Content and language objectives are often recommended as a learning strategy for MLLs but are excellent for all students. Additionally, they are helpful for teachers to make their lessons specific.

General Tips:

• Display in the same place every lesson
• Review at beginning and end of learning time
• Use academic vocabulary and annotate
• Make age-appropriate
• Be inclusive (all students can do)
• Be specific. Use verbs that are action-oriented, observable, and assessable.
• Avoid general verbs like “review, practice, learn, understand”

Content Objectives

• use content and curricular competency learning standards
• use verbs related to the content area

Language Objectives

• use verbs related to communication (reading, writing, oral language)
• use the language needed to achieve the content objective

Example

Curricular competency learning standard from English Language Arts 5: Identify how differences in context, perspectives, and voice influence meaning in texts.

Content Objective: We will identify the protagonist’s description of the party in Chapter 6 and predict how the other characters may have described it.

Language Objective: We will identify the adjectives used in the passages and isolate ones related to emotion. We will list the possible emotions of other characters. We will rewrite the passage from another character’s perspective in small groups.

Welcome back to the start of the 22-23 school year!

We are thrilled to have you with us as a teacher, parent, or student.

Starting the Year Right

We are all learning many new names at this time of year. Take the time to learn our to pronounce people’s names correctly. Begin by asking them to say their name, listen carefully and repeat it until you know it. Teachers, model the correct pronunciation until all students can say the name correctly.

Below is a great series of infographics to share with others about some dos and do nots of pronouncing names.

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For teachers, here are some activities around names that you may find useful.

an acrostic poem of their name

an artistic presentation of their name

What’s in a Name? Project

What’s in a Name Template

Name Story

Reminders

3:15pm May 10, 2022- Picture Book Inquiry Group on TEAMS

3:15 pm May 12, 2022-SIOP Lead Meeting on TEAMS

3:00-5:00 May 16, 2022-in-person MyEd Refresher-Room 311 at the School Board Office

3:15pm May 30, 2022-Equity for ELLs on TEAMs

Ideas

May is the 20th anniversary of Canada celebrating Asian History Month. Danielle Stokes shared these great resources from the National Film Board that highlight the Chinese-Canadian Experience. Please remember to preview everything before sharing with students.

The Chinese-Canadian Experience (Ages 6+) https://www.nfb.ca/playlist/chinese-canadian-experience-ages-6/?utm_campaign=730222_NFB_Education_-_2022-05-06_-_Asian_Heritage_Month&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NFB+Education-All_Users

The Chinese-Canadian Experience (Ages 14+) https://www.nfb.ca/playlist/chinese-canadian-experience/?utm_campaign=730222_NFB_Education_-_2022-05-06_-_Asian_Heritage_Month&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NFB+Education-All_Users

A Taste of SIOP

Interaction

Who speaks more in a classroom: a teacher or the students? Who gets the most benefit out of speaking?

To increase student engagement as well as student interaction,  Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model (5th Edition) (SIOP Series), Echevarria, Vogt, and Short recommend four things teachers can do to better structure student interactions:

• Provide frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion between teachers and student and among students, which encourage elaborated responses about lesson concepts.
• Arrange grouping configurations that support language and content objectives of the lesson
• Afford sufficient wait time for student responses consistently provided
• Present ample opportunities for students to clarify key concepts in home language as needed with aide, peer, or home-language text

We hope you all had time for rest and respite during this Spring Break. We are in the home stretch of this year!

Reminders

March 29, 2022 at 3:15-Picture Book Inquiry Group-See TEAMS Invite.

April 11, 2022 at 3:15-Equity for ELLs-See TEAMS Invite

April 12, 2022 at 3:15-SIOP Lead Meeting-See TEAMS invite.

Ideas

During annual assessments, we may hear students bemoaning that they are receiving ELL support. It is a good time to remind them of the power of being multi-lingual. Valentina Gonzalez (https://www.valentinaesl.com/) has an excellent poster highlighting some of the advantages.

A Taste of SIOP

Comprehensible input is one of the 8 features of the SIOP model. Making content accessible to all students can be challenging and we have a variety of strategies that teachers use. One aspect to remember is to give students multiple opportunities to use the skill they are learning on different topics. Instead of focusing on several graphic organizers, try just using one, for example. The goal of using that one organizer is for students to be able to do it independently with confidence.

We acknowledge the challenges happening for you right now. Please reach out if we can help in any way. 

Reminders:

January 18, 3:15: SIOP Lead (secondary) meeting on Teams

January 20, 3:15pm: Equity for ELLs  on Teams

January 25, 3:15 pm: Picture Book Inquiry Group on Teams

Teaching Ideas:

Quizlet is a vocabulary website. You can make vocabulary lists, add definitions, and add pictures. Furthermore, you can make the lists in multiple languages or teach your students to do it. Finally, the website has audio capabilities so students can hear the correct pronunciation of the word and definition.  If you make a class (either as co-teacher of a unit or small group) you can track students’ progress. There are a number of activities that students can do independently as well. 

Kahoot is another game-education site. You can make questions in multiple forms and kids can do together or independently. 

Wordwall is another site that allows teachers to make worksheets into video games. The free version allows five games at a time. 

Additionally, please check out the One note on ELL Teams for virtual resources that was collaboratively made by ELL teachers in 2020. 

DRLC Spotlight

The District Resource Library Catalogue has many resources including those for MLLs. Recently DRLC Librarian Carol Lynka shared some great books on the environment for intermediate beginning ELs. They have strong academic vocabulary and visual scaffolds. Furthermore, the writing is age and level appropriate. You can order them to your school through your library catalogue. Two examples are pictured below. 

We are Back!

Welcome to a school year that will probably be completely different from every one you’ve had before it.  Let’s focus on the positives and see this as a way to try unique ideas to support our English learners.

September Start Up

Elementary ELL Start-up/ ELL in Service Session

Please plan to attend ONE of these important sessions

When: Thursday, September 10, 2020  10am/12pm/ 3pm (please attend 1 session)

Where: Microsoft Teams-Elementary ELL Channel

The purpose of this workshop:

• to review process for preparing the 1701
• to review audit compliance requirements
• to facilitate booking new ELs at the Welcome Centre
• to identify ways to make a schedule in 2020-21

Please email michelle.van-balkom@burnabyschools.ca to be added to the Team.

New or Nearly New ELL Teachers Session

When? Friday, Sept 11, 2020 9am/2:00pm (please attend 1 session)

Where? Microsoft Teams- Please email michelle.van-balkom@burnabyschools.ca to be added to the Team.

The purpose of this workshop:

• to introduce ELL terminology and resources
• to demonstrate how to complete assessments
• to outline the responsibilities of an ELL Teacher
• to facilitate building a schedule

Please note: T.T.O.C. funding is not available for these workshops.

Upcoming Events

October 7-SIOP Meeting 3:30pm

ELL Bookclub-October 8th (Sign up on Staff Development Calendar)

A Place to Start

Carol Salva recently released a video blog post about how to start a classroom during Co-Vid. It is less than 20 minutes and gives practical ways for ALL teachers to create community during in-person, hybrid, or remotely instruction. It is worth watching but also great to share with our school communities.

Fall is always a hectic time. Please contact Fanny and Michelle with any questions or concerns.

If you are interested in making one of your own, this We are Teachers article is a great place to start. 

Please share out your creations with the Burnaby ELL community.