So we have seen how language objectives theoretically come from the ELD standards and how school districts have made them easier to teach by creating a scope and sequence of increasingly challenging grammatical forms that correspond to an ELL's level of English proficiency.
First Things First: The Language Objective
So what does a language objective actually look like. Here's a generic template:
"Students will be able to use ______________ in order to ________________________"
grammatical form language function
So from our previous example, "students will be able to use the -er (comparative form) in order to compare two different zoo animals" would be a language objective that uses the topic of animals.
ELD vs. (Other) Content Areas
This is a good opportunity to mention something important here. ELD is different from every other content area in one major way: In ELD, content (the topic) is a medium, or vehicle, to teach the grammatical forms and functions of the English Language, but is not the purpose of the ELD lesson. So, for example, in this case, science would be the time for students to learn about the topic of animals explicitly, while in ELD they are learning about the grammatical forms and functions of language that will help them (in this case) explain how animals are similar to one another. It is easy to see however, how ELD supports other content areas, as ELLs will now have the appropriate language tools to apply in content area learning.
Now, it doesn't quite work the other way. For instance, many bilingual teachers feel that if they "teach in English" say, for their science lesson, they are fulfilling ELD. However, content is the driver here, and leaves no room for the teaching of grammatical forms and language function. It's one or the other. Which is why a systematic approach to ELD is critical for English Learners to be able to gain the confidence to engage in content/grade level curriculum during the rest of the day.
We'll continue examining ELD lessons tomorrow!
- W
About Me
- Weezy
- I am an extrovert by nature and an introspect when necessary. I enjoy life and do not take it for granted. My passion is to help educators become more effective at what they do, not only through changing practices, but changing assumptions about the students they teach- particularly, students of color, Standard English Leaners, English Language learners and all others who have been systematically denied access to core curriculum and subjugated to low expectations.
31 August 2009
28 August 2009
ELD vs. ELA: What's Grammatical Forms Got to do With It??
The English Language Development (ELD) Standards
In California, these standards were born in the late 1990s, eventually being adopted a little over ten years ago by the State Board of Education. If you want a copy of the framework published by the State of California which includes the ELD standards, you can download it here: http://www.huensd.k12.ca.us/teacherResources/englangdev-stnd.pdf courtesy of the Hueneme Unified School District. For some background on their existence and purpose, it is helpful to read the Introduction. Even seasoned teachers who may have received their credentials before these standards were even conceptualized should understand them.
Why ELD Standards? The Relationship to ELA...
Over 10 years ago, the discussion around English Learners finally came to a head. Now that there were English Language Arts standards were in place, it was clear that many children would not reach these rigorous benchmarks at their grade level. The ELD standards then were considered a pathway that slowly built up and scaffolded an English Learner's acquisition of English in all four domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing). These were a way in essence, to assess a child's eventual acquisition of the ELA standards. This is especially obvious when you see that the ELD standards for ELs in the "Advanced" (Level 5) category are suspiciously similar to the ELD standards.
However, there is one important difference between ELD and ELA standards. ELD standards are grouped into grade level spans: K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8, 9 - 12. Why? Because there was an acknowledgement that ELs come in to U.S. schools at different ages, yet their English proficiency level may not match their incoming grade level's ELA standards. These again, are the scaffolds towards the ELA standards which are based on a grade level expectation.
Enter the Grammatical Form
Of course this did not answer the question for teachers as to how to plan for ELD instruction! Standards are one thing, language objectives are helpful but not the whole picture. Most of this decade California has failed to produce high quality, rigorous ELD standard based curriculum that also provided teachers with the knowledge base for figuring out what grammatical forms would fulfill their language objectives.
Well, its taken private companies (ELAchieve in particular) working together with County Offices of Education, consultants, teachers and many, many other educators to create such a list of expected grammatical forms that an EL can be taught (per the ELD standards), will prepare them for their ELA block and correspond to their current level of English proficiency.
Different districts have taken different approaches to such documents, your district may even use one. Again, picking on the Hueneme unified school district, this is what they've come up with: http://www.huensd.k12.ca.us/edProjects/sysELD.html
Just click on any proficiency level you're interested, for example "Beginning Forms" and voila, you will see a checklist of grammatical forms that ELD teachers observe and monitor for when teaching. This is of course, all in an attempt to provide a systematic way of instructing EL students so they can access the ELA standards.
So we come full circle!
I know it's a lot to absorb for one sitting, but now that we've started looking at ELD instruction in general, and ELD lessons in particular, I felt it was important to mention a little bit of the back story of why there is so much emphasis on language via grammatical forms and patterned language response.
- W
More to come on ELD lessons!
In California, these standards were born in the late 1990s, eventually being adopted a little over ten years ago by the State Board of Education. If you want a copy of the framework published by the State of California which includes the ELD standards, you can download it here: http://www.huensd.k12.ca.us/teacherResources/englangdev-stnd.pdf courtesy of the Hueneme Unified School District. For some background on their existence and purpose, it is helpful to read the Introduction. Even seasoned teachers who may have received their credentials before these standards were even conceptualized should understand them.
Why ELD Standards? The Relationship to ELA...
Over 10 years ago, the discussion around English Learners finally came to a head. Now that there were English Language Arts standards were in place, it was clear that many children would not reach these rigorous benchmarks at their grade level. The ELD standards then were considered a pathway that slowly built up and scaffolded an English Learner's acquisition of English in all four domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing). These were a way in essence, to assess a child's eventual acquisition of the ELA standards. This is especially obvious when you see that the ELD standards for ELs in the "Advanced" (Level 5) category are suspiciously similar to the ELD standards.
However, there is one important difference between ELD and ELA standards. ELD standards are grouped into grade level spans: K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8, 9 - 12. Why? Because there was an acknowledgement that ELs come in to U.S. schools at different ages, yet their English proficiency level may not match their incoming grade level's ELA standards. These again, are the scaffolds towards the ELA standards which are based on a grade level expectation.
Enter the Grammatical Form
Of course this did not answer the question for teachers as to how to plan for ELD instruction! Standards are one thing, language objectives are helpful but not the whole picture. Most of this decade California has failed to produce high quality, rigorous ELD standard based curriculum that also provided teachers with the knowledge base for figuring out what grammatical forms would fulfill their language objectives.
Well, its taken private companies (ELAchieve in particular) working together with County Offices of Education, consultants, teachers and many, many other educators to create such a list of expected grammatical forms that an EL can be taught (per the ELD standards), will prepare them for their ELA block and correspond to their current level of English proficiency.
Different districts have taken different approaches to such documents, your district may even use one. Again, picking on the Hueneme unified school district, this is what they've come up with: http://www.huensd.k12.ca.us/edProjects/sysELD.html
Just click on any proficiency level you're interested, for example "Beginning Forms" and voila, you will see a checklist of grammatical forms that ELD teachers observe and monitor for when teaching. This is of course, all in an attempt to provide a systematic way of instructing EL students so they can access the ELA standards.
So we come full circle!
I know it's a lot to absorb for one sitting, but now that we've started looking at ELD instruction in general, and ELD lessons in particular, I felt it was important to mention a little bit of the back story of why there is so much emphasis on language via grammatical forms and patterned language response.
- W
More to come on ELD lessons!
27 August 2009
So... What's an ELD Lesson Look Like?
Okay. So I got the conceptual understanding of an ELD lesson. Helping our English Learners acquire the grammatical structures to be able to use them in academic settings (And beyond).
So what does an ELD lesson look like? What's supposed to take place during ELD instruction? Let's break it down...
Introducing the target language form
The most effective ELD lesson remembers one thing: organize your language objective around a purpose to using the grammatical form. In my example below, children will be comparing two animals using the comparative form.
This is the time to model. Model being a competent speaker of English. Model using a specific grammatical form. Taking on from our example from yesterday, let's model the comparative form __________ -er.
But wait!!! Isn't it so very rote, dry and boring to simply plaster a wall or fill a pocket chart with such constructions. Well of course, but being such a wonderfully competent teacher you already realize that. So it is best to introduce all of this in a context of an interesting, engaging, and age-appropriate topic. Yes, we don't want to berate our 5th grade English learners with topics that would be way more engaging to first graders, such as zoo animals. So, choose a topic wisely!
So, back to this 5ish minute mini-lesson:
1. Introduce the target form
2. Introduce an appropriate language prompt that will elicit the grammatical form you want the students to internalize. For example, showing a picture of a giraffe and a horse, I can ask, by using a sentence strip or having the following written on the board: "Which animal is ____________-er?" I would answer by introducing the language frame (response) The ______________ is ____________-er than the ________."
The Guided Practice
Besides modeling ALL students require good modeling in order to learn. But that's only a third of the story. The next third is appropriate, respectful feedback for students as they practice the newly taught language response and associated grammatical form with you. You can start by asking students the language prompt as a whole group, working your way to a couple of student volunteers who can respond and eventually an appropriate way for students to practice with one another as you monitor, for example by using the much loved "think-pair-share" strategy. This is a good time to go back and model if you notice that students are not quite yet internalizing the grammatical form. Oh and depending on your students, this is probably about a 10 to 12 minute segment.
The Independent but Structured Practice
Yes, the final third to a successful ELD lesson is student practice in order to have the opportunity to produce the desired grammatical form in a structured way. What does this mean? For starters, students should be used to some type of instructional routine that involves specialized grouping activities such that everyone will get a turn to practice both the language prompt and the language response, using the necessary target grammatical form(s) in the process. For example, in groups of three, two students can each hold the picture of an animal taking turns asking the other student the language prompt. The student can then respond by stating that "The _________ (animal) is shorter/faster/lighter/etc ( __________-er_ than the _________ ).
This of course, should form the rest of (and therefore the bulk) of the ELD block. Depending on where you teach, the time allocated to ELD may vary. In California however, state guidelines call for a minimum of 30 minutes to be allocated for ELD instruction. Many school districts have adopted this standard for kindergarten and a 45 minute block for 1st - 5th (or 6th grade if it's a K-6 elementary district).
Why is this sequence and elements to an ELD lesson important?
Because our English Learners need explicit practice with the myriad grammatical forms of the English language. However, they also need to use these in a wide variety of contexts, demonstrating flexibility with them by applying them in other content areas (most importantly the English Language Arts- more on this tomorrow) with confidence and for a range of purposes.Slide 13 For instance, we want them to be able not just to compare animals, but apply this grammatical form to other areas, like comparing two historical events.
Once students master a certain form, increase the level of rigor. Another good topic to follow up on a different day.
An ELD Lesson in Action
For an example of an effective ELD lesson, check out this video:
Happy viewing and learning! There is much to glean from this video to inform our own practice.
Hope your first days are full of smiles and may you continue to feel a sense of fulfillment at the end of it all!
- W
So what does an ELD lesson look like? What's supposed to take place during ELD instruction? Let's break it down...
Introducing the target language form
The most effective ELD lesson remembers one thing: organize your language objective around a purpose to using the grammatical form. In my example below, children will be comparing two animals using the comparative form.
This is the time to model. Model being a competent speaker of English. Model using a specific grammatical form. Taking on from our example from yesterday, let's model the comparative form __________ -er.
But wait!!! Isn't it so very rote, dry and boring to simply plaster a wall or fill a pocket chart with such constructions. Well of course, but being such a wonderfully competent teacher you already realize that. So it is best to introduce all of this in a context of an interesting, engaging, and age-appropriate topic. Yes, we don't want to berate our 5th grade English learners with topics that would be way more engaging to first graders, such as zoo animals. So, choose a topic wisely!
So, back to this 5ish minute mini-lesson:
1. Introduce the target form
2. Introduce an appropriate language prompt that will elicit the grammatical form you want the students to internalize. For example, showing a picture of a giraffe and a horse, I can ask, by using a sentence strip or having the following written on the board: "Which animal is ____________-er?" I would answer by introducing the language frame (response) The ______________ is ____________-er than the ________."
The Guided Practice
Besides modeling ALL students require good modeling in order to learn. But that's only a third of the story. The next third is appropriate, respectful feedback for students as they practice the newly taught language response and associated grammatical form with you. You can start by asking students the language prompt as a whole group, working your way to a couple of student volunteers who can respond and eventually an appropriate way for students to practice with one another as you monitor, for example by using the much loved "think-pair-share" strategy. This is a good time to go back and model if you notice that students are not quite yet internalizing the grammatical form. Oh and depending on your students, this is probably about a 10 to 12 minute segment.
The Independent but Structured Practice
Yes, the final third to a successful ELD lesson is student practice in order to have the opportunity to produce the desired grammatical form in a structured way. What does this mean? For starters, students should be used to some type of instructional routine that involves specialized grouping activities such that everyone will get a turn to practice both the language prompt and the language response, using the necessary target grammatical form(s) in the process. For example, in groups of three, two students can each hold the picture of an animal taking turns asking the other student the language prompt. The student can then respond by stating that "The _________ (animal) is shorter/faster/lighter/etc ( __________-er_ than the _________ ).
This of course, should form the rest of (and therefore the bulk) of the ELD block. Depending on where you teach, the time allocated to ELD may vary. In California however, state guidelines call for a minimum of 30 minutes to be allocated for ELD instruction. Many school districts have adopted this standard for kindergarten and a 45 minute block for 1st - 5th (or 6th grade if it's a K-6 elementary district).
Why is this sequence and elements to an ELD lesson important?
Because our English Learners need explicit practice with the myriad grammatical forms of the English language. However, they also need to use these in a wide variety of contexts, demonstrating flexibility with them by applying them in other content areas (most importantly the English Language Arts- more on this tomorrow) with confidence and for a range of purposes.
Once students master a certain form, increase the level of rigor. Another good topic to follow up on a different day.
An ELD Lesson in Action
For an example of an effective ELD lesson, check out this video:
Happy viewing and learning! There is much to glean from this video to inform our own practice.
Hope your first days are full of smiles and may you continue to feel a sense of fulfillment at the end of it all!
- W
26 August 2009
Quick, the kids are here...what IS ELD again?
Welcome to ELD 1A.
First of all, ELD stands for English Language Development. It is a content area, such as mathematics or science. What is the content of ELD? The (grammatical) forms and functions (language patterns) of the English Language. For example, the grammatical form ____-er (the comparative form) would fit the language pattern: "The ________ is ________-er than the _________."
When teaching ELD, we think of a language objective we want our English Learners to master by choosing a language function, or purpose to using a specific grammatical form. So for example, a language function might be: comparing objects. In order for students to accomplish this, they must need to be taught the grammatical form -er and (as a possible language pattern), "The ________ is _______-er than the _________."
In short, ELD is the time to explicitly teach English Learners about the English language so that they will have the tools to allow them to access the core curriculum- English Language Arts in particular.
- w
First of all, ELD stands for English Language Development. It is a content area, such as mathematics or science. What is the content of ELD? The (grammatical) forms and functions (language patterns) of the English Language. For example, the grammatical form ____-er (the comparative form) would fit the language pattern: "The ________ is ________-er than the _________."
When teaching ELD, we think of a language objective we want our English Learners to master by choosing a language function, or purpose to using a specific grammatical form. So for example, a language function might be: comparing objects. In order for students to accomplish this, they must need to be taught the grammatical form -er and (as a possible language pattern), "The ________ is _______-er than the _________."
In short, ELD is the time to explicitly teach English Learners about the English language so that they will have the tools to allow them to access the core curriculum- English Language Arts in particular.
- w
20 August 2009
Checklist for the ELL/ELD Teacher: August/ September
1. Identifying your ELLs!
Now now, not all of us are at a point where our district has a beautifully streamlined and efficient process of identifying ELLs. If you receive a list of students who are designated ELL, great! If you receive a list with their last level of proficiency identified- marvelous! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, ask! Hopefully, this should be happening behind the scenes...Please remember that this is the (idealized) procedure in California school districts
- in July/August, newcomer ELLs to your district should be tested at some identified district facility in order to determine their level of English proficiency. Newcomers typically are: fresh out-of-country arrivals, interdistrict transfers with no record of English proficiency testing or incoming kindergartners
- for the rest of your ELLs, those who have been tested before in your district (or another district in the state) they will be tested (with CELDT in California) sometime in September or October. California gives districts until the end of October to turn in all CELDT testing materials
2. Ask who is responsible for administering CELDT (or your state's EL testing)
- If the responsibility falls on you, make sure you are trained. All you cared not to know about CELDT procedures can be found here: http://www.ctb.com/netcaster/extranet/program_index.jsp?PROG_ID=3022
- 1st grade and K teachers this year: Remember that your students will be tested on reading and writing components for the first time ever! It's looking like 30 minutes per student (as you know, at this age, these tests are all one-on-one)
3. Get to know the English proficiency profile of each of your ELLs
- If you do have CELDT scores, figure out what these mean:
- There is an overall score (1-5, 1= beginner, 2= early intermediate, 3= intermediate, 4= early advanced, 5= advanced) SEE 7/10/08 blog for details on each of these levels
- There is also a scale(raw) score that each section (reading, writing, speaking, listening) receives. Sometimes ELLs may be on the cusp of achieving another proficiency level. The overall score can easily overlook this important information. We can talk more about this at a later date.
As this is a good point to stop (I like sets of three), let's do so!
Enjoy the planning/remodeling/envisioning of the classroom and how it will be used this year. Oh, the possibilities!
- W
Now now, not all of us are at a point where our district has a beautifully streamlined and efficient process of identifying ELLs. If you receive a list of students who are designated ELL, great! If you receive a list with their last level of proficiency identified- marvelous! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, ask! Hopefully, this should be happening behind the scenes...Please remember that this is the (idealized) procedure in California school districts
- in July/August, newcomer ELLs to your district should be tested at some identified district facility in order to determine their level of English proficiency. Newcomers typically are: fresh out-of-country arrivals, interdistrict transfers with no record of English proficiency testing or incoming kindergartners
- for the rest of your ELLs, those who have been tested before in your district (or another district in the state) they will be tested (with CELDT in California) sometime in September or October. California gives districts until the end of October to turn in all CELDT testing materials
2. Ask who is responsible for administering CELDT (or your state's EL testing)
- If the responsibility falls on you, make sure you are trained. All you cared not to know about CELDT procedures can be found here: http://www.ctb.com/netcaster/extranet/program_index.jsp?PROG_ID=3022
- 1st grade and K teachers this year: Remember that your students will be tested on reading and writing components for the first time ever! It's looking like 30 minutes per student (as you know, at this age, these tests are all one-on-one)
3. Get to know the English proficiency profile of each of your ELLs
- If you do have CELDT scores, figure out what these mean:
- There is an overall score (1-5, 1= beginner, 2= early intermediate, 3= intermediate, 4= early advanced, 5= advanced) SEE 7/10/08 blog for details on each of these levels
- There is also a scale(raw) score that each section (reading, writing, speaking, listening) receives. Sometimes ELLs may be on the cusp of achieving another proficiency level. The overall score can easily overlook this important information. We can talk more about this at a later date.
As this is a good point to stop (I like sets of three), let's do so!
Enjoy the planning/remodeling/envisioning of the classroom and how it will be used this year. Oh, the possibilities!
- W
19 August 2009
First Days Routines
Its time to greet bright, eager new faces again.
Those 20?30?40? students that we will be tasked with instructing, guiding, coaching and yes, even teaching are arriving at our doorstep. So much to think about and do, so much expected of us and soon so much to have to "show" for our work in the form of formative assessment results, subject matter exams and more.
But how can we expect to get there if we don't spend time on the most important thing that matters to a group of students who have to "start over" with someone new in a new space? That's why we take time to establish relationships with our students and build a sense of classroom community/ identity.
I'll share two activities I would ALWAYS do with my students, year in, year out, to reach this goal.
But first, an aside for the wayward secondary teacher...
(In case it hasn't been apparent in the past, I am generally referring to the teaching context of the self-contained elementary classroom and ELD teachers of elementary students. Secondary folks, I love you very much and admire you for your subject matter expertise/passion and the issues of the ages of the students you deal with. I don't have the experience of teaching students or leading schools at this level, so please let me know if I ever misrepresent your experiences. On the other hand, I think the concepts discussed here are universal and applicable at secondary, e.g. establishing community).
Activities I've done in the first days...
1. Establish classroom agreements.
- Yes, I've even done this with kindergartners. On a "T" chart, we put out what we would like to "see" happen in our classroom throughout the year (e.g. a common one is "kids helping each other) and "hear" (e.g. using positive language). Eventually a trend emerges and these become classroom agreements I would refer to all year long. Visuals obviously increase understanding for ELLs.
2. Go on a "classroom guess the space "
- My room had spaces dedicated to certain activities. For example I had a couch and adjacent shelves with books. I would have students go to the area where they would predict we would (fill in the blank, e.g. work in a small group with the teacher= kidney table). It helps ELLs orient themselves and preview the routines they will be engaging in every day.
And, I'm sure you are already quite familiar with the classic resource by Harry and Rosemary Wong, The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher. Here's a link to the amazon listing for it: http://www.amazon.com/First-Days-School-Effective-Teacher/dp/0962936022 in case you want a reminder of what the cover looks like.
Hope this is useful.
Happy first days to all!
- W
Those 20?30?40? students that we will be tasked with instructing, guiding, coaching and yes, even teaching are arriving at our doorstep. So much to think about and do, so much expected of us and soon so much to have to "show" for our work in the form of formative assessment results, subject matter exams and more.
But how can we expect to get there if we don't spend time on the most important thing that matters to a group of students who have to "start over" with someone new in a new space? That's why we take time to establish relationships with our students and build a sense of classroom community/ identity.
I'll share two activities I would ALWAYS do with my students, year in, year out, to reach this goal.
But first, an aside for the wayward secondary teacher...
(In case it hasn't been apparent in the past, I am generally referring to the teaching context of the self-contained elementary classroom and ELD teachers of elementary students. Secondary folks, I love you very much and admire you for your subject matter expertise/passion and the issues of the ages of the students you deal with. I don't have the experience of teaching students or leading schools at this level, so please let me know if I ever misrepresent your experiences. On the other hand, I think the concepts discussed here are universal and applicable at secondary, e.g. establishing community).
Activities I've done in the first days...
1. Establish classroom agreements.
- Yes, I've even done this with kindergartners. On a "T" chart, we put out what we would like to "see" happen in our classroom throughout the year (e.g. a common one is "kids helping each other) and "hear" (e.g. using positive language). Eventually a trend emerges and these become classroom agreements I would refer to all year long. Visuals obviously increase understanding for ELLs.
2. Go on a "classroom guess the space "
- My room had spaces dedicated to certain activities. For example I had a couch and adjacent shelves with books. I would have students go to the area where they would predict we would (fill in the blank, e.g. work in a small group with the teacher= kidney table). It helps ELLs orient themselves and preview the routines they will be engaging in every day.
And, I'm sure you are already quite familiar with the classic resource by Harry and Rosemary Wong, The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher. Here's a link to the amazon listing for it: http://www.amazon.com/First-Days-School-Effective-Teacher/dp/0962936022 in case you want a reminder of what the cover looks like.
Hope this is useful.
Happy first days to all!
- W
18 August 2009
Other ELL Resources
I know in the past I've thrown out a few links for some articles. Good stuff to be sure, but it may not always be as succinct as we like to fit our hectic schedules. And then there's teaching!
Webinars
There are other really great sources of info that you can access, and it involves no reading at all! I'm talking about "webinars," seminars that are broadcast on the web for everyone to see/hear. In fact, there is a whole series of webinars put out by WestEd, WestEd, in case your district hasn't run into them, is a nonprofit, public research and development agency that works at the local, state, and federal levels, developing research-based programs, intervention strategies, and other resources that school districts can then access. There are many districts that have partnerships and other joint ventures with this agency.
In any case, WestEd has put out (and will continue to) a strand of seminars all related to the English Language Learner. Here is a link to that series: http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/e/3912
Try it out.
The great thing is that this is the actual researcher/expert who develops the materials/ resources is talking! And, you can turn it off when you are bored.
Just glad to put out more avenues out there to become (even) better informed teachers of English Language Learners and their support staff.
Enjoy your upcoming/in-progress staff development days!
- W
Webinars
There are other really great sources of info that you can access, and it involves no reading at all! I'm talking about "webinars," seminars that are broadcast on the web for everyone to see/hear. In fact, there is a whole series of webinars put out by WestEd, WestEd, in case your district hasn't run into them, is a nonprofit, public research and development agency that works at the local, state, and federal levels, developing research-based programs, intervention strategies, and other resources that school districts can then access. There are many districts that have partnerships and other joint ventures with this agency.
In any case, WestEd has put out (and will continue to) a strand of seminars all related to the English Language Learner. Here is a link to that series: http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/e/3912
Try it out.
The great thing is that this is the actual researcher/expert who develops the materials/ resources is talking! And, you can turn it off when you are bored.
Just glad to put out more avenues out there to become (even) better informed teachers of English Language Learners and their support staff.
Enjoy your upcoming/in-progress staff development days!
- W
17 August 2009
Returning to ELLs
So last we talked about ELLs I was on a soapbox and citing the seminal court case that brought (then known as) Limited English Proficient students to the attention of K - 12 educators. That was in 1974.
Of course, that did not speak to the actual practices, curricula and general implementation of, or inclusion/integration/monitoring of LEP students.
And so it was that, 4 years later, in 1978, a lawsuit was first filed against a Texas school district, this time by the parent of Mexican-American children. The case centered on the accusation that these children were being racially discriminated against because the school district failed to implement bilingual education programs which the father claimed would allow their children to learn the English skills to not have been segregated in the first place. The court sided with the school district.
However, in 1981, a U.S. District Court picked up the case, this time ruling in favor of the Castanedas. And for the first time, a legal precedent would be set as to 1) the establishment of "bilingual programs" in schools and 2) basic criteria for these. The criteria established by the court was
During the '90s we had a major movement of creating academic content standards (that was preceded by a major push for a "national framework" for specific subject areas- math, most notably). However, very much the afterthought, most states did not even conceive of English Language Development as a separate content area for K - 12. In fact, here in California (seen as a leader in this realm) we did not have a final set of ELD standards on the books until the late 1990s.
All so important, and sadly, so recent.
And of course given the federal nature of our government and the sacred cow of "local control," each individual state has been given the power/ responsibility of creating systems to ensure that ELLs have what they need, are monitored for progress, are challenged with appropriate but high rigor curricula and have "highly qualified" teachers, all now codified in the lengthy NCLB document.
Anyhow- that's a quick history lesson on LEP/ELL students. I think it's important to understand where we've been so we know not only where we're headed but also why we are where we are. This is especially true if you find yourself in a district where there is little on the ground or there is a lot of resistance to teaching ELD/ ELLs despite the fact that the infrastructure exists or you feel that these students get little "air time" at PD or staff development days.
You are their voice.
And thanks, as always, for that!
Of course, that did not speak to the actual practices, curricula and general implementation of, or inclusion/integration/monitoring of LEP students.
And so it was that, 4 years later, in 1978, a lawsuit was first filed against a Texas school district, this time by the parent of Mexican-American children. The case centered on the accusation that these children were being racially discriminated against because the school district failed to implement bilingual education programs which the father claimed would allow their children to learn the English skills to not have been segregated in the first place. The court sided with the school district.
However, in 1981, a U.S. District Court picked up the case, this time ruling in favor of the Castanedas. And for the first time, a legal precedent would be set as to 1) the establishment of "bilingual programs" in schools and 2) basic criteria for these. The criteria established by the court was
- The bilingual education program must be “based on sound educational theory.”
- The program must be “implemented effectively with resources for personnel, instructional materials, and space.”
- After a trial period, the program must be proven effective in overcoming language barriers/handicaps.
During the '90s we had a major movement of creating academic content standards (that was preceded by a major push for a "national framework" for specific subject areas- math, most notably). However, very much the afterthought, most states did not even conceive of English Language Development as a separate content area for K - 12. In fact, here in California (seen as a leader in this realm) we did not have a final set of ELD standards on the books until the late 1990s.
All so important, and sadly, so recent.
And of course given the federal nature of our government and the sacred cow of "local control," each individual state has been given the power/ responsibility of creating systems to ensure that ELLs have what they need, are monitored for progress, are challenged with appropriate but high rigor curricula and have "highly qualified" teachers, all now codified in the lengthy NCLB document.
Anyhow- that's a quick history lesson on LEP/ELL students. I think it's important to understand where we've been so we know not only where we're headed but also why we are where we are. This is especially true if you find yourself in a district where there is little on the ground or there is a lot of resistance to teaching ELD/ ELLs despite the fact that the infrastructure exists or you feel that these students get little "air time" at PD or staff development days.
You are their voice.
And thanks, as always, for that!
14 August 2009
TGIF
Happy Friday!
Good luck to everyone as you are probably....
- celebrating the end of a week long training
- dreading opening your classroom door next week (what's behind Door #1?)
- keeping the number of bad teaching related dreams to a minimum
- wondering where you put the so and so before you locked your classroom door behind you
- figuring out if the new principal/assistant principal/etc will finally bring a vision to your school
- slowly training your habits (and body) to the parameters of a work day
and last but certainly not least...
- hoping for a smooth and joyous 1st (and every) day with our students, colleagues and school leadership!
To make this last one happen, in my humble opinion (although research certainly substantiates this) change at schools- particularly the good kind that will help us feel more productive, supported, safe and be meaningful- does not happen unless there is a level of relational trust that is established school-wide. Obviously, the site principal plays a large role in setting the tone at a school, but don't underestimate the power of the positive individual teacher. Smile! Befriend a new teacher. Bury the hatchet with a more established colleague. Swing open your doors this year- you will learn so much from collaboration.
After all, who doesn't want to feel fulfillment in their job, especially when there is so much to do and our students' needs are so diverse. Yeah, remember differentiated instruction? Our colleagues help/advice/feedback here is what will ultimately help make it happen. And make it easier on you!
Something more to think about as the 11th hour is upon us.
And yes, I promise. I'll get back to ELL stuff. And get off the soap box.
Have a great weekend!
- W
Good luck to everyone as you are probably....
- celebrating the end of a week long training
- dreading opening your classroom door next week (what's behind Door #1?)
- keeping the number of bad teaching related dreams to a minimum
- wondering where you put the so and so before you locked your classroom door behind you
- figuring out if the new principal/assistant principal/etc will finally bring a vision to your school
- slowly training your habits (and body) to the parameters of a work day
and last but certainly not least...
- hoping for a smooth and joyous 1st (and every) day with our students, colleagues and school leadership!
To make this last one happen, in my humble opinion (although research certainly substantiates this) change at schools- particularly the good kind that will help us feel more productive, supported, safe and be meaningful- does not happen unless there is a level of relational trust that is established school-wide. Obviously, the site principal plays a large role in setting the tone at a school, but don't underestimate the power of the positive individual teacher. Smile! Befriend a new teacher. Bury the hatchet with a more established colleague. Swing open your doors this year- you will learn so much from collaboration.
After all, who doesn't want to feel fulfillment in their job, especially when there is so much to do and our students' needs are so diverse. Yeah, remember differentiated instruction? Our colleagues help/advice/feedback here is what will ultimately help make it happen. And make it easier on you!
Something more to think about as the 11th hour is upon us.
And yes, I promise. I'll get back to ELL stuff. And get off the soap box.
Have a great weekend!
- W
13 August 2009
Remember One Thing
I know.
The time for trainings is upon us. The time to be sitting somewhere for a day? 3 days? A week? and doing the split personality teacher persona: wanting to focus on the present professional development, questioning how it is supposed to fit into our instructional day and how it doesn't conflict with what you sat through a year ago.
Believe me, I know.
And here we are. It's August 2009. You are signing-in groggy-eyed, taking in the venue, sizing up your presenters, welcoming the next flavor-of-the-month, district initiative, state mandated curriculum/program or AB blah blah blah. In any case, it is always the same constraint- it is a foreign agenda that once again will consume our time, detract us from forging important relationships between staff members and allow us to talk about something that once was in the hands of schools...
Instruction.
Yes. Instruction.
When was the last time you talked about it with colleagues?
And I don't mean necessarily just about ELLs. Instruction in general. Wait time. Checking for understanding. Information processing theory, etc.
So remember one thing as you sit through the pain: Good instruction for ELLs is good instruction for all . It is simply put (but not so simply implemented, it seems) good differentiated instruction.
In solidarity,
- W
The time for trainings is upon us. The time to be sitting somewhere for a day? 3 days? A week? and doing the split personality teacher persona: wanting to focus on the present professional development, questioning how it is supposed to fit into our instructional day and how it doesn't conflict with what you sat through a year ago.
Believe me, I know.
And here we are. It's August 2009. You are signing-in groggy-eyed, taking in the venue, sizing up your presenters, welcoming the next flavor-of-the-month, district initiative, state mandated curriculum/program or AB blah blah blah. In any case, it is always the same constraint- it is a foreign agenda that once again will consume our time, detract us from forging important relationships between staff members and allow us to talk about something that once was in the hands of schools...
Instruction.
Yes. Instruction.
When was the last time you talked about it with colleagues?
And I don't mean necessarily just about ELLs. Instruction in general. Wait time. Checking for understanding. Information processing theory, etc.
So remember one thing as you sit through the pain: Good instruction for ELLs is good instruction for all . It is simply put (but not so simply implemented, it seems) good differentiated instruction.
In solidarity,
- W
11 August 2009
Ever wonder what the legal genesis for ELL instruction is?
Trivia is awesome.
And you never know when you may actually need to give someone this information or respond to an administrator, parent or layperson. I always feel that the more that we as teachers understand the larger picture in which we operate and realize that every decision and action that takes place in our schools and classrooms involves a political (and other) stance of some sort, the more effective advocates we become for our English Learners.
D'oh! I've managed to deluge you with a mouthful again.
Let's just skip to the info...
Lau v. Nichols
This seminal court case was brought by Chinese-American parents on behalf of their English Learner children against the San Francisco Unified School District. They argued that they were not receiving the help they needed in school due to their inability to speak English. They based their they claim to the rights they felt they were entitled to under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because of its ban on educational discrimination on the basis of national origin.
In 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the students and this case greatly expanded the rights of language minority students, and paved the way for policy, services and funding sources for "Limited English Proficient (LEP) students." Of course, now we know them as English Language Learners.
And yet, 35 years later, in some places, we are still having conversations about serving these students their basic needs: adequate ELD instruction; fair, valid measures of assessing progress in English proficiency; culturally responsive, relevant ELD curriculum and respect for ELD as a content area as essential as language arts and math. Not to mention a little more respect for those of us who teach and support ELD teachers!
Anyway, thanks for taking a stroll down the annals of history. Can't understand where we should be heading if we don't know what has taken place!
Here's a link to the Office of Civil Right's reference to this case if you feel like taking a peek! http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/lau.html
- W
And you never know when you may actually need to give someone this information or respond to an administrator, parent or layperson. I always feel that the more that we as teachers understand the larger picture in which we operate and realize that every decision and action that takes place in our schools and classrooms involves a political (and other) stance of some sort, the more effective advocates we become for our English Learners.
D'oh! I've managed to deluge you with a mouthful again.
Let's just skip to the info...
Lau v. Nichols
This seminal court case was brought by Chinese-American parents on behalf of their English Learner children against the San Francisco Unified School District. They argued that they were not receiving the help they needed in school due to their inability to speak English. They based their they claim to the rights they felt they were entitled to under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because of its ban on educational discrimination on the basis of national origin.
In 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the students and this case greatly expanded the rights of language minority students, and paved the way for policy, services and funding sources for "Limited English Proficient (LEP) students." Of course, now we know them as English Language Learners.
And yet, 35 years later, in some places, we are still having conversations about serving these students their basic needs: adequate ELD instruction; fair, valid measures of assessing progress in English proficiency; culturally responsive, relevant ELD curriculum and respect for ELD as a content area as essential as language arts and math. Not to mention a little more respect for those of us who teach and support ELD teachers!
Anyway, thanks for taking a stroll down the annals of history. Can't understand where we should be heading if we don't know what has taken place!
Here's a link to the Office of Civil Right's reference to this case if you feel like taking a peek! http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/lau.html
- W
10 August 2009
August Rush
Whoa. I feel like I've been throwing out a lot at you already- and the school year hasn't even begun yet! Okay, I'll give it a rest with the advice for a little bit.
But.
I will point you to some places that may be useful to poke around at that are simple to read and will get us all back into the teaching groove.
One good source of easy-to-follow, yet relevant articles based on research is the NEA today (National Education Association) quarterly magazine. This is a good starting point to get a handle on general topics of importance to us as teachers. Every now and again, they specifically address the topic of ELLs. A particularly wonderful and quite recent article appeared in the January 2009 issue titled "A New Look at America's English Language Learners."
You can access it here: http://www.nea.org/home/29160.htm
Okay. That's it.
Go squeeze a bit more sunshine in (unless you live here by the San Francisco Bay) during the countdown to teaching, and the various flavors of professional/staff development days sandwiched in between.
- W
But.
I will point you to some places that may be useful to poke around at that are simple to read and will get us all back into the teaching groove.
One good source of easy-to-follow, yet relevant articles based on research is the NEA today (National Education Association) quarterly magazine. This is a good starting point to get a handle on general topics of importance to us as teachers. Every now and again, they specifically address the topic of ELLs. A particularly wonderful and quite recent article appeared in the January 2009 issue titled "A New Look at America's English Language Learners."
You can access it here: http://www.nea.org/home/29160.htm
Okay. That's it.
Go squeeze a bit more sunshine in (unless you live here by the San Francisco Bay) during the countdown to teaching, and the various flavors of professional/staff development days sandwiched in between.
- W
06 August 2009
The Question of ELD Curriculum
So school will be starting up very soon. In fact, in some places in the country, they start next week! (Again, disregard if you are on a year-round schedule). One of the questions that I hear very often, particularly as a new year dawns and teachers are reminded of all they have to do is: "What materials do I have for my ELL students?"
A fair question. But first, let's talk about the difference between state-adopted and supplementary curricula/materials/programs. The former is the officially "sanctioned" curriculum/program that the state somehow deemed fit, i.e. rigorous and "scientifically based" (I will hold my sarcasm) per the requirements of No Child Left Behind.
State-Adopted Curriculum
The still official California ELD curriculum is "Into English," soon to be entering into it's third decade (end of the 90s, through '00s and it's almost 2010!)
Yes, its starting to come back, isn't it?
However, now, there are choices- and plenty of textbook companies waiting at the cash register for orders. Next year is an "adoption year" for the state, in which a new curriculum will be chosen from a list that made the NCLB/state cut. So, next year, districts throughout the state- hopefully yours included- will create adoption committees of classroom teachers and maybe others to evaluate the curriculum available and determine what their district will choose to adopt. The law requires that each comittee create its own evaluation rubric, although there are state guidelines for suggestions.
Supplementary Curriculum
As you can imagine, some districts have actually adopted supplementary curriculum in the interim, as they have realized that Into English does not provide enough rigor, materials or comprise a complete program that would serve the needs of ELL students at all five proficiency levels. They also became concerned and frustrated that the state has not seemed to give ELD the importance it seemed to be giving it in the late '90s. In any case, you may have heard of Santillana's Intensive English, and Ballard & Tighe's The Carousel of Ideas among others as examples of supplementary ELD curriculum.
Knowing is Half the Battle
So as you start daydreaming of what you will be teaching in the upcoming school year, also ask yourself what you will be teaching with. If you don't have ELD curriculum, what have you used in the past? If you do, realize it may be replaced soon. In any case, this is a good opportunity to become informed, maybe participate in the adoption process, and serve as an advocate and voice for your students and colleagues who may not be as aware of the "larger context" that we operate in.
Every instructional decision we make, the materials we use and how we deliver all reflect our values, beliefs and the political constraints under which we operate.
Till next time!
- W
A fair question. But first, let's talk about the difference between state-adopted and supplementary curricula/materials/programs. The former is the officially "sanctioned" curriculum/program that the state somehow deemed fit, i.e. rigorous and "scientifically based" (I will hold my sarcasm) per the requirements of No Child Left Behind.
State-Adopted Curriculum
The still official California ELD curriculum is "Into English," soon to be entering into it's third decade (end of the 90s, through '00s and it's almost 2010!)
Yes, its starting to come back, isn't it?
However, now, there are choices- and plenty of textbook companies waiting at the cash register for orders. Next year is an "adoption year" for the state, in which a new curriculum will be chosen from a list that made the NCLB/state cut. So, next year, districts throughout the state- hopefully yours included- will create adoption committees of classroom teachers and maybe others to evaluate the curriculum available and determine what their district will choose to adopt. The law requires that each comittee create its own evaluation rubric, although there are state guidelines for suggestions.
Supplementary Curriculum
As you can imagine, some districts have actually adopted supplementary curriculum in the interim, as they have realized that Into English does not provide enough rigor, materials or comprise a complete program that would serve the needs of ELL students at all five proficiency levels. They also became concerned and frustrated that the state has not seemed to give ELD the importance it seemed to be giving it in the late '90s. In any case, you may have heard of Santillana's Intensive English, and Ballard & Tighe's The Carousel of Ideas among others as examples of supplementary ELD curriculum.
Knowing is Half the Battle
So as you start daydreaming of what you will be teaching in the upcoming school year, also ask yourself what you will be teaching with. If you don't have ELD curriculum, what have you used in the past? If you do, realize it may be replaced soon. In any case, this is a good opportunity to become informed, maybe participate in the adoption process, and serve as an advocate and voice for your students and colleagues who may not be as aware of the "larger context" that we operate in.
Every instructional decision we make, the materials we use and how we deliver all reflect our values, beliefs and the political constraints under which we operate.
Till next time!
- W
05 August 2009
CELDT 2008-2009
Yesterday I gave an update on the most important changes to the CELDT in a while.
Read the following in case you want a refresher on the CELDT and a little info on the upcoming school year:
CELDT_101
- W
Read the following in case you want a refresher on the CELDT and a little info on the upcoming school year:
CELDT_101
- W
04 August 2009
Time to Shift Gears
Changes to the CELDT
August.
Back to school sales in full swing, questions filling parents minds' and the dreams/ nightmares? of a new school year soon to fill our sleep.
Remember too: newcomer ELLs and incoming kindergartners in many districts are tested on the CELDT to determine their incoming English proficiency level. Did you know that starting this school year both kindergartners and first grade ELL students will be joining their older ELL peers in taking the reading and writing sections of the CELDT?
That's right.
So, it would be a good idea to contact your ELL Coordinator, Specialist, Coach or site administrator or any colleague with whom you can share information/ learn more about this important change to the CELDT. It will mean yet another logistical challenge for 1st grade teachers in particular to tackle as they CELDT test their ELL students on a one-on-one basis.
It is yet another good reason to collaborate and find solutions to logistical challenges, but also not to forget that there is an important reason for the CELDT- for many school districts, it is still the only source of information they have for making instructional and program decisions about teaching and placing their ELL students.
Just one more thing to keep in mind as a new school year begins.
Also remember: this is a good forum to ask questions, share experiences and learn about all things ELL!
- W
August.
Back to school sales in full swing, questions filling parents minds' and the dreams/ nightmares? of a new school year soon to fill our sleep.
Remember too: newcomer ELLs and incoming kindergartners in many districts are tested on the CELDT to determine their incoming English proficiency level. Did you know that starting this school year both kindergartners and first grade ELL students will be joining their older ELL peers in taking the reading and writing sections of the CELDT?
That's right.
So, it would be a good idea to contact your ELL Coordinator, Specialist, Coach or site administrator or any colleague with whom you can share information/ learn more about this important change to the CELDT. It will mean yet another logistical challenge for 1st grade teachers in particular to tackle as they CELDT test their ELL students on a one-on-one basis.
It is yet another good reason to collaborate and find solutions to logistical challenges, but also not to forget that there is an important reason for the CELDT- for many school districts, it is still the only source of information they have for making instructional and program decisions about teaching and placing their ELL students.
Just one more thing to keep in mind as a new school year begins.
Also remember: this is a good forum to ask questions, share experiences and learn about all things ELL!
- W
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
