Beyond Fronteras
A Celebration of our ESC1 Bilingual Community: March 2021
On the Spotlight
Spring is in the air! I can hardly believe that it has been one year since our lives completely changed. We have gone through tremendous challenges and suffered terrible losses during these past 12 months, but we have also learned incredible lessons and grown together as a community. Sin lugar a dudas, ¡la unión hace la fuerza! Leaning on each other is never a sign of weakness, but always a sign of strength! Let's keep lifting each other up and finish this school year strong!
And what a better way to celebrate that unity and strength than by highlighting each other's successes! Mil felicidades to the 7 Region One campuses who were nominated as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Nominated schools. Together, they serve 1,330 English Learners!
EXEMPLARARY-HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS
Pullam Elementary - Brownsville ISD
Achieve Early College High School - McAllen ISD
South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy
South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy
EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENT GAP-CLOSING SCHOOLS
Gallegos Elementary - Brownsville ISD
Hidalgo Elementary - Hidalgo ISD
Zeferino Farias Elementary - PSJA ISD
Thank you all administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff, students, families, and community members who make this the best region to live and to study, not only in Texas, but in the whole world! ¡Qué sigan los éxitos y esperamos que disfruten el video del Mariachi Oro de McAllen High School, interpretando "El Terrequeteque"! ¡Enhorabuena, muchachos!
¡Mil gracias y esperamos que disfruten este boletín!
KChapa :)
~ Virtual Learning Tips ~
By Claudia Coronado
Total response signals can help teachers quickly and effectively engage students while also gathering formative information. This enables teachers to discover what students have mastered or any potential gaps. The most effectively used total response signals are intentional and consistently used to check for understanding. The following are some examples of total response signals that can not only include all students but guide instruction and help close gaps in a virtual setting:
Type of Total Response Signal
Written Responses
Students write their responses in the chat or a padlet
Ready Responses
Students use the reactions or type yes in the chat.
Making Choice
The teacher provides choices and uses polls for students to submit the answer or type the answer in the chat.
Ranking
Students rank using polls or using menti.
~ Multicultural Book Spotlight ~
By Dr. Lileana Ríos-Ledezma
What would you do if you were forced to choose between joining a deadly neighborhood gang or risk danger coming to your family? What would you do if you were forced to choose between the unity of your family or the safety of your family? For Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña, the difficult decision to leave their home in Guatemala, travel through Mexico on the route of La Bestia, and face the unknown was heartbreaking, but necessary to save their own lives and the lives of their family.
Author Jenny Torres Sanchez writes a brilliantly epic story of desperation, danger, and pain through the eyes of this trio. Like so many other unaccompanied minors who have braved the journey to escape perilous situations, these young protagonists risk it all for a chance at a life. "We Are Not From Here" is sure to stir up students’ ideas regarding themes of survival, privilege, and the power of faith and hope. As you read this book for your own pleasure or with a classroom of young adults, encourage students to view this as an opportunity to explore the injustice and dehumanization many unaccompanied minors, who perhaps may very well be their own peers, have experienced. As always, happy reading!
~ ESL CORNER ~
3-2-1 Bridge, by Claudia Coronado
Thinking routines teach students to make their ideas visible and accessible. This is done through a variety of graphic organizers which help structure ideation and reasoning. They are simple to use, yet powerful in impact. The purpose of thinking routines is to promote a deeper understanding of content, and help students understand how they think and learn. It is crucial for teachers to understand the thinking behind answers and how other students reach conclusions. A Thinking routine to build background knowledge is 3-2-1 Bridge. The thinking routine is used to record initial thoughts, ideas, questions and understandings about a given topic. After reading an article or watching a video, students are then asked to rethink their initial opinions after learning more about the topic. The idea is for bridges to be built between ideas when new information is obtained. Students should be focusing on the idea of understanding and connecting their thinking and ideas.
~ LA ESQUINA BILINGÜE ~
Tips for Bilingual Teachers, by Niranda Flores
“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters,” and this past year we have come to realize the importance of dedicating instructional time to social emotional learning. Creating and sustaining a safe environment where our students can be aware of their emotions, as well as the emotions of others, and appropriately express them and react to them has now, more than ever, become a critical component to student success. As we quickly approach the one year anniversary of what is now the “new normal,” it’s ideal to take some time to revisit simple strategies for incorporating social emotional learning in all our instructional spaces. Below are five easy ways to help you ensure social emotional learning continues to be a key component of our students’ educational world.
Incorporate mindfulness: Consciously pay attention to the present moment without judgement. MindYeti is a great resource available in both English and Spanish.
Teach students that thoughts lead to feelings: Help them validate and understand the root of their emotion and remind them they have the power to choose how they react to every situation.
Model determination and persistence: Praise students for their effort and/or improvement instead of for task completion and teach them the power of YET!
Stress the importance of gratitude: At the end of the day ask reflective questions such as who did you enjoy working with today and what part of the day did you enjoy the most?
Listen with compassion and empathy: Encourage students to listen to others and try to understand what others are feeling as well as identify if they can help the person in any way.
There is no doubt that these past 514,080 minutes have clearly shown us what matters most in our lives. Let’s continue to hold on to those treasures, and at the same time, create spaces for our students to thrive.
~ SELF-CARE CORNER ~
Because CARING begins with YOU! By Niranda Flores
For this month’s self-care corner, take advantage of Spring Break and FULLY UNPLUG from work. Write and record an “out of the office/classroom” email and/or voice message and give yourself the GIFT OF TIME. Time spent with your loved ones and practicing the hobbies you enjoy will help you revitalize and avoid burnout. Upon return, you will get back to work feeling recharged and inspired, and chances are, you’ll be more efficient and accomplish more than you would if you work straight through the break. So for the week of Spring Break, focus your time and energy and deeply immerse yourself on doing something, besides work, that you enjoy and are passionate about. YOU HAVE EARNED IT!
¿Sabías que...?
Shifting the Question From “What Works in Education” To “What Works BEST in Education”, por Lileana Ríos-Ledezma, PhD
It is critical that during virtual teaching and learning educators take time to build and sustain relationships with their students. While the focus among many may be on closing the achievement gap and repairing the effects the COVID-19 slide has had on our current learners, first and foremost, establishing and nurturing relationships should be a precedent to content learning. Statistical research done on teacher-student relationships has shed light on the impact or effect size of teacher-student relationships and learning. An effect size is a number that tells you how strong a relationship is between two variables (Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2016). Researchers found that the effect size for teacher-student relationships is 0.72.
This means that when teachers invest time and effort in building a relationship with their students beyond the content and learning, students were more likely to learn more from him or her. Establishing high levels of trust among students sets a firm foundation so that if learners have questions about the material, are unsure if they are speaking appropriately, or wish to discuss sensitive topics, will feel safe and know they will not be ridiculed.
This is a critical issue to address since students who have experienced broken relationships with previous adults will perhaps have some reservations about building a relationship with others especially on a virtual platform. Some ways to begin to build and sustain relationships is to spend time to show students you care about them, take interest in their lives beyond the content, and find ways to incorporate content that motivates them. By incorporating these changes into our daily virtual, hybrid, or face-to-face instruction, students and educators can create a strong, safe platform for authentic learning to take place!
~ BILINGUAL DIRECTORS CORNER ~
MOY, EOY, and BOY! Oh my!
1. MOY: Spring 2021 State Assessment Guidance and 2020-2021 MOY LPAC Guidance
2. EOY: Updated 2020-2021 EL Reclassification Criteria and Guidance and 2020-2021 EOY LPAC Guidance
3. BOY: Some guidance for the Fall of 2021 may be found here.
TEA Resources for Parents
DRC and Riverside
DRC (Pre-LAS and LAS Links): https://laslinks.com/texas/
Riverside (IOWA): https://info.riversideinsights.com/texas_elreclassification
Title III Courses Now Available at ESC1
FREE! Online ESL Certification Training
TEA EL Support Division Updates
TXEL Gets a Facelift!
~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~
- Bilingual Directors Meeting: 03/26/21
- Spring 2020 Sessions: BTLPT, Meeting the Needs of EL with Special Needs, and TELPAS Virtual Summer Academy!
- LPAC EOY Training: 04/16/21
- SAVE THE DATE! 6th Annual Effective Border Schools Conference: First week of June
- Supporting Emergent Bilingual Students with Disabilities: 08/03/21
Contact Us
Karina E. Zuno-Chapa, M.Ed.
Director of Language Proficiency, Biliteracy, and Cultural Diversity
956-984-6246
Claudia Coronado, M.Ed.
Bilingual/ESL Specialist
956-984-6246
Niranda Flores, M.Ed.
Bilingual/ESL Specialist
956-984-6158
Lileana Ríos-Ledezma, PhD
Bilingual/ESL Specialist
956-984-6153
Diana Gonzalez
Program Assistant
956-984-6238
Email: kchapa@esc1.net
Website: www.esc1.net/bilingual
Location: 1900 West Schunior Street, Edinburg, TX, USA
Phone: 956-984-6246
Facebook: facebook.com/ESC1Bilingual
Twitter: @esc1bilingual