Crazy Artists

Crazy artists?  Some of you folks agree, but the others are artists.  For the nitty gritty you can read this article about the mental state of many artistic people.  Let's remember the important things in life-doing what you love no matter what people think!

TPR

Total Physical Response

I start each ELL lesson with a quick TPR activity and the students respond so well to it! For my newcomers, the commands are simple and I do the actions with them. Today, my newcomer group worked on commands such as:
-walk to the computer
-touch the mouse
-hop to the flag
-run (carefully!) to the door
-open the door
I also try to include commands that the students find silly such as "touch the ceiling," or "raise your nose." These catch them off guard and they realize they cannot do the action. 
For newcomers, these activities help them feel successful. If they are unsure of what to do, they simple watch me or a classmate. They have also picked up a good deal of vocabulary through these activities. 

For my higher level students, I often will link several commands together or use more detailed commands such as:
walk to the desk, choose a red pencil, hop to your seat and sit down

Also, TPR can be tied to other content. When working on adverbs, I gave the command to run slowly or color quickly. 

The link below is a great article about TPR and also has some great scripts for various TPR activities. I will definitely be adding it to my blog! 
http://www.springinstitute.org/Files/tpr4.pdf

I also found it interesting that Diaz-Rico and Weed (2010) suggested using TPR for reading. I never thought of doing that and it seems so obvious! Writing simple commands on the board and having students read and follow them helps to improve reading comprehension skills. TPR activities, whether used as a listening activity or a reading activity provide a great way to involve all students in a low anxiety environment. It is engaging and the students really seem to enjoy it.

Learning vocabulary is so important for ELLs, if they are ever to catch up with native speakers.  There are a variety of ways to improve the vocabulary skills of ELLs:

• Say the word clearly and show its spelling
• Provide a definition or examples
• Show or draw a picture
• Act it out, use gestures
• Give examples of the word in use
• Translate the word into L1
• Present the word through chants and songs.

This was all on page 79 of the Diaz-Rico and Weed book.

Keep speaking Spanish!

Keeping your original language is not always easy, but that heritage and culture will go far in your future.  Many immigrants come to America and then lose their first language.  Read more here to see why you should continue to speak your native language at home even when the pressure is on to speak English!

English is Easy? Think again!

So, you think English is easy?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.


2) The farm was used to produce produce.


3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 


4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.


7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.


 A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
  

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let’s face it, English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, 

nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English

muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France .

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find

that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig

is neither from Guinea nor is is a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t

groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t

the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?

One index, 2 indices? Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but

not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all

but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats 


vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the


English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally


insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a


recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and 


feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and

a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a

language in which your house can burn up as it burns down; you fill in a

form by filling it out; an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the

creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.

That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the

lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. – Why doesn’t ‘Buick’ rhyme with ‘quick’ ?

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this:

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other

two-letter word, and that is ‘UP’

It’s easy to understand UP meaning toward the sky or at the top of the


list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?


At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?


Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it


UP to the secretary to write UP a report?


We call UP our friends.


And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the

leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.

We lock UP the house, and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and

think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the

dictionary.

In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can

add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP

is used.

It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may

wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.

When the sun comes out we say it is clearingUP.

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn’t rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP,

for now my time is UP,

so……..it is time to shut UP!

Now it’s UP to you to decide what to do with this

Virtual Vincent van Gogh

Think about ELLs lives

This video helps us understand (and pulls on our heart strings) how our English language learners' lives may be so different from what we think.  Let's do something to help the future!

http://learning.snagfilms.com/film/immersion#comments

Into the Book

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers.  The focus is on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing.  If your student is having difficulty with any of these skills, this site can be a great way to enhance or further your lessons.

Larry Ferlazzo

English-Bilingual Exercises to help build connections between languages.
http://larryferlazzo.com/englishbil.html

Digital Storytelling

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/esl.html
Digital storytelling enhances the learning environment to make meaning from our experiences.  This site has several examples of ESL and language learning purposes for the classroom.

Classroom Blogging

Title: Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning?

Authors: Sawmiller, Alison

Source: Clearing House; 2010, Vol. 83 Issue 2, p44-48, 5p

Persistent link to this record (Permalink):

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Summary:     

The number of blogs worldwide is estimated at around 70 million, with 120,000 new blogs created every day (Sifry 2007). Educators may create them in order to connect with students’ interest in technology while making the learning extend beyond the classroom walls. This will increase the effectiveness of the whole process of learning and may make our students more curious about the world in which they live. Those who have been born during these times is referred to as a “digital native” and views technology as essential to learning, not a tool. The gap between their home and school experience is growing as far as the use of technology is concerned.

            Technology’s role in the classroom can either be learning from technology or learning with technology. An increased pressure is put on the teacher to effectively utilize technology to aid in learning, not just for the sake of using technology. The use of technology allows the student more autonomy in the direction of the learning. There is now so much information available to students, that schools must realize this and implement it accordingly. Being able to effectively communicate what you are learning is paramount to today’s student. By blogging students are organizing their thoughts and writing about their experiences in the classroom.

            Motivation to do one’s best is high with this mode of writing. As a student prepares for the blog, many factors come into play, one of which is the audience. When writing in the classroom, the audience is usually just the teacher. In a weblog the audience is the whole world. Student collaboration is high in a weblog and the differentiated instruction allows students to effectively aide one another’s progress. Those students who normally are quiet in the classroom can find their voice through the use of a blog. The actual implementation of weblogs needs to be considered carefully before beginning such a program.

Review:

Writing about a subject, even science, will increase the learning that takes place. It is through the critical process of analyzing our thoughts that real clarity comes to our minds about what we are learning. Science journals and lab reports written on paper are now being replaced with electronic media, like a weblog. The use of a weblog in the science classroom can aid in differentiated instruction, while making the connection between school work and a student’s interest in technology.

The author poses real reasons why the use of a weblog will be beneficial to learning in the classroom. My experience with online instruction at college has shown me that with a bit of help from tutorials I could learn just about anything for free. The interaction between students would be most effective in the classroom in person to establish the weblog. Once it is up and running, then interaction could take place more online. There are not any real examples of using science in this article, so it could be true of any subject.

In relation to the students doing a better job of organizing their thoughts before posting to the web, it may or may not be true. With the teacher’s guidance the students will be challenged to create better posts. This could be an aspect of the grade, that the teacher guides the student to increase the degree of verbal expressiveness, thus increasing writing skills. As far as the implementation of a weblog, there needs to be communication with parents, principal, and even other teachers to make sure it would have support. I agree the use of the Internet is increasing. It’s up to us as teachers to make sure we utilize it effectively.

Digital Jumpstarts for Academic Reading

Title: Jump-Starting Language and Schema for English-Language Learners: Teacher-Composed Digital Jumpstarts for Academic Reading.

Authors: Rance-Roney, Judith

Source: Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy; Feb2010, Vol. 53 Issue 5, p386-395, 10p

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Summary:

Digital storytelling technologies can enhance the academic literacy of English language learners (ELLs). The article deals with pre-service and in-service teachers who worked together to compose “digital jump-starts” to use as pre-reading contextualized learning tools. Instead of the traditional pre-reading activities designed to facilitate the English speaker’s understanding, these voice-overs will include images, video, and words which the ELL will encounter in the reading to take place.

The digital storytelling method will provide background information, develop schema, and preview vocabulary of the content to be covered. The software programs are readily available and once created the student can view it over and over. Using the technology of this method will increase the ELL’s opportunities to interact with the vocabulary in a nonthreatening atmosphere. In contrast to the traditional jump-start activities (ie. Graphic organizers, parallel reading of simpler texts, pre-reading self-questioning, and prediction questions) the problem lies in the classroom management of other students. The ELL can even take a DVD format home to view with their families. It can be uploaded to free-access websites such as YouTube.

For mastery of the English language, ELLs need multiple and multimodal exposures to correct meaning, context, and pronunciation. It could take eight to ten explicit word encounters for an ELL to fully master phonology and the depth of the meaning in order to feel confident enough to use it in classroom conversation. Through digital storytelling a visual context is provided to place the language in so it makes sense.

Review:

            The explanation of the process was described clearly for the production of a DJ (digital jump-start). The reasons for using them were given as multimodal exposure to the language using visuals. The student could even follow it up with creating one of his/her own to describe what was learned in the process (thus practicing the speaking of the language). There were several examples given which clearly identified the strengths of this method.

            To get the student to interact and relate to the experience is a major purpose of the DJ. In one example, the teacher used a biographical article of Cesar Chavez to connect to the reading of   The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child. In the process it was realized that not only did the DJ need to introduce academic language but also preview vocabulary words that would appear in both the article and the book (e.g. laborer, migrant, fields, organize, rights, boycott). Even such phrases as was raised, one of six children, and lacking basic necessities needed clarification. The superimposed vocabulary over certain images would increase the understanding.

            Several things were learned through the process of creating these DJs. In the beginning it took longer to make them, but as experience was gained the time decreased. This would be true for an implementation of any new technique or technology. Several tips for teachers making these are included, which are very useful. Not only did the teachers gain understanding of the material better, but viewing it from the perspective of a non-American helped them to present it in a little different light than if it was prepared only for English speakers who had grown up here. The author does comment on the future research of the effectiveness of the use of DJs is yet to be seen. It is for sure that this approach will enhance some learners’ understanding, so that makes it worth it.

Record of Student Performance

Record of student performance Week of:	Listening:	Speaking:	Reading:	Writing:
Current data will show what the student is doing
Goals:
Lesson implementation:
Was it effective? How do you know?

Resources for Multiple Intelligences

Resources for Multiple Intelligences

http://www.edutopia.org/node/6255#intrapersonal

http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz

http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-introduction

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-ten-key-lessons

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-free-resources-tools

Home Visit Questions

Home visit questions:

To effectively utilize a home visit for pre-assessment of the student’s prior classroom experiences, try to interact with as many of the family members as possible. Ask them to tell you what they expect out of a teacher. Have them write it in native language, then translate if necessary. Try to ask about the typical school day in home country, what kind of student s(he) was there, and the role of the teachers from home country. By taking your spouse or child, you will lower the affective filter by showing them that you are similar to them in many ways. They can see you as a normal person. Ask the student’s favorite subject or the one which the student found most simple. This will give you knowledge of comfort zones.

By finding out information about the student’s prior experiences, you will be able to build upon prior knowledge and skills. Also finding out the most difficult subject areas will allow you to target those and help that student find success. Another relevant area may be prior schooling in America.

A creative way to find time to have semi-structured conversations with the CLD family is to visit their place of work for a short “hello.” Going to markets or businesses run by a community of similar ethnic background to do business shows you are interested in getting closer to them. Asking them to help you understand their language better would be a good gesture. 

Technology Resources for ELLs

Check out these sites for further learning:

 ESL Technology Reviews

ESL Podcast- http://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html -English as a Second Language Podcast- The speakers here speak clearly and a bit slower than usual so as to aid the ESL student in understanding. Common daily encounters are discussed to help with everyday life for the English language learner.

Learn Out Loud- Podcasts on a variety of topics: http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Languages - Learn Out Loud- This site has a multitude of podcasts dealing with Arts and Entertainment, Self Development, Travel, Politics, etc. Teachers could use this resource to consult when dealing with a Japanese student, for example.

http://esl-materials.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_teach_reading_strategies - Suite 101- Teaching methods for motivating students through reading. This article is found on a website called Suite 101 which has related topics for deeper study. Time spent here seems to be of beneficial for any teacher, but especially the ESL teacher. There are class conversation starters, iPhone Apps for ESL students, and free ESL podcasts.

http://esltech.wordpress.com/ - ESL Technology crossroads will be found here. An “Unconference” to be held in Ohio is mentioned here which should prove beneficial for ESL teachers who want to incorporate technology in the teaching. This weblog deals with a variety of topics, but the resources page proved more useful, including the “Top 5 Technologies You Should Already Be Using.”

http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/esl/print.htm articles on teaching ELLs

Ideas for using technology with ELLs

Here's a podcast I created to give some ideas for using technology with English language learners.

Cultural adjustment

Cultural adjustments of families who move to America can be very difficult and the family must rely on family values to help them adjust.  Families all over the world have similarities and through this project I realized we are all faced with many cultural struggles in life.  We can help make our English language learners' lives easier by studying their homeland and cultural differences.

Websites for Parents and Educators

Colorin Colorado gives a wealth of information for parents and educators in English or Spanish
http://www.colorincolorado.org/

ReadWriteThink is backed by the International Reading Association and NCTE Standards to help teachers and parents with ideas to increase students' capabilities
http://www.readwritethink.org/

Audacity is a free, open-source software for recording and editing sounds. This can be used by teachers or parents to have students read and then listen to their voice.  Great tool!
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

TESOL Technology Standards for Language Teachers

GOAL 1
Language teachers acquire and maintain foundational knowledge and skills in technology for professional purposes.
Standard 1:  Language teachers demonstrate knowledge and skills in basic technological concepts and operational competence, meeting or exceeding TESOL technology standards for students in whatever situation in which they teach.
Standard 2:  Language teachers demonstrate an understanding of a wide range of technology supports for language learning and options for using them in a given setting.
Standard 3:  Language teachers actively strive to expand their skill and knowledge base to evaluate, adopt, and adapt emerging technologies throughout their careers.
Standard 4:  Language teachers use technology in socially and culturally appropriate, legal, and ethical ways.

GOAL 2
Language teachers integrate pedagogical knowledge and skills with technology to enhance language teaching and learning.
Standard 1:  Language teachers identify and evaluate technological resources and environments for suitability to their teaching context.
Standard 2:  Language teachers coherently integrate technology into their pedagogical approaches.
Standard 3:  Language teachers design and manage language learning activities and tasks using technology appropriately to meet curricular goals and objectives.
Standard 4:  Language teachers use relevant research findings to inform the planning of language learning activities and tasks that involve technology.


GOAL 3
Language teachers apply technology in record keeping, feedback, and assessment.
Standard 1:  Language teachers evaluate and implement relevant technology to aid in effective learner assessment.
Standard 2:  Language teachers use technological resources to collect and analyze information in order to enhance language instruction and learning.
Standard 3:  Language teachers evaluate the effectiveness of specific student uses of technology to enhance teaching and learning.


GOAL 4
Language teachers use technology to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency.
Standard 1:  Language teachers use communication technologies to maintain effective contact and collaboration with peers, students, administration, and other stakeholders.
Standard 2:  Language teachers regularly reflect on the intersection of professional practice and technological developments so that they can make informed decisions regarding the use of technology to support language learning and communication.
Standard 3:  Language teachers apply technology to improve efficiency in preparing for class, grading, and maintaining records.

Reference

Healey, D., Hanson-Smith, E., Hubbard, P., Loannou-Georgiou, Sophie., Kessler, G. & Ware, P., Inc. (2011) TESOL Technology Standards. TESOL, Inc.

TESOL Technology Standards for Language Learners

Goal 1: Language learners demonstrate foundational knowledge and skills in technology for a multilingual world.

 Goal 1 Standard 1: Language learners demonstrate basic operational skills in using various technology tools and internet browsers.

 Goal 1 Standard 2: Language learners are able to use available input and output devices.

 Goal 1 Standard 3: Language learners exercise appropriate caution when using online sources and when engaging in electronic communication.

 Goal 1 Standard 4: Language learners demonstrate basic competence as users of technology.

Goal 2: Language learners use technology in socially and culturally appropriate, legal, and ethical ways.

 Goal 2: Standard 1: Language Learners understand that communication conventions differ across cultures, communities, and contexts.

 Goal 2: Standard 2: Language Learners demonstrate respect for others in their use of private and public information.

Goal 3: Language Learners effectively use and critically evaluate technology-based tools as aids in the development of their language learning competence as part of formal instruction and for further learning.

 Goal 3: Standard 1: Language learners effectively use and evaluate available technology-based productivity tools.

 Goal 3: Standard 2: Language learners appropriately use and evaluate available technology-based language skill-building tools.

 Goal 3: Standard 3: Language learners appropriately use and evaluate available technology-based tools for communication and collaboration.

 Goal 3: Standard 4: Language learners use and evaluate available technology-based research tools appropriately.

 Goal 3: Standard 5: Language learners recognize the value of technology to support autonomy, lifelong learning, creativity, metacognition, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

Reference

Healey, D., Hanson-Smith, E., Hubbard, P., Loannou-Georgiou, Sophie., Kessler, G. & Ware, P., Inc. (2011) TESOL Technology Standards. TESOL, Inc.