"Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger – we were strangers once, too."

Obama announces immigration reform.

VoiceThread

A technology tool for building speaking and listening skills.

Podcasts for ELLs

From ESL for Teachers by Mr. Tenerowicz!

Check out ESL POD, a podcast designed to help ELLs develop English language skills.

Benefits of Blogging

Blogging both motivates and empowers students, especially ELLs.  Writing for an authentic, global audience encourages students to utilize and improve language skills.  When students write, read, and comment on blogs, they become active participants in the language acquisition process, taking ownership of their own learning.

While I haven't establish a classroom blog for my students, I thought we could try a little blogging on Bilingual Basics!  As part of our daily vocabulary instruction, students responded to the following prompt about today's word, abolish:

If you could choose one thing to abolish, what would it be?

My class was extremely excited about the possibility of being featured on my blog!  Here's one student's written response to the prompt.  I'll let other students type their answers her question in the comments.

Privilege

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Powerful Partnerships

Happy Halloween!

Amidst the craziness that is a classroom of students dressed in costume and loaded up with sugar, something awesome happened in Davis land on October 31!  One of my student's parents and I co-taught today.  

Since the beginning of the school year, the parent, a bilingual immigrant from Mexico, and I have been building a relationship.  She visits my classroom every Friday to read to my students in Spanish and help with tasks like filing papers.  The kids love showing off their Spanish vocabulary words from morning meeting, and she enjoys spending time in her child's classroom and school.

Really, she's been amazing!  She even visits other classrooms in the building, and recently, she began working with a small group of younger ELLs along side our ESL teacher.  Up until today, however, she and I hadn't exactly collaborated during instruction.  Typically, when she arrives, I stop teaching, she shares a story and some conversation with the students, and then I resume teaching.  Today it was different; we taught alongside each other, feeding off one another's insights and strengths.  And IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE!

Co-teaching with a student's parent.  Please excuse my marshmallow costume! :)

While the details of the lesson itself are insignificant compared to its implications for culturally-responsive instruction in my classroom, here's a brief rundown:

She used two dolls--one dressed in a Halloween costume and one, a Mexican American with makeup done like La Calavera Catrina--to hook the students.  The dolls had a conversation about Halloween and how it's different from Dia de los Muertos.  Next, she put the dolls away and proceeded to share her funds of knowledge about Dia de los Muertos with the class.  She drew a diagram depicting the altar, foods, incense, sugar skulls, candles, flower petal paths, etc. associated with the holiday.  As she did so, she carefully described each item, discussing its symbolism and importance while sharing her personal stories and memories.  I modeled metacognitive strategies aloud, asking clarifying questions to increase student understanding as she explained the significance of the holiday.  She did a fantastic job playing along, providing more information and summarizing throughout the lesson.  While we taught, my ELLs from Mexico became increasingly engaged and excited to share their own knowledge and experiences about Dia de los Muertos.  At the end of the lesson, we created papel picado, a paper streamer craft commonly used to decorate during the holiday.



Overall, this lesson definitely stands out as a highlight from the school year thus far.  My students were able to draw connections between what they learned about Dia de los Muertos and their own lives.  They even related the holiday's symbolic elements with the symbolism found in text of our current novel study.  Watching my ELLs swell with pride and confidence as they served as class experts also made my heart happy!

Sheltered Instruction

Sheltered Instruction is “an approach used in multilinguistic content classrooms to provide language support to students while they are learning academic subjects, rather than being expected to ‘sink or swim’ in a content class designed for native English speakers” (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 2010, p. 109).  Sheltered English is often called Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE).




This clip presents a brief overview of the SIOP model of sheltered instruction.  It's a great starting point for teachers new to SDAIE.

Hello. Hello! Hello? "Pragmatics of 'Hello'"

Speakers constantly adapt their language according to the listener and/or situation.  Take, for example, the simple word hello.  While this video is a bit silly, it exemplifies the importance of pragmatics.  Helping students, especially ELLs, learn socially expected and accepted communication patterns is crucial! 

Immersion: My Wake-Up Call

Oftentimes, unfortunately, the pressures of teaching make me feel powerless, hopeless, and overwhelmed.  Typically, though God--through a friend, a workout, or...a grad school assignment--provides a much-needed wake-up call that reaffirms my efforts and helps me let go of the negativity.  Tonight, this video, gave me just the reassurance and renewal of spirit I needed.  In "Immersion" viewers see the mainstream American classroom through the eyes of a young English language learner named Moises. 

What's WIDA?!

     The WIDA Can Do Descriptors are a tool those working with English language learners can utilize to help determine an ELL’s current level of English language proficiency within each of the four domains—listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  With the WIDA Can Do Descriptors, teachers are able to gain a clear picture of a student’s current language skills and thus can begin mapping out an instructional plan within the child’s zone of proximal development.  Additionally, the WIDA Can Do Descriptors can be used to guide lesson planning and assessment.  By taking into consideration an ELL’s current language proficiency level (i.e. entering, beginning, developing, expanding, bridging, or reaching), teachers can make sure lessons and activities are designed in a way that supports the development of language skills. The WIDA Can Do Descriptors are useful not only for determining a student’s current stage of language acquisition but also as a tool for designing assessments that don’t prohibit a student from demonstrating his/her learning based on language barriers.  If teachers use information about students’ current level to guide the creation of assessments, ELLs—especially at the earlier stages—are put on a more level playing field with native speakers when testing.  The Can Do Descriptors are relevant in schools because oftentimes teachers lack the professional development needed to meet the unique needs of ELLs.  Because the matrix is easy to understand and utilize, teachers, even those with little ESL training, can help support ELLs. 

     Watch this video, produced by the Washoe County School District, to learn more about WIDA. 

Growing Grammar

Humans have an innate ability to acquire language and are born with internal grammar "rules" that are developed over time through listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  These grammar rules can be developed naturally through authentic reading, writing, speaking, and listening tasks rather than direct instruction.  Watch this video to learn more! 

Mixed Constructions

Mixed constructions occur when sentence parts don’t logically fit together (Langan & Goldstein, 2011, p. 201).  They can be corrected by either turning the first part of the sentence into a subject or turning the second part of the sentence into a complete thought.

Examples:

Mixed: By running four times a week helped me get ready for the marathon.

Fixed: Running four times a week helped me get ready for the marathon.

Mixed: Just because you did your chores does not automatically give you permission to play with your friends.

Fixed: Just because you did your chores, you do not automatically get permission to play with your friends.

These groups of words lead to mixed constructions:

• is when

• is where

• reason is because

Because is and other “being” verbs are linking verbs, they must be followed by a noun not words like where, when, and because (Langan & Goldstein, 2011, p. 201).

Teaching Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6YdPMt6EV0

This video begins by reviewing basic sentence structure.  Lots of examples and color coding are provided to make concepts clearer.  Mixed constructions are introduced around the three minute mark.  The speaker talks very clearly and slowly.  This video would be most appropriate middle or high school students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97FrhfiPHLk

Walden University’s writing center produced this video.  It is short, but provides many examples.  It would be most appropriate for high school age students or even college students.

http://www.srjcwritingcenter.com/clearsentcs/mixedcnst/mixedcnst.html

At this link, you’ll find a self-paced interactive lesson students can complete independently.  Again, the target audience is a bit older, as the lesson was created by a college writing center.

"Documented"

Watch this trailer for the film "Documented."  There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in America.  Simply powerful. 

Homonyms

This simple video introduces the concept of homonyms via song.  Each group of homonyms is discussed using both words, pictures, and definitions, making this video especially helpful for ELLs. 

The Birth of a Word

In this video, MIT researcher Deb Roy gives a TED Talk on the influence of social environments on language acquisition.  Watch as Roy explains his research on the three years worth of audio and video he captured after bringing his son home from the hospital.  Powerful!  

Commas, Commas, Commas

Looking for a way to help you ELs master the use of the comma?

Check out these resources:

This video is a great review of general comma rules.  Key words are highlighted and concepts are paired with picture clues to support comprehension.  The video also covers common comma errors.  It would be most appropriate for middle school or high school students.

This video reviews using commas to separate items in a series.  The review is done via a silly song that elementary-age kids would enjoy.  The video would be especially helpful for ELLs because it utilizes a red arrow to really draw the viewer’s attention to the use and placement of each comma in the examples.

Using sentence strips and macaroni noodles as commas is another hands-on way to practice utilizing this punctuation mark!

Do you have any strategies to share?  Post them in the comments below.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement may be a difficult concept for ELLs to master because in some languages, the rules are reversed in English. For example, in Standard English one correctly says, "You need water." In Spanish, "Tu necesitas agua" means the same thing. (Notice the addition of the "s" on the verb.)

The video linked in this posting reviews the basics of subject-verb agreement.  It also includes some "tricky" subject-verb agreement scenarios.  The presenter speaks slowly, the audio is matched with text on the screen, and color coding is used to make the information easier to digest.  Additionally, a transcript of the video is provided in the comments, making it especially helpful for ELLs.

This article presents several instructional strategies for teaching subject-verb agreement.  This first activity outlined in the piece is my favorite because it incorporates movement.  Students are asked to describe a physical activity "in progress."

Do you have any suggestions for teaching subject-verb agreement?  Share them in the comments!

PREACH!

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BEEP! BEEP! Week 1: Look for the wagon! Busque el carro! Listen for the horn! Escucha el claxon!

Over the "BOOM!" of July fireworks, listen for the "BEEP! BEEP!" of Lemons Mill Elementary's book wagon! Teachers and staff at LME kicked the month off with an initiative to promote summer reading and family collaboration via the Beep! Beep! Program. Beep! Beep! brings books to students and their families in their very own neighborhoods. See my previous post for more information about the program. 

Hundreds of books and magazines were donated in just a few short weeks! A huge thanks goes out to LME's PTA for promoting Beep! Beep! on their Facebook page and through e-mail. We're so grateful to all the students, families, and teachers who provided books for Beep! Beep!

A week prior to the wagon's first visit, we put bilingual signage up in the community to explain the program to families. 

LME teachers, staff members, and their families volunteered to pull the wagons and honk the horns each Tuesday in July.  That means five weeks of BEEP! BEEP!

The kids loved meeting their new teachers and picking their books!

After just a few minutes in the neighborhood, word about Beep! Beep! spread like wildfire. Kids ran to their friends' houses and told them to come outside to check us out. A few kiddos eagerly chased the wagon down the street like an ice cream truck! They made their selections and some even began reading immediately. Mission accomplished!

One of my favorite moments was watching a third grade girl carefully choose a bilingual book for her mother to read to her baby sister. Having books available in both Spanish and English provided options for parents to read to their children in their native language.

We enjoyed meeting our new students and their families. Getting to know them in their community is the first step towards encouraging authentic collaboration between home and school. Although summer reading is major goal of the program, ultimately, we're looking to build the partnerships with families we'll rely so heavily on in the upcoming school year.

Overall, I'd declare week one a huge success! I'm looking forward to seeing the kids we met last week again and meeting some new ones, too!

Beep! Beep!

Freebie! Spanish/English Classroom Labels

Looking for a quick way to make your classroom environment more culturally responsive?  I created these Spanish/English labels to help reinforce common Spanish and English school-related vocabulary words. Enjoy!

Building Relationships through Beep! Beep!

Looking for a way to promote family literacy while building connections between home and school this summer? Consider participating in the Beep! Beep! Program. At the most basic level, Beep! Beep! brings books to students and their families in their very own neighborhoods. On a weekly basis, teachers and staff volunteer to pull a wagon filled with books through the community. A horn affixed to the wagon—hence the “Beep!  Beep!”—alerts families of the wagon’s presence, much like an ice cream truck playing music. Students and their families borrow books from the wagon to be returned the following week. Not only does Beep! Beep! encourage reading, it also builds community. 

Interested in starting Beep! Beep! at your school?  Follow these steps:

1. Collect books and magazines. Request donations from the PTA, the local library, churches, doctors’ offices, etc. Purchase books in the native languages of the population your school serves. Bilingual books are also great! Include a variety of genres and reading levels—remember Beep! Beep! is for the ENTIRE family.

2.   Find a wagon and bicycle horn. Chances are, someone at school already owns these items.

3.   Schedule staff members to pull the wagon each week. Make sure everyone wears shirts with the school mascot or name. The program will be more effective if the wagon visits neighborhoods at the same day and time each week.

4.   Advertise the event. Create bilingual signage to post in local shops and community spaces.

5.   Consider using incentives to encourage families to return the books and/or participate each week. Ask local restaurants to donate coupons for free meals.

6.   If necessary, request an interpreter to tag along each week. It’s hard to build relationships if language barriers are present, so do what you can to overcome those obstacles! If an interpreter is not available, make sure you have information about the program printed and translated for families.

Overall, Beep! Beep! is a great way for schools to create connections with families over the summer. By getting to know your students in their neighborhoods, your instruction will become more culturally responsive. 

Country & Culture Clips

Have ELLs in your class?  Learning more about their cultures and languages will increase your effectiveness and help you build better relationships.  Check out these brief videos on different countries from around the world.  

First Lady of Facebook Talks Bilingualism, Education, and Hoodies with Today

In this exclusive interview, Priscilla Chan--Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's wife--discusses life as the child of immigrant parents and how she and her husband are using their fortune to help students like her succeed.

Immigrate or Emigrate?

If you find yourself mixing up "immigrate" and "emigrate," use this handy cheat sheet! 

Guatemala

Want to learn more about Guatemalan Culture and Educational Implications for Culturally Responsive Instruction in the United States?  

Friday Funny--Get Out Your Red Pen

See Representative Mark Takano hilarious red-pen reaction to a GOP member's memo regarding immigration. 

Comparing Cultures

Use this tool to compare and analyze the driving factors of cultures around the world!  

Translator...Interpreter...What's the difference?

While the terms translator and interpreter are often used interchangeably, they don't mean the same thing!  Spend a day in the life of an interpreter to see just how mentally taxing it can be.  

Teachers may find themselves relying on bilingual children to interpret during conversations with monolingual family members.  Unfortunately, children often lack the vocabulary and skill necessary to perform this feat, and, at times, it can cause stress and anxiety.  Here's one woman's take on serving as a child interpreter. 

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Language is merely part of communication.  Complex nonverbal interactions--including gestures--add meaning to spoken words.  In this video, several common Haitian Creole gestures are explained. 

Language Objectives

Considering language objectives when designing instruction provides ELLs the opportunity to practice specific skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing while learning core content in ELA, math, social studies and science.

3rd grade Science, States of Matter
Content Area Standard	Content Objective	Language Objective
California:Students know that matter has three forms: solid, liquid, and gas.	Students will be able to distinguish between liquids, solids, and gases and provide an example of each.	Students will be able to orally describe characteristics of liquids, solids, and gases to a partner.