Making the English Language Learner Visible: Caring is Only the First Step, Deliberate Action the Second

Talon L. Deatrick

talondeatrick@sbcglobal.net

ELD Program at Grant Elementary, San Lorenzo, CA
The ELD program at at Grant Elementary consists of "sheltered" instruction, with a "pull-out" program to address the needs of English language learners; the demographics of this school includes a large minority population, including those of Hispanic descent, and the pull-out program struggles to meet the needs of this student body.

Robbie Doesn't Like to Speak Spanish
Robbie is an Early Advanced English Language learner in a culturally diverse classroom population. While his first language is Spanish, he is quite fluent in English and relunctant to speak in his native tongue--both at home and at school. He enjoys reading and writing in class and seems to be losing his Spanish speaking abilities as he gains fluency in Academic English.

THE CONTEXT IN WHICH YOUR TEACHING TOOK PLACE

Robbie is one of 19 students in a 1st grade classroom. The total population of this (K-5) Elementary school is 403 and 46% are of Hispanic descent. As previously mentioned, the majority of the students in this class went to this school last year, with quite a few experiencing a crazy Kindergarten year, due to a change in teachers mid-year; subject to a less than adequate replacement for their K-1 combination class, the students still stuggle with basic academic and developmental growth. The cultural background of the class is quite varied, with almost half being Hispanic. There is not one Caucasian student. 3 of the 10 ELD students are "pulled out" for ELL instruction and this class, like the rest that make up the school, receives "sheltered" instruction. There are virtually no explicit adjustments made in classroom curriculum and instruction; Robbie, like others of limited ELP, participates in the same mainstream instruction as those proficient in academic English. The conspicuous absence of ELD modifications in Robbie's class has made it challenging to directly observe and facilitate appropriate modes of instruction.

Several pieces of key information along three dimensions of diversity have been gathered about Robbie. Looking at his schooling experience and academic ability, cultural linguistic background, and lingusitic proficiency was absolutely essential in thinking of what type of lesson plan to address, and how to effectively teach it. Given that he is fluent in English, an avid reader and enthusiastic learner, it was important that I create a lesson that was challenging enough for him; therefore, rather than address basic decoding and oral development skills, I sought to teach a mini-lesson which focused on his love of reading, and more advanced comprehension development.

1) Schooling experience and academic ability: Robbie attended a bi-lingual pre-school and kindergarten program. By the time he finished the latter part of his kindergarten year at Grant and entered 1st grade, he was losing his ability to speak Spanish. He reads avidly in class, and by the time I conducted my lesson he was on grade level, reading at a DRA level of 5. It appears as though he has assimiliated quite well to his classroom environment. Collected: student interviews, running records, writing samples, observational survey, and observation notes.

2) Cultural and Linguistic Background: Robbie is in the care of his Grandmother, who speaks entirely in Spanish--with a little broken English, every day after school until his mother comes home from work after 6 pm. He will speak Spanish to his Grandmother, but refuses to speak in his Native tongue with his mother, who knows fluent English. From interviewing his mother, it appears as if Ruben thinks in English now, and will only speak in Spanish if he has to. If prompted, he will help those less proficient in English. Collected: parent interviews and notes from informal conversations with teacher and student.

3) Linguistic Proficiency: Robbie is understands and follows many simple oral directions. He has no trouble understanding and using more extensive vocabulary, using complete sentences to express ideas and in-depth thoughts. While English is not his first language, he sounds as if English is indeed, his native language. Collected: CEDT score, sample audio recordings of student's reading and speaking.

CURRICULUM PLANS OVERVIEW

Lesson Exercise:

Guided Reading to entire class; "Leo the Late Bloomer" by Robert Kraus

Teaching Objective:

To instruct students on reading comprehension, namely "meaning making" as described in Mosaic of Thought (199?); lesson will focus on relating the "text to self."

Learning Objective:

Short term: to extend student's reading development beyond decoding skills to introductory comprehension skills, and to develop further, thier oral language development.

Long term: to help student's begin to make meaning of the material they read and to think critically about it, and to help them communicate their thoughts effectively with peers.The lesson was also a vehicle for thier overall metacognitive development.

Rationale:

The semester-long assessments done with Robbie* on his reading and writing development were instrumental in putting together a meaningful reading lesson for him and his other classmates. Based on my assessment of Robbie’s reading development, I decided that he as well as others was ready for introductory comprehension strategies of texts. Robbie had advanced three reading levels since the beginning of the year and was on grade level; given that he along with over 50% of the class was Hispanic and bi-lingual in varying degrees, I chose to focus not only on reading comprehension, but on oral language development as well. California Reading Standards for 1st Grade, along with age-appropriate English Language Development Standards helped guide and inform my lesson objectives, as students are expected to begin moving beyond basic decoding skills into general comprehension of level books and story books.

Final considerations include cultural relevance and contextualization of the lesson. While many students in his class sound like fluent native speaker (with approximately five or so having only a mild accent), all maybe a third speaks a second language in the home. This disconnect between oral language and academic English influences their expressive and receptive cognitive ability as well as their communication skills. Group sharing during this guided reading lesson is utilized in an attempt to address students’ ZPD’s and social/emotional needs. Robbie is a strong reader and ELL student who will benefit from learning how to comprehend texts and share his ideas with others. Moreover, the class as a whole is beginning to address meaning making in literature via Writer’s Workshop and Shared Reading time; this lesson is an extension of previously introduced material and an exploration in making students’ internal thought processes during reading more explicit.

Language Arts Standards:

2.0 Reading Comprehension

2.6 Relate prior knowledge to textual information

*CA and San Lorenzo Unified School District

English Language Development Standards:

Listening and Speaking/Comprehension (K-2)

-- Ask and answer instructional questions by using simple sentences

-- Listen attentively to stories and information and identify important details and concepts by using both verbal and nonverbal responses.

-- Ask and answer instructional questions with some supporting elements (e.g., "Which part of the story was the most important?").

Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development (K-2)

Intermediate ELD Level-Apply knowledge of context-related vocabulary to discussion and reading.

*http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/documents/englangdev-stnd.pdf

Outline of Lesson/Strategies:

-- Introduce story and review concepts of: student as researcher in making connections between parts of a story and oneself

-- Review storyline, emphasizing that students have read story before and already know what happens

-- Remind students that I have marked story with post it notes to help us make a connection

-- Model how parts of the story remind me of something that happened in my life

-- Inform students to make their own connection to the story while it is being read and that they will share this connection with a partner

-- Model question/answer partner communication

-- Read story, stopping at the marked pages of my meaning making (2)

-- Give students a moment to think: "Did anything happen in the book that reminded me of me?"--repetition question throughout the lesson/have student's repeat question frequently

-- Have students do partner sharing

-- Ask one or two students to share with the group, their connections

-- Conclude with making sure they know why they make connections: Makes a good reader who 1) understands the story better 2) helps us to remember a story better 3) literature helps us to understand ourselves better

Other Thoughts:

Modeling behavior for text representation helps students to begin to make connections between higher-order thinking and literature. I wanted to use a book that was simple in language and that the children could relate to. The language was repetitive, to help someone like Robbie think about how Leo in the story reminded him of something in his life. Framing the question, "Did something like that ever happen to me?" was an anticipatory guide, and using chart paper to make a list of text-to-self connections helped Robbie and others see their internal processes made visible and provided an effective means of schema building. Finally, partner sharing, succeeded in helping Robbie and others bridge and articulate their connections to others, further developing thier oral language competency.

*no handouts and/or pictures of materials were used, other than the book itself.

A RECORD OF YOUR TEACHING (I.E., SO, WHAT DID YOU END UP TEACHING?)

The Guided Reading lesson of "Leo the Late Bloomer" by Kraus was used, and the student's practiced making text-to-self connections, utilizing oral language skills and reading comprehensions skills.

At first I was very nervous about teaching a text-to-self connection because so much of the exercise has to do with the automatic internal processes of one's mind. Things, however went well. This was due in part, to using a text that the children loved and heard before. Because they enjoyed the text, they were able to begin relating it to themselves. I explained what we were going to do, used frequent repeat questioning and invited student's thoughts and comments throughout the lesson. I read the story, shared my own personal connections, proceeded to making a list of their ideas on chart paper, and together we shared ideas. During partner sharing, I listened in for connections, then we shared our connections with the whole group. The student's were alert, excited, and focused.

* no samples of student work were generated

AN ASSESSMENT OF YOUR STUDENTS' LEARNING AND OF YOUR OWN TEACHING

My pre-assessment of Robbie based on the standard I was teaching was that he was unclear about how to make a text-to-self connection. Originally, when I modeled to him and the rest of class, my own personal connections to the text "Two Ants," each student called upon, including Robbie, described incidents similar to the one I shared—not to the experience of the ants in the story. For example, when I discussed the fact that the ants had traveled to the unknown world of the kitchen for the first time and how that was strange and scary to them, I connected it to the first time I went to the dentist as a child. After detailing how the dentist chair with the big glaring light scared me and the drill sound made me nervous, Robbie and others began sharing their experiences of going to the dentist rather than linking their own personal experience of traveling to a new place just like the ants had done. This initial shared reading exercise told me that Robbie and his classmates needed more practice with reading comprehension and text-to-self connecting.

Post-Assessment, I realized that Robbie and his classmates were learning how to make personal connections to the text. Rather than repeat similar incidents that mirrored my examples, students began to list times when they felt like "late bloomers," having me list on chart paper things like: taking a while to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels or going to bed without a nightlight on. Robbie himself, shared how it took him a while to learn to read! While the lesson was successful, I think it will be important to revisit this notion of text-to-self connections several times in order to ensure that the students really internalize its meaning and importance for further academic development.

Evidence to assess student's learning:

--frequent hands raised to share something that happened to them, like Leo in the story

--student participation in "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" for comprehension of story

--active chatter in partner sharing about personal experience as it related to story. Many who don't speak up, were practicing thier oral language skills.

--Robbie in particular was quick to share his comprehensions during the chart paper exercsie, and quick to correct me when my dictation was inaccurate!

--heard many students, including Robbie, begin thier partner sharing with the modeled prompt, "What connection did you make?"

Assessment of my own teaching:

--was clear about what they were to do, checking for understanding. Asked them to repeat the prompt, "What connection did you make?" Waited for them once I got to the part of the story where I would model my connection--then they would ask in unison. Encouraged them!

--Reiterated why making connections are so important--goals at beginning and end of lesson.

--Had them practice language via prompts and comments throughout lesson.

--Kids seemed to be really listening: their eyes were on me, no fidgeting.

--Writing on chart paper story/self connections seemed an effective scaffold for modeling higher-order thinking.

--"Thumbs-up, thumbs-down" encourages all to respond during lesson

--Was excited about story, and that enthusiasm made teaching more productive and fun

--Careful to give specific feedback and positive reinforcement during lesson: "You're so smart to remember that part of the story,........to remember what the word "bike" starts with, etc...."

--felt like it was hard to truly assess text-to-self connections being made for every student

--felt it was hard to represent everyone's connections on chart paper: wanted to, but felt it an unproductive use of time

--wondered if Robbie was truly in his ZPD, wondered if I should've chosen partners rather than allow student's to pick thier own in order to set-up more productive oral language practice and meaning making abilities.

--wondered how much thinking was going on during "thumbs-up, thumbs-down"

REFLECTING ON YOUR TEACHING, OR WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT INCLUDING ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR TEACHING

My next lesson will be very similar to the first. I feel this initial lesson was one of many that must be repeated in order for students to learn how to make text-to-self connections. I will probably adjust the lesson to small group rotation, now that every student in the class is familiar with the concept of making connections to literature. An alternative (especially for someone like Robbie) will be to have a group of five diverse learners read a familiar level book together. Following the reading, each will pick a part of the story that reminds them of something that happened in thier lives, write about it on a piece of paper, then take turns sharing it in a group. An alternative to this last step would be to have them share their writing with a partner, and have that partner share his/her friend's connection with the group.

Partner sharing is a positive tool for building on oral academic language for the 1st grade learner. This exercise is made more meaningful by retelling parts of text that was meaningful to the individual learner. Practicing self-text connections combines metacognitive processes with oral language development when shared orally in groups. Finally, by paying attention to ESL standards when planning lessons, I am becoming clearer on WHY certain activities in a lesson are important and what they're for. Teaching to a standard, especially for ESL learners, forces me to adjust my lesson to meet the needs of diverse learners. ESL learners must have opportunities for learning AND acquisition and something like partner sharing provides both, especially if the context is a meaningful one (a la Dewey). Text selection when doing a shared reading lesson is crucial and I'm more aware of the importance of content and language embedded within a text when choosing a story to share with a class of English language learners. I am merely a novice at paying attention to planning curriculum and teaching with academic language development in mind; this snapshot project was a good first step!