Entry#10 Based on your readings and experience in this class and beyond, create a rationale/purpose for giving homework and independent work. What will constitute meaningful homework? What are your intended homework objectives for your students? How will you provide specific feedback? Be sure to include your ideas about the role of technology in this communication process.

Homework is an important part of the learning process. It allows students to practice new learning beyond the classroom. As all teachers know class time is limited especially with things like regular days off, assemblies, field trips, etc. Homework helps maximize learning experiences. It gives students additional time to practice and apply new skills and concepts and requires them to work at their independent level.  However in order for homework to be effective, it needs to be purposeful, differentiated, easy to understand, require little support from parents, and must be explicitly explained, discussed, and/or even modeled for students prior to being sent home. Students should also receive feedback on their homework in order to extend their thinking and learning. In order for a particular assignment to be meaningful, it must be used in the context of bigger ideas and concepts being discussed in the classroom.  It should not be an isolated skill that requires rote memorization or drill and practice. In order to be meaningful, students should be encouraged to think critically about something, use creativity, and/or use problem solving skills to complete the task. The task’s purpose should be articulated to and understood by students. The objective of any homework assignment should be similar to the objective for a particular in class lesson or assignment and the homework is simply another format in which students can meet that objective. Homework should never be used as a way for students to learn completely new material. It should always be used to extend what is done in class. Homework can ask students to build background knowledge around a particular topic, ask them to make connections to other topics, or synthesize new understandings. As long as it is differentiated in a way that sets all students up for success. Homework may look the same for students, but how they complete it or respond to it make look drastically different depending on their abilities in language or learning. Moreover, students must receive feedback on their homework. This can be feedback from parents, teachers, or even peers. When homework is discussed both before and after students complete it, it reinforces the learning even more. Feedback can come in a variety of forms, it may be through a communication log with parents and students, it may be in written form on the homework assignment, or it may be discussed in class amongst peers, in small groups, or one-on-one. Finally, technology is an important tool to consider when giving homework, and when communicating with families. Technology tools can be used to complete homework but expectations must be clear. In addition, a teacher should never assign homework that requires the use of a particular technological tool unless the teacher is providing the tool for every student. For example the teacher may provide ipods with learning content or recorded text and this is ok.  If a homework assignment allows for technology it should also allow for other tools and resources in order to be completed successfully by all students. Regular communication with families through technology or other means is critical so that parents and families are aware of the learning, the expectations, and the progress their child is making.     

Entry #9 Choose samples of both fiction and non-fiction texts age appropriate to the students you work with. (Suggestions might be a grade level textbook or leveled reader). Create a graphic organizer to illustrate salient differences in each genre. Which features will support students learning to speak English? Which features will serve to be challenging?

The following graphic organizer is designed to help students distinguish between fiction and non-fiction, seeing the features that are unique to each type of text. The fiction side is meant to help students discover the elements of story including setting, characters, and plot. The non-fiction side is designed to help students recognize that there is a central topic that is explored and explained through a variety of features like diagrams, captions, pictures, glossaries, sub headings, and text. More of the features in non-fiction will support ELL’s in learning content such as the captions, which give information and a picture. The labeled diagrams will also be important to ELL’s since they usually provide a picture with labels (the labels usually being key vocabulary words).Additionally, non-fiction texts include bolded words and glossaries that provide support for ELL’s in terms of drawing their attention to key words and vocabulary and then also providing their definitions. Non-fiction texts also usually have other features like timelines and maps that provide important information in a visual form. Fiction, on the other hand, besides the pictures (if there are any) does not provide as much support to ELLs. The features of the text may be more challenging since they are not always text explicit to students. Either way, students should be encouraged to use graphic organizers and mind maps to help support their comprehension of both narrative and expository texts.    

Entry #8 Watch the video clip of a sheltered literacy lesson. Reflect on what the teacher did to promote comprehension. What do you see the teacher do? What do you see the students do? Reflect on readings in your blog. List essential components of the sheltered lesson, comment on your observation of both teacher and student.

In this lesson, the teacher used both concrete examples and pictures to promote comprehension. She used some type of visual aid for every part of the lesson. To build students background knowledge, she used pictures from a recent field trip that the students took. She held the pictures up to help them recall the experience and to provide visual supports of the vocabulary she was using. In the next part of the lesson, she discussed various vegetable vocabulary words and allowed students to see and touch the vegetables as she introduced them. Once the students had a chance to experience the vegetables she talked about where they might get vegetables after they are picked. For this she brought in and showed shopping bags of the places they might get their vegetables. She then invited students to sing along with her about healthy foods. When the students and she were singing she held up and showed a model of each of the healthy foods, like crackers, peaches, celery, bread, potatoes, etc. After the song the teacher allowed students to respond to the song by sharing what foods they enjoy eating. Some students were able to freely articulate what foods they enjoy while others required more support. For this, the teacher put two food choices in front of the child and asked them to say which food they liked out of the two. In addition when the students commented on the foods they liked, the teacher responded with an extension type comment rather than correcting what students said. For example if they had a one word response, she would say something like “Yes, I like peanut butter too.”  Overall the teacher did a great job of sheltering the instruction and promoting comprehension through concrete objects and pictures.  The content concepts and speech used was appropriate for the students in her group. She explicitly linked concepts to the students’ backgrounds and experiences. She emphasized key vocabulary by showing examples and repeating vocabulary words several times. It was evident that the teacher planned the use of supplementary materials and made the learning meaningful. Finally, she provided more or less support for certain students to help move that particular student from one level of understanding to the next. Since this was only a short small group mini lesson, I was unable to determine the learning objective(s) and how students practice and apply the new learning. In general, it was a great example of how a variety of visual aids can be used to support student learning and comprehension of what is being taught and discussed.  I could certainly see how this would be beneficial for students learning language.    

Entry #7 Conduct a running record/miscue analysis on 2 second language learners, one that speaks Spanish, and one that speaks another language. Analyze the miscues for M-meaning, S-syntax, and V-visual cues. Are there some features of the errors that reflect the first language? What are some next teaching points based on this data? Answer these questions and discuss possible strategies or assignments to address the reading challenges you see. (Include the running records on your blog as well.)

Above are the running records for two English language learners from my class. Oswaldo is a native spanish speaker and Alicia is a native thai speaker. After analyzing Oswaldo's running record I found that he is using the visual cuing system regularly. When trying to decode words he used letters and their sounds but he did not ask himself if the words he tried sounded like real words and if they made sense in the sentence. Obviously, since he is a second language learner, it is hard for him to decide whether the words he is trying are actually English words or not. With that being said, a next step in instruction for him would be to increase vocabulary. Also teaching him the vowel sounds and the rules for when vowels are long and short. This will help him decode words accurately and thus increase his bank of words. Alicia, conversely is not using visual cues enough. When she tried to decode words she would just try a word and keep reading even if it did not make since like when she said "speaked" instead of "picked" or "crumpled" instead of "chattered." A next step for her would be to teach her to tune in to beginning and ending sounds. She needs to also slow down when she reads so that she is using her other cuing systems as well. Neither of these students' miscues appeared to having any significant relationship to their native language.  

Entry#6 Copy the activity on page 48 of Essential Linguistics. Determine Learning (L) vs. Acquisition (A) and explain your answers.

Page 48, Activity from Essential Linguistics, Freeman & Freeman

The student:

L-look up words in the dictionary to write definitions (this is an exercise with little context)

A-make a Venn diagram to compare two stories (this requires thinking rather than doing)

L-practice sounding out words (this is breaking words into their parts)

L-read in round-robin fashion (this exercise only allows students to practice a small part of the text)

L-correct peers when they make a mistake during reading (this does not encourage students to problem solve or use their own strategies for decoding)

L-identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound (this is studying a small part of language)

A-group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion on such as first and last letter (this requires thinking and application in a real context)

A-write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound (this allows for creativity at the same time as practicing skills)

L-ask the teacher how to spell any word they don’t know (again this does not encourage the use of strategies and thought)

A-read a language experience story they have created with the teacher (this requires thought and collaboration)

A-work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences (this is skill building in context)

L-divide words into syllables (this is a rote activity with little context)

L-on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound (This is skill building practice in isolation)

A-make alphabet books on different topics (this requires thinking in context of language)

The teacher:

L-preteaches vocabulary (students learn vocabulary explicitly and not through context)

A-does a shared reading with a big book (allows all students to practice a skill in context)

A-makes sure that students read only books that fit their level (Provides a context that is appropriate for the learner)

L-has students segment words into phonemes (this is breaking words into smaller parts to study)

A-writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words (allows students to practice language with some support while still allowing them to do the thinking and problem solving)

A-asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter (students are practicing skill in context and are doing the thinking)

A-uses decodable books (sets students up for success while learning in context)

A-sets aside time for SSR each day (Allows students time to experience words and language in context and independently so they can make use of strategies)

L-teaches Latin and Greek roots (studying word parts in isolation)

A-has students meet in literature circles (allows for independence in thought and discussion)

L-conducts phonics drills (a rote learning experience)

L-chooses predictable texts (provides learning in context, but the text is somewhat controlled) 

A-teaches students different comprehension strategies (provides students will things to think about to help them problem solve on their own)

A-does a picture walk of a new book (this builds background knowledge and gets students thinking about the context)

L-uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills (this is rote learning through drill and practice activities)

In general, the learning activities are those that are most likely thought of in terms of traditional learning. They require a lot of rote memorizing and drill and practice activities. They don’t really require thought and creativity. They are usually skill building activities that are not taught in context. The acquisition activities on the other hand, are activities that require thought, problem solving, and critical thinking. They allow skill building to happen in context and possibly through collaboration.

Entry#5 Review 2 children’s books and determine what components in the book might affect comprehension because of cultural aspects. List 4 per book and tell how this schema could be taught or introduced to an ELL learner. (Include an annotated entry for each book-summary of the book, any themes that might be addressed as well as the APA listing for the book, etc.)

Learning to read and comprehend in English is a challenging task. English has so many rules, and exceptions to the rules, but in addition to that, many books that are written in English include cultural bias, that for a second language learner adds even more of a challenge.  Let’s take for example the book Lucy Takes a Holiday by Salvatore Murdocca.  This book is about a dog named Lucy who gets tired of being a family dog and decides to take a vacation to dog town.  First, many kids in this part of the country are more familiar with the word vacation than they are with taking a holiday. A holiday here is more commonly thought of as a day in which some sort of celebration occurs. The title alone presents a challenge which could impact what predictions they may make about the story. In the story, Lucy takes a ferry boat over to Dogwood Island. Being in this part of the country, (not near water) a child may not be familiar with what a ferry is or even an island. The book also includes other words having to do with a boat such as the bow. If students have never been on a boat, they may not be familiar with these terms. Finally, having used this book with students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, I know that their background knowledge on vacations is very little since they come from families that are unable to take family vacations. That makes understanding some of the parts of her vacation hard to understand. For example Lucy goes shopping, to a beauty parlor to be pampered and made up, scuba diving, mountain biking, and even sailing. These are all concepts that may not be familiar to some ELLs.

 I’m Gonna Like Me: Letting off a little Self-Esteem by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell is another example of a book that could present challenges for ELL’s. Again the title alone may be challenging to understand since it is a play on words from a common idiom “letting off a little steam” and it includes the concept of self-esteem. Furthermore, the book has a lot of vocabulary such as fad, task, grin, plaid, etc. that will need to be taught to students to help them make meaning. In addition to the vocabulary, the book includes phrases like “jump out of bed”, “clean in a flash” and knowing something “like the back of your hand”. These are phrases or idioms that may not be understood by students learning English. Finally, the book includes some concepts that might be foreign to ELL’s, such as taking the bus to school or what it means to be picked last when teams are being made, or what they mean when they say they open a box that only has socks.

These two books are obviously not the only books that present challenges for English language learners. Every book will have some aspects of cultural bias and that is simply because books are written within and for a certain cultural group. Knowing this, it is critical that teachers anticipate these challenges and even prepare for them. A great way to do this is to build background knowledge and preview vocabulary prior to reading these texts with kids. If there are concepts that are important to the story line such as in both of these texts, these should be introduced and explored thoroughly before students read. This could include showing  a movie clip of sailing or vacationing for Lucy Takes a Holiday and perhaps a discussion of what it means to love and appreciate yourself for I’m Gonna Like Me. Moreover, teachers should introduce new vocabulary, concepts, or idioms with other types of visual supports like pictures, concrete objects, video or sound clips, etc. These visuals should be made available to students throughout the reading of the text and even assessed after reading the text. If possible the teacher might choose other books with similar themes or concepts to reinforce the new learning.  In summary, there is no way to find books in a particular language that will not challenge students’ comprehension of the text, but that is why teachers need to set students up for success by anticipating and planning how they will best support students while reading the text.

References:

Curtis, J. & Cornell, L. (2002) I’m gonna like me: Letting off a little self-esteem. New York: Harper Collins.

Summary: A young girl learns to like herself every single day, no matter what.

Themes- Fiction: Self-esteem, conduct of life

Murdocca, S. (1998) Lucy takes a holiday. New York: MONDO Publishing.

Summary: Lucy the dog gets tired of her family and decides to take a well-deserved vacation to Dogwood Island.

Themes-Fiction: Dogs, vacations

Entry #4 Choose a text in a language that you are not familiar with, at a level at which you should be proficient (an adult publication). Read it. Find a way to make meaning. Do whatever you have to do to make this text comprehensible. Now scale back the difficulty of the text. How far back do you have to go until you understand what you are reading? What did you do to make meaning? Make a list of strategies that you used. What are the implications to teaching?

After searching online, I was able to find some articles in Italian. I found one in particular about Italian families. I have never been exposed to Italian, but I have heard that it is similar to Spanish so I was hoping to be able to make some connections.  Unfortunately this was not the case.  I did not even make it through the first sentence without feeling frustrated. I think my Spanish background might potentially help me with pronunciation, but certainly not comprehension. My next approach was to simply skim and scan the text looking for any words that looked familiar, and to my surprise, this helped. I came across the word amore and mondo several times in the text. Then I used my cognates to help me make meaning of other words like vita (life) and nova (new). My knowledge of English actually proved to be more beneficial to me than Spanish. English helped me decode the following words divino, atmosfera, famosi, incredibili.  I was so relieved when I came across English names like Roberto and words such as New York and Boston.  Even though I was able to make out several words here and there, I was not able to make any solid meaning of the text. Unfortunately when you only understand one word in the entire sentence it’s very difficult to know what is being said about it. The more I looked at the text the more the mere sight of it made me feel dizzy and frustrated. Being a literate individual added to my frustration and caused me to give up easily. I thought I would be relieved to go down to an easier text, (one written for kids and with pictures) but to my surprise it was only slightly easier to make meaning from. The text was again in Italian but this time I actually recognized fewer words. The text appeared to be about rabbits and it appeared to be fiction since the rabbits were standing on two legs and were wearing clothing. The fact that there was less text on the pages made it seem more doable and less overwhelming. Since most of the words were unfamiliar to me I relied heavily on the pictures, however there were only pictures on every other page. From what I gathered the story was about a rabbit who found a carrot and then a cabbage. He kept finding more and more vegetables and he appeared to be joined by more and more rabbits. In the end, it looked like a gardener had discovered that his garden had been eaten by an animal but maybe was not sure who had caused the harm since the rabbits were hiding behind a plant. The rabbits took off running when they got caught. Since there were not very many cognates besides carote (carrot) in this text I can only guess about the meanings of words that were repeated again and again such as coniglietti, which I guessed was rabbit or rabbits.

What I learned from this experience is how important it is to provide text with pictures to English Language learners. I learned that less text is less overwhelming. I thought that it would be beneficial to provide beginning speakers with picture supports on every page and maybe even comic books or graphic novels that can show action through pictures. I thought it would be neat for them to take both picture and word walks to look for cognates that they may recognize. This experience also made me realize the importance of teaching sight words and allowing ELL’s to identify them in text. Not knowing any small sight words in Italian made it next to impossible for me to make meaning of sentences or even parts of sentences. In addition, I saw firsthand how teaching vocabulary (especially words that will be repeated in a text several times) can also help an ELL anticipate the text.  I can see also how using repeated readings of familiar texts would be less intimidating than starting a new text all the time.