Daily Instruction for Beginning ELLs (excerpt from The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide)

Ferlazzo c04.tex V3 - 06/20/2012 6:26 P.M. Page 71

CHAPTER FOUR

Daily Instruction for BeginningELLs

Nobody thought Juan was very capable. People didn’t take him seriously whenhe said he wanted some land to farm. Finally, he was given a small plot, buteveryone laughed because they believed it was poor soil and Juan wouldn’t

be successful. Juan, though, was a hard worker, and he had the knowledge thathis friends the Zanate birds shared with him. Following their advice, he plantedwhat are known as the ‘‘three sisters’’: corn, beans, and squash. The birds—andthe indigenous people of Mexico—know that these three plants complement oneanother during the growing season. The townspeople were shocked to see thesuccess of Juan’s harvest. From that day forward he was known as Juan Zanate.1

In this Mexican folktale, people had a low opinion of Juan’s ability. However,through his determination and his use of inner gifts—which most people didn’t seehe had—Juan succeeded beyond his neighbors’ imagination.

The suggestions in this chapter for daily instructional activities, as well as theideas found in every chapter in this book, are designed to help the gifts and assetscarried by our ELL students shine as bright as those that were inside of Juan Zanate.Chapter Three provided an overview of different elements to include in a beginningESL classroom. This chapter will describe what the application of these elementsmight look like on a day-to-day basis.

Reflection

Robert Marzano calls reflection ‘‘the final step in a comprehensive approach toactively processing information.’’2 As such, it can also function as a useful formativeassessment (see Chapter Thirteen).

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72 THE ESL/ELL TEACHER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE

We recommend having a short—five to seven minutes or so—reflection activity,usually a ‘‘think-write-pair-share,’’ two or three times each week at the end ofclass. It could be useful to both student and teacher to collect these for monthly,bimonthly, or quarterly review, so keeping them in a separate folder or notebookis an option. We suggest that these activities fall into five different categories andthat the reflection activity vary between them (and any other ideas you mightwant to try). Depending on the English level of the class, sentence starters to helpstudents with their responses might be helpful in addition to asking the questionsthemselves.

SUMMARIZE

There is a wealth of research documenting the effectiveness of having studentssummarize what they have been studying.3 Students can respond to prompts like:

What are two things you learned today?What is the most interesting thing you learned today?What do you know now that you didn’t know before today?What will you tell your parents tonight if they ask what you learned?Draw something that represents the most important thing you learned today

or that summarizes the day. Please write a short description.

SELF-ASSESS

Robert Marzano recommends students share how well they think they did in classand what they believe they could have done better.4 Using the metacognitive strategyof reviewing what they did that helped them learn, along with what they did thatwas not particularly effective, can assist students in developing a greater sense ofself-efficacy.5 Here are a few more questions students can answer:

What did you do that helped you the most today to learn English?What did you do to help yourself understand something when you were not

clear?What, if anything, do you think you need more help in understanding?What, if anything, are you having difficulty doing?

After students complete the lesson on the Qualities of a Successful LanguageLearner in Chapter Twelve, they can periodically be asked to reflect on what they didto meet their goals or what they could have done differently to meet them.


DAILY INSTRUCTION FOR BEGINNING ELLs 73

ASSESS THE CLASS AND TEACHER

Asking students to share their perspectives on class activities and the teacher’s stylecan help on a number of levels. This is best done anonymously to ensure candidresponses. Questions can include

What was your favorite class activity today, and why did you like it?

What was your least favorite class activity today, and why was it your leastfavorite?

Was the pace of this class too slow, too fast, or just right?

These one-day quick check-ins should not be confused with the more extensiveclass evaluation suggestions in Chapter Two and in Exhibit 2.2.

RELEVANCE

Some studies have shown that having students write a few sentences explaininghow they can specifically apply what they learned to their lives resulted in higherachievement.6 ESL teachers can apply this same concept in their classes. Studentsmight write, ‘‘I will be able to ask someone for directions’’ or ‘‘I can fill out a jobapplication’’ and, in addition to refreshing their memory, they might feel moreencouraged to actually do these things.

HIGHER-ORDER THINKING

A Taxonomy of Student Reflection was developed by educator Peter Pappas.7 In it, heapplies the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (see Chapter Six for more details on Bloom’sTaxonomy) to critical reflection. He recommends looking at student self-reflectionthrough this lens:

Top

Creating: what should I do next?

Evaluating: how well did I do?

Analyzing: do I see any patterns in what I did?

Understanding: what was important about it?

Bottom

Remembering: what did I do?

Some of these questions obviously also connect to the previous reflection ideas.After students become more experienced in self-reflection, and as their English levels



advance, the teacher might want to start framing the reflection questions in thecontext of this taxonomy. In this way, not only may students become more awareof the strategy behind self-reflection, but they will also be introduced to the RevisedBloom’s Taxonomy, which they will surely encounter during their academic career.

Homework

This section presents the homework that we give our beginning and early intermedi-ate English language learners. It covers all four domains: reading, writing, listening,speaking. All homework is shared and turned in on Fridays, and twenty minutes ofclass time is sometimes provided to students during the week to work on it.

Read a book in English at home for at least twenty minutes each night anddemonstrate the use of at least three reading strategies (see the Reading Login Exhibit 3.5). In addition, students must complete a Weekly Reading Sheet(see Exhibit 6.1 in Chapter Six).

Write a journal sharing two or three good events that occurred that weekand one event that was not necessarily positive. In the last instance, share ifthere was something that the student could have done differently to improvethe outcome. If the student is an early beginner, he or she can draw or pastepictures representing the same events. In class, students share what theywrote with a partner, and the partner should ask at least one question.

Complete a Four Words sheet with new words they learned that week—in orout of class—that they think are important (see Exhibit 4.1 in this section).In class, students share the words they chose with a partner.

Spend at least ten minutes each day ‘‘talking to themselves’’ (while riding abicycle or walking to school, for example) or to someone else in English (thiscould sometimes happen during reading time at the beginning of class), andcomplete the Conversation Log in Exhibit 4.2. Note that the log is set upto also include a ten-minute conversation each day with an in-class tutor oranother classmate, and uses a conversation cheat sheet (Exhibit 4.3). Teachersmay or may not be working in schools that can provide other students whocan act as peer tutors.

Watch a movie or television program in English for at least fifteen minuteseach night.

Depending on whether students have computers and Internet access at home,online practice can substitute for the last two assignments (see the Tech Toolbox later in this section).

Supporting Research. Cathy Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework: BestPractices That Support Diverse Needs, recommends these guidelines for homework:



EXHIBIT 4.1. Four Words Sheet

Name Period Date

Word and Definition in English

Definition in Primary Language

Picture

Sentence



Picture

Sentence



Picture

Sentence



Picture

Sentence



EXHIBIT 4.2. Conversation Log

Date I talked to mytutor about . . .

I talked tomyselfabout . . .

TutorSignature andStudentSignature

Oct. 17,2010

1. What is your favoritefruit?13. What is your name?19. What did you eatfor lunch yesterday?

What I saw on thestreetMy lunch

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EXHIBIT 4.3. Conversation ‘‘Cheat Sheet’’

1. Q: What is your favorite fruit?A: My favorite fruit is (a banana, an

apple, a peach, a melon, a nec-tarine).

2. Q: How are you?A: I am fine.

3. Q: How do you feel?A: I feel (happy, sad, tired, angry,

hungry, sick).

4. Q: Did you have a good weekend?A: Yes, I did. (No, I did not.)

5. Q: What did you do over the week-end?

A: I (read, slept, played soccer, wentto the park, watched TV, went toFresno, played with my baby).

6. Q: Can I use the telephone please?A: Yes, you can. (No, you cannot.)

7. Q: How old are you?A: I am years old.

8. Q: What grade are you in?A: I am in grade.

9. Q: I’m cold. Can you turn the airconditioner off?

A: Yes, I can. (No, I cannot.)

10. Q: I don’t understand. Can yourepeat that?


11. Q: What are you going to do thisweekend?

A: I am going to (read, sleep, dohomework, go to the park, watchTV, play with my baby).

12. Q: What is your address?A: My address is .Q: Is it close or far away?A: It is

.

13. Q: What is your name?A: My name is

.

14. Q: What is the word for this inEnglish?

A: The word in English is.



15. Q: What do you buy at the store?A: I buy (food, clothes, vegetables,

fruit, bananas, rice).

16. Q: Where do you buy food?A: I buy food at (Main Street Gro-

cery).

17. Q: What is your telephone number?A: My telephone number is

.

18. Q: What did you eat for lunch yester-day?

A: I ate (rice, a burrito, a hamburger,a sandwich).

19. Q: What did you eat for breakfasttoday?

A: I ate (rice, cereal, bananas, toast).20. Q: Who is your favorite teacher?

A: My favorite teacher is.

21. Q: What is your favorite story onMr. Ferlazzo’s web site?

A: My favorite story is about.

22. Q: What is your favorite meal?A: My favorite meal is

.

23. Q: What was your favorite field trip?A: My favorite field trip was when

we went to .

24. Q: How do you get to school?A: I (drive, walk, ride my bike, run).

25. Q: Do you have any brothers or sis-ters?

A: Yes, I havebrothers andsisters. (No, I don’t have anybrothers or sisters.)

26. Q: When is your birthday?A: My birthday is on .

27. Q: What is today’s date?A: Today’s date is .

28. Q: Are you feeling okay?A: I’m fine. (No, I’m feeling sick.)

29. Q: Excuse me, I can’t see. Can youmove please?

A: Sure, I can.



30. Q: What time is it?A: It is .

31. Q: Was the (homework, test) easy orhard?

A: It was .32. Q: How long until we get to (San

Francisco, Thailand, New York,St. Paul)?

A: We will get there in(minutes, hours, days, weeks).

33. Q: How far is (downtown, the restau-rant, San Francisco, New York,St. Paul)?

A: It is (blocks,miles) away.

34. Q: How do you get to (San Fran-cisco, Burbank, the grocery store,downtown)?

A: You drive to the (first, sec-ond, third) stoplight, then makea (left, right) turn, then go to

(street, road)and make a (left, right) turn. Itwill be on your (left, right).

35. Q: What size is this (jacket, shirt, pairof pants)?

A: It is (small, medium, large, extralarge).

36. Q: How much does this (shirt, TV,jacket) cost?

A: It costs (cents,dollars).

37. Q: First Person: I (love, like, hate)Q1

you.

A: Second Person: I (love, like, hate)you, too.

38. Q: What time does the movie start?A: The movie starts at (1:00, 7:30).

39. Q: What are you going to do thisweekend?

A: I am going to (read, play soccer,sleep).

40. Q: What are you going to dotonight?

A: I am going to (study, read, eat).41. Q: What are you going to eat for

dinner tonight?A: I am going to eat (rice, papaya

salad).42. Q: What do you usually eat for

breakfast?A: I usually eat (cereal, rice, toast)

for breakfast.43. Q: What time do you usually go to

sleep?A: I usually go to sleep at (9:30,

10:00).44. Q: What time do you usually get up?

A: I usually get up at (7:00, 7:30).45. Q: Can I use the restroom (bath-

room)?A: Yes, you can. (No, you cannot

right now; please wait five min-utes.)

46. Q: Can I borrow that book?A: Yes, you can. (No, you cannot.)



47. Q: How is your (father, mother, baby,brother)?

A: (He, She) is (okay, sick, fine,tired).

48. Q: Would you like to go to dinner(tonight, this weekend, next Fri-day)?

A: Yes, that would be nice.

49. Q: What kind of work would you liketo do when you graduate fromhigh school (college)?

A: I would like to be a (doctor,teacher, cook).

50. Q: I would like to go home now. Isthat okay?

A: Sure it is. I’ll take you home.

51. Q: I have a headache. Do you havean aspirin?

A: Yes, here’s one. I hope you feelbetter.

52. Q: I have a stomachache. Can I callhome?

A: Sure, you can. (No, you cannot.)

53. Q: Can I put a CD on?A: Sure, you can. (No, you cannot.)

54. Q: Can you give me a ride home?A: Sure, I can. (No, I cannot.)

55. Q: What is that?A: That is a .

56. Q: What is this?A: This is a .

57. Q: I’m hungry. What time is (break-fast, lunch, dinner)?

A: We’ll eat at (7:30, 12:00).

58. Q: Where does it hurt?A: My (nose, arm, leg) hurts here.

59. Q: Can you call the police?A: Sure, I can. (No, I cannot.)

60. Q: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Canyou repeat that and speak slowly?


61. Q: Can I keep this book?A: Yes, you can. (No, you cannot.)

62. Q: Can you get a teacher to help?A: Sure, I can. (No I cannot.)

63. Q: First person: I’m tired. I’m going Q2

to bed.A: Second person: Me, too.

Daily Instruction for Beginning ELLs (excerpt from The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide)

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