Hispanic Heritage Month

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, here is a link released by the Florida Department of Education to a fabulous website that contains a recommended reading list to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month 2012. It is separated by grade level, and even features a reading list for adults! I have read several of the selections, so this list is worth a second look. The grade breakdowns are as follows: k-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. As you can see, there is something for everyone!

Every year, Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15-October 15. The reason for the unique choice of dates is because many of the countries in Central America received their independence on various dates in between the 15^th of September and October.

Hispanic Heritage Month book selections for all ages

Enjoy!

Culture...more than just language

Understanding the culture of the students in our schools goes far beyond language, food and holidays. Although I speak Spanish, and can communicate with parents of my students, there are still times when I am reminded that I am ever-learning their various cultures.
There havae been several books that I have read during my time teaching that have given me a glimpse deeper into other cultures.  I know that we are all very busy during the school year, but here are some must-reads to add to your ever-growing "summer reading list."  The book listed are not necessarily in the order of importance.

A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah
(about child solider epidemic, refugees, and war in Africa)

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman
(about the hmong people, their history in the US, and sickness)

Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazarrio
(the story of a child's struggle to come to the USA)

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, Julia Alvarez (lost of books by her are great!!)
(about growing up in Dominican Republic during unrest)

Always Running (in spanish, La Vida Loca) Luis Rodriguez
about lure of Spanish gangs in Los Angeles--students LOVE this book, and it is available in Spanish :)

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
takes place in Afghanistan during turbulent times

I know that there are more out there. Feel free to add comments to this posting about books you have read that have helped you to better grasp an other's culture, or a book that helps explain your own.

What about culture?



picture from: lewes5.wikispaces.com

Throughout my graduate school classes, and even when I was an undergraduate I always heard that culture plays a huge role in every student's education.  The question is, how do we know about the culture of every student, because culture can encompass so many things.  Many people immediately associate culture with the food or langauge of a particular country, but the truth is that it is much deeper than that.

A fantastic starting point that I have found is the CultureGrams series.  It gives you information such as how children from a certain country greet adults, their feelings about personal appearance, the country's educational system (is school mandatory or not), and gestures.  These are just a few examples of the many insights this resources can offer into your students' behaviors, attitudes and beliefs.

Where can I locate this resouce?

• The ISBN number for the 4-volume set is 978-0-9778091-4-1.
• In addition, they can be found on the internet as an online subscription. Unfortunately, there is a cost involved to be able to use the database, but I used them often (both for myself and to give information to my colleagues).     http://www.culturegrams.com/

The WIDA Can-Do Descriptors: what can I expect from my ELL students?

Content teachers face many challenges, one of them being expectations for their ELL students.  "What can they do?" and "How much can I expect from them?" are questions I often hear from teachers who have ELLs in their classes.

In Pennsylvania, all ELL students take the WIDA ACCESS test each year to measure their English proficiency.  The ELL teacher in your building receives a detailed report that can help you to see the students strengths and weaknesses in their English Proficiency (for example, maybe their listening comprehension is a weakness while their oral production skills are a strength). 

Also, WIDA has produced the Can-Do Descriptors that accompany the student's score.  Very easily, the teacher can see what a certain student is capable of based on their WIDA score in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

**It is important to note that the Can-Do Descriptors are a  great starting point, but nothing can replace knowing your students.  Though the WIDA ACCESS score is a great place to begin, as with all assessments, multiple measures are the best judge of student ability**

If you click on the link below, you can find the Can-Do Descriptors mentioned in this post.

WIDA Can-Do Descriptors for All Grade Levels

ELLs and Study Skills

QUIZLET: online flashcard generator

ELL students often lack knowledge of study skills.  QUIZLET is a website that allows you to create a FREE account and make flash cards for any topic or subject.  Though it can be time consuming to create them, they stay on the website to be used again.  The student DOES NOT need to create a login to access the flash cards that the teacher has made.


As a bonus--there a pre-made flash cards for other languages! (for those that always say..."I wish I could learn __(insert language of choice here )___.)  **A new feature that quizlet offers is that images can be uploaded to the flashcards that are saved to your computer.  This is a fantastic way to help ELLs learn vocabulary words in context**

 In addition, on the website there are options to learn the words/definitions or play games with them.  This way, the students can do some independent learning of the material OR review for a test.  Although I believe that interaction promotes learning, individual teacher attention is not always possible, especially in the content areas.  Also, QUIZLET can be used to preview vocabulary with ELLs. 


I've found that after students see how their grade improves after studying, they are more likely to do it more often.


Miss L

Content Teachers: adapting and modifying

Adapting and Modifying Content and Assessments for ELL Students

It can be difficult to know where to begin with adapting and modifying both content and assessments.

Bethlehem Central School District has many great tips and tools for beginning to modify assignments and instruction for ELL students at different proficiency levels. Tips for Modifying Assignments for ELL Students There will be more posts on this topic in the future----this is just a starting point.

If you have more ways that you have found to be effective to make content comprehensible for ELL students in mainstream classes, please comment.


Miss L

ESL Classroms: make a book online

STORYBIRD

http://storybird.com/

This website can be used to create books online.  It is free, although you need to create an account. You can even create class accounts so the books can be shared without email. This website could be used to create stories as groups of individuals.  


One use I thought this would be appropriate for would be to practice verb tenses that go with the pictures.  The students could read their created stories in small groups.  This way, through this activity they are practicing reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In addition, they are practicing correct form in context.  


This suggestion is just one way this website can be used---feel free to share others! This activity is adaptable for different levels of language proficiency and grade levels.


Miss L