While teaching during my sixth year at DCTS, I'd like to start providing a blog of extra information, optional articles, and links to great resources to help provide effective ESL strategies to our ELL population. I plan to share stories of students with either anonymity or nicknames to increase your knowledge of what background knowledge or lack thereof may be sitting in your classroom. I have 19 years of ESL training from kindergarten to adults learning English. I am excited to start my blog right now.
My first story that I'd like to share with you comes from when I taught in suburban Chicago in the year 2000. The boy, Michael, was in sixth grade, illiterate, but great listening and speaking skills. His family came to the US when he was in the 4th grade after a long trip to flee Iraq. Living in Iraq, every male was required to join the military and serve under Saddam Hussein. His father was serving his country until that one dreadful day. Hussein had ordered Michael's father to shoot an innocent citizen in the square as part of his duty. Michael's father refused to follow through because he knew, that as a Christian man, it was not the proper act to commit. A couple of days later, Hussein had ordered another man to take Michael, who was three years old at the time, to be burnt by a faithful soldier on the leg. Shortly thereafter, Michael and his family fled to Syria where they lived through his third grade year. They came to the US as refugees when Michael was in the 4th grade. He had never been in school or learned to read or write in any language. His teachers made him learn to write in cursive and taught him to listen and speak English. However, when he came to me in 6th grade, he still could not read or write, except for his name. By the end of 6th grade, before moving on to middle school, the evaluation team decided that it was in his best interest to be placed in a self-contained, emotional support classroom.
One must read article to improve your knowledge of ELLs today is the following link:
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/essential-actions-15-research-based-practices-increase-ell-student-achievement
No comments:
Post a Comment