My Journey to ESL Certification

As I reflect on my journey to obtain my ESL add-on endorsement, several thoughts come to mind. As a veteran teacher, going back to school was a scary thought for me. Taking classes on-line presented another challenge, but was the best choice for me, as a full time wife, mother, and Kindergarten teacher. The coursework was relevant and helpful to me as a classroom teacher. The classes I took helped to prepare me for what I faced in the classroom each day. I absolutely love working with ESL students and they are the reason I chose to go back to school. I love their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. No matter what book I read, or game I choose to play, they are always ready and willing. The progress they make during the year amazes me. For them only, did I suffer through the ESL Praxis test. That test, by far, is the hardest one I have ever taken.
The one accomplishment that I am most proud of is the Wiki I created through my classes. It is a great resource to use throughout the rest of my teaching career. I have also shared it with other teachers who have ESL students in their classes. One piece of advice I would give those teachers who want to pursue the add-on endorsement is to know what you want to do. It has not been an easy journey. I have worked really hard and am so glad that I am finished. As hard as it has been, and as much time it has taken, it is truly worth it. To see the looks on my students faces each day, and watch their joy when they learn to read and write, makes it worth it all.

Literature Circles in ELL Kindergarten?

I really enjoyed the literature circle activity with my Kindergarten students. Since my students are not yet reading independently, I did a modified version. I used the big book Mrs. Wishy Washy and I read the book to them. I created an anticipatory guide to use with them before, during, and after reading the story. It gave them a chance to make predictions, analyze characters, and tell how they would change the story. The discussions that emerged were really great. The students loved the story of Mrs. Wishy Washy and we used puppets to act out the story after reading it. The puppets really seemed to help my two students who are still not ready to talk out loud. I think activities like literature circles are great to use with ELL students because it breaks a book into chunks. It really gave me time to talk about the vocabulary and the different parts of the book with my students. For older students, it gives them a voice about which parts of the book they liked best.

I think the activity went well and there isn’t really anything I would change. I have pulled out more Mrs. Wishy Washy books to use with my class. I would encourage other teachers to try this activity. I never would have thought my Kindergarten students would have been able to have such good conversations about the story.

Ethnographic Narrative and Case Study

My observation and case study research of the student, AP, was very informative. By conducting the observation and interview, I gained an insight into his home life, as well as his thoughts on school. AP is an ELL Kindergarten student who is a native Spanish speaker. From the talk I had with him, it seems that he also has a very good home situation. He has two parents who love him and make sure he has what he needs, not only material things, but educationally and emotionally, as well. They encourage him to work hard, and do his best. One of the things he likes to do at home is read with his mom. He is also lucky to have an extended family that he gets to see, and who also takes time to interact with him.

By doing this observation, and focusing on one student, it gave me the chance to view my classroom practices through his eyes. Teachers need to be reminded of how students view school, and how much their home life impacts what they do at school. Using case studies and ethnographic narratives is a great way for teachers to see their teaching styles and classrooms in a different perspective. So many times teachers feel that if the students aren’t learning what they are teaching, it is the students’ fault. I found this quote by Ignacio Estrada that says “If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” I think this quote sums up what all teachers need to do.

It is my hope that AP’s teacher next year will recognize him as a student without limitations. He is not only a happy, well-mannered boy, he is also very smart. He speaks very good English, and is very quick to learn new skills. It is obvious that his parents value education and want the best for him. He is proud of his heritage and eager to share that with other classmates and teachers. As his teacher, I try to find ways for him to be a leader in our classroom. I hope that continues next year.

Action Research with ESL Kindergarteners

Thoughts about Action Research

I think action research is a great tool for teachers to use to gain useful information about how students learn. Knowing how students learn is as important as knowing what is needed to be learned. As I worked through the action research project, I was reminded of formative assessment. As teachers, we should always know what our students know in order to help them continue progressing. Formative assessment is one way of getting that information, so is action research. If I, as a teacher, am actively researching the best methods and strategies to help my students learn, then I am doing my job. By using my students as the research subjects, I am essentially using ongoing assessments that give me valuable information about what to teach and the best strategies to use with my students.

Ideas generated

My action research project was based on the idea of pre-teaching vocabulary in order to help my Kindergarten ELL students use that vocabulary in phonemic awareness activities, such as rhyming and beginning sounds, as well as in reading comprehension.
I found that my students were able to be successful with phonemic awareness games and activities if they were taught the English vocabulary words first, and had some practice using the chosen words.

Think about it this way: If you are a Spanish speaking Kindergarten student, and you see pictures of a moon and a spoon, you think cuchara and luna. In Spanish, these words do not rhyme. In English, they do. For ELL students to master this skill, they first have to learn the English words, and then learn the skill of rhyming. By using the English vocabulary words in a pre-teaching game or activity, I am giving my students prior knowledge to use when they encounter this vocabulary in other areas.

Suggestions for ESL professionals

As a result of this action research project, I learned these things:
Before beginning a new phonemic awareness skill, pre-teach as much of the vocabulary that you are going to use as possible
Use manipulatives or real objects for teaching vocabulary if possible
When introducing a new book for guided reading, take time to talk about the pictures, and introduce new vocabulary
Use games to help teach vocabulary such as Quiz, Quiz, Trade, What’s Missing?, or I Have, Who Has?

Here is a great website I found with an online game that teaches vocabulary with pictures and sound: http://www.vocabulary.co.il/foreign-language/english-word-recognition-game/

Categorizing in Kindergarten Observation #2

Teaching Issues
I taught a lesson on categorizing. I introduced the lesson by reading the book, Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash. In the story, Mrs. McNosh hangs up many different items on a clothesline, not only clothes. After reading the story, I showed the students my laundry basket. I told them I needed help sorting the items in the basket. I had items from four different groups; school items, food items, animals, and clothes. I did not tell them the groups before they began sorting, but I did place an item from each group in the circle where the group was to be sorted. The students were all able to participate in the activity by choosing an item from the basket and placing it in the correct group. They were all attentive and on task. I noticed that when my ELL students chose an item, my gen. ed. students wanted to help them, even when they didn’t need it. I had to make sure I reminded the students that they could not tell what the object was or what group it belonged in, unless it was their turn.

Second Language Acquisition
My ELL students seemed to enjoy the activity because they could see the other items that were already in categories, and this helped them to know where to place the item that they had chosen. They were able to be successful without fear of speaking. In order to encourage the students to speak, I asked all of the students say the name of their chosen item. I especially wanted my ELL students to practice their English by naming the items they had chosen. I didn’t want them to feel singled out, so I asked all students to name their chosen object during this activity. If one of the ELL students could not name the item they had chosen, they could get help from a friend and then they could then repeat the name of their chosen item. I also let the ELL students tell us how to pronounce the item in Spanish and the gen. ed. students repeated it. This made the ELL students feel special because they were able to teach us their language. In Kindergarten, repeating words and phrases is a great way for students to learn new language. Also, by giving the students their choice of which object to choose, the ELL students could choose an item that they were familiar with.

Ethnographic Perspectives
The name of some of the items that the students were to sort into categories were familiar to both the gen. ed. students, as well as the ELL students. Some of the items’ names are the same in English and in Spanish. I feel that using items that are familiar to all students gives them a chance to be successful. If students have the chance to feel successful, they will be willing to take chances during future lessons. One of the concerns that I saw during the lesson, was that the ELL students did not know the English names of all of the items. I feel that if they have the chance to learn more vocabulary, they will be better able to use the skill of categorizing.

Rhyming with ELL Observation #1

My first observation was done on Friday, September 16.

The purpose of the lesson was to teach the students how to recognize rhyming words using picture cards. This is how the lesson unfolded:

• We began the lesson with a book, Silly Sally. After listening to the story, we reviewed the characters that Silly Sally met on her way to town and what the characters did. (pig danced a jig, lune sang a tune, dog played leapfrog)
• We played a listening game where the students had to say a rhyming word: (If I say pig, you say jig—I would say pig, they would say jig).
• Each student was asked to pick a picture, say its name, and determine where to place it on a pocket chart under one of three pictures, depending on the rhyming picture clues. For my ELL students, I told them the name of the picture and said the names of the 3 rhyming picture clue cards.
• After all pictures were placed, we said the names of all the picture cards in each column.

I noticed that my ELL students were able to match the pictures to the correct rhyming column, only after I said the names of the pictures for them. They understood the concept of rhyming words, but needed help with the English words for the pictures. For my gen. ed. students, they only had to focus on learning the skill at hand, rhyming. My ELL students first had to say the word in English, and then compare the picture to other pictures for the rhyming skill. This is doubly hard for students whose first language is not English. As the students begin to learn more language, they will be better able to master the skill of rhyming.

I think the next time I do a rhyming activity with my ELL students, I will use previously taught picture cards. I can help them practice the English names for the pictures in a small group, and then they will be able to focus on the skill of rhyming during our game time.

A New Year, A New Challenge

For the past two years, I have taught a self-contained ELL Kindergarten class. This year, I have a blended Kindergarten class. The class has ELL students, general education students, and special needs students. I loved having only the ELL students the past two years. With this class, I have two different report cards and sets of standards to teach and assess. It will be a challenge! I am looking forward to seeing how this group of students work together.