The NJ Dept of Ed has put together a very comprehensive unit on teaching ELLs.
Your assignment is to go through the entire unit. It's entirely online, and includes quizzes, voicetracks and some videos. It has many links to a great deal of useful information and material. Be sure to use your back button as well as going through all four parts.
At this point I'm thinking of our one writing assignment and it will probably have something to do with this unit...we'll discuss that together.
Meanwhile, here's the link. Don't expect to complete this unit in less than 6 or more sessions; it's not short--but I believe it covers just what you need.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/njpep/pd/ell_mainstream/index.html
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I went to the website you posted and it seems there is an error. It displays "this page cannot be displayed because it does not exist"
Try again, Rosemary--I just checked and it works. Don't forget the "ml" on the next line--the web address was too long to fit on one line...
Yup, it works now. Thanks.
As communities across the United States are becoming more diverse, many new teachers are finding that their responsibilities include teaching both academic content and language skills to English Language Learners. There are many different types of bilingual ED/ESL programs and great differences can exist between programs that appear to serve students in similar ways.
Regardless of the type of program the students are in, we have to remember that it's always the teacher’ responsibility to deliver instruction to these students in a way that is understandable. That means organizing the teaching practice in a way that meets their needs, as well as "working the system" or “with the system” to ensure that these students are getting the services, such as extra support for taking tests, that they need. As a starting point, it is a great idea to find out what kinds of services your school offers to support English Language Learners and to support you as their classroom teacher. In some cases like the low income school district is not very supportive but is because of the school budget, but if the teacher cares about the students she will go over and do her best for the students. To speak slowly, audible and clearly in whatever language its been use in the classroom. In some communities are predominant by Spanish speakers.
In a low income or any classroom is a great idea to use posters, overhead pictures if is possible, slide shows, videos, and illustrated books are useful and active methods of learning such as games, skits, songs, partner interviews and structured conversation with classmates. Choral reading, echo reading, and partner reading all allow students to work on fluency and pronunciation without putting them on the spot. Rehearsing a sentence, paragraph, or page before reading it aloud to a group can help students to improve fluency one chunk of the text at a time. Plays and skits provide a wonderful excuse to encourage students to practice the same lines over and over until they master them, and presenting a play or skit in their second language gives students a great sense of accomplishment age Learners attempts to be successful in a low-stress environment specially encourage students to maintain and develop their first language at school, at home, and in the community. When students are pushed to learn English only, and aren't given the chance to continue learning their home language, they lose the opportunity to be bilingual, a skill that's increasingly valued in society. Educators should never assume that a student has special education needs just because they’re struggling academically it could just be that they lack the language skills to successfully complete more academic work in English. At the same time, educators should never ignore potential special education needs either.
Learn about the cultures of the children you teach is a great way to know better the students, the key is to listen to your students and show interest in their cultures while being careful not to put students on the spot or assume that they're experts on their cultures. In my opinion assignments should be plan in a way that help bring students' cultures, families, languages, and experiences front and center. Talk with colleagues, parents, and friends who share the students' backgrounds.
Teachers should always find ways to communicate with parents in their first language unless they ask you to speak with them in English. Also we need to encourage parents to learn English. Emphasis is always on learning and using English in the classroom and on preparing English Language Learners to function in "mainstream" English-language classrooms. I am a product of the ESL department and I learned and now I am an educator myself.
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