Sketchnoting with ELLs

You may have noticed a recent trend in education toward visual notetaking, also called Sketchnoting. This practice has many benefits and applications in education, but I can see this tool as especially beneficial for our English language learners.

What are sketchnotes?

Sketchnotes are rich, visual notes created with a combination of drawings, handwritten notes, and other visual elements such as shapes and arrows. There is no set "format"- your imagination is the limit. Here's an example I created about the elements of fiction:

What are the benefits? 

The value of sketchnoting is supported by several theories, such as the dual coding theory. The dual coding theory (Paivio, 1971), states that both verbal and nonverbal processing are essential for learning. According to the theory, our minds have two separate stores of information (verbal representations and mental images) and learners require both to adequately retain and retrieve knowledge.

By drawing pictures of what they are hearing, students’ minds are engaging multiple modalities which leads to increased retention of information. According to author Wendy Pillars (Visual Notetaking for Educators), sketchnoting or ’edusketching’ can improve retention by up to 55%. This is especially important for students who are learning the content alongside the language. 

The visuals that they create during Sketchnoting can help them make important linguistic connections and support their language growth while helping them retain important content concepts. Since sketchnoting requires students to use both receptive and productive skills, along with higher-order thinking to synthesize information into a sketchnotes, students are being stretched linguistically and thinking critically. 

Sketchnotes also allow lower proficiency beginners to make notes they can understand, while connecting essential vocabulary to rich drawings and visuals, with the opportunity to incorporate their native language as needed for additional support. 

How do I get started?

This video reviews the basics of creating visual notes:

Which tools should I use? 

While there are many tools out there, I like the idea of sketchnoting by hand with paper and pens. According to Muller & Oppenheimer (2014), students who took notes by hand outperformed those who were using laptops for notetaking in conceptual understanding and long-term recall. If you must use technology for sketchnoting, I'd recommend using a tool like Adobe Draw- Sylvia Duckworth has a great presentation on using this tool for sketchnoting.

I prefer to use my RocketBook Wave for sketchnoting (mine was gifted to me at the Google Innovator Academy). I can easily digitize the notes as an image or pdf and send them off to any number of destinations (Drive, email, etc.). When my notebook is full, I can throw it in the microwave with a glass of water and erase it all so that I can reuse the notebook. Super cool!

Are you already using sketchnoting with your ELLs? Tell me how in the comments!

Updating and Adding to Your Portfolio Assessment

In the past, I've discussed the rationale for portfolio assessment and how to start your own portfolio assessment system for your ESOL students. Hopefully by now, you've already begun your portfolios and included basic information, as well as some baseline assessments in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. So....now what?

What sorts of things should you be putting into your portfolios? Remember that you are including work from all four modalities, reading, writing, speaking and listening. Using work from all subject areas that you study (math, science, social studies, etc), as long as it includes language is fine.

• Anecdotal notes- Make notes daily (and date them) about the things the student is struggling with, as well as what he or she is doing well. Also include other information that may be relevant, such as if the student appears tired or hungry. Make notes of behavior issues also. All of these things contribute to the student's ability to do well in school.
• Classroom activities- The items that you include should be authentic. Don't have designated "portfolio activities", but rather choose items to go in the portfolio from authentic work that your students have completed in class. One of the ways that portfolio assessment differs from other formal assessments (tests) is that students are not aware of what will go in their portfolios when they are working on it and don't feel like they are being "tested". 
• Testing Accommodations- Keep a copy of the student's testing accommodations form in the portfolio with the other biographical information. Also, use this FREE Testing Accommodations Record form to record the testing accommodations you provide for classroom tests and keep a copy in the portfolio. Remember, you are required to provide testing accommodations on ALL classroom tests, not just district and state tests!
• Work that your student has struggled with or done poorly on- The tendency with a portfolio is to think that you should only put the student's BEST work in. However, this is not the case withan assessment portfolio. While you do want to include some of the student's best work to show how well he or she is doing, the idea of a portfolio is to demonstrate all aspects of the student's learning, not just where he or she excels. When you put in work or skills that the student has struggled with, then you can target those skills, and your portfolio will have room to show growth as well. 
• Rubrics- You should include a rubric assessing each activity according to your state or districts English Language development standards.If your state or district does not have their own, I recommend using these Speaking and Writing Rubrics from WIDA, or you can purchase the Reading Comprehension Rubric or the Baseline Writing Rubric that are available in my TpT store.

One thing that many teachers struggle with is how to assess student speaking or listening informally. One way to do this is during pair-share time. Students should spend at least a little time each day explaining a new concept or idea to a classmate. Circulate and listen as students chat. Use the WiDA speaking rubric linked above to assess what students say to one another. You can create another rubric to measure listening. Then ask the student to retell what their classmate said, and use the rubric to assess his or her listening skills. Group presentations are another time when you can assess a student's listening or speaking abilities. However, please remember when assessing speaking that accent is not important, as long as it does not impede understanding.

Please let me know how your portfolio assessment is going!

Strategy of the Week

STRATEGY-

Clock Buddies

This strategy is more of a grouping strategy to ensure that your students get lots of interaction with lots of different students in the class. We all know that students tend to group with the same partner during pair-share or pair-work time. When they interact with the same student all the time, their input opportunities are limited.

When we vary the partners that our students have, we vary their exposure to different backgrounds and points of view as well. Using the “clock buddies” strategy helps to mix up the partners that each student gets.

Here’s how it works:

1.     At the beginning of the day (or the week), give each student a “clock buddies” worksheet.

2.     Have the students mix and mingle to make “appointments” with one another. They can make appointments by writing a different classmate’s name on each of their clock slots. The student whose name they wrote at 9 am (for example) should have their name in the same time slot.

3.     When you need to pair students up, you can ask them to look at their clock worksheets and meet up with their “3 o’clock buddy” (for example). 

Click the picture below to download the Clock Buddies Appointment Sheet (free!)

 

Strategy of the Week (and a freebie!)

STRATEGY-

Zip Around

This activity provides students with a chance to apply content knowledge and practice content vocabulary while developing their listening and speaking skills.

Identify the important vocabulary and facts for practice or review. Create the pattern you will use on a piece of notebook paper to ensure that you will have answers for each question and that your cards will enable you to return to the starting question. Remember that the answer should not match the question on the same card, but rather will answer the question from the card preceding it. Make sure that there is only one answer for each question included. Write the questions into the template or onto index cards.

For example one card might say: “I have soil. Who has what plants need to make their own food?” The card that follows that would read “I have sunlight. Who has the part that plants use to take water from the soil?” The third card would then read,  "I have roots. Who has the part of the plant containing the reproductive organs?"   Clearly, this strategy can be adapted for many different content areas and topics.

Print these cards out on cardstock and laminate before playing to make them last longer.

1. Mix up the cards, and then pass one out to each student.
2. The first student to go should not read his or her “I have”, but instead begin with “Who has….?”
3. The student who has the answer responds with “I have….”. “Who has…?”
4. This pattern continues until each student has read his/her answer and question and you end with the student who began.

For the FREE TEMPLATE I created, click the picture below. You can also find a ready-to-go Solar System Zip-Around in my TpT store. 

 

ENJOY!!!

In a nutshell....

A freebie!

This year I am working with fourth graders at my school, and one homeroom class has several newcomer students who don't know their numbers in English yet. To help them as they're learning, I created these Spanish-English number charts. I plan to print them back-to-back, laminate them, and then punch them with a three-hole punch so that the students can put them in their notebooks and always have them to refer back to. So, I'm offering this as a freebie for you too! It can also be useful to Spanish teachers who are teaching the numbers.

CLICK THE PICTURE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREEBIE!!

What should I know about my ESOL students?

As we return to school each year, we face the daunting task of getting to know our students. Teachers can have anywhere from 20 to 120 students to get to know each year- the task can be fun, but that's a lot of kids to learn about!

Knowing specific information about your ESL students in particular can help you to better serve them. Here are some things that you might want to find out about your ESL students:

• Home language- Knowing a student's home language can help you when communicating with family, but it can also help you instructionally, especially when the student is literate in his or her native language. For example, Spanish speaking students can benefit from knowledge of cognates. Knowing a student's home language can also better help you understand some of the student's language difficulties as well. For example, many Asian languages do not use articles, so many Asian ELLs have difficulty using articles in English. 
• English speakers in the home- Knowing whether or not a parent or someone else at home speaks English not only facilitates communication with parents and guardians, but it also can give you an insight into how much academic help is available to the student at home.
• Student's country of birth and family country of origin- Did you know that many students who receive ESL services and who speak another language in the home are born in the United States? That is not to say there are plenty born in other countries, but a good portion of the ESL population is American-born. However, their parents usually came here from another country and it is important to know which country, so that you can better understand the family culture. For students who did come here from another country, understanding the student's culture can help you to build a stronger relationship with the student.
• Student's entry date into US Schools- In most cases, this is a good indicator of how long the student has been in US schools. The rare exception is the student who was in US schools for a year and then perhaps returned to the home country for another year or more. Knowing how much schooling a student has had in the US can be a good indicator of whether or not the student is progressing steadily in his or her English language development.
• Who the student lives with- Understanding the family dynamics can better help you to understand any problems the student may have and can better help you understand whether the student is struggling because of language, or because maybe something else is going on in the home. Many ESL students may have left parents or siblings behind in another country, and may be living with aunts or uncles. Some students may live with extended family. Some students may have many younger siblings and be expected to help with their care. Knowing these things about your student may help you to understand why homework is not completed or why a child falls asleep in class.

The more we know about our students, the better we can understand them. When we understand where our students are coming from, we can provide the best instruction and support possible.

ESOL Mythbusters

It is time to go back to school, and that means that many teachers are meeting their students for the first time. Some teachers may be surprised to learn that they have more students in their class who speak a second language in the home than they expected.

According to the National Council for Teachers of English, English Language Learners (ELLs) now comprise 10.5% of the K-12 student population. Furthermore, in grades 7-12, the number of ELLs increased 70% between 1992 and 2002. So, it makes sense to take a closer look at some of those myths about ELLs and BUST them!

Myth: A student has acquired a second language once he or she can speak it.
As I discussed in this article, there are two types of language that we acquire when learning a second language. The first is Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS), which allow us to complete everyday tasks like following directions, making small talk, and asking and answering questions. The other type of language we acquire is called Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALPs). This is the type of language that allows us to be successful in a school environment- academic vocabulary and structure. Research shows that it takes approximately 1-2 years to master BICS, and 5-7 years (or more) to master CALPs. Educators must be aware of and make the distinction between the two types of language in order to properly assess their student's level of language proficiency. A good example for most teachers is to think back to your own foreign-language learning in high school or college. Unless you majored in foreign language, you likely acquired only enough of that language to be a successful tourist or at most, a conversationalist. If you were placed in an academic environment with that level of language, you would have a very difficult time, despite the fact that you "speak" the language!

Myth: Second language learning processes are the same for all students.
As teachers, we know that no two students are the same, and this goes for ELLs as well. Just because they have a common problem (a lack of English proficiency) does not mean that they all need the same materials and methods. Just as we are expected to differentiate for other students at different levels, we must also differentiate among our ELLs. Many teachers make the mistake of giving the same modified work to all ELLs in the class, regardless of their level of proficiency. This means that all of the ELLs are not having their needs met. A classroom teacher should consult with the ESOL teacher at his or her school to get copies of the results of the yearly English Language Proficiency test for each ELL in their class. If necessary, the teacher should ask the ESOL teacher to explain what the different levels of proficiency mean. Once the classroom teacher better understands the different levels of proficiency represented by the ELLs in his or her class, then he or she is better able to make appropriate differentiations to meet the needs of all ELLs in the class.

Myth: Teaching English Language Learners means focusing primarily on vocabulary.
While explicit vocabulary instruction is important and vital for English language learners, the teacher must remember that the vocabulary means nothing if the students are not able to understand it and use it in context. This means that they must also acquire the content of the subject area, and not just the vocabulary. Word walls are a great tool for newcomer ELLs, but I like to recommend sentence walls for older ELLs, especially in content area classes. Sentence walls can help ELLs put the vocabulary that they've used into the correct context and sentence structure for the content area.
  
Myth: Using strategies to help ELLs in my class will only benefit the ELLs.
The truth is that English language learners aren't the only ones struggling with reading, writing and understanding academic language- many of the native English speaking students in our schools are deficient in academic language. Using strategies and activities that help to teach and reinforce academic vocabulary and language structures will help ALL students who are behind in understanding and using academic language. 

Myth: Making modifications to lessons and classwork takes too much time.
I won't tell you that making modifications doesn't take time, because it does. However, many teachers often teach the same grades and/or classes for years at a time, and once you've modified some material- you have that modified material to make use of year after year. Some teachers become frustrated when talking about modifications because they picture themselves spending hours and hours creating special assignments for their ELL students and falling behind in creating assignments for other students. As with most things, there is a learning curve. I will say that the more you modify assignments and the better you know your students' abilities, the easier it will become to make appropriate modifications. I've written several articles about how to make simple modifications that you can read back on, but I'll quickly remind you that there are three specific ways you can modify an assignment:

• Change the language process needed to complete the task- for example, instead of having students write a sentence to go with a picture, you might have an ELL match a picture to an already written sentence
• Change the grouping strategy- for example, instead of having a student work independently, have ELLs work in pairs or triads, either with one another or with a native language buddy
• Change the content delivery- for example, instead of the grade level text the rest of the class is using, ELLs might benefit from a lower-level text covering the same material, or you can change the text by simplifying or expounding the text

As always, I hope that this article helps you to better understand and serve your ELLs. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

A day in the zapatos of an ELL

            What is it like to go to a new school in a new country where the language of instruction is not your first language? One of the fastest growing segments of the American student population is English language learners. Although schools are required to offer programs and services for English language learners, most of these students still spend the majority of their time in mainstream content classrooms. Sadly, most mainstream teachers have little or no training in how to meet the academic needs of someone who does not speak English as his or her first language.

            As a result, many English language learners never realize their full academic potential. Content teachers are asking themselves “what can I do?” when they find that English language learners are performing poorly in their content-area classes. There are some important steps that all teachers can take to help ensure the success of English language learners in their classrooms.

1.    Communicate with the ESL teacher at your school

The ESL teacher works closely with these students and will be familiar with each student's abilities and level of proficiency. The ESL teacher can also help identify each student's strengths and weaknesses, and offer advice on how to properly modify assignments and  readings. Furthermore, when the ESL instructor is aware of what the student is doing in content classes, he or she will be able to offer valuable instruction and guidance in an ESL setting that will assist the student in acquiring important vocabulary and language skills that he or she will need in the content classroom.

2.    Offer Modified Assignments for ESL students

Although it may take a few extra moments when preparing lesson plans, it is very important to

modify assignments and readings so that they contain language that is comprehensible to the student. If new or special vocabulary is required for understanding, then a special effort should be made to ensure that students acquire and use the new vocabulary properly before proceeding- sentence and word walls placed in visible areas around the classroom can be especially effective. Comprehensible does not mean easy- the work should still be challenging and require the use of higher cognitive skills. If you are particularly short on time, keep in mind that many topics can be found in simpler language by simply looking in the textbook of a lower grade level. If you have a large number of students, the extra time may seem like a burden, but it will be worth it when the English language learners in your classroom begin to understand the concepts that the rest of their classmates are learning.

3.    Be sure that assignments are meaningful

As with any student, be sure that assignments are meaningful and not just intended to keep the student busy. If assignments are not meaningful, then students will quickly become bored and will not learn as much. Meaningful assignments should be relevant to the material covered in class, comprehensible, and allow the student to make important connections between his world and what he is learning in the classroom.

4.    Place English language learners close to the front of the class

When English language learners are having difficulty, any distraction can be an excuse to tune out. Placing them near the front will help minimize distractions. Be sure that students understand that they are not being placed in the front because they are behaving or performing poorly, but that you want to do all that you can to help ensure their academic success.

5.    Hold English language learners responsible

When giving out quizzes or assignments, never tell an English language learner to “just write something down” or to “do what you can.” English language learners need specific instructions to follow and should be required to follow them. If everyone else in the class is doing an assignment or working on a project, then the English language learners should also be doing a meaningful activity that will help them acquire the required knowledge (this is where those modified assignments come in!). If an English language learner is not held responsible for classwork and homework related to the content, he or she cannot be expected to learn.

6.    Provide plenty of examples

While one or two examples may be sufficient for most students, extra examples may be required for English language learners to understand is required of them. Never simply assume that English language learners understand- they may be hesitant to admit that they need more explanation or to ask questions in front of the class. Instead, speak with the English language learners after they have received the assignment to be sure that they understand the instructions and to give them an opportunity to ask any questions privately.

7.    Create a comfortable learning environment

Last but not least, it is important for students, especially those learning English as a second language, to be comfortable. Be sure that students feel free to ask questions that will aid in their understanding. Have an open door policy so that students can not only discuss academic difficulties, but other problems that may be affecting them as well. Offer encouragement, praise, and constructive criticism when necessary, but always be culturally sensitive. When students feel comfortable in the classroom, learning is much easier.

            Many teachers feel at a loss when it comes to teaching English language learners- either because they do not have the time to make the extra effort or because they do not know how. These seven steps will require only a little more time, but will vastly increase the chances of success for English language learners in your classroom.

Using reading to drive language acquisition for ELLs

            Experts agree reading is one of the most important ways for both native language speakers and ELLs to acquire language and content. When students are exposed to a variety of different texts, they are more likely to find something that interests them. Both fiction and non-fiction texts can be effectively used to build vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammatical awareness, as well as pique interest. Additionally, writing is a natural extension and use of the skills acquired while reading, and should be paired with reading activities (Kern, Andre, Schilke, Barton & McGuire 2003). The debate begins when people start discussing the best way to teach reading. Whether or not a best way exists, there are many methods that can be effective for both native language students and ELLs.

      
However, it seems that teaching reading isn't so much teaching as “guiding”.  Suits (2003) discusses her experiences in integrating ELLs into guided reading groups with native speakers. She came to the conclusion that guided reading groups give the children an opportunity to work at their level in a comfortable environment where they can share and clarify ideas- using English to learn from one another.

The guided reading groups designed and implemented by Sink (2003) employ several principles that O'Malley and Pierce (1996) find essential to the instruction of reading. First, students should be provided with extensive in-class reading opportunities. If you want them to have time to read- give them time. Additionally, direct strategy instruction is suggested by O'Malley and Pierce (1996, p. 95) and reinforced by Sink's (2003) experiences at the American School in Holland. This means explicitly teaching students the strategies that we expect them to use to become active readers and increase their understanding, and then giving them opportunities to use those strategies both with guidance and independently.

           
Additionally, as ESL professionals, we must not forget the necessary amount of scaffolding that our students need. They do not have the same educational, cultural, and often socio-economic background that native students do. It is our job to provide it for them through explanation, modeling, and providing samples of what is expected (Sink, 2003, p.4). We can do this through activating and building their background knowledge through appropriate activities. Writing, as a natural extension of the reading process, can be integrated through summarization and literature response logs (O'Malley and Pierce, 1996), and gives students a chance to personalize what they've read.

         
If we can forget about which method is best to teach reading, and focus on which methods are effective, then I believe that we can come up with an effective curriculum that provides students of all proficiencies with the tools that they need to be successful readers. It just times time, thought, and a little elbow grease.

High Standards and Equitable Assessment for LEP students

Unfortunately for English language learners, educational policymakers seem to believe that whatever is good for one group, is good for all groups. In their article, La Celle-Peterson and Rivera (1994) outline the challenges facing ELLs as a learning (and testing) population and some of the systematic changes that need to take place in order to ensure that these students are being equitably taught and assessed.

             

The authors first point out that though ESL students can and do learn in accordance with high standards, their accomplishments are often overlooked or underestimated when they are assessed in the same way as the native peers. The first step to correcting this problem is to ensure that students are assessed with the whole learning experience of the English language learner in mind (La Celle-Peterson and Rivera, 1994, p.2). Many policymakers also mistakenly assume that what is right for one English language learner (ELL)  is right for all ELLs. This is simply not the case because the population of ELLs in the United States is linguistically and culturally diverse, and these differences must also be recognized when creating equitable, authentic assessments (La Celle-Peterson and Rivera, 1994, pp.4-5).

            

 Furthermore, because their achievements are consistently underestimated, ELLs are often tracked into technical or non-college preparatory tracks, thus not receiving the same opportunity for learning as their native peers. In order for education and assessment to be equitable for ELLs, they need to be provided with access to classes that teach challenging content in a comprehensible manner (La Celle-Peterson and Rivera, 1994, p. 5).

             

It is clear that in order for our ESL students to be academically successful, the need to be given the same access to high standards of learning and teaching that their native peers are given. For this to happen, a systematic change needs to take place. But, as advocates for our students, it is our job to speak up for them and begin a movement for equitable education at the classroom level. System-wide implementation is only successful when classroom-level implementation begins. Furthermore, we as ESL teachers need to be aware of the educational policies in place, and the effects they have on our students.

Refrences:

La Celle-Peterson, M. and Rivera, C. (1994).  Is it real for all Kids? A Framework for Equitable

             Assessment Policies for English Language Learners. Harvard Educational Review, 64,    

             55-75.

More on Portfolio Assessment

According to Moya and O'Malley (1994), the idea of educational portfolios was adapted from the portfolios used by artists to showcase the depth and variety of their work, while also reflecting the artist's interests and abilities. Although the idea of an educational portfolio is similar, the authors point out that educational portfolios must be expanded to meet the instructor's educational and assessment needs. A portfolio is not just a showcase, but it is the product of the instructor's carefully planned and implemented plan for assessment (Moya and O'Malley, 1994). Because no single method or measure of assessment can provide educators and administrators with a full picture of the student's abilities, it is wise to include multiple forms of assessment in one's instructional plan. 

 

A portfolio allows for the collection of multiple authentic measures of ability in all four language modalities. Moya and O'Malley (1994), set forth several components of successful portfolio implementation. A portfolio system should be: comprehensive, authentic, informative, and most of all, well planned. A comprehensive portfolio should contain samples of work and rubric assessments that cover all four language modalities. A comprehensive portfolio should not contain everything that a student has done. The assessments contained in the portfolio should be authentic, and they should also be meaningful to anyone who looks at the portfolio. Additionally, the portfolio system needs to be well planned by the teacher before implementation takes place. The teacher needs to have an idea of what types of assessments will go into the portfolio and how often the formal assessments will take place. This doesn't mean the teacher has to have everything planned down to the minutest detail- a portfolio system should also be flexible (Moya and O'Malley, 1994).

While much goes into the implementation of a successful portfolio assessment system, because it is an authentic, ongoing, and versatile form of assessment, much can be learned about the strengths and weaknesses of our students. Portfolio assessment, in conjunction with traditional methods of assessment, can provide a more full picture of an English language learner's abilities and provide teachers, administrators, parents, and students with important information to make academic decisions.

 Refrences:

Moya, S. and O'Malley, M. (1994). A Portfolio Assessment Model for ESL. The Journal of

Educational Issues of Minority Students, 13, 13-36.

 Below are some examples of materials that I have used for portfolio assessment:

Portfolio Assessment for ESL students

As educators, we are all aware that no two students learn the same way. As a result, state tests do not always allow ALL students to demonstrate the knowledge that they do possess. State tests present a special challenge for ESL students, who are often hampered more by the language on the tests, than the content.

How can we help our ESL students to show us what they have learned? 
One of the best ways is through portfolio assessment. Portfolio assessment is a form of continual assessment which allows you to see where they started, where they ended up, and how far they went in between. Furthermore, the materials used for portfolio assessment are at the student's language level, so they are able to fully demonstrate their knowledge even if they are not English proficient.

How can you start portfolio assessment?
I won't lie to you; starting a portfolio assessment system can be time consuming at first. The good news? Once your system is set up, it is easy to keep up. Begin your student portfolio with background information. Find out your student's basic demographics, home country, home language, and how long they've been in the US. You also might want to find out other pertinent information, like who else lives in the home and who else in the home speaks English. Another good idea is to have your students identify the things they're good at, the things they need help with, and to set some specific goals in reading, writing, and speaking English.

What else goes into the portfolio?
Throughout the year, add items to the portfolio that demonstrate both the student's strengths and weaknesses. Create general rubrics for reading, writing, speaking and listening that can be used with a variety of activities. At the beginning of the year, give students a baseline activity in each area, and score those according to the rubric. Throughout the year, make a point to chose activities and products to put in the portfolio and score those according to the rubrics you've created; try to have at least one activity from each area every quarter. You may also wish to allow students to add activities every once in awhile.

How does portfolio documentation help me and my students?
As I mentioned before, a portfolio can show not only where your student ended the year, but where he or she started out. Often state tests do not take into account where the student started, only the fact that he or she did not master the material for their grade level. A portfolio can help you to demonstrate the amount of growth that your student made in specific areas throughout the year. It can be useful in making scheduling decisions, parent/administrator meetings, choosing accommodations for testing, and if necessary, referring the student for IEP services.

If you have more questions about the mechanics or reasons for portfolio assessment, do not hesitate to comment or e-mail!

With all of that said, you can be one step closer to your own portfolio assessment system by visiting my TpT Store. I have a variety of products that can assist you with portfolio assessment for your ESL students:
ESOL Portfolio Starter
Basic Writing Rubric
Reading Comprehension Rubric

Modifying the mainstream classroom to fit the needs of English Language Learners

Too often, good teachers forget that just because a student has language difficulties does not mean that s/he has learning difficulties. A language barrier is something that, with proper instruction and time, can be overcome- unlike dyslexia or other learning disabilities (which can be managed, but not cured).


Making modifications for English language learners (ELLs) does not mean "dumbing down" the material. The material can still be complex, but the language needs to be simplified to a level where the student can understand it (this goes back to Krashen's comprehenisible input theory). Surprisingly, making modifications to your everyday assignments is not as hard or as time comsuming as you may think. That's not to say it doesn't take some time, because it does. However, once you've modified something, you have that modified version for life!


What are some simple ways that you can modify your classroom and materials to make them more ELL-friendly? Here are some tips:

• Make it easier for the ELL to express his or her content knowledge- provide word and sentence walls to help students find the language to express their knowledge of the content. Often students know and understand the content, but are unable to express their knowledge due to their limited English proficiency.Allow them alternative methods to express their knowledge without language, such as drawing or acting something out.
• Make the content comprehensible- There are a few ways that you can adapt a text to make it comprehensible for an ELL. The easiest is to simplify the language in the text (but not the content!) so that students can access the content without working too hard for the language. Again, you are not "dumbing it down"! You want to keep the content rigorous while making the language accessible to the student. Another way is to expound the text, which means to include additional information that might be helpful to the ELL in understanding the text.Again, the language must be on the student's level for this to work.
• Provide explicit vocabulary instruction- English language learners need explicit instruction on the specific vocabulary that is related to your content. This means instructing them not only on the meaning of the word, but the contexts in which it is used. By the way, if you do this as a whole-class activity, then your other students will benefit as well!
• Don't forget the Multiple Intelligences- Remember that not every student learns the same way, and this means that not every ESL student learns content or language in the same way. Provide multiple options to help students learn the material and express the knowledge they possess. This means lots of visuals, manipulatives, hands-on activities and repetition, repetition, repetition.
• Repetition, repetiton, repetition- You may feel rediciulous repeating everything, but English language learners usually need to hear things more than once. This goes for directions and the content you are teaching. Also consider providing directions and notes in a written format for your ESL students.
• Provide Cloze notes- Note taking can take forever, especially for someone learning English as a second language. Consider creating "cloze notes" that cover the content you are teaching, but omit important words. Students can fill in the important words as you teach. This eliminates the frustration of trying to keep up notes in a fast paced classroom as well as the propensity to miss important information because they are rushing.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of tips, but I hope these tips are useful to you in making modifications for your English language learners. Feel free to leave questions or comments!!

Building background knowledge prior to reading and learning

A few days ago, I wrote about activating background knowledge in learners before reading or learning new material. Today I will talk about building background, which I believe is a different but equally important process from activating background. I would like to discuss not the ways that we awaken the knowledge our students possess already, but ways in which we can help them to fill in the gaps of between the knowledge that they have and the knowledge that they need to fully understand the lesson or the text.

When it is apparent that students have gaps in their knowledge and background information, the teacher must take steps to assist students in building background before reading. Following are some strategies that teachers can use to assist their students in building background knowledge:

1. Picture walk/Previewing the text. A picture walk is an essential element, in my opinion, of any pre-reading program, and should be done prior to any other background building activities in order to give students a framework for how the new background knowledge will be used. It gives students an opportunity to specifically preview the story they will be reading. If students have individual copies of the book or text, have them take a picture walk in pairs. They should discuss what they see in the pictures and titles, what they think the book or reading might be about, what they hope to learn from story, and how they can relate the pictures to their own knowledge or experience. Then, together as a class, take a picture walk and give the students the opportunity to share what they and their partners discussed. Make sure to ask questions about what the students see and help them make explicit connections between their own lives and experiences and the story.
2. Video Viewing. Find a video or video clip about the topic of the reading.  Show it to the class and discuss it with students. Add any new knowledge to the KWL chart and any new words to the vocabulary chart.
3. Manipulatives and Predictions. Select several items from the story or related to the topic for which you can find miniature representations. Divide students into small groups and provide a basket of the miniatures to each group. Have students discuss each of the manipulatives and discuss what they remind them of and predict how they might be related to the story or topic.

4. Concept Definition Mapping. The concept definition map can be used to clarify and explore the key words or concepts in a lesson. Below is a sample Concept Definition Map for “war”, of course, this is only one example of a concept definition map, which can take on many forms and formats.

5. Think-pair-share. After introducing a concept or topic related to the reading, give students 2 minutes to think and write a few sentences about what they already know, and one question that they hope will be answered. Then have students pair off and share what they wrote with a partner. Return to large group and give students an opportunity to share what their partner new or wanted to know. Give students the opportunity to answer another student’s question if they can.
6. Current events. If reading a non-fiction book about a real world event, situation or phenomena (hurricanes, tornadoes, homelessness), then gather a selection of news and magazine articles related to the topic (preferably with pictures). If necessary, adapt the text for readability for students. Give students the opportunity to read in pairs or small groups. Then have the groups discuss and write 1-2 sentences about how the article they read may relate to their lives or personal experiences.
7. Cubing. This is a writing activity that can be useful for looking at a subject from six different sides. It can also be used as an individual or pair activity for building background knowledge. This strategy can be used for something as simple as a pencil or water to a complicated issue such as homelessness.
1. Describe it: consider and visualize the subject in detail. What does it look like? Think about colors, shapes and memories.
2. Compare it: What is the object or idea similar to? What is it different from? Explain how.
3. Associate it: What does it make you think of?
4. Analyze it: How is it made? How does it work? If you are not sure, make a prediction.
5. Apply it: Tell what you can do with it. How can it be used? How does it work?
6. Argue for or against it: Take a stand. Why are you in favor of or against this object?
8. PreP strategy. This strategy helps teachers to assess the background knowledge of the students and to build their background knowledge by hearing what their peers know about the topic. The PreP strategy follows the following steps:

1.       Initial associations- students are asked to jot down whatever comes to their mind when they think of a particular word or concept

2.      Sharing- students are asked to share what they wrote. The teacher checks to ensure that each student has a chance to get his or her idea listed on a collective list.

3.      Reflecting- if a student does not offer a rationale, the teacher should ask each student why s/he make that particular association. The added discussion facilitates the building of background for the rest of the class.

4.      Organizing conceptually- once each student has had the chance to share, students are divided into groups to consider what types of categories they might be able to classify these terms into  (the teacher may also designate the categories and simply have students organize the words within them).

5.      Discussion- the teacher should now lead a full-class discussion to determine the thinking of various groups.

Once students have completed the PreP strategy, they should have discovered that even if they thought they knew nothing about a topic or concept, they have discovered through discussion with their classmates that they really do know something.

Activating Background Knowledge before Reading

Before reading, the background knowledge that a student brings to the text (their schema) must be activated and connected to the text. This is especially important for English language learners. Echevarria, Vogt and Short (2008) emphasize that reading comprehension can be a partuclar challenge for students from different cultural backgrounds, not because of difficulties with words or sentence structure, but because their schemata do not match those of the culture for which the text was written. It is the teacher’s responsibility to determine the best way to activate students' varied background knowledge on a topic and provide appropriate activites.

In my opinion, it is important to make a distinction between activating background knowledge and building background knowledge, as they are two important parts of pre-reading. Activating background knowledge happens when the teacher provides activities which awaken and connect the knowledge the student already posesses to the text. Building background happens when the teacher provides activites to fill in knowledge that the students are missing or do not posess. I will discuss building background in a later post, since that step comes after the activation of knowledge.

I have provided some useful strategies that can be used to assess and activate students’ background knowledge:

1.      Snowballs. Have each student take out a scratch sheet of paper and write their name on it. Introduce the topic of the reading or lesson and ask students to write down one or two sentences about something they already know about the topic. Have them crumple the paper into a ball. Divide students into two “sides”. On the teacher’s signal, side 1 should throw their snowballs across the room. Students on side two should pick up a snowball and read it. They should find the person who threw the snowball and discuss the idea for 30 seconds. Repeat with side 2 throwing.

2.      KWL Charts. Give students a KWL chart to complete or have them create a three-flap-foldable by folding a piece of printer paper lengthwise and then into thirds. Unfold it until it is a tent. On the top layer of the tent, cut along the third folds to the top of the tent fold. On the outside of the first flap, they should write “Things I know”, on the second flap “Things I want to know” and on the last flap “Things I learned”. On the inside, have students fill in the first two flaps prior to reading. Have students share their ideas and create a classroom KWL chart. Keep both around to fill in post-reading.

3.      Student journals and quick-writes. After introducing the topic of the reading to students, have them respond in their journals to a writing prompt that asks them to relate the topic to their personal experience or prior learning.

4.      Concept check. Before a reading or lesson take the opportunity to have students self-assess their knowledge of a topic by listing key vocabulary, concepts, or ideas on a sheet of paper. Give each student a copy and have them mark it according to their knowledge. Have students reassess their knowledge after the reading or lesson. If students rate themselves as an expert, have them explain to a partner or the class. Below is the scale and a sample concept check:

+ I know a lot about this topic and can explain it to others.

√ I have heard of this word or concept before and know a little

0 I have never heard of this word or concept before

____ evaporation____

____ condensation____

____ precipitation____

____ collection____

5.      Anticipation Guide. Give students a list of statements that are related to the concepts in the reading or lesson. Ask them to put a check mark next to the statements that they agree with or think are true. After reading, you should have students revisit the statements. If they have changed their mind they should remark the statements accordingly. They should note paragraphs or lines from the reading that caused them to change their mind. Below is a sample anticipation guide about animals who lay eggs:

Eggs-Anticipation Guide

Put a  ü  next to each statement you think is true.

1. ____  Animals that lay eggs always build a nest.

2. ____  The baby animal growing inside the shell is

called an embryo.

3. ____  All eggs have hard shells to protect them.

6.      Picture Quick Write. On the overhead or document camera, display a picture from the book or related to the topic of the story. Give students 30 seconds to a minute to write down anything and everything that comes to their mind while they look at the picture. Then give students an opportunity to share with the class and write everything around the picture for everyone to see. Introduce the topic of the reading and discuss which things were called out that might relate to that.

7.      Pre-test with a partner. Before the reading, have students take a pre-test with a partner about the words, skills, or concepts that will be assessed at the end of the reading, lesson, or unit. This gives students an opportunity to discuss, share and assess what they already know, as well as preview what they will be expected to demonstrate understanding of. Distribute one pencil and pre-test to each pair. Have students pass the pre-test and the pencil back and forth. They should read the questions aloud to one another and discuss possible answers, then come to an agreement and write the answer on the pre-test. The teacher can circulate to assess what students already know and make notes about gaps and misinformation.

8.      Four Corners. Before a reading, create a list of questions related to the reading or the reading’s topic and in each corner of the room post possible answers. Questions may be multiple choice (A, B, C, D) or statements with which students can agree or disagree (Agree totally, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, disagree totally). Questions may be about students own experiences (I’ve experienced this, someone in my family has experienced this, etc). After each question, give students a chance to discuss and share their ideas, knowledge and reasons for their answers. Students may move corners if they change their mind, but they must be prepared to explain why they chose to do so.

I hope you find some of these strategies useful for your own classroom! Have a terrific Tuesday!