"English is a funny language; that explains why we park our car on the driveway and drive our car on the parkway." ~Author Unknown
It is important to meet the needs of all our students, especially students who are English Language Learners. In my school, as well as many schools in the nation, there is a limited amount information on these students and how to properly help them in their academics. Standardized testing has attempted to identifying those students but has placed a bias on these students; not differentiating between the student’s language barrier versus the student’s academic ability. In my plan, I will attempt to implement a process for identifying those who are English Learners. The process will include a formal and informal assessments of language ability, professional development opportunities for teachers, and provide opportunities to share language opportunities for these students.
In this class, the information learned from my graduate work in elementary education has been reinforced. Authentic Assessment, Differentiated Instruction, and information regarding the SIOP Method have been helpful for my understanding of my teaching practices to EL students. I will be more purposeful in using Authentic Assessment, Differentiated Instruction, and the SIOP method in my classroom so that every one of my students has a chance at success. |