Words of Wisdom Educational Consulting
Putting the WOW Back in the Classroom
What Can Be Done To Help English Language Learners?
by Keith Pruitt
You see the boys in the picture? They have names like Juan, Jose, and Mario. They know friendship and laughter. But in America, most of teh boys this age will drop out of school to seek employment and begin their families. Parly this is cultural; mostly this is from the frustration of school. Many Hispanic students in America so diligently trained in earlier grades begin experiencing extreme failure around seventh grade.
So what can be done to change this picture to one of promise and success? As educators, it is our responsibility to understand our students, their needs, their cultures, and to help them achieve their goals. Perhaps setting low goals is part of the problem (suggested by Freeman and Freeman, Closing the Achievement Gap), Many of these students are merely repeating the cycle of illiteracy in their families. Success in education will break that cycle and promote promising futures. The following are some suggestions from research of how we might be able to promote learning for ELL students in the regular classroom.
1. Cummins' interdependence theory states that if students have a concept in L1, it is easier to teach it in L2. Look for Spanish cognates that are easily transfered from English to Spanish. Generally, these have been borrowed from Latin roots. It is suggested that teaching Latin roots will promote vocabulary growth in all students. With Spanish, it is often merely a matter of changing a c to a t. For example, abreviacion becomes abreviation.
2. Use visualization to help teach concepts and vocabulary. Taken from Piaget's Schema Theory, visualization is widely promoted by Beck, McKeown and Kucan as a means of teaching tier 2 vocabulary. Marzano has adapted a methodology for teaching tier 3 academic language. Piaget believed that we must see to learn, and he is correct. Are students seeing what you are saying? If you were teaching the word aerial, would this picture help students remember the word?
from google images
Working with words is of great importance to these students as it is to all students. If you aren't teaching words, you are missing an excellent opportunity to explode the reading abilities of students.
But there are some basic methods that must be remembered:
* The words must be introduced to students orally. Krashen tells us that all language begins through audio. Students need to hear language. Reading to students every day is critical for language development.
* Students need to compare new learning to prior knowledge. If a concept is in L1, transfer it to their L2 learning. If you are speaking of shoes, use los zapatos to link the learning.
* Use graphic organizers and pictures to create schema. It is of importance that students see what you are saying! Students know more by visual recognition than they will be able to say or orally understand. Whey they see a door, they know that it is a door, but they may not know what it is called in English.
* Let stronger students help weaker students. The power of interpersonal intelligence has been proven by Howard Gardner. Use methods such as Linda Hoyt's Turn and Talk to harness effective learning. Students often can explain things better than a teacher.
* Use Preview, View, Review (Freeman and Freeman) methodology to introduce new stories, concepts and ideas to ELL students. Before you read aloud a story, take the time to introduce it graphically to the students. Use words to describe so that students know to listen for these words in the story. Pre-reading activities can often be as helpful as anything a teacher may do to be of assistance.
Working smart and using best practices equals help for English Language students. They do not have to be left behind. When given success, they will continue their education and excel. It is all about best practices in the hands of great teachers. Put the WOW back in your classroom.
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Current Happenings in Education
Have you seen StoryMatic, the creative story kit from Brian Mooney? Mooney has created writing prompts that will allow you to help students create their own stories with millions of possible combinations. Check it out at www.thestorymatic.com.
Rick McAtee has developed a very unique product for teaching phonics using sets of sound patterns. The program is called Cracking the Code. Read more about it at www.turninganewpage.com. There are also helpful children's books as well.
Recently at a Bureau of Education and Research (www.ber.org) seminar, I was introduced to the impressive work of Chick Moorman. He is a behaviorist wih 40 years of experience in education. Moorman approaches behavior modification using a verbal cueing system. The system is interesting especially how it places responsibility back in the hands of young people where it belongs. Check out his website at www.chickmoorman.com. Look particularly at the section on Spirit Whisperers. If you are having behavior issues in your classroom, Moorman's work may prove vital.
Currently reading 2 books: On Common Ground, Edited by the DuFours, the book deals with Professional Learning Communities and Patricia Cunningham's book What Really Matters in Vocabulary.
Recently I posted an article to my Epinions site regarding The Importance of Hearing Words: Reading and Your Children. Check it out at www.epinions.com/content_5200519300.
Some Impressive Books
Here are some books that are very impressive and highly recommended. These will be in two categories: childrens books and professional literature.
Professional books
Teachers will find these books very useful for study groups in schools.
Bringing Words to Life (Beck, McKeown, Kucan) Guilford Press [read review at www.epinions.com/content_162961067652]
Building Background Knowledge (Marzano) ASCD
Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society (Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco, Todorova) The Belknap Press at Harvard University
Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12 (Allen)
Stenhouse
Learning and Memory: An Integrated Approach (J.R.Anderson) John Wiley & Sons
Human Characteristics and School Learning (Bloom) McGraw-Hill
The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach (Gardner) Basic Books
Beyond IQ: A Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence (Sternberg) Cambridge University Press
Inside Words: Tools for Teaching Academic Vocabulary Grades 4-12 (Allen) Stenhouse
Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12 (Allen) Stenhouse
What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs (Allington) Addison Wesley Longman
The Literacy Principal: Leading, Supporting and Assessing Reading and Writing Initiatives (Booth & Rowsell) Stenhouse
Boosting Literacy with Graphic Novels (Booth & Lundy) Steck-Vaughn
The Art of Teaching Reading (Calkins) Addison Wesley Longman
The Art of Teaching Writing (Calkins) Heinemann
The No-nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing: Strategies, Structures, Solutions (Davis & Hill) Heinemann
Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire (Esquith) Peguin
Guided Reading (Fountas and Pinnell) Heinemann
Spotlight on Comprehension (Hoyt) Heinemann
Mosaic of Thought (Keene & Zimmermann) Heinemann
To Understand (Keene) Heinemann
Closing the Achievement Gap (Freeman, Freeman & Mercuri) Heinemann
Writing Essentials (Routman) Heinemann
Reaching Readers (Opitz & Ford) Heinemann
The Power of Reading (Krashen) Heinemann
Supervision: A Redefinition (Sergiovanni and Starratt) McGraw-Hill
Staff Development: Practices that Promote Leadership in Learning Communities (Zepeda) Eye on Education
Children's Books
These are some great books to use as read aloud selections.
Epossumondas Saves the Day (Coleen Salley) [read review at www.epinions.com/content_428162846340]
Bridge to Terabithia (Paterson) [read review at www.epinions.com/content_407738093188]
Say Daddy! (Michael Shoulders new book; check out his website at www.michaelshoulders.com) [read review at www.epinions.com/content_455201230468]
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Silverstein) [read review at www.epinions.com/content_449909526148]
Helpful articles
Allington, R.L. (1984). Content coverage and contextual reading in reading groups. Journal of Reading Behavior, 16, 85-96.
Douchy.F., Segers, M., & Buehl, M. M. (1999). The relationship between assessment practices and outcomes of studies: The case of research on prior knowledge. Review of Educational Research, 69(2), 145-186.
Nagy, W. E., & Anderson, R. C. (1984). How many words are there in printed school English? Reading Research Quarterly, 19(3), 304-330.
Nagy, W. E. Anderson, R. C. & Herman, P. A. (1987). Learning word meaning from context during normal reading. American Educational Research Journal, 24(2), 237-270.
Professional Development Recommended List of Books
Allen, J. (1999). Words, words, words: Teaching vocabulary in grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Allen, J. (2004). Tools for teaching content literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Allen, J. (2007). Inside words: Tools for teaching academic vocabulary grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Allen, J. (2000). Yellow brick road: Shared and guided paths to independent reading 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Allington, R. L. (2001). What really matters for struggling readers: Designing research-based programs. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G. & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: Guilford Press.
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read: A guide for teachers 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Calkins, L. M. (2001). The art of teaching reading. New York: Longman.
Calkins, L. M. (1994). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Davis, J. & Hill, Sharon. (2003). The no-nonsense guide to teaching writing: Strategies, structures, solutions. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Diller, D. (2008). Spaces and places: Designing classrooms for literacy. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
DuFour, R., Eaker, R., DuFour, R., Eds. (2005). On common ground: The power of professional learning communities. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
DuFour, R. & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Esquith, R. (2007). Teach like your hair’s on fire: The methods and madness inside room 56. New York: Penguin.
Fountas, I. C. & Pinnell, G. S. (2010). The continuum of literacy learning: PreK-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (1996). Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple-intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, H. (2004). The unschooled mind: How children think and how schools should teach. New York: Basic Books.
Graves, D. H. (2001). The energy to teach. (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Howard, M. (2010). Moving forward with RTI. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann.
Howard, M. (2009). RTI from all sides: What every teacher needs to know. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Hoyt, L. (2002). Make it real: Strategies for success with informational texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Keene, E. O. (2008). To understand: New horizons in reading comprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Keene, E. O. & Zimmermann, S. (2007, Second Edition). Mosaic of thought: Teaching comprehension in a reader’s workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Krashen, S. D. (2004). The power of reading: Insights from the research. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Marzano, R. J. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement: Research on what works in schools. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Marzano, R. J. & Pickering, D. J. (2005). Building Academic Vocabulary Teacher’s Manual. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increased student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Moorman, C. (2001). The spirit whisperers: Teachers who nourish a child’s spirit. Merrill, MI: Personal Power Press.
Opitz, M. F. & Raskinski, T. V. (1998). Good-bye round robin: 25 effective oral reading strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Owocki, G. (2010). The RTI daily planning book, K-6. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Routman, R. (2002). Reading essentials: The specifics you need to teach reading well. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Routman, R. (2005). Writing essentials: Raising expectations and results while simplifying teaching. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Sergiovanni, T. J. & Starratt, R. J. (2006, 8th Edition). Supervision: A redefinition. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Zepeda, S. J. (1999). Staff development: Practices that promote leadership in learning communities. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Zepeda, S. J. (2008). Professional development: What works. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
