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The Newsletter of the Carolina Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
Volume 31, No.1 Fall 2007
Contact Information pg. 2-3
Upcoming Conferences pp. 4-7
Conference Commentaries pp. 8-12
From the President’s Desk pg. 14
Membership is FREE! pg. 15
Relevant Discussions pp. 16-22
Food for Thought 23-25
Our Organization
Carolina TESOL is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to improve the quality of education for English language
learners and to promote effective intercultural communication and understanding.
Our goals are:
• To collect and disseminate information about teaching English to speakers of other languages and related bilingual/
bicultural issues
• To stimulate professional development
To provide opportunities for discussion of issues in the field of ESL and bilin-
gual/bicultural education
What is Carolina TESOL doing? Carolina TESOL is working to achieve specific goals based on the special needs of our two-state region. Here are just a few
of the things we are doing:
• Working with state governments to encourage public school systems to provide effective services to all their non-native
speakers
Helping others understand the cultural and language problems of foreign students and visitors
In this issue:
2
Roberto Gonzalez Vice President SC Low Country Re-gional Representative,
Carolina TESOL Carolina TESOL Carolina TESOL Carolina TESOL Executive BoardExecutive BoardExecutive BoardExecutive Board
Honorary Board MembersHonorary Board MembersHonorary Board MembersHonorary Board Members
Advisory BoardAdvisory BoardAdvisory BoardAdvisory Board----Special Interest ChairsSpecial Interest ChairsSpecial Interest ChairsSpecial Interest Chairs
Executive Board AppointmentsExecutive Board AppointmentsExecutive Board AppointmentsExecutive Board Appointments
The Carolina TESOL Newsletter is published quarterly. Subscription is a benefit of membership in Carolina TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). Membership is open to any person who is concerned with teaching English to speakers of other languages or dialects and with related intercultural areas. Annual membership of $25 is renewable in August. To join or for changes or address, contact
Yvonne Mitchell President [email protected]
Toby Brody NC Higher Education Special Interest Chair,
Angela Cozart SC Higher Education Special Interest Chair,
Open NC Adult Education Special Interest Chair,
Position Open:Contact Yvonne Mitchell
Sarah Vanwye SC Adult Education Special Interest Chair,
Sarah_Vanwye @charleston.k12.sc.us
Open NC K-12 Special Interest Chair, Position Open:Contact Yvonne Mitchell
Nicky Martínez SC K-12 Special Interest Chair, [email protected]
Connie Banks SC K-12 Special Interest Chair, [email protected]
Rosemary Schmid Publishers Liaison, [email protected]
Roberto Gonzalez SC K-12 and Political Concerns Special Interest Chair,
Joy S. McLaughlin Political Concerns Special Interest Chair, [email protected]
Karen Brown, Past President 4359 Sunscape Ln.
Raleigh, NC 27613
Gail Rogers, Secretary 2196 Clearlake Dr., Rock Hill, SC 29730 [email protected]
Larry Savage, Treasurer 127 Swan Quarter Dr., Cary, NC 27519 [email protected]
Debbie O’Neal, Membership Coord. ECU School of Education/ESL Licen-sure.
Cindy Bowling, Newsletter Editor 3214 Ward Road, Raleigh, NC 27604 [email protected]
Pat Majors, Asst. Newsletter Editor 1401-D Camp Rd., Charleston, SC 29412, [email protected]
Suzannah Blackwell Upstate SC Regional Representative,
Ivanna Mann-Thrower, Western NC Regional Representative,
Andrea Belletti, Eastern NC Regional Representative, 6410 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington, NC 28410, [email protected]
Catherine Neff, SC SDE Title III/ESOL Coordinator 512-B Rutledge Building, 1429 Senate St., Columbia, SC 27302, Phone/email: 803-734-2880/[email protected] dwwe
Alesha McCauley, Wake County ESL
Amy Hurka-Owen, Web Page 724 Wilkerson Trail, Mebane, NC 27302 [email protected]
Jim Sollar Historian
Yvonne Mitchelll, SE Regional TESOL
Rep., 4410 Cricket Drive Orangeburg, SC 29118 ydmitchell@hotmail
Pat Majors, 2008 Fall Conference Chair: 1401-D Camp Rd., Charleston, SC 29412,
Chandrika Rogers, 2007 Fall Conference Chair,
Pat Majors, June Mini-conference Chair, 1401-D Camp Rd., Charleston, SC
29412, [email protected]
3
Metro. Area RepresentativesMetro. Area RepresentativesMetro. Area RepresentativesMetro. Area Representatives
Asheville: Catawba/Hickory Thomas Destino Susan Witherspoon PO Box 6684 4393 Bolick Rd. Mars Hill, NC 28754 Claremont, NC 28610 Charlotte: Gilda Rubio-Festa Marianne Palafax 6824 Camerson glen 7030 Long Needles Dr Charlotte, NC 28277 Charlotte, NC 28277 gilda_rubio-festa@ marianne_palafax@ cpcc.edu cpcc.edu Chapel Hill/Durham: Fayetteville: Position Available Janis Holden-Toruno 604 Canford Court Fayetteville, NC 28303 Greensboro/High Point: Raleigh: Lynda Burroughs Karen Brown 512 Havershire Dr. 4359 Sunscape Ln. Jamestown, NC 27282 Raleigh, NC 27613 [email protected] kareneslbrwon@ Aol Sandhills: Greenville: Deborah Wilkes Kim Bunn 1708 Yash St. 500 Carnoustie Dr. Sanford, NC 27330 Greenville, NC [email protected] 27858 [email protected] Winston-Salem: Wilmington: Position Available Position Available
Aiken: Charleston: Sandra Polk Chris Hagy 14 Chennecock St. Chris_hagy@ Aiken, SC 29830 charleston.k12.sc.us [email protected] Columbia: Florence: Becky Krantz Lynda Puddy 230 CharOak Dr. 223 S. Barrington Dr. Columbia, SC 29412 Florence, SC [email protected] 29501 Foothills: Greenwood: Position Available Robin Gibson robingibson@ wctel.net Georgetown/Horry Greenville/Spartanburg: Chris Devlin Cindy Rogers cdevlin@ 918 White Horse Rd csec.htc.k12.sc.us Travelers Rest, SC 29690 billcindyrogers@ netzero.com Jasper/Beaufort/ York/Lancaster/Chester Karen Penahles Position Available PO box 24191 Hilton Head Island, SC 29925
Share what’s happening in your neck of the woods.
4
Carolina TESOL Fall Conference
November 1-3, 2007 Renaissance Hotel
Asheville, North Carolina (During leaf season!)
Registration announcements, call for papers to follow
See http://www.carolinatesol.org for updates
Or contact Chandrika Rogers at [email protected]
Please make plans to attend!
5
Our growing ESL populations in the region brings with it unique challenges, but this is our moment to join
and discover innovative ways to address our needs. Together, we can become a model and advocate for
TESOL educators nationwide.
The Carolina TESOL fall conference is designed to facilitate dialogue among TESOL educators in all fo-
cus areas—K-12, adult education, and higher education. We especially welcome presentation proposals
that address our theme of building bridges and fostering the exchange of ideas and resources across groups.
For information on the conference, contact:
Chandrika Rogers at [email protected]
(828) 227-3921
At the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville,
the San Francisco of the East! http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/avlbr-renaissance-asheville-hotel/
For information about beautiful Asheville, go to http://www.romanticasheville.com
Plenary Speaker:
Dr. Randi Reppen
Using Corpus Linguistics
Methodology to
create Lesson Plans
Plenary Speaker:
Dr. David Mendelsohn
expert on
Listening Strategies
6
7
David Mendelsohn (Ph.D. - Edinburgh; TESL Diploma - Hebrew University; M.A. - Wales; B.A. Hebrew University) - Professor of ESL and Director of the Graduate Pro-gramme in Linguistics. He has taught ESL/EFL and trained teachers for 35 years. He teaches credit ESL and he also teaches in the graduate programme in Linguistics. He has written numerous articles and has presented extensively on different aspects of ESL at international and national conferences. He has published two classroom ESL textbooks (one on speaking and on writing) two theoretical/teacher resource books on teaching listening comprehension and one on what ESL teachers can learn from great thinkers in other disciplines. He is currently involved in a research project on the lan-guage needs of ESL students, and ways to meet these needs.
Featured Plenary Speakers
RANDI REPPEN, Ph.D., (Northern Arizona University, 1994) Associate Professor and Director, Program in Intensive English, Applied linguistics Special Interests: corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, child language.
Recent Professional Experience
• Present Associate professor English Department & Direc-tor, Program in Intensive English.
• 2003 Northern Arizona University . (Assistant professor 1997 – 2003)
2003 Visiting Professor, Linguistic Society of America Sum-mer Institute at Michigan State. http://www.cal.nau.edu/english/faculty/reppen.asp
8
Commentary on Carolina TESOL conference
The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA),
through its grant to the College of Charleston, the CofC,
and Carolina TESOL collaborated for the third ESOL
Mini-Conference in June. This year’s event was expanded
to include two speakers and three pre-
conference workshops. Co-chairs for the
event were Angela Cozart, Pat Majors,
mutindi ndunda, and Meta Van Sickle. A
big thank-you goes to all of our members
who helped to make the conference a suc-
cess!
Brian Blitch announces
speaker Socorra Hererra,
Dr. Gulbahar Beckett, director of the ESOL program at
Cincinnati University, gave a plenary, followed by a work-
shop. This year’s meal event was a luncheon workshop in
the Stern Center Ballroom led by Dr. Socorro Hererra of
Kansas State University. Pre-conference workshops were
held at the Gibbes Museum of Art, the SC Aquarium, and
the Charleston Museum. Once again, OELA and Carolina
TESOL grants covered most of the costs of attending,
and a significant number of adult ESOL, K-12 classroom
teachers, as well as ESOL teachers attended.
9
Cozart, Majors, ndunda, and
Van Sickle hope to make an-
other ESOL Mini-Conference
possible next spring. They
hope that you will make plans
to come and to invite main-
stream teachers at your
school.
The 2008 Fall Confer-
ence will be at the Fran-
cis Marion Hotel in
beautiful downtown
Charleston in December,
with pre-conference
workshops starting on
Friday and a Sunday
Brunch plenary.
Pat Majors is CarolinaTESOL’s most
gracious hostess in Charleston
10
Gulbahar H. Beckett, (Ph.D.)
Associate Professor and Coordinator, Literacy/TESL Graduate Program
Univeristy of Cincinnati
What is Content-based Second Language Instruction?
Content-based second and foreign language education, often referred to as content-based instruction (CBI),
includes both theory and practice. Theorists such as Bernard Mohan, the author of the “seminal book” (Snow & Brinton,
1997, p. xi) Language and Content (1986), believe that language learning and content learning should not be separated
because education is a process that occurs through the use of language and language is the major medium of instruction
and learning. In addition, every subject matter has its own discourse (language and culture) that must be learned
contextually (Halliday, 1999). In practice, content-based English as a Second Langage (ESL) and English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) instruction is seen as a pedagogical method that affords opportunities for students to learn the English
language embedded in relevant content discourse contexts rather than as isolated language fragments (Grabe & Stoller,
1997; Mohan, 1986); to help facilitate student-centered classroom activities such as project-based instruction (Beckett,
2006); and as a more efficient way to learn English. The ESL and EFL fields around the world are showing a growing
interest in content-based language education theory and practice. More and more books and articles have been published
and are being written and special international conferences are being held on this topic. Some examples include The
Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 2006, volume 5 (special issue), the Second International Conference on
Integrating Language and Content in Higher Education held in the Netherlands, the Sheltered Instruction Observation
Protocol (SIOP) by Jana Echevarria, Mary Ellen Vogt and Deborah J. Short, and the recent Chinese decision to teach some
university courses such as Finance and Information Technology at major universities in the English language.
Why Content-Based ESL and EFL Education in the U.S.?
More and more immigrant ESL students are enrolling in U.S. schools. These students have the same right to
quality education that their native-born peers do, but, most of them also have limited English language proficiency.
Research conducted in the U.S. and Canada has consistently shown that, depending on the age at arrival, it can take 5-7
years for non-English speaking immigrant students to catch up with their native English speaker peers (e.g., Cummins,
1984; 2001; Collier, 1987). But, these students are often taught in sheltered ESL classes separate from their native-born
peers and away from subject-matter content classes. The purpose of these classes is to provide ESL instruction to these
Notes form the June Mini-Conference
11
students until they acquire enough English to join their peers in regular classes. However, this practice has been challenged
by scholars such as Bunch (2006), Garner and Borg (2005), Hammond (2006), Mohan (1985; 1989; 2001), Mohan and
Beckett (2003), and Schleppegrell (2004), who assert that one of the major reasons that many ESL students “fail to reach
their learning potential in academic achievement is because their language learning is poorly coordinated with their
learning of content or subject matter” (Mohan, 1986, p.1). According to these scholars, this approach to language teaching
often ignores subject matter content material and allows content teachers to ignore the students’ language development.
They further argue that this is an irresponsible pedagogy because it takes ESL students out of mainstream classes and
deprives them of the subject matter content they need to learn and the opportunities that enable them to learn English
language and academic culture in authentic environments, that is, the subject-matter content classes.
The sheltered approach has also been challenged by parents and policy makers who see this as unequal education
for immigrant students, a challenge which resulted in Proposition 227 in California. Also, with the introduction of No
Child Left Behind and English-only legislation in many states, more and more school systems now require ESL students to
receive their English instruction, not through sheltered ESL classes, but directly through their subject matter content
classes, an approach which is called “mainstreaming”. While this is a step in the right direction, it is also a submersion
approach that involves placing ESL students in subject-matter content classes where the curriculum is delivered in English,
with little or no modification of instruction for English Language Learners (ELLS) (Carrasquillo & Rodriguez, 2002). The
idea is to build students’ English language proficiency by increasing contact hours with English-speaking classmates and
teachers. However, such mainstreaming with no accommodation has long been known to be an ineffective and even
detrimental approach that jeopardizes educational agendas. We should do and are able to do a better job of providing ELLs
with the kind of content-based ESL education that does not take them away from their subject matter content classes, that
does not separate them from their classmates, and that teaches them the English language and content area subject matter
as well as other discourse skills simultaneously.
Implement Content-based ESL and EFL
A common question teachers ask is, “How do we actually teach content-based ESL and EFL that takes care of
language and content development in authentic curriculum contexts?” There are two frameworks—Mohan’s Knowledge
Framework and Beckett & Slater’s Project Framework—we can use to help teachers implement this approach. Research
has shown that these frameworks have been successful (e.g., Beckett & Slater, 2005; Beckett, Mohan, Slater, &
Sharpsteen, 2007; Huang, 2003) when used to teach secondary and post-secondary ESL and primary Mandarin Chinese as
12
a foreign language. These studies suggest that teachers can learn to understand the power of content-based ESL and EFL
teaching and to help their students learn the Engish langauge, subject matter content knowledge, and various additional
cognitive and social skills.
References
Beckett, G. H. (2006). Beyond second language acquisition: Secondary school ESL teacher goals
and actions for project-based instruction. In G. H. Beckett & P. Miller (Eds.), Project-
based second and foreign language education: Past, present, and future (pp. 55-70).
Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Beckett, G. H. (2005). Academic language and literacy socialization through project based
instruction: ESL student perspectives and issues. Journal of Asian Pacific
Communication, 15, 191-206.
Beckett, G. H., & Slater, T. (2005). The project framework: A tool for language and content integration. English Language Teaching
Journal, 59, 108-116.
Beckett, G. H., Mohan, B., Slater, T., & Sharpsteen, L. (2007, April). Negotiating differences
about how to learn ESL functionally: A social practice analysis. Paper presented at the
American Association of Applied Linguistics. Costa Mesa, CA.
Bunch, G. C. (2006). “Academic English” in the 7th grade: Broadening the lens, expanding access.
Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5, 284-301.
Carrasquillo, A.L., & Rodriguez, V. (2002). Language minority students in the mainstream classroom (2nd ed.). Boston: Multilingual
Matters.
Collier, V. P. (1995, Fall). Acquiring a second language for school. Directions in language and education. 4. Washington, D.C.: Na-
tional Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
Cummins, J. (1984). Bilingualism and special education: Issues in assessment pedagogy. San Diego,
CA: College Hill.
Cummins, J. (2001). Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a diverse society. Los
Angeles: California Association for Bilingual Education.
Garner, M., & Borg, E. (2005). An ecological perspective on content-based instruction. Journal of
English for Academic Purposes, 4, 119-134.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (1997). Content-based instruction: Research foundations. In M. A.
Snow & D. M. Brinton (Eds.), The content-based classroom: Perspectives on integrating
language and content (pp. 5-21). White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley Longman.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1999). The notion of “context” in language education. In M. Ghadessy (Ed.), Text and context in functional lin-
guistics (pp. 1-24). Philadelphia: Benjamins.
Huang, J. (2003). Chinese as a foreign language in Canada: A content-based program for elementary school. Language, Culture, and
Curriculum. 16 (1), 70-89.
Hammond, J. (2006). High challenge, high support: Integrating langauge and content instruction for
diverse learners in an English literature classroom. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5,
269-283.
Mohan, B. (1986). Language and content. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Mohan, B. (1989). Knowledge structures and academic discourse. Word 40 (1-2), 99-114.
Mohan, B. A. (2001). The second language as a medium of learning. In B. Mohan, C. Leung, & C. Davison (Eds.), English as a second
language in the mainstream (pp. 107-126). London: Pearson Education.
Mohan, B., & Beckett, G. H. (2003). Functional approach to content-based language learning: Recasts in causal explanations. Modern
Language Journal, 87, 421-432.
Schleppegrell, M. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective.
Mahwal, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Snow, A., & Brinton, D. (1997). Introduction. In M. A. Snow & D. M. Brinton (Eds.), The Content-based classroom: Perspec-
tives on integrating language and content (pp. xi- xiii). White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley Longman.
13
CAROLINA TESOL
DOWNEAST GATHERING ?
Area outside
Raleigh to Fayetteville
WHEN: TUESDAY, OCTOBER, 2, 2007
4:15-4:30 Registration
4:30-6:00 Presentation
WHERE: COURTYARD MARRIOTT,
2225 STANTONSBURG ROAD
(ACROSS FROM THE HOSPITAL)
SPONSERED BY Developmental Studies Center
Okapi Educational Materials
Pacific LearninG
Red Brick Learning
The Booksource QUESTIONS? YOUR CAROLINA TESOL METRO REP: KIM BUNN:
EMAIL: [email protected]
Did you attend the….
14
From the President’s Desk... By the time you read this newsletter, I will be serving as the President of Carolina TESOL. I am
trying to be cool about it, but I really wanted to sing, “I am so excited, and I just can’t hide it!” I
am really thrilled to be working with the most compassionate, dedicated and professional group
of people teaching English to speakers of other languages. Growing up as an English lan-
guage learner myself from the Philippines, I never dreamed that one day I would be serving
teachers and students, not just in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5, but also in North
Carolina and South Carolina. What an honor and a privilege. Thank you for giving me this op-
portunity!
You may or may not know much about Carolina TESOL. If you are not a member yet, I urge
you to join now. Membership is Free! Our goals are:
� To collect and disseminate information about teaching English to speakers of other languages
and related bilingual/bicultural issues
� To stimulate professional development
To provide opportunities for discussion of issues in the field of ESOL and bilingual/bicultural
education
We are also an affiliate of TESOL, Inc., (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)
which has a membership of 13,500 from over 140 countries and is recognized as a nongovern-
mental organization (NGO) of the United Nations Department of Public Information. Do con-
sider becoming a member of TESOL, Inc. and attend one of the international conferences if you
can. The 2008 conference will be in New York City. Check www.tesol.org
As your president, I will strive to work with you in making a difference in the lives of our stu-
dents. Whether you teach in elementary or in higher education or with adults, our responsibili-
ties in meeting our students’ linguistic, academic and acculturation needs continue to grow. But I
am confident that through Carolina TESOL, we can access professional development resources
that would make us effective and knowledgeable educators.
Please let us know how we could continue to help you achieve
professional growth and lead the way in making significant
changes that would benefit our communities. I hope to see you
in Asheville, NC on November 1-3!
Sincerely,
Yvonne D. Mitchell
President, Carolina TESOL
15
16
Best Practices in Literacy
Spring 2005
Kidwatching Journal
“You cannot teach people anything. You can only help them discover it within themselves.” Galileo
Tap, tap, tap, tap! The staccato scampering of Richard’s feet announces his arrival for daily
English for Speakers of Other Languages class each morning. This enthusiastic third grader began
his education in the United States in the last six weeks of his first grade year. Previously, he had been
in first grade in Mexico, following the strict guidelines of student life there. He came with no English,
but a bright smile, sparkling eyes and a willingness to try anything in order to learn. After one and a
half years at Pomaria-Garmany Elementary, he was the student of choice for my kidwatching journal.
This year, Richard changed residences twice, moving from living with a kindergarten male
cousin’s family to living with the family of a female fifth grade cousin, then finally to independent habi-
tation with his mother, ‘uncle’, sister and new baby (Carolina, born during the 2004-5 school year).
His father, whom he misses greatly, lives in Mexico. This information helps me in building on prior
knowledge. In Gilbert Garcia’s English Learners – Reaching the Highest Level of English Literacy,
Dutro and Moran state “It is essential that every lesson take into account what students bring to the
lesson and build on that existing knowledge and on prior language skills.”
My English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes revolve around readalouds, writ-
ing workshops, and shared reading/literature circles, with daily initial student led calendar activities.
“The best method for a given teacher is one which is most familiar to the teacher.” (Leo Tolstoy) I find
that my love for writing and writing workshop tempers my classes in ways that center on writing, rather
than formal reading instruction. My goal for the year was to alternate more regularly between read-
ing and writing, while coordinating the strategies that are useful for both areas.
September
We began classes by setting goals in reading and writing. All students had to adjust to the
“new” vintage classroom, i.e. thirty-year-old portable located behind the portable of past years.
Krashen and Terrell (1983) advocate a Natural Approach with curriculum that includes low student
anxiety and maintaining a good rapport and friendly relations with and among students. We accli-
mated ourselves by decorating with student writing, photographs and many books.
“I wan to be I good math and a good read and a good homework.” (9-1-05) Richard’s goals for
reading and writing were written on a bright sunflower note and posted on our central post supporting
the ceiling of our classroom. Students had daily reminders of the goals set by themselves and other
classmates of varying ages as they examined the post covered with the bright flower notes and stu-
17
dent photographs.
On Richard’s Burke Reading Interview of September 9, 2005, he gave a strategy that good
readers use for figuring out new words as “loked arond the class”. As the walls became filled with
sight words and posters of strategies for use in reading and writing, he realized that many words nec-
essary for writing with meaning were waiting for his bright eyes to find. Classroom props facilitate ex-
pansion of stages of the natural approach to second-language acquisition. (Crawford)
Further, he stated on the interview that he was not a good reader, “because I do not now so
much englis”. This gave clear insight as to some of his hesitations. By emphasizing the strategies
that he knew, such as: asking others, using environmental print, and reading with others, we could
build to add new strategies to his repertoire of ways with words.
October
Students were given choice to write an autobiographical project by the first week in October.
Daily readalouds allowed students to hear poems, paragraphs and picture books that were autobio-
graphical in nature. Richard chose to write about a tiny picture from a newspaper circular advertise-
ment. During a writing conference on September 30, 2004, when asked how it was going, he replied,
“Fine. I just read five sentences. I like the project. Because the project I like to handwriting and capi-
tals.” The following day, he shared his writing with his class.
“I like to play video game of Mario Kart Super CIRCUIT and i gade (got) the game a play station
in my house and wen I finish my homwork a play wen my video game. In my room wen I play my par-
ent see the t.v. in the oder room. I like to play Mario video gams and the prencess and oders charac-
ters of future video games in my room. I like Mario video games I thing I am Mario and I am in the wa-
ter.” (The length of his writing, his penmanship and his identification with the character caused the
principal to select this piece for all students to hear during an afternoon schoolwide readaloud of stu-
dent writing.)
As Fay and Whaley state, “Our goals for English Language Learners are the same as for native
English speakers – that they become independent , self-regulated writers.” Writing workshop allows
for this.
We began an emphasis on reading for October. Independent reading with choices for each
student’s bag-of-books was of greatest importance. During reading conferences with Richard, he se-
lected Clifford Animal Sounds, A Dolphin Is Not a Fish, Snakes – Las Serpientes, Look Inside Trucks.
All of these emergent level books were easily read by Richard with few miscues. Because we were
still in the beginning stages of reading for the year, I encouraged him to choose books that were of in-
terest with less emphasis on increasing rigors within the texts. My hope was that reading would be-
come a pleasurable experience so that he could continue with reading regardless of time, place or
18
teacher direction. As Fay and Whaley state regarding English Language Learners, “Their minds are
working whether or not we can tell what they are thinking and wondering and questioning.”
November
On November 3, prior to the reading portion of class, Richard led the calendar activity, promptly
sat down and raised his hand. When his classmate reminded him the he was “the teacher”, he quickly
responded, “No! I have a question for the real teacher now!” His confidence level within the class
never waned, therefore making him an ideal student to watch. If he was ever quiet or somber, he was
physically ill or had been hurt by those around him.
For the month of November, we focused on immigration. Richard and his classmate, an articu-
late fourth grade girl who took Richard under her wing, shared reading Journey to America by Eve
Bunting. He began in a hesitant fashion, but quickly became bolder as his attempts were accepted
readily by his classmate. His approximations were important for his success and were “underlying his
oral and written language”. (Crawford)
During writing workshop, students were to create and share an inquiry project about immigra-
tion or Thanksgiving. Richard chose to write about his own trip to the United States. He interviewed
his mother for research on this topic. He gladly allowed his classmate and those in the following class
to edit his story. An editing conversation of interest was:
Richard (reading): “...a police tell...”
Meliza: “TOLD! That sounds more better...”
Meliza: “You got too many ‘buts’.”
Richard: “It’s not so much ‘buts’. It’s just six ‘buts’.
Meliza explained about her editing conversation with a curriculum specialist the year before when she
used “so’s”.
Meliza: “What if you try this one?”
Richard created the following text on brilliant orange poster paper:
The immigration
When I was in Mexico my uncle work so hard, so we can come to the United States. But when we
were coming a police man go us with a airplane. We were in one too. When we slow down a police
man told us to get down of the the airplane. Win the paper. But wen it was us turn my mom forgot the
paper. In the jet and we told the police man but he said no because he did not talk spanish. But one
police man understand what my mom said they let us go. So we was 4 hour in the jet the firs time I
saw my uncle, I give him a big hug and one day we go to the Wal Mart and I do not learn English and
wen a was wen Mrs Parr a larn a lot of english.
19
December
Richard experienced what Hernandez refers to as “participatory learning environment” during
December when the classes wrote shopping projects including who, what when, why, where and how
for gifts selected from advertising circulars. Each student created a booklet with a page to answer
each question. Richard described his recipient as a one month old girl, Carolina. He further told
where, when, etc. he would give his purchased gift. On the “Why?” page of his shopping booklet, he
wrote, “I am buying this for this person because is a guandeful (wonderful) person and is so funny.”
On December 13, his classmate wrote a story about a lady giving an unassuming, helpful char-
acter named Richard, $200 and a plate of chicken. She needed help as to how the character would
respond, so she asked Richard for his reaction. Richard’s reply gave insight into his thinking. “No,
thank you! I can no de-cept the money just for helping you.” Later, however, Richard said that he
wished the story were real. “I wish it was real because I like chicken!”
All students are requested to correspond with me via E.S.O.L. Journals that are sent home as
homework. Richard did not complete even one letter as of December 16, 2004. When asked about
the lack of journal writing, he said, “Do you know at my house I have lots of stories? About my sisters
and my home. My uncle said I could have the journal.” Perhaps on a home visit one day, I will see
these stories about home and family.
January
In January, we shared reading a chapter book, Diary of a Pioneer Boy, to coordinate with stud-
ies in third and fourth grades concerning historical times, as well as journal/diary writing. Because
Meliza was so accepting of Richard’s reading, he ventured forth to volunteer to read first. When re-
minded to use punctuation for meaning making, he began to notice and implement exclamation
marks. He reread dialog in order to get more meaningful reading. He began to consistently pause at
periods for breath, and to use commas to slow down in his oral reading. Relaxed questioning through-
out the reading allowed for further comprehension from the text. The class was so small that actual
literature circles were not implemented, but frequently, the students were in charge of how much was
read and how it was discussed. They moved “from a passive to an active stance”(Mosaic of Thought,
Ch 1) with questions and challenges for authors and each other.
February
In February, Richard wrote an inquiry project on the Human Body – Skeletons. He utilized sev-
eral nonfiction picture books from the Science table to do his research. He had many questions, and
he seemed to have much difficulty in studying this topic. In a discussion regarding skeletons, we dis-
covered that Richard believed skeletons to be beings such as monsters who live in caves. From his
celebrating La Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) in Mexico, his culture had taught him a to-
20
tally different idea about skeletons. When he received the information from his peer that a skeleton
was the name for the combination of bones in the human body, he was able to locate more informa-
tion, separating nonfiction, while still appreciating a fiction approach to skeletons. As Taberski com-
ments “the workshop structure underpins the children’s work”.
On February 15, 2005, Richard read Spacebusters the Race to the Moon for running records.
This Dorling Kindersley Reader at Reading Alone 3 level was at the upper edge of the hard level (89%
accuracy). Upon retelling the information, Richard said, “Can I tell you something I learned? That can
run 25,000 miles per hour!” (This was a miscue that I told him, with no other explanation, during the
early reading of the text.) His next selection for reading alone was at a lower reading level so that he
could “understand and enjoy what he reads”. (Taberski)
February 17,2005 - Richard is intrigued by computer use. He begs to use the computer to do
Orchard Math. He found details to answer cloze sentences on the screen. This activity allows for stu-
dent interest and “considerate text” (Ch5, Mosaic ...) With his affinity for computers, perhaps future
writing projects may be produced with increased usage of technology.
March
“Hey, Meliza! Will you audience my writing?” This was Richard’s greeting for his classmate on
March 2, 2005, as they proceeded toward an inquiry project deadline. The students participated in the
Newberry Reading Council Young Writers’ contest, using the pictures and captions of The Mysteries
of Harris Burdick to create stories. Richard selected two pictures and combined them as somewhat of
a before and after scenario. The first picture showed a man with a chair in pursuit of a bump under
the rug, while the second was of a house that appears to be rising from its foundation for flight. He
began to get editing advice from fifth grade cousins and friends on the bus, as well, during his creation
process. On sharing day, triumphantly, yet in a quiet, eery voice, Richard read aloud his story:
“It was a mysterious house. It was night and Peter heard noises in the room put...put...crunch.
He wakes up and sees that his stuf was floating in the air and theire was something under the rug he
lifted the rug he was scared. He tried to kill it and the strange animal stared to run away. Passing like
1 or 2 months later whe the strange animal that he thing it was gone but it was back on his house
againg! The next day at nigh strang cloud’s surrounded the house. Then the house star to fly. But
do you know what was under the rug? Do you now that he was working on a company it was the
Louis Rich. One day he was riding his car to his house. He do like 10 circles but he never find his
house. But do you know if the animal was in the house or it jump to the trees?”
Richard gave credence to “students who perceive themselves as being in control of their own
destiny and responsible for their own learning are more motivated to continue learning new
skills” (Schmeck, 1988 from Hernandez) The week before Richard’s class was to take a field trip to
21
Charleston, I was asked if he could stay with me all day since he was not going on the trip. Due to the
School Board policy which states that no student can be denied a field trip for monetary or discipline
issues, I asked Richard why he was not going. He hung his head and quietly said that his family did
not have the money (approximately $50). Immediately, we called his mother for permission, and I as-
sured Richard that he would be going on the field trip. He was ecstatic for the days approaching the
trip. Each day that we did calendar activities, he reminded us of his field trip and that he would be go-
ing. On the day of the trip, my concern over whether he would arrive at school on time was alleviated,
because he was one of the earliest arrivals, even though he predicted that his uncle would have to get
off work in order for him to be there on time. The Monday after the Friday field trip, Richard’s class-
room teacher stopped me in the lunchroom beaming. She said that Richard’s face and his comments
on the trip “made” the trip for her. He had never seen the ocean nor been on the beach. Once again,
his enthusiasm for learning and new experiences enhanced the world of those around him. (In April, at
the time of this writing, Richard is bringing his Charleston Scrapbook to my classroom tomorrow. He
has checked regularly to see when I would be available for the sharing.)
On March 16, 2005, Richard read a new Rookie Biography about Abraham Lincoln. He made
only 5 miscues. He was thrilled to share his background information about Lincoln’s death and presi-
dency throughout his reading. After reading, he easily located the states mentioned in the reading.
As a culminating activity for his reading, I invited Richard to create a log cabin (similar to the one pic-
tured in the text) from log blocks in the classroom. As he worked diligently, he resulted in a two-
dimensional outline structure. I modeled how to make a three dimensional structure, during which he
stated, “I never worked with blocks before. I no know how to do that.” His classmate arrived and to-
gether they created a three-dimensional log cabin. Thus, once again, I saw the need to build back-
ground knowledge through classroom experiences. As Taberski writes in On Solid Ground, “ They
continually integrate new findings into their framework of knowledge about language and texts, replac-
ing what no longer works with revised theories and fresh information.” (3)
April
Due to testing, the classroom had to be stripped of all student work, upon which Richard en-
tered and lamented, “Mrs. Parr! The classroom!” Thus, he had gained a sense of ownership through
the student writing and class produced resources of the year.
Richard answered the questions once again on the Burke Reading Interview. His answers
showed acquisition of reading strategies: to “breck the words”, look in a “bictionary”, see another book,
and telling the “minge” (meaning) for reading challenges. He proudly exclaimed his reasoning for his
thoughts about his reading growth, “Be cause I wath (with) the best teacher.” He seemed to show that
he “felt respected and that his attempts at learning will not be criticized or made competitive.” (Kohn
22
Conclusion
An early problem in scheduling which allowed Richard to be coupled with an older student
turned out to be of tremendous benefit for him. Having such a small class and such a congenial pair
provided time and opportunity to explore reading and writing in ways that I did not expect. Richard
was able to hone his writing skills because his classmate was a firm yet kind editor. In turn, Richard
had the duty of reading and editing her lengthy stories. The two learned how to disagree and yet
remain friends.
More time was available for oral reading because the class was small. We spent many
classes reading books that connected with other course content. Students were able to hear a
model of fluent English reading as I read, then they had chances to try strategies soon after the
modeling. Because Meliza was more fluent in reading, Richard imitated her and seemed to feel spe-
cial to be in a class with an older high-achieving E.S.O.L. student.
The advantage of E.S.O.L. classes is the longitudinal nature of the teacher-student relation-
ships. I will teach Richard again next year, unless he moves again. He will be able to be a leader
for younger classmates, just as he has seen that modeled this year. His enthusiasm for learning,
independence in enjoying books, and desire to write longer in-depth stories and articles will carry
him forward, so that he may eventually catch up to his grade level native English speaking peers.
Because he continues to read bilingual books, he may maintain contact with his native language in
more modes than simply oral communication, and he will be able to express himself in ways that will
guarantee a bright future for him regardless of residency.
23
Decoding and Encoding: Learning the Language Code
By Toby Brody, Director of ESL
North Carolina State University
Teaching reading and writing skills are part and parcel of instructional practices in
the ESL classroom, regardless of age or proficiency level of the students. Another
way to view reading and writing is to understand them as decoding and encoding
processes. They both require cracking the English “code.”
What is the “code?” How can we effectively instruct the “code?” What are its com-
ponents? What do students need to know in order to decode, or read text? What are
the elements to be included in “encoding,” or writing in English?
Decoding involves phonemic awareness, or awareness of individual language
sounds in spoken English. It requires a familiarity with embedded phonics, phonics
taught explicitly or implicitly through the reading of real words in text. It includes
noticing syntactic structure, how words are strung together that constitute grammati-
cal word order in English: subject, verb, object. “Decoding” also relates to seman-
tics. Semantic “codes” can be tackled with a knowledge of morphology, i.e. root
words, prefixes, and suffixes.
As for encoding, there are a number of features that contribute to writing. Producing
a piece of writing includes consideration to the “process” (getting ideas, writing
drafts), audience (the reader), purpose (reason for writing), word choice (vocabulary,
idioms, tone), organization (paragraphs, topic and support, cohesion), mechanics
(spelling, punctuation), grammar (rules for verbs, agreement, pronouns), syntax
(sentence structure, stylistic choices), and content (relevance, clarity, originality).
The goal is to produce a clear, fluent, and effective communication of ideas, and fig-
uring out the English “code” is necessary in order to accomplish that.
Both decoding and encoding involve input and output, with a healthy dose of
“noticing”, noticing (with guidance) the features or components that make up the
code. An understanding of the processes will give language learners the basic build-
ing blocks needed to succeed at deciphering the “code.”
24
A Past President tends to feel as useful and relevant as VP John Nance Garner’s “a bucket of warm ___,” which is to say that you might want to skip these notes entirely unless you suf-
fer from terminal insomnia. However, if you have a penchant for indulging the idiosyncratic
musings of someone leaving the Executive Board, here’s your chance.
When I ran for President, I identified three problems facing the affiliate: (1) finances, (2) the
question of a possible split between NC and SC, and (3) the need for more conferences and
similar support for the ESL community of both Carolinas. Even before I took over as President,
there had been a dramatic change in the affiliate’s finances and professional offerings (notably a
SIOP Institute and the ESL mini-conference in Charleston, which was set up for teachers at a
cost they could afford—free), so you can’t blame me for the improvements. And by the end of
my term of office, we had settled the question of whether NC and SC should split.
Now, leaving the Executive Board entirely, I similarly suggest some areas that seem to my
peculiar vision to need attention.
There are somewhere around 500 ESL teachers in pre-K-12 in South Carolina and over 1400
in N.C. Over half of the SC ESL public school teachers are members of Carolina TESOL, yet
perhaps only a fifth of the N.C. ESL teachers are. The ESL Symposium held at NC State each
spring attracts more K-12 ESL people than there are NC members of CarTESOL. Somewhere
in all this is a message waiting to be dug out about how ESL teachers in both states need to be
served.
When CarTESOL offered three or even four conferences a year, it stood relatively alone in
offering professional opportunities. But now universities, colleges, and state and local depart-
ments and school systems in both Carolinas have all begun to fill the gap, and ferreting out the
needs of the ESL community will take a shifted focus.
Part of the current need involves communication. The NC DPI’s ESL Teachers list had over
1000 members at last count. It serves as an invaluable source of information for teachers, not to
mention a medium for sharing resources; people in NC know whether a particular form has
been translated into Spanish, Japanese, or Wolof, because if they need such a form they have a
forum to ask who has one.
Yet the similar SC ESL teachers list that CarTESOL set up to serve SC K-12 has gotten little
attention and has fewer than fifteen members, which means that it lacks the base of information
of the NC site. SC people of whatever level need to do yourselves the favor of joining
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eslteachers_sc_k12/ and making your-
selves available to help un-necessitate the reinvention of the wheel.
As noted above, part of the need simply involves access to information. Listservs and the
Carolina TESOL web site are one vehicle; another, stemming from my long experience with
Ruminations of a Past, Past President
25
conferences, is a need to gather all of a conference’s information needs on-line—presentation
proposals (for both regular presentations and for workshops/plenaries), exhibitor data, and regis-
tration. We have too much work to do to have to winnow data that a computer just shrugs into
its systematic innards.
Another need might involve the character of professional opportunities that we make avail-
able in the Carolinas. Major conferences at lavish conference facilities have their place but,
dunno when y’all last looked, many of the people I know absolutely can’t afford long stays in
expensive hotels with excruciating food costs a long way from home. My conclusions: confer-
ences/workshops/institutes/etc. need to continue being widely spread around the Carolinas so
that everyone in time gets an opportunity close to home; and inexpensive (preferably free) facili-
ties need to get priority. Carolina TESOL has met at churches, public schools, colleges, and a
retreat center, and the location of its meetings have ranged from Beaufort (SC) to Boone; the
danger would be in forgetting this pattern in favor of splashier Las Vegas venues. Simply ensure
that no one forgets.
And amidst other amblings, the most serious of messages. When a task presents itself, there
is an omnipresent temptation in our increasingly crowded professional lives to go the easy route
and just do it all by yourself. Why strain to corral, shepherd, negotiate with, and encourage a
bunch of others when the result is not a net savings of time?
There are really two reasons here. First, the imagination of more people gets applied to the
job; the result of this is almost always better, sometimes involving a level of effort that you
could never have asked someone to take
on.
But more importantly, something that
I have often noted: people are genuinely
served by serving the affiliate. Handling
the tasks of the affiliate and the profes-
sion may indeed sometimes be thankless,
but the interaction it involves with a vast
variety of people geographically and phi-
losophically is always a long-term plus
(even when it has to be with a curmudg-
eon like me). An affiliate that didn’t in-
volve its members would border on ir-
relevance; the enthusiasm ours creates
comes from involving people from
across the Carolinas and from pre-K to
the highest levels of education. Fight
any urge to do it alone.
We do, in fact, have a strong, enthusi-
astic, very capable affiliate; for evidence of this, just look at http://www.carolinatesol.org/ . The
only question is where you are going to take it.
ciao, Bill Isler
26
FROM:
Membership Coordinator:
Debbie O’Neal
ECU College of Education
ESL Licensure
216A Ragsdale
Greenville, NC
Visit us on the Web!
www.carolinatesol.org
TO:
