Celebrating Immigrants -- The American Story!

ELL Teacher Pros                                                                               November 2016 Newsletter

Thanksgiving was and is my favorite holiday.  Not only did we get out of school but we got to eat turkey and cranberry sauce (two of my all-time faves)!  My mom would make pumpkin, apple and pecan pies, mashed potatoes from real potatoes (she usually used powdered), sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, etc.  My mother’s side of the family was far away from their immigrant roots.  My dad’s family, however, was not.  He was first generation American and his family was from The Ukraine and very poor.  As a child, he never had some of the foods we ate every Thanksgiving.

As I was thinking of my Thanksgivings I thought of my dad’s background and stories I’ve been told by other first generation folks and adult ELLs and thought about how we could validate their experiences through an exploration of the experiences immigrants have had with their first Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving in general.

The book, Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen, is directly about this experience and even older learners might enjoy having it read to them as a starter for discussion, project or unit on immigration or Thanksgiving.  The book is written for upper elementary school learners and is at a third grade reading level.

For elementary level learners there are a group of free lesson suggestions at:

https://www.lessonplanet.com/article/education/molly-s-pilgrim-and-thanksgiving-activities

For older learners, there are resources on the web that cover immigrants’ experiences with Thanksgiving and which could be used as reading activities.  This holiday includes culture, history, human rights, immigration and friendship – many themes to work with. These articles could be used for reading skill development as well as an introduction to personal experiences with Thanksgiving.

Some sites to review for Reading Skill work:

·       Reading Comprehension Skills for English Language Learners

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/reading-comprehension-skills-english-language-learners

·       Increasing ELL Student Reading Comprehension with Non-fiction Text

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/increasing-ell-student-reading-comprehension-non-fiction-text

·       Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/511-breiseth.aspx

A lesson plan for Thanksgiving and the Immigrant Experience

LESSON PLAN Thanksgiving 2—The Pilgrim Story and My Immigrant Story

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/files/Thanksgiving2_lesson_plan.pdf

Articles covering the immigrant experience and Thanksgiving Immigrant Experience

 http://www.ibtimes.com/newly-arrived-immigrants-navigate-their-first-american-thanksgiving-turkey-all-1728786    An article in “International Business Times” on people from France, Burkina Faso, Mali, Yemen, and Dominican Republic.

“Beyond Turkey: The Migration of Thanksgiving Tradition”

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/immigrant-thanksgiving-chefs-draft.html 

Seriouseats.com                Cooks talk about food for Thanksgiving, from Ecuador, Turkey, Greek, Middle East, France, China, & Italy

“First Thanksgiving”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-abn-first-thanksgiving-st-1122-20151122-story.html           Story in Chicago Tribune on immigrants from Dubai, Mexico, India, Nigeria

An article on Vietnamese immigrants and their Thanksgiving experience

“Modern-day pilgrims in North Jersey mark their first Thanksgiving”

http://www.northjersey.com/news/modern-day-pilgrims-in-north-jersey-mark-their-first-thanksgiving-1.1462539   Immigrants from Syria & Cuba   “NorthJersey.com”

Immigration In and Out of the Classroom

http://teachimmigration.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-first-thanksgiving-and-first.html

“Immigrants adapt Thanksgiving feasts with tastes from home”

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/sf-ethnic-thanksgiving-food-immigrant-families-20141124-story.html   “Sun Sentinel” FL,   Immigrants from Brazil, Basque area in Spain, Egypt, Haiti & the Virgin Islands

“Thanksgiving is a story of immigrants”

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-viewpoint-thanksgiving-20151124-3-story.html

“The First Immigrant Thanksgiving”

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2013-11-27/the-first-immigrant-thanksgiving

As an idea to help this along, I want to share the story of a co-worker whose family emigrated from Italy and a tradition her family created for Thanksgiving.

As Molly did, Marie came home from school and told her mother she had to make a Thanksgiving dinner.  One of the foods was to be a stuffed turkey.  Her mother did not know what the stuffing could be and, of course, Marie had no idea either.  After thinking about it for a while, Marie’s mother created a rice-based stuffing which the family uses to this day.

We hope these sites contribute to a rich discussion on immigration and different cultures and tales on how immigrant families develop their own traditions for this iconic American holiday. 

Have a great Thanksgiving Break!

Marnie, Denise, and Cheryl

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How to Take the Pain Out of Reviewing For Final Examinations:)

Wow!  It is difficult to believe that the year is almost over.  A well-earned break is just around the corner for all teachersJ

So, this newsletter will be devoted to making those 3 or 4 weeks productive and fun for both teachers and students.  If final examinations are on the agenda for the end of December (or at the return to school in January), review of content material is a must.  However, the “drill and kill” format is generally the least effective.  Since the goal is to support students in preparing for final exams, teachers should look at creative ways to facilitate the process.

1.  Here from the University of Central Florida are 101 activities to support all learners in fine-tuning their knowledge in any content area.  Though this is aimed at university students, many of the review techniques are commonly used in grades K-12! 

My personal favorites are EMPTY OUTLINES (pass out an incomplete outline of the class material and then have students with partners complete the missing pieces—I also pass out different outlines to minimize copying), PICTURE PROMPTS (visuals stimulate student conversation and that especially helps English language learners in building both conversational English and deepening their knowledge of academic English), DRAWING FOR UNDERSTANDING (in K-12 this is called a “quick draw” and students thoroughly enjoy it since they don’t need to struggle with spelling and are allowed to work as a small team in completing their work), and TOURNAMENTS (competition is fun for everyone AND if there are prizes, all the better).

2.  From Intervention Central, there is a collection of games, contests, and puzzles that motivate students to enjoy the learning/review process.  Again, teachers should see which games they feel their students will feel most comfortable doing and use them. 

          My own favorites here are QUIZZES DEVELOPED BY STUDENT TEAMS.  Some of the questions developed are even more creative than my own.  With this activity, teachers navigate the room listening in on the conversations and providing feedback as needed (without giving answers  since it is the team’s responsibility to make sure the questions are valid ones).  Another favorite of     mine is REVIEW-QUESTION BINGO.  Students   work in small teams to mark their bingo cards (they are marking only  numbers).  Once completed, the tea teams are involved, the odds of arriving at the correct answer are increasedJ.  Last, having students create COMMERCIALS ON THEIR ASSIGNED TOPIC.  With Google Slide, students can do a power point.  If they have access to cameras, they can film a commercial.  Again, teachers navigate the room and interact with teams as needed.

3.  The last site I would like to share on this topic is from QUIZLET.  I have created review questions for students on a regular basis on this site.  Students enjoy the diversity of activities.  Flash cards pop up with visuals and definitions.  Students may also elect to hear the word pronounced (a must for ELLs).  Then students play games matching the word to the definitions.  There are also several “video-game like” activities that are always well received.  Teachers could also have student teams create games to stump fellow classmates.

Well, I hope you and your students enjoy the activities.  Have a great winter break!

Denise (denise@ellteacherpros.com)

Marnie (marnie@ellteacherpros.com)

Cheryl  (cheryl@ellteacherpros.com)

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Hello Spring! Now to Re-energize Students By Stimulating Creativity in Just 5 Minutes a Day:)

Oh beautiful March!  Spring will soon be in the airJ. With that happy thought in mind, this newsletter is dedicated to igniting student interest on issues outside of the traditional curriculum.

Edutopia’s article on making curiosity a integral part of the classroom setting is well worth a read.  Imagine a student’s face walking into a classroom and seeing this.

Of course, we know that there is no up and down in space, but most students will have the reaction that the map is “upside down.”  Questions would quickly surface as to WHY the map of the world was never given as this and WHO benefited from it. 

(upside down map of the world)

In a science class, why not have a picture of fully bloomed flowers in February-two months early due to climate change or shots of Boston under several feet of snow?  Pull shots from National Geographic or the internet to have students review and

question.  (Climate change and impact on polar bears)

In a history or social studies class, why not a photo such as this one.  What messages can they pull from these images?  Is discrimination still a problem in schools today? 

(Racism in America’s schools today) (Dropout rates by race today)

(Racism 1)

(Racism 2)

The list of items to bring in is probably endless.  You know your students as well as what items would peak their interest.  Such activities would not take a class period.  It might only take a few minutes and would intellectually energize them for the lessons that followJ

Denise

Marnie

Cheryl

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Fabulous Use Of Student Cell Phones in ANY Classroom:)

Well, after a fabulous vacation, we are back in the classroom fully energized and ready to continue to build an enthusiasm for learning within our students:)

Students love technology so what better place than that to start off the new year!  After all, the BYOD movement (Bring Your Own Device) is radically transforming the classroom to one where almost every student can access the internet through a wide variety of tools.  With this as the focus of this newsletter, we will explore a site that is building quite a strong following among educators and it is FREE!  That site is INFUSED LEARNING.

We will start off with a quick introduction through a video.   Immediate feedback to the teacher is crucial so that strugglers can be quickly identified and supported.  This site also allows different ways for students to demonstrate mastery.  Students may draw responses for example.  For English learners especially this choice opens up a chance to demonstrate grasp of a concept without being hampered by a language that they may not yet be very familiar with.  For classes not involving language development, being able to draw would allow these students to transfer knowledge from their home language to the teacher with ease (think math for example).  After all, a picture is worth 1,000 words they say.  For older students who are literate in their home languages, they may use a translation tool on the site.  For such students, this site permits them to earn the grades they deserve-grades based on actual content knowledge and not on full understanding of English. 

Here are some simple guidelines to get started:

1. Teachers need to set up a class.  Teachers can manually input all the names or use some tips from this site on using a Microsoft Excel template. 

2.  Types of assessments are varied.  We have the traditional such as True/False and Multiple Choice as well as short answer, sort and order, drawing, numeric, and likert scales.  Let us look at how to create a quiz for students first. 

3.  Interactive tools video lays out the process for using all of the interactives in any class setting.

4.  Quick assessments can now be easily interwoven throughout any lesson so teachers can keep a finger on the pulse with a snap.

I intend to kick the new year off with this since I believe that cell phones can serve a higher purpose.  After all, students will bring them so I might as well put them to good use:)

Happy New Year!

Denise, Marnie, and Cheryl

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Common Core and Technology--a Powerful Duo!

For teachers, summer vacation is here--time to recharge their batteries:).  Some of them will be reading, others traveling, while others working.  Yet, over this short break, teachers might want to explore some new approaches to building lessons with technology woven throughout.  For such an approach to be successful, the teacher must first become an expert in using these tech tools.  To achieve this, time must be spent exploring the program or playing with it.  The teacher must become proficient in its use if the lesson is to proceed smoothly with minimal to no classroom behavior issues.

Active engagement is a key to academic success for students.  They must be involved throughout is activities that stimulate academic discussion, thinking, discovery, etc.  To assist students in this exciting journey of self-discovery, technology should be built into activities whenever possible.  If they are to become life-long learners, they must be allowed to stumble along the way, learn from their mistakes, make the needed corrections, and then move on with new confidence to handle similar situations on their own.

So how does technology fit in the picture here?  Think about those powerful mini-computers all the students carry in their backpacks everyday--cell phones!  Since most students from every socioeconomic group carries them, teachers might wish to consider bringing them into classroom instruction. 

How can they be used with little to no classroom instruction?  Establish clear rules for their use and even clearer consequences for breaking them (ex. third offense-take phone and hold til end of day OR call parents from confiscated phone about the infraction, etc.).  Once the class fully understands what IS and IS NOT acceptable use of cell phones, teachers can now proceed with educational apps which stimulate learning.

Here are apps that teachers enjoy using.  They can be used to administer quick assessments, take polls, chart class growth as well as individual student growth, inform parents of their child's progress, provide approved content related internet resources for students to work with in class or at home, provide students with subject related games to reinforce instruction, and more.

1.  SOCRATIVE--For a quick overview, teachers should view the quick video.  This tool is one where quick quizzes on subject material just learned can be presented to students as a quiz which they can solve on their own or with partners.  The results can be tabulated on the teacher's phone and then presented to the class as a graph with each of the columns representing one of the 4 choices (for example).  If the majority of the students have the right answer, the teacher can proceed to the next level of the lesson.  If not, the teacher knows which material has to be retaught.  Since this might be an exit ticket, there is no grade so students are less anxious.  Quick quizzes build student self-confidence for the REAL exam:)

2.  EDMODO--An app that over 35 million students and teachers are using all over the world.  Some of its features are similar to SOCRATIVE, but there are some additional components that teachers will be impressed with.  After a teacher joins, s/he can join educational communities around the world in any subject area.  Within theses groups, teachers can ask for help in a given subject area OR assist someone asking for support.  Also, any quiz given is saved.  This comes in handy when students were absent.  Quizzes/tests can also be timed.  Adults have time limits in completing their job assignments so why shouldn't students? :)  Another teacher plus is that assignments can be differentiated with ease.  This allows a teacher to stay on the lesson's theme while allowing every student to complete assigned tasks on a level that they can handle. One awesome new feature is that common core standards based quickie quizzes for ELA and Math have been added.  Impressive!

3.  POLL EVERYWHERE--If a teacher would like immediate feedback on a concept taught, s/he would have students pull out their phones, and text their feedback to a number provided by the teacher.  Students could also have fellow students provide feedback on their presentations right after they have finished (no grade--just feedback).  This type of active involvement stimulates instruction and motivates students to want to learn (as well as demonstrate what they understand and how well).

Note:  With students all using cell phones, teachers may need to buy some power strips so students can keep their phones charged.  Small price to pay to maintain student excitement:)

Denise
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I will be addressing ways to keep a paperless classroom over the next 7 days:)

Here Are Some Fun Activities to Help Students Prepare for Final Examinations:)

Well, the year is close to ending.  Some of you will see your last day of school before the end of the month, and others, like us, will still be working in June.  Here at ELL Teacher Pros, we are facing a difficult time.  There are some-related issues and in addition, the change from CTEL to CSET is pushing us to redo our popular CTEL Test Prep Review classes which takes a lot of time and energy.  The tests are different enough that we may have to do more than just cut and paste material.  The change from CA State ELD standards to the Common Core ELD standards is also an influence on our work load.

We have decided to focus on reviews for finals this month, as we did last May, and we’re going to cheat a bit and rerun most of that newsletter plus a few new suggestions for games. 

In general, consider letting students lead the review activities? Why not provide them with some ownership in the review process? Why not bring in academic games? How about having students create game-like venues of their own to review? What about asking kids how they would like to have the reviews conducted–they might surprise you with some very creative ideas? Ever think about having students create review test questions for classmates to answer?  One of our favorite things to do with reviews is to use some of their questions on the final.  They really are excited about having that level of control and input.

Remember that you have control over content covered, how points are scored, what the “right” answers are, the time limits allotted, etc.

To “start the ball rolling”, here are some websites with suggestions:

Five Games for Test Review was written for Adult Education and yet is useful for all grade levels.  One review strategy is called “Two Truths and a Lie”  The learners have some amount of control over the process and yet the focus has to stay on the content.  This is a win/win situation.  

Ask each student to make three statements about your test review topic: two statements that are true and one that's a lie.  Moving around the room, give each student a chance to make their statements and a chance to identify lies. Use both right and wrong answers as inspiration for discussion.  This games works really well with teams. Keep score on the board, and go around the room twice if you need to in order to cover all the material. Have examples of your own to ensure that everything you want to review gets mentioned.  There is a game specifically designed for History and one for Geography.

My favorite is “Snowball Fight” because I like a lot of action, particularly after lunch.  I divide the class into heterogeneous teams and have each learner write a question related to the topic presented.  (I would recommend reviewing some ideas for questions, depending on the level of the ELLs.)  The learners then crumple their papers in the shape of a small ball and throw them at each other.   When time is called, each learner picks up a “ball’ and reads the question.  The team then has 30 seconds to answer it.  They earn a point when they get it correct. 

Another, less active game, is Brainstorm Race, which works with teams of 4-5 learners.  Each team has a way to record their answers.  They are then given 30 seconds to write down their ideas concerning a specific topic as they can, without speaking.  The lists are then compared and the group with the most ideas wins a point.  However, irrelevant or incorrect answers are deducted from the final total so they must write sensible ideas.

Other useful websites are:

TOOLS FOR TEACHERS–you will find a wide variety of ideas: rubric generators, quizstar, academic skills builders, PBL (project based learning) checklists, kid videos (support for including kid video projects), and much more. Everything is free.

FAKE FACEBOOK — I must say that this is still one of my favorites. Almost everyone is involved in some way or another with this social medium so it is familiar territory. What about having students create conversations with famous historical figures? One student could be the historical figure and a second student could take the role of a contemporary of that figure OR be a student from 2013 with many unanswered questions?

BRAINFLIPS–here students may join study groups or create them. They may create flash cards or use ones already available. Take the tour and see how the site might make test review less overwhelming for students.

PURPOSE GAMES–many of the games already up are related to education. However, students (or teachers) can create their own games as well. Such a site might inspire even the strugglers to actively take part in the academic game creation and this should lead to these students doing better than expected on the examination. Of course, the site is also free:)

SUPER TEACHER TOOLS — this site does charge; however, if you like game shows, but don’t want to spend hours creating them, this may be the site for you. There also other features like a classroom seating organizer, and a randomizer app (students never know when they will be called on in class—suspense with accountability).

MOTIVATE YOUR STUDENTS — last but not least, here are some gentle reminders on motivating students. The vast majority wants to do well in school, but sometimes feel lost. The tips here are reminders on why each of us became teachers:)

Last, but not least, here are some other approaches to support students in preparing for any exam.

1. Let them use their binders/notebooks for the test. If they have been meticulously maintaining them throughout the year, this would be a well-deserved reward.

2. Assign key sections to small groups and then have them conduct the review session for the class. Let them be teachers for part of the period.

3. Have students in either small groups or with a partner create multiple choice questions for the class. Teachers can use those questions (after being checked for accuracy) in a  class competition with the class broken up into number of teams of no more than 4.  Offer class participation points to winners:)

4. Assign groups of 4 the task of summarizing key points of a topic in posters. Students will then explain to the class how their poster captures all the necessary sections of the  lesson. The rest of the class will rate the posters and the presentations for accuracy.

5. Provide students with a pre-test. Let them work with a partner in completing it. This would be especially helpful for English language learners since they would have several opportunities to process both the academic language and the content before the actual test. Students could then as a class review the answers and discuss any issues that surfaced in taking the mock test.

The bottom line here is to build student confidence in going into the final exam (or any exam). Keep it light, but academic, and you will see grades improve on the actual final assessment.

Hope your students like the sites:)

Denise, Cheryl, and Marnie

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