Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - February 27, 2017
Translanguaging and English Learners' Success
by Jill Kester
Researchers for many years have been informing us of the important role of students’ home languages in language acquisition and literacy development. Fred Genesee writes that English learners’ home language is their most valuable resource.
So how is translanguaging different from what researchers already know about the role of students’ home language?
New Resource from Teaching Tolerance: Immigrant and Refugee Children: A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff
by SupportEd
The guide includes some specific guidelines on the rights of ELs and their families, information on supporting undocumented students, and recommendations for how to provide a safe and welcoming space for ELs and their families. The guide also provides examples of the types of resolutions that districts have passed to create these safe spaces and advocate for the families in their schools. In addition, Teaching Tolerance offers tools and resources that educators of ELs can use to take action in support of their immigrant and refugee students.
Tulsa Public Schools Immigration Frequently Asked Questions
Designing Learning that Incorporates English Learners' Experiences
by Tan Huynh
Incorporating ELs’ experiences is one of the key elements of WIDA’s Can Do Philosophy. This is a framework that has transformed the way I think about my ELs and the way I talk about them. I has shifted my thinking from a deficit model to one where I describe actions ELs can do instead of negatively focusing on things they can’t. All they can do right now is everything they can do. WIDA’s Can Do Philosophy honors that.
There are three areas of EL knowledge that educators can use as context for learning language: cultural traditions, hobbies/Interests, life experiences, national practices.
Each of these areas can be integrated in 4 simple ways: reading, writing, researching and collaborating. I created this infographic to serve as a downloadable resource on planning with ELs’ experience in mind.
Using an example of how to do this in practice, students in Garrett’s class were exploring the concept of human rights. They had to report on the different ways that human rights are being denied and describe their impact.
Instead of making students report on a human rights issue selected by Garrett and I, we decided to tap into ELs’ own experiences and cultures. We encouraged students to choose topics they are familiar with that are happening in their own countries. We knew that if they did, their engagement would increase and their focus would more likely be sustained. After all, students’ experiences form a foundation where new learning can be built (Ausubel,1968; Ausubel, Novak, & Hanesian, 1978). Here are some examples of how the students chose to incorporate their worlds into this assignment.
Upcoming Opportunities in Holocaust Education
- The Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teachers’ Program is an intensive professional learning opportunity designed for secondary school teachers who implement Holocaust studies in their classrooms. The group of approximately 24 teachers visits historic sites and hears from survivors and prominent scholars in Germany and Poland for two weeks. The application can be found at http://hajrtp.org/program.html, and the deadline is March 17. Scholarships are available through the Jewish Federation of Tulsa/Council for Holocaust Education to cover the $2,500 teacher cost share and round-trip flight to Newark, NJ for program departure if you are accepted. Please let me know if you have any questions about this study program.
- The Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education’s Tenth Annual White Rose Memorial Essay Contest for Middle, Jr. High, and High School Students is open for submissions. This year’s prompt and submission instructions can be found at https://jewishtulsa.org/whiterose/. Essays are due March 31, 2017 and can be submitted by mail, in person, or electronically. If you’d like to schedule a White Rose presentation and introduction to the essay contest for your students, please respond to this email.
For more information or questions, please contact:
Cassie Nodine, Director of Holocaust Education and Community Relations
Jewish Federation of Tulsa and The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art
2021 E 71st St.
Tulsa, OK 74136
918-495-1100
Webinar: Strategies to Fortify Writing in Your Classroom
Date: February 28, 2017
Time: 3:30pm CT
The language domain of writing is frequently the most difficult for students, and often the last domain to fully develop for English language learners. Teachers often find themselves asking:
- How can I strengthen writing skills while knowing this domain is such a challenge for my students?
- How can I inspire my students to share their experiences and insights through writing?
- How can I celebrate growth and encourage students to see writing as an exciting challenge?
Join us Tuesday, February 28th at 3:30pm CT (4:30pm ET) as we share specific strategies to answer these challenges. Learn how to incorporate writing activities into all content areas and why writing is critical for language and content development.
***Check out this great webinar facilitated by our very own
Stephanie Cagle, ELD Coordinator.***
Unite for Literacy
Unite for Literacy pictures a world where all children have access to an abundance of books that celebrate their languages and cultures and cultivate a life-long love of reading. As a for-profit social enterprise, we partner with businesses to change the literacy landscape of their communities by introducing families to our free digital library.
Unite for Literacy has originated a unique way of assessing and talking about book scarcity. We analyzed statistical variables including income, ethnicity, geography and languages as they relate to the number of books in homes. The resulting interactive Book Desert Map presents our conceptual findings in visual form from the state down to local scale. Our intention is for this map to illuminate the problem of book scarcity and initiate conversations across the public, private and civic sectors about the geography of books and reading, in order to focus community efforts to create book abundance.
Call for Proposals: La Cosecha 2017
!Seguimos con la cosecha! The Planning Committee for La Cosecha 2017 invites you to share your teaching strategies and dual language expertise with your colleagues by presenting at this year’s conference. The planning committee is particularly interested in having classroom teachers to share instructional best practices with conference attendees.
Proposal submissions are due by May 12, 2017. Selected proposals will receive notification of proposal status via e-mail by Friday, June 16, 2017.
Workshop Proposal Submission Guidelines:
La Cosecha 2017 Conference Presentations will align with the seven strands of the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education document. To assist you in aligning your proposal with the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, please see the list of document strands and guiding principles.
Proposal submissions should:
Specifically, address dual language education,
Align with the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education,
Include an outline of the presentation,
Respond to a need or interest of classroom teachers, and
Consist of hands-on activities, lecture, demonstration, and/or discussion.
Click here for more information about conference submissions for La Cosecha 2017.
The Language and Cultural Services office will provide funding for registration and travel for any Tulsa Public Schools team member who is accepted to present.
Committee Members Needed: ESL Certification Exam Score Review
Dear Educator:
The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) and Evaluation Systems group of Pearson are currently seeking Oklahoma educators to participate in a Passing Score Review Conference for the Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators (CEOE) program in the following fields:
- Advanced Mathematics – March 21, 2017
- English – March 21, 2017
- Mild-Moderate Disabilities – March 21, 2017
- English as a Second Language – March 21, 2017
- Middle-Level Intermediate Mathematics – March 22, 2017
- Severe-Profound/Multiple Disabilities – March 22, 2017
- Spanish – March 22, 2017
At this conference, committee members will examine each item included on a test form to obtain passing score judgments that will be considered by the Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability in determining the total passing score for each test.
I hope that you are interested in taking part in this important activity by applying to participate on a committee. Please click here to fill out the application for consideration. You can also help by providing nominations of other colleagues who may be interested in participating - please click here to provide your nominations.
Benefits of Participation Include:
- Receive substitute reimbursement for their school (public school educators only),
- Have the opportunity to make a difference in Oklahoma teacher development and performance,
- Have the opportunity for professional growth and collaboration with educators in their field,
- Be reimbursed for their travel and meal expenses, and
- Be provided with hotel accommodations, if necessary.
To learn more about test development, please visit our web site at https://www.testing.nesinc.com/okrecruit/index.asp.
If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to contact me at evaluationsystemscrg@pearson.com.
Robyn Kaczowka
Committee Recruitment Group
The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain
No ELD Department Meetings - March 9
ACCESS 2017 Planning Resources
Test window: February 6, 2017 to March 31, 2017
Materials pick up at Enrollment Center: January 30 and 31, 2017
Tech support reminders:
- If technical support is needed or an error message received during testing, please notify your ELD Coordinator and submit a Helpdesk ticket. If you are able to resolve the issue, please send an update to both the ELD Coordinator and the Helpdesk.
- If you have to call DRC helpdesk, please save the DRC ticket number. If our Helpdesk has to follow up on an issue with DRC, they have to have the DRC ticket number in order to connect the issue.
ACCESS 2.0 & Alternate ACCESS
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Test Administrator Form
- Training Schedule
- Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement
- ACCESS Training Folder
- ACCESS 2017 Roster (saved template in Ellevation's Export Wizard)
ACCESS 2.0
- ACCESS 2.0 Headphone Specifications
- ACCESS 2.0 Sample Items (open using Chrome browser)
Alternate ACCESS
Missed a Department Meeting?
Elementary ELD Department Meetings
Language & Cultural Services Events
Week of February 27:
March 1, 4:00pm - Spanish for Educators (Edivate)
Week of March 6:
March 9 - NO ELD Department Meetings (Virtual link coming soon)
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.
LCS Bulletins for SY 2016-2017
February 13, 2017 February 6, 2017 January 30, 2017 January 23, 2017 January 16, 2017 January 9, 2017 December 12, 2016 November 28, 2016 November 21, 2016 November 14, 2016 November 7, 2016 October 31, 2016 October 24, 2016 October 17, 2016 October 10, 2016 October 3, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 19, 2016 September 12, 2016 September 4, 2016