Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - April 10, 2017
Three Ways to Get English Learners Collaborating and Communicating
Communication and collaboration are among the top skills identified to be successful in the 21st Century; for English learners, these skills can be quite intimidating in the classroom. Academic language must be supported and scaffolded to help not just English learners but ALL learners in the classroom. The SIOP Model provides many different techniques to get English learners engaged in these skills. Below are my go-to techniques to get English learners collaborating and communicating in my classroom.
1. Inside Outside Circle:
What it is: For this teaching technique, the class is divided in half; the first half forms an inside circle, and the second half forms an outside circle around them. Each student pairs with the person across from him or her in the opposing circle. After students respond to a question prompt from the teacher, the inside circle or outside circle rotates to form new partners.
Why it’s effective: Speaking in pairs is less intimidating than speaking in front of the whole class. English learners have time to listen to their partner first, to hear an example if needed, and have a safe place to respond. After rotating, the English learner has two different responses to share with their next partner, and confidence has been built. This also is a safe place for students to work together and to work with many other students. By rotating pairs, all students see that working together with everyone is a class expectation. This not only helps students learn the content, but it also builds community in the classroom.
Variations: Teachers can use personal whiteboards for math problems; provide sentence stems to students to facilitate the use of academic language; or have students prepare questions to quiz one another with as a form of review. Teachers can also use this activity with vocabulary cards as a form of vocabulary review, or have students share prior knowledge on a subject before starting a new unit.
Webinar: The Power of Opinions and Debates in the Classroom
Date: April 18th, 2017
Time: 5:00pm CST
It’s not up for debate! Engaging students with opinions and debates are proven strategies for fostering interactions and improving speaking and listening skills. Join us Tuesday, April 18th, at 3pm PST/6pm EST and hear from leading academic language and literacy expert Dr. Jeff Zwiers about how you can implement this strategy in your classroom immediately.
Click here to reserve your spot!
During this insightful webinar, you will:
- See activities modeled that you can try with your students
- Learn how to provide supports your ELs will need
- Discuss how to teach active listening and complex language usage
Presented by Dr. Jeff Zwiers, Stanford University Understanding Language, and Alyssa Jean, Ellevation. Dr. Zwiers is a senior researcher at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and the director of professional development at Understanding Language/SCALE. Alyssa Jean is the instructional content manager at Ellevation. She is a former classroom teacher, ELL specialist, and instructional coach focused on language and literacy.
SIOP Spotlight: Right Away Questions
WHAT IS IT AND HOW CAN IT HELP?
Learn how to integrate technology tools to make Right Away Questions even easier and more engaging! Collaborative workspaces allow students to show their thinking by adding notes to a virtual chalkboard or wall. You can then organize the notes as you review student responses with the class.
Right Away Questions help students engage with your content from the moment they enter the classroom. Watch as SIOP® author Jana Echevarría explains how to use this activity to guide students’ practice with academic language in a math classroom.
This month's resource: Right Away Questions
Twenty-two Diverse Poetry Picture Books for National Poetry Month
by Charnaie Gordon
When choosing books to read with your kids, how often do you reach for poetry books? If you’re like me, not all that often. Which is why I recently set a goal to incorporate more poetry and nursery rhymes into our storytime routine. I have fond memories of enjoying Shel Silverstein’s classic poetry book Where the Sidewalk Ends during my childhood years. Can you believe that book is now 40 years old?
I love poetry because it’s so universal, unique, and accessible to kids. The compact, songlike nature of many poems can make learning language feel almost effortless to children. They don’t even realize how much they’re retaining by reciting a simple nursery rhyme or short poem. Reading poems aloud helps children to practice their volume, pitch, and voice inflection, among other things.
Poetry, like other forms of literature, can also be entertaining, beautiful, and meaningful. Kids are usually immediately drawn to the rhythm and rhyme of poetry. Much like diversity, poetry can provide a mirror for us to see ourselves, and a window into others’ experiences, to help us understand the lives and perspectives of different people.
Here are more than 20 diverse poetry picture books to explore with kids during National Poetry Month and beyond. Enjoy!
Team Member Spotlight
Steve Ramos, ELD teacher, McKinley Elementary
Where are you from? My father's family is from a town named Ramos, near Luquillo, Puerto Rico. The town was actually named after my family and not the other way around. I was born in New York, New York. I have lived in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and Miami metropolitan areas as well. Currently, I live in Claremore.
What has been your favorite family vacation so far? Any time I can spend with extended family is the best.
Little known fact about me: I have a 1" diameter lump on my head that I've had since birth. It's squishy.
What makes you laugh the most? My four year old, Josiah.
What book are you reading right now? Is it cheating to say "99 Ideas and Activities for Teaching English Learners with the SIOP model?" :p
LCS Summer Summit 2017: Call for Proposals
Call for Proposals – LCS Summer Summit 2017
From: Rachel Pogue, coordinator of English language development
Owner: All staff
Attachments: Language & Cultural Services Summer Summit 2017 Proposal Form
Tulsa Public Schools is hosting its annual Language & Cultural Services (LCS) Summer Summit, formerly known as the ELD Summer Summit, on Wednesday and Thursday, August 2-3, 2017. The LCS Summer Summit celebrates the linguistic and cultural diversity that exists not only within our district, but also across the state of Oklahoma. Proposals may focus on cultural competence, language development, effectively engaging community resources, best classroom practices for English Learners (ELs), or any variety of topics that support the educational achievement of ELs. Submit your proposal(s) here.
Proposal Guidelines:
- Proposals must be submitted no later than Friday, June 2, 2017.
- These 75-minute sessions will take place on Wednesday, August 2 and Thursday, August 3, 2017.
- Presenters will be notified by Friday, June 23rd via email whether or not their presentation has been accepted.
- TPS teachers presenting at the Summit will be compensated at the rate of $26 per presentation hour.
For questions, please email eldsummersummit@gmail.com
ELD Virtual Department Meetings for March
Elementary ELD Virtual Department Meeting
Tulsa Public Schools Immigration Frequently Asked Questions
Missed a Department Meeting?
Elementary ELD Department Meetings
Language & Cultural Services Events
Week of April 10:
April 10, 2:30pm - Interpreter Skill Building (Edivate)
April 12, 4:00pm - Spanish for Educators (Edivate)
April 13, 3:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Elementary)
April 13, 4:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Secondary)
Week of April 17:
April 18, 3:45pm - ESL Certification Test Study Group (Elementary)
April 18, 4:45pm - ESL Certificationi Test Study Group (Secondary)
April 18, 4:00pm - Dual Language PLC (Pre-K - 1st Grade)
April 20, 4:00pm - Dual Language PLC (2nd - 5th Grade)
April 22, 9:00am - Immigration FAQs for Educators
All events are listed in MyLearningPlan unless otherwise noted. Please pre-register and verify session location in MLP.
Check out the Language & Cultural Services events calendar for future events.
LCS Bulletins for SY 2016-2017
April 3, 2017 March 27, 2017 March 20, 2017 March 6, 2017 February 27, 2017 February 13, 2017 February 6, 2017 January 30, 2017 January 23, 2017 January 16, 2017 January 9, 2017 December 12, 2016 November 28, 2016 November 21, 2016 November 14, 2016 November 7, 2016 October 31, 2016 October 24, 2016 October 17, 2016 October 10, 2016 October 3, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 19, 2016 September 12, 2016 September 4, 2016