Create a rationale/purpose for giving homework and independent work

Entry #10

What is the purpose of homework? According to Hill and Flynn (2006), homework provides students with opportunities to practice, review, and apply knowledge. The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition recommends that teachers include the following items to help ensure that homework assignments are understood and accomplished: provide clear and concise directions, post the assignment on the board, use concrete, nonlinguistic examples, provide opportunities for students to ask questions and discuss assignments orally, and offer visual organizers (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Visual organizers can easily be adapted for all levels of students – preproduction stage, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, and advanced fluency.  Teachers should also establish and communicate a homework policy that informs students and parents about the purpose of homework, estimates the amount of homework students will typically receive, discusses consequences for not turning in assignments, and suggests ways in which parents can help (Hill & Flynn, 2006).

The homework policy for a secondary science classroom should be no different than any other classroom in the information it articulates. The policy must let students know that their homework should take no more than thirty minutes each night. This provides ELA students with a concrete stopping point so they do not have time to become overly frustrated with the assignment. The teacher should provide an effort rubric and tell students that they will be graded on quality of answers and effort. If an assignment truly has no right or wrong answers, make this clear to ELA students, and let them know that the expression of their thoughts will be valued. Homework assigned is due at the next class meeting; late homework is accepted, but the credit earned is reduced by 50%. This homework procedure is presented to parents and students as a checklist.

If teachers format homework as a table, they will have space to add pictures, and this format gives ELL students a fixed area to provide answers. By being intentional with the space provided for students to write answers, teachers make their expectations clear. Students don’t have to question how much writing is sufficient.

The next day in class, all students will complete an effort rubric such as the one in Hill and Flynn's Classroom Instruction that Works. The rubric should have pictures as well as words to aid in ELA student understanding.

            By modifying the homework structure for ELA students, teachers can better assess a student’s understanding of the concept being presented. By allowing some choice and flexibility in the students’ delivery of “correct” answers, linguistic and nonlinguistic, students feel accomplished. The effort that an ELA student puts into his or her homework assignment must receive appropriate recognition. When homework assignments are adapted for ELA students, students are appropriately challenged, and they feel accomplished as opposed to defeated. By establishing a clear homework policy, the teacher is able to clearly communicate expectations for student proficiency on homework to both the ELA student and his or her parent.

Sources:

Allen, J. (2007). Inside Words: Tools for teaching academic vocabulary, grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Hill, J. D. & Flynn, K. M. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria, VA: Association fro Supervision and Curriculum Development.

A Contrast of Fiction and Non-fiction Texts

Entry #9

What types of texts exist in our world? Newspapers, encyclopedias, magazines, textbooks, poetry, research articles, novels, short stories, essays, graphs, data tables, billboards…the list abounds with both narrative and expository works. More and more, younger students are being exposed to expository texts as well as works of fiction. How might this pose challenges to English language learners? Some text features are helpful to ELLs and some cause challenges.

Double Bubble Map Comparing Fiction and Non-fiction Text Features

RED = challenges ELLs

GREEN = supports ELLs

SUPPORTS:

Pictures and Picture Captions: ELLs should find text that has pictures and picture captions easier to read than text that has none. Pictures provide ELLs with a different access point to the text, and they are able to use the pictures to add to their knowledge.  If a student is reading a text with no pictures, the student should try to create a nonlinguistic representation to aid them in their comprehension.

Table of Contents & Index: A table of contents at the beginning of the book and an index at the end helps students locate information in a work of fiction or nonfiction quickly. These can be challenging to an ELL student if they are unfamiliar with the text feature, but once they are explicitly taught how to use these features, they are supports.

Glossary: Glossaries can be good for students to immediately access a definition for an unfamiliar word. However, because only specific words are included in the glossary, ELL students would find a dictionary more comprehensive for their needs and would experience less frustration.

CHALLENGES:

Setting & Theme: In works of fiction, the setting for the story and the theme or message being conveyed may be difficult for ELL students due to cultural bias. Children’s books selected by schoolteachers in the U.S. are often set in familiar places or places the students are learning about. Themes may be colloquial or use idioms. An ELL must first overcome the cultural bias of a book, and then make meaning of it.

Varying Font Type: Authors use different types of font to draw a reader’s attention to text or to delineate differences in the story parts. ELLs may see the differences in fonts and become frustrated because they will know that there is some reason for the difference but cannot decode the meaning.

Sheltered Literacy Lesson: The SIOP model for sheltered instruction

Entry #8

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) for lessons explicitly defines key components that align with best practices in the classroom. Because of this alignment, sheltered lessons benefit all students even though the lesson is targeting English language learners (ELLs) and special education students. A SIOP lesson includes 27 key components within eight categories. The categories are preparation, building background knowledge, comprehensible input, strategies, interaction, practice/application, lesson delivery, and review/assessment.  The teacher must differentiate the instructional methods during the lesson in order to include the 27 key components and make the lesson meaningful to ELLs.

Within the first key category, preparation, the teacher must clearly define content and language objectives that are age appropriate. The teacher must also use supplementary materials to make the lesson clear and meaningful and include authentic activities that integrate lesson objectives and language practice as students learn content. Teachers must explicitly teach vocabulary and use realia, props, and pictures to help clarify meaning. In the model lesson, Miss Miller took her elementary students to the farm and helped them pick and identify different types of veggies. Throughout the lesson, she shows her students pictures of the farm, plastic models of veggies, real veggies from her garden, and pictures of veggies.

When building background, the teacher must start the lesson at the students’ level and build upon their schema. The key vocabulary must be emphasized while making clear connections between the students’ past learning and experiences and the new concepts. Miss Miller exemplified this practice by first asking, “Remember when we went veggie picking at the farm?” Then, she shows her students pictures from their visit. The students respond by repeating some of the words like “wagon” and “lettuce” and other names of vegetables. Every time a vocabulary word is used, Miss Miller presents some sort of realia. She also uses a song to differentiate instruction through the multiple intelligences.

According to Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2002), comprehensible input means the teacher must speak in a way to accommodate students’ proficiency level. The teacher must implement a variety of instructional methods to do this. Miss Miller speaks simply to her students. “We went on a wagon ride.” “We went to the field and picked some veggies.” If the students cannot hear or understand what the teacher is saying, then students cannot learn.  Clear expectations and directions with picture support results in less student confusion and more on-task behavior. At the end of the lesson, students respond in kind to Miss Miller with simple phrases such as, “I like yogurt,” and “I like cheese.”

The fourth category in the SIOP model for teaching language content effectively is all about strategies. Teachers must provide ample opportunities for students to use strategies such as mnemonic devices, two-column notes, and repeated readings, just to name a few. Teachers must both consistently scaffold lessons and employ a variety of questioning strategies. During her model lesson, Miss Miller does a great job scaffolding the lesson. Students’ background knowledge is activated with pictures of their visit to the farm. Then, Miss Miller allows students to touch and feel real veggies from her own garden. She continues to help students build upon their schema by explaining that when veggies leave the farm, they go to the grocery store. At this point, Miss Miller names several popular grocery stores and shows students grocery bags from each store. This appeared to be new information. After the students sing a song they know about going to the market, Miss Miller poses the question, “What do you like?” and students respond with “I like vegetables,” or simply, “cheese.” Miss Miller then gives one student a choice, “Which do you like: fish or apples?” This is an excellent example of scaffolding to help students expand their knowledge from an appropriate starting point.

For students to succeed through the SIOP model, teachers must provide frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion, group students to support language and content objectives, and consistently give students sufficient wait time. Through repeated practice and ample opportunities to interact, students become more confident. During the work time, students should be doing the majority of the speaking, writing, and collaborating.  Teachers should model the expectations for work time and re-teach lessons when necessary, but students should be working harder than the teacher. If students are not speaking, they are not growing and acquiring language. These best practices in the classroom also tie directly with the next key category: practice and application. Miss Miller gives sufficient wait time by making sure she shows each picture and vegetable to every child. Students also have multiple opportunities to respond and share during the lesson.

Miss Miler provides an exemplary model of lesson delivery. She has her students engaged 90 – 100% of the lesson, and doesn’t allow the students downtime. She also appropriately paces the lesson to her students’ ability level. Although the video does not show the first or final components of the SIOP model for sheltered instruction (preparation and review/assessment), she probably did this outside of the recorded portion of the lesson.

During this model SIOP lesson, Miss Miller gives her ELA and special education students numerous access points to allow them to construct meaning.  Throughout the lesson, she uses a variety of realia: plastic props, real vegetables, plastic bags, and pictures.  She speaks slowly, clearly, and simply so her students can understand. Students are encouraged to use multiple senses and multiple intelligences to build their schema and respond. Miss Miller frames her questions in a variety of ways so all of her students can be engaged in the lesson. When responding to Miss Miller’s questions, students could either point to items they like or share verbally.  This SIOP lesson is exemplary because it includes most of the key categories and key components necessary for student academic achievement.

View Miss Miller’s model SIOP Lesson here.

Sources:

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2000). Making content comprehensible to English language learners: The SIOP model sheltered instruction for Academic Achievement. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Press.

Running Records

Entry #7

Native Spanish Speaker: JG

JG is a freshman at Overland High School. His family moved here from Guatemala before he was born; both of his parents speak enough English to have conversations with me regarding JG’s performance in science. In Earth/Physical Science, JG occasionally volunteers to participate in whole class discussions, and always answers appropriately when called upon. JG seems to prefer to do his own work to get it done, and his work shows a clear understanding of the science concepts being discussed.

Errors

Inserted “me” – Meaning

Deleted “and” – Meaning, Structure

Inserted “said” – Meaning, Structure

Inserted “Oh” – Meaning, Structure

Deleted “and” – Meaning, Structure

JG read the story quickly with only a little expression. He laughed because the story is a picture book and elementary level. JG used meaning and structure cues consistently and deleted words he did not feel were important. He inserted words twice where they did not make sense, but the last insertion was an exclamation and was actually two lines below the text he was reading. None of JG’s errors are reflections of his first language, Spanish.

JG’s focus should be to use picture cues when reading. I had JG go back to a couple of pages in the book and tell me what was happening at that point in the story based on the pictures.  He was able to do this as well as retell the story. Using pictures to find information and predict is especially important when reading high school textbooks. While JG doesn’t need to learn any comprehension strategies for this level book, he should learn comprehension strategies to employ before, during, and after reading high school level texts. JG should also slow down and try to read with expression to aid in comprehension.

Native Amharic Speaker: DY

DY is a sophomore at Overland High School and has only lived in the United States for about seven weeks. DY moved here from Ethiopia with his mother and older brother. They live with his Aunt who has been in the country for thirteen years. While DY’s brother will hold conversations with his peers and with me, DY is reserved and does not like to speak English. He looks to his brother to translate schoolwork and conversations. I do not know if DY’s mother speaks English fluently; his aunt does, and Amharic is spoken in the home.

Errors

Deleted “the” – Meaning, Structure

Read “asked” instead of “said” – Meaning, Structure

Deleted “and” – Meaning, Structure

DY read the story slowly, quietly, and word by word. DY would start to say a predicted word based on the context, and would then self-correct when he realized the beginning of the word in the text did not match what he was saying.  When studying the pictures, DY asked if a magpie is the same as a blackbird. He also told me about hares and small rodents he’s encountered back home in Axsum. DY consistently used both meaning and structure cues as well as picture cues to read the story and try to make meaning. DY read the text much better than I had expected. His insecurities in reading aloud in English were evident.

DY’s comprehension of the story was satisfactory. When asked to re-tell the story, he restated many lines of text and did not summarize or paraphrase. DY needs activities in science that expose him to specific vocabulary words and phrases. DY also needs to be explicitly taught pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading strategies to help comprehend text that is not decodable. While DY understands that pictures help tell the story, he must practice using pictures to find information and predict in high school textbooks. When reading aloud, DY should pay attention to punctuation to read more fluently.

Sources:

Hill, J. D. & Flynn, K. M. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria, VA: Association fro Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Morrow, L.M., (2009).  Literacy development in the early years (6th ed).  Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Is it Learning? Is it Acquisition?

Blog Entry #6

Learning View	Acquisition View
Conscious: We are aware we are learning	Subconscious: We are not aware we are acquiring
It’s what happens in school when we study rules and grammar	It’s what happens in and out of school when we receive messages we understand
Teaching Writing
Traditional Writing Classroom	Process Writing Classroom
Goal: Learn how to produce a good piece of writing	Goal: Produce good writing and acquire knowledge of the writing process
Method: Begin with the parts and build up to writing a whole text	Method: Begin with a message and develop the skills needed to produce the message
Teacher directly instructs students in how to form letters, then words, then how to combine words into sentences, and then sentences into paragraphs	Teacher creates conditions for authentic written responses an then helps students express themselves in writing
Approach to correctness: Writing product must be conventional from the beginning	Approach to correctness: Writing moves naturally from invention to convention
The teacher corrects each piece of writing	Classmates and others, including the teacher, respond to drafts
Teaching Language
Traditional Learning View	Current Acquisition View
Goal: Teach language directly so students can produce correct language forms	Goal: Make language comprehensible so students can use language for different purposes
Method: Break language into component parts and teach each part	Method: Use various techniques to make the linguistic input understandable
Classroom activities: Students do drills and exercises to practice language	Classroom activities: Students use language in communicative situations
Attitude toward errors: Teachers correct errors to help students develop good language habits	Attitude toward errors: Errors are natural, so teachers keep the focus on meaning and help students understand and express ideas

Essential Linguistics p.48

Label each activity (L) for learning/word recognition or (A) for acquisition/sociopsycholinguistic view.

The students:

L            look up words in the dictionary to write definitions

• In this case, the teacher is pre-teaching the vocabulary. Students are using the dictionary to copy definitions and are not making meaning of the words in context.

A            make a Venn diagram to compare two stories

• When students compare two stories, they are constructing meaning for themselves; the teacher is not directly telling the students what they should be “getting” from the stories.

L            practice sounding out words

• Students are using word parts when they are sounding them out.

L            read in round-robin fashion

• Round-robin reading is a drill used to practice language. In the acquisition view of teaching language, the teacher would set up a more authentic scenario such as a conversation.

L            correct peers when they make a mistake during reading

•  Whether the student or the teacher is correcting errors during reading, this is the learning view of teaching language. In the Acquisition view, the teacher or student would focus on meaning, not error correction.

L            identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound

• Students are identifying word parts and will be building up to reading whole words, then sentences.

L            group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion on such as first or last letter

• Same as above.

A            write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound

• When students are creating an authentic piece or writing, this is teaching through the acquisition view. By discussing different spellings for the same sound, the student discovers phonemic awareness.

L            ask the teacher how to spell any work they don’t know

• The learning view is practiced any time the teacher directly teaches a skill and does not allow for discovery.

A            read a language experience story they have created with the teacher

• Again, here the students have been given the opportunity to create an authentic piece of writing. By reading the story with the teacher, the teacher has given the students a new access point to find their own mistakes.

L/A            work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences

• Because the chant is familiar, this exercise could fall under the language view of learning, but the activity is more student-centered so it could be considered acquisition as students are making meaning of words by creating a context.

L            divide words into syllables

• Students are identifying word parts and not necessarily making meaning as they read the words.

L            on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same
sound

• Students are identifying word parts. They are not making meaning of the entire word.

A            make alphabet books on different topics

• When students are creating an authentic piece of writing, learning is occurring through the acquisition view.

The teacher:

L            preteaches vocabulary

•  No thinking has to occur on the students’ parts. The words are not being taught in context.

A/L            does a shared reading with a big book

• Depending on the objective of the lesson, this activity could be categorized as either acquisition or learning. If the teacher were asking students to predict what would happen next in the story, then this would be acquisition. If the teacher is simply asking students to identify beginning sounds on a page, then this is learning.

A            makes sure that students read only books that fit their level

•  When students are allowed to read books that are too high level, they cannot comprehend what they are reading.

L            has students segment words into phonemes

• Students are identifying word parts and not necessarily making meaning as they read the words.

A            writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words

• When teachers use a structure such as this, they are concerned with helping the students make meaning of their writing and teachers are not concerned with the students’ demonstration of proper conventions.

A            asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter

• Students are using their background knowledge to identify items. The teacher is not directly telling students items in the room that begin with certain letters.

L            uses decodable texts

• Decodable texts have many purposes such as identifying the parts of speech, sounding out words, and identifying beginning sounds. They are not used to measure student comprehension.

A            sets aside time for SSR each day

• If students are reading books at their level, SSR time would be a time when students are making meaning of new, unfamiliar text.

A            teaches Latin and Greek roots

• After teachers directly teach the Latin and Greek roots, the students use these word parts in other linguistic investigations.

A            has students meet in literature circles

• Literature circles allow students to discuss their comprehension of a common story. Students also have opportunities to ask other students clarifying questions.

L            conducts phonics drills

• Students are not making meaning of whole words. Nonsense words are often acceptable in these types of drills.

A            chooses predictable texts

• Predictability allows for comprehension.

A            teaches students different comprehension strategies

• Even though the teacher has directly taught the different strategies, students must select and apply the appropriate strategy in other linguistic investigations to comprehend text.

A            does a picture walk of a new book

• A picture walk is a pre-reading strategy to help students make predictions, thus aiding in their comprehension of the story.   

L            uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills

• Because the worksheets focus on skills, the teacher is focused on conventions.

Source:

Freeman, D. E. & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you
     need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, and grammar. 
     Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Components of children's books that may affect ELL’s comprehension

Blog Entry #5

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

By Laura Joffe Numeroff

Illustrated by Felicia Bond

Continuing with the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, this jovial sequel tells the outcomes of giving a moose a muffin. In this book, the young host gives a moose a muffin to help him feel at home and starts a chain reaction of complicated events that eventually come full circle.

Numeroff, L. J. (1991). If you give a moose a muffin. United States: Harper Collins Publishing.

So, what exactly is a moose, and what is a muffin? Depending on where your student has immigrated from, this book may pose a few cultural challenges. Students from warmer weather climates have probably never seen a moose. Once they know facts about a moose, students may find it odd that in this book, the moose needs a sweater because it is chilly outside. Also, quickbreads are common in all cultures, but a muffin is quite specific. How is this quickbread different from pancakes, injera, or naan? Also, what is jam? Do your students use other sweets such as chutneys or pastes on their breads? Students native to the central to northern parts of Africa may be intrigued by the idea of going to the “store.” American stores are unlike the open-air markets still prevalent in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and many other countries. Finally, Numeroff references Halloween. If students have never heard of such a “holiday,” how could this be explained? What is the purpose of Halloween, and how does it relate to other religious holidays?

            Realia is the best way to introduce ELLs to foods. It would be easy to have a lesson where students share different types of familiar breads. ELLs would have an opportunity to introduce American students to breads they eat, and ELLS would also be able to sample all sorts of breads including muffins. While most countries have honey, they may not have dairy products such as butter or preserves like jam. The teacher should bring in some of these items so students can try different spreads on the different breads. During this time, teachers should also lead a discussion about the grocery store and talk about differences between the shopping mall, the grocery store, specialty stores, and market styles familiar to their ELL students.

A short research project on North American cold-weather climates and the animals that live there would introduce students not only to moose, but also to gray wolves, black bears, deer, and elk. Pictures must be included in the project to make it meaningful to students.

Finally, students should have an opportunity to explore different types of holidays including Halloween. How did this holiday originate? Why do people dress up in costumes and go “trick or treating?” Why would the moose want to dress as a ghost? Students should have opportunities to share stories about their favorite holiday, the origin of the holiday, and the traditions that occur with that holiday.

Squids will be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables

By Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Designed by Molly Leach

This book contains several humorous fable-style stories that address modern topics like homework, curfews, and television commercials. All animals (and plants) are personified, and the illustrations seem to follow the style of Tim Burton.

Scieszka, J. and Smith, L. (1998). Squids will be squids: Fresh morals, beastly fables. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

This book should only be used for English language learners that are intermediate or advanced fluency; students who are at the preproduction or early production stages of English language acquisition will have difficulty with both the pictures and the text. This witty book tells a short fable and then states their silly, nonsensical moral. Students should study classic fables to become familiar with this genre of story telling. Then and only then should they attempt to find the humor in these modern-day fables.

The introduction of the book uses satire to educate the reader on the history of fables. Scieszka introduces Aesop in the first sentence, and then uses the remainder of the paragraph to make fun of Aesop’s physical attributes. This is funny only if one understands satire and parody.

  

            Each of the modern-day fables uses living things other than people. The reader is introduced to elephants, skunks, fleas, termites, cabbage, squid, mice, hand, foot, tongue, bacteria, and an echidna. Because of the style of the illustrations, the true forms of many of the organisms and body parts are not easily recognizable. If students are unfamiliar with some of the characters, students should find true images of the characters and learn a little bit about them. This knowledge would make the fables much more humorous.

How can I make meaning of text in a language I am unfamiliar with?

Blog Entry #4

I do not speak Spanish; I would like to, but I don’t.  I studied French throughout high school and even took a “refresher” course in college.  That was a really long time ago! Because Spanish and French are both “romance” languages and are derived from Latin, I thought that some of the words would be similar and familiar so making meaning of a short Spanish poem would be achievable. I was wrong.

When I first looked at the poem Entre Estas Ruinas by Coral Bracho, I tried to find words I could translate on my own. I only recognized about six terms or phrases—not too helpful. I was only able to determine that the poem was about a hotel in an old school in Antigua. Next, I tried to read it aloud to try and recognize the words. The poem sounds pretty, but this in no way helped me make meaning. I recognize some of the common sight words in Spanish, but I was unable to recall their translations. In the end, the only way to know what the poem was saying was to look at the literal translation and compare it to the original Spanish version.

I was unable to make meaning of this beautiful Spanish poem. Because of this experience and the Confusabet activity we did in class, I realize I need to do a much better job at helping my English language learners in my science classroom. I experienced frustration, and I gave up easily. I know that Google translate is available on the web, and I simply wanted to type the poem into the site and read the translated version. When I did the Confusabet activity in class, I didn't like it, but I was able to slowly make meaning of the symbols. I experienced what it must be like for ELLs who are asked to read and speak in an unfamiliar language every day in school.  My lovely Russian and Amharic-speaking students are now taking science terms and writing them in their native language. They have opportunities to tell me their English definitions and then write in their native language. When we are able, we find pictures to add to the definitions and talk about why the pictures represent that term. I encourage collaborative work in my classrooms so ELLs can practice speaking English and have many opportunities to hear it. My students have found others that can support them with English language translations; they would probably prefer to read text in their own language, but for now, I can only supply them with dictionaries.

It is difficult to decipher the codes of other languages, especially when the symbols and sounds are completely different from the one we think we know well. Without appropriate and significant support and scaffolding, ELLs are expected to figure language out on their own. I’m disgusted when I think that our solution to this problem in many settings is to give ELLs “additional time.” What good does that do? If I can’t figure the language out in 30 minutes, why should I be able to make meaning in an hour? Yet, this is what we do, and this is what we expect. I must do differently; I must do better.

Sources:

Hill, J. D. & Flynn, K. M. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Morrow, L.M. (2009). Literacy development in the early years: Helping children read and write (6^th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.