Excited! ELL TEACHER PROS Is Listed in "Common Core Conversation"--Hope It Meets Your Needs As Well:)

                                                                                                        
Well Spring is springing and spring break is just around the corner:)

This post we want to discuss “Common Core Conversation” which is a free site that lists ELL Teacher Pros as one of only five sites for Teacher Resources for ESL.  We are excited and very proud.  Our hard work is paying off and your input has assisted us in becoming a nationally recognized source for knowledge and resources for ELLs.  Thank you so much for your ongoing support and assistance.

In addition to having the brilliance to recognize us as outstanding in providing Teacher Resources, the site is a place that has free resources, lesson plans and strategies related to the Common Core Standards.  It includes articles, guest blogs, interviews, weekly news, and student projects.

The permanent features are: 

·       The Standards - a review of the Math and ELA standards and more resources,

·       Free Common Core Resources that include General Resources for all Content, Math, ELA, Science Social Studies, World Languages, ESL, Library, Art & Music, and Business/Computer Technology.

·       Resources from State Departments of Education

·       A section for Parents

·       Using Tech Tools for Learning With Standards

·       An online community you can join

The ESL Resources section also has a group of sites that have information on working with ELLs including theory and practice.  So, for those who have limited experience and/or knowledge about working with ELLs, there are resources including ones from Colorin Colorado – one of our favorite sites.

The Laura Stevens button also has free online courses through Stanford, one for elementary teachers and one for secondary teachers.    In addition, Laura has videos on strategies such as scaffolding and PDF’s on topics like Co-Teaching.  It’s a virtual one-stop shopping place for working with ELLs!

The AFT link discusses language proficiency and how it’s seen through Common Core, which is very important for both teaching and evaluation.  The English Language Proficiency Standards (ELP) are two-fold.  There is a separate content area set of standards for ELLs and there are ELPs within other content areas.  This is a very new idea.  The concept of English Language Proficiency Standards and Levels are tough and this resource shows the linkage between Content Standards and the three new levels:  Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced.

There is a link to the Common Core in Spanish – a resource for parents.

Finally there is a link to Stanford’s Professional Development for Teachers.  Most importantly, there are videos and lessons available for free.  One section is introduced through:  “Our team is currently developing sets of teaching resources that exemplify high-quality instruction for ELLs across three content areas. The resources will correspond to the widely-adopted Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics and to the Next Generation Science Standards.”

Regardless of how we feel about the Common Core Classroom Standards, they are here to stay and will require sifts in our practice and thinking.  These resources will make it much easier for us to work with the learners sitting in front of us.  We hope this resource will become bookmarked and well used.

Marnie, Denise, and Cheryl

ELL TEACHER PROS website

Follow us on TWITTER @ell_teacherpros  (2160 followers and growing).

Join us on Pinterest-denise@ellteacherpros.com (1,320 followers for academic content only).

Great Site to Differentiate Your Reading Activities and Meet Common Core Standards:)

How many teachers have classes where each and every student is at the same level in reading abilities?  My guess is that this is highly unlikely to say the least.  The vast majority of teachers have classes with students of mixed abilities in reading.  So how does a teacher support this wide range of reading abilities?  Try READ WORKS! 

With this site, teachers have a wide range of reading passages from all the academic disciplines and at many grade levels to pull from.  Registration is required, but it is free.

What options are there for reading strategies practice?  They are listed here:

What subject areas specifically are included?  See below:

The site also offers lesson plan units aligned to common core standards:

To successfully meet the reading skills development needs of diverse classrooms, this is a site teachers should bookmark and pull from as needed.  Note the EDMODO pin.  Teachers with EDMODO accounts can save work directly to that site for student use with just a click:)

I hope this site meets your needs:)

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS

Twitter @ell_teacherpros (2062 followers).

Pinterest dmcyberteacher (1120 followers).

Excellent Example of Project-Based Learning in Practice:)

Project-based learning will take on an even bigger role with the implementation of common core standards.  Students will analyze problems in small groups and reach decisions that may be different from the other teams in the class and that is OK because there is generally more than one approach to solve a problem.  In this type of setting, an ELL will be able to share his/her solutions in a low anxiety setting where he/she is delving into the topic while also strengthening English skills.

Though this video is not based on common core, the teaching approaches used here are none-the-less examples of what CCSS will look like when it is adopted.  Observe middle school students in Louisiana trying to handle a simulated hurricane disaster drill.  Notice the need to work as a team as they try to address all the emergency calls coming in to the command center.  Though students knew it was a simulation, they took it seriously and then shared their feelings about the event at the end.  The teacher took the science from the text (hurricanes) and then created a real world application for her students.  This type of connection is the goal of common core.STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER

Another example of how common core will involve different subject areas is found in the same school's car project.  In science class, they designed cars (environmentally friendly ones that moved on air from a balloon), raced them, and then discussed the results.  Keeping to the car theme, the language arts teachers had students created car commercials.  In math class, they calculated loan rates.  Students also used the web to find the most fuel efficient cars and with map quest, planned trips.  One major highlight is seeing the students go to car dealers to evaluate sales pitches! 


For more specifics on these incredible school learning activities to support you in planning for common core, read this article.  MORE DETAILS ON STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER 

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

OfficeMax Pen Style Chisel Tip Erasable Highlighters, 4 Yellow

COMMON CORE VIDEOS for ELA and MATH FOR ELEMENTARY

As promised, here are the COMMON CORE ELA/MATH STANDARDS for elementary schools.  The video starts off with kindergarten where higher thinking skills are woven into every lesson.  Students must support, explain, defend any answer they come up with.   Seeing students explaining the processes they went through to arrive at an answer is inspirational to view.

As you study the standards, notice the progression of skills through 5th.  What is started in kindergarten is  strengthened, broadened, added to, etc, through high school.   At this young age, students are not only responding in complete sentences, but responding in complete sentences using academic language!  In other clips of other grades, you see students interacting with informational text (50% of reading must be this in elementary school).  Teachers set them up to be successful with regular checks for understanding, allow them time to fully understand the concepts, incorporate lots of partner work, and release them slowly to independent work.

My major concern with the new standards was how ELLs will be supported and in one of the classes on the video, the teacher conducted a support lesson for her students within her class.  This approach will work if  teachers, who are not that experienced with teaching ELLs, are given the support or teaching tools to successfully deliver highly effective instruction to these students along with other students with special needs or struggle in learning in general within their mainstream classes.

It is a great time to be an educator.  Though it is a period of change, it is one where we will be preparing our students, regardless of age, to be successful in life at whatever they choose to do.  I will share middle school later this week:)

IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMON CORE ELA AND MATH IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

How About Some Free Fun Academic Activities for Students Over the Summer?

As summer fast approaches, teachers often wonder how students might be encouraged  to keep up their skills over the summer.  Vacations are fun, but if parents don't find ways to motivate their children (regardless of age) to keep up skills over the summer, their children will be at a disadvantage come the start of school in the fall.

Here is a site geared to all grade levels and content areas that kids might enjoy toying around with over the summer: FUN ACADEMIC CONTENT AREA FOR FREE  This site is free to join and easy to navigate though the younger ones will need some assistance.  If a student only spends 20-50 minutes a week on whatever content area (or areas) s/he likes, s/he will stay reasonably current in skills.

If vocabulary development and writing need support, try SPELLING CITY  Older students can enter SAT words (challenging academic words typically tested in high stakes tests for college examinations) while younger ones can work with simpler vocabulary which parents can input for them.  The game features here tend to be popular since they are all built on the words students are trying to master. 


SMITHSONIAN EDUCATION (SCIENCE PORTAL)  Inspire kids to develop a keen interest in science over the summer.  Everything is here (just enough to spark interest -- never over overwhelming.  or boring in any way) to get kids hooked on science (check out WALKING ON THE MOON).

I will see what other cool academic content review sites I can find before school is out for your students:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Explore EDSITE'S Library of Great Lesson Plans in Humanities!

I know that the school year is drawing to a close, but this site is one worth exploring for future lesson planning in the coming school year.

You will find lessons arranged by subject, theme, and grade level.  Subjects covered include anthropology, art history, folklore, mythology, religions, world languages, AP US history, world history, civics, literature, language arts, and much more.  Activity sheets are included as well.

Further, you will find a collection of approved websites for teachers.  I found one on SHAKESPEARE.  Here students have several options as to what they would like to learn about him.  How about "10 ways to be Shakespeare expert"?  If they find words fascinating, why not have them check out words coined by the Bard?  If they are curious about the time period he lived in, they will find the answers here.  Please note that this is only 1 highlighted website here.  You will want to check them all out:)


 EDSITE:  HUMANITIES ON THE WEB

Have fun exploring this site!  I did:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Explore the Arts Through the Kennedy Center for FREE!

Dance, media arts, music, literary arts, and theater are all covered here as vehicles through which to teach all subject areas and all grade levels.  Outstanding arts-based lesson plans and projects for classrooms and after school programs are available whether or not teachers register.  Why register?  With registration, you can create folders in which you can store your favorite lessons.  This way you will have everything at your fingertips.    KENNEDY CENTER

Here is one lesson aimed at high school students.  It deals with analyzing political cartoons so the subject areas covered are social studies and visual arts.  In studying the political cartoon, students are also using critical thinking (the WHY behind the cartoon) and problem solving (HOW was the issue solved/addressed that the cartoon depicted).  Upon completion of the lesson, students would select a political issue of the day, take an opinion, and then create their own political cartoon.  If a visual arts teacher could team up with the social studies teacher, it would be an even more exciting project for all:)
LESSON ON POLITICAL CARTOONS GRADES 9-12

Remember that you can find lessons for ALL GRADES.  I only chose high school since that is the level that I am most familiar with:)

Denise


ELL TEACHER PROS

Come Visit The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory!

If you teach world history, social studies, literature, or geography, you will want to take a long look at this incredible site dedicated to man who led the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Even more a testament to his skills as a leader was the fact that no bloodshed was shed after that historical election where he was elected president of a united South Africa.

This site offers volumes of files, films, speeches, photos, etc. on the man and his time. Though now retired, he still serves as an inspiration to young people. He believes that they must be educated to preserve the hard fought freedom that he and others dedicated their lives to securing for their oppressed fellow countrymen.

Why not use this site as a jump off point to having students identify heroes in their own cultures? In a class with ELLs, this would be an empowering experience. They will be able to showcase national icons who improved the quality of life for fellow citizens. Since the reports will be in English, they will need the teacher's support, BUT the motivation will already be there so the final product should be a good one:)

NELSON MANDELA

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Google Lit Trips--A New Way to Motivate Students to Read:)

Google literature trips are a whole new way of engaging students in reading literature. Google Lit Trips highlight the journeys characters take using Google Earth so that students can "see" the terrain, architecture, etc. which the characters have to navigate through. All along the way, students will see placemarks with information about “real world” references made in whatever book they are reading. This is an example of adding real context to a story and that is a must for ELLs especially so that they can truly appreciate the novel that they are reading.

The free downloadable files cover grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12, and higher education. The novels covered are found on the SITE MAP. Every item listed there has a downloadable file that covers the novel. Please note that the files are not like Cliff Notes. These files are designed to augment instruction and facilitate a student's understanding of the novel.

Take the video tours of the site here: VIDEOS The google earth one gives you an overview of how GOOGLE LIT TRIPS breathes life into any novel:)

GOOGLE LIT TRIPS

Enjoy your journey:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS