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                                             Science

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                                             Science

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Science is one of Adnan's favorite subjects! He sometimes has trouble with the reading required in the textbook but overall this is his best subject. Adnan does not need much help in the subject other than with the reading required which we have been working on.

Assessment methods- Adnan loves science and gets very good grades on anything science related so there is not any special assessments I use for him. However, each month I let him choose a planet and make a mini project poster that he gets to hang up in the classroom for the other students to see. This gives him an opportunity to work on his writing as well as his creative side.

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                                         Social Studies

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                                         Social Studies

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Teaching methods- Social Studies is sometimes a struggle for Adnan since the majority of the curriculum is about state and local history. Adnan does not know the history of the United States very well and struggles to name states and capitals correctly. Since this is a hard subject for him he has an app on his desk tablet with a map of the U.S. and all the capitals to help remind him of which places are located where during assignments. During our assignments/lessons I have visual aids to accompany each topic to give Adnan a better idea of what we are discussing. This helps him memorize places better by associating them with pictures. When applicable I try to tie in space related topics. For example if there is a meteor shower coming soon I ask Adnan to research which states its view-able in and what is the best city to see it from.

Assessment methods- Each week I assign Adnan a state and have him research the state capital and 3 interesting facts about the state. This task helps him learn about the country and will make sure he knows where each and every state is on the map if I randomly point to one.

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                                        Reading & Writing

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                                        Reading & Writing

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Teaching methods- This is the toughest subject for Adnan since he is still learning English. Adnan has a hard time with reading, writing, and sometimes even with speaking. Adnan has a special vocabulary list that he has to learn every 2 weeks to help widen his vocabulary and understanding. I encourage Adnan to take notes during his reading for him to look back on. After the required reading is finished I will ask questions that require some higher thinking to make him analyze and question what he just read. I also have Adnan write me a short summary after he has read a large reading such as a book or big chunk out of the textbook.

Assessment methods- Using group work helps me assess if Adnan is understanding and excelling at the same rate as his classmates. I will have each member in the group separately answer the same question and then do compare and checks. If Adnan does not have similar responses I know he needs to either re-read the text or help with further explanation. I often have students stand in front of the class to discuss things they have read. This gives Adnan a chance to work on his oral skills, since tests can take him a little longer I feel it doesn't sufficiently measure his ability. I do assess his writing through the summaries he writes after he finishes his books. I assign him short space related books to read every 2 weeks and then he writes a letter to the main character. This also assess his writing and reading ability.

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                                                        Math

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                                                        Math

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Teaching methods- Adnan is good at math but sometimes gets confused on different meanings of some words such as “table” and “quarter”. There is a chart for Adnan with the different meanings of some math vocab words that also have other meanings. Adnan is encouraged to explain the material to another classmate sitting near him, allowing him to say it aloud helps him understand better. Graphic representations and visual cues are very helpful for Adnan. I try to relate assignments to soccer to make it more fun. For example assignments on measurements I use a soccer field as a visual or to help explain angles I use the goal as an example; soccer players must calculate which angle is best to score the goal.

Assessment methods- Every Friday Adnan takes a short online quiz that immediately sends the results to me showing which questions are right and wrong. If Adnan fails to achieve a 75% or higher I send back the wrong questions until he achieves the higher score. Weekly quizzes help keep Adnan accountable, so he doesn’t fall behind the rest of the class. We also work on math vocabulary terms every Friday.

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          Teaching and Assessment Methods

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          Teaching and Assessment Methods

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At the end of the school year if Adnan has completed 90% of the assigned space/planet themed books he will be able to put together a fun presentation for the class about the solar system and planets. Since Adnan loves space so much and wants to make studying the planets his career this would be a fun project for him that will also showcase how much his language has improved since the beginning of the school year.

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To ensure that Adnan is improving his language and developing to the same level of his peers I encourage the use of computer/technology games that implement fun ways to learn. Adnan and his classmates will play games on the computer that will both teach lessons and give Adnan a chance to improve his English by listening. The assignment/games will have songs, videos and reading that are all in English. These assignments will be a important factor in influencing Adnan’s motivation to learn more. These technology lessons will both teach the material as well as give him a chance to work on his English by listening.

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Adnan struggles to read at the 4th grade level so to get him more interested and improve his skills I assign him short books that appeal to his interests every 2 weeks. I choose books that have space/planet and soccer themes. For each book he completes on time I reward him with personal music time after he has completed a certain assignment and there if free time leftover. (All students in the class have the opportunity to get free music time for other achievements also, to make sure I treat all students equal and fair). For some books that Adnan reads and really likes he has the opportunity to complete a short letter to the “main character” for extra credit points. This will encourage Adnan to both read and improve his writing skills.

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Adnan is shy to talk in discussions because he is afraid of being made fun of because he sometimes mispronounces words and has a thick accent. To help motivate him to participate more I will give all my students more time to prepare before discussions. I will provide students with questions a day or two before the actual class discussion. I will have students answer the question first in writing, then I will assign students into groups of 2 or 3 where they can discuss answers among themselves before a full class discussion. Once they have talked in groups I will ask each student to share their idea. This will give Adnan, as well as all the other students time to be prepared. Putting Adnan on the spot to come up with an answer produces a lot of anxiety. Allowing him to figure out and form ideas and then rehearse with his group will ensure that he feels comfortable participating with the entire class.

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                                   Motivation Strategies for Adnan

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                                   Motivation Strategies for Adnan

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To ensure Adnan is motivated to keep learning and improve his language, reading, and writing skills I will implement fun and creative lessons that allow him to express himself.

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                Teacher-Student Connections

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                Teacher-Student Connections

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The first week of class I will take the time to learn all there is about Adnan, so I can better understand how to effectively teach him as well as build a positive relationship. Adnan will make an all about me project that will showcase his background, goals, and characteristics. This will give me a chance to really learn about him, his culture, and where he comes from. The more teachers understand about their students the better they can teach them!

To create a healthy and positive connection to Adnan I will need to have an effective line of communication with him. Since he is still learning English and may struggle sometimes he needs to know that he can always ask for help or further explanation. Adnan will have a small tablet at his desk with access to extra online notes with recorded directions and explanations, so he can listen and read along. This will allow him to go back and repeat directions if he forgets or doesn’t fully understand. Each day the last 20 minutes of class Adnan and I will talk about the days assignments and go over anything that was difficult or needs extra help. This will ensure that Adnan knows he can count on me and come to me with any problems and I will always help until he completely understands.

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                Student- Student Connections

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                Student- Student Connections

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Each week students will be assigned a new partner to work on group related assignments together such as discussions, reading to each other, and other various activities. This will allow all the students to become friends with one another as the partners are switched each week. On Fridays the students will all ‘present’ their partner. Each student is required to learn 3-5 new things or facts about their partner and share it with the class. This opportunity will allow the class to learn things about Adnan and his home country.

Students will have center work on Tuesdays and Thursdays with new groups forming every few weeks. This will allow students about 3 weeks of group work with the same group to allow students to really get to know each other. Allowing students to work together will help form relationships and facilitate new ideas and concepts off of each other. There will be a significant amount of group work in my classroom to make sure all my students build relationships with each other. Group work is also an excellent way to make sure Adnan is working on effective communication skills in English.

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Teacher-Student AND Student-Student Connections for Adnan

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Teacher-Student AND Student-Student Connections for Adnan

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Adnan learns best when he can visually see what is happening and able to try it himself. Adnan is a very hands on learner and its difficult for him to understand if you just give verbal instructions only. He is a reserved and shyer student but also has a very curious mind. Some tasks can be challenging for Adnan because English is not his first language, but he has the potential to excel far. Adnan can sometimes become frustrated because it takes him a little longer to read assignments and often has questions, because he is shy he sometimes won't ask for help and ends up not completing assignments.

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Adnan enjoys playing outside and riding bikes with his brothers. He is also very interested in science and loves doing experiments at home with his father. He loves to study the solar system and enjoys watching the sky at night through his telescope. Adnan wants to become an astrophysicist when he gets older.  Adnan is also very passionate about soccer and hopes to join the local soccer team next summer.

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Adnan is a multicultural/multilingual learner. He has difficulty with reading and is currently only reading at a 1st grade level. He is very shy and is often afraid to join in on discussion for fear of messing his words up or not being able to pronounce something correctly. This causes him to have a lot of anxiety and not feel comfortable. Adnan is having a hard time with spelling words correctly, but has been making major improvements in the last year.

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Adnan was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When he was 8 years old his father was offered a job in Los Angeles California so his mother, father, and 3 brothers packed up and made the Journey to America. In Saudi Arabia Adnan was a very good student with mostly A’s. He loved school and enjoyed learning, his favorite subjects were reading and math. After moving to the United States Adnan’s grades began to decline and he didn’t enjoy going to school much anymore.

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                                                       Case Study

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                                                       Case Study

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Adnan Ali: 9 years old, a 4th grader at Bay-Side Elementary in Los Angeles California.