Examples of Informational Text for Both Social Studies and English Language Arts

COMMON CORE will build a bridge between content areas.  As students (especially ELLs) build those vital connections, their language skills will improve.  For ELLs, this translates to improvements in identifying and using academic vocabulary in all 4 language skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).

For all students, the COMMON CORE will better prepare them for life beyond high school be it the world of business or higher education.  In fact, due to the new format of student team work in solving problems, students will hone their speaking skills in discussion, persuasion, analysis, etc.  If students can not clearly articulate their points of view in a credible professional fashion, they will be at a distinct disadvantage in the real world. 

A major feature of the English language arts and social studies standards is the use of informational/non-fiction text.  When students leave high school, they will be faced with this form of written work.  This will be a major shift since in the past the focus in class was on fiction which left many students unprepared for the demands of business or university work.  Seventy percent of all reading will now be informational/non-fiction reading material for high school.

With this in mind, one activity might be creating activities around historical documents such as the ones below:

MAGNA CARTA  1215 A.D.

US CONSTITUTION
Created September 17, 1787 and Ratified, June 21, 1788

US DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE UNMODIFIED
July 4, 1776

Students would be given a copy of the Magna Carta and copies of the US Constitution OR the Declaration of Independence.  With the double bubble thinking map, students would look for similarities and differences between the two assigned to them.  ELLs might be provided with an outline of the key elements,  but would still have to look for key contrasts / similarities on their own.  After 5-7 minutes, students could then be assigned to small groups to share their findings with the understanding that EACH ONE will be held accountable for sharing results.  Accountability is done through random calls on students (teachers might use popsicle sticks with student names on them OR a randomizer app for a smart phone for example).  One could almost say that they would be teaching each other in a way with the teacher providing oversight and guidance as needed.

In groups, students would have to provide evidence from the two documents to support their positions.  For this, students would need to respond in complete sentences using academic vocabulary.  Finding evidence is a skill also used in English (and science). 

Of course, this is just a rough draft or an end product.  As teachers, you would of course have many mini-steps along the way to ensure that no one is left behind. 

It is my hope that as the new standards kick in, teachers might be willing to add their insight here as well as lessons.

Denise


ELL TEACHER PROS

P.S.  I am at a S.E.T.I. (Search for Extra-terrestial Intelligence) convention tomorrow all day so I may not be blogging tomorrow evening.  I will definitely share the highlights of the conference and how they would add to classroom instruction on Sunday though:)

Make CIVICS Accessible to ELLs With This Site!

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the founder of this site.  Her goal was to provide children and adults with the tools to educate themselves on how our government works.  The goal is a noteworthy one since many students and some adults truly don't fully understand how our government operates.  

This site is free, but you need to register.  As a teacher, once you register, you can access not only their many free resources (including complete curriculum units), but also create classes on the site for your students to use.  The more time schools spend on teaching civics in school, the more informed our next generation will be in carrying out their civic duties, voting, volunteering, etc.  For a democracy to work, it must have educated citizens to run it.  

With COMMON CORE STANDARDS being rolled out in every state but four, this site would enable our ELLs to fully grasp how our government functions.  Even the games found here reinforce the concepts taught in the curriculum units.  

CIVICS  --  register here.

CIVICS FOR TEACHERS  -- find complete curriculum units by state.

Denise:)

EXPLORE THE U.S. CONSTITUTION--All Grade Levels:)

To keep a democracy alive, students need to understand what the constitution is and how it affects their lives. This needs to be addressed in the early grades through high school in civics classes geared to their grade levels. To preserve the constitution and what it stands for, a democracy needs informed citizens.

Here is where the internet provides the classroom teacher with creative instructional tools to enhance any lesson on this subject. If students enjoy what they are doing, they tend to remember what they have been taught:) U.S. CONSTITUTION FOR KIDS offers a printable copy of the document, lots of interactive links, and more. One link for kids covers an interactive on the Bill of Rights in a smart simple layout that offers an easy to follow layout on what the document means today. When the student selects the right answer from the 3 given, he will see the section in the Bill of Rights which supports the answer pop up along with bells and whistles! Students will love this:) If you are studying the growth of this democracy, try this link TIMELINE . Would your students like to know what documents led to ours? Go to DOCUMENTS LEADING UP TO US CONSTITUTION where students will see copies of the Magna Carta, The Mayflower Compact, and all the others.

Add this link to your bookmarks/favorites to inspire students to appreciate the power of this document!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

A Look at CHILD LABOR in the US in 1908-1912

Though child labor is a thing of the past for the most part in the US, it is still an issue in some countries. This site offers a window to the loss of childhood that these children experienced. Children today might develop a deeper appreciation for the lives they lead now--school, a home, parents taking care of their many needs, laws that protect them from unfair labor practices, etc.

This site (at end of post) could easily enhance a lesson in social studies, geography, world history, economics, writing, etc. If this surfaced in an English class, it could be tied to Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE (you may download this book for free from this link). As students progressed through the book, they could be reminded of what life was really like for these children--children who didn't know how old they were, who could barely reach the work assigned work area without a box to stand on, who toiled long hours selling newspapers often catching pneumonia (no health insurance), who looked much older than their years due to the harsh working environment, etc.

In an ELD class, these photos could be used to build a comparison/contrast composition. With a double-bubble graphic organizer, students would look at a child's life in 2012 vs a child's life then. This could be done as a small group activity where students could work as teams to complete the graphic organizer. Once the teacher had an opportunity to make sure that everyone was on the same page, s/he could have them start developing their essay outlines. The actual writing of the essay could be done with a partner (if the process is semi-new for them) or individually with teacher support as needed.

CHILD LABOR IN US (photographs and captions from Lewis Hine)

I hope you can use these photos in some of your lessons.

Denise:)

ELL TEACHER PROS

Care to Greet the New Year With a Look Back at the Past? 365 Days Covering From 18th Century to Date!

With the start of a new year, we can't help but look back a bit at the past. Reviewing major events over time can open up the floor for lively "what if" conversations with students. For ELLs, such activities give them a chance to explore some of the nuances of English in these unreal scenarios:) Remember that ELLs need to have time to play with the language. Dr. Jim Cummins addressed this at the California Association of Bilingual Educators in March 2011. ELLs must have many ungraded opportunities to develop their English in all content areas. Through lively verbal interactions with peers on open-ended questions ("what if" discussions), ELLs learn to use the language to strengthen their use of academic language. As the oral skills become stronger, so do the reading and writing skills.

TIMELINES-WHAT HAPPENED ON offers choices of dates covering 365 days. Once you click on a date, you will see several topics surface over several centuries. In fact, I went to 12/31/1981 and found a story on my old hometown in the Hudson Valley (New York). It was one on the sitings of UFOs. I remember seeing strange lights which moved in patterns never before seen, but never thought much about it after the event....until I found it here on this site:)

What could your students do here? How about having them find the month and day of their birth? Then they could find one event of interest to them to share with the class. This would be low stress since they would not have to write on it. Also, as the teacher, you could take several events that they students uncovered of interest to them (key here), and have kids discuss in groups how that event could have been changed. For example, what if the Titanic didn't sink?

There are two other sections to this site which may interest you. Go to POPULAR TOPICS. If you want your students to zero in on specific people or wars and conflicts, go to this section. Once they click on the topic/person, a timeline is generated just on that topic/person. The readings are not overwhelming and might serve as a major support for writing for ELLs.

The last section is TRIVIA QUIZZES. I don't think it offers as much as the other sections of the site, but for those students who finish doing assignments early, this may give them something to do while the rest of the class focuses on completing their work.

Well, I hope you like the sites and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Amazing Historical Photographs!

If you teach history, you will want to bookmark this site. The photographs here capture famous historical figures and events through time. In fact, the first photograph ever taken (1826) is here!

Some of the major items captured here are the Titanic before and after the disaster, Hitler as a baby (the only time he was innocent), Che and Fidel in their youth, the destruction of the Berlin Wall, and black surgeons saving a white KKK member in the south before the Civil Rights Bill was passed. There are so many incredible photos in this collection. Teachers can use the to add to almost any lesson.

If you teach ELLs, these photos could build content background knowledge as you go through a unit on the Wright brothers (Aviation history) and how their invention still affects their lives today for example.

31 GREAT ICONIC PHOTOS

Hope you enjoy the site and don't forget to see me at C.A.B.E. (California Association of Bilingual Educators) on 3/8/11 for a half day workshop on creating virtual dioramas!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Remember School House Rock? Cute Songs for All Content Areas With Videos

Back in the 1970's, American children were glued to their televisions watching short 1-2 minute cartoon clips on Grammar, America, Multiplication, Science, and Money. The clips were accurate, fun to watch, and artistic. The lyrics that accompanied the cartoons were catchy and did a great job teaching the academic content of the subject. To this day, adults who watched the videos as youngsters/young adults STILL remember them.

To date, no commercial enterprise has come even remotely close to creating an equivalent. Teachers at all grade levels weave in appropriate clips to drive home a point. They are also popular with ELLs because they take the complex and simplify it.

Below is a link to many of the clips. You will need to be able to access YOUTUBE at your schools to watch it unless you download them to your hard drive. By downloading them, you will not need the internet to show them. You will also find the lyrics to the songs on this site as well.

SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK

Hope you enjoy this:)

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS
















SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK