English Learner Tool Kit

The English Learner Tool Kit is a resource available for free created by the U.S. Department of Education. This tool kit helps teachers and administrators ensure compliance with English Learner laws and necessary supports. It consists of 10 chapters from “Identifying All English Learner Students” to addressing special populations and communicating with parents.

Check it out here.

Key Uses of Academic Language

Below is a link to an awesome WIDA resource which explains the 4 key uses of academic language:

1. Argue: to claim and support with evidence
2. Explain: how something works or why something happens
3. Recount: to display knowledge; narrate and provide information
4. Discuss: to engage in a topic for the purpose of co-constructing knowledge in ways that are appropriate for the sociocultural context

What does it all mean?

When beginning to think about non-native students and their language learning, there are many new acronyms that educators need to learn. Below is an excerpted chart from Herrera and Murry’s Master ESL/EFL Methods, 3rd Edition which shows several acronyms important to ESL educators.

Padlet

The SIOP Method

Integrated Content-Based Method

The Integrated Content-Based (ICB) method of teaching ESL is grounded in the cognitive approach to learning and is based on the belief that students perform better when acquisition of language and content happens concurrently. This happens in many ways through carefully organized and well-prepared lessons and instruction. Read on for details on how to effectively implement this method within your classroom.

Flipgrid in the language classroom

During a professional development session today I was introduced to a wonderful tool called Flipgrid. Flipgrid is a website or mobile app which allows a teacher to upload up to a 3-minute video prompt to which students can respond in their own video which can be up to 90-seconds long. My interest was immediately piqued as this can certainly be an extremely useful tool in teaching a foreign language or ESL. Read on for links to other articles and blogs and to watch a short intro video.

Communicative Language Teaching

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is a method of teaching language which emphasizes the importance of effective communication rather than grammatically correct communication. These approach allows students the opportunity to use language in a controlled, monitored setting (the classroom) in order to prepare them for the real world.