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Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just Who Are These Students?
The stories you are about to read were written by English Language Learners in Fernbrook Elementary School. All of the students have been here less than two years. There is one student, in fifth grade, who got here in September and completed this assignment in late October. He drew a picture with dialog, as he didn’t know how to write it in paragraph form. He wrote some very simple sentences that indicated that he had captured the essence of the science lesson.
AND… all this with only 6 weeks of ESL instruction and lots of help from the ESL designated homeroom teachers, the literacy coach, the reading specialists, the Fernbrook administration and all other staff members.
AND… all this with only 6 weeks of ESL instruction and lots of help from the ESL designated homeroom teachers, the literacy coach, the reading specialists, the Fernbrook administration and all other staff members.
"Unretouched" Writing Samples
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Fernbrook School
10/17/07
ESL Gr.5
Ms.Drucker
The Fun Friendship
Inside the deep steamy forest you can barely see the sunlight. The animals are going wild. In the green deep forest it is raining a lot. Its humid you can barely breathe.
The tree looks gorgeous with the epiphyte on it. The epiphyte is living on the branches of the host tree. The epiphyte is a gracious guest because it doesn’t hurt the tree. It makes it beautiful.
“Hello may I came and visit?” asked the butterfly.
“Sure you can!” replied the epiphyte.
“Thank you very much!” exclaimed the butterfly.
“Can I pollinate your flowers on your tree?” asked the butterfly.
“Sure you can your always welcome to come,” replied the epiphyte.
“Well thank you and now I have to go,” said the butterfly.
“Okay bye!” screamed the host tree and the epiphyte.
“Now what should we do?” asked the epiphyte.
“I don’t know. Let’s talk about the things that came here,” replied the host tree.
“Okay what things might come here?” asked the epiphyte.
“Leaf cutter ants, caterpillars and wood packers could hurt me!” cried the host tree.
“O my I see caterpillars coming!” yelled the epiphyte.
“What do we do the caterpillar will eat my leaves and hurt me!” replied the host tree.
“Try to shake your leaves so the caterpillar will get scared and probably go away,” exclaimed the epiphyte.
“Okay ill try… 1.2.3 here I go!” yelled the host tree.
“It’s working! The caterpillar is going away. Yes!” exclaimed the epiphyte.
“Thank you epiphyte you are the best. Were going to be friends forever!” screamed the host tree.
Student arrived in the United States in January of 2006 and spoke no English
Four Column Vocabulary Lesson
Lesson Plan for teaching Four Column Vocabulary
( Credit Dr. Kate Kinsella and her keynote speech at the OELA Conference, 10/2007 in Washington DC for the Four Column Vocabulary Model)
Vocabulary words:
tedious
dissect
entomologist
Procedure:
1. Have the students make 4 wide columns across a page in their notebooks and then have them write these headings:
a. Word
b. Words Associated with it
c. Picture
d. Sentence
2. Write the word in the first column and elicit words that go with it. Use gestures, pictures and actions.
3. Write these words in the second column
4. In the third column, students draw a picture that illustrates the word
5. Then it is on to the sentence column. First, the teacher asks the students to find the vocabulary word in the text and copy that sentence. (Return to the journal entry and find that sentence).Then the teacher gives an example of a sentence with that word in it and the students copy it. After that, the teacher starts a sentence and the students finish it. Students should not create their own sentences yet, as they still don’t totally “own” the word. See the examples below.
dissect (v) Cut up, make little pieces, separate into pieces so that one can look inside , examine, analyze, criticize
Sentences: Clark is using a special instrument so that he can dissect the insects.
The biology teacher used a sharp scissors and a knife to dissect the frog.
“ I want to ______ the butterfly” said Juan.
6. Continue this process with entomologist and tedious, along with 3 or 4 other words, that could be review words. When done, create a worksheet that requires that they use these words, and in some cases make changes in them (add prefixes, suffixes, change the tense, pluralize, etc)
Here is a partial sample.
1. An ________________ studies insects. Sometimes he has to _____________ them so that he can get a better idea of what is on the inside. ____________________often work at a university and are referred to as research _______________. They word very hard and often the work is __________, or boring.
Entomologist tedious scientist dissect caterpillars
*** Always give them more responses than questions. It makes for less guessing.*****
7. Make up a similar worksheet for them to do for homework or in pairs. Then, and only then, ask them to write sentences on their own. And as ELLs they still might not be sure of the word and you will get a sentence like….
“I have a tedious.” Or “ My brother is a dissect”
But if you follow this plan, it will probably happen less often.
Assessment:
1. Check their papers or notebooks
2. Check the worksheets.
3. Listen to their sentences and correct them before they write them if necessary. Then check their final productions
( Credit Dr. Kate Kinsella and her keynote speech at the OELA Conference, 10/2007 in Washington DC for the Four Column Vocabulary Model)
Vocabulary words:
tedious
dissect
entomologist
Procedure:
1. Have the students make 4 wide columns across a page in their notebooks and then have them write these headings:
a. Word
b. Words Associated with it
c. Picture
d. Sentence
2. Write the word in the first column and elicit words that go with it. Use gestures, pictures and actions.
3. Write these words in the second column
4. In the third column, students draw a picture that illustrates the word
5. Then it is on to the sentence column. First, the teacher asks the students to find the vocabulary word in the text and copy that sentence. (Return to the journal entry and find that sentence).Then the teacher gives an example of a sentence with that word in it and the students copy it. After that, the teacher starts a sentence and the students finish it. Students should not create their own sentences yet, as they still don’t totally “own” the word. See the examples below.
dissect (v) Cut up, make little pieces, separate into pieces so that one can look inside , examine, analyze, criticize
Sentences: Clark is using a special instrument so that he can dissect the insects.
The biology teacher used a sharp scissors and a knife to dissect the frog.
“ I want to ______ the butterfly” said Juan.
6. Continue this process with entomologist and tedious, along with 3 or 4 other words, that could be review words. When done, create a worksheet that requires that they use these words, and in some cases make changes in them (add prefixes, suffixes, change the tense, pluralize, etc)
Here is a partial sample.
1. An ________________ studies insects. Sometimes he has to _____________ them so that he can get a better idea of what is on the inside. ____________________often work at a university and are referred to as research _______________. They word very hard and often the work is __________, or boring.
Entomologist tedious scientist dissect caterpillars
*** Always give them more responses than questions. It makes for less guessing.*****
7. Make up a similar worksheet for them to do for homework or in pairs. Then, and only then, ask them to write sentences on their own. And as ELLs they still might not be sure of the word and you will get a sentence like….
“I have a tedious.” Or “ My brother is a dissect”
But if you follow this plan, it will probably happen less often.
Assessment:
1. Check their papers or notebooks
2. Check the worksheets.
3. Listen to their sentences and correct them before they write them if necessary. Then check their final productions
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