Graphic Novels in the Classroom

We can not ignore the fact that 3 out of the 5 movies that grossed the most money this year so far have been created based on graphic novels.  It is crazy to think about how many movies are being made from these graphic novels.  To list a few Diary of Wimpy a Kid, Thor, Green Lantern, The Avengers, Transformers, Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, the Hulk and the list goes on and on.  Students love to read graphic novels so much that the media specialists says she can not keep them on the shelf.  These are a great option for your ESL students for a few different reasons.

- They provide a visual to help understand the emotion and action behind what they are reading
- They are engaging and usually not intimidating
- Graphic Novels are a great way to introduce new cultures or let a student share theirs. for example if a student is familiar with Manga they can teach the other students how to read them from back to front and right to left.

  Graphic Novels are not just about super heros.  You can find them on just about anything these days.  There are have been a few that have won many honorable awards.  Here are two links that very useful in learning how and why to incorporate graphic novels into your curriculum.

A Graphic Novel about how to use Graphic Novels :)
http://www.janebaskwill.com/comics_LA08.pdf

Why use Graphic Novels
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/graphic-novels-comics-andrew-miller

Cultural Awareness

Getting To Know the Culture of Your Language Learner

Getting to know your English language learner is a huge step in the right direction to bridge social and academic gaps in the learning environment. Please take a few moments to check into cultural factors, views of family, religion and heirarchy.  Not understanding a language learner's background may be the source of academic and social chasms in the classroom.

• African American
• Arab American
• Asian American
• Central Asian
• Hispanics/Latinos
• Muslims
• Native Americans
• Pacific Islanders
• South Asians

Cultural Information Link

Title III Limited English Proficient (LEP) & Immigrant Students District Procedures – NCLB Requirements

Kentucky Department of Education
2007-08

As the 2007-08 school year begins, we would like to remind you of the following expected practices for identifying and servicing English language learners (ELLs), based on federal and state regulations:

• All new enrollees to the district are administered a Home Language Survey to screen for a language background other than English. A sample Home Language Survey can be found on the ELL web page*. Multilingual language surveys are available for free via www.transact.com.

• If the answer to any of the four required Home Language Survey questions is any language other than English, students are considered to be from a non-English language background (NELB) and must be administered the WIDA ACCESS Placement Test or W-APT. The W-APT identification test is downloadable free to districts from a password protected site http://wida.us. ELL Test Administrators should contact their District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) for password information.

• A student is formally identified as LEP based on the results of the W-APT (four domains: listening, speaking, reading and writing) in conjunction with professional judgment. The results of the W-APT and the instructional plan (Program Services Plan/PSP) must be shared with the parents within the first 30 days of the school year or within two weeks of enrollment during the school year. Written documentation and/or oral interpretation should be provided to parents/guardians, to the extent practical, in a language that they can understand.

• A district or school Program Services Plan (PSP) committee (e.g., ELL and mainstream teachers/ specialists, an instructional leader, counselor, parent, student) will design a PSP for each student identified as LEP. The PSP should include the following: the reasons for identification (results of the W-APT and, when appropriate, annual language assessment), level of English proficiency, previous academic background and experience, cultural and language history, service delivery model/s for English language instruction, and all appropriate instructional and assessment accommodations and/or modifications.

• The PSP will be shared with all stakeholders involved in the ELLs academic and language education to guide placement and instruction. Administrators will ensure teachers are being prepared to implement appropriate accommodations and modifications. Educators’ professional growth plans and the school’s/district’s professional development plans may reflect teacher development needs and expected outcomes for language and academic learning of ELLs.

• The 2007-2008 Kentucky annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment is ACCESS for ELLs™. The state will follow a scheduled testing window of January 7 – February 15, 2008. Each district must ensure that all ACCESS test administrators are certified. Each district’s DAC will ensure that testing materials have been ordered, received and returned in the required time frame and coordinate with ELL test administrators.

• Implementation of the PSP is consistently and regularly monitored for relevance and effectiveness throughout the year. Individualized accommodations are evaluated for appropriateness and revised at least once a year based on the annual ACCESS results.

• Entry, testing and accommodation/modification data must be entered into STI or Infinite Campus on all LEP students monthly and kept updated. There will no longer be a spring extract/upload of district LEP data to KDE. KDE will access this data monthly from the State database to satisfy inquiries from the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and the KDE Office of Assessment and Accountability.

For more ELL information and resources:

 Visit the KDE home page, click on Quick Links/English Language Learning http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/High+School/Language+Learning/English+ Language+Learning/English+Language+Learner

 Contact Shelda Hale, Title III Program Consultant – Shelda.Hale@education.ky.gov

KDE Kentucky ELLs Program Quick Guide

KDE Kentucky ELLs Program Quick Guide

From the KDE “Quick Reference Guide”:

Steps:

1. Select educational approach for ELD

2. Identify potential ELL’s

3. Administer W-APT

4. Placement

5. Provide resources and staffing

6. Transition to regular program participation

7. Monitor for 2 yrs.

8. Program evaluation

KY ELL Accommodations

KY ELL Accommodations

The Kentucky Department of Education has determined the following instructional accommodations effective for LEP students:

Read text in English
Scribe responses
Bilingual or English dictionary
Promoting/cueing
Provide visuals/organizers
Use spell-check
Provide content objectives
Engage in academic conversations
Teach and model mega-cognitive
Oral native language support
Read test in primary language
Extended time
Small group/single test form admin.
Provide adapted materials/tech
Link instruction to prior learning
Build background knowledge
Scaffold responses (oral/written)
Bilingual or English glossary
Simplified language
Assistive technology
Adapt pace of instruction
Use computer/software
Provide language objectives
Model language/task completion
Provide interaction opportunities

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Voki.com - give students a voice

I am so excited about this new resource I learned about today.  It is www.voki.com
It allows students to create a speaking avatar.  This is a great way to give your ELL students a voice and build their confidence.  They will be so engaged, I know I was.  The students can create what they want it look like and they can make it speak by using four different methods:
- speaking into the microphone
- calling in and speaking through their phones
- typing in the dialog
- uploading an audio file

Types of assignments:
presentations of speeches, poems, songs, create a character from a book, create a character from history

Assessments for ESL

ACCESS is an assessment that is given in Kentucky and many other states to measure annual growth for English Language Learners in Writing, Reading, Speaking, Comprehension.

KDE and ACCESS link:

http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Testing+and+Reporting+/District+Support/English+Language+Proficiency+Testing/ACCESS+for+ELLs.htm