Research has taught us that we need to scaffold our instruction to support ELLS in both language and reading (Krashen 1996; Gibbons 2002; Graves and Fitzgerald 2003), to teach them within their zone of proximal development (Vygotsky 1978), to engage in instructional conversations (Saunders and Goldenberg 1999), to build on their strengths and teach them from where they are at, and to help them acquire English by setting up opportunities to use it for real purposes and in the context of reading real texts (Karshen 1996; Ellis 1990; Freeman and Freeman 2002). We need to model for them, encourage them to try, support them, challenge them, interact with them, and then set them free to read and speak independently.
Balancing Reading and Language Learning
by Mary Capellini 2005
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Strategies for Supporting English Language Learners - Part 2
Shannon Maul guides participants through an analysis of text to showcase the supports and challenges readers face when learning new content. Topics of analysis covered: Levels of comprehension, prior knowledge, and cohesive devices.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Strategies for Supporting English Language Learners - Part 1
Participants engage in literacy strategies that would scaffold reading work for English Language Learners. The focus is to provide ELLs opportunities to use writing (and think time) as a scaffold to making meaning of texts.
Tuesday, September 28, 2006
ELD Tools that Inform Instruction - Middle and High Schools
In order to analyze the data of English language Learners more effectively at the Middle School level, Katherine Casey reviews ELD tools by Mary Cappellini. She emphasizes that these tools can help educators differentiate between a student who is struggling to read or is struggling with the English language. In addition, Katherine offers a few teaching strategies after she has analyzed data on individual students.
Tuesday, September 28, 2006
ELD Tools that Inform Instruction - Elementary Schools
In this session, Katherine Casey focuses on taking a closer look at our English Language Learners. She reviews how to strategically utilize four ELD tools from Mary Cappellini’s book, Balancing Reading & Language Learning. In addition, Katherine offers a few explicit instructional techniques that help move English Language Learners forward in their work.
Tuesday, August 17, 2006
English Language Development and Assessment Forms - Middle and High Schools
Using ELD standards reconfigured by SDUSD, Katherine Casey discusses a variety of strategies teachers can use to move students forward in ELD levels. To gain additional information about English Language Learners at the same level, Katherine suggests using assessment forms and checklists from Mary Cappellini’s book, “Balancing by Reading and Language Learning.”
English Language Development and Assessment Forms - Middle and High Schools
Using ELD standards reconfigured by SDUSD, Katherine Casey discusses a variety of strategies teachers can use to move students forward in ELD levels. To gain additional information about English Language Learners at the same level, Katherine suggests using assessment forms and checklists from Mary Cappellini’s book, “Balancing by Reading and Language Learning.”
English Language Development and Assessment Forms - Elementary Schools
Using ELD standards reconfigured by SDUSD, Katherine Casey models a variety of strategies teachers can use to move students forward in ELD levels. To gain additional information about English Language Learners at the same level, Katherine suggests using assessment forms and checklists from Mary Cappellini’s book, “Balancing by Reading and Language Learning.”
Language Development Using: "Come On, Rain!"
After participating in a Read Aloud with Karen Hesse’s book, “Come On, Rain!” adults engage in a language development lesson led by Katherine Casey. Participants are asked to capture the words and phrases (from “Come On, Rain!”) that gave readers the feeling of how hot it was in the story. Katherine models how to use these phrases with writing and speaking activities.
Shared Reading with 8th Grade Students
Katherine Casey provides a demonstration Read Aloud lesson with 8th grade students using a biography text “Dear Fellow Writer” a biographical letter by Pat Mora. Lesson focus: big ideas and author’s messages. Participants, during the debrief, discussed how Katherine supported student learning. Topics discussed: activating prior knowledge, identifying genres, student talk, supporting ELLs, and lessons in a series.
Planning a Shared Reading Based on Student Needs
Katherine Casey uses data from an 8th grade class to gain a deeper understanding of overall students’ strengths and areas of need. How to compare and contrast ELD levels and analyze state standards in order to impact lesson planning is also modeled. Participants are then led through the planning process for a shared reading lesson using the short story “Mrs. Buell” by Jean little.
Planning a Read Aloud Based on Student Needs
Katherine Casey uses data from a 4-5 combination class to gain a deeper understanding of overall students’ strengths and areas of need. How to compare and contrast ELD levels and analyze state standards in order to impact lesson planning are also modeled. Participants are then led through the planning process for a Read Aloud lesson using the short story “Mrs. Buell” by Jean little.
Debrief of Shared Reading Lesson "The Coral Reef Crisis" - Day 2
Day 2: Participants debrief the Day 2 Shared Reading lesson of “The Coral Reef Crisis” from Exploring Nonfiction 3rd grade and walk through Katherine’s “teacher moves” that supported students’ understanding of the text.
Shared Reading (5th Grade): "The Coral Reef Crisis" - Day 2
Day 2: Katherine Casey models a Shared Reading lesson with 5th grade students in their own classroom. Based on the assessments of what students were able to do on Day 1, Katherine modified a Day 2 Shared Reading lesson to focus on an areas of need: generating main ideas and supporting details.
Lesson Planning for Shared Reading 5th Grade: "The Coral Reef Crisis" - Day 2
Day 2: Katherine Casey highlights the ability to string a series of lessons through Shared Reading. Having assessed what students were able to do in Shared Reading lesson Day 1, participants were guided through the planning process of a Shared Reading Day 2 using the same text: “The Coral Reef Crisis” from Exploring Nonfiction 3rd grade. Katherine introduces Lyn Regett’s Shared Reading Planning Sheet.
Debrief of Shared Reading Lesson "The Coral Reef Crisis" - Day 1
Day 1: After observing a 5th grade Shared Reading lesson using “The Coral Reef Crisis” from Exploring Nonfiction 3rd grade, participants debrief the lesson using the observation protocol. Katherine references the following professional resources to differentiate between Read Aloud and Shared Reading: Shared Reading: Working It Out Together by Sue Brown and Read It Again!: Revisiting Shared Reading by Brenda Parkes
Shared Reading (5th Grade): "The Coral Reef Crisis" - Day 1
Day 1: Having used CELDT data and ELD standards to plan the 5th grade Shared Reading lesson, Katherine Casey models how to use context clues to make meaning of nonfiction text: “The Coral Reef Crisis” from Exploring Nonfiction 3rd grade.
Lesson Planning for Shared Reading 5th Grade: "The Coral Reef Crisis" - Day 1
Day 1: Katherine Casey guides participants to use the data and ELD standards to plan the Shared Reading using “The Coral Reef Crisis” from Exploring Nonfiction 3rd grade. Katherine introduces a chart as a focus for the lesson: How to use context clues to make meaning of the text. Students will be asked to generate main ideas and supporting details. Katherine also guides participants through the reading and chunking of the text. Prior to the lesson, participants are provided an observation protocol.
Analyzing Data to Determine Students' Strengths and Needs Focus: 5th Grade
Katherine Casey demonstrates how to analyze CELDT data and determine students’ strengths and needs. In addition, Katherine models how to take old CELDT data and hook it into ELD standards.