Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - September 12, 2016
Four Fun Ways to Engage EL Families
It has not been an easy year, world. In light of all the tragedy occurring in our own backyards, as well as across the seas, I have been thinking carefully about how to address these topics in class. Although my students are itty bitty, they are never too young to learn tolerance, and they certainly are not too young to pick up on my energy around topics of race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism.
We’ve all been to college, so we know that engaging ELL families is critical to their students’ success. We know that language barriers are a challenge. We know that there are many current-day issues that impact a teacher’s view on immigrants, which may contribute to how they interact with ELL families on a daily basis. All the literature says “make sure they feel welcome,” and “encourage families to attend school events,” but as we know, these are not always the most helpful strategies. What does it mean to make families feel welcome? What if they don’t show up? What happens when translators don’t show up and you’re left to awkwardly sit in a room with an ELL family you don’t know how to connect with? Well, it’s now our job to bend over backwards to build relationships and lead by example. The world needs less awkward encounters with non-English speakers, less division, less discomfort, and less mistrust.
I’m here to give you 4 fun strategies for deepening your relationships with ELL families this year. Remember, I teach Kinder, so these may be more geared towards K-5 classrooms.
Looking for a no-prep strategy that results in learning?
Looking for a no-prep strategy that results in collaborative learning? Try the Double Swap. Not only does it lead to collaboration and learning, it works on retention through paraphrasing and incorporates movement.
How to:
- Provide each person with a sticky note.
- Direct everyone to write down one idea they can share.
- Ask everyone to stand and pair up.
- Each person explains their idea to their partner and then swaps the sticky note.
- Everyone now finds a new partner and has to explain the sticky note idea they received from their previous partner.
- If desired, continue for another swap or two.
Attaching Documents in Ellevation
Document attachment is now available in Ellevation so we are no longer using the shared Google folders to store testing documentation. Google folders were deactivated at 3:30pm on Friday, September 9th, 2016. You will now upload these scanned & saved files directly into Ellevation. You can access the attachment instructions on “How to Add a Document – Ellevation Platform” here.
Please note that the maximum size for uploading documents into Ellevation is 1.0 MB. You must follow the attached steps to ensure your scanned documentation stays within this file size limit. This step-by-step document shows you how to compress/reduce the file size of the student’s documentation prior to scanning and emailing. This attachment titled, “How to compress WAPT/KWAPT/PRK testing files and student documentation.”
App helps English Language learners build confidence
by Jamie Martines
Kathy Rogers teaches at Louis Pizitz Middle School in Vestavia Hills, Ala. When a new seventh-grader joined her homeroom class last year, the veteran teacher faced a challenge: the student spoke only Spanish, but she didn’t. How could she make the student feel welcome in her classroom, but also help him build the English language skills he needed to be successful in school?
Rogers, who teaches German, turned to the popular language instruction app Duolingo, with its little green owl that guides users through lessons. According to Rogers, who uses Duolingo for Schools for homework assignments in her German class, the app works especially well for English Language Learners (ELLs) because it gives them a chance to practice the vocabulary and grammar they pick up throughout the day, in a private, risk-free environment.
Read more here about the positive tool Duolingo for Schools can be for your English Learners.
Tulsa Mayor's Youth Council: Information & Application
The Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic Affairs Commission is promoting this opportunity for high school juniors and seniors who may be interested in applying to serve.
The Tulsa Mayor’s Youth Council is a learning organization that offers a backstage pass to The City of Tulsa. Select members of this Council will see firsthand the many faces of Tulsa City government in action and learn to appreciate how much each contributes to the City’s goals of public safety and quality of life. The Members will also learn about the political process and how youth can have a voice in local government issues. Applications are due by September 26.
Webinar: Providing Meaningful Access to all Curricular and Extracurricular Programs
Wednesday, September 28, 2016, 2:00pm to 3:00pm CST
Register here to learn more.
TransAct Parent Notifications has a new look
The TransACT Parent Notices team is excited to announce that in the coming days we will launch a brand new website that will bring all of our products together under one domain: www.transact.com.
While the look of our website will change, your username, password and experience once you log-in will remain the same. Please locate the “login/register” button at the top right part of the screen when you arrive at our new site.
If you have any questions during the launch, please reach out to us here:
- Email: support@transact.com
- Phone: 425-977-2100, Option 3
- Contact us via web-form by clicking here
The new website will offer substantially more resources and guidance for K-12 compliance and operations leaders, including support for the TransACT Parent Notices transition from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to the new iteration of the law known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Additionally, we will be providing enhanced resources ActPoint® KPI, and EduPortal® e-ConveneTM including interactive tools, calculators, educational content, and insights from our subject matter experts. Our goal is to keep you up-to-date and informed while making it easier to find everything you need in one place online.
Team Member Spotlight
What is your favorite family vacation?
My favorite family vacation is the trip my husband and I took to New York City last summer. We went to the Top of the Rock, saw Broadway shows, and ate in some absolutely fabulous restaurants. What a blast!
What would you change about yourself if you could?
If I could change one thing about myself, I’d wish to be a truly fluent Spanish speaker. I studied Spanish all through school, including college, and I have conversational proficiency, especially pertaining to school-related topics. I’ve read that you’re truly fluent in a language when you have no preference between your native language and others, and I would love to have that skill.
What motivates you to work hard?
When I need motivation to work hard in this grueling but rewarding job of ours, I need look no further than the faces of my students. They truly are my “kids.” I think about them when I’m at home, I miss them when they’re absent, and above all, I just want them to develop a lifelong love of learning.
Missed a Department Meeting?
Elementary ELD Department Meetings
Language & Cultural Services Events
September 13, 9:00am - Special Education Interpreter Training
September 15, 3:45pm - SIOP Seminar: Content Area Word Walls
September 15, 4:45pm - SIOP Seminar: Content Area Word Walls
September 15, 5:45pm - SIOP Seminar: Content Area Word Walls
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.