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While most educators agree that no recipe exists for teaching any individual student or group of students, there are certainly some guidelines that can be helpful for supporting students with certain labels. Students with autism may have unique needs with learning, social skills, and communication, therefore, teachers will need strategies to address each one of these areas. These ten simple ideas will help teachers address some of the aforementioned needs and provide guidance for bringing out the best in learners with autism labels.

1: Learn about the learner from the learner

Oftentimes, educators needing information about a student will study the individual's educational records. While these documents are certainly one source of information, they are seldom the most helpful source of information. Teachers wanting to know more about a student with autism should ask that student to provide information. Some students will be quite wiling and able to share information while others may need coaxing or support from family members. Teachers might ask for this information in a myriad of ways. For instance, they might ask the student to take a short survey or sit for an informal interview. One teacher asked his student with autism, to create a list of teaching tips that might help kids with learning differences. The teacher then published the guide and gave it out to all educators in the school.

If the student with autism is unable to communicate in a reliable way, teachers can go to families for help. Parents can share the teaching tips they have found most useful in the home or provide video of the learner engaged in different family and community activities. These types of materials tend to give educators ideas that are more useful and concrete than do traditional educational reports and assessments.

2: Teach to fascinations

Whenever possible, educators should use interests, strengths, skills, areas of expertise, and gifts as tools for teaching. Can a passion for GPS be used to inspire more reading (operations manuals), new math skills (be a "human GPS"-calculate shortest route between two places), or fun social studies questions ("How would the world be different today if Christopher Columbus had GPS?") . [For more on using fascinations to support students with autism see Just Give Him the Whale , a book I wrote on this topic with my colleague, Patrick Schwarz.]

3: Get them talking

In some classrooms, a handful of students dominate small-group conversations and whole-class discussions. While it is important for these verbal and outgoing students to have a voice in the classroom, it is equally important for other students - including shy and quiet students, students using English as a second language, and students with disabilities - to have opportunities to share and challenge ideas, ask and answer questions, and exchange thoughts. To ensure that all students have opportunities to communicate, teachers need to put structures and activities in place that allow for interaction.

In one classroom, students were asked to "turn and talk" to each other at various points in the day. A high school history teacher used this strategy throughout the year to break up his lectures and to give students time to teach the material to each other. After giving mini-lectures of fifteen minutes, he asked students to turn to a partner and answer a specific question or re-explain a concept he had taught. For instance, after giving a short lecture on the Presidency, he asked students to discuss, "What qualities do Americans seem to want in a President?; and "How has this list of desired qualities changed over time?" A student with Asperger's syndrome who needed practice with skills such as staying on topic and turn taking was able to practice them daily.

Teachers can also provide opportunities for communication by giving all students "airtime" during whole-class discussion. One way to do this is to ask for physical whole-class responses to certain prompts. For instance, instead of asking, "Who can tell me a fraction that equals one half?", the teacher might say, "Stand up if you think you can name a fraction that equals one half". This strategy not only gives all learners a chance to give an answer, but it allows for some teacher-sanctioned movement, something often welcomed by students with autism. Whole-class physical responses are also appropriate for students who are non-verbal, making it a perfect choice for the diverse, inclusive classroom.

4: Give choices

Choice may not only give students a feeling of control in their lives, but an opportunity to learn about themselves as workers and learners. Choice may be especially helpful for students with autism who have special needs when it comes to learning environment, lesson materials, and communication. Choice can be built into almost any part of the school day. Students can choose which assessments to complete, which role to take in a cooperative group, and how to receive personal assistance and supports. Examples of choices that can be offered in classrooms include:

Solve five of the ten problems assigned

Work alone or with a small group

Read quietly or with a friend

Use a pencil, pen, or the computer

Conduct your research in the library or in the resource room

Take notes using words or pictures

5: Consider handwriting alternatives

Writing can be a major source of tension and struggle for students with autism. Some students cannot write at all and others who can write, may have a difficult time doing so. In order to support a student struggling with writing, a teacher may try to give the child gentle encouragement as he or she attempts to do some writing- a word, a sentence, or a few lines. Teachers might also allow the student to use a computer, word processor, or even an old typewriter for some or for all lessons. For some learners, being able to use a word processor when writing helps them focus on the task at hand (content) instead of on their motor skills (process).

6: Help with organizing

While some students with autism are ultra-organized, others need support to find materials, keep their locker and desk areas neat, and remember to bring their assignments home at the end of the day. Consider implementing support strategies that all students might find useful. For instance, teachers can have all students copy down assignments, pack book bags, put materials away, and clean work spaces together. Structuring this time daily will give all learners the opportunity to be organized and thoughtful about how they prepare to transition from school to home. Specific skills can even be taught during this time (e.g., creating to-do lists, prioritizing tasks).

7: Support transitions

Some students with autism struggle with transitions. Some are uncomfortable changing from environment to environment, while others have problems moving from activity to activity. Individuals with autism report that changes can be extremely difficult causing stress and feelings of disorientation. Teachers can minimize the discomfort students may feel when transitioning by:

Use a visual timer so students can manage time on their own throughout an activity.

Giving reminders to the whole class before any transition.

Providing the student or entire class with a transitional activity such as writing in a homework notebook or for younger students, singing a short song about "cleaning up".

Asking peers to help in supporting transition time. In elementary classrooms, teachers can ask all students to move from place to place with a partner. In middle and high school classrooms, students might choose a peer to walk with during passing time.

Provide a transition aid (a toy, object, or picture).

8: Create a comfortable classroom

Sometimes students are unsuccessful because they are uncomfortable or feel unsafe or even afraid in their educational environment. Providing an appropriate learning environment can be as central to a student's success as any teaching strategy or educational tool. Students with autism will be the most prepared to learn in places where they can relax and feel secure. Ideas for making the classroom more comfortable include providing seating options (e.g., beanbag chairs, rocking chairs); reducing direct light when possible (e.g., using upward projecting light, providing a visor to a student who is especially sensitive); and minimizing distracting noises (e.g., providing earplugs or headphones during certain activities).

9: Take a break

Some students work best when they can pause between tasks and take a break of some kind (walk around, stretch, or simply stop working). Some learners will need walking breaks - these breaks can last anywhere from a few seconds to fifteen or twenty minutes. Some students will need to walk up and down a hallway once or twice, others will be fine if allowed to wander around in the classroom.

A teacher who realized the importance of these instructional pauses decided to offer them to all learners. He regularly gave students a prompt to discuss (e.g., What do you know about probability?) and then directed them to "talk and walk" with a partner.

10: Include

If students are to learn appropriate behaviors, they will need to be in the inclusive environment to see and hear how their peers talk and act. If students are to learn social skills, they will need to be in a space where they can listen to and learn from others who are socializing. If students will need specialized supports to succeed academically, then teachers need to see the learner functioning in the inclusive classroom to know what types of supports will be needed.

If it is true that we learn by doing, then the best way to learn about supporting students with autism in inclusive schools is to include them.
This article is from the website of Dr. Paula Kluth. It, along with many others on inclusive schooling, differentiated instruction, and literacy can be found at www.PaulaKluth.com . Visit now to read her Tip of the Day, read dozens of free articles, and learn more about supporting diverse learners in K-12 classrooms.

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Supporting Students with Autism: 10 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms

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Students with autism may have unique needs with learning, social skills, and communication. These ten simple ideas will help teachers address some of these needs and provide guidance for bringing out the best in learners with autism.

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One in 36 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism. Increasingly, more are enrolled in general education classrooms in school.

The good news: inclusion has universal benefits. It has been known to improve educational outcomes for all students, overall attitudes towards diversity and even school attendance rates.

The bad news: most general education teachers lack sufficient autism-related instruction. Many teacher-education programs require just one overview class about students with disabilities. On-the-job professional development specific to autism is nearly non-existent and rarely mandatory.

As a result, even the best teachers can be unsure how to properly support their autistic students. Some even struggle to understand autism. Ethan Hirschberg experienced this in high school. The autistic teen was having a hard time keeping up in a well-respected teacher's class. Frustrated, the teacher asked, "What are you, autistic?" A heartbroken, embarrassed Ethan responded, "yes."

It is worth noting that the teacher apologized and took the necessary steps to correct the situation to Ethan's satisfaction. But there is too much at risk for all involved to leave it solely up to teachers to learn about autism on the job.

Here, we provide general education teachers with a crash course in autism to promote awareness and acceptance and to help create an inclusive classroom environment that not only supports autistic students but the entire class.

But the learning does not stop and start with one teacher in one classroom-parents, teachers and school administrators should share this with physical education teachers, art teachers, music teachers and throughout their school.

Autism 101: Facts about autism spectrum disorder

Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

There is not one type of autism, but many. No two autistic students are alike.

Autism is a disability covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Under this law, autistic students are entitled to experience the "least restrictive environment" where they have the greatest possible opportunity to interact and learn with their peers without disabilities and to participate in the general education curriculum.

Autism is not a learning disability, though it can affect learning.

Autism does not automatically equate to high IQ or superior mathematical or computational skills.

Autism does not cause behaviors that present as challenging to the teacher or the class. Behaviors are a method of communication. They can be a response to a biological cause, such as pain or discomfort, or due to a social or sensory cause.

Anxiety is common for autistic students, but not all anxiety is the same. Neuroscientists have found structural differences in autistic people's amygdala, the brain's emotion and fear center, that suggest autism-related anxiety is different from general anxiety. While autistic people can present with both forms, management can be vastly different, and different from non-autistic anxiety management.

A student's autism diagnosis is protected by various privacy laws. The decision to disclose a diagnosis is the right of the autistic student and their parents only. If a parent or autistic student shares their diagnosis to school administrators and teachers, it is to be treated as confidential. It is never acceptable to share a student's diagnosis with anyone, especially not a class or student's peers.

Autism 102: Tips to create an inclusive classroom environment

Review the class list for any student with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan and read the documents thoroughly. Both are legally binding; adherence is required by law.

If any accommodations within are unclear or unable to be implemented, notify school administration and parents.

Neither parent nor teacher can revise these plans without a procedural review and subsequent documentation of changes.

Accommodations are not privileges. They are rights.

Learn more in our Guide to Individualized Education Programs, which is now available in an interactive format that allows for easy navigation to sections including "IEP Basics" and "Changing an IEP".

Presume competence. Autistic students in a general education classroom are general education students first, regardless of their supports.

If an autistic student has special education support staff, work with them as a team. The student should be "our" student, not "your" or "my" student. This language matters and conveys a powerful message, especially when used in front of an autistic student and their peers.

To better learn about your autistic student, seek out people who know them well, including family members and prior teaching staff, as early in the school year as possible. Completing the "About Me" profile worksheet in our School Community Tool Kit with parents is a good start.

Immediately notify school administrators and parents if an issue arises with an autistic student. Do not first attempt to resolve a concerning issue alone. It is best to err on the side of oversharing with school administration and parents when issues arise.

NOTE: If an autistic student is engaging in behavior that poses a risk to themselves or others at school, seek help immediately. Follow your school's crisis protocols. Never ignore the signs of a crisis situation. Always take threats of suicide or harm seriously.

Create a comfortable classroom. Many autistic students have sensory issues that can impact their ability to concentrate. Some simple accommodations can be made which benefit the entire class.

Sounds/Excessive Noise: Allow for earplugs if a classroom is particularly noisy. Reconsider the use of whistles or buzzers to signify the start/stop of an activity and instead use visual clues. Develop a signal with the student to let them know when a school bell will alarm.

Lighting: Try dimming or turning off florescent or bright lights.

Smells: Give enough advance warning if products with strong odors will be used in class. Allow the student to sit near an open window or fan that helps dissipate strong smells. Consider a school policy that limits the use of perfume, cologne and body sprays.

Discuss preferred seating in the classroom with parents and the autistic student. The student may have a different preferred location depending on which subject they are learning, which classroom they are in, and who their classmates are.

Be predictable. Change can be more difficult for autistic students than for their peers, especially if it is unplanned. Make it a habit to go over the daily schedule at the start of class. Provide advance notice of any changes to the schedule, including if there will be a substitute teacher.

Be flexible with participation in the classroom.

Reconsider grading requirements that award or punish for traditional participation.

Consider using individual whiteboards or give out washable markers for everyone to write answers on their desk. This tool works to check-in and ensure students of all learning styles and abilities are engaged in class.

If a presentation is required, consider providing the entire class with multiple options beyond public speaking. Consider multimedia alternatives and tools used by working professionals: PowerPoint, FlipGrid, Zoom, etc.

Do not consider or communicate alternative forms of participation as a privilege or reserved only for autistic students.

An autistic student is likely to have anxiety in social situations, particularly with peers. Carefully consider pairings when group work is required. It is best to ask for input from family and past teachers. Do not assume an autistic student and an outgoing student are a good balance, or that an autistic student and an introverted student complement one another. Make sure the autistic student has an appropriate, equitable, defined task within the group.

Facilitate positive social relationships within the classroom by teaching about inclusion. Use our School Community Tool Kit and refer to our tips for teaching peers about inclusion. It is highly recommended to inform all students and their parents ahead of any discussion on inclusion or disabilities. Do not ask autistic students to explain autism to you or the class. Even when parents disclose to the school, some autistic students still prefer not to disclose or discuss their diagnosis.

Recognize that students with disabilities are more likely to be bullied. Be prepared to help prevent and correct troublesome situations with our Top 10 Bullying Facts.

Be aware that free play, recess and other unstructured times are often the most difficult times for autistic students. They often have the desire to interact with others, but do not have the skills to engage appropriately or may be overwhelmed by the process. Look to see if autistic students are eating alone at lunch or wandering outside by themselves at recess. Think about how to provide structure to these students during that time to keep them engaged in school. Forming social groups around special interests or assigning tasks for teachers or school are good options.

Recognize you may be unaware of every autistic student in your classroom. Some parents do not disclose their child's autism diagnosis. The decision is theirs alone. Their child is still protected by IDEA. Asking a student if they are autistic, openly speculating whether a student is autistic and openly assigning behavior challenging to you as autistic can all be considered violations of this law.

If a student is struggling and you are concerned it is due to autism spectrum disorder but have not been made aware of a diagnosis, it is recommended that you document the struggles. Act on what you see, not what you suspect. Present findings free and clear of judgment to the parents and school administration.

Learn more in our School Community Tool Kit. Be sure to share sections dedicated to the following school professionals:

Bus drivers

Custodial Staff

School Nurses

Lunch aides

Office Staff

Athletic Coaches

Other school staff

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Autism in the classroom: How general education teachers can support students with ASD | Autism Speaks

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Click here for some great tips to share with your child's teachers to help them create an inclusive classroom environment.

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SLD-Cognitive Abilities (Assoc Concep Exp) Definition Accommodations 20(3)

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The Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale is a questionnaire that focuses on behavioral, social, and academic issues in children aged 6-18 years old. It can help diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

When a child is suspected of having ADHD, parents often turn to their family doctor who may refer them to a behavioral health expert, such as a psychologist.

The psychologist may then use an ADHD rating scale, such as the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale, or Conners CBRS, to better understand the child's symptoms and their severity.

The Conners CBRS aids diagnosis by helping to discover where the child's issues lie, as well as in what settings these issues are most troublesome.

Scoring for the Conners rating scale is designed to be comprehensive, and measures many behavioral markers, including signs of:

hyperactivity

aggressive behavior

potential for violence

compulsive behaviors

perfectionism

difficulty in class

extra trouble with math

difficulty with language

social issues

emotional distress

separation anxiety

Parents may be asked to complete a Conners CBRS after an initial visit to a psychologist.

The scale will help determine if their child has ADHD symptoms and give a general idea of their severity.

If the psychologist agrees that the symptoms resemble typical ADHD behaviors, they will often ask the parents to fill out a parent version of the Conners CBRS form.

The Conners CBRS can help give the psychologist a better understanding of the child's behaviors and habits on multiple levels.

The benefits of using the Conners CBRS include:

Giving a perspective on the child's behavioral patterns as experienced by people close to them.

Comparing this information with standardized clinical information to help support a diagnosis.

Finding a baseline of typical behaviors to guide treatment and medication recommendations.

Helping mental health professionals create a treatment plan for the child.

Helping decide if a child qualifies for special education at school or inclusion in new studies.

The test also helps psychologists check for other signs of emotional distress, behavioral problems, or academic disorders. These may include:

After the test has been completed, the psychologist interprets the forms and their report is reviewed with the parents. Finally, the two parties will discuss the recommendations for treatment.

There are short and long versions of the Conners CBRS assessments. Both versions are designed to test children from ages 6 to 18 years old, but experts use each for a different purpose.

The long version of the Conners CBRS is used for the initial evaluation of a child. The short version is used to follow up on a child's behavioral patterns.

The long version will ask questions to check for:

types of behavioral issues

emotional disorders

difficulties with academics

There are also three different forms within each version of the Conners CBRS assessment. One is designed for parents to fill out, another for teachers, and one for the child to give their assessment of their symptoms.

Each form is worded differently, depending on what it is being used for. By combining the answers from all three forms, doctors can begin to paint a picture of a child's behaviors. They are then able to decide if the child has ADHD, and start to help them understand their symptoms.

The long version of the Conners CBRS assessment may take up to 90 minutes to complete correctly and is designed to give a comprehensive evaluation of a child's behaviors.

The short version of the test is called the Conners Clinical Index, or Conners CI, and may take as little as 5 minutes to complete.

The Conners CI covers 25 questions. It is designed to assess symptoms or progress over time. It is often used to follow up on a child's behaviors, or see how they are responding to a medication or treatment routine.

The psychologist will add up the scores from all the areas of the assessment and compare them to the scores of others in the child's age group to get their standardized scores.

These scores, called T-scores, can help people see how the child's symptoms and their severity compare to other children's. The scores will often be displayed in a visual format in the report for better understanding.

T-scores should be discussed directly with a doctor or mental health professional, and no one should try to self-diagnose or diagnose a child on their own.

It is usually considered normal when T-scores are less than 60, while scores above 60 are signs of academic, behavioral, or social issues. There are several different classes as well:

A T-score of more than 60 can indicate that the child may have an issue such as ADHD.

A T-score greater than 60 but under 70 may indicate moderately severe issues.

A T-score above 70 may be a sign that the behavioral, academic, or emotional problems are severe.

These results will help the psychologist diagnose a child's ADHD or other issues, and they will recommend treatment based on how atypical the scores are, as well as the most severe issues.

As with all ADHD rating scales, the Conners rating scale is subjective and has limitations.

According to the medical assessment publisher MHS Assessments, validity analyses are used to ensure the accuracy of Conners CBRS scores. Furthermore, the mean overall classification accuracy rate is said to be 78 percent across all Conners CBRS forms.

As much as these tests aim to be objective, assessing a child's behavior will always have a subjective element to it.

Because of this subjectivity, individuals are often recommended to use the Conners CBRS alongside other evaluation approaches.

These include:

attention span tests

the Conners 3 for continuing assessment

an ADHD symptom checklist

Further analysis of an individual's behaviour can help to give a more rounded view of symptoms. It may also help avoid a misdiagnosis.

Self-diagnosis of ADHD is not an intended outcome of any ADHD test.

Anyone who suspects they or their child has symptoms of ADHD should make an appointment with their doctor and a mental health specialist for diagnosis. Even if the person has self-analyzed their behaviors prior to the visit, the psychologist will often recommend retesting under their guidance.

The Conners rating scale is not perfect, nor is any other ADHD rating scale. But when used correctly, and under the guidance of a medical health professional, it may offer people a way to understand better their child's behaviors and possible ADHD symptoms.

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What is the Conners rating scale for ADHD?

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There are many criteria used for a diagnosis of ADHD. Symptoms and impact on daily life are measured in various ways. One way is by using the Conners rating scale. This diagnostic tool works by rating symptoms and providing a score, which determines the severity and likelihood of ADHD.

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The journey to attaining a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often comes with many hurdles and back-and-forth consultations. Some parents only receive a positive diagnosis after years of seeking answers for their children's challenges, but tools such as the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale are designed to help.

Due to the spectrum of autism, diagnostic instruments have been developed to help clinicians or examiners measure traits against specific test items. These items are specific based on autism criteria, and scores are obtained to determine the degree of difficulty for each individual child and where on the spectrum the child may best fit (i.e. high-functioning or low-functioning autism).

The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Third Edition, also known as the GARS-3, aims to aid parents, clinicians and teachers in determining the severity of autism within different individuals.

Why was the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale created?

Autism exists on a spectrum whereby the degree of difficulties differ across every individual. Because of the continuum of autism, diagnosis can be challenging as some children do not tick all the boxes. For this reason, various subtypes of autism were established by medical professionals, one of which was Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and another being asperger's syndrome.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) now groups most of these subtypes under the umbrella category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but a diagnosis of PDD-NOS is given when children show signs of autism but don't necessarily meet all the criteria.

In clinical practice, the diagnosis of ASD tends to rely on standardized diagnostic measures, along with clinical judgement with little backup from diagnostic instruments. Therefore, the lack of clarity in diagnosis led to the creation of autism scales such as the GARS-3 scale.

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Elements of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale

The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale was developed by James E. Gilliam, and the Third Edition of the manual was published in 2013. The GARS-3 reflects the items and subscales of the DSM-5. It is designed to screen for ASD in people aged between three and 22 years.

A key feature of the GARS-3 is that it is a norm-reference tool, meaning the test compares and ranks scores based on the individuals in the same group (norm group). A norm group could be categorized based on age, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity etc. depending on the specific test.

The kits of the GARS-3

An Examiner's Manual
Contains the procedure to administer the test, scoring procedure, and technical information

Summary/response forms
Completed by the examiner and includes information about the examinee's demographic information, responses to the items on the scale, and important information for diagnosing ASD

The Instructional Objectives for Individuals Who Have Autism booklet
Helps parents and professionals develop instructional goals and behavioral interventions based on the findings of the diagnostic instrument

Subscales of the GARS-3

The GARS-3 has six different subscales that were developed according to the DSM-5 and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) definitions of autism spectrum disorder.

The subscales include:

Restricted/Repetitive Behaviors (13 items)

Social Interaction (14 items)

Social Communication (9 items)

Emotional Responses (8 items)

Cognitive Style (7 items)

Maladaptive Speech (7 items)

Summing up

The Third Edition of the GARS is shorter and easier to administer than its predecessor. Evidence from researchers and testers has indicated that its scores are valid and reliable. In addition, it is in line with the Autism Society's definition of autism as well as the DSM-5.

The main limitation of the GARS scale is that it can only be compared against individuals diagnosed with autism. In addition, the normative sample collected on the scale is mainly composed of White or Black/African races between the age of three and 19 years; this limitation questions suitability for other races and ethnicities and those between the ages of 20 to 22 years and those younger than three.

References

Chlebowski, C., Green, J. A., Barton, M. L., & Fein, D. (2010). Using the childhood autism rating scale to diagnose autism spectrum disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 40(7), 787-799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0926-x

Karren, B. C. (2017). A Test Review: Gilliam, J. E. (2014). Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Third Edition (GARS-3). Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 35(3), 342-346. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282916635465

Lecavalier, L. (2005). An Evaluation of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35, 795, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-005-0025-6
https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/Psychology/ChildMentalHealth/ChildAutisticSpectrumDisorders/gars3/gilliam-autism-rating-scale-third-edition.aspx

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What is the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale?

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The journey to attaining a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often comes with many hurdles and back-and-forth consultations.

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Present Levels (Component of the IEP) | Center for Parent Information and Resources

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Current as of April 2022
This info in Spanish | Esta información en español

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Nursery rhymes, song lyrics, Dr. Seuss books - without realizing it, we are surrounded by poetry every day. Poems can make children laugh, but more than that, they can help with cognitive development.

Short poems for kids can help your child understand patterns, which aids the brain in learning to process and retain information . Poems can even help with the development of speech. Plus, children enjoy poetry when it's age-appropriate.

Eletelephony

At the Zoo

- William Makepeace Thackeray

The Purple Cow

Our Kittens

- Evaleen Stein

The Picture-Book Giant

Once there was a fierce, defiant,
Greedy, grumpy, grizzly giant
In the pages of a picture-book, and he
Sometimes screamed, in sudden rages,
"I must jump out from these pages,
For this life's a much too humdrum one for me!
Fiddle-dee!
Yes, this life's a quite too quiet one for me!"

So one rainy day he did it,
Took the picture-book and hid it,
Stamped his foot, and shouting loudly,
"Now I'm free!"
Boldly started out, forgetting
That he could not stand a wetting!
He was just a paper giant, don't you see?
Dearie me!
Just a gaudy, picture giant, don't you see?

- Evaleen Stein

Rebecca
Who Slammed Doors For Fun And Perished Miserably

- Hilaire Belloc

A Million Little Diamonds

- Mary Frances Butts

Room For One More

There is always room for one more
I see by his coat he must be a stray,
The untidy look gives him away.
He's lost his will and is so thin,
Hasn't eaten since God knows when.
I know as I coax him through the door,
There's always room for just one more.

- Author Unknown

The Forest

Robin Redbreast

The Cow

What is Pink?

- Christina Rossetti

Ladybird Ladybird

When I Was One

When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
Now and forever.

- A.A. Milne

My Shadow

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Old Mother Hubbard

- Author Unknown

As I Was Going To St. Ives

As I was going to St. Ives
I met a man with seven wives
Every wife had seven sacks
Every sack had seven cats
Every cat had seven kits
Kits, cats, sacks, wives
How many were going to St. Ives?

- Author Unknown

Hey Diddle Diddle

Hey diddle diddle,
The Cat and the fiddle,
The Cow jumped over the moon,
The little Dog laughed to see such sport,
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.

- Author Unknown

I'm a Little Teapot

I'm a clever teapot,
Yes, it's true
Here let me show you
What I can do
I can change my handle
And my spout (switch arm positions)
Just tip me over and pour me out! (lean over toward spout)

- George Harold Sanders

There Once Was A Man With A Beard

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said "It is just how I feared,"
Two Owls and a hen,
For Larks and a wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard

- Edward Lear

There Was A Young Lady Whose Eyes

There was a young lady whose eyes,
Were unique as to color and size,
When she opened them wide,
People all turned aside,
And then ran away in surprise.

- Edward Lear

Dear Mother

I Love My Mommy

- Author Unknown

Dear Mother

- Author Unknown

Christmas Is Coming

When Santa Comes To Our House

- Author Unknown

Peppermint Stick

Easter Poems for Kids

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

- Author Unknown

Easter Is Here

Easter time at last is here
Bunnies, chickies, let us cheer
(clap and cheer)
Easter Bunny hops with joy
Eggs for every girl and boy
(hop around)
Easter time at last is here
Bunnies, chickies, let us cheer

- Author Unknown

I'm An Easter Bunny

- Author Unknown

How To Choose Poems For Kids

When you are choosing poems for children, look for examples of poetry that cover familiar topics.

Don't break out the abstract, freeform poetry to share with your children. Stick to poems that rhyme and have a simple, clear, distinct rhythm.

The poems you choose can encourage wordplay. That stimulates your child to see words and the way they are used in a different fashion.

Your poems of choice should be vivid and allow your child to create a clear mental picture of what's going on.

With young children, the sillier or the funnier the poem is, the better.

With younger children, poems that can be accompanied by physical actions are an excellent way to help "paint the picture."

Think about attention spans. The poems here are short enough to keep your child interested right to the end.

Tips for Teaching Your Kids Poetry

Make it fun. Don't sit your child down and inform them they're going to learn some poems. Instead, introduce them casually.

If you are going to read a new poem to your child, be sure to run through it so you can read it aloud, without hesitation, and not ruin the experience for you both.

Use an expressive voice when you're reading your child a poem. Different voices for characters, the appropriate emotions, raising your voice or lowering it where appropriate will all enhance the experience.

For older kids, have them choose a favorite song, and recite them as a poem. They'll discover they already know plenty of poetry.

Use poems in artwork, crafts, and other places so they are an everyday feature. That way, when the time comes for your child to learn about poetry at school, they'll have a headstart in poetry appreciation.

Dress up as a character in the poem you're reciting. That will increase their interest.

Make it age-appropriate. For toddlers, stick to a poem with four or six lines.

The Last, Non-Rhyming, Word

Sharing poems with your child can help you bond, aid their development, and it can be a whole lot of fun.

So use some of our poems or find some of your own, and discover short poems for kids - you'll be glad you did.

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About the Author
Patricia Barnes
Patricia Barnes is a homeschooling mom of 5 who has been featured on Global TV, quoted in Parents magazine, and writes for a variety of websites and publications. Doing her best to keep it together in a life of constant chaos, Patti would describe herself as an eclectic mess maker, lousy crafter, book lover, autism mom, and insomniac.

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30 Short Poems for Kids (for Every Occasion) - Mom Loves Best

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Need some short poems for kids to convey the power of words? Discover how poetry can help with development and read 30 categorized poems.

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These lovely poems for kids are perfect for children to practice their reading skills. Hey, they may even think poetry is cool!

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The following selections of poems are curated around specific themes and are appropriate for young readers.

Find poetry lesson plans, essays about teaching, a glossary of poetry terms, and other educator resources on our Materials for Teachers page. Visit our Poetry for Teens page to find more selections of poems tailored to a high school audience. Encourage students to participate in the Dear Poet project. And, celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day virtually on April 30.

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Poems for Kids - The following selections of poems are curated around specific themes and are appropriate fo

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4th Grade Common Core State Standards: California

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4th Grade Common Core State Standards: California

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History-Social Science Framework - History-Social Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the History-Social Science Framework on July 14, 2016. This is the final digital version of the Framework.

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Chapter 11 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 10 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 7 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 6 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 4 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 3 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 2 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Chapter 1 - Reading Notes (Blythe Reyes)

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Rubrics are a time-honored tool in the classroom. They identify the goal of a particular lesson, communicate clear expectations to students in regard to their work, and spell out the criteria for success. With a rubric in place, you can assess how well your students understood and learned the lesson, and if you need to reteach certain concepts.

Think of the rubric as a road map for each lesson or concept you are trying to teach. Teachers who use rubrics have a clear path for instruction and a means by which to assess student progress.

How rubrics help teachers:

Provides focus on the desired outcome of the lesson

Helps to eliminate distractions related to the lesson topic

Allows for faster and more accurate grading

Clarifies lesson elements that may need additional attention

How rubrics help students:

Defines the goal of the lesson for students

Specifies the elements that make up the lesson

Allows them to check their work against the rubric to determine if they meet all criteria

Sets up expectations for fairness in grading

But creating a rubric takes time and careful consideration of the lesson you want to teach. Do you want to assess each element of the lesson separately? Do you want to evaluate all the lesson criteria together as a whole? Will you be grading each task individually or will your assessment cover the family of tasks as one?

Creating Rubrics Online

In today's technology-driven world, creating rubrics online is a way to simplify the process. There are numerous rubric makers to be found online, for practically every need - Common Core, Project-Based Learning, custom and premade.

Online free rubric makers

Rubrics for PBIS
Can you use rubrics for your PBIS program?
Teachers have been creating behavior charts for years, so using a rubric for PBIS isn't much of a stretch. A rubric will help spell out exactly the behavior you want to see from students and allow you to award points based on those behavioral goals. Rubrics can be used schoolwide to focus both students and staff on desired behavior.

In the classroom, using a rubric can provide clarity to your lessons and help you to become a more efficient educator. By having clear goals for each lesson you teach, you know exactly what to assess when you're grading the assignment. Your students know the purpose of that assignment. They are able to plan their work based on the criteria contained in the rubric. And at the completion of the lesson, you'll be able to clearly see if any concepts need additional instruction.

How do you use rubrics in your classroom?

Here are some related articles you may find interesting:

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Rubric Maker - Where to Create Free Rubrics Online

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We've compiled a list of FREE rubric maker websites for practically every need - Common Core, Project-Based Learning, custom and premade.

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RubiStar is a tool to help the teacher who wants to use rubrics, but does not have the time to develop them from scratch.

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Academic Language Function Toolkit (for ELs)

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Academic Language Function Toolkit (for ELs)

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Inquiry Lesson Plan - Blythe Reyes (due week 7)

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Generalization Lesson Plan - Blythe Reyes

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Concept Attainment Lesson Plan #2 - Blythe Reyes

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Direct Instruction Lesson Plan PDF - due week 2 (Draft)

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The Dos & Don'ts of Error Correction When Teaching English

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The Dos & Don'ts of Error Correction When Teaching English

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BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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If you've taught or tutored English (or any language), you've probably asked yourself on more than one occasion when, how, and even if, you should correct your students' mistakes. While error correction in teaching English mainly depends on whether your lesson objective is fluency or accuracy (more on this below), in any case, there are certain key things to know when it comes to effectively - and sensitively - correcting your students' mistakes in class.
If you're new to teaching, you'll want to get initial training and qualification with a TEFL certificate. You can explore our online TEFL courses to get started!
What is the difference between an error and a mistake?

You might be surprised to learn there's a difference! Yet in teaching English, a distinction is made.

Mistakes

A mistake is an accident or a lapse, something that your EFL/ESL students actually know and that they can most likely self-correct if given the chance. This can be a typo, using the wrong word, or a small grammatical mistake.

Errors

An error, on the other hand, is something that your students don't know because they haven't learned it yet or they've forgotten it. This is where your students need you the most, in order to effectively correct their errors and help them develop their language skills.

What kind of errors do EFL/ESL students make in class?

Students make many mistakes during the long endeavor of learning a new language. This is a natural and necessary part of the learning process! As a teacher, it helps to identify the type of error in order to correct it effectively and smoothly.

Productive skills errors

Errors in spoken or written skills include vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical errors, as well as errors in producing intelligible language that can be understood globally.

Receptive skills errors

Errors in listening and reading skills include misinterpretation of content, misunderstanding of words, or simply the inability to comprehend someone's speech in total.
You'll learn more about other types of errors students make, such as global and local, in the Micro-credential course: Error Correction in the EFL Classroom.
When should I correct my students?

The timing of correcting students' errors in teaching English is crucial to your lesson being a success or a fail. Error correction in EFL/ESL has a big impact on your students' learning process and the right timing will help them retain new information effectively.

When to correct errors in fluency-based lessons

If you're teaching a class or activity where fluency is the goal, try to monitor your students and take notes of major or repeating mistakes. Don't interrupt your students' speech. This might discourage them or make them lose the motivation to speak freely. Save the error correction for the end of the class.

At that time, you can give individual feedback or discuss the most important errors with the whole class if your students are okay with that. You could also prepare a quiz for the next lesson, touching on the major errors that you noted down while monitoring your students.

When to correct errors in accuracy-based lessons

If you're teaching a class or activity that aims for accuracy, for example applying a new grammar rule during a conversation, you can correct immediately after the mistake has been made, assuming that it is a mistake about said rule. Since you just taught the content, you can encourage your students to self-correct their error first, or you can ask other classmates to help. Sometimes a gesture is enough to indicate the type of error. You don't need to focus too much on mistakes students make that aren't related to the current lesson, since this can again disrupt their efforts to use the newly learned grammar.

If you notice during the activity that your students are making the same errors over and over again, you might want to stop the activity, review the lesson content and resume the practice after making sure that all your students have understood the new rule.

Dos and Don'ts of error correction

Here are some useful ground rules for error correction in the English classroom, whether you're teaching online lessons or in a live classroom. For more detailed tips and tricks, check out the Bridge Micro-credential course: Error Correction in the EFL Classroom!

Dos

Be sensitive to your students' needs and preferences. Ask your students at the beginning of your course which kind of error correction they prefer. (Many students like being corrected immediately because they can still remember their mistake and learn from it, while others only want to focus on fluency.

Be kind and patient in the way you correct. Always encourage your students to keep trying new language they've learned and assure them that making mistakes is okay. You want to encourage your students to speak and to experiment with what they've learned so far.

Give your students a chance to self-correct, or apply peer-correction in your classroom. Some students learn better when they're corrected by their classmates instead of the teacher.

Use visual cues. Sometimes, simply raising your eyebrow can help your students realize that they've made a mistake and it gives them a chance to correct themselves. Establish your own gestures for common mistakes in tense, vocabulary, or sentence structure, such as pointing behind you to indicate a student needs to use past tense.

Dont's

Don't over-correct every single mistake your students make. Keep error correction relevant and make sure that your students benefit and learn from it.

Avoid interrupting your students when they're making an effort to speak fluently. This can be very counter-productive and your students might lose their motivation or become hesitant to use the new language they've learned.

Never scold your students, become loud, or show your impatience with angry facial expressions. There are no silly mistakes in the EFL/ESL classroom! This is especially important if you're teaching young learners, who easily pick up on moods and emotions.

The importance of error correction in the EFL/ESL classroom

We learn by making mistakes. As children, we learn how to walk by falling over hundreds of times. As adults, we learn a new language by making uncountable mistakes in the use of words, grammar, sentence structure, pronunciation, and register. The most important thing for you as an English teacher is to correct your students' errors effectively and sensitively. Only then can you help them grow and develop their newly acquired language skills at their own pace and in a comfortable and safe environment.

Learn more about correcting students' errors effectively

If you're a new teacher and want to level-up your teaching skills as well as learn more about error correction techniques in the classroom, start with the comprehensive Bridge Master Certificate TEFL/TESOL course.

If you're an experienced teacher, sign up for the Bridge Micro-credential course: Error Correction in the ESL Classroom to develop additional skills, and you'll have the option to earn a digital badge to show off your credentials on your TEFL resume and social networks!

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The Dos & Don'ts of Error Correction When Teaching English - BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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While when and how to correct errors when teaching English mainly depends on whether your lesson objective is fluency or accuracy, there are some key factors to consider when it comes to effectively - and sensitively - addressing your students' mistakes.

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Response: Effective Strategies For ELL Error Correction (Opinion)

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Response: Effective Strategies For ELL Error Correction (Opinion)

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This week's question is:
What are the best ways to deal with error correction in the second language classroom?
Error correction in the English Language Learner classroom is always a challenging and controversial topic. How do you balance students learning correct grammar and pronunciation, while at the same time wanting to encourage them to develop confidence to use the language?

Today, Anabel Gonzalez, Katie Brown, Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, David Freeman and Yvonne Freeman, and readers, offer responses to this challenge. You can listen to a ten-minute conversation I had with Anabel and Katie on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here (by the way, I have also posted - late - a great conversation I had with Andrew Miller, Suzie Boss, and Meg Riordan that relates to last week's topic).

In addition, you might want to explore this collection: The Best Resources On ESL/EFL/ELL Error Correction, not to mention all the previous posts in this column about teaching Teaching English Language Learners.

Speaking of ELLs, Katie Hull Sypnieski and I will be leading a free Ed Week Webinar on April 28th on the topic of English Learners and the Common Core: New Instructional Strategies. It coincides with the publication of our new book, Navigating the Common Core With English Language Learners. Ed Week has recently published two book excerpts.
Response From Anabel Gonzalez
Anabel Gonzalez is a Secondary ESL Teacher with the Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina. She teaches students in grades 7-12 of various backgrounds, languages, and English proficiency levels. She has been a member of the Center for Teaching Quality Collaboratory since 2014. Follow her on Twitter @amgonza:
"To err is human, to admit it, superhuman." - Doug Larson To err is not only human, it's an integral part of language acquisition. While I'm officially an ESL teacher, to my students I'm also a motivator and cheerleader. From day one, I tell them to shed their pretense and shame. In my room all questions are valid and no error is too grave. I am also straightforward about the fact that while I am very tolerant and forgiving, others may not be. Outside of my classroom, my students may be misunderstood, misjudged, laughed at or mocked because of their broken English. Life is likely to be difficult for them because of their language limitation, but that should never deter them from attempting to communicate in English, and I vehemently encourage them to press on. Errors don't define us and neither does our language proficiency or lack thereof. Once ELLs shift their perspective, they are more able to freely err and embrace corrections not as setbacks but as stepping stones. Nevertheless, error correction is a double-edged sword. Correcting for perfection can stifle fluency and cripple motivation. Yet, in order to strive for growth and improvement, we must be able to seek and identify errors, not shun them. In order to strike that balance, here are a few points to consider when correcting errors:

Focus on the message. If the mispronunciation does not grossly distort the message, either subtly correct them by restating it using correct syntax or simply ignore it.

Watch for trends. Rather than correcting during a conversation or reading, watch for repeat offenses and address them at an appropriate time.

Use them as examples. Citing common errors can help meet a lesson objective.

Focus on the positive. Before pointing out corrections, be sure to celebrate the growth.

Suggesting Tool. Using Google Drive's "suggesting" tool enables students to see changes and offers them the choice to accept or reject the correction. While they may generally accept a teacher's input, this tool makes them self-edit.

Individual conversations. Whenever possible, meet with students individually and ask them to share their thoughts as they wrote. Sometimes, a misused word completely alters the message and clarification helps to accurately edit the piece. Most importantly, it validates their ideas and emphasizes their message, rather than the errors.

Peer review and editing. This works well when there are mixed proficiency levels. However, beware of the "blind leading the blind" resulting in undetected errors and/or more mistakes.

Erring is part of personal and academic growth. Most babies will fall countless times before learning to walk. An invention is rarely successful from the first try. Language acquisition is no different. While we should be careful not to overcorrect, we must help learners acknowledge and correct errors, giving them the opportunity to, as Doug Larson stated, become "superhuman."

Response From Katie Brown What are the best ways to deal with error correction in the second language classroom? The best ways to correct language errors with our students who are learning English is to do so in a way that preserves the student's dignity and self-confidence. This might look and sound different for each individual child. I'll discuss this generally and then get down to some specific examples. I believe that students want to be corrected. They want to read, talk and write as best they can. But HOW we correct them is what we need to focus on in order to make sure those corrections stick. You may be familiar with second language theorist, Stephen Krashen, and his affective filter hypothesis. This is one of the most important theories to understand if you are trying to deal with error correction. The affective filter hypothesis states that variables such as motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety can play a large role in the development of a second language. For example, if anxiety is high, this emotion can block input to the brain. In a second language classroom, our goal should be to lower the affective filter so students are willing to take risks and make mistakes. We can do this by creating an environment where students feel safe. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you make an error correction: Personally, the best way I have found to correct the errors of my students who are learning English is to create a classroom environment that expects and enjoys mistakes. I try to infuse humor into our learning and highlight mistakes that make us laugh. I try to speak and write in their languages so I can make mistakes too. Most importantly, I celebrate what they are doing right.

Response From Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa
Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, PhD, has taught kindergarten through university and is the former Dean of Education at the Universidad de las Américas in Quito, Ecuador and former Director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning (IDEA) in the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. She currently conducts educational research with the Latin American Faculty for Social Science in Ecuador and teaches "The Neurobiology of Learning and Sustained Change" at the Harvard University Extension School. She is the author of Making Classrooms Better: 50 Practical Applications of Mind, Brain, and Education Science and Mind, Brain, and Education Science: A Comprehensive Guide to the New Brain-Based Teaching. Her current research focus is on neuroscientific influences on early math education and pre-literacy skills. Watch Dr. Tokuhama-Espinosa speak about mind, brain, and education science here, and visit her at http://traceytokuhama.com/:
Errors are a part of all learning. As a teacher, I often tell my students that I don't care how many mistakes they make, so long as they are always new ones. A student's self-perception as a learner is vital in his actual success as a learner. This means there is a great burden on the teacher to create the right environment in which everyone can "dare to err" in order to grow. One of the reasons that small children learn foreign languages so quickly is not because "they are sponges" but rather because small kids have small egos. Most children under five years of age aren't really bothered when an adult corrects mispronunciations or grammar; they accumulate new rules as they go along and, as a result, learn quickly because their egos don't get in the way. The older we get, however, the bigger our egos become, which makes public error correction embarrassing. Additionally, as older learners we often have errors related to literacy, not just speaking, increasing the number of mistakes we are likely to commit. It takes a special kind of teacher to know how to create the right environment to correct mistakes and encourage experimentation at the same time. My own three children were raised in four languages, and I watched them become proficient multilinguals with a variety of tactics, which had different levels of success depending on their ages, stages of language development, and personalities. To summarize their processes, however, I would have to say that the best way to correct errors in all three of their cases was through modeling. When they were younger, I found that they quickly corrected themselves when faced with a native speaker's proper use of language patterns. If, for example, my son would say "I goed to the park" instead of "I went to the park," it was my job as his first language teacher to model the correct sentence pattern. To do this I said, "You went to the park? I went to the park, too!" which would maintain the general conversational tone, correct the error, and not explicitly call out the mistake and create embarrassment. As the children grew older and had literacy to contend with, I saw several distinct tactics from different types of teachers. In German, the teachers would explicitly cross off words, mark up my children's papers with coding indicating the type of error and have them re-write their work. In French, the teacher would correct different types of errors, one at a time, over several drafts, which would reduce the number of marks on the paper and allow the children to focus on specific aspects of language individually (verb tense one day, vocabulary the next, accents marks later, etc.). In English, I allowed them to write freely and to focus only on the content of the writing, not the form, so they would develop their creative voice and vocabulary. In Spanish, the children were asked to write outlines of their proposed responses to a given assignment, which were corrected, then move on to the introduction, which was corrected, then on to the body of the argument, which was corrected, and so on, until they completed the assignment. I am happy to say that all of these approaches worked in their own ways and that my children (now all in college) are multiliterate and multilingual. In retrospect, however, I see how one of my children loved the order of the German system and hated the repetitive nature of the French. My second child, wildly creative to this day, felt more freedom in English than his other tongues and struggled with the re-writes required in other languages. My third loved the order and clear rules of the Spanish and German techniques but also found his argumentative and debate-driven expression easier in English. This means that all of the teaching models worked to an extent, but their individual personalities responded differently to yield varying results. So, what is the best way to correct errors in second language classrooms? Model correct language usage in an environment that celebrates mistakes because they are evidence that the child is learning. This places a large weight on teachers, who need to adjust to different ages and stages of development as well as to different personality types by subtly correcting faults in ways that individual learners will accept. Learners who are open to correction learn faster, but most students, no matter their age, dislike public disclosure of their mistakes. This means our job as teachers is to help build openness to corrections, but also to protect students from the humiliation of being told they are wrong in front of their peers. We can do this by creating a culture of evaluation that realizes that errors in second language classrooms are to be expected, celebrated, and corrected through modeling.

Response From David Freeman & Yvonne Freeman
David and Yvonne Freeman are professors emeriti at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. They have published extensively on ESL methods, bilingual education, linguistics, reading, and second language acquisition:
"I am boring." "I have lived here since two years." These are errors typical of second language learners, the students García (2009, 2010) refers to as emergent bilinguals. Students who acquire English as a first language seldom if ever make errors like these. Instead, native speakers might make the following errors: "I bringed a toy to play with." "There is two boys over there." These are normal errors that disappear as children move through the developmental stages of language acquisition. While teachers usually assume that native speakers will make these normal, developmental errors, they may feel that they should correct the kinds of errors emergent bilinguals make. However, research by Krashen (2003) and others suggests that error correction for emergent bilinguals that involves explaining the grammar rule involved and providing the correct form has little or no effect on students' ability to speak without errors. A better approach is for teachers to model the correct form in their response. When a student says, "I am boring." the teacher might respond, "If you're bored, maybe you should choose a different book to read." This type of response is similar to the way parents respond to the messages their child is communicating, not to the child's grammatical correctness. If teachers stop to correct grammar during oral interactions, emergent bilinguals do not improve. Instead, they may forget what they were trying to say, or else they may simply avoid talking. However, it is only when they engage in classroom discussions that English learners' oral language improves, and they move through stages of second language development. With written language, emergent bilinguals have time to edit their work, so they benefit when teachers provide feedback on errors by using formative assessments rather than by teaching traditional grammar rules. MacDonald and her colleagues (2015) describe a four-step cycle for formative assessments. The teacher plans instruction, gathers language samples, analyzes the samples, and provides formative feedback. The feedback is designed to affirm students' achievements and then outline clear next steps that students can attain. For example, emergent bilinguals might write a report and make no transitions from one paragraph to the next. The teacher could discuss how to connect paragraphs using conjunctions and give students examples of conjunctions they could use to connect their paragraphs. Then students could work in pairs to help one another add conjunctions to make their writing more cohesive. This approach is much more effective than teaching grammar rules or simply correcting what students have written. Teachers in classes with emergent bilinguals should take different approaches for responding to oral and written language. During classroom discussions, teachers should respond by providing correct models while keeping the focus on meaningful dialog rather than by correcting errors. On the other hand, teachers should use formative feedback that identifies and helps students focus on specific aspects of their writing. What is most important is to engage students in meaningful activities during which they use oral and written language for authentic purposes. In the process, emergent bilinguals will develop greater proficiency in their second language.

Responses From Readers
Thanks to Anabel, Katie, Tracey, David and Yvonne, and to readers, for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers.
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Look for the next "question-of-the-week" in a few days.....

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Response: Effective Strategies For ELL Error Correction (Opinion)

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Anabel Gonzalez, Katie Brown, Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, David Freeman and Yvonne Freeman, and readers, offer suggestions on how to handle error correction with English Language Learners.

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Chances are that your English language learners (ELLs) come from a culture with traditions and family values that differ from mainstream American culture. These young children not only have the challenge of learning a new language, but also of adjusting to an unfamiliar cultural setting and school system. Imagine what it would be like to step into a foreign classroom where you didn't understand the language, rules, routines, or expected behavior.

On a daily basis, ELLs are adjusting to new ways of saying and doing things. As their teacher, you are an important bridge to this unknown culture and school system. There are a number of things you can do to help make ELLs' transitions as smooth as possible.

Stages of cultural accommodation

In the same way that ELLs go through stages of English language learning, they may also pass through stages of cultural accommodation. These stages, however, may be less defined and more difficult to notice. Being aware of these stages may help you to better understand "unusual" actions and reactions that may just be part of adjusting to a new culture.

Euphoria: ELLs may experience an initial period of excitement about their new surroundings.

Culture shock: ELLs may then experience anger, hostility, frustration, homesickness, or resentment towards the new culture.

Acceptance: ELLs may gradually accept their different surroundings.

Assimilation/adaptation: ELLs may embrace and adapt to their surroundings and their "new" culture.

Classroom strategies: helping your ELLs adjust to new surroundings

Although there are no specific teaching techniques to make ELLs feel that they belong in a new culture, there are ways for you to make them feel welcome in your classroom:

Learn their names

Take the time to learn how to pronounce your ELLs' names correctly. Ask them to say their name. Listen carefully and repeat it until you know it. If a student's name is Pedro, make sure you do not call him /peedro/ or Peter. Also, model the correct pronunciation of ELLs' names to the class so that all students can say the correct pronunciation.

Offer one-on-one assistance when possible

Some ELLs may not answer voluntarily in class or ask for your help even if they need it. ELLs may smile and nod, but this does not necessarily mean that they understand. Go over to their desk to offer individual coaching in a friendly way. For convenience, it may be helpful to seat ELLs near your desk.

Assign a peer partner

Identify a classmate who really wants to help your ELL as a peer. This student can make sure that the ELL understands what he or she is supposed to do. It will be even more helpful if the peer partner knows the ELL's first language.

Post a visual daily schedule

Even if ELLs do not yet understand all of the words that you speak, it is possible for them to understand the structure of each day. Whether through chalkboard art or images on Velcro, you can post the daily schedule each morning. By writing down times and having pictures next to words like lunch, wash hands, math, and field trip, ELLs can have a general sense of the upcoming day.

Use an interpreter

On-site interpreters can be very helpful in smoothing out misunderstandings that arise due to communication problems and cultural differences. If an on-site interpreter (a paid or volunteer school staff position) is not available, try to find an adult - perhaps another parent who is familiar with the school or "knows the system" - who is willing to serve this purpose. In difficult situations, it would not be appropriate for another child to translate.

ELLs can make unintentional "mistakes" as they are trying hard to adjust to a new cultural setting. They are constantly transferring what they know as acceptable behaviors from their own culture to the U.S. classroom and school. Be patient as ELLs learn English and adjust.

Invite their culture into the classroom

Encourage ELLs to share their language and culture with you and your class. Show-and-tell is a good opportunity for ELLs to bring in something representative of their culture, if they wish. They could also tell a popular story or folktale using words, pictures, gestures, and movements. ELLs could also try to teach the class some words from their native language.

Use materials related to your ELLs' cultures

Children respond when they see books, topics, characters, and images that are familiar. Try to achieve a good balance of books and materials that include different cultures. Browse these bilingual books from our sister site Colorín Colorado.

Label classroom objects in both languages

Labeling classroom objects will allow ELLs to better understand their immediate surroundings. These labels will also assist you when explaining or giving directions. Start with everyday items, such as "door/puerta," "book/libro," and "chair/silla."

Include ELLs in a non-threatening manner

Some ELLs may be apprehensive about speaking out in a group. They might be afraid to make mistakes in front of their peers. Their silence could also be a sign of respect for you as an authority - and not a sign of their inability or refusal to participate. Find ways to involve ELLs in a non-threatening manner, such as through Total Physical Response activities and cooperative learning projects.

Involve ELLs in cooperative learning

Some ELLs are used to working cooperatively on assigned tasks. What may look like cheating to you is actually a culturally acquired learning style - an attempt to mimic, see, or model what has to be done. Use this cultural trait as a plus in your classroom. Assign buddies or peer tutors so that ELLs are able to participate in all class activities. Also, check out these cooperative learning strategies you can use with ELLs.

Help your ELLs follow established rules

All students need to understand and follow your classroom rules from the very beginning, and ELLs are no exception. Teach them your classroom management rules as soon as possible to avoid misunderstandings, discipline problems, and feelings of low self-esteem. Here are a few strategies that you can use in class:

Use visuals like pictures, symbols, and reward systems to communicate your expectations in a positive and direct manner.

Physically model language to ELLs in classroom routines and instructional activities. ELLs will need to see you or their peers model behavior when you want them to sit down, walk to the bulletin board, work with a partner, copy a word, etc.

Be consistent and fair with all students. Once ELLs clearly understand what is expected, hold them equally accountable for their behavior.

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Chances are that your English language learners (ELLs) come from a culture with traditions and family values that differ from mainstream American culture. These young children not only have the challenge of learning a new language, but also of adjusting to an unfamiliar cultural setting and school system.

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10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLS - Colorín Colorado

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10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLS - Colorín Colorado

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10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs

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One of the biggest topics that educators are thinking about this year is the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL). Building relationships with students is a key aspect of SEL for students of all ages.The good news is that there are a lot of ideas educators can try now and throughout the yea…

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History–Social Science Content Standards for California. Public Schools

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History–Social Science Content Standards for California. Public Schools

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A LOOK AT GRADES K-6 IN CA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS

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A LOOK AT GRADES K-6 IN CA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS

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Framework

2014 English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework (ELA/ELD Framework) (Dated Jul-2015)
The 2014 ELA/ELD Framework has been developed to support and incorporate the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy) and the California English Language Development Standards (CA ELD Standards). The SBE (California State Board of Education) adopted the ELA/ELD Framework on July 9, 2014. This is the final digital version of the ELA/ELD Framework.

Executive Summary: English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework (Dated Oct-2015).
The executive summary provides a glimpse into the ELA/ELD Framework and the guidance it provides for educators, including descriptive snapshots and vignettes of grade-level instruction.

Contact the CDE Press at 1-800-995-4099 or visitCDE Press web page.

Video: Overview of the ELA/ELD Framework (Video; 10:40) (Dated 24-Feb-2015)
This video provides an overview of the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework for California Public Schools, which provides guidance to teachers, administrators, and other educators for implementing the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards.

Implementation Support

Circles of Implementation

The Circles of Implementation figure and corresponding narrative description (which appears in the State Board of Education-Adopted ELA/ELD Framework, Chapter 2, on Page 4) have been translated into Spanish to support the implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework. The English version is provided for reference.
Circles of Implementation (PDF; Posted Jan-2016)
Los Círculos de la Implementación (PDF; Mar-2016)

Implementation Support for the ELA/ELD Framework

Implementation Support for the ELA/ELD Framework (20 Jan-2017)
This select collection of resources connects the content in the ELA/ELD Framework with other resources from the California Department of Education, as well as other reputable sources that address the five key instructional themes: meaning making, effective expression, language development, content knowledge, and foundational skills. The intent of this collection is to provide educators additional resources they can use to expand the scope of the guidance in the ELA/ELD Framework and to inform professional development and instructional decisions at all schools and districts.

Guides for Supporting English Learners and the Five Key Themes in the ELA/ELD Framework

Resources with an English Learner Emphasis

Resources Tracing the Five Key Themes

Additional Resources Supporting the Implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework

Chart of ELA/ELD Framework Snapshots and Vignettes | PDF; Posted Jul-2015)
Brief snapshots and longer vignettes are included throughout the ELA/ELD Framework to provide examples of instruction. This chart lists all the snapshots and vignettes, by chapter, and includes the grade level, page number(s), and indicates the different content areas each snapshot and vignette addresses. (Note: In the items column, "S" stands for a snapshot, and "V" represents vignettes.)

Chart of ELA/ELD Framework Figures (PDF; Jul-2015)
A variety of figures (including charts, definitions, descriptions, explanations) are included throughout the ELA/ELD Framework to provide more detailed support for implementation and instruction. This chart lists all the figures, by chapter, with figure titles and page number (s).

ELA/ELD Figures: Introduction - Chapter 2 (PDF; 8MB; Posted Jul-2015)
All figures (includes charts, diagrams, definitions, descriptions, explanations) for the introduction and chapters 1 and 2 are compiled into this document

ELA/ELD Figures: Chapter 3-7 (PDF; 5MB; Posted Jul-2015)
All figures (includes charts, diagrams, definitions, descriptions, explanations) for the grade-level chapters 3-7 are compiled, by chapter, into this document.

ELA/ELD Figures: Chapters 8-11 (PDF; 11MB; Posted Jul-2015)
All figures (includes charts, diagrams, definitions, descriptions, explanations) for systems of support, such as assessment, access and equity, and 21st century learning are compiled, by chapter, into this document.

California State ELA/ELD Resources for Local Planning (Video; 6:31) In this video, Tom Adams, Deputy Superintendent from the California Department of Education, shares selected State resources that can assist in local planning efforts regarding the implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework.

Highlighting the Needs of English Leaners in the Framework Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) has developed two web pages to provide easy access to resources within the ELA/ELD Framework that specifically highlight practices, programs, and structures that address the needs of English learners. Links connect to Framework Snapshots and Vignettes andFramework Figures .

Secondary Literacy Partnership Webinar Series: ELA/ELD Implementation: Teachers Lead the Way!
Presenters Nancy Brynelson and Jo Ann Isken, lead developers of the ELA/ELD Framework, gave an orientation to the Framework via the new Executive Summary and guided participants in activities exploring the Framework's vignettes, figures, and snapshots. They also shared strategies for collaboration and professional learning. (Presented on October 14, 2015.)

Secondary Literacy Partnership Webinar Series: A Close Encounter, Through the Writers' Eyes, of the New ELA/ELD Framework
The lead writers of the ELA/ELD Framework - Pam Spycher, Hallie Yopp Slowik, and Nancy Brynelson - share important understandings in the framework, including instructional strategies that support the goals of the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards. (Presented on September 17, 2014.)

California's Recently Adopted English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework: Translating the Common Core State Standards to a Coherent and Sequenced Curriculum for All Students (PDF)
Article by Jo Ann Isken, Chair, and Bill Honig, Vice Chair, of the California Instructional Quality Commission and Carol Jago, contributing writer to the ELA/ELD Framework and Associate Director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA.

CCSS English Language Arts Resources
Resources to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts (ELA).

CCSS and CA ELD Standards Resources
Resources to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with the California English Language Development Standards (CA ELD Standards).

CCSS Literary Resources
Resources to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.

Integrating the CA ELD Standards into K-12 Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning (DOC)
State Board of Education approved Correspondence Study Report that demonstrates a strong correspondence between the California ELD Standards and the California standards for mathematics and science.

Content Standards
Links to downloads of all Content Standards.

All Curriculum Frameworks
Links to downloads of all Curriculum Frameworks.

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The State Board of Education adopted the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework (ELA/ELD Framework) on July 9, 2014. Curriculum frameworks provide guidance to educators, parents, and publishers, to support implementing California content standards.

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National Council of Social Studies 10 Thematic Strands

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National Council of Social Studies 10 Thematic Strands

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National Council of Social Studies 10 Thematic Strands

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History-Social Science Framework - History-Social Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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CA Common Core State Standards (CCSS) For English Language Arts and Literacy in History Social:Science, Science and Technical Subjects.

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Social and Emotional Support for English Language Learners

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The following resources highlight many different aspects of social and emotional learning (SEL) and supports for English language learners (ELLs) and immigrant students. This section also includes articles and video projects that highlight how schools around the country are supporting SEL in diverse communities.