ELD Weekly Bulletin
Title III/ELD Listserv - October 12, 2015
Together We ARe Better
by Patricia Hoffman and Anne Dahlman
Coteaching and collaboration can provide a powerful support system for mainstream classroom and ESL teachers who otherwise might feel isolated or frustrated about the challenges they face with diverse learners. The goal is to create a true partnership in which the mainstream teacher and ESL teacher work with the students to foster a sense of self-efficacy and ownership of learning.
At-risk students who remain in mainstream classrooms with instructional support achieve at higher levels than peers who receive instruction in a pullout model (e.g., Sakash and Rodriguez-Brown 1995). Students’ motivation increases in mainstream classrooms when they are engaged in meaningful learning (Cook and Friend 1995).
For English language learners (ELLs), communication with native English speakers allows the authentic use of language, including exposure to and practice with more complex vocabulary and linguistic structures. Students can become full classroom participants and have more opportunities as members of the school community. ELLs are also exposed to a wider range of instructional alternatives than they would be in a pullout program. Furthermore, students see the connections between English instruction and mainstream academic content.
5 alternatives to think-pair-share
by Elizabeth Mulvahill
All learners need time to process new ideas and information. They especially need time to verbally make sense of and articulate their learning with a community of learners who are also engaged in the same experience and journey.
In other words, kids need to talk!!
These five techniques (and a little purposeful planning) go beyond the traditional Turn and Talk/Think-Pair-Share to give students an opportunity to deepen their understanding while practicing their verbal skills.
Help WIDA Build a CAN Do Education for Language Learners!
WIDA staff have taken the great ideas generated by the 2014 Can Do Descriptor event participants and used those ideas to draft a new set of English Language Development Can Do Descriptors organized by the Key Uses of Academic Language. These drafted descriptors have undergone many cycles of iteration over the last year, and we are very excited to now seek input from the public.
We invite you and your colleagues to participate in our validation survey process. This is an opportunity to see the Can Do Descriptors in advance of publication, get a feel for what they offer, and share your thoughts with us. This survey looks to verify if the drafted descriptors are age, language level and Key Use appropriate. We’d love to have your participation in this critical next step! Please visit the Can Do Descriptors page of our website or see below for links to the various age/grade level surveys. Feel free to share this email and have colleagues participate in any age/grade levels they feel match their level of expertise as well.
Visuwords Online
Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary — Look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Learn how words associate.
Enter words into the search box to look them up or double-click a node to expand the tree. Click and drag the background to pan around and use the mouse wheel to zoom. Hover over nodes to see the definition and click and drag individual nodes to move them around to help clarify connections.
- It's a dictionary! It's a thesaurus!
- Great for writers, journalists, students, teachers, and artists.
- The online dictionary is available wherever there’s an internet connection.
ELD Teacher Resources
Free Bingo Board Maker is a website that will generate picture bingo boards by theme. This would be a fun way to build English vocabulary with your English Language Learners.
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Want to share teacher resources and tips with your colleagues? Email the information to Laura Grisso.
NOW PAST DUE: OCR Language Assistance Services Training
You must register for the course in Edivate using the registration code in the registration guide. If you search and view the video without registering, you will not receive credit for course completion.
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Please remember to complete your OCR Language Assistance Training for School Year 2015-2016 by October 1. All staff who interact with parents are required to complete this training. To received credit for completion, login to Edivate following the steps in the OCR Language Assistance Registration Guide, view the video in full, and review the resource documents in the PDF. Training completion is tracked individually in Edivate. Please email Laura Grisso with any questions.
Title III/ELD Upcoming Events
October 12 - 14: Parent Conferences
October 15 - 16: Fall Break
Register in MyLearningPlan unless otherwise noted.
Click here to view the Title III/ELD Calendar.
ELD Weekly Bulletins for SY2015-2016
October 5, 2015 September 28, 2015 September 21, 2015 September 14, 2015 September 7,2015 August 31, 2015 August 24, 2015 August 19, 2015 August 17, 2015 August 10, 2015 August 3, 2015 July 27, 2015