Entry #10

If a teacher is going to assign homework, the homework should be purposeful, understood, something the student can feel successful with, and should allow the student the ability to show what he knows.  It should never be something that the child can not do on his own.  Practicing skills learned in class, or allowing a student to show a deeper understanding of concepts learned in class are reasonable assignments for students to complete for homework. 

When students are given homework where they are practicing skills learned in class, and are confident in their abilities at that skill the homework will be meaningful. The opposite affect occurs if students have homework that they have to struggle with and cry as the work towards completing the assignment.  Often times parents feel sorry for the kiddos and either end up doing the homework for the child or can even end up frustrated with their child's inablility to complete the assignment.  It is also important that the work be meaningful in allowing the student to show deeper understanding.  For example, having the student share connection they had to something they are reading either through writing, googledocs, or discussion with a parent will allow the child to think at a higher level than writing down the name of the book they read and how many pages. This also gives the child a choice in how the work is completed which helps to provide authenticity in the work he is doing.

Homework should be given at the appropriate level.  If a student needs it to be modified due to language acquisition level or any other reason this should occur.  Intended objectives should always match what is happening or has already happened in the classroom. For second language learners, language objectives should be set to ensure that the students are able to complete the assignment.  Especially because their parents  may not be able to help them.  Pictures along with the directions or expectations should be provided to remind the students of expectations.  Pictures should also be provided for any content in the homework to scaffold.

Feedback should be given when students are assigned homeowork.  In Hill's book Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners  she comments that feedback can be given by peers or by the teacher.  There are so many ways teachers can provide feedback either in class, or even through technology. Many teachers have blogs or use Googledocs to provide feedback to their students.  These can also be used as a way for students to complete their homework and submit the assigments to their teachers.  Feedback for homework allows students to understand what they know or what they may need to continue practicing. When students struggle with something that is assigned it is important for the teacher to work with the student on the particular skill at school before having the student practice at home again.

Overall I do not feel that students should be inundated with homework.  If teachers carefully assign work to their students it can be beneficial to help them develop strong study habits.  This prepares them for later years when homework is practically an every day expectation.

Entry #9

Fiction is different from non-fiction in numerous ways.  To begin with, non-fiction books are often distinguished by the use of terms and vocabulary that relate to the topic of the text.  Many have glossaries at the back to define those vocabulary terms.  They also often have photographs with captions describing what is happening.  To help clarify these books may also have pictures with labels to help the reader understand the basic parts of the topic.  Diagrams or graphs may also be used if they fit with the topic.  Each section in a non-fiction book begins with a heading.  The index allows readers to skip to just that part of the text that they would like to study.

Non-fiction texts have effective qualities for ELA learners.  The photographs, diagrams, or charts provide a visual for them to deepen their comprehension of the topic. They often relate to the photographs, especially if it is a topic they are interested in.  Pictures are a necessity for English Language learners. Key terms or vocabulary are often defined for the reader to help them understand technical terms they may not understand.   The technical terms that are in some non-fiction books may be challenging for them.  Especially if the pictures are limited.  If they are familiar with the topic, they may be able to find cognates to their home language.

Fiction books, depending on the level, can also be helpful for ELL students.  Fiction books with pictures that relate to the story can be beneficial.  Chapter books that are limited in the amount of pictures may be a bit more challenging for them.  If the students have a lot of background knowledge that relates to the story, this can help them have better comprehension.  If they do not have much background knowledge, they may struggle a bit with the text.  Often times, fiction books have a lot of figurative language, or idioms.  This is definitely something that can cause misinterpretation for our ELL students.  They do not understand the hidden meaning in these terms unless it is explicitly taught. Also, cultural issues they may not be aware of can impede comprehension.  This is why it is key for teachers to be aware of the students' culture and consider the ramifications for this child before teaching the content or paragraph  Preteaching key concepts of either a story or a non-fiction text are extremely helpful for ELL students.  It helps them understand what to expect when they read.  It also allows them to take time to look for cognates because they know what the topic is about and can relate to the story that they are reading.  It definitely builds motivation within the student when they can feel successful in reading.  Definitely when they are learning a new language on top of learning to read.

There are positives to working with both types of texts with our ELA students.  The best idea is for teachers to spend the time understanding their ELA students so they are better equipped to meet their needs.  When we know the needs of our students it also allows us to look at the challenges and see how we can adapt or modify to ensure that our students understand the language as much as possible and what they should be learning. 

Entry #8

     The multi-cultural classroom video we watched in class had many effective elements to it.  I think back to our reading of Chapter 5 with non-linguistic representation.  Hill talks about the importance of this for ELL students for mental and sensory images with new academic language. She also talked about how much more they will know if they "do".  That is what I saw students doing in this video.  Even with simple directions the teacher had students using hand actions or gestures to reiterate what was being said.  She used realia in her explanations posting it to a web organizer with labels to reinforce vocabulary along with adjectives.  Her goal here she stated was to stop them from using the word "thing".  She kept the students active which promoted engagement.  Classrooms that work gave us some examples of that included graphics to help deepend vocabulary building and comprehension for our ELL students.  She took that a step farther by taping realia to the organizer she was using in her classroom.  You could see how the students were going to take the language she was teaching them for their science experiment, and use it while working on the activity.  The students were allowed plenty of opportunities to talk through group work and whole class.  She took opportunities with teachable moments through vocabulary and oral direction activities like making spinners.  Something the students were doing in her class anyway.   Hill also refers to the importance of building background knowledge so students are able to connect their learning to their experiences.
     The teacher in this video gave many opportunities for students to connect their learning to what they already know.  She also had them share how that connection was linked...to themselves, their world, or other books or movies.  Throughout the entire video students wanted to share, were working cooperatively, and were kinesthetically involved.  She allowed students to share in their primary language ( I was impressed that she could speak their language.)  Although she seemed to talk really fast, the students seemed to understand her and the expectations given.  It was clear her classroom was a trusting environment with high expectations for her students.  It was evident from what we saw she made sure to include sheltered lesson components: objectives, (both language and content)  she did talk about this in her explanation. She was prepared with materials needed, asked higher level questions along with providing higher level activities, linked activities to prior learning and background knowledge, scaffolded language and learning, provided numerous opportunities for interaction amongst students and teacher, integrated hands on activities so students were "doing", sequenced her lessons appropriately, and reviewed what they had learned; assessing along the way.  It was a motivating video to watch.

Entry #7

The first running record I did was on a Spanish speaking student.  She was in first grade.  She read word by word for most of the reading.  She was very careful to make sure she used her strategies to figure out the words, although she did have a few miscues.  One miscue she made was she said childs instead of children.  She was using meaning, syntax, and visual cues to figure out this word.  This would be an error that relates to language because in Spanish a word that is plural just adds an s.  There are not words in Spanish that represent more than one like there are in English.  Another word she struggled with throughout the reading was wind.  She came across the word three times during the passage.  The first time she paused and then skipped right over it.  The second time she came across the word she said wide.  In this case she was using visual only.  Wide had nothing to do with meaning of the story and did not make sense in the sentence.  The last time she came across the word she said winde and then self corrected to say wind.  In this case she used all of the cuing systems to figure out that word.  A few times she left off endings.  For example she said mark instead of markers, and lift instead of lifted. In both cases she was only using visual because leaving off the endings did not made sense with meaning or sound right. Overall her accuracy was 95%.  For the most part I think she is developing a good understanding of the English language.   The next teaching points for her will be to talk about words that represent more than one like children, people, and mice compared to adding -s to the end of most words for plural.  Two other teaching points would be to look all of the way through a word, making sure to not leave off endings, (some lessons on different types of endings will be beneficial as well) and monitoring the sentence for meaning.

The second student I progress monitored was a student from Africa.  He is also a first grader.  He struggles with phonics  but is improving considering the amount of time he has lived in our country.  He does speak some English, but they also speak a tribal language as well.  This affects his pronunciation of certain sounds like th together and v.  When he says "the", it sounds like da, and a word like van sounds like ban.  This is something to  consider when doing a running record because it may sound like he is saying the wrong word, but it is actually how he says it with his accent.  As he read, he did struggle with some words and often would look at me to give the word.  My first teaching point from this running record would be to really hit a combination of phonics skills as well as reading strategies like looking for parts in unknown words, etc.   He relies mainly on sight word vocabulary and so if it was a word he knew, he read right through it.  He also did this when the words and pictures matched.  When he came across words like anyone, walked, alone, and boots he looked at me and waited. I noticed that there were not pictures to represent these words exactly so he did not know what to do.   I said what can you do to figure it out?  He wasn't sure.  A few times he attempted to figure out a word.  For example, he got to the word wrong and said wr...ng, but for some reason had a hard time putting the vowel in there.  He does know  o" though.  Here he was using visual.  One thing that he may still be developing is comprehension of the language, which would affect his ability to use meaning and syntax.  A word I thought he would for sure struggle with was"thought".  Although he did not get the word correct, he said the ou with the "ouch" brother sounds.  He was using visual only again, because "thought" is not a word. I do think that he has some language/background experience issues that may impede his ability at this time to use meaning and syntax.  If the picture matches what he is reading he is able to read the sentence quite well.  Another teaching point I would work on with him is building background knowledge.  I think this would help him to be able to use meaning.  As his understanding of English improves, he will be able to develop his skill for using syntax.  I can help this along by modeling,  making sure words we choose sound right.

Entry #2

     I would say my writing instruction was focused more on the learning view of writing.  We did quite a bit of grammar practice when I was younger.  I also remember we spent a lot of time working on handwriting, spelling, and conventions.  Our teacher would correct our paper and then we would go back and fix our mistakes to have a perfect paper.  I remember being taught the structure of different types of writing like letters, paragraphs, stories, and essays.  We would then write something from that particular genre.  It seemed like there was less focus on the ideas.  Especially when I compare it to how writing is taught now.  We share mentor texts, spend time building background knowledge, and talk about how writers get their ideas.  I do not remember any instruction in this manner.  I definitely appreciate current philosophy of how students become better writers through being provided opportunities to write.  I did not enjoy writing mainly because I was always so concerned about getting the paper back all marked in red.  I think with a process oriented philosophy, students are able to enjoy writing and think of themselves as writers.
    

Entry #6

What is learning, what is acquisition?  Some activities warrant both.  I looked at it in the sense that any activity where a student is being "taught" to do something or stating back information for a teacher (a product focused activity) would be learning.  When students are being encouraged to "acquire" information through authentic learning tasks, that is considered acquisition.  Some of the "learning" activities I categorized were looking up words in a dictionary, practice sounding out words, and using a variety of worksheets to teach different skills.  I felt these were all learning activities because students were doing rote activities that teachers directed them to do, looking for a correct answer.

Literature circles, doing a shared reading with a big book, or writing rhyming poetry and discussing spelling patterns are all acquisition activities because the students are doing authentic tasks that provide them choice, a variety of skills that can be acquired through them, and require higher level thinking.   I also felt that making alphabet books on different topics was acquisition if the students were allowed to create the alphabet books on topics of their choice.  If the teacher gave them the topic and the words to use then it would be more of a learning activity.  I also think that writing words that students dictate for a story and having students help with the spelling of difficult words would be a combination of both because they would be acquiring some parts as they come up with parts for the story, but it seems like some parts of the activity would end up falling under learning if words are dictated for them.

Entry #5

The two books I reviewed with cultural aspects for ELL students in mind were Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard and James Marshall  and Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day:  One aspect that really sticks out with this story is the way the students behave. In some countries they may not understand the humor of the students being disrespectful to their coach.  Pointing out what is happening in the pictures and having the students say what is normal and what is not normal student behavior may help then understand that the students are being naughty.   The adults are also portrayed in a silly manner, like they can't handle the students.  In countries where adults have an automatic authority, that may not be something the students pick up on right away.  Even for students that struggle with language, the pictures show the coach standing on a table looking crazy, and the principal hiding under the desk. Pointing out the silly way the adults are handling the situation and talking about how adults really would handle the situation may help. Providing pictures of school and having students make a chart with how adults behave and shouldn't behave (this can also be done with the children's behavior) may begin to help them see that this is just a silly story.    A third aspect that may need to be addressed is background knowledge of American football. Although it does not go into too much depth, the basic idea of a football team and what it is may be necessary.  Showing a short clip of a football game, bringing in a football, a whistle, a jersey and any realia that could go with it and get a conversation going about the basics of the sport.  Most countries understand football to be soccer.  The concept of putting on a disguise and pretending to be another person might need to be addressed.  Especially in the case of Miss Nelson.  It gets confusing, in this story, who Viola Swamp really is.  Perhaps reading the first Miss Nelson, Miss Nelson is Missing, would be a great springboard into dressing up and becoming someone else.  There is a bit of inferring that has to go on to figure out who is Miss Swamp.  The person in the first story is not the same as Miss Swamp in the second story.  Reading the first and then comparing Miss Swamp in the first story with Miss Swamp in the second story may help them see that Miss Swamp is not a "real" person.  Someone in both stories is pretending to be Miss Swamp to get the students to behave. 

Pink and Say:  The first concept in this story that may be challenging for ELA students and affect their comprehension is the Civil War.  This story takes place during that time and has some deep messages embedded within.  A brief description of the Civil War, perhaps with pictures to help students understand the cause of the war can help build some background knowledge so they are able to understand the setting of the story. Another concept that culturally they may not be able to understand is the lack of respect for life that occurred during that era.  In the story Pink dies because of this.  Making a chart of respect and disrespect, the teacher could show carefully chosen pictures to help students understand this concept.  They could sort the pictures into one of the two categories.  This would also allow the teacher to tie this chart back into the story so students could build understanding of how Pink and Say did have a deep respect for each other and their country even during this challenging time. The third concept that may need to be addressed is the idea of passing stories down.  Although many cultures pass stories down throughout the generations, it is important for students to understand that this story has been passed down.  It is not made up, although it is considered historical fiction.  Patricia Polacco writing this story is a way to preserve history.  It would also be a great springboard into the discussion of historical fiction and what elements of the story are true.  Many stories that are passed down are fiction.  The teacher could even bring in texts from the students' native countries that have been passed down.  They could then decide if those stories have elements that could have happened.   The last concept that could be addressed to ensure culturally ELA students have a good understanding is the dialogue that occurs.  The characters in the story are from the south.  Much of the dialogue that occurs is the way people would talk from that part of the country.  This may be confusing to students that are still trying to figure out vocabulary and dialect.  To help the ELA students, the teacher could pull some of the dialogue that might be difficult for students to gain meaning from when they are reading.  She could then introduce these sentences and talk about meaning and how authors do this to help the reader hear the voice of the character.  The students and teacher could create a quick sketch and act out the sentence for the meaning to scaffold the students when they get to that part in the story or to clarify the meaning if they have already read through it.