I encourage you to start planning! Start by forming a group of teachers/admin that share your vision. Pick a date and commit. We want to see your pictures and pass on the inspiration to the next school!







The Silver Lining of an Audit

 

You might be aware, if you're a Michigan school that receives Title III dollars, that occasionally Federal programs are audited :)

Auditors like to see a lot of evidence that things are being done well. I was so happy to receive some examples of such events happening in the EL community.

Many of our schools actively seek to engage EL families, and this week I was able to see some examples of that. Is your school doing something similar? Want to join the bragging wall (by my desk!)? Send me an example of what great parent engagement strategy you do!

Newsletters- EL teachers fill in their colorful form on a monthly basis highlighting school-wide activities, EL activities and upcoming events.
Literacy Nights- EL families are invited to attend these events to learn strategies and win academic supplies to use at home.
Cultural Celebrations- Many of our schools strive to foster cross-cultural communication by hosting potlucks, dessert nights and morning coffee dates.

An NYC Student study

After a long hiatus from this blog I came back re inspired after attending TESOL two weeks ago.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend this international meeting of the minds I highly recommend it. There is a wealth of knowledge and creativity in our field. Not only do PhD and researchers speak, but teachers like you do as well. It has been my experience that the teacher-led sessions are often the most passionate, valuable and well-attended ones at the conference.

If you have pursued a Masters of TESOL, or any other MA really, you probably wrote a thesis or participated in action research. My own thesis had a mouthful of a title 'How does a student's ability in L2 shape their social well-being in a school whose population shares a similar L1?'

I wanted to explore the how and why students self-grouped in relation to their first (LI) and second (L2) languages.

Here's some background:
I taught self-contained 8th grade ESL classes in New York City. My school was set in upper Manhattan, just south of the Bronx. 95% of the school population was from the Dominican Republic, the staff too. Spanish was the L1 for the majority of people within a 10-block radius of the school. My school operated a TBE, transitional bilingual education. Basically, the students received 60% of content in Spanish and 40% in English. The school grouped their ELs as classes by their proficiency levels. 8BL1, 8BL2 and 8BL3. General ed students and FLEPS (former ELs) were grouped in their own classes, 8A1-8A5. Kids mixed at Specials, lunchtime and in the hallways.

Do you see any potential issues here yet?

My 8BL2's and 3's were new to the country, students that traveled back and forth from the DR for extended periods of time and students who struggled or plateaued in their acquisition of English. Basically, these students were not near proficient in English. They knew it, 8BL1 knew it and the general ed knew it. They moved through the school in defensive packs, spoke mostly Spanish to their friends, had heavy accents and received most of their content in Spanish.

8BL1 on the other hand were nearing proficiency in English. These students were caught in a limbo world. They generally spoke English with their peers, used DR slang, struggled in Spanish-language classes (as they were not fully literate in Spanish) and generally rejected their 8BL2 and 3 peers. They in turn, were rejected by their general ed and FLEP peers.

Keep in mind, 95% of these students could speak and understand Spanish and a good majority vacationed in the DR during the summers. But they would not intentionally mix at school.

Interested? Intrigued? Yes! Start looking at your own teaching world like a researcher. What are some interesting trends that exist there?

I think our own EL teacher colleagues might benefit from hearing different scenarios like mine. There is so much more going on when students are learning English. The more we can understand how those outside levers affect student's language learning the better we can adapt our instruction.

Feel free to ask me to read the rest of my thesis if you're intrigued!

Lau vs. Nichols

I mentioned that I participated in the National Title III Directors meeting last week. After leaving I felt much more knowledgeable on the educational law that supports ELL students. I know many of us skimmed/read/memorized the ELL manual, but just in case you didn't I wanted to touch on one of those landmark educational cases that helped frame what we do today.

Check out this page, especially the link to 'the bilingual education timeline' http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/roots_in_history/bilingual.html
This is a half-page summarizing the Lau vs. Nichols case. This is why we, as ELL teachers, in fact have a job :) So thank you 1974!
http://www-tc.pbs.org/beyondbrown/brownpdfs/launichols.pdf

In summary, Lau v. Nichols states that by simply allowing students access to curriculum does not ensure their quality of treatment.

NHA-Wide ELL numbers

Hello! Greetings! Happy (late) Fall!

 

I know you have been busy with the flurry that is the beginning of the school year. I myself am just emerging from the flood of compliance requirements. Whew!

 

So in an effort to start anew (even though it is the end of October....) I give you something that we just love to look at! Data :)

 

Totals	#
NHA Schools with an ELL Population	64
Schools with 1 ELL staff	17
Schools with 2-4 ELL Staff	8
Schools adding ELL Staff (in process)	3
NHA ELL Teachers	37

Totals	#
Languages	77
Current ELLs	2,828
Top 3 Languages	Spanish(1,586), Bengali (234) and Arabic (144)
Top 3 ELL Population at a school	Vista (263)
	Hamtramck (257)
	Walton (204)

Wow!

Regional Conferences Fall 2013

This year we introduced the first Regional Conferences specific to English Language Learners. We had more than 70 people participate at 5 different locations across 3 different States. I send a huge thank you to all those who participated. I left each meeting with a list of follow-up questions and a renewed motivation to tackle our biggest task: to better serve our ELL population and the teachers who teach them.

Thanks go to Forsyth Academy in NC, Pathway School of Discovery in OH, South Point Scholars, and Hamtramck Academy in MI for giving us room to host these events. Each one of these sites were picked because they are great examples of what an ELL-minded school looks like. I hope you, like me, will continue to use the teachers at these schools for inspiration and guidance.

West MI teachers discussing how to get our ELL families more involved at our schools

South Pointe's representation of where their kiddos come from 

marked by little jewels on the map

Team Central Michigan!

What Hamtramck teachers think the roles of 'ELL Coordinator' are

You gave me a lot to think about! 

My to-do list for the year! Stay tuned!

NHA-U and NTO

Welcome back to you (us)! I took a break blogging while you took a break (hopefully) teaching :) But now I'm ready to greet another year at NHA and am really excited to continue working with my favorite population of learners, the ELLs and the teachers that teach them!

So while I did get some down time this Summer I also had the opportunity to teach at NHA-U and NTO. Thank you so much to those of you that participated at these events! You truly helped focus my thoughts and ideas for the year to come. I hope we'll see more of you next year!

Our lovely view from DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, MI

NTO particpants hard at work!

Love it! There's something about chart paper that makes the teacher in me smile!







You Can't Say You Can't Play

In my search for relevant resources and information I ran across this snippet from Thia American Life. I really enjoy it because it makes the case for being direct with whatever you want to teach- in this case including anyone and everyone in play.

Check it out-  HERE

Prezi II

http://prezi.com/yutxtsr5g1fv/la-la-the-amazing-penguin/?kw=view-yutxtsr5g1fv&rc=ref-41970801

Our colleague Pam shared that she is an active Prezi-user! Take a look at her Penguin prezi here, what a great way to engage and do a little schema building for your students!

Want something to give your to your classroom teachers today? Pam put together a nice presentation on 5 things you can do today with your ELLs.

http://prezi.com/fsy97dh6kwto/five-things-to-do-tomorrow/?kw=view-fsy97dh6kwto&rc=ref-41970801
Thanks Pam!

Welcome to a Prezi!

Here's a fun technology to become acquainted with if you're tired of having your kids create PowerPoints or posters.

I created one in 10 minutes that gives you a little insight to my professional background, check it out here:

My History

Hit the arrows on the bottom to guide you through.

Why I love it:

• really easy to learn- don't give up!
• has a 1 minute teaching demo
• you can search many topics and see some great Prezis already created
• Fun and engaging!

Dancing!

I attended the MABE conference in Dearborn, MI this past week. I found a lot of useful tools and can't wait to pass them along. But this jewel from YouTube, highlighted by keynote speaker Rushton Hurley made me smile so much I needed to pass it along!

What a great sample of world cultures and the simple ways we can connect across continents. Take a look at his site www.NextVista.org, it's full of great videos and inspiration. Have fun!

Your Service Center Library

I recently hauled in my personal collection of teaching resources and thought, why not share them with you? I am no longer in the classroom using these materials, they should be working for somebody!

So, if you're interested in "checking out" a resource below, email me and I'll put it in your school's mailbox straight away (takes about a week to get to you I'm told). Want a peek inside the resource to see if it's for you? I can do that too!

I'll record your check out date and a month later you'll start getting gentle reminders to send it back my way! Hopefully this way we can share (what I think) are good materials!

Some Novel Ties, read why I love them here

And some workbooks

And some 'best practices'

Calling all Chatty Cathy's

Now if you haven't seen these handy dandy phones in use you are missing out!

These are great tools for students to practice speaking.

Let me demonstrate for you...

Get it? :)

You can speak at a whisper and have the phone magnify your voice right back up to your ear. I've seen these work well in classrooms when the teacher asks the students to revise and review their writing.

Lucky you, I have 4 of these ready to send off to the winner of this week's challenge.

In order to be considered for this amazing prize you have to email me an example of a lesson or activity that you did this year that went well.

I will randomly draw a winner and notify you. Plus I'll have a lot of great tips to share :)

Thanks for playing!

Get Excited about Language!

I had the pleaseure to visit our schools in Ohio this past week and picked up some great ideas to share with you!

What better way to engage a student and get them excited to play with words than to allow them access to your materials! Pathway Charter Academy makes it hard not to pick something out and take it home to play with!

Everything displayed was asking to be picked. From word games, to dictionaries and books.

A dictionary never looks as engaging when hiding away in a bookshelf.



Just like a birthday gift, these shiny bags are sent home containing stories and materials to be used and returned. From the schools experience it seemed the kids loved showing off their Book Bag of goodies.

So get your things off the shelves! Display them and encourage students to bring them home. And hopefully a little incentive will bring those materials back to you :)

Novel Study

For many of us we have rounded the ELL testing corner. Breathe a little sigh of relief.
So what is next for your ELL students?

I want to advocate for one of my all-time favorite things to do with any level any grade students; the novel study.

Here's why I love them:

1. student groups can pick/choose based on interest
2. we can immerse ourselves into the book (learn the geography and time frame of the book)
3. we can use a study guide, many of which are premade for us at http://store.learninglinks.com/novel-ties.html my favorite Novel Ties companions
4. we can be self-paced

Here's how I begin a novel study:

1. find 3-4 books that I think are interesting and engaging for my students (preferably I have pre-read them- with one noteable exception: I was reading a Boy in teh Girls bathroom to my 7th graders and could not stop laughing...it was a little embarrassing)
2. demonstrate to my small group how I preview books (look at cover, back of book blurb, first page)
3. have the group sit in a circle each beginning with one book in their hands
4. spend 2-3 minutes previewing the book
5. students write down a yes/no/thoughts about the preview on their notes
6. students pass the book along and preview the next (and so on)
7. students vote for which book we read
8. after the book is selected I gather a group set (maybe I have to visit the local libraries as well to get copies for each student)
9. I pace out the book with the amount of time I have (maybe 2-3 weeks)
10. I buy/borrow/create a novel study guide to go along with the book
11. the first lesson is always geography and time- get a map out, locate our story and discuss the contemporary events (if applicable)
12. get reading! *the books always stay with me-avoiding the 'lost book' issue

Here are some titles I have used in the past and LOVED!

What's in a Name?

When looking over your class roster for the first time, you might be a little nervous about stumbling through the pronunciation of names. It can be nerve-wracking for a teacher. You don't want to offend, you don't want to embarrass. But at the end of the day you have to say the child's name out loud for all to hear. So get ready!

A name is often much more than just that. It can represent family, culture and identity. It should be respected and all effort to pronounce and use correctly should be made. That being said, some names can be tricky. So be ready to correct yourself.

What to do:
-Think through a name. Do you know the culture or language of the name? How letters are pronounced in that language? Jorge should sound like George!
-Practice the several different ways a name could sound. (Is it Joel, or Jo 'el ?)
-Practice out loud
-Ask for opinions from a fellow teacher
-If you are unsure the gender of the name, look it up! This can be especially important for elementary classrooms that often color code their name walls.
- Take a moment before class starts as the student enters to ask for clarification
-Write their name phonetically next to their roster name to remember

What not to do-
-Not say it. Don't avoid using a the child's name, learn how to say it quickly and practice saying it!
-Mispronounce it purposefully (to either make it sound more neutral or Americanized)
-Respect a child's preference for nicknames (some people hate nicknames and by cutting the name in half it can change meaning immensely)
-Tell the child how unusual the name is (eek!)
-Make a confused face (be neutral and open!)
-Give them a different name

Obviously these rules are not hard and fast. My friend Jean Francois preferred to be addressed as 'Jeff', my friend co-teacher Megumi was not amused by being called Meg. Learn what your student's want and stick with it.

Practice makes perfect!

The art of asking a question

Have you even had that feeling, either during the middle of teaching or immediately after saying goodbye to a group of kids wearing befuddled looks on their faces, that maybe you are not getting through? This has happened to me more times than I care to admit. But similar to other shortfalls, I feel it is better to know you're missing the mark than to not.

So where to start? How to adjust?

I have found that a little self-reflection can go a long way. We as ELL teachers know we are constantly differentiating instruction. But are we differentiating our questions? Anyone familiar with the Socratic method of teaching and learning will tell you that the great bulk of learning is done through questioning.

The trick to asking questions to a group of multi-level learners is to understand the complexity of the question we are posing. Take a glance at Bloom's pyramid. Think of your questions as a ladder, you should start at the bottom if you don't want to tip over.

Want some more support with creating intentional questions? Take a look at this winner of a diagram!

Any questions? :)

Draw Write Color!

One of my all time favorite activities which I file under the heading "Laura's Go-to, no-prep needed, differentiated, all-subject, 5-minute, engaging, mini-lesson". I'd say that pretty much encompasses what it is all about.

Materials needed: scrap paper, pencils, crayons

1. Draw 1-5 lines on each paper (Kinde's get 1 line, upper grades get more)
2. Kids (and yourself- come on!) draw a picture in the blank space (maybe you want it on a certain topic, or simply a free-draw). Set a timer (2-3 minutes), stick to it.
3. Everyone write a few sentences (be clear on expectations) describing your drawing. I like to use sentence starters/stems with my younger grades ("In my picture I am..." "This picture shows..."). I also like having a white board handy to  quickly joy down proper spellings.
4. Color it in!
5. Share out, get and give positive feedback
6. I like stapling our pictures together with a construction paper cover to make simple class books.

Testing, Testing...

Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned one, we all might harbour some fear of testing. Especially a big test like your state's approved English proficency assessment. A four parter! 

Where to start? How to divvy it up? Here's a quick list of best practices for you.

1. It might sound self explanatory, but read the Test Coordinator's Manual, or re-read it. This will answer the bulk of your questions and help frame your mind into testing mode.
2. Begin when you are able- with all the snow days, vacation days, and sick days it's best to get started when the testing window opens up. No one likes scrambling.
3. Divvy up responsibility- are there 2 ELL teachers at your school, 1? 3? Divide it up into a reasonable caseload.
4. Pick a grade level to start at, either work up or down from there. Finish a grade level before moving on the the next.
5. Don't burn yourself out with the Speaking portion- devote an hour or 2 per day where you'll do only this section. Bring a bottle of water to keep your mouth hydrated!
6. Prioritize. Many of our schools cannot find time for actual teaching during the testing window. Some can. If you fear test burn-out, or want to have a little more balance, decide which small group you will service regardless of testing. For example, I saw my high need 2nd graders each day for an hour during the test window. It broke up testing for me and also supported my most needed group.
7. Keep a record- know who you have left to test and on which parts of the test
8. Inform the classroom teachers- many of us wont be able to follow the agreed pull-out/push-in schedule. Let the teacher know this is an important test and it happens only once a year for these kids. 
9. Commander a classroom or quiet space- bargain if you have to!
10. Make sure your kids are well fed- keep a basket of nutritious treats around. Grumbling stomachs don't make for a great testing experience.

Good Luck!