Reflection on Course

The book I chose to read was Reading, Writing and Learning in the ESL Classroom by Suzanne F. Peregoy, Owen F. Boyle.


Reading this book validated many of the teaching methods and ideas I implement as well as how I differentiate my instruction to meet the needs of all my students.  It emphasized that while some students learn through discovery, others through explicit instruction, others may need a combination of both.  Instruction on the  reading components: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension builds a solid foundation.  Assessments will need to be administered to determine an ESL student's level.  Assessments should be ongoing and occur before, during and after instruction. Using these scores in combination with observations the appropriate interventions, modifications and accommodations for assignments can be selected.  Many of the interventions, adaptations, and accommodations are the same as the ones you would use when working with an individual who has and IEP or how you differentiate instruction for any learner.    Some of them are:

• Shelter Instruction is tailoring instruction to the student's language proficiency levels and prior knowledge.
• Scaffolding is when learners are challenged with support  and assistance permitting them to perform at the next level.  By providing support, this allows students to perform a more complex process.  It offers practice and development of a skill instead of drill.  
• Differentiating product by having several avenues for students to display their knowledge. 
• Provide visual and verbal prompts.
• Provide materials in the student's language.

It is important to provide opportunities for an ESL student to develop both social and academic languages.  The two do not necessarily develop at the same rate.  

Throughout the course modules:

Exploring the ideas provided for service learning projects and co-teaching I was able to develop (as we all did) plans that I know I will use.  I am always looking for more ways to incorporate skype into the classroom and with the ePals I have established we will be skyping with them. 

This course has reminded me to record what I want included in my students' reflections.  I probably need to have it listed in my lesson plans.  Even though I have my students reflect on a daily basis or at least weekly, I neglect to record some of our oral reflections or have it noted in my plans.  

Instructional Plan - Exploring Cultures

Title:   EXPLORING CULTURES 

Core Content Areas:  Cultures & Societies

National Standards for Speaking/Listening, Reading, Writing and Foundational Skills are integrated in this unit.

Description of the students the plan is for Kindergarten Students but could easily be used for primary grades.

Description of the plan highlights:

Essential Question: How do cultures shape the people that are in them?

Students will learn about other cultures and how we are all special individuals through: Zink the Zebra Girl Scout program, books, videos about cultures on United Streaming,  BookFlix (an online book site), ePals(so far we have a French class- co-teaching project), Pennies for Patients Service Learning Project.  Student will be able to compare their traditions to those they learn about in this unit.  ELL students and families are another avenue to utilize.  They could be guest speakers or send in artifacts. 

To culminate the unit students will share some traditions that they like that happen at school and/or in the classroom.  They will participate in the class, Winter Celebration, which is planned by a parent with students selecting songs to sing and food to eat.  Students may select some food/recipes from other cultures to try.

Guiding Questions:

1.  What is a culture?

SS-P-CS-U-1 – students will understand that culture is a system of beliefs, knowledge, institutions, customs/traditions, languages and skills shared by a group of people.

SS-P-CS-U-4 – Students will understand that a variety of factors promote cultural diversity in a community.

2.  How do people, and groups of people, interact and get along?

SS-P-CS-U-3 – Students will understand that interactions among individuals and groups assume various forms (e.g., compromise, cooperation, conflict, competition).

3.  How are families different?

Key learner outcomes

Unit Objectives: 

Students will know: 

• People have customs and traditions.
• There are cultural elements (beliefs, traditions, languages)
• Various forms of interactions (cooperation)

Students will understand:

• Customs and traditions can be different
• The importance of appreciating other cultures

Students will be able to do:

• Identify and describe a family tradition
• Describe forms of cooperation
• Identify appropriate conflict resolution strategy (cooperation)

(Students will apply map skills previously learned during Geography Unit). 

(Students will use digital media to gain knowledge about culture).

LEARNING TARGETS

• I know people have customs and traditions.
• I know there are cultural elements.
• I can cooperate with other people. (interact)
• I can understand that customs and traditions can be different.
• I can understand the importance of appreciating other cultures.
• I can identify and describe a family tradition.
• I can identify customs and traditions of another culture.
• I can compare cultures.
• I can describe how to cooperate.
• I can identify an appropriate conflict strategy (cooperation)

Description of how you will measure if the plan was successful

Success will be measured by student participation during: class discussion, ePal letter writing, skype sessions, and other presentations.  They will be expected to share reflections on what they learn during daily lessons which could occur through Writer’s Notebooks and oral class discussions.  Students should demonstrate respect and cooperation with each other at the end of this unit and be able to reflect on strategies to get along better.

Success will also be measured on how well students perform on the common assessment.  The class average on the multiple choice should be 80% and on the open response average should be 3.

Locating and Partnering with Co-Teachers Plan

Module 4:

Locating and Partnering with Co-Teachers Plan

KINDERGARTEN EPAL PROGRAM 

Plan Elements:

1. Name the professional educator you plan to partner with.  Include the following information:

CONTACT 1: www.epals.com

Confirmed:

1. Name:      Sally Leman (penguen35@epals.com)  

                                  Ecole Notre Dame (http://ecolenotredamelecousse.fr

                                  Lecousse, France 

1. Position:  Teacher
2. Contact information: www.epals.com 

                     Sally Leman: penguen35@epals.com

                     School Website: http://ecolenotredamelecousse.fr

Waiting for confirmation on the following via www.epals.com:

Contacted:  Lucia Bonfanti, LaZolla Societa Cooperativa Sociale

                  Primary School 

                  Milan Italy

            Contacted:  Brenda Gillespie

                               Ages 4-5 year olds

                               Dunleer, Co Louth

                               Ireland

CONTACT 2:  www.skype.com       

                        Skype support: https://support.skype.com/en-us/

Skype Technologies S.A. 23-29 Rives de Clausen L-2165 Luxembourg contactus@skype.net

CONTACT 3: Jerri Payne, Johnson Elelmentary

                        jerri.payne@fortthomas.kyschool.us

Jerri is familiar with the ePal program.   I will contact her with questions. Our classes will share learning experiences via skype.

1. Describe the plan you have made with this person. 

Objectives Students will understand that countries and cultures from around the world celebrate holidays with unique traditions, foods, clothing, and activities. Students will demonstrate an understanding that symbols have meaning and that they represent an idea, a person, a place, or an event. Students will demonstrate an appreciation for other countries customs, traditions, and other cultural aspects by comparing it to their own. Students will be able to locate countries on a map and identify their shapes. Students will be able to collaboratively compose emails to their ePals class. Students will be able to describe specific details of their lives. Students will build a relationship with a class in another region of the world.

1. How will you bring what they have to offer to your students? 

Class will write letters as a class to a class in another country.  The letters will be emailed through our epal account.  This will be an interactive writing activity.  Topics in the letters will include ideas such as: customs, celebrations, traditions, symbols, school life, food, festivals, carnivals and fairs.  Other areas of interest may develop.

Class will mail an artifact box to the countries that are able to skype and the class in the other countries will send our class an artifact box.  The day we skype we will view artifacts together and share each artifact’s significance.  Students will take turns presenting artifacts.  Students will work together with assistance of teacher to select items to send.

Choose one or more of the books in the Scholastic Leveled Readers on countries.  Make sure to read about France since confirmed. Possibly read about Ireland and Italy - still awaiting response.  Collaborate with school librarian to have class select a variety of other books to read on countries, select from various continents.  Read selected books to the students.   Write letter to schools exchanging information.  After reading books and letters from schools, identify and discuss similarities and differences to in their home country. Guide students to look for important elements: such as: traditions, celebrations, school life, symbols, food, clothing, etc.

1. What technologies will you use? (video/voice technologies, etc?)

Interwrite board, document camera, epal email account, and video conferencing tool (Skype), google translator to translate website provided by schools, internet

1. What are the school disciplines and specific national, state, district or school standards that it will address?

1. The Kentucky standards can be found here: 

Cultures & Societies

Culture is the way of life shared by a group of people, including their ideas and traditions. Cultures reflect the values and beliefs of groups in different ways (e.g., art, music, literature, religion); however, there are universals (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, communication) connecting all cultures. Culture influences viewpoints, rules and institutions in a global society. Students should understand that people form cultural groups throughout the United States and the World, and that issues and challenges unite and divide them.

SS-EP-2.1.1

Students will describe cultural elements (e.g., beliefs, traditions, languages, skills, literature, the arts). 

SS-EP-2.1.2

Students will study a variety of diverse cultures locally and in the world today and explain the importance of appreciating and understanding other cultures.

Geography

Geography includes the study of the five fundamental themes of location, place, regions, movement and human/environmental interaction. Students need geographic knowledge to analyze issues and problems to better understand how humans have interacted with their environment over time, how geography has impacted settlement and population, and how geographic factors influence climate, culture, the economy and world events. A geographic perspective also enables students to better understand the past and present and to prepare for the future.

SS-EP-4.1.1

Students will use geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, mental maps, charts, graphs) to locate and describe familiar places at home, school and the community.

NATIONAL WRITING STANDARDS FOR KINDERGARTEN

LANGUAGE STANDARDS

Conventions of Standard English:

L.K.1-Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar in usage when writing or speaking:

L.K.1d - Understand the use of question words(interogatives)

L.K.1f - Produce and expand complete sentences ion shared language activities

L.K2-Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing:

L.K.2a - Capitalize the first letter of a sentence and the pronoun I

SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS

Comprehension and Collaboration

SL.K1-Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL.K.2- Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
Presentation and Knowledge of Ideas
SL.K.4-Describe people , places, things, and events and with prompting and support, provide additional details.
SL.K.5-Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
SL.K6-Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
WRITNG STANDARDS
Text types and Purposes
W.K.2-Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
Production and Distribution of Writing
W.K.6- With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing including in collaboration with peers.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
W.K.8-Wtih guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences and provide sources to answer a question.

1. How will you assess what your students have learned?

ONGOING

Student participation in discussions and letter writing.

Kentucky Marker Paper's Continuum to analyze students independent writing.

Students will compose a book with the assistance of the teacher that includes a map of each country studied, customs and traditions.  

Students compare elements of countries such as: customs, traditions, celebrations, etc..

CULMINATING 

Students will compare customs/traditions/celebrations they have with their family and in their country to those they have learned about in this unit.