Developed for ALL? Does that mean ESL, too?

Several things should be considered when selecting a reading program for classrooms that include ESL students. Even though I do not recommend a particular company or specific series, I do recommend the following list of considerations when investing in our students reading program of study.

Authors

Do the authors have ESL background experience?

Multicultural considerations

Home Language considerations

Teachers Guide

Does the guide give information on second language acquisition?

Language Objectives are clearly indicated for each lesson

Vocabulary is introduced in a meaningful way before, revisited during, reviewed after

Graphic organizers are used to help support comprehension

Background development activity ideas are listed

Do lessons focus on comprehension while building phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency?

Provides running record opportunities

Formative assessment provided for content and skills as well as language acquisition?

Does not consider ELL instruction as an add-on, something extra.

Differentiation supports provided

Supports and acknowledges home language importance

Writing activities

Oral language, interactive activities included

Provides across curricular opportunities or tie in 

Use sheltered instruction models

Student Text

Colorful

Picture support

Graphs and Charts

Focus on Vocabulary-academic language and content

Leveled Books/reading with age appropriate content

Different genre

Print is appropriate for grade level

Higher level thinking required

Reflective opportunities

Students can find themselves in the stories

Meaningful and interesting stories

Narrative and expository genres are included

I’m sure there are other considerations when choosing a new reading series or program and I would be very interested in hearing what others think. I know that teachers will adapt, add to, subtract from whatever is in their teacher guides based on the needs of their students but I feel it is important for the developers to give as much appropriate support as possible. Is there one particular series or program out there that includes all of these? I don't know, I haven't been in the position to look at different publisher for awhile. More research to be done...is it ever done. Nope.

Have you thanked a teacher today?

My favorite, most memorable teacher?
It would be a toss up between Mrs. Stevens, 3rd grade and Mrs. Duffy, 6th grade.
Mrs. Stevens was a short woman not much taller than her students. She would laugh, listen, and was quick with hugs and praises. She was the first teacher that made me feel as if I was valued as a student. Mrs. Duffy was her opposite: tall with red long fingernails, perfect hair, and beautiful clothes. A woman of elegant stature and grace. She allowed us to write and perform plays until our creative minds could produce no longer, in other words, we had plays all year. I will never forget her standing at the window in that old 3-story school house, speechless, tears on her cheek. All of us sitting quietly in our seats for what seemed like an eternity. In her kind elegant way she was trying to figure out how she could tell us about the death of President Kennedy. A task that deserved all the power words can instill in a young heart.
I have had many teachers, many mentors, many friends who have guided my educational life. However, these two women always come first in my cobweb filled memories. I can see them on the playground of a building that no longer stands. I can hear their voices as if they are whispering in my ear even now. I don't remember any subject or specific topic of study, just their presence. I wonder what they would think if they knew that skinny, quiet, shy little girl followed their footsteps into education.
I wish I could tell these two wonderful women how much I appreciate the impact they had on my life. They modeled my future. It's too late, they are both gone now. I waited too long to say thank you.

Never Too Young

I am amazed with a young man, Jacob Barnett, who has some outstanding credientials already at a tender age of 12. I suggest taking a few minutes to watch as this young man giving us all solid advise. Stop learning, start thinking, then create.

http://edupln.ning.com/video/tedxteen-jacob-barnett-forget-what-you-know?xg_source=shorten_twitter

I'm Impressed

I just watched a short film clip called "Caine's Arcade". This is a testimony to the creativity of our children when they are left to their own devices. I'm going to direct you to "Caine's Arcade" through one of my favorite blogs, CareerTech Testing Center. CareerTech is worth your time to explore but do that after you've spent 11 minutes of your life marveling at Caine's many skills.

http://careertechtesting.blogspot.com/

Caine has the "something" that we try to instill in our students; common sense which leads to productive problem solving.

"Smackdown"

I just watched a session on EduVision of the 2012 Iowa One-to-One Institute (i11i) called Web 2.0 Smackdown with Dr. Scott McLeod. In this session, participants from the audience had two minutes to share a website that they use either with their students or to make their teaching lives easier. It was so much fun to see all the really great sites, ones that I have never heard of and ones I use, being demonstrated. One demonstrated by Dr. McLeod holds great promise for teachers of ESL students:

www.dotsub.com

This site provides translation of videos with the use of subtitles. You can also add your own videos and translations. This will be great for the ELs who can read in their L1.

If you are not familiar with Eduvision it is worth your time to take a look. It's a fantastic way to share knowledge, opening so many avenues for communication to the masses. Online professional development can be accessed whenever the need arises. Wonderful way to make sure statewide trainings are given with reliability and consistency or to open up conferences for those of us who can only attend an hour here, an hour there. Not to mention, you can session hop without interruption, not that I would ever do such a thing.
 
educateiowa-EduVision

https://educateiowa.eduvision.tv

Flapjacks? Flip me a few!

My husband of 37, almost 38, years made me pancakes the other night for supper. They were delicious, blueberry, hot and buttery. Yummy! What possessed him I'll never know, it was truly an unexpected treat.  Maybe he finally got tired of my cooking.

Hey teachers, isn't it time we got tired of the same old thing we've been cooking up year after year? Stand and deliver, sage on the stage? Homework assigned and excuses made for not having it done?  Enough is enough, don't you think? How about cooking up an unexpected treat for our students?

Flipped classroom is a term that refers to a philosophy on delivery of instruction. When we think of assignments to be done at home the term "homework" comes to mind. Let's take the word "work" out of learning accomplished at home, or at least away from school. Try thinking of activities completed or engaged in at home as initial learning, the instruction. Before the students enter the classroom they have already engaged in the learning needed to participate in the day's activities. The classroom becomes a place for discussion, invention, interaction, and innovation. It becomes a place where students work together towards the goal of using what they have learned.

I like this idea, I think it is the next step in taking education beyond the four walls of the school. It opens up the opportunity to take knowledge into practice, it creates the need to learn with a reason or goal in mind. But how do our second language learners fit into this philosophy? I have been rolling this around in my mind all day. The need to build background and develop vocabulary before approaching a lesson is essential for ELs to understand and learn, but how do we do that if the first encounter with a  topic is at home away from teacher support? How do we create the level of language needed to comprehend the lesson?

I don't think it is impossible, and not terribly difficult. However, it will require planning and creativity. Teachers are good at that. As teachers prepare their students to participate in the new learning of an at-home activity they must remember to incorporate background knowledge and vocabulary development into the process.  Choosing home activities must engage as well as educate.

My next concern is the availability of the devices to access content at home. Will our EL families have the internet connection, the space for viewing the evening lessons, the knowledge to operate and maintain a computer or iPad?

Using this approach to classroom organization isn't something you can decided to do overnight. Research and logistics must be explored. Every detail must be taken care of.

And where do these online lessons come from? Does the teacher have to create everything on their own? Some of it yes, but one great resource that has great possibilities of providing what you'll need is the Kahn Academy. Take time to explore

 http://www.khanacademy.org/

Another site, one that is brand new and evolving, is TED-ED

http://education.ted.com/

Is a flipped classroom something that will work for you and your students? I think it has great possibilities but I know I need more research. I'm keeping my mind open to it's possibilities.

Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words and hitting hurt too!

 When I was a young child I remember riding the school bus and being terribly afraid of the high school kids that sat in the back. One time an older boy was hit and teased all the way to the front of the bus. I remember seeing blood, not sure where but it was there just the same. This is my first memory of someone being hurt by others. I don't remember why he was being hurt, and I don't remember him ever riding the bus again. I just remember being afraid of something like that happening to me.

I wonder what happened on that bus that made me comfortable as a passenger after that. Did we get rid of the bullies, did we get a stricter bus driver, did the absence of that one particular boy make the others calm down and act like decent kids? I don't remember. All I know is I can see that boy as clearly today as I did all those years ago. Bullying does touch everyone, not just the child being bullied.

I read an interesting blog today on ELLs and Bullying and it made me think back to my teaching days. Did I ever allow this bad behavior to exist in my classroom? Did I ever make sure that my ELLs were free of bullying at recess or on the way to and from school? Or was I just clueless, thinking that nothing terrible like this ever happens in my school.

 Take a few minutes to read this blog and see what memories come back to you. Think about what you see everyday around you. There's 8 really helpful hints that I hope you will take to heart and use.

http://blog.languagelizard.com/2011/09/19/protecting-ells-against-bullying/

I wish I could go back to that school bus and watch that scenario again. Put it into slow motion, rewind to before that boy tried to get off the bus. Rewind it to a point that something could be changed.