ELL Teacher Pros Newsletter October
2016
It is hard to believe that it is late the year is fast
coming to a close! Soon, winter break
will be here and all of you will have time to relax and, hopefully, have some
fun!
With English language learners in classes, teachers may wish
to modify assessments a bit to allow these students (as well as those with
special needs) to demonstrate to a teacher’s satisfaction what they really know
without being unduly penalized for occasional errors in their use of
English. So how can modifications be
made to allow them to show what they know without watering down the
content? Employ a wide variety of highly
engaging formative assessments BEFORE the summative is given. Using these approaches build self-confidence
for the ELL as well as for other students with special needs.
Here are a few ideas that I have used from Edutopia:
1.
Use a KWL chart with 2 modifications. K (what I know), W (what I want to know), L
(what I learned), H (how I learned it), and Q (Questions I still have). The H and Q components provide the teacher
with a better idea of how well the lesson was understood. The Q component opens itself easily to small
group discussions to help clarify murky issues.
Results would all be posted on chart paper around the room for students
(ELLs especially) to access as needed in navigating new materials.
2.
Have small groups (ELLs, English Only, and
special needs) teach a part of the lesson to the classroom. This way each group becomes an expert in
their assigned topic (with the understanding that EACH member of the group must
be ready to share what s/he understood).
While each group discusses their grasp of the topic, the rest of the
class is taking notes on a teacher-designed handout (this type of guidance
ensures that everyone knows what to listen for). Once all groups have finished
sharing, small groups can discuss what they understood and compare notes.
3.
Pass out chart paper and markers to each small
group and have them create an illustration of what they understood of the
lesson. Post the results and then have
students evaluate each chart (simple rating system—3 being the most detailed
down to 1 having limited grasp of the topic).
4.
Design a pamphlet that will clearly cover all
the main concepts of the lesson. This
will include diagrams, pictures, bullet points, short paragraphs, etc. Each group will then share the results with
the class by posting them around the room so that every student can review and
rate them (again 3 being the best and 1 being needs work).
5.
Conduct teacher and student one to one conferences. Students must have specific questions in mind
when they approach the teacher. From
experience in this area, I can tell you that students really enjoy that one on
one. ELLs especially enjoy it since no
one can hear the conversation but the teacher so the fears of stumbling in
English fade away.
6.
Have students do a 1-minute reflection on what
their big takeaway from the lesson. This
can be a written reflection, a sketch, bullets, cartoons, etc. This type of freedom of expression will build
student confidence in sharing what they know.
7.
Let students create a comic book or strip on
what they understood. Use Read,
Write, Think comic strip creator for those who don’t feel comfortable
drawing.
8.
Talk to colleagues to pull ideas from them. Every teacher has a few fun ideas to reach
their students.
We hope your students have a fun Halloween (and leave the
candy home on November 1st).
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