Kaleidoscope
English as a Second Language Department Newsletter
March/April 2023
SPRING IS IN THE AIR!
What is Ramadan in the Islamic Community?
Based on astronomical calculations, Ramadan 2023 would start on Thursday 23 March and end on 21 April 2023.
Throughout the Ramadan period, adult Muslims of able body and mind will fast for 30 days between dusk and dawn and break their fast with a traditional meal called 'Iftar'. This fast includes abstaining from eating or drinking anything until sunset. These fasting periods can range from 11-16 hours.
There are many students in our school district that practice this religion. They may come to class hungry and tired. It is part of their spiritual journey. Be understanding of this customary cultural tradition for your Arabic students.
Listen to the Expert
North Carolina State University
She is a great asset for the state of North Carolina in understanding and learning more about how to best assist multilingual learners and their families.
She is a champion in working with Dual Language Immersion Programs and Family Engagement for non-English speaking families.
Contact Ivelisse at marini@gcs.k12.nc.us if you would be interested in working with this amazing lady that has a wealth world of knowledge in the English as a Second Language, Second Language Acquisition, Dual Language Immersion, and Family Engagement areas.
She is interested in working with rural communities.
Progress Monitoring Forms
The content area teacher will provide feedback to the ESL teacher and a meeting would be scheduled between the ESL teacher and the content teacher to determine if changes are needed in the Multilingual Learner (ML) Plan.
This is a collaborative effort to work towards the best interest of our mutual students.
The forms are designed to be completed by each individual core content teacher. It is not designed to be completed as a team of teachers.
Progress Monitoring Forms were due on March 10, 2023.
The core content teachers will have to complete forms for active multilingual learners and for any former multilingual learner that exited the program. Former multilingual learners are monitored for four consecutive years after the exit date from the ESL program.
Contact Ivelisse Rosario de Marín if you have any questions.
How to Access Information About the Multilingual Learners Screener and ACCESS Scores in PowerSchool.
Steps
- Login into PowerSchool.
- Search for the student record.
- There will be a purple EL indicator
- Click on the purple EL Indicator.
- Look at the history provided for that student.
- This will be of assistance to administrators, teachers, and for MTSS meetings.
Amplifying Language Development
How to Amplify Language Development
- Encourage students to speak in complete sentences.
- Provide students with multiple opportunities to verbalize academic content and vocabulary.
- Create a language-rich environment where discussions are valued and encouraged.
- Repeat key vocabulary several times per lesson, and have students do the same. Challenge yourself to see how many times you can get students to say a word in class using a variety of stems.
Escalante, L.B. (2018). Motivating ELs: 27 activities to inspire and engage students. Seidlitz Education, Irving, TX. p. 23.
ELLevation Strategy
Assessing Language and Learning: Proud Portfolios
The example provided is focusing in Math. You may find English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies in the Ellevation platform.
MORE STRATEGIES
Cultivating Knowledge, Building Language
Develop Academic Vocabulary Knowledge by Studying a Small Set of Words Deeply
Lesaux, N. K., (2015) Cultivating knowledge, building language: Literacy instruction for English learners in elementary school, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH. p. 86.
How do I Choose Words for Study?
Step 1 - From the touchstone read-aloud text, identify a pool of potential academic words for teaching.
- Draw the words from the touchstone text - the primary text used throughout the cycle
- Use the Word Selection Matrix to have a pool of potential words to choose target words that need deeper study.
Step 2 - Evaluate all potential academic words on two dimensions: usefulness and complexity
- Determine how these words stack up in two important ways: usefulness and complexity.
- Usefulness of words means that they will support learning now, but especially later.
Usefulness
"Useful words are:- necessary for understanding the text in which it appears and so studying this word will scaffold MLs' comprehension of this text.
- central to talking and writing about the big idea under study and so learning to use this word flexibly will support MLs' active engagement across the knowledge-building cycle
- connected to big ideas in past and future instructional cycles
- central to understanding, discussing, and writing across a variety of academic content areas (i.e., general academic vocabulary words like contribute, dimension, and valid).
- central to understanding, discussing, and writing in a particular academic content areas (i.e. content-specific academic vocabulary words like respiration, sediment, and crescendo); some general academic words have content-specific meanings, like the words area and factor, which have precise meanings in math but are used more generally across content areas." (Lesaux & Harris, 2015, pp. 95-96)
Complexity
Choose words that are complex enough that they are unlikely to be learned from context or in passing but yet are central to making meaning from academic text. What makes a word complex? Complex words tend to be characterized by one or more of the following features:
- Conceptually abstract
- Polysemous
- Morphologically challenging
Step 3 - Finalize your list
- The words in the Word Choice Matrix is a map illustrating the ways in which each potential word for teaching stacks up against the usefulness and complexity dimensions.
- Use this information to narrow down by prioritizing individual words that meet multiple criteria
- Select the terms that will best support your MLs literacy development.
Remember: Everything that you use to assist the English language development for multilingual learners works for ALL the students that need reinforcement in word study in your class as well.
How-To Instructional Strategy: Academic Words for Teaching Multilingual Learners
Additional Strategies
LETRS and Multilingual Learners
Appendix I: Contrastive Analysis
Appendix 1
- Phonological Contrastive Analysis (pp. B13 - B41)
- Language and Usage Contrastive Analysis (pp. B42 - B69)
Also, read the Monolingual Learners vs. Multilingual Learners slides included in this newsletter to consider areas that your multilingual learners need in order to make sense of the other literacy instruction and to make it more successful. Multilingual learners need additional steps at the beginning of a lesson that include the foundational skills for reading.
Moats, L.C. & Tolman, C.A. (2019). LETRS. Vol. 1 (3rd Edition). LEXIA, Dallas, TX. pp. B-13- B69.
Classroom Management & Conversation
The application classroomscreen.com is a great tool for classroom management and to establish routines during instruction and group work. Multilingual learners and ALL the students would benefit from this tool.
It has numerous visuals to indicate to the MLs what to expect within a lesson and could generate conversation and help develop English language development. Try it out!
This is one of the images, in the "background" section, that you may find in the application. It could become a piece of conversation and extend it with a writing activity.
ESL Professional Development Summer Opportunities
2023 Growing Success for Multilingual Learners Summer Conference
2023 Growing Success for Multilingual Learners Summer Conference
Building Relationships for Multilingual Learner Success | June 20- 22, 2023
The NCDPI ML/Title III Team invites ALL educators of Multilingual Learners (MLs) to participate in the Growing Success for MLs Summer Conference.
This year's conference will be held at McDeeds Elementary School in Southern Pines, NC.
During this summer’s conference, educators will have the following
opportunities:
- Best Practices;
- Common Space: Collaboration and Co-Teaching for MLs;
- Engaging Schools, Families, & Communities for ML Success;
- Glimpse of GLAD;
- Making Content Comprehensible with SIOP; and
- Taking Flight for Academic Success: Integrating Content and Language Development.
Additional information and registration
Take advantage of this great opportunity to learn more about how to best serve our multilingual learners.
Additional Professional Development
Additional Professional Development Opportunities
Understanding the ELD Standards Canvas Course:
This Canvas course is directed to those interested in learning about the NC English Language Development (ELD) Standard Course of Study. This course provides an overview as well as an in-depth, close reading of the standards. This is a great resource for beginning and lateral entry educators--and even veteran educators! *Note: This is a public Canvas course; users do not need a Canvas account to access this course. Take the Course!
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Literacy Instruction Standards (LIS) Learning Series
Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, there will be a series of professional learning involving multiple content areas. The LIS are to be used by all teachers in every content area for core instruction. This series will focus on integrating the Literacy Instruction Standards (LIS) into standards-aligned content area instruction. These sessions are open to K-12 educators.
LIS in the Content Areas:
- Literacy in Social Studies: April 27, 2023
- Literacy in ELD: May 11, 2023
- Literacy in ELA: Recording & Slide Deck
- Literacy in Science: Recording & Slide Deck
- Literacy in Math: Recording & Slide Deck
About Us
English as a Second Language Program
Instructional Facilitator/Coordinator
Email: marini@gcs.k12.nc.us
Location: Location: Creedmoor Elementary School, East Wilton Avenue, Creedmoor, NC, USA
Phone: 919-528-2313