Unit 6 post

This week something popped up in my google alerts that peaked my interest titled Speaking Mam in MAGA country: Immigration, education and the teenage boy in the middle. Imagine my surprise when I started reading about the very town I work and live in. It was an article all about Chambersburg, PA and how the local schools struggle to meet student’s needs. Although it doesn’t paint my town as a perfect or picturesque place to live in, it shows the very real struggle many students have when moving to a new country.

It begins by telling us the story of Fredy Garcia who is in 11^th grade and who is in danger of dropping out of school. It goes through why his family and he had to flee their country and the struggles they face now. He is not making adequate progress, falling behind the other students and no longer enjoying school. “Sometimes, the teachers explain things and I don’t understand. When I ask something, all the students laugh and joke,” the sophomore said. (Doesn’t that just break your heart!)

They also discussed the growing number of students we have in the ESL program. While this number has doubled, only one addition ESL teacher has been added. The Chambersburg Area School District’s biggest challenge, said Superintendent Dion Betts, is “adjusting more quickly to the people who are coming.”

One part of the article, which brings me great pride, is the local Agape English ministry at our church. It is run by Sue Marshall, a retired literacy coach for the school district. This program started out being available to locals who want to learn English and has grown into teaching individuals to read as well.

Although it’s a bit lengthy the article is a great read and I highly recommend. Learn more about Fredy and our hometown of Chambersburg here. There's even an audio that goes along with the article for easy listening. 

Unit 5 Post

This week I came across an amazing article by Emily Monaco. It is all about teaching math to ELs. It focuses in on how Mathematics and Language acquisition can be taught at the same time in the same class. The teacher just needs to be educated on how to do that.  Two quotes that caught my attention were:

“In fact, if you have the tools you need to succeed, teaching math and ESL together can be an incredibly rewarding experience, both for you and for your students.”

                                AND

“The idea of teaching both ESL and math at the same time might seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, many experts agree that teaching another subject is a great way to enhance ESL teaching.”

Yes! You can teach your students the language while also learning the content! Yes! It can be a rewarding experience! Some of the biggest growth I see in my math classes can be from ESL students. And really, as a teacher, what is more rewarding than seeing your students grow.

This article is broken down into teaching math to beginner ESLs, intermediate ESLs, and advanced ESLs. The suggestions for teaching beginner ELs are:

.  Begin with teaching your students the mathematical vocabulary they will need.

.  Once your students have the words that they need, you can begin presenting basic math problems to them. 4+2=6

·        .  Reinforce some of the new skills they have been taught with games and activities. The article suggests Zip, Zap, Zop. Bungabaloo (This online math game) and Math Bingo (Math BINGO).

.

There are more suggestions for intermediate ELs and advanced ELs in the article here.

Unit 4 Post

One article that showed up in my Google Alerts was an article titled Math Instruction for English Language Learners, by Kristina Robertson. As a math instructor I have found there is not too much information on teaching math to ESL students, so this peaked my interest right away! There was a lot of useful information in this article. It discusses the importance of language acquisition, building background knowledge, increasing student language production, and explicitly teaching academic language. 

At the end of the article it discussed ways you can use technology in your math classroom. One tip that I found interesting was: Look for interactive games that offer students a chance to practice their mathematical skills. She tells us about a Nintendo DS game called Brain Age. The game provides excellent mathematical training for numbers and tracks results, showing student improvement over time. I would never had thought to use Nintendo in my instruction, but I know the students would love it. Whenever I tell them they are playing a game, their faces light up. I could only imagine what their faces would look like if I told them they would be playing Nintendo. 

It also shared a great website called Vital NY (Video Teaching and Learning for NYS Educators) on Teachers' Domain offers an online library of free media resources from the best in public television. It was created by PBS Channels 13 and 21. It seems like a great resource for teachers. I did a simple search of "Make a Ten" and chose second grade. It came up with over 700 results. These results included videos, interactive games, lesson plans, and much more. Looking forward to using this in the future!

Click here to view the original article