English Language Development
January 2022
Welcome Back!
Dear students and families,
Your English Language Development Team (ELD) would like to welcome you back to school! We hope your break was restful and that 2022 will be a Happy and Healthy New Year!
The purpose of this newsletter is to provide you with the upcoming dates, home-school connection activities, resources, and any other important information. Please be on the lookout for quarterly newsletters from us. In addition, we would love your input. Please reach out to one of the ELD specialists with any feedback or suggestions you may have, so that we can continue to make this newsletter both relevant and meaningful!
With gratitude,
Ms. Olofson, Mrs. Leamy and Ms. Architzel
What is ELD?
English Language Development (ELD) refers to an instructional program for students who are acquiring proficiency in English. The instruction is designed specifically for English language learners to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English.
Reynolds School District honors the language and culture of its people and respects the over 166 languages spoken in our schools, and recognizes that:
- Language is a key component of each person’s cultural identity,
- Heritage and primary languages are instrumental in student academic and cultural success, and
- Students who are multilingual/multicultural may have an advantage over students with a single language and are valued in career placements.
What's happening in ELD?
Kindergarten and 1st grade
In October, we started learning about Rules and Community Helpers. We learned about how rules are important in school, at home and in our community because they keep us safe. We also learned about how members of our community help us and how we can be helpers in our community too!
In November, we learned about what characters are and how we can describe them. We looked at different characters in Fairy Tales such as Tortoise and the Hare, The Ant and the Grasshopper, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, etc.
In December, we read different variations of The Gingerbread Man and focused on comparing and contrasting these stories. We focused on how the stories were the same and how they were different. We had lots of fun chanting and reading along with the Gingerbread man. We started “How to Writing” and putting ideas into a sequence and the order the events took place in the story.
What’s Next? We are going to continue “How to Writing” with winter themes. We will be learning about topics that are relevant to Winter, including Snow, Snowman, etc. Then we will begin to transition into learning about Animals and their needs. We will work on Informational writing and research with our Animal Reports.
2nd and 3rd grade
In October, the students got to learn about the community and our government. We specifically looked at the ways that we can contribute to the community and our planet Earth. The students really enjoyed reading From Here to There by Margery Cuyler.
In November and December, we got to learn about different characters and the challenges they may face. 2nd graders read Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, while 3rd graders read Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock. The students had a blast!
Looking ahead, in January and February, we will study how plants and animals survive in their habitat, and different animal adaptations. 2nd grader students will get to grow their plants, while 3rd graders will research about an animal of their choice. Can't wait to see everyone's final product!
4th and 5th grade
In the fall, 4th grade studied a story called Lon Popo, which is a story from China. Ask your student to tell you the story! There is a special tree in the story called a gingko tree. We have gingko trees at Wilkes, so we got to see the real trees and we even did an art project using the leaves from the gingko leaves!
In 5th grade, we studied a story called Amazing Grace. It's a story about a girl who has a big imagination and wants to be in the school play, even though other kids say she can't. We focused on describing characters and using sequence words to retell the story.
As we head into the next few months, we will prepare for the ELPA test and then take the test. After we are done with the ELPA test, we will continue our work with stories and non-fiction texts. We will read stories about kids overcoming challenges and learn about history and future of technology.
Looking ahead: English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA)
Every year, English language learners have an opportunity to take the English Language Proficiency Assessment and demonstrate their current proficiency levels in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. *Please refer to the attached calendar for specific dates.
STANDARDIZED TESTING TIPS FOR PARENTS
The Night Before the Test
1. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before the test.
2. Plan ahead to avoid problems before the test so he/she doesn’t go to bed upset.
3. Tell your child you know tests can be hard, but that taking them gives him/her a
chance to show how well he/she can do.
4. Be encouraging — let your child know you think he/she will do well on the test.
5. Consider playing an educational game like Scrabble™ to help your child get into the testing spirit.
The Morning of the Test
1. Have your child get up early enough to avoid hurrying.
2. Make sure your child has a good breakfast on the morning of the test.
3. Have your child dress in something comfortable and familiar.
4. Be positive when you send your child to school.
5. Make sure he/she goes to school on the day of the test (make-ups are difficult to
arrange).
After the Test
1. Reward your child for trying hard on the test.
2. Talk with your child about what was learned from the test.
3. Talk with your child about what can be done between now and the next time a test is given to improve their performance.
*Dates provided on the calendar are for informational purposes only. The ELD team reserves the right to alter the dates based on the needs of the school.
Building Connections Between Home and School
Family Language Dictionary Project
About us
Ms. Olofson K-1 ELD jolofson@rsd7.net
Mrs. Leamy 2-3 ELD mleamy@rsd7.net
Ms. Architzel 4-5 ELD harchitzel@rsd7.net
Website: https://www.reynolds.k12.or.us/wilkes
Location: 17020 Northeast Wilkes Road, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 491-2724
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilkesRSD7/