Engaging Secondary Learners: Literacy and ELLs

Dr. Johnna Paraiso

ESL Technology/SLIFE Facilitator

Rutherford County Schools

Rationale

“Schools in which the adults in the building perceived a real opportunity to improve the academic circumstances of their students were able to transform their schools in more substantial ways than in those schools in which the adults perceived little hope for increasing student learning.”

Schools that had made significant progress in raising student achievement all made intentional efforts to ensure no student fell behind.

Some students might need extra time and assistance to master core elements of the curriculum. They organized instruction to provide opportunities for students who needed them.

Things to Remember

High expectations with support– ALWAYS!

Expose them to rich content.

Write write write!!

Relate the text to their lives. Love, Death, Isolation, Peer Approval, Parent Issues

Krashen’s Affective Variables

He notes three “affect variables that influence language acquisition”

Self-esteem: Students with high self-esteem view themselves as capable learners and are more apt to take risks.

Motivation: Motivated students are more focused and take greater risks.

Level of Anxiety: Anxiety inhibits language acquisition. Anxious students tend to focus on form rather than communication, and take fewer risks.

My Approach- Sheltered Instruction

“The term sheltered indicates that such instruction provides refuge from the linguistic demands of mainstream instruction, which is beyond the comprehension of English-language learners.” (Echevarria & Graves 1998)

ESL I Beginners- English basics, frontloading U.S. History, academic vocabulary.

ESL II Intermediates- Academic writing, grammar, frontloading for English classes, reinforcing history classes.

ESL English I- Sheltered Instruction covering the state standards, academic writing, grammar, literature foundation.

Initial Strategies to Teach English

Comprehension to English Language

Learners

Pre-reading Strategies Background Knowledge

Necessary to

construct

meaning from text.

Development of key vocabulary

Background Knowledge – Teacher builds upon the language, culture and experiential background that students bring to the classroom and relate knowledge to new information provided in the text.

Initial Strategies

Students may experience difficulties due to lack of prior knowledge on the particular topic to be read.

Background knowledge can often be accomplished through a sharing of the groups’ knowledge.

It may be recorded in a graphic format.

Classroom Strategies for

Beginning Readers:

Thematic Approach Language-experience approach Patterned Poems Illustrating stories and poems Direct Listening-Thinking Activity (DL-

TA) Cause and Effect Chart Pantomime Reader’s theater Story map Venn Diagram Photo Booth

Classroom Strategies for Intermediate

Readers:

Thematic Approach Anticipation Guide Cognitive mapping Literature Circles Jigsaw Reading Direct Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA)

(Fluency)

Literature response journals Developing scripts for reader’s theater.

(Fluency)

Adapting Stories into plays and scripts for film and videotape.) Literacy Centers Photo Booth

Thematic Units

Choose a theme – Incorporate multiple curriculum areas.

Allows all learning experiences to be interrelated and more meaningful to the students.

It can incorporate higher-level thinking skill, open-ended activities, cooperative learning, writing , research, and individualized learning.

Holocaust

Social Justice

Civil Rights

Thematic Units

Example - Rainforest

Language Arts/Social Studies/Technology/Art

Science/Art/Language Art

Art/Science

Social Studies/Technology/Language Arts-Webquest

Mathematics/Technology

Health

Short Stories

Choose from a variety of subject matter.

Teach literary elements.

Get weird!

Novel Units

Choose novels that are relatable but a bit above their reading level.

Mythology

Greek Gods Bingo

Flap Books

QR Code Activity

Paired Texts

Mythology in Science

Shakespeare

Introduction to the Bard

Coloring Pages

Comics

Video Clips

Bookmarks

Collages

Compare/Contrast

Vocabulary Development-The Thread that Runs

So True

Connect - Create explanations before definitions.

Process - Active elaboration through use of synonyms/antonyms, verbal examples, non-verbal examples, compare and contrast, apply in new contexts

Practice - Receptive (read and listen) and Expressive (speak and write)

Today’s Secret Word

Plan Vocabulary Instruction

Which key words or concepts are vital to understanding?

Is the word encountered frequently?

Are their words that can be grouped together to enhance understanding of a central concept?

How can I help students use the word/concept in meaningful ways in future speaking and writing contexts?

How will I teach them to study academic vocabulary?

What method is most appropriate for student to study the words?

Vocabulary Activities

Frayer Model

Banned Words

Find a Song

Pictionary

Word Walls

Wear-A-Word

Vocabulary Dice

Wild Cards

Writing For Every Student

Every child, every day.

Writing for Beginning

Writers

Word Clouds

Composition books.

Facebook profiles.

Tweets.

Instagram captions.

Comics.

Oral discussion

Personal journals

Dialogue journals

Buddy journals

Free writing

Writing poems

Research project

Powerpoint

Writing for Intermediate

Writers

Show and not tell - Provides descriptive details about what the writer wants to convey.

Journals-Composition books

Sentence combining

Sentence shortening

Sentence models

Process Writing: Research Project

-Prewriting

-Drafting

-Revising

-Editing

-Publishing

Technology

QR Codes

E-Portfolio

Kahoot

Blogs

See Saw

ThinkCerca

Plickers

Mr. Nussbaum

Assessment

Portfolio Assessment

Multiple Measures for Assessment

- Do not assess only through written tests.

If you do not assess the English language

learners in many different ways, you will

not find out what they really know.

Observations

- Anecdotal records

- Check lists

- Concrete materials. Opportunities to

demonstrate that they understood the

information.

Closing Exit ticket!