Breaking the Code (or Determing the Meaning of Words from Context)

As a rule, dictionaries should be a last resort when it comes to figuring out meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary in reading.  This is especially the rule with English language learners since they often take the first definition offered which may or may not be the appropriate choice for the sentence or passage the student is reading.  Another flaw with dictionary use is that it disrupts a student's focus.  Stopping every few sentences to "check the meaning" turns the reading process into a series of constant interruptions which leads to limited comprehension of the big picture.  Needless to say, such an approach does not help such students become good readers or develop a love of reading.

So what is a teacher to do?  Provide multiple opportunities to discover meaning from context!  Analyze what position the word has in a sentence remembering that nouns and verbs are the key parts of a sentence.  Adjectives and adverbs are just additional information that a reader does not really need to know.  Then see if there are clues within the sentence that offer insight into the meaning of a word.  If there is not enough information there, look at the sentence before and after and see if more information can be gleaned from this.

Should this not prove successful, look to word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes AKA word parts).  Supplementing every lesson with a few key word parts boosts vocabulary.  Post them on word walls, have students refer to them regularly, make up games where the use of those word parts are instrumental to solving the question, and reinforce regularly. 

Try crossword puzzles.  Spelling City offers quite a few activities that students will enjoy as they "unknowingly" acquire a larger vocabulary base.  Another site for similar activities is found at DISCOVERY EDUCATION.

Make vocabulary activities engaging and stimulating and students will become better readers:)

Denise

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10 Effective Ways to Teach Academic Vocabulary (Great Tips to Support Common Core Lessons)

The shift from reading textbooks to informational text will present students with far more challenging vocabulary.  For students to successfully navigate such reading materials, they will require strategies to arrive at definitions, more times than not, on their own.  So teachers will need to build these strategies into every lesson and reinforce them throughout the class period through all 4 language skills-listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  The more reinforcement, the more likely it is that students will retain the language and the skills which aided them in arriving at definitions.

Eye On Education has generated an excellent short tip list on both effective and ineffective ways  to teach vocabulary in this infographic on effective vocabulary instruction.  The suggestions here apply to all grade levels as well as all content areas.  An adaptation I have used for #2 is the frayer model (though it is being used for a biology class, it can be used with ANY content area and at ANY grade level).  Teachers can modify them in any way that works for their students.  I had the WORD in the center, top right box had a picture, bottom right a sentence from the text/book with the word in it, top left had a definition in their own words, and bottom left had a synonym or antonym or non-example.

These ten tips are great reminders that teachers must create original ways to build and nurture the growth of academic vocabulary for their students....and it can be a fun process:)

Denise

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2 Solid Supports for Common Core ELA--Lesson Planning Template and Academic Vocabulary List

Vacation or not, many teachers will be setting aside time to develop lessons based on common core.  Though most states are engaged in the process of switching over to CCSS at some level, the major transformation will occur at the classroom level via the teacher.  Many teachers will be provided with some already prepared units or some sample lessons, but for the many, this will not be sufficient. Understandably, most teachers want to experience a feeling of ownership.  To experience this, they will require some tools to devise their own lessons.

To assist teachers in planning lessons, and, in the process, developing a deeper feeling of ownership in the process, this post has two great tools.  One is an  ELA lesson planning template with which CCSS ELA lessons can be easily developed.  The template contains all the basic elements of an ELA lesson.  Of course, teachers can build on it, but it is a place to start to build confidence in addressing Common Core Based ELA lessons.

Another must-have resource is the  academic vocabulary list which should be used in building literacy throughout all content classes.  Notice that though it is a list, it does not mean that teachers will be giving students isolated words to memorize one week and then forget the next.  It is tool to be used to build reading and writing skills within context.  Note the addition of prefixes, roots, and suffixes as well.  The more practice students have in working with word parts, the bigger their vocabulary base will be.  One suggestion here is teachers of different disciplines should meet regularly to plan on key vocabulary to focus on as a team.  Using this approach, students get multiple exposures to and practice in actively working with those words.  The more time spent in discovering the multiple definitions and word forms in context, the more likely those words will be permanently "etched in their brains" so to speak.

Denise

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Practical Strategies to Deliver Academic Language in Common Core Lessons to ALL Students

In well planned Common Core Based Lessons, teachers imbed powerful academic language in accessible formats throughout all content classes.  The question quick to surface for most educators is how to teach key vocabulary without losing most of the period in doing so.  This need becomes even more pressing when academic language is added to the mix.

How does a teacher proceed here?  One can take an entire period teaching vocabulary, but this would not be an effective use of limited class time.  A better use of class time is identifying a few key words and providing supports to have students try to guess the meaning of words.  The teacher provides the visual to start the process, includes sentences with the mystery word inserted, lists synonyms and antonyms, affixes, and includes a list of all the grammatical forms the word takes.  Students then have enough information to pull from in finally arriving at a definition. 

The teaching of academic English need not be a boring process by any means.  Further, charts with all the key parts of the word/meaning analysis can easily be posted around the room for students to reference when needed.

I am including the YOUTUBE video which highlights the process and including the website from Amy Benjamin who has create many creative tools for teachers to use in meeting the language demands of common core based lessons.  She has generously offered many of her materials for free.

Denise

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2 Great Vocabulary Sites That Will Make Informational Text More Accessible For Students:)

The vocabulary demands of informational text may pose some difficulty for struggling readers.  Having them use dictionaries to look up each and every word of the text is basically both a waste of time and a major distraction in the reading process.  Students will need to know that not EVERY word merits intense scrutiny. 

WORDLE--with this site, students will have two options on using the site.  They may either paste a passage in the space provided or the URL.  Choice of color and font are up to the student.  Once the create button is pushed, key words will appear in different sizes with the most prominent being the largest.  This tool will show students what would might merit more attention than others.  It is also a fun way to analyze text.

VISUAL WORDS 
--here is a tool that will improve any vocabulary stretching activity.  Students enter the word they need a definition for and not only will the definition surface, but also synonyms and antonyms.  If students want to stretch their vocabulary for fun, just have them push the RANDOM button and the program will throw in some very unusual words in English.  Some may even surprise the teacher:)

Denise

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LET STUDENTS TURN WORDS INTO WORKS OF ART HIGHLIGHTING KEY CONCEPTS OF VARIOUS TEXTS

Often times, English language learners (ELLs) struggle with language intensive text.  Feeling overwhelmed by the extensive vocabulary demands, they toil away with dictionaries or glossaries that offer even more confusion in trying to resolve the issue.  Teachers do their best to help clarify, but many of the ELLs in their classrooms are long-term ELLs with a long history of limited academic success.  These students have a limited knowledge of their home language beyond the basic conversation level.  With such a limited background in their home language, English becomes more of a challenge since there is no basic language foundation to build upon.  For such students to access academic language, teachers need to look to unconventional approaches.  Below are two sites which do just that.

These sites offer a creative look at identifying key terms in an artistic layout.  How does this turn to academic vocabulary access for these students?  In reading a piece of literature, have students select a paragraph that speaks to them and then have each student paste it (a unique paragraph for each student) into the area for text.  Once they click submit, the program highlights words in the order of importance.  After students print out the finished work of art, their next job will be to select a given set of 5-8 words that carry the greatest importance in the text.  Once those words are chosen, students would set out to see why those words (no more than 5-8) carry so much importance in the paragraph.  Here is where students can dialogue with partners to compare notes and seek insight from fellow classmates as to what significance those words carry in the text.  Once the meanings are deciphered, students write a paragraph sharing the insights gained on the use of those words in their paragraphs.  The same technique would apply to any other content area as well.  Consider this approach as a different way to address vocabulary development.

WORDLE Here is one site which does a great job in tapping student creativity.  Though not a cure-all for every problem with teaching academic vocabulary, it is another tool at a teacher's disposal for taking the complex and making it comprehensible.  The site is free.  Please note that if you have a Mac, you will need a java plug-in.
 
WORDLE YOUTUBE TUTORIAL  Youtube offers a video tutorial on how to use Wordle.  It is easy to follow and only a couple of minutes in length.

TAGXEDO This is very similar to Wordle, but works without any problem on a Mac.  Again, this is also a free site.






TAGXEDO YOU TUBE TUTORIAL Here is a tutorial on its use.  Again, it is short, easy to follow, and free.

WORDLE WORKS WONDERS WITH VOCABULARY Here is a suggestion on how to use WORDLE, but it would work also with TAGXEDO.


Denise

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Common Core Math Standards + Graphing Stories Site = Student Access to Content

Through this site, students are presented with real world applications to math.  Graphing tied to scenarios which are familiar to students leads to a far better grasp of content than relying on textbooks.  This is not to say that textbooks have no value, but for many students (especially language minority students with limited reading and writing skills), the reading level of the text is several years above theirs.  How does a teacher bridge the gap between what students bring to class and the grade-level content of the text?  Practical real world applications allow students to access math and more importantly build self-confidence in tackling math in any scenario.

GRAPHING STORIES

With all the mathematical concepts and vocabulary being tied to short simple video clips, the teacher provides access to both content and language development.  For ELLs, every teacher must be a language teacher and that includes math teachers at any level of mathematics.  In GRAPHING STORIES, ELLs learn key vocabulary in context while they learn to enjoy math!

Denise

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Specific Strategies to Boost Academic Language Skills of ELLs

If ELLs are to survive in mainstream classes, their teachers must employ specific instructional techniques to build academic proficiency into all classroom activities.  These same techniques also benefit English speakers, but are a must for ELLs.  If these approaches are not used, the ELL gets neither content or language.

Dr. Short identifies the major issue facing ELLs.  They must do double the work just to stay afloat and, at the high school level, they are struggling with this 6 periods a day.  So though the obstacles may seem immense, they are not impossible.  Key areas of language support must be addressed in every class regularly.

1.  All 4 language language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) must be integrated into every lesson for all English proficiency levels.  Teachers need to find a variety of on-going formative assessments to weave into every lesson to provide multiple opportunities for ELLs to use the academic content in a many different venues.

2.  Reading and writing skills must be directly taught. Teachers must employ scaffolding devices to assist ELLs in navigating academically challenging text.  They need to develop those key pre-reading skills which provide access to chapter content (ex.  looking at pictures, charts, sub-titles, chapter summaries, learning to use SQ3R, etc.).  Through a varied approach in delivering content, teachers can easily make such activities routine since everyone benefits from them.  Further, good reading skills lead to good writing skills.  Through activating reading skills at the higher end of Bloom's taxonomy, ELLs start to build the skills to write increasingly more sophisticated sentence structure within well-crafted essays.

3.  Academic vocabulary must be addressed.  Memorizing word lists is the probably the least effective.  Instead, teaching students how to use context of the text in which the word is found to provide insight to word meaning is far more beneficial.  Then, there are affixes.  If ELLs are provided with regular practice in analyzing words parts and applying this knowledge to new unfamiliar vocabulary on a regular basis, their vocabulary base grows.  In addition to this technique, there are visuals.  A picture is definitely worth a 1000 words.  Posting pictures of key concepts with accompanying word provides access to content while building vocabulary.  These are just some ideas.

4.  Never miss an opportunity to activate prior knowledge.  If students can connect a concept with a prior experience, they will benefit more from the lesson than if the teacher had not helped them make that connection.

5.  Use technology with ELLs.  There are many supports on educational sites that would provide ELLs with many options to hone their skill development in English.  Many are free (SEARCH WITHIN THIS BLOG FOR THE ONES I HAVE FOUND AND RATED).

There are many more suggestions in this article.  Share it with colleagues.

WRITING FOR ELLS

Denise

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COMMON CORE and ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Though every one of the 46 states who adopted the common core might weave a few state related adjustments here and there into their state education plans, they will leave the bulk of common core in place.  This will hopefully lead to national standards eventually.

One common thread found in every state's version of the CCSS is the need to build academic vocabulary of their students.  Two issues surface here.  One is WHICH words does a teacher focus on in a given lesson.  Here, teachers have to differentiate between words which will be used in different content areas and which ones are words that are so content specific (ex. mitosis) that they will rarely, if ever, be found outside of that content area.  Then teachers must devise ways to activate student prior knowledge to the new word.  Once that occurs, teachers can refer back to it as needed to ensure that the student can apply this new knowledge to the reading in which the word is found.  Second, as the teacher covers such key vocabulary, s/he needs to build on that word knowledge by showing different forms of the words, bringing in antonyms/synonyms/examples/non-examples, visuals, etc.  Further, students need time to strengthen that knowledge not just with reading, but also writing.

COMMON CORE AND ACADEMIC VOCABULARY is from New York.  In this 6 minute video, NYS Commissioner of Education John King, David Coleman (contributing author to the Common Core), and Kate Gerson (a Sr. Fellow with the Regents Research Fund) discuss the shift in academic vocabulary. 

How will this change the way a teacher addresses new vocabulary choices?  Here are some areas to think about in viewing the video. 

1.  They will need to decide on how many words in a given selection must be taught.
2.  Teachers will need to select words deemed useful across disciplines. 
3.  They will need to see which words are worth the time to fully explore and reinforce with students. 
4.  They will need to create writing activities  to provide practice in using the words. 

To support teachers in making these decisions, download the PDFs at the bottom of the page under the paragraph describing the video.


You may register for updates to their plans for implementation of the new standards.  You will also have access to many more resources including videos, lesson plans, lesson plan templates, common core exemplars covering K-12, etc.  It is one of many sites teachers will want to save:)

Denise

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Common Core Standards and Explicit Direct Instruction--Great Support for ELLs!

Teachers will need to tweak their instructional routines to accommodate the language and content needs of the low level ELLs when delivering common core standards based lessons in mainstream classes.  The usual lesson delivery will have to be adjusted to include sufficient language support in all 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) for the ELL to not only follow the lesson, but also grow in English language proficiency.  Though ELD teachers are quite accustomed to this mix of strategies which cover all 4 skills, many mainstream teachers aren't.  So what is the mainstream teacher to do?

Explicit Direct Instruction might be just one instructional delivery worth exploring.  With this approach, every student's progress is monitored through multiple ongoing formative assessments as well as regular checks-for-understanding.  The start of the lesson opens up with learning objectives. The teacher, through various activities demonstrated in the video clip, completes a short series of activities which engage the students in clarifying what they will be doing in the lesson.  He models everything he wants them to say.  They repeat only after he has clarified those one or two words in the objective which may be new (especially for ELLs). 

After his intro procedure, he moves into the activating prior language segment.  APK has been around for years, but here its importance is highlighted in a new light.  From the clip, the teacher guides the students in making those vital connections from their personal experiences to his lesson objective.  Notice how he has kids talking to each other first before he calls on students randomly.  Think-Pair-Share is used throughout the lesson and this builds their self-confidence as they move through the lesson.  For the ELL, it also provides time for her/him to practice using the language of the lesson in a safe setting with her/his partner.

One exceptionally well done segment is the 'I DO, WE DO, YOU DO WITH A PARTNER, YOU DO ALONE."  Students, especially ELLs, have many productive opportunities to  navigate the language demands of the activities.  Even though this is a class of 3rd graders, the same approach can be used throughout all grade levels and content areas (I have used it in high school and discuss it the teacher credentialing class I teach).  Unless ELLs can build an academic language base and use it, they will never be able to go on and succeed in college or the work force.

This company does workshops around the country, and offers many of its resources to teachers for free (such as these videos as well as sample lessons and lesson templates).  They were at my district last year and everyone was highly impressed and motivated to start re-evaluating their teaching practices to see where they could be adjusted:) 


DATA WORKS+EXPLICIT DIRECT INSTRUCTION

Denise

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How to Provide Crucial Access to Academic Vocabulary to ELLs in Common Core Content Classes

Students have been in school now for a few weeks.  Among all the fresh new faces are several students who speak little to no English. These new students need special instruction to access the language and content tied to it.  For many teachers, this may be a new experience that they may feel somewhat inadequate to properly deal with.  In the recent past, ELLs used to be in ELD (English language development classes), but now they are in mainstream rooms.  Though every teacher puts intensive energy into delivering a quality educational program to each child in the classroom, an educator may feel a bit unsure as to what to do with students who speak very limited English.  Addressing academic vocabulary and providing meaningful continued reinforcement throughout the lesson of those words can sometimes pose a challenge.  Often times, teachers try to vary activities thereby offering many ways to access the words, but this approach, though varied, can be overwhelming and at times confusing for the ELLs.

A leader in the field of teaching academic vocabulary to ELLs is Dr. Kate Kinsella:  KATE KINSELLA ON EXPLICIT DIRECT INSTRUCTION TO BUILD ACADEMIC VOCABULARYThe 1 minute clip sets the tone for the article which follows.

TEACHING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY IN THE CORE CONTENT CLASSROOM   ELLs need explicit meaningful rigorous instruction in academic vocabulary if they are to succeed in English speaking schools.  In the article, Kinsella provides activities that boost and reinforce the use of academic vocabulary in the classroom.  Academic language must be practiced in all 4 language domains:  listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Students need to see connections in the word family.  For example, look at the word INFORM from which INFORMATION, INFORMATIVENESS, INFORMATIVE, and INFORMATIVELY derive.  ELLs need to know that endings of root words change only the role of the word in a sentence and not its chief meaning.  Family Word Walls all around the room in easy to see prominent places help such students.  Also, in the article, notice the use of concept maps and double-bubble graphic organizers (I have blogged on all of these in earlier posts---just type in the term in the search window and click).  Model the use of the language regularly and have them engage in academic conversations using these words.  Frayer models come in here as well (see earlier blog posts on this one).  Use cognates if at all possible as well.  Linking back to the L1 is also an empowering experience for ELLs--their language has value.  Build a foundation and reinforce consistently.  Give students time to process and learn a few key activities that yield results.  Overwhelming them with too many may confuse them.  Take a less-is-more approach.  Have fun with it as well:)

Denise
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Watch Scientist Inspire Diverse Middle Schoolers to Think About Pursuing Careers in the Sciences:)

It is never too early to start inspiring students of all ages and backgrounds to think about their future careers.  Though students know that school is there to assist them in planning for their lives beyond high school, they often times fail to make connections between courses and career options.  Including guest speakers on a monthly basis, for example, is one very effective way to tap student interest in the subject matter and link career options to it. 

With an upcoming shortage of scientists in many parts of the world, why not start bringing in professionals from various science fields to ignite sparks of interest in the minds of students.  Many of the presenters are trained on how to work with diverse student bodies including ELLs.  Some may have a background in education while others are just naturally talented in assisting kids on making those connections from the classroom to the lab for example. Further, since diversity in the workforce is increasingly more common than in the past, it would be possible to have female/male speaker representatives from all the ethnic groups.  This would be quite empowering for minorities especially.

BEST PRACTICES FOR SCIENTISTS VISITING CLASSROOMS

Notice how Daniele Bergeron, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, delivers a presentation on careers in science and in doing so, employs many tried and true instructional techniques to capture and then maintain student interest.  In fact, this would be a wonderful video to share with teachers in general since Daniele uses many checks-for-understanding, has excellent classroom management skills, employs short videos to spark interest, validates all answers without passing judgement, relates academic concepts to student background knowledge, addresses academic vocabulary by relating it to what they know, has a great sense of humor, etc. 

Share this with colleagues who rarely try new approaches.  It might motivate them to do something different:)

Denise
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DEMYSTIFY MATH PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESSES FOR STUDENTS

For many students, math classes consist of textbook activities and regular assessments.  Due to the pressures of state assessments, high school exit exams, PSAT, SAT, etc., teachers are under a great deal of pressure to stick with the text.  This type of instructional delivery will be changing over the next two years in that now students will be able to SEE how, for example, quadratic equations are used in the real world outside of the math class.  Relevance will be a major component of the new math class.  Teachers might be able to share with kids what they really love about math, what inspired them to pursue studies here and not in another discipline, etc.  Hopefully their love of the subject will catch fire in their classrooms:)

So, how does a teacher bring in project based learning projects into a math class?  Here are some good examples to start with:  statistics, geometry, algebra, and trigonometry.  PROJECT-students are to design a shopping mall.  Notice that for each activity, students are going from known (ex. the structure of a shopping mall) to the unknown (how to use prior knowledge with newly acquired math tools to construct a totally new version of a mall). They will be taking on roles of architects who must design different store sizes to accommodate the needs of prospective merchants, restrooms that allow for minimal care, landscaping within the mall for customers to sit and relax in, an original layout that will draw shoppers, etc.  Math is naturally woven throughout the project.   Since this would be a team effort, each member in the small group could focus on one component of the mall with the understanding that individuals must report out to the group and reach a consensus on the final design.  Students should keep detailed notes on their results and how they arrived at their project contributions.  (ELLs especially would benefit from this since they would be actively acquiring academic vocabulary within context.)  Such skills would easily transfer to the global workforce these students will be a part of when they finish their formal studies.  See the link for some additional ideas.PROJECT BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN MATH CLASSROOMS

One suggestion I would offer is that if this approach is new, start out small.  Make notes on what worked and what didn't.  Move on to next project and keep a little journal on how it worked out.  Hang in there.  I guarantee that students will never forget the experience.  Who knows?  There may be some future astronauts, astronomers, architects, engineers, etc. in the class. 

Denise
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SOLID STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP ACADEMIC VOCABULARY FOR LONG-TERM ELLS AND STRUGGLING ENGLISH ONLY STUDENTS

Students will start back to school shortly and among them will be many academically struggling students.  With Common Core Standards being rolled out this year in many parts of the country, students will be undertaking tasks far more academically challenging than those in the past.  The need to do more independent work will be new to many of them.  Teamwork will also be a focus.  Here the group is confronted with a problem that they must solve as a team.  Each member of the group contributes possible solutions to the problem along with evidence to back up their ideas.  This is the goal of CCSS--- to prepare our students to succeed in life beyond high school be it in the global workforce or in college. 

In doing research or following academic lectures in content classes, students will encounter academic vocabulary that will be totally unfamiliar to them.  Of course, developing techniques to share with students to overcome this obstacle will fall on their teachers:)  There are specific strategies which address this issue with relative ease.  In fact, most teachers are familiar with some if not most of them. 

Based on the article STRATEGIES FOR VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT FOR ELLS AND STRUGGLING STUDENTS and my own experience in teaching such students, the following approaches DO NOT WORK:

1.  Use the dictionary to find the meaning.  Copying down the definition is pointless.  No connection is  being made between the word and the student's background knowledge.
2.  Write a sentence using the word in it.  If this is done before the meaning of the word (within context) is made clear, it is not effective.
3.  Take note of the context in which the word is found.  This approach only really works when a student brings background knowledge to the reading passage in which the word is found.  Since the context is totally unfamiliar, such an activity would serve little benefit to the student.
4.  Memorize the definitions.  Students are highly unlikely to remember word lists and definitions.  Think back to the vocabulary tests you took in school.  The isolated words had no connection to anything studied.  You memorized them for the test and that was all.

What DOES work?
1.  Tie new vocabulary to what students already know.  Activate prior knowledge and help students make connections to it.
2.  Use the new words repeatedly in different formats so that students can eventually internalize the definitions. 
3.  Provide many opportunities for the students to use the new words in reading, writing, and academic discussions.  By taking this approach, teachers are broadening their academic vocabulary bases.  As this base grows,  it leads to better writing and easier access to demanding reading assignments.
4.  Bring in word parts in context.  The more word parts (affixes) students know, the broader their vocabulary becomes.
5.  Use dictionaries aimed at second language learners.  Longman, Cengage Learning, and Oxford have excellent dictionaries for ELLs (beginning through advanced).  These dictionaries have clear examples, CDs, and workbooks.  Struggling native speakers would benefit from them also.
6.  Identify the MUST-KNOW words and teach those.  If teaching a science class, narrow down the vocabulary to 7-10 absolutes a week.  The other vocabulary can be talked through by the teacher when they are encountered.
7.  Point out antonyms, synonyms, examples and non-examples when teaching vocabulary.  In doing so, students will be able to establish more connections between known and new.

This article has even more on this topic.  The ones above I have used and with success:)

Denise


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Learning English vs. Learning in English--Skillful Balancing Act

Since more ELLs are being mainstreamed in greater numbers nowadays, teachers will not only need to make their content comprehensible to these students, but also develop their English skills.  Though this may appear to be an overwhelming challenge, it doesn't have to be. 

Contacting the English Language Coordinator is a must.  This person will able to provide some information on the English proficiency levels of the ELLs in class as well as offer some suggestions on possible teaching strategies which can be used with them. 

With background information in hand, the next step is to decide on what approaches can be used to insert language skills into the content delivery.  For example, if teaching science, teachers must teach ELLs to learn how to write lab reports.  Though this writing skill might be new to English only as well, the structure of written English is not.  For the ELL, recording details to use in a lab report will necessitate language support on several levels:   sentence structure/sentence frames, format of a lab report, use of academic/content vocabulary, access to highly visible models/examples of what lab reports should look like, etc.  Though lab partners may help in some areas, they are not substitutes for the teacher's input and facilitation.  Collaborative learning is to be encouraged, but teachers will also need evidence of individual mastery. 

Content instruction is probably the feature of instruction teachers feel most comfortable with.  They know their disciplines inside and out and can probably teach it blindfolded.  However, now there are ELLs in class so how is a teacher to make content accessible to this group of students?  Here are some suggestions based on my own experiences.  Find out what their learning styles are:  visual, kinesthetic, or auditory.  Remember that ELLs are people first with each one having a preferred learning style.  With this information, teachers can design multiple activities that will make content comprehensible through their learning style preference.  Another approach is the use of word walls and concept maps.  With vivid images tied to academic vocabulary plastered around the room, ELLs have vivid reminders of the meanings of key vocabulary.  Next, cornell notes for them to take notes on key information that they will be held responsible for in the lesson.  This is a skill that will also help them in college.  Teachers should also limit "must-know" vocabulary to 7-10 words a week and  use daily in a variety of formats.  Only in this way will ELLs be able to retain them over the long term.   One more strategy is to provide multiple opportunities for ELLs to verbally express their grasp of the content using complete sentences with key academic vocabulary. 

LEARNING IN ENGLISH  This article provides more insight in some of the problems ELLs face in trying to learn a new language along with learning in a new language.  There is great insight here on what the ELLs struggle with.

 STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT ELLS IN MAINSTREAM CLASSES  Here you will find more practical advice on meeting the academic needs of ELLs.   Notice the use of cognates for ELLs from romance language backgrounds.

LEARNING STYLES AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES   Here is an excellent refresher tool on student learning styles.  Include activities from all three styles and you will have a fully engaged classroom of ALL students:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS


 

WOULD YOU LIKE AN ONLINE FREE RESOURCE ON TEACHING ELLS? LOOK NO MORE:)

As the student population changes in the U.S., teachers see their classrooms becoming increasingly more diverse linguistically.  Mainstream classes will have a small percentage of ELLs at different English proficiency levels.  Those students will need more support than "sit with a partner" if they are to successfully meet the academic demands of the "national" common core standards in English, math, science, and social studies.

So what does a teacher here who has never really had much interaction with ELLs in her/his classes?  Well, teachers always rise to the challenge so they may ask for support from colleagues, attend professional development sessions, search the net, etc.  If they go to colleagues, they should try to talk to the ones that ALL the students like first.  There is probably a good chance that those teachers have some ELLs scattered in their classes throughout the day.  Another resource would be to ask new teachers for advice here.  Often times, they have just finished the required teacher credentialing program at the local college so they have at their fingertips some proven strategies to deliver instruction to all.  Still another resource might be the professional development classes that almost all districts deliver.  Because many school districts are on notice from the government to provide educational equity to ELLs and others strugglers, they tend to offer after school and weekend classes on ways to promote equal access to content to all students.  Classes are free and in some cases, if held after school, teachers are compensated for attending.  A last resource is the internet.  This takes some time though in trying to find a source that delivers material in ways that suit the teacher's teaching style. (CHECK OUT THIS BLOG FOR ADDITIONAL IDEAS, LESSONS, AND TEACHING STRATEGIES)

Here is one online resource that provides a quality crash course on meeting the unique needs of ELLs in K-12 in the classroom.

(taken directly from the site)

Best Practices for English Language Learners was developed by teachers and educational administrators as a resource for teachers, principals, and district leadership to:

• Provide a framework for sheltered instruction for all teachers. 
• Increase use and improve the quality application of research-based
  strategies in content and English Language Development (ELD) classrooms.
• Support districts in the implementation of proven research based
  practices to increase language proficiency and academic content
  knowledge for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
• Demystify terminology and initiative confusion in the field by using
  a framework for understanding school improvement

In this site, you will find teaching videos highlighting successful strategies with ELLs,  This material would offer teachers many opportunities to see real educators in their classrooms with ELLs.  The highly effective delivery of instruction is a result of teachers looking at all aspects of their classroom instruction and then reflecting on how to make sure that ALL students are benefiting from it.

Look through the site and decide on which areas most meet your needs or address your concerns.  If you know teachers who need help, pass the website along to them.  ELL RESOURCES

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

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How to Teach Academic Vocabulary to ELLs--Especially Important in Common Core Based Lessons!

Acquiring academic vocabulary will be one of the major challenges for ELLs once the country moves to common core.  As most teachers of ELLs already know, often times ELLs sound "fluent", but that spoken language is informal in nature.  It is conversational English.  This type of English leads to compositions that are copies of this speech.  Such writing samples are full of Tier 1 words (to be discussed in videos below) such as NICE, GOOD, LIKE, etc.  Rarely do you find academic language such as content specific vocabulary, academic language verbs such as PREDICT, CONVERT, ANALYZE, etc.  Sentences in these compositions are very simplistic with occasional inserts of compound sentences using AND, BUT, OR.  Accurate complex sentences are often absent or full of errors. 



ACADEMIC VOCABULARY Here Elizabeth Coelho provides a detailed overview on how to build academic language for ELLs and EOs alike.  Teachers need to carefully review words in lectures or books that might have more than one meaning.  In her lecture, she mentions the word "ROCK."  ELLs may only be familiar with the object on the lawn that can be thrown.  When the class moves to science and rock-types are addressed such as igneous rocks, teachers need to build background knowledge.  Further, the word "igneous" will probably never be encountered again in their lives unless they study geology in college so how much time should be devoted to such a word.  So teachers need to identify true academic words (words that carry over into multiple disciplines) from "one shot" words that don't need as much time devoted to them. 


ACADEMIC VOCABULARY AND COMMON CORE  
Common core standards expect all teachers to equip students with the necessary skills to build vocabulary by using context clues, sentence structure, word parts, etc.  Figurative language will also play a part as students become at ease in recognizing analogies, metaphors, similes, etc.   Essentially, the CCSS wants to make sure that students will be able to secure good jobs after high school and have such vocabulary building skills already in place in their transition to the real world.

The CCSS will better equip ELLs and EOs to succeed in life after high school.

Denise


ELL TEACHER PROS 


Post-it 3M Flip Charts with Bleed Resistant Paper
"Organization Center Wall Pocket Chart"
Crayola Original Markers - Broad Line, Classic Colors, 10 ct.

See COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS Delivered in REAL CLASSROOMS--High School

The TEACHING CHANNEL has a wealth of information on how to deliver the common core standards at all grade levels.  For this post, I pulled out the high school video (I will write about elementary and middle school later on this week) because this is the population who is most at risk of dropping out of high school.  This is the group that schools are struggling with to better support them in their academic pursuits.  If they are to have a good future in the business world, they need better skills than what school programs are currently delivering.

For a look at the dramatic transformations taking place in this new learning arena, study the clips of actual model classroom instruction in high schools in New York City.  The teachers selected have been working with the new standards for a year and are impressed with the results they are seeing in their students--all of their students including ELLs.  Notice the shift from straight literature to 70% informational text and 30% literature.  With this shift, teachers are better preparing students to do the work that will be expected of them in the work force or college.  Students will be able to interact with unfamiliar text and be in a position to derive meaning from it thanks to teachers spending time guiding them in unpacking knowledge from such materials. 

Other content teachers will also be addressing informational text reading in their classes as well thereby making every teacher a language teacher.   With every content teacher reinforcing key academic vocabulary (ex. predict, analyze, etc.), students will be better prepared to tackle more demanding (as in grade level and beyond) assignments.  Such challenges will offer English language learners and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds more life choices than are currently available to them. 

This is a major turning point in US education.  It is an exciting time to be an educator! 

COMMON CORE ELA STANDARDS SECONDARY 

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

FREE Science Review GAMES for High Stakes Tests!

How about science game sites to motivate kids to remember everything they learned over the year?  Or what about giving upcoming students a head start on the science classes they will be taking in the new school year?  What about using science games for in class competition--team against team?  Have some ELLs who need more time to process new information in a non-traditional format?  This site would fit the need of probably any student including those with special needs and make the process fun:)

SCIENCE REVIEW GAMES --here, you will find games for astronomy, geology, meteorology, and earth science.  Why not let students use textbooks and notes to assist them in selecting their answers?  You could also have students explain why the answer choice they made was correct and why the others were wrong.  Being able to explain why certain answers were wrong better prepares students for finals.  Another idea, ELLs (and anyone else who would like to try for that matter) could draw labeled diagrams/illustrations to go with the final answer choices. 

With the new common core standards coming out in science shortly, teachers will need to spend more time on academic writing, reading comprehension, and academic vocabulary.  If teachers make use of the many tools already out there on the internet, they will not be inundated come the fall.  In fact, if you consider this a reference "book,"  you may already have much of what you need here already!

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