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Sometimes it feels crazy overwhelming to keep assessing students and know exactly what they do/don’t understand. That’s where these quick and easy formative assessment ideas comes in! M…
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Olympics recap, Day 6: Gabby Douglas and Michael Phelps
As an ESL teacher, I often hear from classroom teachers that they don't always know where to start when it comes to working with beginning English language learners (ELLs), or newcomers, in small group instruction. In this post I'll share a typical "guided reading" lesson that I would give to my beginning ELLs, as well as a glance of at what a typical week would look like. Let me start by saying, the very first thing I do before I start instructing my newcomers is, I assess what they already know. First, I see if they have literacy skills in their native language...can they read and write? Then, I see if they know alphabet letter names and sounds. Next, I assess their reading level. Since they don't have English literacy skills yet, their reading level typically starts at level "A" (emergent). I can say that most students do have some literacy skills in their home language, and often times, many know some letter names and sounds. So now I've got my starting point! When I first begin working with my newcomers, the main components of reading that I typically focus on are building vocabulary, phonological awareness/phonics and sight words. So a typical week would encompass all three of these skills. Down the road I add comprehension skills, but they are not ready for that yet. Step 1 - Choose an appropriate book. I carefully select books that have relevant vocabulary. For the most part, my main focus is to build their vocabulary. The literacy skills in their native language will transfer to their new language, however, they have an extremely limited vocabulary, so... vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary! I chose this book because I wanted to teach my students the word "big." It's also about animals, and I know that most kids are interested in reading about animals! I used gestures to SHOW them what "big" means. It's important to be mindful of your students' age when picking out books. You don't want to give 4th-6th graders books about bunnies or teddy bears. Try picking age appropriate books; which I know can be a challenge if the selection is limited, but you don't want your students feeling embarrassed. Step 2 - Preview the book. Point to and say each animal's name and have the students repeat the names back to you, keeping in mind to speak clearly and to enunciate the sounds in each word. It's important for them to hear how to pronounce the names. A side thought...Think about "A" level books... they are not created with English language learners in mind. "A" level books have repeated sentences, which are GREAT, but they also have very specific vocabulary that students are expected to decode using picture cues. In the book my students read last week, the repeated sentence was, "We go to the _____." The pictures show the family in different locations like the pool, park, library, soccer game, etc. In one picture the family is standing in front of a large fish tank. If I asked English only students where the family is, some might say a fish store or they might even guess aquarium, depending on their background knowledge. Then they'd cross check their thinking with the word and see that it begins with the letter "a" and hopefully they'd say, "It's an aquarium!" But our newcomers don't know what a big fish tank place is called in English, so it's important for us to support our students by saying the names of each vocabulary word. Step 3 - Choral reading! Newcomers feel more comfortable in a choral reading setting. They need help pronouncing the words. They need to hear YOU pronounce the words. Choral reading helps to keep anxiety levels low. (In a few weeks, the choral reading decreases and I will start focusing on decoding.) Step 4 - After reading, review the animal names. Point to an animal and see if they can remember the name. Perhaps make a matching activity with animal pictures and names. Support as needed. Encourage a LOT! Step 5 - I always provide a guided writing activity based off of the book we just read. I use sentence frames to support their thinking and writing. Sometimes I create my own, like the picture below, and other times I'll use a graphic organizer as a follow up activity. On this day I wanted them to understand the meaning of "big," so their writing supported this goal. As they finish their writing activity, I'll ask each student to read some of their writing to me. Then they'll draw a quick picture, which I always ask them to label. I know that my newcomers don't understand every word in the book, and that's OK! They are being exposed to new words and ideas in a repeating format. I want them to get used to the structure of our lessons so that they know what's expected. So, here is what a typical week of small group work entails for my newcomers. Knowing what the focus is each day helps me to zone in on their learning goals. The variety keeps it fun and interesting, yet it's consistent so they know what's expected. As you can see, on Tuesdays I include direct vocabulary instruction, either using the vocabulary from the book, like the animals, monthly themed vocabulary, or content area vocabulary. October Themed Vocabulary (along with sight words and phonics review) One vocabulary activity I have my students do is called the K.I.M. Strategy. In their notebook they write the key word (K), important information (I), sketch a memory clue (M) and write a sentence (S). For my newcomers, I leave out the (I) portion. They are not ready for adding "information." Right now the goal is for them to learn the names of things and simple sentence structure. My higher ELLS definitely include all components of the K.I.M. Strategy in their notebooks. This is what the K.I.M. Strategy looks like. And this is how it looks modified for my newcomers... On Thursdays, I focus on building sight words. When teaching sight words, it's important to teach them in context. Your beginning ELs need context in order to make meaning of the words. I pull a sight word from our books and I include an extension activity with that word. (A link to this resource is provided at the bottom of this post.) I do teach sight words throughout the week, but on Thursdays we always have an extension activity for one of them. As an "exit ticket" I have them orally use the sight word. Today, I asked each student, "What can you do?" And they responded with "I can _____." Then they get a high five, a sticker (big kids like stickers too!), or some encouraging praise. I also include Word Study activities in my small group work. I like using the sorts from Words Their Way. Each Monday they receive a new spelling pattern. Remember, I assessed my students to see what they already knew. Most already knew initial sounds, so I started them with word families. If they did not know initial sounds, I would've started there. I do have one student in this group who does not know many initials sounds, so I spend a little extra focus with him on initial sounds. This resource is from "Words Their Way." My newcomers use this activity to learn spelling patterns AND vocabulary. They are introduced to their new word list on Mondays, then they have independent activities to do with their word list throughout the week in their gen ed classrooms. (It's so important to set newcomers up with meaningful activities that they can work on independently during Reader's Workshop.) Below is their Word Study Activities list. It gets glued into their Reading Notebook. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays they work on their independent activities. Friday is Word Study Quiz day! FREEBIE - Click Here And that's what small group instruction looks like with my newcomers. To recap, assess what students can do to evaluate your starting point. Focus on building vocabulary, sight words in context, word spelling patterns and choral reading to start. My guided reading lessons usually looks like... preview the book, front load main vocabulary, choral read, and end with a guided writing activity with sentence frames. Here's a TIP: Many times I make my own guided writing activity based on what I want the students to learn from the book. I'll write the activity in my notebook, make copies, cut them to size, then have students glue it into their notebook. Keep this notebook! You may get a newcomer next year, and when you do, many of your guided writing activities will already be made. You'll just need to find the book that goes with the activity. My notebook where I write out the guided writing activities. I know that many school districts lack ESL resources and often times the classroom teacher is the only one providing instruction. Knowing where to start with beginning English learners is probably the biggest challenge. I hope that this post gives you some ideas about where to start and what to focus on with your new students. To read more about the K.I.M. Strategy, click here. Affiliate links below for Sight Words and Word Study.
Don't Quit, By John Greenleaf Whittier Inspirational Poem about life and no matter what your up against Don't Quit, the path to success. Love this. **Prints are not framed. Inspiring romantic quotes with the background as a golden, textured paper look and a classic font, printed on high quality, photographic paper with a soft luster finish. What you see here is a low resolution image created for my Etsy listing, your print will be high resolution, crisp, clear and beautiful. *** Please use the drop down menu to the right of the photo to select the size and your choice of print or canvas. PRINTS: I work with a photo lab who works only with professional photographers and has superb quality. Your print(s) will be sent to you professionally printed on premium quality, acid free, archival paper with a luster, artsy finish and carefully wrapped to ensure they reach you in perfect condition. Prints are not framed. CANVAS: My canvases are printed by a professional lab using premium archival inks. They are ready to hang as soon as you remove them from the box upon arrival. They are 1.25" deep, tightly wrapped on a solid frame, the corners are perfectly folded down tightly and neatly and the back is completely finished with a solid black backing board and staple free with a perfectly clean look. Each canvas comes with pre-installed hanging hardware, ready for you to place it on your wall. The canvas is coated with a satin finish that makes it scratch and fade resistant. Shipped to US ADDRESSES ONLY! FREE SHIPPING for all US orders on all photographic prints or canvases. **************************************************** See more of my work here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadetreePhotography?ref=si_shop Questions or requests? Use the "ask a question" above to the right of the price, I am happy to help! See more inspiring quotes here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadetreePhotography?section_id=13007963&ref=shopsection_leftnav_2
Looking for inspiring TED Talks for your English class? Need to watch inspirational videos? Check out my favourites. There's a free activity guide, too!
Don't let them get to you. Bullied? Picked on? Know someone who has? This is an important reminder to keep your head up in the face of adversity. This is the LATIN version of the english pattern here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/255453635/dont-let-the-bastards-get-you-down Modern cross stitch pattern is designed on 14 count Aida. It will run just shy of 8x10. If you want to change the colours, I can help you, or just choose from what you want when you stitch to match your decor. This pattern will come with 2 different sized full colour patterns, for printing or viewing convenience, and a handy little tips and tricks printout to help you in your quest for cross stitching awesomeness. I can make this for you if you are intimidated, short of time or just lazy. Send me a message and I can quote you a price and time frame. THIS IS NOT A PHYSICAL PATTERN. THIS LISTING IS FOR A PDF FILE. It includes a computer rendering of the finished pattern, a full color pattern, and a key in DMC thread colors. It will be automatically available for download after purchase. The link to download is sent to the email Etsy has on file for you. If you ask me nicely, I can make changes to this pattern for you and crate a custom listing, but really, you can just mess around with the colours when you are stitching, it would work just as well. Please don’t resell my patterns or stitch them for profit, I worked really hard on them. Well actually, I used my laptop on my couch while drinking wine and watching Game of Thrones, but you know what I mean.
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Explore Millie Motts' 17536 photos on Flickr!
The Mayan Apocalypse on December 21, 2012, and is just over 80 days away. Does this mean an apocalypse is coming? Will the World end on that date? How did this date end up on the Mayan Calendar? This article discusses Maya civilization, the four Mayan Calendars, and the Winter Solstice in 2012.
Why don’t children keep their agreements? Could it be that sometimes parents say, “This is what we are going to do! Do you agree?” When the question is asked in an authoritarian manner that doesn’t really leave room for collaboration, children often shrug in agreement, which really means, “Sure, I’ll agree to get you off my back, but I don’t really agree.”
Have you ever had to teach with no voice? You know, that situation where you don't feel sick enough to call off and write sub-plans but can'...
