Full of Hot Air

Today is hot! Very hot and dry. My yard looks like we have tried to kill the Queen Anne's lace but got the grass instead. Patches of white, long, scrawny,  plants cover my yard. The only thing I can do and still be positive is to admire how delicate and graceful they look. Find the beauty in the weeds, the good in the bad.

As I write this, I am working in the waiting room of the car dealership that is fixing the AC in my car. Thanks to the deer who thought it would be fun to crash into my car, I've had a slow leak in my AC that finally became a huge leak. No cool air during the hottest part of the summer. The good in the waiting is that I've been able to work on a grant report, answer emails, read articles on RTI and ESL, and write my first blog post in months.

Thank goodness for technology and the great new book I brought to read, "English Language Learners At School, A guide for Administrators", Else Hamayan and Rebecca Freeman, Caslon Publishing, Second Edition, 2012.

71 contributors have answered many questions that need short, direct answers. A book like this is important for every school administrator who has ESL students in their building. In Iowa that should be about every district in the state.

Have a Little Whine with your Wine!

Well, I've done it. Today I've turned 60. Something about that number has me a little upset. No longer does it give the impression of being young.  59 still sounded sexy, youthful, energetic, exciting. But 60, the BIG 6-0! Ick! No sexy overtones there, no spring in your step visions, no wait let me do it for you vibes. If you can't tell, I'm not handling this birthday well. I had the same problem the year I turned 29. I felt old and worn out. Tears came without warning. And grumpy! It was not a pretty sight. But what happened after all the emotion? Nothing earth shattering, just life, and a happy one at that. So, I need to get a grip in my attitude and enjoy the fact that I have been blessed with another year to enjoy those I love, dislike those I don't, eat what I should or not, exercise and enjoy physical activities that I know will make me hurt tomorrow. All just because I can. 

Oh yeah, you came here looking for an educational nugget. Well, don't worry, I haven't lost all of my memory yet.

Take a moment to read the report, English Language Learner Resource Guide: Top Ten Instructional Tips for Schools With a Low Incidence of ELLS, prepared by Jane D. Hill and Heather Hoak from Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, April 30, 2012. The five state region of the McREL's North Central Comprehensive Center includes the states of Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. These five states have experienced an increase in the number of schools who have a low number of English Language Learners. Giving support to these schools is very important because even having one ELL is reason to examine teaching practices. This guide gives some good, basic strategies.

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