Personal Reflection on My Journey

          The coursework that I have taken so far has been very helpful in preparing me for teaching ELLs.  What I have found most beneficial in Methods 6030 is the CALLA focus.  I saw this approach modeled during my Fieldwork class.  I was also able to see a lot of the strategies and methods in action, which bring to life the material I have studied.  Because I am not a full time teacher and could not go from learning the techniques to implementing them directly into my own class, the fieldwork class was a vital part of my education in ESL.  It was also such a joy to work with LEP kindergarten ELLs.  It gave me a sense for the importance of building on previous learning and focusing on the background information.  The pictures and realia are so necessary during these areas of instruction because many times kindergarteners have not been exposed to experiences that they need to comprehend the lesson.  Many times the experiences need to be created for them in the classroom.  I have also thoroughly enjoyed writing kindergarten ESL lessons this semester.  Since my experience has been mostly in secondary education before this, I have had fun with elementary materials and ideas for promoting literacy.    

            I still have two classes to take this spring before I can take the Praxis test, Language and Linguistics in ESL and Assessment for ESL.  I am looking forward to these classes and can’t wait to see them modeled in the kindergarten classroom.  I have enjoyed my fieldwork class so much that I plan to continue helping during the spring.  I would recommend this program to anyone desiring an add-on endorsement.  My one piece of advice if you are not currently a classroom teacher would be to make time to consistently help or observe in an ESL classroom so that the concepts you learn become real.  Just like many ELLs, we learn through experience!!         

              

Literature Circles

The implementation of the literacy circles went well.  The kindergarten students that were in my group enjoyed discussing the literature because it was about food.  The literary element at my circle was discussing the main idea of A Monster Sandwich and the practice was to make a real sandwich that they ate afterwards.  It was a little difficult to get kindergarteners to discuss the main idea.  They wanted to point out each individual food item that goes on the sandwich and sometimes missed the main idea which was to make a sandwich.  However, they had a lot of practice saying the vocabulary words (e.g. pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, meat, bread, etc.) as we discussed which items they were putting on their sandwich.  By modifying the literacy circles a little to make shorter literacy centers for kindergarteners, students were able to practice many literacy skills while staying engaged in the activity.  At this age it is difficult to have students “lead” a group, but they certainly can actively participate and many of them were very vocal about the items they did and did not like on their sandwiches.  In these ways the Literature Circle Technique is very appropriate for the kindergarten students. 

            The one thing I would change about the centers is the pictures used to demonstrate various types of sandwiches at the Illustrate center.  I had pictures of peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and banana, and turkey sandwiches.  The students discussed these with the teacher at that center first, then drew a picture of themselves eating a sandwich and wrote a sentence describing the type of sandwich they like. Many of them were confused because the types of sandwiches discussed were not all the same kinds they had to choose from for their sentence.   I would change this and show pictures of only the three types of sandwiches they could write in their sentence (ham, turkey, or cheese).

            The suggestions I have for other ESL professionals concerning implementing literacy circles is to modify the idea to fit the level and grade of your students.  For instance, it may not be necessary to label each circle with a job, like illustrator or story element.  The younger students wouldn’t know what the words mean and as long as they are learning a literary element, it is not crucial for the circle to have a complicated term attached to it that might confuse them. These terms can be introduced to older, more advanced students who may be able to lead a circle with practice in each of these roles.

            This is a side note for an idea to use in a literacy circle.  I saw this idea today which is why I didn’t use it in my centers.  It is a variation on “Go Fish” but with sentences or vocabulary words.  Use small strips with short sentences or words written on them instead of number cards.   

Reflective Fieldnote Blog Entry #4

     My overall impression of this observation is favorable.  It was a good way to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of a student who could otherwise “fly under the radar” because he is quiet.  In fact, the first several times I helped in class I don’t remember interacting with him at all.  Through the fieldwork I learned about how he interacts with others (teachers and students), and I suggested some ways that would help him become a more proactive student.  I also learned about his family life and how the importance of family shapes him. 

     The value of case study research and analysis in the classroom is the opportunity it gives the teacher to focus on one student. The teacher can more clearly see problems, triggers for disruptive or disturbing behaviors, patterns of behaviors (good or bad), or any aspect of the student that is preventing his/her learning.  This is so important because these intricacies of student behavior are not always evident when a teacher is up in front of a class teaching.  The ethnographic narrative is valuable because the teacher is able to learn about the whole person, and not just the student in his/her class.  Once an understanding of students’ family lives, hardships, cultural backgrounds, etc. is gained, the teacher is more likely to see the reasons for difficulties in school (ie. what may be thought of as laziness, could actually be explained as exhaustion from having to run a household and work after school). 

     The information from the case study and ethnographic narrative can assist future teachers and me in realizing that the student I interviewed is more quiet than some of the other students, and his family, especially his older brothers, are very important to him.  I am able to bring to his attention that he should try to raise his hand more often if he knows the answer so that he can be more engaged with the rest of the class in large group activities.  I can also vary the places he sits in large group activities so that he won’t go unnoticed. By doing family- focused activities often, he will have the opportunity to talk and write about his family.  This research allows the teacher to differentiate and personalize instruction to better meet ELL needs.

Reflective Fieldnote Blog Entry #3

Section #1 / Thoughts about action research – in general – as a tool to improve practice.

This project is really what teachers do every day without documentation.  We see what works and what doesn’t based on a variety of formal and informal data (ie. student activities, assessments, projects, interactions, etc.) and then adjust as needed.  Obviously that is an oversimplified way to describe it, but I think the action research project is a way to document exactly what you are doing or need to do and why.  It is also a good tool to use for the problems that, no matter what you try, don’t seem to have an easy fix.  A systematic, unbiased approach, such as action research, can expose areas in need of improvement and provoke thoughts on ways to improve, as well as give prompting for action necessary.

Section #2 / Ideas generated as a result of your project.

In my action research project I discovered that, because my area of endorsement is currently secondary education, I needed to become familiar with ways to encourage fluency in pre-reading/writing Kindergarten classes.  I have a “feel” for what might work, but after talking with my mentor teacher, I was equipped with several great writing activities that helped students connect to the lesson.  The first is a “four square” writing and drawing activity, in which students fold a paper into four squares and use the first square to write a specified letter that we practiced.  They would then draw pictures that started with that letter in the other three squares. The next activity is a “fill in the blank” sentence task using picture/word cards for the blanks.

 I found that when the students had enough time to share what they drew or wrote, they were generally excited to share, gained verbal practice in English, and proved that they connected to the lesson through their writing.  I learned that sharing at the end of their group time together was crucial in determining whether or not the students connected the written language to the spoken words they used.  Many times, however, this sharing time gets cut short or cut out altogether because of time constraints. 

Section #3 / Suggestions to other ESL professionals based on your findings.
       
         I suggest setting aside time for “share time” in collaborative Kindergarten groups because it is such an integral part of students learning to read and write.  Students are excited to show off their work to their classmates, and ELLs especially need to practice reading what they have written out loud.  In this way they are using all four language domains in the lesson (read, write, speak, and listen).  Making writing connections to the lesson/story and sharing this practice work, also gives students a purpose in doing the activity.  Tapping into students’ interests, giving them a purpose for their writing, and allowing students to share their work out loud can make for a very successful lesson.             

Observation, Problem Identification, and Reflective Fieldnote Blog Entry #2

Section #1 – Teaching Issues

            At the beginning, during carpet time, the teacher talked to the students about hat day (Spirit week at school).  She asked them where they wear their hats.  Do they wear them on their toes, finger, etc.?  She was reviewing body parts and pointing to each one.  Then she read the book From Head to Toe by Eric Carle.  While she read it in small group the students did some of the movements that the animals did in the book but not all of them.  She asked for volunteers to raise their hand if they recognized the animal.  After she read the story, she went back through and she pronounced the animal name, then the students pronounced it.  While she prepared the next activity at the desks, the other teacher did Total Physical Response with the students while reading the story.  The students all found their own place in the room, and they repeated the words she read and did all of the actions the animals did. 

            Next students worked on a Humpty Dumpty puzzle at their seats, gluing it together and coloring it.  This was an individual activity with teacher help when needed. 

            Last, the students reviewed instruments and watched a video about a hippopotamus who played an instrument.  They were told by the teacher to identify the character in the video and the instruments they saw.   

            There was very little student-to-student interaction during the class, and this may be due to the age (Kindergarten) and the pattern of off-task behavior of a few students.  However, the students were prompted to speak English, just not to each other. The other concern is that this group did not write anything for the lesson.  I overheard the teachers talking and wondering how they would work writing into the lesson and the difficulty with this task because of the proficiency level of the students and their ages.

Section #2 – Second Language Acquisition

            Using hats at the beginning to demonstrate what a hat is and where it is worn helped students see and experience this word and its function.  From Head to Toe was a good book for students to review body parts and names of animals because of the pictures of animals and movements they were doing.  It also depicted a human boy doing the movements and then exclaiming “I can do it too!” (Carle, 1997).  The TPR also promoted these skills by involving kinesthetic movement, while repeating and speaking the words for their actions.   The interaction was mainly with the teachers during the class.  The teacher to students ration was 2:14, which helped keep the students on-task and focused on English most of the time.  There were a few students interacting with each other during the puzzle activity, and I noticed they were speaking Spanish to each other, however I am not sure if they were helping each other with the activity or not.  The video was a good way to end the lesson by bringing the students back to the carpet and orally reviewing instruments using visual pictures.

Section #3 – Ethnographic Perspective

            I need to gain an understanding of the reading and writing capabilities of this group of Kindergarteners so that they will be able to use all four areas of language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.  I have observed them speak and listen in this lesson.  Because most of the students are not reading yet, I need to find the best way/strategies to work in reading and writing.  I also need to find out how they will react to interactive group or paired work.  There is the possibility that the students (who are mostly Spanish-speaking) will revert back to Spanish to interact and communicate, as I observed during the puzzle activity.  This would make constant monitoring necessary so that they will also communicate in English.

            The culture of England was present in the lesson of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme puzzle, and the teacher had the students change the words of the first version (after saying it the right way) to “…all the boys and girls could put Humpty together again!” so they would understand why they were putting together a puzzle of Humpty Dumpty.     

Reference

Carle, Eric. (1997).  From Head to Toe.  New York:  HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

SPSE 6712 Blog Entry #1 Based on Classroom Observation

Brief Sequence of Events Observed

            The instruction during this 1^st grade carpet time was fast-paced.  Carpet time was spent reviewing purposes for learning English, singing songs chorally, breaking new words apart into sounds, reviewing vowels, and learning the short “i” sound.  Next, there was practice time with centers for writing, reading, and computer.  During center time, students were grouped by proficiency level.  The classroom teacher facilitated the reading center, and the reading specialist facilitated the writing center.  The computer center was an independent activity.

Elaboration on Details for an Event

            The reading center was a group of 4 students.  The teacher tells the students that today they will read a story about a pig.  Parts of the story are introduced (ie. Contents, title, page #s, etc.).  The students are instructed to point to the title and repeat “Pig in a Wig.”  A preview of the story is done by predicting what the story will be about from the first picture.  Connections are made to students’ lives by asking “Do you have a dog?” (There is a picture of a dog on the first page).  As students read they are encouraged to use their finger to follow the words and break words apart that are difficult to read.  Comprehension questions are asked and difficult words are defined and discussed frequently.  The teacher says, “Ready, read” at each page.  The “ready” position with finger on a word and hand on the table is clearly reviewed at the beginning.    To wrap up the reading session, students are asked to find their favorite page and describe what is happening to the teacher and group.

 Focused Observation Guide    

Teaching

            The purpose of the lesson was to introduce students to the short “i” sound and practice saying short “i” sounds by speaking, listening to computer generated sounds, writing sentences, and reading a story aloud.  The lesson was structured by working as a large group on new sounds and breaking apart words, then in teacher led small groups practice.  The writing center provided sentence strips as a scaffold to help students write sentences.  They added a vocabulary word (on a 3 by 5 card) to the sentence strip, and then wrote the created sentence on a separate sheet of paper.  To finish the activity, the students read their sentences to the reading specialist.  Focused reading skills were reviewed and practiced with students in the reading center.  The subject matter “animals” was very appropriate for the 1^st graders.  The students responded to the teacher by following her instruction, but they were very distracted if given any down time, so the tempo of the class was very quick. 

Community

            All of the students spoke Spanish as their native language which gave them a sense of community.  They all seemed to be very comfortable with each other.  The boys especially were comfortable enough to become a distraction to the rest of the class if given the chance.  Students are required to be LEP or beginners in learning English to become a member of the class.  Their literacy level is below that of their English-speaking peers because their native language is not English, and therefore, extra intervention is required with different explanations, techniques, materials, and scaffolds to ensure comprehension and comprehensible instruction and practice in all subjects.

Ethnographic Perspective

            There were whole and small group interactions and instruction, discipline/encouragement interaction, and student to student interaction.  The teachers interacted with the students in formal instruction, discipline, and process instruction.  They also incorporated social language into the procedures of the class, while keeping the academic language the focus.  Informal interactions were seen between students when they were off task and when they were helping each other figure out an activity or step.  An observer walking into this class would see very active students who like to play and interact and the teachers striving for a more orderly, focused atmosphere where learning and retention of the English language will take place.  A second language learner would see the encouragement given to students when they exhibit appropriate behavior and participation in activities.  The ELL would also see a welcoming classroom with decorations celebrating cultural differences and teachers ready to help the students learn English and succeed in school and life.

Analysis

            From this observation, I have learned that a class that has a majority of 1^st grade boys is very active and at times can be difficult to manage while keeping the goal of effectively teaching English.  I would like to learn more about how to harness that energy for learning while still keeping the classroom a positive and accepting place, as the teacher that I observed has done.  My immediate response is to give the students more cooperative learning time, but that could also fuel the student energy in a direction other than English practice, especially at this young age when social skills are still being developed. 

            This experience was so relevant to my situation because I was able to see many of the strategies that I have been reading about (ie. scaffolds, guided reading, etc.) in action.  It has also been helpful to see how another ESL teacher structures her class.       

Introduction for SPSE 6712

I am currently a substitute teacher seeking ESL certification.  I have taught English for four years, and I am looking forward to helping ELLs succeed in the English language.  I also have a minor in Spanish, so I understand some of the difficulties in becoming fluent.  This field journal will help me keep track of the students that I work with and interview in the classroom during my fieldwork for this class.   

Reflecting on YOED 6020

     Because I am a substitute teacher right now for grades Pre-K through 8 and have experience teaching English and Spanish in grades 7 through 11, I haven’t had a grade focus while taking this class.  However, I found myself gravitating toward younger grades in my assignments for several reasons.  First, I already own a lot of children’s literature because my own children are elementary age.  Second, it is enjoyable to make assignments for elementary age children because scaffolds, such as realia for vocabulary practice, are more readily available.  Finally, I am a little perplexed about choosing literature for beginner/LEP middle and high school students, especially considering the wide range of language proficiencies present in a class.  Is it acceptable to read children’s literature in a middle school class to the LEP students so they are not overwhelmed by the language level of some authors, such as George Orwell or Edgar Allen Poe?  I know even at these ages, the poetry of Shell Silverstein is still interesting, since I read one of his poems to an eighth grade class  this spring.  However, I think too much of the younger material would bore these older students.  It seems that it would be necessary to differentiate and separate the materials used for the LEP student at the 7-12 grades. 

                I have enjoyed the methods and strategies presented in this class, and my only complaint is that, because I am a substitute teacher, I don’t have a regular class with which to practice.  Most times the substitute plans are already made with little room for modifications.  However, this last spring, I facilitated a K –W – L chart activity called “Walk the Room.”  The students enjoy the diversion from seatwork and the ELLs got involved as well.  We also did a version of Reader’s Theater using myths and legends, however, the students were not limited to acting out the story.  They had the option to make a song, poem, dramatic retelling, etc.  The ELLs were in groups with native speakers and were required to be involved and take part in the presentation as well.  The students enjoyed the activity and many of them showed some great talent!  It was a good chance for interaction and to practice reading and speaking for ELLs.  While these interactive lessons, such as Reader’s Theater, Inside-Outside Circle, Cooperative projects, etc., are my favorite type of lesson, close monitoring is necessary because there is more opportunity for off-task behavior.  I think providing a mix of structured activities, such as choral reading and the cloze procedure, with these group activities is ideal.  Having a mix of activities also holds student’s interest. 

               Another one of my favorite types of instruction is the thematic unit. I think I enjoy it so much because it fits my learning style as well.  For example, I tend to absorb history more readily while learning background information for a historical novel that I am reading, rather than reading about history solely out of a text book.  Thematic units, unfortunately, are not used as much in the higher grades because the content areas are separated, however, I think it is a valuable way to engage the ELL's interest, while also promoting literacy.

                This class has reinforced what I knew from teaching English:  it is important to combine reading, writing, and oral language to develop literacy.  Discussions and activities are tied to quality pieces of literature, ELLs experience growth through the writing process, and meaningful academic and interpersonal (BICS and CALPS) interaction between the teacher and students is plentiful.   It is my goal to create a classroom rich in all forms of language to ensure ELLs have every opportunity to successfully acquire English in a low stress and fun environment.

Factors for Evaluating ESL Reading Materials and Favorite Literacy Teaching Strategy

Important factors for selecting and evaluating reading materials for ESL are the following:  interesting depictions and topics, appropriateness for the grade and language proficiency level plus a little beyond, material that can accomplish many objectives at once, generation of higher level thinking discussion, and metacognitive skills and BICS and CALPS supported.

Choosing reading material that has engaging pictures and is interesting and relevant to students is so important because students who are interested will be more apt to interact with the material through reading, writing, discussing, acting out, paired and group work, art, etc.  One way to do this is to make sure that the material can be connected in some way to ELLs’ previous experiences.   By doing this a teacher can build background knowledge starting with something familiar to the student.    

By ensuring that materials are a little beyond the ELL’s proficiency level, or in the zone of proximal development, opportunities for language growth and small challenges can be built in, while still keeping the material at the appropriate level so students experience as little frustration as possible.  This will also serve to sustain student interest because the ELL will experience success which can motivate learning. 

It is important to incorporate other subjects in reading materials for language instruction because of the many objectives that must be accomplished.  It can also make the reading material interesting.  For instance, a narrative story about the experiences of a Walrus calf preparing to join an adult herd can bring facts in a textbook to life.  By using cross curricular materials, CALP is supported within the text of an interesting story, and BICS is supported when the ELLs discuss and work together on projects to promote literacy and oral language use.

Higher level thinking discussion is a worthy goal for any lesson, however, an ELL has to first comprehend the basic vocabulary and text.  Once this is accomplished, a carefully selected text can encourage discussions using comparison/contrast, predictions, inferences, judgments, and conclusions.

Materials that encourage the use of metacognitive tools and BICS and CALPS are valuable and important factors to consider.  Pictures that clearly portray the action or plot of a story, background information, and vocabulary that builds oral communication and academic language should be present in a quality piece of literature to scaffold the ELL in comprehension and higher level thinking. 

All of these factors described are also ways to promote literacy in ELLs.  In addition, literacy is supported by quality paired and cooperative group projects.  The projects need to incorporate interaction, oral language, vocabulary practice, reading, and writing.  One of my favorite methods from this class is Reader’s Theater.  There is value in reading and re-reading text, as well as practicing a speaking part in a group to present a dramatic story.  This is also a fun and engaging activity, except for the very shy ELL or a newly arrived ELL who is experiencing the silent period.  One way to differentiate for a beginner is to place him/her with an experienced group that will assist the ELL in Reader’s Theater and assign him/her a level-appropriate job, such as holding pictures or pointing.  Another consideration for the teacher is delegation of roles within the group to ensure accountability.

There are many factors to consider when selecting materials and methods or strategies to promote literacy and oral language in ESL.  Ultimately, the material and strategies have to work with the students’ proficiencies, learning styles, and personalities to create a low-stress language learning environment.                     

Teaching ESL

     I have had an interest in language and how we learn language since my experience in high school and college with Spanish.  I love learning Spanish words and how they are pronounced, verb conjugations,  basic conversational sentences, etc.  My minor was Spanish, but I was never able to achieve fluency.  I think the reason is that I was never able to be immersed in the language for an extended period of time. 
     Because of my love of languages and kids, and a personal understanding of the difficulties in learning a second language, it seems like a natural fit for me to help students successfully acquire English.  I have never been in the same situation as many immigrant students who do not know any English on the first day of school in an English-speaking class, but I can only imagine the feelings of paralyzing fear that those students  experience.  That is why I feel it is so important to provide a low stress, encouraging environment for these students, so that their experience in learning English is positive.  I want a classroom that promotes interaction and cooperative learning, even if, for some students, that means pointing and acting out at first.  I don't want students to be afraid to do what they need to do to communicate.  However, because I have a background in Spanish, I will hopefully be able to put most Spanish-speaking students at ease by speaking in short phrases in their own familiar language.
      I also think it is important to celebrate the ELL's culture by recognizing his/her important holidays.  In that way ELLs don't feel that they must abandon what is important to them.  They should not have to change who they are to learn English.  In the elementary school that I am a substitute, the Spanish program does a great job of encouraging the ELL to maintain and grow in his/her native language, as well as promoting an appreciation for the Spanish language and culture for English-speaking students. 
     Instead of focusing on differences that may be frightening, I prefer to have a celebration of culture and language to promote learning English.   

First Blog!

This is my first time blogging on anything.  I can't believe I created this!  I am a substitute teacher and currently working on my ESL certification.  I am excited to see how this blog works and how it will help me in education.