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EL Education - Implementing The K-2 Labs

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This video shows the K-2 Labs in action in Kady Taylor’s 1st grade classroom at Kuumba Academy in Wilmington, Delaware. It explains the purpose and structure of Labs, the distinct Labs and their stages, as well as shows the power of Labs to build students’ content knowledge, develop oral language, a…

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Each unit provides a family support video which includes background information on the module topic, vocabulary explanations, and information on writing assignments and performance tasks all designed to help families and caregivers successfully support their student with learning at home. These videos also have closed captioning in Spanish.

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Grade 2, Module 2 Overview Video- Learning through Science and Story- Fossils Tell of Earth's Changes

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Close Read-Aloud in the Primary Grades, Part 1- First Read, Focus Question, and Interactive Analysis

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Flex Your Skills videos support our Reading Foundations Skills Block. In this video clip you will experience how Imagine Learning supports you and your students as they learn letter sounds and how their mouths should look and feel as they make those sounds!

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Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 1, Homework Resources for Families_Spanish

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Reading is the act of processing text in order to derive meaning. To learn to read, children must develop both fluent word reading and language comprehension (Gough & Tunmer,1986). Language comprehension is built upon vocabulary and morphology, knowledge, syntax, and higher-level language skills.

How Knowledge Contributes to Reading Development

Many studies since the 1980's have shown that background knowledge is a critical component of comprehension ( Spencer & Wagner, 2018). The knowledge a reader brings to their learning contributes to language comprehension. "Big ideas and complex questions cannot be separated from the language used to represent them...A reader's comprehension of a story depends greatly upon the knowledge and language she brings to the experience" (Lesaux & Russ Harris, 2015). Knowledge gives substance and context for word learning and comprehension. Content rich instruction in the early grades, especially with informational text, is particularly important to build knowledge that will help students comprehend increasingly complex language and texts as they grow as readers (Catts & Kamhi, 2017).

"Fundamentally, what we're asking folks to do is make decisions about instruction based on the best available evidence that we have for what should increase the likelihood that your students will learn the skills that they need to succeed in school."

Nicole Patton Terry
Professor & Associate Director
Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University

Promoting Knowledge Building in the Classroom...

Through Informational Text Read Alouds

Through Text Sets

Learn More About Knowledge

Considerations for Students Learning English

English learners should have equal opportunity to meaningfully participate in all literacy instruction. The WIDA Can Do Descriptors highlight what language learners can do at various stages of language development.
Taking Bilingualism into Account
"Many English language learners struggle with curriculum content because they lack background knowledge of the topic or have gaps in the information they have learned. Teachers must either activate what prior knowledge exists and apply it to lessons or explicitly build background knowledge for these students" (Short & Echevarria, 2005).
Supports for English Learners

"Link background knowledge and culture to learning by explicitly planning and incorporating ways to engage students in thinking about and drawing from their life experiences and prior knowledge" (Levine, Lukens, & Smallwood, 2013).

Use high yield tools such as: Anticipation Guides, KWL Charts, Multimedia (Ferlazzo & Hull Sypnieski, 2018).

"Use sensory supports such as videos, realia, illustrations, etc. to provide students alternative ways to process information" (WIDA, Instructional Supports, 2015).

"Utilize students' native languages, also known as first language or L1, to provide opportunities to clarify, recap, or extend meaning" (WIDA, Instructional Supports, 2015).

Building Background Knowledge, from Colorin Colorado ** (Video)

Analyzing Content and Language Demands, from English Learners Success Forum (Resource)

The WIDA Instructional Supports provide a reference list of appropriate graphic, sensory and interactive supports to use with the WIDA Can Do Descriptors when instructing language learners.

References

Catts, H. W., & Kamhi, A. G. (2017). Prologue: Reading comprehension is not a single ability. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 48(2), 73-76.

Echevaria, J., and Short, D. (2005). Teacher Skills to Support English Language Learners. Best of Educational Leadership 2004-2005, 62, 8-13.

Ferlazzo, L. and Hull Sypnieski, K. (2018). The ELL Teacher's Toolbox: Hundreds of Practical Ideas to Support Your Students, San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass.

Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, Reading, and Reading Disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10.

Lesaux, N. & Russ Harris, J. (2015). Cultivating Knowledge, Building Language. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Levine, L. N., Lukens, L. & Smallwood, B. A. (2013). The GO TO strategies: Scaffolding options for teachers of English language learners, K-12. For Project EXCELL, a partnership between the University of Missouri- Kansas City and North Kansas City Schools, funded by the US Department of Education, PR Number T195N070316.
Disclosure Statement: Reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Our office is not responsible for and does not in any way guarantee the accuracy of information in other sites accessible through links herein. DESE may supplement this list with other services and products that meet the specified criteria. For more information contact: RMB252@mass.gov.

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massachusetts department of elementary and secondary education

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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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The goal of the Massachusetts public K-12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Massachusetts public school students are leading the nation in reading and math and are at the top internationally in reading, science, and math according to the national NAEP and international PISA assessments.

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Close Read-Aloud in the Primary Grades, Part 2- Deeper Analysis and Culminating Task

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The Science of Learning a Second Language

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The Science of Learning a Second Language

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What I did:
Focused on grammar over vocabulary. My grammar-based direct instruction curriculum emphasized understanding the structure and syntax of English over the meanings of individual words. I was teaching my students to identify the parts of speech of words they didn't know based on their placement in a sentence they also didn't understand. It was frustrating for all of us.

Why that didn't work:
When you're first learning a new language, you naturally gravitate to the words and phrases that are important to you. If you're traveling, "please" and "thank you" are useful. If you are learning a new style of cooking, you'll want to learn the names of foods. And if you're a baby, your first word will be the most important object in your world (usually 'dada' or 'mama,' or in my son's case, 'panda'). Once you learn those words, you can then build the understanding needed to notice how they are placed in a sentence.

My students showed me this as they repeatedly asked me what words meant, while I unsuccessfully tried to reroute them back to the grammar concept we were learning. Finally, I gave in and started "What does it mean" Wednesdays. They collected English words and phrases they encountered in their daily lives - at work, on the bus, at the doctor's office - and we spent 30 minutes crowdsourcing the definitions. This was easily the most engaged my students were all week - because it mattered to them.

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The Science of Learning a Second Language

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Learning a new language is not easy. Trading outdated instruction for science of reading-backed techniques can help give English language learners the skills they need for biliteracy.

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Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 1, Homework Resources for Families

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ERIC - ED596222 - Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks. Literacy Leadership Brief, International Literacy Association, 2017

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Content area literacy and disciplinary literacy are umbrella terms that describe two approaches to literacy instruction embedded within different subject areas or disciplines. Under a content area literacy approach, students learn reading and writing processes that are common across disciplines. As…

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A Guide to Supporting English Language Learners

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A Guide to Supporting English Language Learners