Fall$ 08 - California Writing Project · students have read and discussed Elizabeth Wong’s piece, “The Struggle ... Wong, Elizabeth. “The Struggle to be an All American Girl

California Writing Project

C a l i f o r n i a W r i t i n g P r o j e c t , U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a 4 6 2 5 T o l m a n H a l l , B e r k e l e y , C A 9 4 7 2 0

Grade Level 9-12

08 Fall

Americanization and Success: English Learners Taking a Stand Norma Mota Altman, Alhambra Unified School District, ELD and Spanish for Native Speakers, Grades 9-12

Americanization and Success: English Learners Taking a Stand 1

Table of Contents From Teacher to Teacher ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Text Resources ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Teaching Context .................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Text Type, Genre, Writing Prompt .................................................................................................................................... 4 Instructional Strategies ........................................................................................................................................................ 4

Standards .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Common Core State Standards .......................................................................................................................................... 5

Writing Standards, grades 9-10 .................................................................................................................................. 5 Text Types and Purposes .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Production and Distribution of Writing ..................................................................................................................... 5 Speaking and Listening Standards, grades 9-10 .................................................................................................. 6 Comprehension and Collaboration ......................................................................................................................... 6 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas ................................................................................................................... 6 Language Standards, grades 9-10 ........................................................................................................................... 6 Conventions of Standard English .............................................................................................................................. 6 Knowledge of Language ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Vocabulary Acquisition and Use ............................................................................................................................... 7

English Language Development Standards ..................................................................................................................... 8

Teaching Sequence .......................................................................................................................... 10 Lesson Objectives ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Session One: Pre-reading: Accessing Prior Knowledge ............................................................................................... 10 Session Two: Responding in Writing to Text ................................................................................................................. 10 Session Three: Critical Reading and Responding .......................................................................................................... 10 Session Four: Forming an Opinion .................................................................................................................................. 11 Session Five: Philosophical Discussion: Thinking Critically about Both Sides of the Issue ............................................. 12 Session Six: Writing an Opinion/Argumentation Essay ............................................................................................... 13 Session Seven: Revising the Essay ................................................................................................................................... 13 Session Eight: Going Public with Student Writing ....................................................................................................... 13

Reflections .......................................................................................................................................... 14

Extension Resources .......................................................................................................................... 17 Instructional Resources ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 Professional Resources ...................................................................................................................................................... 17

Learning From Student Work ............................................................................................................ 18 Student Work, Section 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Student Sample A ........................................................................................................................................................ 18 Annotation – Student Sample A .............................................................................................................................. 18 Student Sample B ........................................................................................................................................................ 19 Annotation – Student Sample B .............................................................................................................................. 19 Student Sample C ....................................................................................................................................................... 20 Annotation – Student Sample C ............................................................................................................................. 20 Student Sample D ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 Annotation – Student Sample D .............................................................................................................................. 21


Student Work, Section 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 22 Student Sample A ........................................................................................................................................................ 22 Annotation – Student Sample A .............................................................................................................................. 22 Student Sample B ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 Annotation – Student Sample B .............................................................................................................................. 23 Student Sample C ....................................................................................................................................................... 24 Annotation – Student Sample C ............................................................................................................................. 24

Appendix ............................................................................................................................................ 25 Forming and Opinion Worksheet ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Philosophical Chair Worksheet ......................................................................................................................................... 26


Overview

From Teacher to Teacher Immigrant students from around the world come to the United States, hoping for a better life and for an opportunity to further their education. Teaching English learners to speak and write well is an imperative. Unfortunately, the acquisition of English is a formidable task for all of these students. In addition to learning a new language, English learners must also adjust to a new culture and to a new way of looking at the world.

Two of the biggest questions that students must answer for themselves are: “How Americanized must I become in order to be successful? How much of my culture and language am I willing to give up in order to be successful?” These questions and my students’ ongoing dilemmas in adjusting to a new country and to a new language form the basis of this writing assignment.

In discussing a topic that is so central to their own experiences and to current situations, students are completely engaged in their learning. Students want to discuss the texts and the questions that they generate because the texts are about what the students know or have experienced. There are no discipline problems or wasted class periods because the students have opinions, and they have important ideas they want to express, both in classroom discussions and in their writing. The lesson is relevant to their lives; therefore, it gives students real reasons for improving their critical reading and their academic writing. It also provides authentic and interesting topics for discussions that engage students and offer them opportunities to practice their oral language skills.

In my classroom, I encourage and celebrate the beauty and power of being bilingual. After the students have read and discussed Elizabeth Wong’s piece, “The Struggle to Be An All-American Girl,” I tell them that I, too, have written about the importance of language in our lives and that I would like to share my piece with them. By reading and discussing these two memoirs, students find ideas that they can discuss and later embed into their own persuasive essays. These memoirs provide language scaffolds for English learners as they work toward responding to an opinion/argumentation writing prompt.

Text Resources Wong, Elizabeth. “The Struggle to be an All American Girl.” Elements of Literature, Third Course. Austin,

TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2000. (available at http://www.sabri.org/All-American-Girl.htm) (accessed July 17, 2012)

Mota-Altman, Norma. “Con respeto, I am not Richard Rodriguez.” The Voice of the National Writing Project. 8.5, 2003. http://www.nwp.org/pub/nwpr/voice/2003no5/mota-altman.html (accessed July 5, 2012).

Teaching Context This is a lesson I have used with my Advanced ESL classes of Latino and Asian students. These students take a one-hour reading and a one-hour writing class. These classes are not blocked. Students are placed in our advanced classes based on their CELDT scores and teacher recommendations.

I have also used this lesson with a reading intervention class for long-term English learners who are in mainstream English classes. I have found the topic relevant to all students, no matter what their level of English may be.

Modifications listed at the end of this lesson can be adapted for all students, not just ELD students.


Text Type, Genre, Writing Prompt Genre

Opinion/Argumentation/Controversial Issue Essay

Writing Prompt “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be,” a recent immigrant told his classmates. Decide whether or not you agree with this statement. Think about the texts by Wong and Mota-Altman that you have read.

Then, write an essay in which you persuade your readers, with evidence and reasoning, of your opinion. Be sure to include evidence from texts, movies, or your personal experience.

Instructional Strategies I used the following strategies to help my students access and succeed with this lesson:

“Splash” activity to develop vocabulary “Philosophical Discussions” to develop critical thinking, listening, and speaking skills “Forming an Opinion” worksheet to scaffold divergent views “Read-arounds” to develop peer editing skills and reading skills “Author’s Chair” to help students develop a public voice and a sense of authorship “Criteria Charts” to develop thoughts and expectations about their own writing “Respond to Prompts” in preparation for on-demand testing situations


Standards

Common Core State Standards As an ESL/ELD teacher, I focus on listening, speaking, reading and writing standards as I work through any lesson. However, for purposes of this lesson, I have mentioned only the more salient standards that were covered. Be assured that more standards are covered than are listed and that they are adjusted for the language and writing levels of my students.

Standards in bold are focus standards. Those not in bold are important supporting standards.

Writing Standards, grades 9-10

Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid

reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and

create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are

appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3.)

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 9–10 on page 32.)

8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation including footnotes and endnotes.

9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and

transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).

b. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”).

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.


Speaking and Listening Standards, grades 9-10

Comprehension and Collaboration 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,

and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.

c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically (using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation) such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose (e.g., argument, narrative, informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task.

a. Plan and deliver an informative/explanatory presentation that: presents evidence in support of a thesis, conveys information from primary and secondary sources coherently, uses domain specific vocabulary, and provides a conclusion that summarizes the main points. (9th or 10th grade.)

b. Plan, memorize and present a recitation (e.g., poem, selection from a speech or dramatic soliloquy) that: conveys the meaning of the selection and includes appropriate performance techniques (e.g., tone, rate, voice modulation) to achieve the desired aesthetic effect. (9th or 10th grade.)

5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9-10 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 32 for specific expectations.)

Language Standards, grades 9-10

Conventions of Standard English 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing

or speaking.


a. Use parallel structure.* b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional,

absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses.

b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation. c. Spell correctly.

Knowledge of Language 3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to

make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use 4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on

grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or

function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of

speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy) and continue to apply knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes.

c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., college-level dictionaries, rhyming dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.

d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations. 6. Acquire and use accurately general academic domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for

reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.


English Language Development Standards

Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways (at the Bridging level)

A. Collaborative

1. Exchanging information/ideas – Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, sustaining conversations on a variety of age and grade appropriate academic topics by following turn-taking rules, asking and answering relevant, on-topic questions, affirming others, and providing coherent and well-articulated comments and additional information.

2. Supporting opinions and persuading others- Negotiate with or persuade others in conversations in appropriate registers using a variety of learned phrases, indirect reported speech, and open responses to express and defend nuanced opinions.

B. Interpretive

6. Reading/viewing closely

a) Explain ideas, phenomena, processes, and relationships within and across texts based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts, presented in various print and multimedia formats, using a variety of detailed sentences and a range of general academic and domain-specific words. b) Explain inferences and conclusions drawn from close reading of grade-appropriate texts and viewing of multimedia using a variety of verbs and adverbials. c) Use knowledge of morphology, context, reference materials, and visual cues to determine the meaning, including figurative and connotative meanings, of unknown and multiple-meaning words on a variety of new topics.

7. Evaluating language choices – Explain how successfully writers and speakers structure texts and use language to persuade the reader or create other specific effects, with light support.

C. Productive

9. Presenting – Plan and deliver a variety of oral presentations and reports on grade-appropriate topics that express complex and abstract ideas, well supported by evidence and reasoning, and are delivered using an appropriate level of formality and understanding of register.

10. Writing

a) Write longer and more detailed literary and informational texts collaboratively and independently using appropriate text organization and register.

11. Justifying/arguing

a) Justify opinions or persuade others by making connections and distinctions between ideas and texts and articulating sufficient, detailed, and relevant textual evidence or background knowledge, using appropriate register.

b) Express attitude and opinions or temper statements with nuanced modal expressions

Part II: Learning About How English Works

Structuring Cohesive Texts

1. Understanding text structure – Apply analysis of the organizational structure of different text types to comprehending texts and to writing clear and cohesive arguments, informative/explanatory texts and narratives.

2. Understanding cohesion


b) Apply knowledge of familiar language resources for linking ideas, events, or reasons throughout a text to comprehending grade-level texts and to writing cohesive texts for specific purposes and audiences.

A. Expanding & Enriching Ideas

4. Using nouns and noun phrases - Expand noun phrases in a variety of ways to create detailed sentences that accurately describe concrete and abstract ideas, explain procedures and sequences, summarize texts and ideas, and present and critique points of view on a variety of academic topics.

5. Modifying to add details – Expand sentences with a variety of adverbials to provide details about a variety of familiar and new activities and processes.

B. Connecting & Condensing Ideas

6. Connecting ideas – Combine clauses in a variety of ways to create compound and complex sentences that make connections between and link concrete and abstract ideas, for example, to make a concession, or to establish cause.

7. Condensing ideas – Condense ideas in a variety of ways to create precise simple, compound, and complex sentences that condense concrete and abstract ideas.

Part III: Using Foundational Literacy Skills

• Similarities between native language and English should be highlighted

• Differences between native language and English should be highlighted (e.g., native language syntax may be different from English syntax)


Teaching Sequence

Lesson Objectives Students will: elevate their awareness about the importance of language in our lives connect characterizations in literature to characterizations of themselves use academic language in both speaking and writing form opinions and orally participate in discussions using reflective narratives as informal writing

scaffolds and evidence for opinion- and argument-based essays deconstruct and respond to a writing prompt.

Session One: Pre-reading: Accessing Prior Knowledge 1. Ask students to think about the following: “What are some of the difficulties of being an immigrant?" 2. Brainstorm with the class and list two or three on the board (i.e. leaving family and friends behind; not

knowing the new language). 3. Ask students to list at least three more difficulties on their own papers or in their writing notebooks. 4. Ask students to discuss their lists in cooperative groups. 5. Ask students to select one or two items from their list and do a Quick Write about “The difficulty of

being an immigrant” (5-7 minutes).

Session Two: Responding in Writing to Text 1. Review what a “memoir” is and why people might write one. 2. Give the students the memoir, “The Struggle to be an All American Girl,” by Elizabeth Wong. 3. Select words from the text and do a vocabulary “Splash” activity with the whole class. 4. Read the story aloud. Have the students highlight any words that are unfamiliar to them. 5. Discuss the words that were unfamiliar with the class. Have the students reread the story in

cooperative groups. 6. Ask the class to respond to the question, “How did this girl feel about herself?” As they answer, chart

their answers on the board. 7. Ask students to copy the responses that were generated by the class. 8. For homework, ask students to write a short piece about how the girl felt about herself and support

their opinions with quotes from the text OR write a narrative about how they personally feel about being an immigrant and becoming Americanized. (For examples of how my students responded to this assignment, see Student Work, Section One.)

Session Three: Critical Reading and Responding 1. With the whole class, discuss what it means to be an American while also being an immigrant. Chart

students’ responses on the board and have them copy them. 2. Ask students to write their answers to the questions, “To you, what does it mean to be successful?”

“What does it mean to be ‘Americanized’?” Explain that they will discuss these definitions with their groups after the reading.

3. Explain that they will be using these discussions and Quick Writes to help them later when they write an opinion/argumentation essay.

4. Give students a copy of the article, “Con Respeto, I am not Richard Rodriguez” (available at http://www.nwp.org/pub/nwpr/voice/2003no5/mota-altman.html), to help them think more about the issue of becoming an American.


5. Before reading “Con Respecto, I am not Richard Rodriguez,” aloud to the class, I briefly explain who Richard Rodriguez is and what is meant by Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. Note: I explain BICS and CALP to my students because I think it's important for them to understand that it takes EVERYONE, 5 –7 years to learn a language well. Many of my students studied English in their own countries and feel really discouraged when they come to American high schools and find they have such a hard time in their academic content classes. By explaining BICS and CALP, I see students breathing a sigh of relief and feeling better about their own struggles. I tell them, "You are doing great. This is what everyone goes through."

6. Ask students to underline unfamiliar words and annotate the text with questions or comments as the teacher reads.

7. Read the text aloud, stopping to discuss the main points of each section. 8. At the end of the reading, review the vocabulary that students were unfamiliar with. 9. Ask the students to reread the text again and discuss any new questions or insights that emerge from

this reading. Note: I use the activity to introduce unfamiliar vocabulary, but I use teacher read-alouds—sometimes to introduce the text and sometimes after the students have read the text themselves. For my students, they often want to hear the inflection and rhythm of the words, so I have good readers read aloud or I read.

10. Put students in small groups. Tell the groups to develop group definitions for what “Americanized” and “successful” mean. The recorder for each group will write the group’s definitions, which will be turned into the teacher.

11. Each group selects one person from the group to report to the whole class on the group’s definitions. As they do so, the teacher charts their definitions on the board.

Session Four: Forming an Opinion 1. Ask students to think of three things that people who support the statement, “The more Americanized you

are, the more successful you’ll be,” would say and three things that people who disagree would say. 2. Have students then share their ideas in their groups. 3. As students discuss their ideas, they fill in the Forming an Opinion worksheet or complete it for homework

(5 –7 minutes). Note: This was not the first time students had worked with the “Forming An Opinion” worksheet. The class had previously read about junk-food vending machines in school. They had completed the “forming an opinion” template, and I had modeled how to write an essay using the information, and students had copied the essay to use as a model.

Forming An Opinion

How do you feel about “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be”? Think about the articles/stories you read. Then use the sentence starters below to form your own opinion.

The “Yes” side: People who think the “more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be” say— (try to think of at least three things people might say to support this belief)

The “No” side: People who think you do not need to be Americanized to be successful say— (try to think of at least three things people might say to support this belief)

Think about both sides: Who do you think is right?

Your opinion:

I think ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


One reason why I think this is ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Session Five: Philosophical Discussion: Thinking Critically about Both Sides of the Issue 1. Students have a philosophical chairs discussion. The discussion topic is written on the board: “The

more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be." Students who support the statement sit on the left side of the room. Students who disagree with the statement sit on the right side of the room. Students who are undecided sit in the middle and are free to ask questions of either side. All the students are free to move and change their positions whenever they hear a powerful

statement. This visually demonstrates the power of language and how expressing an idea well can influence people.

The teacher’s role is to clarify statements and to moderate the discussion. He/she does not express a personal opinion. Note: Philosophical discussions are VITAL for EL students because, in many classes, EL students are never heard from or asked to participate. These discussions help scaffold academic language for my students, because I give them the protocols to practice (i.e., "I think; I disagree with them; Your statement makes me think, etc.") Asking students to voice their opinions: 1) engages them immediately and 2) forces them to access higher-order thinking skills by having them analyze and/or synthesize different opinions. These discussions also give my students the confidence they need to try to speak in other classes. EL classes must give students opportunities to speak, especially in light of the emphasis on oral skills found in the Common Core State Standards.

Philosophical Chairs

Philosophical Chairs is a forum where students can express their agreement, disagreement, or undecided feelings about controversial issues in the world. Students share their opinions and respect the opinions of their classmates.

Rules for Philosophical Discussions: Be open-minded. Listen to all statements made and consider both sides. Move to the other side if a particular statement or argument seems to sway your thinking. No one acknowledges any move. This is NOT a contest. Do not raise hand or speak while another person is speaking.

Tips: Statement should be written on the board. The mediator must be neutral. When necessary, mediator paraphrases or restates statements for clarification (in an unbiased manner). Modify the statement or switch topics when the discussion becomes stagnant. For closure, consider allowing each student 30 seconds to express an opinion. A writing assignment is an appropriate follow-up to this activity.

Name:

Topic:

My original position: Pro Con

How many times I changed positions:

My ending position: Pro Con

My explanation and comments:

How open-minded was I as I listened to other people talk?

Mostly open-minded Halfway open-minded Not very open-minded

Why?


Session Six: Writing an Opinion/Argumentation Essay Drafting the essay: 1. After discussing the issue, students list arguments in support of and 3 arguments against the

statement while the teacher lists her own on the board.

2. Students are to share their lists with a partner.

3. The teacher discusses her own list and adds or deletes items based on the students’ input.

4. Using the lists as a guide, the teacher models and writes an opinion essay on the board. (The students are free to copy it or not.)

5. Ask students to respond to the prompt, “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be” (below).

Writing Prompt “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be,” a recent immigrant told his classmates. Decide whether or not you agree with this statement. Think about the texts by Wong and Mota-Altman that you have read.

Then, write an essay in which you persuade your readers, with evidence and reasoning, of your opinion. Be sure to include evidence from texts, movies, or your personal experience.

Session Seven: Revising the Essay 1. The next day, students do a “read around” in their groups with their essays. (Students sit in

cooperative groups throughout the year. At times, the teacher selects the members of the groups and at other times, the students self-select their group members.) The cooperative groups are made up of four students. When they do “read-arounds”, they read everyone’s paper at the table (so they read three papers). The students respond to each other’s work by writing on the back of the essay one thing they liked about the piece and one thing they thought the author might add or clarify.

2. After the students get their papers back, the teacher, together with the students, cooperatively creates a 4-point criteria chart (see below for resources) on the board that students can use as they do their revisions and create a final draft.

3. After the read-arounds, I sometimes ask for one or two volunteers to share their first drafts with the class. Using a document camera, we edit the piece as a class. As the teacher, I model and guide the students to question whether the author uses an effective introduction to the piece; whether enough details have been given; and whether the author has left the reader thinking with his/her conclusion. This modeling helps students to be better editors of their own and their classmates' work.

Session Eight: Going Public with Student Writing Students do a final read-around with their piece at their tables and, depending on the purpose of the assignment, can: 1. Choose the one piece they feel is the strongest from their group to read aloud to the class.

2. Read their piece aloud in an “Author’s Chair”

3. Read and score the essays at their table, using the class-created criteria chart. Note: Author's Chair is an opportunity for students to share their writing publicly with their classmates and to experience how their writing can affect others. Students volunteer to read their writing pieces aloud to the class and to listen to their classmates’ comments about their piece, once they have finished. It's an opportunity for students to experience writing for someone other than their teacher!


Reflections Overall, the lesson was successful with my classes of Advanced English learners. The lesson was

relevant to the issues and dilemmas that immigrant students face in their new country. The reading selections were accessible and students could relate to the experiences of the authors. The texts also offered students a way into a discussion about Americanization and its effects on immigrants’ lives.

Students enjoyed the philosophical discussion. They felt a sense of empowerment in talking about their own life experiences. They were the “experts.”

The narrative writing about their own experience of Americanization proved useful as a scaffold for the writing they did in response to the prompt.

Learning about quotations helped students to better understand plagiarism and how they could use other people’s words to strengthen their own writing and arguments.

Modifications

I do a lesson about “The power of quotes in your writing” at the beginning of the year in which students learn to embed quotes in their writing. I then ask students to practice this throughout the year.

I would ask students to embed quotes from the readings into their Americanization pieces in preparation for their response to the writing prompt.

I would also use the strategy of “Say Something” to have students think more deeply and to discuss the important issues in the texts they read before writing the Americanization piece.


CRITERIA CHARTS

What are they and how do we create them?

Criteria are standards on which judgments may be based. “When we determine criteria, we are deciding what counts.” Setting the criteria for assignments is a step that precedes developing a rubric since the levels of the rubric are, in fact, variations of the criteria. Without first determining the criteria, there is no rubric.

Teachers can set the criteria for their students or with their students. When students are involved, they are more likely to know what is expected because they helped to create those expectations and consequently, they are likely to accomplish the task successfully.

The following four-step process encourages participation, understanding, and ownership.

STEP ONE: BRAINSTORM

1. Pose a question to prompt students to think about what counts. (Examples: What counts in a lab report? What is important when writing a persuasive essay? What elements form a successful oral presentation?)

2. Record all ideas, in students’ words, on chart paper. 3. Contribute your own ideas by soliciting information from students, or by adding your own

outright to ensure essential features of the project and subject area are reflected in the criteria.

STEP TWO: SORT AND CATEGORIZE

1. Ask students to look at the brainstormed list to find ideas that fit together. (Examples: Do you see any patterns where certain ideas fit together? Is there a big idea or heading that would capture them?)

2. Show how the ideas fit together by using different colored pens to code them. Circle ideas that are related with the same color. Or, use symbols to represent the “big ideas” and label those on the list that are related.

3. Talk to students about how the similar ideas can fit under different headings. (Note: To help students remember the criteria, it’s a good idea to limit the number from 4 to 6, numbers the brain can more readily remember.

STEP THREE: MAKE AND POST A T-CHART

1. Draw a large T-chart on chart paper. 2. Using the labels derived in sorting the brainstormed list, write these “big” ideas or categories

on the left side of the chart. These are the criteria. Put the specific ideas from the brainstormed list on the right side of the chart, opposite the criteria they fit in. Leave room to add more as students discover something they need for the assignment.

3. Post the T-chart. Students may want to copy it into their notebooks as well.


Next Steps

Ask students for permission to share their pieces with other English teachers and their classes, so that they may discuss the issue of Americanization too.

Ask one or two students to submit their piece to the school newspaper for possible publication. Develop and present dialogues between an immigrant and a classmate who believes that

“everybody should just speak English.” This would give students an opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills and later, they might videotape each other.

Read a response to “The Struggle to be All-American Girl” at http://storywrite.com/story/8062511-A_response_to_The_Struggle_to_Be_an_All-American_Girl_by_Elizabeth_Wong-by-MeWhoElse, then craft their own response to Elizabeth Wong.

Go to https://www.msu.edu/~millettf/americanization.html?pagewanted=all and study the images about Americanization and read the quotes and the readings. Then respond to one of the images, a quote, OR a reading.

Ask students to write a letter to me regarding my article, “Con Respeto, I am not Richard Rodriguez.” What did you find interesting? What did you agree/disagree with?


Extension Resources

Instructional Resources Cisneros, Sandra. “No Speak English.” The House on Mango Street. New York: First Vintage

Contemporaries, 1984.

Gadda, George and Faye Peitzman, eds. Teaching Analytical Writing. Los Angeles: California Academic Partnership Program, 1988.

Note: In Appendix B of this book, you will find an excerpt from Maxine Hong Kingston’s book, Woman Warrior, which focuses on Americanization in terms of language and school

Mora, Pat. “Elena.” My Own True Name. Houston, TX: Piñata Books, Arte Público Press, 2000.

Professional Resources Cummins, J. “The Role of Primary Language Development in Promoting Educational Success for

Language Minority Students.” In California State Department of Education (Ed.), Schooling and Language Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework. Los Angeles, CA: Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center, California State University, 1981.

Note: This book discusses BICS and CALP; as well as the process of acquiring vs learning a language. This is still an essential reading for understanding English language learning.

Gibbons, Pauline. English Learners Academic Literacy and Thinking: Learning in the Challenge Zone. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann, 2009.

Note: This book discusses what academic literacy means for English language learners and what teachers can do in the classroom to help students acquire this important language.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say? I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009.

Note: This book provides templates to help students summarize (they say) and to write their own opinions (I say)

Kinsella, Kate. Academic Vocabulary, Toolkit I: Mastering High-Use Words for Academic Achievement. Independence, KY: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 2011.

Note: This is a workbook that schools have adopted to teach academic vocabulary.

Marzano, Robert J. Building Academic Vocabulary: Teacher’s Manual. Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2005.

Note: This book recommends instructional processes for teaching subject area vocabulary.


Learning From Student Work

Student Work, Section 1

Student Sample A Living in Two Worlds By Anonymous

Even if I’m an Americanized person, I still believe that losing your own culture is like losing a part of yourself. Although I’m living here in the “English” world, I still love and respect my culture. Therefore, I must also understand that there are differences between the “English” world and the “Filipino” world.

There are so many differences between the two worlds. Here in the United States, different laws apply to every state. But in the Philippines, the law applies to the whole country. Being called “the land of the immigrants,” America has a more diverse population. In terms of behavior, Filipinos are more conservative than Americans, though we act aggressively sometimes. In the Philippines, you work for your family. Filipinos are close-knit and family oriented people. Here in the United States, people live to work. Filipinos are hospitable and warm, most especially to visitors. They’re also religious and they love to celebrate every religious occasion such as Christmas, Easter, or the birthday of a saint. People here in America have different religions and some are atheists. These are some of the differences I’ve observed in my last seven months of staying here in the United States.

Despite the fact that I’m living here in America, I can never ever forget how wonderful the Philippines is. And I can also never forget my culture, though I’m becoming Americanized. I’m looking forward to return home again to the Philippines because I love the people, the culture, and the environment. Also, I still have my relatives and friends there and I miss them so much. As our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal said, “He who does not love his own country is worse than an animal and smelly fish.”

Annotation – Student Sample A

This student has wonderful observations about the differences between the Philippines and the U.S. Her word choice is good, and effective for her purpose. She also makes insightful comments, “Here in the United States, people live to work.” She includes a quote that could be more fully developed in her last sentence. She could also give more details in terms of how she is becoming Americanized.


Student Sample B My “Americanization” By Joseph

I, being Asian, consider myself Americanized though I was born and raised in the Philippines. I was brought up with American influences and culture. My country, colonized by different cultures, is one of the biggest reasons why America has had tremendous influence in my everyday life.

It’s true that the Filipino culture still dominates my personality but America was just all around me as I was growing up ̶ music, movies, T.V., language, books, etc. All of these everyday influences reflect American culture. In fact, I was listening to American mainstream music and watching American shows all the time.

If you go to my country, everybody knows how to speak English, as well as our native language, Tagalog. In fact, the Philippines is the third largest English speaking country after the United States and United Kingdom. I honestly think that growing up having both cultures is having the best of both worlds. I certainly enjoy the carefree American environment as well as the warm and close-knit family oriented Filipino culture. Therefore, I consider myself Americanized-Filipino.

Annotation – Student Sample B

Comment: Joseph is effective in engaging his readers in his first paragraph, “My country… America has had tremendous influence in my everyday life.” He is effective in explaining the elements that have made him an “Americanized-Filipino.” His next draft might explain or give his definition of Americanized.


Student Sample C My Americanization By Phu

Sitting in a corner and thinking of what my mother had said to me, I felt like crying. That was the very first time my mother had ever gotten so mad at me. “Stop behaving that way! Don’t you remember our traditions?” My mother’s questions echoed in my mind. Living in America has changed me a great deal, from my way of dressing to my mannerisms, from my point of view to my privacy. When I was in Vietnam, I had a simple view of getting dressed, but when I came here, things gradually changed with me day by day. I took more time looking at myself before going somewhere. I dressed in a way that many people might think of as being Americanized, the way which made my mother hit the roof. There was also one more thing that didn’t satisfy my mother and my whole family. It was when I went to a new school and I had a girlfriend. We used to talk to each other on the phone, but it didn’t last long because they didn’t want me to have a girlfriend or my female friends call me. They kept telling me to stay at home and to study all the time, but I just couldn’t do that because it was not what I wanted. Sometimes I broke the rules, and of course I was in trouble every time. “Why are you dressing like that? You look like hell,” my mom yelled at me before I headed for the school bus. “This is a new fashion, mom.” I replied. My mom gave me an angry look, which had never happened to me before. After that day, things became very complicated for me, really. “Shut up! It’s nothing to do with you,” my father raised his voice and shouted at me. “What did I do wrong?” I asked. I just wanted to express my opinions in the conversation between my father and his guests. “Do I have any rights of freedom of speech?” “In our country’s traditions, it is considered rudeness, son,” my mother explained to me. “But we are living in America and we should have a different way of thinking, Mom,” I resisted. “Stop talking about America or you’ll get into trouble,” said my mom, being serious. Going to school in the United States, I learned many different and new things such as Americans, their culture,their society, and so on. As a result, I was easily influenced, and that was why my mother got so mad at me. Since then, I started to behave differently, pretty much like an American, not like me before. I made friends with Americans and went out with them. I had meals at American restaurants. I spent most of my time with them; therefore, I learned lots of things from them. Having American friends helped me a lot with my English, so I had no reason for not being their friend. “Confused” was the first thing I felt. I was feeling as if I were in between. I just couldn’t imagine or figure out what kind of person I wanted to be in the future. I also felt a little sadness because my mother never treated me like this before. Now I’m not really close to my mom like we used to be. I spend less time with her, and she is not happy about what I am doing. I want to share my feelings, but I don’t have the confidence to do that. I just hope one day she will understand me and forgive me.

Annotation – Student Sample C

Phu uses dialogue effectively to engage the reader and to move the memoir along. He gives details that help the reader to feel what he felt when his mother yelled at him. He is effective in communicating the feelings of “confusion”, “hurt”, and “sadness” that his Americanization has caused him. His statement, “I just hope one day she will understand me and forgive me,” leaves the reader with a sense of poignancy. In his next draft, Phu needs to pay attention to the pronoun “they” and who it actually refers to.


Student Sample D My Americanization By Julia

“Stop giving me a history lesson about you, and stop living in the past, Mom. It’s bothering me!” I told my mom. “When did it all change? Everything is so different now.” My mom was very angry and screaming at me. The whole street could hear!

Mom doesn’t understand me, because I always talk back to her since I came to America. She never gave me reasons and blamed me when I did something wrong. I never cared about it when I was in Cambodia, but now it is different. I’m growing and I know what is going on in society and what is happening in the modern world. I know that I am changing. Even my thinking and my appearance are changing.

I always stand at the mirror and study my clothes, my hair and my posture. Mom doesn’t like it, she doesn’t want me to wear make up or dress sexy like American girls. She thinks it is wrong for a Cambodian girl.

I know Mom cares for me and for my good, but this is a different country with different problems. I think she could hear what I have said. I might be right once in a while. I want my parents to listen to what I have to say instead of interrupting me and telling me, “The answer is no.” They treat me like a baby, and they like to control me. They think that I can’t make my own decisions. I have a brain, the one that my mom gave me and I know how to use it.

In Cambodian culture, we have to put ten fingers together (It looks like praying) to the elders when we see them, but I never did it. When I saw my mom’s friends, I just said “Hi!” to them. Mom really got mad and yelled at me, “Don’t act like an American.”

In my opinion, I think acting and speaking like an American can help me to find a better job. People will have different thoughts about me, and I will also have more opportunities than other people who can’t speak English.

Annotation – Student Sample D

Julia is able to embed dialogue effectively in her writing. She is effective in communicating her feelings of anger and frustration. Julia gives us details to help us understand her process of Americanization–“In Cambodian culture, we have to put ten fingers…” She makes effective word choices and she has a strong conclusion. Julia needs to think about the use of present and past tenses, “She never gave me reasons and blamed me when I did something wrong,” to more effectively communicate.


Student Work, Section 2

Student Sample A By Cun

The quote “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be” mean you need to act like American people. And give up your language, your culture if you want to be successful.

I totally not agree with this quote, because you don’t need to give up your own language to be successful. When I heard someone talk about the book Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, I was very angry and mad. He give up his culture and language to learn new things and became success. But then when he got that success in the end, he wants to go back to Mexico to learn his own culture and language again. Why did he need to do that to waste his time? I think we don’t need to give up our culture and our language to be successful. We can still be success and keep our culture. I think this way is more success than the way of giving up your culture and your own language.

For example, some people used to talk with their parents a lot when they was in their country and spoke in their own language. But then when they learn English and they forgot their own language, they never talk to their parents, because they don’t know what to say and if they had say, their parents didn’t understand. So, that make a noise family become a quiet family.

We can still be success and keep our culture, our language. What I means by this is you don’t need to give up your own language, just keep it and learn new thing in new country. This way you will be more successful than what Richard Rodriguez had wrote in his book.

“Our language is so intimately a part of who we are, how we think, and how we view the world that no one should be asked to give it up in order to achieve success.” I love this sentence from “Con Respeto, I am not Richard Rodriguez” by Norma Mota-Altman. Give up is not what I want. The thing that I want is to keep learning new things and know more about this world. Not like Rodriguez, he gave up something to learn something. That not what I expect to be successful. Successful is when we know something and we learn more, so we know more, not lose.

Today, in this world, a lot of people succeed by knowing more than one language and culture. That help them can communicate with others in different country. “Students today should not have to give up what Richard Rodriguez gave up in order to be successful or to be deemed Americans”, Norma Mota-Altman said. So, don’t be like Rodriguez if you don’t want to lose your own language and your culture.

Annotation – Student Sample A

Cun clearly states her position and engages the reader in the first paragraph. She also gives a thoughtful response to the prompt. She uses quotes effectively to support her position that she wants to “keep learning new things and know more about this world.” She clearly states that “Successful is when we know something and we learn more, so we know more, not lose.” She clearly understands and has an opinion about the topic. Cun’s writing, however, clearly shows that she is still acquiring English. Third person singular verbs (that make); subject/verb agreement (they was); syntax issues (be success) still mark this writing as that of an English learner. Writing a second draft would definitely benefit Cun.


Student Sample B By Fa Qiang

I agree with that “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be.” In a English speaking world, we need to speak English well to be successful.

“For two years, I sat mute and wondered if I would ever have a voice again.” And “When I went to school, I became invisible.” This two quotations demonstrate how useless the author was when she didn’t speak English well. “How was I able to function, and ultimately, to succeed in such and alien world?” The quotation points out we need to speak English well to succeed in this English speaking world.

“The language was a source of embarrassment.” This quotation presents my personal experiences. I am an immigrant. I knew how useless you will feel when you don’t speak English well in America. When I first time tried to attend my summer adult school, the receptionist asked me “How old are you?” I answered, “I am fine.” I though she was asking “How are you?” That was embarrassed. I wanted to find a hole and hide myself in forever. From that time, I realized speaking English well is very important in the United States.

“The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be.” In order to be successful, you need to fitting the society, to speak English well, to act like an American.

Annotation – Student Sample B

Fa Qiang has an opinion and he states it clearly in the first paragraph. He relates the prompt and his position to his personal experience but makes no mention of the articles he read. While he inserts some quotes into his piece, he makes no mention of where those quotes come from. Fa Qiang’s writing would be stronger with the use of details from the texts he read. His writing also has issues that mark the piece as that of an English learner.


Student Sample C By Qian

Here is a statement, “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be.” In other words, if a person’s way of acting, thinking and talking is more like a native American, this person can achieve things more successfully. However, I don’t agree with this statement. There is also a lot of examples of successfulness are proved by people who are not become Americanized.

In Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez’s personal experiences witness to his academic success. He listened and followed his teachers advices, he got rid of his primary language and culture so that he could learn English better. After he published this book, people content to this idea. “They argue that if Richard Rodriguez achieved success without bilingual education, without maintaining his home language then, no one really needs their language.”

I have read a text that shows me a person can also accomplish academic success without losing personal culture. As a immigrant, Ms. Mota didn’t speak English at first. In the article of Ms. Mota, she states, “I remember being the only Spanish speaker in a world of English speakers where the language felt so alien-where I felt so alien.” “For two years I sat mute and wondered if I would ever have a voice again.” She was frustrated and felt alien because no one could understand her. Ms. Mota’s father gave her suggestions as well. “We are Mexicans and if you don’t learn Spanish, how will you talk with us? It is part of who you are, and you should feel proud of who you are. You should try to speak Spanish well. Besides, anyone who speak two languages will have more opportunities when it comes to getting a job.” These words led her realized the important of her own cultural. She insisted on learning Spanish while she was learning English. She did not lost her language or her culture and she also achieved academic success.

My individual experience gives me a strong believe that bilingual education can be successful. I’m immigrant from this country and I barely speak in English in my country. When I first came to school, I felt it was so hard for me. I didn’t understand what people said; I couldn’t finish my work on time; I hardly followed teachers or others instructions. Because I didn’t understand English, I started to work hard on my English learning. I would check the vocabularies on my dictionary and they were translate in Chinese. I can have better understanding from my primary language. Eventually, I have a good developing of my English. A couple days before, I received a scholarship. This reward makes me believe I can do things as good as others, even though I’m a bilingual student.

Nowadays, the world becomes more and more globalize, knowing several languages can help you to accomplish easily. To keep you own culture is important, because it gives you the basic skills of thinking. I think people should preserve their culture.

Annotation – Student Sample C

Qian shows a clear understanding of the quotes she uses from the text. She mentions quotes from both Rodriguez and Mota-Altman, and uses them effectively to persuade her audience of her position. Qian shows some confusion in the use of nouns and adjectives (important/importance); non counting nouns (vocabularies); and verb tenses (becomes vs. is). Qian, as well as Fa Qiang and Cun, demonstrate that it is often not a question of intelligence (they all had opinions and were able to express them) but rather language that hinders their academic performance.


Appendix

Forming and Opinion Worksheet

How do you feel about “The more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be”? Think about the articles/stories you read. Then use the sentence starters below to form your own opinion.

The “Yes” side:

People who think the “more Americanized you are, the more successful you’ll be” say-— (try to think of at least three things people might say to support this belief)

The “No” side:

People who think you do not need to be Americanized to be successful say— (try to think of at least three things people might say to support this belief)

Think about both sides:

Who do you think is right?

Your opinion:

I think __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

One reason why I think this is __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Used with permission of the California Writing Project.


Philosophical Chair Worksheet

Philosophical Chairs is a forum where students can express their agreement, disagreement, or undecided feelings about controversial issues in the world. Students share their opinions and respect the opinions of their classmates.

Rules for Philosophical Discussions: Be open-minded. Listen to all statements made and consider both sides. Move to the other side if a particular statement or argument seems to sway your thinking. No one acknowledges any move. This is NOT a contest. Do not raise hand or speak while another person is speaking.

Tips: Statement should be written on the board. The mediator must be neutral. When necessary, mediator paraphrases or restates statements for clarification (in an unbiased manner). Modify the statement or switch topics when the discussion becomes stagnant. For closure, consider allowing each student 30 seconds to express an opinion. A writing assignment is an appropriate follow-up to this activity.

Name: Topic:

My original position: Pro Con How many times I changed positions: My ending position: Pro Con My explanation and comments: How open-minded was I as I listened to other people talk?

Mostly open-minded Halfway open-minded Not very open-minded Why?

Used with permission of the California Writing Project.

Documents

Fall$ 08 - California Writing Project · students have read and discussed Elizabeth Wong’s piece, “The Struggle ... Wong, Elizabeth. “The Struggle to be an All American Girl