Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - October 24, 2016
What Makes English So Hard to Learn, Anyway?
by Alyssa Jean
We know that it can take between 4-10 years to become fully English proficient. This is especially true for English in academic settings where ELLs are learning while using their language skills. Social English can be acquired in as little as six months to two years, but reading, writing, listening and speaking for academic purposes is a much more arduous process. There are many individual influencing factors such as motivation, instructional setting and effectiveness, aptitude, and self-esteem. But what is it about English that makes it so challenging?
Language is multi-faceted. Between context, content, purpose, setting, register and genre, language is extremely complex. Experts like the WIDA Consortium remind us that it’s important to attend to the instruction and assessment of language at the word, sentence, and discourse level. Understanding these features of academic language can be eye-opening for general ed teachers and very conducive for collaboration. Using this context as a starting point, it’s helpful to then look at the challenges of words and phrases, sentences, and discourse in English.
Read more here to consider the factors that make English so challenging for our students.
Using Cognates with English Learners
Read more here to capitalize on the language resources students bring to the learning experience.
Parent Guide for English Learners
From Education Northwest
For families of English learners there is a lot to know, including how their children are:
- Identified as English learners
- Taught English and other subjects
- Tested, tested, and tested some more
- Designated as proficient in academic English and moved out of English learner services
"The Parent Guide for English Learners" gives you basic information about each of these topics. It will help you talk with your child’s school, ask the right questions, and support your child on their journey as an English learner. English and Spanish versions are available.
Click here to access the parent resource guides in English and Spanish.
Day of the Dead Facts in English and Spanish
From the Multicultural Kids Blog
In the last decade, the U.S. has embraced the Day of the Dead with enthusiasm. Brightly colored calaveras grin from T-shirts and coffee mugs. Day of the Dead festivals announce events ranging from 10k runs to concerts to art fairs. Children, however, do not always see that behind the beautiful icons and festive atmosphere the Day of the Dead has great significance for many people. You can help children understand the tradition with these basic Day of the Dead facts.
Talking to kids about the Day of the Dead, I don’t relate the holiday to Halloween, other than to mention that it is celebrated at about the same time of year but is very different. I focus on the reason for the celebration, the atmosphere, and the tradition of making altars.
Former EL Monitoring: Launching October 31st
We have worked with the Ellevation team to ensure that only core content classes are included in monitoring. If you find that a teacher receives a monitoring email for a non-core content class, please notify your ELD Coordinator so that we can remove that monitoring form.
It will also help in the monitoring process if teachers have already logged into InClass Collaborate via Clever. If you need assistance in supporting your teachers logging in via Clever, please contact your ELD Coordinator.
Ellevation Wants to Hear from You
Let's face it, altering any routine is hard. It takes motivation, planning and determination. The good news is that you're not alone. Thousands of teachers across the country are using Ellevation's strategies and activities within their content teaching for the first time.
We'd like to acknowledge those of you who are integrating best practice for your ELLs. So, the next time you try an activity in class, remember to tell us about it.
Let's Stay Connected
Find us on Facebook at TPS Language & Cultural Services or @tpsmultilingual and on Twitter at TPSLanguage&Cultural or @TPSMultilingual. We want to connect with you!
Missed a Department Meeting?
Elementary ELD Department Meetings
Language & Cultural Services Events
Week of October 24, 2016
October 25, 3:45pm - ESL Certification Test Study Group (Elementary)
October 25, 4:45pm - ESL Certification Test Study Group (Secondary)
October 26, 9:00am - Interpreter and Translator Skill Building Training (Edivate)
October 26, 4:00pm - Spanish for Educators (Edivate)
Week of October 31, 2016
November 4, 2:30pm - Interpreter and Translator Skill Building Training (Edivate)
November 5, 8:30am - OABE Fall Conference in OKC (Pre-registration required)
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.