Beyond Fronteras
A Celebration of our ESC1 Bilingual Community: May 2021
On the Spotlight
What a beautiful way to celebrate both Mother's Day and Día de las Madres! Aren't our students tremendously talented? Kuddos to the mariachi director and all the students from Veterans Middle School in Rio Grande City CISD, Mariachi Juvenil de América, for a wonderful Mother's Day performance! You can also watch Mariachi Cascabel, from Rio Grande City HS playing "Break My Heart" and a beautiful rendition of "El Son de la Negra" by a collaboration between Mariachi Cascabel and Mariachi Grulla de Plata, both from RGCCISD! Wonderful job, muchachos! ¡Enhorabuena!
Y con pandemia y todo, ¡siguen los éxitos en nuestra región! Rio Grande City CISD was selected as an HEB Texas Loves Teachers Tour District Winner, 1 of 3 in the entire state of Texas! Two of their campuses also received this honor: Congratulations to John & Olive Hinojosa Elementary and Veterans Middle Schools for being selected as an HEB Texas Loves Teachers Tour Campus Winners! What an accomplishment! ¡Mil felicidades!
And well, it's finally May! We made it! After incredible super human efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, and especially students, this year is almost over! Now it's time to wrap up assessments and start planning our acceleration efforts for the summer and the 2021-2022 school year. Here we go! Together, let's continue to make this the best region in the whole wide world! ¡Qué sigan los éxitos para todos! ¡Juntos y adelante!
¡Mil gracias y esperamos que disfruten este boletín!
KChapa :)
~ Virtual Learning Tips ~
By Claudia Coronado
Kumospace combines the creativity of video games with the simplicity of video chat. It is a free immersive video chat built for groups. Rich illustrations and interactive environments allow students the opportunity to develop language in a different way. Kumospace is an alternative to break free from breakout rooms. Spatial audio enables multiple simultaneous conversations in the same space. It also allows you to customize your space. Rich illustrations, interactive apps, and customizable settings create an environment conducive to learning.
~ Multicultural Book Spotlight ~
By Dr. Lileana Ríos-Ledezma
“Mi’jo,” Papá said, “you should be proud of who you are. Proud of your Tía Lola. Proud of yourself.”
How Tía Lola Came to Stay is the first of the Tía Lola Stories written by Julia Alvarez which highlights the rich Dominican Republic culture through Tía Lola’s colorful personality. It is because of her quirky, fun-filled spirit, that Miguel and his sister, Juanita, begin to adjust to making Vermont their new home after their parent’s divorce.
With a mixture of authentic Spanish words and phrases peppered throughout, Miguel learns more about his Dominican Republic culture, develops a stronger confidence in himself, and begins to embrace the differences that exist between himself and many others in his new community. How Tía Lola Came to Stay is a wonderfully culturally relevant text many children would appreciate to learn more about family, belonging, and accepting change. Happy Reading!
~ ESL CORNER ~
The Importance of Developing Oracy, by Claudia Coronado
Experts from across the fields will agree that oral language is the foundation to our literacy instruction because it is the development of the language needed to interact with the text. Having strong oracy skills means that students have the ability to structure your thoughts in a way that makes sense to others, and the vocabulary to say precisely what you want to say. In order to provide a structured approach for teachers, Eisenhart suggested a model for effective oral language instruction that include: auditory memory, vocabulary and conceptual knowledge, listening and speaking skills, variety of spoken texts and creating a language environment.
~ LA ESQUINA BILINGÜE ~
Tips for Bilingual Teachers, by Niranda Flores
Increasing ELs levels of understanding of words is a critical skill needed to help them become better readers and writers. One strategy we can use to help deepen an ELs understanding of words is called “semantic gradient.” Semantic gradient is used to illustrate a drastic shift in meaning from the beginning word to the ending word of a continuum of opposites. This strategy is one that can be implemented before, during or after engaging in text as well as individually, in small groups or with the whole class. As students engage in this activity, they will be able to recognize shades of meaning among related words. The following steps explain how to create a semantic gradient experience.
Select a pair of polar opposite words.
Generate at least five synonyms for each of the opposite words.
Arrange each set of synonyms from most extreme to least extreme.
Arrange ALL words (12 in total) from most to least extreme.
Have students discuss their reasoning for placing certain words in certain locations.
The more opportunities language learners have to engage in activities that deepen their level of understanding of words, the more likely they are to become creative writers and independent readers with high levels of comprehension. For more information and additional ideas on how to implement this strategy, please visit Reading Rockets!
~ SELF-CARE CORNER ~
Because CARING begins with YOU! By Niranda Flores
Mental health awareness means being mindful of the early warning signs and symptoms of having a mental health condition. Mental illness does not often appear without warning signs, and early intervention can improve the outcome of treatment. The following list, not exhaustive, are some of the warning signs that can help you determine if you or someone you love and care about are in need of an evaluation by a mental health professional.
Feeling anxiety or overly worried
Not being able to complete school or work tasks
Changes in eating habits such as overeating or loss of appetite
Feeling empty, sad, worthless, or hopeless
Restlessness and irritability
Problems with ability to think clearly, concentrate or memory issues
Loss of interest in activities that were previously enjoyable
Disconnection with others or withdrawn
Changes in sleep patterns and energy levels
Sensitivity to sounds, touch, smells or sight
Our mental health is critical to our overall well being! Remember that caring begins with you, so love yourself and embrace your mental health. For more information, visit: https://namirgv.org/
¿Sabías que...?
Everyone has an accent, por Lileana Ríos-Ledezma, PhD
Is there even 1 person in the world who does not have an accent?
In a recent look at #accentpositivity on twitter, work by Dr. Ella Jeffries investigates the implicit and explicit social judgements people may have about speakers with different accents! Dr. Jeffries points out that children initially develop accents based on the influence of their parents, but as they begin to engage with the community, schools, and peers, children can also develop regional accents. Still, is there even 1 person in the world who does not have an accent? Dr. Jeffries dispels that myth!
Everyone has an accent! Additionally, our accents are directly linked to our identity and sadly, “when we hear someone’s voice, we start to make social assumptions about them” which could be stereotypical in nature. Very often, people are vilified based on their accents. How do we combat negative mindsets on accents? Maria Bokovova provides several questions on the blog, Bilingualism Matters, one should consider to challenge personal feelings and assumptions regarding accents.
What if people’s accents are just an element of their identity?
What if my accent is just an element of my identity?
What if they are not a moral choice, or a failure at tongue gymnastics?
For the sake of this mental exercise, what does it feel like to accept people’s accents with positivity for what they are?
As we continue to nurture multilingual learners and global citizens, we must make time to address critical issues in our community, classrooms, and homes! Embrace the diversity, enjoy the linguistic art, and above all, respect the accent!
~ BILINGUAL DIRECTORS CORNER ~
It's EOY Time!
6th Annual Effective Border Schools Conference: June 1-2, 2021
3 Ways to Attend for FREE!
1. Project RISE campuses: Talk to your Campus Grant Manager to receive a registration code;
2. ESC1 Title III SSA: Just use code "SSA" when asked for a PO. This is only for Brooks County CISD, Jim Hogg CISD, Lasara ISD, La Villa ISD, San Isidro ISD, San Perlita ISD, Santa Rosa ISD, Triumph Public Schools (El Paso, Laredo, and RGV), and Webb CISD;
3. Special Ed Teachers: If you are a Special Ed teacher, you and a co-worker may attend for free! Just use code "SpEd" when asked for a PO. We only have 100 slots for this code, so register today!
2021 Summer School Guidance
19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), §89.1250, requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide a summer school program for English learners who will be eligible for admission to kindergarten or first grade at the beginning of the next school year. LEAs will be provided with the following options to complete the required EL summer program for the 2020-2021 school year:
- complete the required 120 hours of instruction for EL summer school prior to the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year;
- schedule the required 120 hours of instruction for EL summer school to begin in summer of 2021 and complete any remaining hours (supplemental to the regular school day) throughout the 2021-2022 school year; or
- schedule the 120 hours of instruction (supplemental to the regular school day) during the 2021-2022 school year.
For more information, please visit: 2021 English Learning Summer School Guidance.
5 Instructional Methods for Teachers of EL During Remote Learning
2021 TABE Summer Virtual Bilingual/ESL Directors’ Institute
DRC and Riverside
DRC (Pre-LAS and LAS Links): https://laslinks.com/texas/
Riverside (IOWA): https://info.riversideinsights.com/texas_elreclassification
FREE! Title III Virtual Symposium: July 22-23, 2021
TELPAS Virtual Summer Academy: June 2021
Note: If participants are special education teachers, or if they attend with a special education teacher, they can attend for free by using code "SPED" when asked for a PO.
FREE! Online ESL Certification Training
~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~
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