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The 2nd Edition is here!!  Over 50% new content 

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The 2nd Edition is here!!  Over 50% new content 

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Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (2nd Ed.) - Bookstore

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Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Educationis a guide to help educators and school districts navigate the challenges and learning opportunities unique to SIFE (Students with Interrupted Formal Education). Circumstances such as upheaval due to war and political turmoil in their native countries may have contributed to minimal education experiences, thus prompting current educators to adopt an innovative approach in meeting students’ cognitive, affective, and linguistic needs.In the pages of this teacher-friendly framework, educators will explore interactive and engaging learning strategies which maximize English language development as students learn academic content. A distinctive thread woven through the pages is the growth mindset belief that with effort and targeted strategies, students are able to accelerate their learning despite challenges they may have faced. Boosting Achievement encourages a practical approach to instruction that incorporates authentic learning experiences while leveraging students’ unique backgrounds and perspectives to enrich our classrooms and learning environments.In this much anticipated 2nd edition, we bring you the following:Additional classroom activities plus an activity index for easy reference Carol Salva’s doctoral research on persistence of SLIFEA program leader’s guide based on current research findingsUpdated research on second language acquisition as well as effective literacy practices for multilingual learnersAn expanded section on “Rapid Literacy for Older Emergent Bilinguals”A suggested scope, sequence, and flow of the newcomer class

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EXcJCJ9VZfXPswDqvCOL6f3sjt_Q56qQ/view?usp=sharing

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LINK:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/14oLBAHD8V3FXqw4g_TzBlxf10l1lUMsLlkQG68PJ0qM/edit?usp=sharing

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Small Notes on the Side by the Applicious Teacher!

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Getting kids excited about annotating text is a challenge. Using SNOTS not only helps students annotate text, it’s engaging and fun.

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CHOICE PROJECT:   What's in a Name Project - Planning Pages

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CHOICE PROJECT:   What's in a Name Project - Planning Pages

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Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KOaxi4sZTQr0qYd2DoIq2yJdwpWbkf_i/view?usp=sharing

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LINK TO SHOW NOTES: https://salvac.edublogs.org/2022/12/26/bap114/

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CHOICE PROJECT: My Migration Story Project  - Planning Pages

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CHOICE PROJECT: My Migration Story Project  - Planning Pages

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Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1naJH9k-fv0iN0zNE7WRlpEjoP6Dg7TbP/view?usp=sharing

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CHOICE PROJECT:    Personal Playlist Project - Planning Pages

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CHOICE PROJECT:    Personal Playlist Project - Planning Pages

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LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WSmIso2_pegjnaqNSRe70_nNowpdPWX3/view?usp=sharing

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CHOICE PROJECT:   My Country and the USA - Planning Pages

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CHOICE PROJECT:   My Country and the USA - Planning Pages

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Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NgZoMeARCvT2VFC13QPqMuMRMuc2E9fz/view?usp=sharing

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LINK: https://bit.ly/3E0jDEV

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Instead of IDK poster for Virtual Classrooms

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Instead of IDK poster for Virtual Classrooms

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LINK HERE: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1H-UiNeooRoBf8WU7DGxkufAIJAjWdu6rrldj5PZYIxQ/edit?usp=sharing

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WEBINAR EFFECTIVE LITERACY INSTRUCTION for MLs - with RESEARCH (Elementary Focus)

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WEBINAR EFFECTIVE LITERACY INSTRUCTION for MLs - with RESEARCH (Elementary Focus)

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FREE WEBINAR: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

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WEBINAR on EFFECTIVE  LITERACY INSTRUCTION FOR MLs (Secondary Focus)

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WEBINAR on EFFECTIVE  LITERACY INSTRUCTION FOR MLs (Secondary Focus)

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In this free Webinar, Dr. Carol Salva and Dr. Denise Furlong will bring together secondary practitioners and specialists to discuss literacy development of older emergent readers. Participants will hear best practices and suggestions based on research shared in NAELPA's latest quarterly webinar. Presenters will share techniques and leadership actions that capitalize on the rich backgrounds of secondary emergent bilinguals and leverage their capacity for learning quickly.

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Mango Presents: Effective Literacy Instruction for Secondary Newcomers PANEL

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In this free Webinar, Dr. Carol Salva and Dr. Denise Furlong will bring together secondary practitioners and specialists to discuss literacy development of older emergent readers. Participants will hear best practices and suggestions based on research shared in NAELPA's latest quarterly webinar.

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SUCCESS STORIES  for working with SLIFE
LINK:-->https://padlet.com/carolsalva1/SIFESuccess

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{{💡}} EXAMPLE of Co-Creating Text in the Newcomer Classroom!

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{{💡}} EXAMPLE of Co-Creating Text in the Newcomer Classroom!

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Language Experience Approach in action! Next we shared writing a piece of text, which we then chorally read and read to our table partners. Read on for the steps! @MsSalvac #BoostingAchievement

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Language Experience Approach in action! Next we shared writing a piece of text, which we then chorally read and read to our table partners. Read on for the steps! @MsSalvac #BoostingAchievement https://t.co/utSLEx4bW4

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Language Experience Approach in action! Next we shared writing a piece of text, which we then chorally read and read to our table partners. Read on for the steps! @MsSalvac #BoostingAchievement pic.twitter.com/utSLEx4bW4
— Kim Thyberg (@KimberlyThyberg) March 15, 2022

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Language Experience Approach in action! Next we shared writing a piece of text, which we then chorally read and read to our table partners. Read on for the steps! @MsSalvac #BoostingAchievement https://t.co/utSLEx4bW4

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Language Experience Approach in action! Next we shared writing a piece of text, which we then chorally read and read to our table partners. Read on for the steps! @MsSalvac #BoostingAchievement https://t.co/utSLEx4bW4

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Language Experience Approach in action! Next we shared writing a piece of text, which we then chorally read and read to our table partners. Read on for the steps! @MsSalvac #BoostingAchievement

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The HOW is SO important. So is the WHY! This podcast episode comes with a blog post & a video to share with your students: https://salvac.edublogs.org/2020/11/29/bap083/

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graphic by Nicole Marino

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Starting the Year in a Challenging Climate

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Starting the Year in a Challenging Climate

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link:  bit.ly/BAP057

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How He Went from Non-English Reader to Proficient in 1 School Year

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How He Went from Non-English Reader to Proficient in 1 School Year

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How he went from Beginner to Adv High in Reading in 6 months

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As an elementary teacher and former elementary principal, I have watched the battle lines drawn and the theories, best practices, and curriculum shaming hurled back and forth in the "Reading Wars." Equating a war with the debate over the best way to teach children to read seems a bit excessive, but a quick glance over the blogs spewing nastiness about the thought-leaders on each side of the debate seems to give rise and credence to the name, "Reading Wars." (While you could quickly find those blogs, I have not referenced any of them here as they seem more focused on attacking people than on debating the approaches to teaching reading comprehension.)

On one side is whole-language or balanced literacy, an offshoot of whole language. This is the methodology and theory that undergirded my formal training as an elementary teacher. I had the incredible honor of learning from Professors like Dr. Lester Laminack, a noted author, scholar, and frequent Professional Developer in the areas of teaching reading and writing. Dr. Laminack was my Student-Teacher Supervisor and perhaps most responsible for who I am as a teacher of reading. I also was blessed to learn from and with Professor Dr. Katie Wood Ray, who had spent two years as a Staff Developer with The Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College at Columbia University with Dr. Lucy Calkins. Dr. Calkins is perhaps the most well-known voice for Balanced Literacy. As a new elementary teacher at Glen Arden Elementary School, I was blown away to be invited to join other teachers from the school in going to New York City to Teachers College to learn directly from Dr. Lucy Calkins. That week of learning was incredible as teachers from across the country gathered to discuss and share best practices in teaching children how to read fluently and how to make meaning from the words they read. To say the least, I was well-versed in Balanced Literacy and Whole Language.

Essentially, Balanced Literacy is built upon the premise that children learn to read through good books. They are taught strategies and cues to approach unknown words such as looking at the pictures or using the context of the story. Certainly, a positive outcome of whole language was the growth of outstanding classroom libraries and more time devoted during the day to reading.

The Readers and Writers Workshop models of literacy instruction (Balanced Literacy) swept across the country with the Units of Study curriculum written by Dr. Calkins and her team being purchased and becoming "integral to classroom life in tens of thousands of schools around the world." (Units of Study) Critics argue that despite the growth and proliferation of the balanced literacy approach, reading proficiency growth in our country has been mired with little improvement.

"The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education and is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do in select subjects." (The Nation's Report Card) According to the NAEP Report, "in 2019 [pre-pandemic], average reading scores were lower for both fourth- and eighth-grade students compared to 2017: scores were lower by 1 point at fourth grade and lower by 3 points at eighth grade. At grade 12, the average score was 2 points lower in comparison to 2015. Average scores at grades 4 and 8 were higher compared to the first reading assessment in 1992; however, the average score at grade 12 was lower in comparison to 1992." (The Nation's Report Card)

So...

Balanced Literacy results left parents, community members, and secondary teachers complaining that students could not read and that the reason was directly tied to the lack of phonics instruction in the early grades classrooms. Researchers wonder if we had taught phonics better, would people spell better in general.

Enter the Science of Reading (in my head, I hear that said with a booming voice and a cacophony of trumpets blaring!) lol

Emily Hanford's work has been so pervasive that Dr. Lucy Calkins responded directly to it in a statement released on Facebook and through the publisher (Heinemann) of the Units of Study curriculum she publishes.

Wow! Shots fired.

Again, mind you, I am not posting links to the ugliest of blog posts that simply attack persons on either side.

Enter legislators.

States have begun passing legislation requiring evidence-based reading instruction. Noting that universities were slow to move away from Balanced Literacy, my home state of North Carolina passed legislation that required that teacher-prep courses to include a “substantive understanding of reading as a process involving oral language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.” (NC Statute Session Law 2021-8, signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper on April 9, 2021)

So...

There is a Reading War that has been going on for a really long time and the Science of Reading has taken the upper hand.

What is the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading has been defined in North Carolina statute as "evidence-based reading instruction practices that address the acquisition of language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension that can be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students." (NC Statute Session Law 2021-8, signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper on April 9, 2021)

Cory Armes, in the Science of Learning Blog, stated, "The term “science of reading” refers to the research that reading experts, especially cognitive scientists, have conducted on how we learn to read. This body of knowledge, over twenty years in the making, has helped debunk older methods of reading instruction that were based on tradition and observation, not evidence."

In 1997, the United States Congress directed the “Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to convene a national panel to assess the status of research-based knowledge, including the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children to read” (2000 National Reading Panel Report.) A National Reading Panel was convened "composed of 14 individuals, including (as specified by Congress) 'leading scientists in reading research, representatives of colleges of education, reading teachers, educational administrators, and parents'” (2000 National Reading Panel Report.) The National Reading Panel found that students need explicit instruction in the essential components of reading including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

Central to the Science of Reading approach is a theory called the "Simple View of Reading" or SVR which basically states that there are two elements that combine to result in Reading Comprehension. The SVR formula states:

Decoding x Language Comprehension = Reading Comprehension.

Decoding is translating letters into sounds and sounds into words. Language Comprehension includes the interaction among a reader’s background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures like grammar, verbal reasoning abilities, and literary knowledge (e.g., genres).

From the Simple View of Reading Theory grew Scarborough's Reading Rope (depicted above) as conceived by Dr. Hollis S. Scarborough. Dr. Scarborough believed that the elements of Word Recognition and the elements of Language Comprehension all wove together into the rope of Reading Comprehension. Just like a true rope, the more strands present and the stronger each strand is, the stronger the rope is. It is surmised that if a student is weaker in one strand, the strength of the other strands can still help the student comprehend what she is reading.

The strands of Word Recognition include Decoding, Phonological Awareness, and Sight Word Recognition.

The strands of Language Comprehension include background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge.

Seemingly, the biggest difference between Balanced Literacy and the Science of Reading is explicit instruction in phonics. Phonics teaches children to begin reading by manipulating the sounds in words, or “sounding out” words. Learning to read is no easy task. The English language is made up of 26 letters and 44 sounds, called phonemes. There are 144 ways to write the sounds of the language, called graphemes. Science of Reading advocates argue that children are not just going to figure out 26 letters, 44 phonemes, and 144 graphemes simply by being exposed to great books.

There now seems to be universal agreement around the need for phonics instruction as now Dr. Calkins' Units of Study include a unit on Phonics. The Science of Reading proponents appreciate the inclusion of phonics in Balanced Literacy but argue the three-cueing system that is a part of Balanced Literacy (asking students to use cues from meaning, sentence structure, and visual cues to essentially guess the word) work against phonological awareness.

In the end, the pressing needs of our students do not give us the luxury of idly sitting back and watching shots being fired until the dust settles on the Reading Wars. Students will return to school in August after a year marked by a pandemic and will have no instructional time to waste.

My advice for classroom, school, and district leaders is to convene a group of curriculum and instruction leaders (regardless of title) to review the research from Cognitive Science, Neurological Science, and valid educational research to determine shared expectations about how reading comprehension will be taught in the school(s).

In our school system, our school and district-based leaders are reading "The Integrated Approach to Student Achievement" by Dr. Donyall Dickey. In the book, Dr. Dickey states, “Ninety-seven percent of the words that students will encounter as they read will come from the 30 most commonly used prefixes, 30 most commonly used root words, and the 30 most commonly used suffixes. A strategic focus on providing students, grades kindergarten to grade 12, to curriculum-driven opportunities to learn Latin and Greek word parts will invariably build students’ vocabulary and ability to create meaning while they read.” Building vocabulary is a strand in Language Comprehension in Scarborough's rope.

We cannot teach what we do not know. This year, I will be providing a weekly review of one most commonly used prefix, one most commonly used root word, and one most commonly used suffix in the weekly newsletter I send out to our school system leaders. While most (if not all) of the word parts will simply review what they already know, perhaps bringing them back to the forefront will help our team in our desire to ensure our students graduate fully literate. This is a small step, but it is a step.

We will also be reviewing our instructional practices and instructional guarantees as we renew our District Strategic Plan.

EdLeaders, regardless of your position or title, too often we get buried in all of the work that is not directly related to teaching and learning (budgets, facilities, discipline, logistics, etc.) All of that is important and necessary, but we cannot lose sight of our singular purpose for existing, preparing our students for a choice-filled future. Ensuring they emerge from our schools as great readers is key and crucial to that work. Take the time to dig into the research, listen to the podcasts interviewing the Cognitive and Neuro Scientists who are studying how we learn to read, and using tools like FMRIs to map the brain as it learns to read. Involve teachers and building-level administrators in authentic conversations about instruction. Then, bring all of your team's expertise and experience to bear in making decisions about how reading will be taught in the classrooms you serve.

Our children are worthy of our very best efforts. Let others fight their fights over the $8 billion dollar educational publishing market. We cannot allow our children to become casualties in their war. We must learn and grow and do our best for our children.

In closing, as the great Maya Angelou reminds us, when we know better, we must do better.

References Not Linked in the Text Above

Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice by Dr. Hollis S. Scarborough

Language Comprehension Ability: One of Two Essential Components of Reading Comprehension, in Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice edited by Kristen A. Munger

Other Posts in the Literacy Leadership Series

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The Science of Reading - What EdLeaders Need to Know

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What do educational leaders need to know about the Science of Reading?

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Excerpt from Boosting Achievement Foreword by Tan Huynh

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Excerpt from Boosting Achievement Foreword by Tan Huynh

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4 min video Chorally Reading Objectives &  Social Contracts. Secondary students and teachers reflect. 

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4 min video Chorally Reading Objectives &  Social Contracts. Secondary students and teachers reflect. 

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Secondary Math Reviewing Objectives and a Social Contract

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MOTIVATION!!  17 min #MADPD WEBINAR on Choice Projects

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MOTIVATION!!  17 min #MADPD WEBINAR on Choice Projects

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https://youtu.be/8p8I5MyC2og

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Students can respond to any non fiction text with this choice board.
Copy or Download here: bit.ly/WriteNIL

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35 min Seidlitz Ed WEBINAR on How to Set Up the Year for Authentic learning in Newcomer Classroom (in Digital or Face-to-Face Classroom)

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35 min Seidlitz Ed WEBINAR on How to Set Up the Year for Authentic learning in Newcomer Classroom (in Digital or Face-to-Face Classroom)

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https://youtu.be/hhevOLO3P60

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Subscribe at www.salvac.edublogs.org

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60 min Success for SLIFE WEBINAR for TransACT (Literacy Focus) right here:

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60 min Success for SLIFE WEBINAR for TransACT (Literacy Focus) right here:

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https://bit.ly/36hqxRc

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Participant SLIDES for Success for SLIFE Webinar

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Participant SLIDES for Success for SLIFE Webinar

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Linked slides

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https://www.dyslexiasupportservices.com.au/pdf_files/HighFrequencyWordsIdeasForTeachers.pdf

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English news and easy articles for students of English

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News in Levels « World News for Students of English

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We write news in three different levels of English. We want to help you understand English more. Now all students can enjoy reading and listening to news.

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A Newcomer Student presenting her Personal Playlist Project - 2 min video

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Natalia's Personal Playlist (P3) Project

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Language Experience Approach Lesson on Film.  **CO-CREATING TEXT**

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Language Experience Approach Lesson on Film.  **CO-CREATING TEXT**

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LINK-->  bit.ly/BAP026

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John Hattie developed a way of synthesizing various influences in different meta-analyses according to their effect size (Cohen's d). In his ground-breaking study "Visible Learning" he ranked 138 influences that are related to learning outcomes from very positive effects to very negative effects. Hattie found that the average effect size of all the interventions he studied was 0.40. Therefore he decided to judge the success of influences relative to this 'hinge point', in order to find an answer to the question "What works best in education?"
Originally, Hattie studied six areas that contribute to learning: the student, the home, the school, the curricula, the teacher, and teaching and learning approaches. (The updated list also includes the classroom.) But Hattie did not only provide a list of the relative effects of different influences on student achievement. He also tells the story underlying the data. He found that the key to making a difference was making teaching and learning visible. He further explained this story in his book " Visible learning for teachers ".

John Hattie updated his list of 138 effects to 150 effects in Visible Learning for Teachers (2011), and more recently to a list of 195 effects in The Applicability of Visible Learning to Higher Education (2015). His research is now based on nearly 1200 meta-analyses - up from the 800 when Visible Learning came out in 2009. According to Hattie the story underlying the data has hardly changed over time even though some effect sizes were updated and we have some new entries at the top, at the middle, and at the end of the list.

Below you can find an updated version of our first, second and third visualization of effect sizes related to student achievement.
Order VL for Teachers!

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Hattie effect size list - 256 Influences Related To Achievement

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Hattie's updated effect size list of 256 influences across all areas related to student achievement.

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Blog post on determining where your students are with phonics.  Includes resources like a nonsense word list. https://salvac.edublogs.org/2020/03/13/bap068/

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SOCIAL CONTRACTS for Classroom Management

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SOCIAL CONTRACTS for Classroom Management

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Episode 15::
http://salvac.edublogs.org/2017/12/21/bap015-social-contracts-and-choral-reading-for-every-class/

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SCAFFOLDED FRAMES FOLDER . My Country vs USA *Essay* (vs project) - Sentence to Paragraph Frames for Emergent Writers

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SCAFFOLDED FRAMES FOLDER . My Country vs USA *Essay* (vs project) - Sentence to Paragraph Frames for Emergent Writers

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7 Months in US Schools

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Recorded Spring 2015  7 months in US Schools  What Motivation Can Do%21

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PPT here: bit.ly/OWChow2

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Carol breaks down the practical techniques that make it possible to teach grade level writing to emergent writers.

Popular Podcasts

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Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

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If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you've found your people.

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

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bap51 - persuasive essays with slife and newcomers

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BAP51 - PERSUASIVE Essays with SLIFE and Newcomers - Boosting Achievement: The ESL Podcast

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Carol breaks down the practical techniques that make it possible to teach grade level writing to emergent writers. Popular Podcasts Dateline NBC Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Crime Junkie If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you've found your people.

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Free Resources for Older Emergent Readers

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Free Resources for Older Emergent Readers

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Look under "Resources"
Thank you Canada!

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Welcome to ERGO

ERGO is the ESL/ELD Subject association for elementary and secondary teachers in Ontario. We are an organization of ESL/ELD coordinators, instructional leaders, consultants and representatives designated by boards of education, colleges and universities across Ontario. As a collective of educational leaders we are dedicated to improving educational opportunities and teaching practices for multilingual learners.

Ontario teachers can use the ERGO site to access:

Ministry of Ontario documents related to ESL/ELD policies and programs.

Resources that support teaching English language learners.

Links to professional learning resources.

Videos of international ESL/ELD educators and researchers that have presented at ERGO meetings.

Articles and blogs from ESL/ELD educators across Ontario.

Are you an ESL/ELD coordinator, instructional leader, consultant or board designate? Apply here for membership.

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observable language literacy behaviours continuum. ollb

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ERGO is the ESL/ELD Subject association for elementary and secondary teachers in Ontario. We are an organization of ESL/ELD coordinators, instructional leaders, consultants and representatives designated by boards of education, colleges and universities across Ontario. As a collective of educational leaders we are dedicated to improving educational opportunities and teaching practices for multilingual learners.

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Blogpost by Emily Francis about her Journey to the US.
Emily was a student with interrupted education who came to the US in High School. She is now a Teaching Channel Fab 5 Teacher!

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I love the time of year when parents proudly post and share their children's prom and graduation pictures. It's without a doubt an accomplishment worthy of celebration; It's an epoch to cherish forever! 🎓🎉

Now, this might not be the best graduation picture you've seen. It's not even an original! However, it's the only graduation picture I have!
Here I am, in a cap and gown, I was not permitted to wear after the picture was taken.

Allow me to share with you how this picture, for so many years, represented a personal narrative with FAILURE written all over it.
I encourage you to read my personal journey from Guatemala to the United States. This post provides a background of where I came from and how I made it to America as an undocumented and unaccompanied minor.

January 1994 marks the date I started attending school in the United States. I was 15 years old when I was enrolled at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, New York. I was very confused at the thought of starting in high school since I had not completed any of the junior high school years. I was explained that because of my age I needed to be placed in the 9th grade. Talk about widening the achievement gap right?!
Anyway, I was thrilled to start school! I was fascinated by the alluring, towering, and gleaming school. It was so clean and the structure was something I had only seen on TV. I was stunned when they handed me a pass to ride the bus to and from school. For so many years I had walked miles to attend school, and now I get to ride the bus?! Oh, but wait...it got better. Free breakfast and lunch! WOW!
I sincerely could not have asked for more. I realized that school was supplying my essential needs so I can just attend school and LEARN!

From the very first day I started, I gave it ALL I had. I didn't speak a word of English but I made sure I took advantage of every single opportunity available to learn. I enrolled in morning classes, afternoon classes, evening classes, and even weekend English courses. There was no stopping me! I was in a land of opportunities and I was going for it!

ESL, ESL and More ESL
During my first school year, my classes consisted of English as Second Language (ESL) one after the other. I had wonderful ESL teachers. Very friendly, always making me feel welcomed. One ESL teacher knew a little bit of Spanish so if I needed something, she was my go-to person. ESL classes were very old-school structured - textbook guided kind of lessons. There was no interaction, just a lot of note-taking and worksheet practice. I didn't understand then why I wanted to get out of ESL so bad. TODAY I realize that not being able to be part of the courses other students were taking was making me feel somewhat a failure. In some way, walking the school hallways as an ESL student made me feel inferior and worthless of "real" learning. I had different classes, different textbooks, different schedules. I was different.

A determination within me ignited to learn English to get out of the ESL status. So, during my junior year, (one and a half years after starting school), I placed out of ESL after taking the annual language assessment. I was super excited because that meant that I was allowed to enroll in core courses to gain credits for graduation.
I started taking economics, history, math, biology, health...etc. But, oh boy, this is where the real struggle as a language learner began. My sitting spot was always at the front in all my classes. I wanted to be as close as possible to the teachers and the boards. I took as many notes as possible in each class. I brought home all my textbooks to review and to complete assignments. I realized that the school had a library that would give me books to take home, so I checked out 3 different types of dictionaries and thesaurus. I would use these at home to translate my notes and to complete assignments. Of course, my school work was always done after making dinner and putting my siblings to bed! Don't forget, even though we were in the U.S. I was still the oldest child and expected to care for the little ones while mom worked. My mother can attest to how I would stay up till 3:00 am completing assignments and studying my notes! I enjoyed learning. I cherished new information. I was like a sponge soaking it all in!
I will never forget the day I started reading my economics textbook and the terms "supply" and "demand" began to make sense to me! I was understanding the words...I was understanding the content! I was learning!
I must have finished my economics book in a day or two. I started passing my classes and earning the required credits for graduation. I was so focused on school work that didn't care much about "Senior's field trip" or "prom". To be honest, I didn't know how important these events were. All I wanted was to get my credits, and pass the required assessments to graduate! I have learned how important and necessary a high school diploma was to be able to go to college. I wanted to go to college! I wanted to be the first in my family to obtain a career! I wanted to be a teacher! I wanted to make a difference! I had the vigor, so I knew I could do it. What you can't see in the graduation image above is the excitement I felt getting my graduation pictures done with my cap and gown!

The Walk of Shame
During my senior year, I was required to take some standardized state assessments. I don't remember exactly which ones I had to take, but the one I will never forget is the I was not prepared for this exam. I have not taken enough classes to learn the required information to pass the test. I had only been in the United States for 2+ years to know its history. However, this standardized exam and every other exam were required no matter what. So I took the exam...not once, but twice. First time in English and failed. Second time in Spanish but failed.
I was called into the guidance counselor's office to chat with a guidance counselor who kindly explained to me that passing the U.S. History exam was a requirement for graduation and without it, I was NOT going to be able to graduate. She said, "You have all your required credits for graduation so you don't have to continue in school."; "Go home, study, and come back next year to take the test again. Once you pass, you'll get your diploma."

r" Go home"; " Study"; " Come back next year"; " You're done"
These words echoed in my head as tears ran down my cheeks. That afternoon I walked out of Martin Van Buren High School for the LAST time.
The walk of shame from the guidance counselor's office and down every step outside the building felt like an eternity! I was crushed. I was so disappointed in myself. I was disappointed in the school system for the lack of support. How was I going to explain this to my family? Where was I going to get the strengths to "study" for the test once I was out of school? I have failed. I was a failure.

I became part of the statistics of a Latino high school dropout in the United States because I didn't go back. "Why go back?" I thought... "I failed it twice, there's no way I can make it now."

So, if I wasn't going to school then I had to work. So at the age of 18, I got my first full-time job as a cashier at a local supermarket. My first job in the USA. I was a cashier at C-Town in Floral Park, NY. I was a very efficient worker. I worked hours after hours to earn money...or perhaps to forget and avoid how I was feeling.

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I love the time of year when parents proudly post and share their children's prom and graduation pictures. It's without a doubt an accomplishment worthy of celebration; It's an epoch to cherish forever! 🎓🎉 Now, this might not be the best graduation picture you've seen. It's not even an original!

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Marzano's Six Step Process

In "Building Academic Vocabulary" (Marzano, 2004), Marzano outlines a comprehensive approach to learing the context specific academic vocabulary, or the brick words that students encounter in their reading. The first three steps help us introduce new terms during the frist lesson; the last three steps help students practice & reinforce those terms over time.

Remember: Describe, Describe, Draw, Do, Discuss, Play

Step 1: Describe - Instead of a standard definition, teachers give students a description or explanation of the word or term using examples and visuals. The goal is to appeal to learners of ALL types in order to help them understand new vocabulary.

Step 2: Describe - Students are asked to give their own description or explanation using their own words. By listening/reading student descriptions/explanations, we can assess mastery or provide help. Students record descriptions in their personal notebooks to reference later.

Step 3: Draw - Students draw representations of the new vocabulary word/term. Acceptable ways to complete this task include: drawing pictures, designing symbols, making graphics, creating cartoons, finding a visual on Internet or magazine. This can be done individually or in groups.

Step 4: Do - Give students more practice using new vocabulary words/terms. Have them participate in activities such as: identifying prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, related words and additional visuals.

Step 5: Discuss - Students discuss words/terms as they work with/in partners, triads or groups. This conversation is more effective when structured. Monitoring discussions clears up any confusion students may have.

Step 6: Play - Students participate in games that reinforce deep understanding or new vocabulary words/terms. Examples of games include: Jeopardy, Wordo (like Bingo), Charades, Pictionary, Scrabble, etc...

If you like what you see be sure to follow along with #SiglerNation on Twitter. You can follow Matt Arend on Facebook and Twitter.

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7 Steps...Language Rich Classrooms - By, John Seidlitz by McClure Marshals | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for educators, nonprofits, businesses and more

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Student Work Sample - Planning Page for Persuasive Essay

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Student Work Sample - Planning Page for Persuasive Essay

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My contact info  - Carol Salva

VIDEOS are on my Blog:

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My contact info  - Carol Salva

VIDEOS are on my Blog:

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Blog: salvac.edublogs.org
carolsalva1@gmail.com

Twitter.com/DrCarolSalva

Facebook.com/SalvaBlog

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