Welcome to Unit 6 Seminar: Learning The Language Learning and Assessment Strategies 1

Looking Ahead to the Final Project— Write a paper about some of the ways you can address the academic, social and emotional needs of ELL’s while also facilitating their learning of the English language. Your project should reflect the following: What are some ways you can work on their language skills with them? What academic/organizational skills would you like them to learn? What emotional issues would you like to help them address? What social skills can you help them to overcome? What strategies can you make use of in each of these areas? How can you incorporate technology? (unit 7) What is the role of the paraprofessional in supporting these learners? 4 pages, double-spaced, and follow APA manuscript style (refer to the Kaplan Writing Center for help). You should include a Title Page and Reference Page (these do not count as part of the 4-page requirement). 2

Agenda Unit 5 questions Thinking strategically Recognizing and including the language Learning Strategies Assessment Strategies Preparing ELL’s for standardized tests 3

Scenario: You are assisting in an inclusion classroom and you notice that a student is struggling with the concept that is being taught. //What are some ideas for how you might help? 4

Possible Approaches Ask the student what they don’t understand; Observe the student Use another learning style Integrate hands-on such as experiments, manipulating objects Provide a buddy Provide step by step directions with modeling; do one example of the activity with the student and let the student do parts of it independently Provide guided instruction (think alouds, modeling) Build background knowledge 5

//What do we mean by thinking strategically when it comes to planning and assessing instruction? 6

ELL Teaching Strategies Partner work (buddies)Small groups Repetition and reviewAsk a variety of questions Provide many examplesCheck for comprehension TPRRealia Multiple modalitiesBuild background knowledge Graphic organizersRole plays Sheltered InstructionModified lessons Include/honor first language 7

Graphic Organizers Create a visual representation, an organizational aid, a memory or study tool or a way to think more deeply about a topic. Choose one graphic organizer at the following site. Come back to explain which organizer you chose and how it is useful. 2 minutes Graphic organizers 8

How do we support Language Learning? 2 min. //How does doing a trade support language learning? //What are the benefits of including Spanish language learning in the regular classroom? Honoring the language 9

Prior knowledge and experience students have about a particular topic //Why is background knowledge so important to learning, particularly to an ELL? //Suppose you are assisting in a fourth grade inclusion classroom. The students are learning about the state of Florida. How might you provide background knowledge to your ELL’s? Background Knowledge Building Background Knowledge 10

Background Knowledge Suppose we wanted to teach a lesson on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, what background information would you want to share with the children? 11

Field Trip The Very Hungry Caterpillar (3 minutes) //What strategies does the teacher use to support learning? //How does she include multiple subjects in her lesson? 12

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Sheltered instruction- To Provide Academic Support Provides meaningful instruction in content areas so that ELLs can learn the academic content while acquiring the language Uses specific strategies to ensure the content is comprehensible to the English Learner Sheltered instruction 17

Sheltered instruction—to support academic learning Sheltered instruction means using language in a way that the concepts are more clear and concrete for the student. It helps the students by prompting them with varied question types, pacing the lesson, speaking at an appropriate rate, using appropriate vocabulary, short simple sentences, pausing, emphasizing key words, allowing interactions among students, and wait time for responses. It makes language more comprehensible. 18

Sheltered instruction Strategies Questioning that promotes higher order thinking skills Appropriate pacing Speaking rate Appropriately challenging vocabulary Short, simple sentences Be animated Offer repetition Emphasize key words Create opportunities for interaction Provide wait time 19

Traditional v. Alternative Assessment Selecting appropriate assessments Traditional assessments such as multiple- choice and fill-in-the blanks have received considerable criticism Select alternative forms of assessment to assess English Learners 20

Alternative or Authentic Assessments: Alternative assessments generally meet the following criteria: Focus is on documenting individual student growth over time, rather than comparing students with one another Emphasis is on students' strengths (what they know), rather than weaknesses (what they don't know) Consideration is given to the learning styles, language proficiencies, cultural and educational backgrounds, and grade levels of students 21

Alternative Assessments What types of alternative assessments can we use rather than traditional assessments (such as tests, quizzes, essays, multiple choice assessments)? Field trip: alternative assessment (14 minutes) &feature=related //What types of alternative assessment were evident? 22

Assessment: Test -Taking Lack of familiarity with general test-taking strategies Some strategies to teach: Teach understanding of directions Pace themselves Use word banks Check answers Answer all questions Look for right answers within the text “Look-alike” questions 23

Thank you for another GREAT seminar! Questions? 24