I teach English Support and in that class are many English Language Learners. Shared Reading is wonderful!! It gets students into higher level text, even if they can't read it on their own. It exposes them to it and they are doing all the thinking that goes along with it. I also read aloud to them and we have lots of discussions about books.
In one of my classes I'm taking right now (for my Reading Specialist Credential), the professor is teaching about language and how we have to get kids talking more, about ANYTHING. He said even when it is seemingly "off task" talking, they are still learning SO MUCH about the language. And I agree. I've been encouraging my students to talk talk talk to each other while working. I'll have to make some more seat changes since I have a row of non-talkers, but it is working out well! :) While I love the self selection of vocabulary, I gave my students some vocab words this week. Today we made index cards (the large ones). On the front, they divided it into 3 sections. In the middle is the word. On one side is a picture/sentence/example, and the other side has synonyms. Then on the back, there is the part of speech and definition. This way, if they look at the front and study, they will see all those other clues to help them figure out the word, and remember it. When they know the words real well, they can quiz themselves from the back, just looking at the definition and thinking about which word matches the definition. Also, I'm a firm believer in more reading makes better readers. So even though we have a silent reading period, I have my support class read for the first 10 or so min. of class every day. So while they are at school, they will have read for a total of 45-50 min. every day. On 9/13/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I'll tell you anything you want to know if you tell me things that you did > for your ESE kids. I have several this year that really need more help > than I > am used to. My classes are absolutely amazing this year. I > have students > that struggle sooooooo much, it is so sad. I have students that do not > speak > English and I have students that have so many illnesses and take so many > pills, and not a peep out of them. They are truly amazing. I am trying > to teach > all levels and it is getting better with all the great ideas I am getting > from this list. > > I gave the kids 30 root words that we worked with for quite a while (they > learned them in context, so it should have been easier to make connections > to > the meanings, but that was not so for all of them). They had their test > yesterday. One boy struggled so much, so we changed gears. He is using > index > cards to learn 5 of his favorite words. What a difference in his > confidence. I > decided to do the same thing with one of my Chinese students who is a 2nd > year ESOL student, but is struggling with his reading and writing. I > will test > them after they work with the first set of 5. I have so many balls up in > the air, but so far, so good. I am learning just as much as they > are. Thanks > everyone!!! > > > *\l/**\l/**\l/*Lynn*\l/**\l/**\l/* > M.Ed. Reading Education > > _http://cyberedtech.fau.edu/domino/default.htm_ > (http://cyberedtech.fau.edu/domino/default.htm) > Send a 2006 Christmas Gift to a Native American child now! > _http://FriendsofPineRidgeReservation.org_ > (http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/) > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > -- - Heather "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead." --Clarence Day "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little good evidence exists that there's any educational substance behind the accountability and testing movement." —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase funding. " —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org.
