Equitable Access for English Learners, Grades K-6. Mary Soto

      Figure 1.6 Cultural Mandala

      Put students in groups of three or four. Give them a mandala template as shown in Figure 1.6. Ask students to draw a picture of one or more objects or celebrations that represent their family and culture in one of the outer sections. Encourage them to use their first languages in their labels and descriptions. Then, in the inner section, have students draw the celebrations or objects they have in common. Each group shares their mandala, and mandalas remain on display around the room.

      4. Languages We Speak Graph.

      In an activity much like the country and flag graph activity, ask students to raise their hands if they speak a language other than English. List the languages on the board. Graph the responses on a large sheet of paper and post it in the room under the title “Languages We Speak.” Next to each of the languages, ask students to write greetings or words representing cultural celebrations in their home languages.

      5. Languages We Read and Write Corner.

      Ask students if they read and/or write another language. For students who do read and/or write another language, ask them to bring from home a book and/or a sample of something written in the language. Place these objects in a corner of the room and ask students to tell about what they brought. Leave these in the room for a period of time so that other students can look at them and talk together about them.

      Understanding Language Proficiency

      Once you have determined where students in your classroom come from and whether they speak, read, and/or write a language other than English, you should also consider their language proficiency in English. While you may be aware of most newcomers, you might not be aware of how well those students and other emergent bilinguals in your class understand, read, write, or speak English. We suggest familiarizing yourself with the levels of English language proficiency (or English Language Development) used in your state/district/school (see Figures 1.7 and 1.8).

      The table below lists adaptations of English language proficiency categories from the TESOL International Organization (formerly the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), California’s English Language Development Standards, Engage New York’s EL and Native Language Speakers language progressions, the Texas English Language Proficiency Levels, and the WIDA (World-class Instructional Design and Assessment) language proficiency level descriptors. Complete descriptions of the categories appear on the websites of each of these organizations.

      Figure 1.7 English Language Proficiency Categories and Descriptions

      Compare/Contrast Matrix

      Find out how the proficiency levels of students in your school are determined. Then, working in small groups, complete the compare/contrast chart below:

      Figure 1.8 Compare/Contrast Matrix

       Standards based skills: compare and contrast, formulate opinions, analyze, evaluate

       Classroom activities for a compare/contrast matrix:1. This activity works well for comparing/contrasting two stories, characters, settings, historical events, or content concepts, such as climates, habitats, plants, animals, and so on.

      Assessing Students’ English Language Proficiency

      Teachers should be aware of their English learners’ English language proficiency as they prepare lessons and teach. In order to plan, they should have some idea of the types of support students will need and what students can be expected to do at the different levels. Different states (and sometimes districts) offer specific ideas for how to support English learners at various proficiency levels. Schools may also assess English learners’ proficiency in their home language using a scale similar to the ones above. If your school or district assesses students’ home language proficiency, collect that assessment data for your English learners. This book provides scaffolding activities for English learners; however, keep in mind that, for beginning or emerging English learners, extra supports may also be necessary. In addition, it is important to be aware that some students may have suffered trauma through displacement, violence, and discrimination. These factors also may influence students’ language development.

      I-Search Project

      Following the I-Search process of inquiry, search online to find out how your state or district determines language proficiency levels. Next, look at the suggestions provided for supporting English learners at those different levels. As you conduct this inquiry, answer the following I-Search questions:

      1 What do I want to know about how to meet the needs of my ELs who are at different levels of English language proficiency?

      2 What answers was I able to find in my search?

      3 How can I record and use this information?

      4 How can I share this information with others?

      5 What did I learn about my students and about doing this kind of research?

      6 What do I plan to do to differentiate instruction for ELs at different proficiency levels?

      Like other strategies we suggest that you do, I-Search is an especially helpful strategy to use with students at more advanced levels of English proficiency.

       Standards based skills: do research, use evidence to support ideas, create, summarize, explain

       Classroom activities for an I-Search:1. This activity can be used for any topic students are studying. Students could be given the first five questions and changing the first and fifth questions to reflect the research topic: What do I want to know about …? What did I learn about …?

      On Demand Writing Sample to Determine English Proficiency

      Choose

Скачать книгу