Week 10-Assignment 1

Segment 1: Where do I start?

How can teachers' expectations of ELLs affect students' learning and performance?

A teacher with high expectations will ensure the success of both her English language learners and her native speakers. Students who are expected to perform on the same high standards as the other students will achieve higher than having to be modified. At the same time, teachers need to understand that English language learners have added challenges that need to be addressed.

How can you use what you already know about literacy instruction and your English language learners to enhance their learning?

A teacher who is an expert at teaching English language will be able to transfer these skills to English learners. In addition, students should be encouraged to use their native language to build on their English knowledge. Students should not be told to forget about their first language. Students need to be able to use their first language as a spring board to learning English.

Segment 2: How can I build on what English language learners bring to the classroom?

Think about your ELLs. What ideas from the video might be useful in your classroom?

I feel that having the students make a personal dictionary would be very helpful in building their vocabulary. In addition, I feel that it is very important for teachers to chose material that is relatable to their students' backgrounds. This benefits all students because it expands their knowledge about other cultures.

How can you ensure that ELLs and their English-speaking peers have equal access to the curriculum?

Providing students with an equal amount of resources and literature in both languages will enable ELLs to succeed. Also using a bilingual dictionary can help students complete their assignments and increase their vocabulary.

How can you support students in maintaining their first language?

Encouraging students to work with other students with the same native language will help them maintain their first language. This will also help these students work in a more comfortable setting because they will be with people who understand their backgrounds. In addition, when teachers chose material that relates to students' backgrounds this builds on their native culture. Also, having bilingual books in the classroom encourages students to maintain their first language.

 How can the classroom context support ELLs?

When the classroom context encourages students to work with people like them, this provides a big support system for ELLs. It is important for ELLs to work with other students who they feel comfortable with and who they feel can relate to their struggle. This is a way where ELLs can work together to build on their native language and increase their English language skills.

How can you use multicultural literature to support ELLs in your curriculum?
Teachers can chose to read books that relate to multicultural backgrounds in order to support ELLs. When immigrating to a new culture, any familiar thing from your native country is comforting. It is important for students to be able to read about their native culture in their second language so that their understanding increases.

How does your classroom reflect the nature of the community itself as well as materials written by the students?

In my classroom the first language is Hebrew. The students come from orthodox Jewish communities of which I am a member. Therefore it is very easy for me to incorporate materials from their culture into the classroom. For instance, the Jewish holiday of Chanukah is coming up, we therefore did activities associated with the holiday for the students to be able to relate to .

How can you group students so that they use their native language to support their language and literacy development?

Grouping students in a way that they work with students who share the same background and struggles as them enables ELLs to use their native language and helps support their language and literacy development.

Segment 4: What are some strategies for teaching ELLs?

What aspects of reading development are most critical to address when instructing ELLs?
Building students vocabulary is an area that really increases ELLs reading development and comprehension. Creating a word wall with all of the vocabulary taken from books is very helpful in ingraining these new words into students' memories.

How can modeling oral reading support ELLs?

When ELL students hear reading they are relieved of the pressure that exists when they read themselves and they can allow themselves to focus just on the comprehension. In addition, hearing what is being read also teaches the students proper pronunciation.  

What strategies can you use to teach students how to figure out and remember unknown words?
Some strategies could be to have the students make their own dictionaries. This way students can collect vocabulary words and learn their definitions in a practical way. In addition, having a word wall with vocabulary words from the reading is also an effective tool to teach students new words.

What are some strategies you might use to encourage students' to maintain their native language as they develop literacy in English?

Some strategies that I might use is to ask students to share different things from their culture and explain it to the rest of the class in English. This benefits both the student and the rest of the class since the class can gain an understanding of other cultures.