Homework: Beneficial for All?

An everlasting debate between educators is about the effectiveness of homework. Research has shown mixed effects of homework, but one idea that research has shown is that when homework is a practice (not a new concept), students have a greater benefit from it (Hill, 2013, p.118). In my own experience in a primary grade, my homework policy was mainly an issue of teaching students responsibility--can they take an assignment home, spend time on it at home, and then return it the following day.  I had mixed outcomes each year overall and I can say that generally students who did the homework (math practice from the day and choice reading 20 minutes per night) showed more academic success and greater involvement from parents from those who did not complete homework. From reading this ARTICLE I can see a benefit for ELLs who receive culturally responsive and language scaffolding homework. To constitute meaningful homework, I think homework must be accessible by families, limited , and tiered. In order to be accessible by families, we don't have to necessarily translate everything (think if you were working with multiple languages in your classroom). Homework can include a lot of picture cues. Also, it may be appropriate for you to send a link (or whichever way to communicate with families you prefer---class website, facebook, twitter, etc.) which has a recording of the sight words you are practicing that evening or the vocabulary words in the assignment. I also think homework should have a time limit. One of my biggest complaints through the years was that their children could not sit and do homework for a very long time (or the families were not home to help them for very long). In order to help (from which I received good feedback and a great homework completion rate) I told parents that homework should take no more than 40 minutes total--20 minutes math practice and 20 minutes reading. However, I used a monthly reading log with a goal... so if some nights they only had time for 10 minutes of reading that was OK if they read more another day. Students who met the goal or went above had a monthly readers lunch with me and the others who met the goal. Students who read every day on the reading log received recess time with me and readers lunch(yes, they loved it...I don't know why they would want to miss recess to help me in my room, but they were young so helping the teacher was still an honor). For the math practice (usually the only other content I sent home besides the reading log), I only gave students 20 minutes worth of homework. I explained to the parents at Back to School Night and also in my class brochure that if a students spends 20 minutes working on homework and does NOT finish, parents can sign their initials where they left off. Homework for me was not intended to be the parent's homework, as I found out that when homework is too hard for students their parents---and students!---end up getting frustrated. If a student only got to problem 3 of 10 equations but spent a good effort, that was enough for me. But remember, homework for my class was more about responsibility an structuring home time. 

Hill (2013) describes a homework structure which can benefit ELLs in particularly, as many times I have hesitated to give certain homework activities due to the fact that their parents did not speak English. When content area homework is tiered for students using the Thinking Language Matrix (Hill, 2013, p.123). I think this is a way to help me personally create homework in which I was hesitant to send home in the past. If we are able to send home a recording (through the above mentioned ways) of the reading students will have quick access to ways to practice their language through oral language homework. Requiring students to complete homework from that reading can be beneficial to them when giving them appropriate tasks according to their level:

Preproduction: nonverbal response

Early production: one word response

Speech emergence: short phrases/sentences

Intermediate fluency: longer and more complex sentences

Advanced fluency: near native 

Using the language matrix and technology tools can help us who are afraid to send home language based homework start giving meaningful home practice. 

Reference

Hill, J. D. (2013). Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners, 2nd Edition, 2nd Edition. [BryteWave]. Retrieved from https://shelf.brytewave.com/#/books/114004E4/ 

What's the Need?

When teaching ELL students and watching student progress data, it is sometimes confusing to know whether their  unsatisfactory progress is due to a language need or if they might have a reading disability. When teachers are working with the Special Education staff on initiating an IEP, there is a question that asks whether the student has a learning disability that is not determined by their second language learning. Students who have disabilities, "...have similar patterns of difficulty in their native language" (ColorinColorado). Teachers need to monitor both reading progress and also language progress. It is recommended that students who show a lack of progress are tested in both lagnuages to have a more complete picture of the student and to help determine the need of the student; whether the student needs both intensive language services and services from a special education provider. 

When determining needs for language learners, teachers have to closely examine a child's learning progress to determine the right interventions. For many students, they are lacking in language learning, so they need scaffolds for that. However, students who have identifiable disabilities will need even more scaffolding than other learners with disabilities (ColorinColorado). 

Planning for instruction for ELLs with identified disabilities is more comprehensive than planning for ELLs without disabilities. Teachers must: 

1. Determine difficulty of material: Assuming background knowledge in order to read, thinking of the cognitive demand places on a student who is an ELL with a learning disability, presuming upon what the student may/may not have retained from previous lessons.
2. Use materials and strategies which promote comprehensible input: Pre-teach vocabulary, preview concepts/genre, access and give background knowledge, make a connection to their native language and culture, use graphics and graphic organizers
3. Make sure all materials and activities are accessible: provide a checklist with pictures, offer listening instead of reading or oral presentation instead of written presentation, modify the process and product of the assignment
4. All for heterogeneous and homogeneous collaboration 
5. Use elements from their culture to encourage motivation: use reading materials about/from their culture, highlight cultural customs

References

ColorinColorado. (N.D.). English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities. Accessed through Regis University WorldClass.

Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/261). Citation: Liu, K., Watkins, E., Pompa, D., McLeod, P., Elliott, J. & Gaylord, V. (Eds). (Winter/Spring 2013). Impact: Feature Issue on Educating K-12 English Language Learners with Disabilities, 26(1). [Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration].

 

Sheltering Instruction to Benefit ELLs and ALL Learners

Students who are language learners need more than just a guided time filling in a worksheet. For many classrooms without language learners, teachers do not have the necessity to implement structures like sheltered instruction (even though the SIOP model is sound teaching for all learners). Teachers who use this model are implementing these key strategies: preparation, building background knowledge, comprehensible output, explicitly teaching strategies, student interaction, practice and application, excellent pacing and lesson delivery, and assessment with feedback (Haynes, 2004). 

In the module (Grassi, 2005), the teacher fully implemented a SIOP lesson. The teacher specifically prepared a reading lesson for the book Esperanza Rising. The teacher carefully selected this book because of the cultural ties to the ELLs in her classroom. She could have picked a different text, but because she is instructing her students in a sheltered way to help their comprehension, this text can help students to access their background knowledge more easily because of a shared culture between students and the character. Also before reading, she selected several vocabulary words to help widen the base of knowledge before reading text. While reading, she solicited information (comprehensible output) from the students by having them think of connections. After reading, the teacher used sticky notes for hands on application. Students were engaged in the lesson because it was instructed at a good pace. Students had adequate time to discuss with each other without behaviors becoming an issue, which often happens when the activity is not engaging or the pacing is not too slow (or too quick that students feel hopelessly lost). It was obvious students felt comfortable with the teacher because they were asking questions and interacting with the text, even in their own language. 

References:

Grassi, E. (2015). EDRG 604 Video Module. 

Haynes, J. (2014). SIOP: Making content comprehensible for ells. Accessed through http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/using_siop_model_08621.php 

Running Records with English Language Learners

All students learn to read in different ways; some students are able to gain the necessary reading skills more quickly than others. When learning to read, English language learners have many of the same difficulties than non-language learners, however, they face an even great difficulty because they are simultaneously translating letter sounds and word meaning based on their background knowledge of their native language. When completing a running record for a student who speaks Hebrew and is learning English (they speak English in the home because they are from the Philippines, but do not learn to read English with intensity because they are in an Israeli school). The student I gave a running record to showed a continued pattern within the miscue analysis. The student was able to read most sight words presented in the text. The student also knew all of the color words read (as there were three color words: red, yellow, blue). The student consistently tried to use the sounds of the words he knew. However, it is evident that the vowel team /ou/ (found) has not been taught yet to the student, as he tried multiple ways to read the word throughout the multiple times the word was presented, which showed an error in his meaning cues because the text was very repetitive. He was not trying to connect meaning to the word, but only to decode them. Teachers of ELLs must, "Teach phonics in context... using literature and content material" (Portland Public Schools, N.D.).  Two sight words in particular that were a struggle each time they came up in the text were loves and another.  One highlight of this running record was the consistency of self corrections. As mentioned before, the student always tried to use learned sounds to figure out words. The child would often cycle through 2-3 sounds until he found the word that made a connection as being correct. This shows stamina on the part of the reader. The next student who was a native Spanish speaker was able to read more fluently than the Hebrew speaker (possibly because he sees Latin letters more often?) This reader had trouble with only two multi-syllabic words. One being a compound word, and the other a combination of roots. This student also read with expression. I think the first reader showed signs of a common reading error in the reading of English vowel pairs. The different sounds of vowels and vowel pairs are very difficult to remember because of the amount of diversity within the sounds and mouth formation.

Reference

Portland Public Schools and Colorín Colorado. (N.D.). Supporting ELLs in the mainstream          classroom: Reading instruction. Accessed through          http://www.readingrockets.org/article/supporting-ells-mainstream-classroom-reading-      instruction

Moving Students from Language Acquisition to Language Learning through Reading and Writing

Students who use English as their second language go through stages of acquiring language. "Language acquisition" is the way students first learn to use language as a means of communication. Students don't learn rules and study language when they are toddlers, however, the way they can pick up on language through everyday life with their families is termed "language acquisition" (Hill, 2013, p.11). Students really learn a language when they learn the rules of grammar, appropriate sentence structure, and how to communicate clearly. This is taught in school. Teachers have the ability to help students move from acquiring a language to learning the language through reading and writing. And this does not mean necessarily diagramming sentences and doing a multiple choice test (Foppoli, N.D.). Because reading and writing are connected by thought processes (who who reads must decipher words and think about what they mean and one who writes must determine which words are appropriate while using the correct meaning). Our lessons in reading should include the natural connections to writing. We can teach students to read like a writer and write like a reader. This means we are pointing out word choice in our read alouds to our students, we are helping them discover the way the author wrote the book, looking more into the craft and style authors use in writing books. In writing, we are constantly asking students to read their writing out loud and asking them the question, "Does this sound right? How can we make it better?". Because students who struggle with writing often, "Show less awareness of what constitutes good writing and how to produce it," Teachers can use text read together to determine how to write. This provides a clear model for students. 

Below is a chart of several elementary writing mentor texts I created previously.

Title	Author	Description	Writing Quality Highlighted
Boot and Shoe	Marla Frazee	Boot and Shoe are best dog-friends. They do everything together until one day, they lose eachother.  This is an adorable story that kids love to read over and over and can be used to teach many reading and writing skills.	Theme: Friendship To show the importance of the characters’ friendship, the author uses repetition in the phrase “together”, and so by repeating the same sentence for each character but changing the name. This can show students how to show friendship through words. If the students is writing with illustrations also, this book is excellent to show the symbolism of illustrations and how they are important for the text. Until the characters lose eachother, the page is almost blank, except for the picture of the dogs together. When they are lost, the illustrations “zoom out” to show what’s going on with the both of them. The author even portrays the characters together, together, together, until they lose eachother . When they are lost, the author separates the dogs by putting them on separate pages.
Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	Max is sent to his room to think about his wild behavior. He soon imagines a world where the wild things (like him) live.	Text sequencing and organization This book shows a linear plot line which can help students when writing narratives. Students are able to clearly see a beginning, middle, and end in the story. Teachers can use this to show the importance of proper sequencing in a story.
Tornaodes!	Gail Gibbons	This book is non-fiction. It clearly shows many text features that are often found in nonfiction text. This book also has excellent adjective use to help nonfiction writing draw more interest and visualizing from the reader.	Organization and Features of Nonfiction Writing When students are expected to produce nonfiction writing from research on a topic, students can use this mentor text to teach students how to integrate text features into their writing. Also, this book (along with other Gail Gibbons books) show a clear explanation of facts about a topic. She uses descriptive language and easy to understand sentences for multiple grades and abilities.
Make Way for Ducklings	Robert McCloskey	This is a Caldecott Medal book from another generation. This story has been reproduced in other forms throughout the years. It is still a favorite with kids and the story is very easy to follow.	Alliteration, Repetitive Speech, Onomatopoeia, and Dialogue This book has many characters (all the ducklings) and they all have the same rime in their names. This draws familiarity and also a little bit of fun for the reader. This book also uses simple dialogue and onomatopoeia. It can encourage writes to add those kinds of words to their writing.
The Relatives Came	Cynthia Rylant	Cynthia Rylant, the author of the Henry and Mudge series, brings readers and writes does to a small moment in time where the narrator recalls a special time when the relatives came.	“Slice of Life” Writing Sometimes students want to keep writing, writing, and writing. However, they can easily get onto a different trail that isn’t a part of a story. In writing personal narratives (a story about themselves), this book can be used to help them narrow down their life’s events into little seed stories. Their personal narratives must have a beginning, middle, and end and also have clear events. This book can help with narrowing down all of their thoughts in order to write a small slice of their life for a personal narrative.

References

Access Center. (N.D.) Teaching writing to diverse student populations. ColorinColorado. Accessed through http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/teaching-writing-diverse-student-populations 

Foppoli, J. Language acquisition vs. language learning. ESL Base. Accessed through http://www.eslbase.com/teaching/language-acquisition-vs-language-learning 

Hill, J. D. (2013). Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners, 2nd Edition, 2nd Edition. [BryteWave]. Retrieved from https://shelf.brytewave.com/#/books/114004E4/ 

Helping ELLs Relate to Foreign Ideas Presented in Text

Students are used to being given text to read. We teach students to read and comprehend all genres of text. Think back to high school. Most likely your were required to read one of these classics: Romeo and Juliet, The Iliad, or perhaps The Canterbury Tales. Was it difficult for you to relate to the story? The context of the language and setting might have become a hindrance to comprehension of the text. This scenario is similar when students from diverse backgrounds read certain texts. Their comprehension may see a barrier when they cannot connect to the culture of the characters in the book. Teachers must help students access these texts by increasing their background knowledge about the culture or topic.

The Snowy Day by: Ezra Jack Keats

Excellent Read Aloud with Sound Effects

This book may be difficult to connect to for students from areas with no snow. They cannot perceive what playing in the snow feels like. They have no schema of the crunch beneath your feet, or layering your clothing, or sledding. The vocabulary might be difficult for students because there are words with multiple meanings which particularly pertain to snow--angel, snow suit, snowball, snow man.  Teachers could build student's schema for this book by showing them a quick video about snow. Also, a teacher could be more hand on to bring shaved ice into the classroom to let students feel it, make a snowball, and experience the cold. A small concept students from other cultures might be confused about would be where the book says, "...yelled to his friend across the hall." Students might now realize the family lives in an apartment and the lives close to his friends.

The Book Without Pictures  by: B.J. Novak

This book may be difficult for students to comprehend (and enjoy) because there are no picture clues to help them make meaning. This book could be helpful for students who can have polite conversations about everyday life, but if someone was a newcomer with English, this book would make little sense. Especially since there is a lot of sarcasm and irony in this book, students would not be able to pick up on it due to the lack of pictures to help assist in vocabulary understanding.  Students who are from more modest can quiet cultures may find this book offensive due to the loud sound effects this book is aiming to produce. Teachers may introduce the concept of onomatopoeia and its' literary effect for visualizing.

Reading with A New Lens

Imagine you are in a foreign country, you want to grab a coffee and read the newspaper. You are familiar with a few words that you have overheard, but reading is difficult. Also, the language does snot use the same letters as English. What could you do?

I tried to read the heading and subheading of this Israeli newspaper. I am familiar with basic words in Hebrew conversation, however, reading is difficult for me. I have an understanding of some of the sounds, but words in adult publications remove the vowel markings. I could read the headline by trying to say the sounds that may be right (many words use the same sounds), however, I am not positive I pronounced the words correctly. I recognize one word (yesterday--maHair).

Now, I am scaling it back a little bit. My daughter has a Hebrew picture book of animals. It is a typical toddler board book with a picture and a word on each page. The words contain vowel markings (which I can remember 50% of the time). However, when I look for these words in a Hebrew story about a girl who sees animals, I can make a slight connection between the two books. However, I cannot read it without mot of the words I am speaking being a guess of pronunciation. To make meaning, I had to rely on picture cues and the few words I knew how to say based on my experiences with hearing words.

As teachers, we have to encourage our ELLs to make connections between what they read, see, and hear. When we are learning how to get to a new place, we go once, but then the following time we can remember a landmark or a street name, but not all. This is that same with language learners. If I was in a classroom learning English, I would need, "...aditional work on English phonemes (and letters) that are not present in the students' native tongue" (Irujo,  N.D). I also think it would be important for teachers to use language throughout the day which they will come across in text.

Irujo, S. (N.D.) What does research tell us about teaching reading to English language learners?
Accessed through http://www.adlit.org/article/19757/