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Lisa Carey defines what arts integration is and describes how it’s beneficial to student learning.

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Visual aids are an item of illustration. Visual aids can be in the form of films, slides, modeling, poster, graphic organizers, etc. Visual aids are designed to supplement written or spoken information so it can be understood more easily.

"Using visual facilitation and pre-drawn flip charts not only helps draw in learners, but it makes it easier for students to remember the concepts they've just learned. The simple pictures and words about the topic offer an easy way for people to link the concept to the picture," (Stancampiano, 2013)
"Make lectures or presentations more compelling to the brain by using objects, photographs, slides, graphs, bulletin board displays, and color. Visuals are important for remembering information. Change things up: use vivid posters, drawings, videos, and other ways to grab attention," (Jensen, 2008, pg. 104).

Why visual aids are helpful to ELL students

Visual aids used in the classroom are essential for English language learners. Visual aids provide a different form of explanation, and provides the students with information that they may not have understood if it was presented to them in written or spoken form. If a student cannot read or understand spoken English, drawings, videos in their native language, graphs etc. help the students immensely in learning the content that is presented to them.

​"Providing a model as the students are taken through the task verbally eliminated ambiguity and gives the messaging in more than one way. Students are then able to complete the rest of the worksheet," (Eehevarria, Vogt, Short, 2010, pg. 102)
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"ELL's often have difficulty processing auditory information and so instruction that is supported with visual clues is more beneficial to them. Web sites, magazines, commercial photos, and hand drawing can provide visual support for a wide variety of content. Many teachers also use whiteboards, PowerPoint slides, or smart boards to help provide additional visuals," (Nieto & Bode, 2008, pg. 42).

During your reading instruction visual aids can be a helpful tool to use for your ELLs. A visual aid such as an anchor chart can provide assistance to for ELLS if they are unsure of a specific word. Last year, I used an anchor chart during an interactive read aloud of the story "Mean Jean." The students each received a star and wrote one internal and one external personality trait of the character in the story. Using visual aids deepens the connection of learning.

Visual Aids In Mathamatics

The use of visual aids in a math classroom should capture the students attention, and get them interested in the concepts that will be taught. The best visual aid that could be used in math would be manipulatives. By using real objects the students can visually see, and be hands on with the concept that is being taught. The visual aids used in a math class should be appropriate for the lesson, and communicate the message that they teacher wants to convey.

"All students can benefit from using visual representations, although struggling students may require additional, focused support and practice. Visual representations are a powerful way for students to access abstract mathematical ideas," (Zorfass & Han, 2014)

References

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. J. (2010). Making Content Comprehensible for Elementary English Learners The SIOP Model. Pearson.​

Stancampiano, J. (2013, March 1). Benefits of Visual Facilitation in the classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.trainingindustry.com/content-development/articles/
the-benefits-of-visual-facilitation-in-the-classroom.aspx

Zorfass, J., & Han, A. (2014). Using Visual Representation in Mathematics. Retrieved from
http://www.ldonline.org/article/61885/

Visual Aids In social Studies

While teaching social studies to English Language Learners could produce special challenges for them. ELL's sometimes need additional support/materials to understand content. Visuals make excellent learning tools for all students, especially ELL's. Some examples of visual aids you can use in social studies would be; photographs, graphs, maps, globes, charts, timelines, and venn diagrams.

Visual Aids in Science

The use of visual aids in a science classroom should engage the students and capture their attention. The best visual aid that could be used in science would be visuals of animals, the periodic table, and visuals that would be related to the content being taught. Another form of visual aids that could be used in a science classroom would be manipulative, or hands on materials. This way students can see how the content is being taught, and can communicate the message in a different way so that all students can learn the content in a way that makes sense to them.

Watch this quick video below to learn why the use of visual aids in your classroom is a proficient strategy to teaching your ELLS.

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Visual aids are an item of illustration. Visual aids can be in the form of films, slides, modeling, poster, graphic organizers, etc. Visual aids are designed to supplement written or spoken...

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I Have to Write a Poem for Class
By Jack Prelutsky

I have to write a poem for class
But don't think I'll succeed,
I know I don't know all the words
That I am going to need.
I cannot quite imagine
How my poem's supposed to be -
I've got a sinking feeling
I'm not good at poetry.

My poem must have a meter
And it also has to rhyme,
It's due tomorrow morning...
How I wish I had more time!
I do not think that I can write
A poem the way I should -
But look...this is a poem right here,
And it is pretty good.

Writing poetry is a great exercise for English language learners. It gives them a chance to experiment with language and vocabulary, and to freely share their ideas without the confinement of perfect grammar or firm structures. Many ELLs have also had rich life experiences that range from memories of their home culture to saying good-bye to loved ones and adjusting to a new life in the U.S. They may very well welcome this opportunity to create heartfelt poems to share with their classmates and family. Here are some suggestions for getting started:

Read a variety of poems first. I would recommend a couple of different kinds of poems before assigning any writing activities. For more ideas on how to start a unit on poetry, be sure to take a look at Introducing and Reading Poetry with English Language Learners. While the introduction doesn't have to be too in-depth, giving students time to read and think about poems will help them feel more comfortable when it's time to write.

Introduce different poetry forms as models. Read some poems that fit the structure or format, discuss unique rhyming or line patterns, and then have students try writing on their own, using the poems read in class as a model. Focus on each form before moving on to the next one so that students have a chance to master it.

Use poetry throughout the curriculum. You may also wish to use poetry writing as an activity in other content-area lessons, or trying having students write some of these poems as riddles that their classmates have to figure out.

My own knowledge of poetry forms was pretty limited before I began teaching poetry, but here are some poetry forms that work effectively with students, as well as some ideas of how to help students try their hand at writing! I recommend beginning with simple poetry styles such as the ones that follow, as these forms offer a lot of structure and students of all English levels will find them easier to work with.

I have linked to a number of online resources throughout the article from websites such as PoetryTeachers.com, Education World, Poets.org, PBS, ReadWriteThink, EdSitement, ArtsEdge, and Scholastic, but there are many, many more websites devoted to teaching poetry out there - this is just a sample!

Poetry Forms for Beginners

Group Poem

This is a good place to start before students create their own poems. Ask students for poem ideas and then choose one of those ideas for the poem. Have students brainstorm all the words they can think of that are associated with the topic of the poem. If learning a new form, work with the class to figure out how to use that form with the suggested words. Little by little, the poem will be created. You may want to help the students review their poem and make any changes to improve it. For example, the students may want be able to find more descriptive words than the original suggestions. Once the students have done a couple of group poems they will be ready to create poems in pairs or on their own. (This strategy can be use with all of the forms listed in this article.)

Acrostic

Students write their name or a key vocabulary word in capital letters down the left side of the page. Then they insert a word that begins with each vocabulary word. It may be helpful to brainstorm first. The vocabulary words can be descriptive or can refer to things that are important to the student, such as a favorite sport or musician. For example:

You may wish to start with a class acrostic poem about a word, historic figure, or person that everyone in the class will know. Then have students write poems about their classmates - keeping the descriptions positive, of course! Students can also try writing acrostics about everyday objects, places, feelings, or ideas.

Lessons:

"I Am" Poem

This format can be used by students to describe themselves, or to describe a figure from history, literature, current events, or anywhere else!

Template:

Name Poem

Another (auto)biographical form is the name poem. While many name poems use acrostics, another common format uses this 10-line structure, which encourages students to think about themselves, their family, and what matters to them.

Template:

Bio-Poem

A bio-poem is a poem that a student writes about herself. Not only does it give students a chance to reflect about their own lives, it allows the class to get to know each other better!

Template:

5 W's Poem

This format is a great tool for teaching students about the 5 W question words (Who? What? When? Where? Why?) As you can see below, students can get pretty creative with something very simple!

Template:

Magnetic Poetry

This is a take-off on the magnetic poetry people have on their fridge. Students receive little cards (index cards cut into smaller pieces) with known vocabulary words on them, and then work in pairs to create a poetry message. The cards can be saved and used throughout the year in a little box, or you can cut magnets (such as the kind you get from a store or restaurant) into little pieces and gluing them to the back of the cards to play with on the white board or file cabinet.

Free Form

Free form (or free verse) is exactly that - free from grammar rules or conventions of writing. This is definitely a type of poetry that students should see a few examples of so that they understand just how free it is! Students choose an idea or theme and create vocabulary words that evoke the emotions and visual they want to share. Then they string the words together in short sentences or in vocabulary sequence to create the poem. Students may even wish to experiment with the layout of the poem on the page. If students need a structure to start with the teacher can show a model with a three word refrain at the beginning and end. Students can also be told to keep sentences to six words or less so it doesn't become a story.

Examples:

Lessons:

Cinquain

I enjoy teaching Cinquain poetry because of the easy format and the opportunities for developing the nuances of vocabulary. My students of all English levels were able to create a wonderful selection of poetry - funny, sad, and beautiful. I really loved introducing this poetry form to my students because they could put so much of themselves into it and they worked well with the format. The outline follows:

One word = topic
Two words = description
Three words = adverbs
Four words = actions (-ing verbs)
One word = sum it up word

Example:

Kitty
soft, white
gently, playfully, quickly
napping, whining, purring, jumping
comfort

Depending on the English level of the students, the format could be changed to fewer lines. Students can work in pairs to review each other's poems and suggest some options of different vocabulary words. Students can also write cinquains about themselves or each other.

Lessons and activities:

Shape Poems

A shape poem (or concrete poem) describes a familiar object, and is written in the shape of the object. You may wish to start with an object that the whole class writes about before having students write their own poems. Shape poems give students a chance to brainstorm words and ideas connected with the object, and to delve deeper into the associations we have with everyday objects.

Lessons and activities:

Catalog Poems

This form of poetry is essentially a list that uses very concise language to describe something such as an emotion or a familiar object. It allows students to explore a single idea while at the same time practicing an economy of language.

Examples:

Lessons:

Poetry Forms for More Advanced Students

For students who are more comfortable with poetry forms and have a higher level of English I recommend the following forms as they require enough proficiency in English to be able to hear syllables and rhymes and enhanced descriptive vocabulary.

Haiku

This is the Japanese poetry form that relies on a pattern of syllables: 5-7-5. The trick for ELLs is to be able to hear the syllables and get the wording right. If a student mispronounces a word they will not represent it correctly in the poem. Here is an example of a Haiku written by a student:

Smooth ocean shining,
Happy dolphins love to play.
Islands far at sea.

Lessons:

Rhyming

Rhyming poems seem like they would be very simple. Everyone has recited the poem, "Roses are red, violets are blue." and filled in the rhyme. However, ELLs may not have a strong rhyming concept (depending on their first language and literacy skills) and they may not hear they rhyme of English words - not to mention the fact that you have to know quite a few vocabulary words to be able to come up with a rhyming word that makes sense. To introduce a rhyming format I recommend starting with something simple and then increasing difficulty as students work. For younger readers, many of Jack Prelutsky's poems have very accessible rhymes and rhythms. Older readers may enjoy the more lyrical verses of Langston Hughes.

Feeling and Place

Feeling and Place poems are really themes for any poem, although they lend themselves well to free form poetry. These poems require students to have an advanced vocabulary and the ability to describe emotions and places in detail. Students can start by brainstorming all the words they relate to a feeling, for example. If the word is, "Sad," they might make a list that includes depressed, tired, crying, missing, lost, father, distance, etc. Once they have the list of words they can choose some of them to begin creating metaphors, such as, "Crying is like you're turned inside out." Or "Missing someone is like an emptiness." Once students have compiled a list of vocabulary words and metaphors, they can begin putting the ideas together to make a poem. Throughout the process students can review each others' work and offer suggestions and feedback.

Examples:

Lessons:

A Picture of Your Feelings (Education World)

Invent Your Own Poetry Form!

In this lesson plan, teacher Glori Chaika describes an activity in which students invented their own poetry form at the end of the year, and then had to describe how to write poems in their form to their classmates. If other students couldn't follow the form, students revised their form and/or instructions until everyone could use the style.

Other Activities

While form is important when writing poetry, there is much more to it. Poetry offers the opportunity to explore an idea and emotion, to describe a special place or object that we take for granted, and create an image that others will be able experience. For this reason, I think it helps to incorporate some instructional strategies that will help students develop these skills.

Sparking Imagination

It may help get those creative juices flowing by doing some activities such as the ones suggested by teacher Faith Vicinanza. One of the activities involves students imagining that they are something else such as "a drop of rain, the color blue, a school bus, or a stalk of wheat." Then students must be that object, and write about what they see, and where they go, etc. Ms. Vicinanza has some other great ideas in Calling on the Muse: Exercises to Unlock the Poet Within.

Artwork and Visualization

Another good way to begin warming up to writing poetry is to ask students to close their eyes and go through a guided visualization. Instruct the students to think of a place. Is it indoors or outdoors? What do you see and hear? What colors and sounds? Are people there? What are they doing? How do they feel? How do you feel? When the students open their eyes they can draw the picture they formed in their head and then explain it to a partner. In this exercise, students begin to practice focusing on the process of visualization, and formulate the vocabulary they will need to add description and emotion to their poetry.

Box Toss

A quick warm-up for students before writing is the box toss. Make a little box and write words on all the outside surfaces of the box. You could also put post-it notes words on the sides in order to re-use the box. Students sit in a circle and take turns tossing the box or passing it around. The teacher gives the students a task using the word that is visible when the box is caught. For example, the teacher might tell the student to list three adjectives describing their word, and if another person gets the same word, they will have to think of three new adjectives. Or the teacher might ask them to think of two words that rhyme with the box, or to say the first thing they think of when they see that word. It is really an activity to get students thinking creatively and quickly about words, and to emphasize that writing poetry is about expression not being perfect.

Boring poem

I like to use this technique to model how to revise a poem to make it more specific and interesting. The beauty of poetry is finding just the right words and putting them together to create a picture or emotion. I put the following poem on the board.
I woke up.
It was a nice day.
I was happy.

I ask the students if they like my poem. Some are too polite to say, "No." Then I ask them if they can think of some other words I might use to make it more interesting. They think of things like "opened my eyes," "gorgeous" or "thrilled." Then we play with putting the words in the poem and create something much more interesting than the original. I have the students compare the two poems and then discuss why the second poem is more interesting. We practice with more vocabulary words and put them on a continuum of general to more specific. For example:

Good - happy - ecstatic

Using the Thesaurus

This is an excellent time to introduce the Thesaurus and how to use it. I taught my students how to use the Thesaurus with some music activities. I played a variety of music selections with my students and asked them to write all the vocabulary words that came to mind as they listened. One piece was sad and slow, one was cheerful, and one was a loud hard rock number. After the students had finished listening, I had them work in small groups to share their words and discuss any new vocabulary. As a class we discussed how each word may have a slightly different meaning such as the difference between "sad," "mournful," and "despondent." I introduced the thesaurus to the students and lead them through the steps to discovering different words for the same thing. I then reinforced the importance of knowing the meaning of the words because the Thesaurus may list words that have different meanings from each other. For example, the word "connected" might have words listed that could have different meanings such as "linked" or "related." These discussions help students begin to understand the nuance of the different meanings.

Using Songs and Music

Discussing songs and song-writing can complement a poetry lesson nicely, and may be of particular interest to students who enjoying listening to music and thinking about lyrics. Here are some ideas of how to use songs and music in your poetry instruction.

Lessons

Sharing Your Students' Poetry

Another wonderful thing about teaching poetry is that it can be easy to share with others! Students can read it out loud at a poetry reading or family night event, or you post can student poems on the wall.

In her blog entry on poetry and ELLs on Scholastic's website, Andrea Spillett shares a great idea from one of her colleagues - he collects a poem from each student, and then binds all of the poems together in a book that he gives his students at the end of the year. The Academy of American Poets offers some other great ideas, publishing student poetry in your school's newspaper or magazine, holding student poetry workshops or a student poetry reading at the local library or bookstore. For other ideas, take a look at the Academy's Tips for Teaching Poetry, as well as some ideas for using presenting poems through PowerPoint for Open House or a Poetry Slam.

I encourage you to check out some of the Hotlinks for more resources and ideas on how to explore poetry writing with your students. You never know what their creative minds will come up with, and what they'll learn about themselves in the process!
Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem
In this book, Jack Prelutsky uses easy tips and humor to get even the most reluctant writer started with writing the poetic form. (Amazon listing)
Education World: Poetry Month Resources
These resources include a wide variety of lesson plans, activities, and ideas for teaching poetry.
Academy of American Poets: Tips for Teaching Poetry
Here are a number of creative and inexpensive suggestions for making poetry a more important part of school life throughout the year.
National Writing Project Resources: Teaching Writing Through Poetry
The National Writing Project offers numerous lesson plans and resources for poetry-writing activities, including many ideas submitted by NWP educators.
Scholastic: Poetry Printables (PreK-3)
Fun, ready-to-print poetry activities are the perfect tools to bring words to life. Use these reproducibles to teach new concepts, reinforce past lessons, and inspire creativity.
Scholastic: Write It Poetry
A poetry workshop website for middle and high school students, with resources for brainstorming, drafting and revising poetry.
Poetry Portfolios: Using Poetry to Teach Reading and Writing
This lesson from ReadWriteThink supports students' exploration of language and writing skills as they read and dissect poetry. Through a weekly poem, students explore meaning, sentence structure, rhyming words, sight words, vocabulary, and print concepts. (Appropriate for elementary, but some strategies can be adapted for older ELLs.)
PIZZAZ: Cinquain poems
A poetry site designed to assist instruction of ESL students in poetry and other creative writing forms. The site has links and detailed information on poetry such as Cinquain, Diamante, Haiku and Limericks. It also has further information on other types of creative writing and tips for instruction.

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Writing Poetry with English Language Learners

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I Have to Write a Poem for Class By Jack Prelutsky I have to write a poem for class But don't think I'll succeed, I know I don't know all the words That I am going to need. I cannot quite imagine How my poem's supposed to be - I've got a sinking feeling I'm not good at poetry.

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Over 10 percent of students in the United States-more than 4.8 million kids-are English language learners (ELLs), and the number is on the rise. Though these students do not learn differently than their native-English-speaking peers, they do have particular educational needs.

To learn about these needs-and best practices for addressing them-I interviewed a range of educators and observers, including Larry Ferlazzo, an educator and author of The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide; longtime teachers of English as a second language (ESL) Emily Francis and Tan Huynh; and the journalist Helen Thorpe, who spent a year observing a teacher who works with ELLs.

The group emphasized that the strategies listed here, which include both big-picture mindsets and nitty-gritty teaching tactics, can be incorporated into all classrooms, benefiting both native English speakers and ELLs.

1. Cultivate Relationships and Be Culturally Responsive

No surprise here. A successful classroom, our educators agreed, is one in which students feel known, appreciated, and comfortable taking emotional and intellectual risks. That requires intentional planning and consistent messaging by the teacher.

Emily Francis, an ESL teacher in Concord, North Carolina, makes clear that she wants her students to "embrace their culture and their language as a foundation of who they are" and to consider their acquisition of a new culture and language "not as subtractive, but as additive." To help support students who may never have attended school before or may be coping with migration-based trauma, Francis emphasizes that little things make a big difference. "The first thing that I need to think about is, how is my student feeling in my classroom?" she says. "Are they sitting next to a buddy they can ask a question in their home language? Do they feel comfortable tapping me on the shoulder if they have to go to the bathroom?"

But creating a supportive environment is also about cultivating an appreciation of diversity-it's critical that both the curriculum and the classroom environment honor and reflect the lives of the students. For instance, Francis makes certain that her classroom library is reflective of her students' diverse backgrounds and identities.

ESL teacher Katie Toppel, who teaches near Portland, Oregon, champions the value of home visits to get to know students' families and takes care to incorporate the particulars of students' lives, such as pets' names and favorite sports, into lessons. Students are most engaged when they feel a personal connection to a lesson or unit, a connection that's created in part by a teacher's investment in culturally competent relationships.

2. Teach Language Skills Across the Curriculum

English language learners should not be learning the fundamentals of English in isolation; they should be applying their developing language skills to rich academic content in all subjects.

"It is key that in mainstream classrooms, teachers understand their role as language teachers," says Valentina Gonzalez, a district leader in Katy, Texas, suggesting that all teachers should be aware of the specialized idiom they work within. "If we teach math, then we teach the language of mathematics. If we teach science, then we teach the language of science." Math teachers, in other words, should take the time to teach the unfamiliar vocabulary of mathematics- add, subtract, calculator, solve -concurrently with the teaching of math skills.

3. Emphasize Productive Language

The educators I interviewed agreed that productive language skills-hard-to-master dimensions of language fluency like speaking and writing-should be front and center from day one, even if students feel hesitant about them.

Beginning ELLs often develop receptive language skills like listening and reading first. Educators who are unaware of the typical path to fluency may believe that students who can follow verbal or written directions will be able to produce oral or written language, but that's usually not the case.

To support reluctant speakers, Tan Huynh, an educator who blogs at Empowering ELLs, suggests using sentence frames. "For example, when a science teacher wants ELLs to produce a hypothesis, they might offer the sentence, 'If _____ was added, then _____ because _____.' This sentence frame provides clues that empower ELLs to sound and think like scientists," Huynh says.

Andrea Honigsfeld, a professor of education at Molloy College in Rockville, New York, suggests that all lessons touch on every letter of the acronym SWIRL, which stands for Speak, Write, Interact, Read, Listen. The approach intentionally privileges productive language skills "from the beginning," she says.

4. Speak Slowly-and Increase Your Wait Time

Easier said than done. Still, many of the teachers I spoke to said this simple change is vital. You can record yourself speaking in class to measure your cadence, and adjust.

"Adding in an extra three to five seconds after we pose a question offers all students time to think," explains Gonzalez. "However, for English learners, it also gives time to translate, process their thinking, translate back into English, and develop the courage to answer. If we call on students too quickly, many of our students will stop thinking about the answers-or trying to answer at all."

That means undoing some of our own habits, according to Larry Ferlazzo, a high school ESL teacher in Sacramento, California. "Researchers have found that typically most teachers give one to two seconds between asking a question and expecting a student response," he says. "The same researchers have shown that if you wait three to five seconds, the quality of responses is astronomically greater."

5. Differentiate-and Use Multiple Modalities

All kids learn better when they engage with material in multiple ways: Lessons that involve writing, speaking, drawing, and listening, for example, give students four opportunities to deepen their understanding of the work. For ELLs, those additional engagements also provide a little breathing room so they can work through the language barrier.

Helen Thorpe, a journalist who spent a year observing Eddie Williams's classroom in Denver in order to write a book about immigrants called The Newcomers, marveled at Williams's method of differentiation. "Eddie would enunciate very clearly in English multiple times, he would write it on the board, and he would go to the projector to give a visual. And, finally, he'd be asking the kids to verbalize aspects of the lesson themselves," she says, tracing Williams's efforts to move his students from receptive to productive language fluency.

Toppel uses a strategy called QSSSA to scaffold classroom discussions with ELLs. The letters stand for Question (the teacher poses a question, then gives ample think time); Signal (a designated motion like a thumbs-up, a finger on the nose-something that lets students indicate that they're ready to answer); Stem (the teacher provides a sentence starter for the question-for example, for "What is your favorite place to read a book?" the stem might be, "My favorite place to read a book is _____"); Share; and Assess.

6. Incorporate Students' Native Languages-and Don't Be Afraid of Technology

Bilingualism is the goal, of course, not replacement.

Ferlazzo uses a strategy called "preview, view, review," which leverages a student's native language skills as a foundation for learning the new language. He introduces a topic and encourages students to preview it in materials in their home language (often using multilingual videos and other online resources); he then teaches the topic in English, and then has students review the information in their home language.

Ferlazzo also encourages teachers to embrace technologies that students find helpful, like Google Translate. He stresses that the app can be a useful way for students to translate words quickly-but warns that it can quickly "become a dependency" if it's used as more than a handy dictionary.

Thorpe agrees that Translate can take pressure off teachers, who sometimes find that they "just stand at the front of the room and say things over and over. And if the kids didn't know what those words are, they're out of luck." Translation technology means you can say it once (or twice) and let the students use the technology to translate key words and phrases.

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6 Essential Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

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We interviewed educators with decades of experience in teaching ELLs and tapped a network of experts and observers to find the strategies that work.

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We're excited to present a six-part video series showcasing an exemplar unit focused on ELA instruction for middle school English Language Learners. These videos were produced in conjunction with Stanford University's Understanding Languageinitiative and examine the key shifts found in the Common Core. The videos highlight opportunities to grow students' disciplinary knowledge and English language skills in heterogeneous classrooms. Watch how two teachers bring this unit to life, then dig deeper into the five key strategies used in the series with this blog from Stanford researcher Rebecca Green.

Videos in this Series:

1. Persuasion Across Time and Space: Unit Overview: Learn how this five-week lesson plan on persuasive language was developed, how it challenges students to interact with increasingly complex texts, and connects those readings to present day ideas.

2. Preparing Learners: Activating Prior Knowledge: In this lesson, Emily Park-Friend takes her students through a three-step interview activity. Watch as Emily's students gain a deeper understanding of a particular concept as they practice their listening and speaking skills.

3. Interacting with Complex Texts: Scaffolding Reading: Katie Langlois prepares her students for a lesson by building their background knowledge. Notice how Katie uses groups throughout her lesson, which gives all of her students equal opportunities to speak and listen.

4. Extending Understanding: Vocabulary Development: Ms. Langlois uses a fun jigsaw method to teach vocabulary at the END of the unit, providing reinforcement for her students while helping her to assess their understanding.

5. Preparing Learners: Ethos, Pathos & Logos for Persuasion: In this lesson, students interact with complex texts by analyzing rhetorical devices used to persuade a reader or audience.

6. Interacting with Complex Texts: Jigsaw Project: Watch as students analyze speeches and share expertise with their groups.

We hope you enjoy this video series! And please share with us how you would integrate these practices in your classroom.

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Video Playlist: English Language Learners

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We're excited to present a six-part video series showcasing an exemplar unit focused on ELA instruction for middle school English Language Learners. These videos were produced in conjunction with Stanford University's Understanding Languageinitiative and examine the key shifts found in the Common Core.

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Attention getters, do nows, morning meetings, hugs, and high fives. These are often the ways teachers start their days. By now, you probably have your routines in place for how you start your day or class period. But sometimes it's good to mix it up. Or maybe you're looking for an exciting entrance to a specific lesson plan. Just like writers, teachers often need a hook!

Whether you're mixing it up or just curious about what other teachers do, check out these five videos to see five different ways teachers start their lessons.

1. Start with a Video

Everyone loves a good video, especially kids. Video can be a great way to pique interest or teach a simple concept before a lesson. In Coding in the Algebra Classroom, high school teacher Joshua Kwon starts his lesson with a clip from a car racing video game. He hopes by asking his students to watch and wonder about something familiar to many of them, he can warm up their brains for the math concepts in his lesson, where they'll be creating their own computer animations.

2. Start with an Object

Another way to get your students wondering about a topic is to show them objects related to the content. Ready to do some creative writing? Inspire them with sensory objects. Getting ready to read a book? Show them objects from the book and ask them to make connections, predictions, or ask questions. You could bring in actual objects for students to touch and smell, or simply show a set of images. In Scaffolds for Critical Thinking, Sarah Brown Wessling opens a mystery box filled with photos before starting a challenging lesson with a class of fourth graders. Watch as she uses this box to create an environment that encourages her students to be curious.

3. Start with a Question

Find out what your students already know or think about a topic with a question. There are so many ways to do this: ask the whole class, encourage small group discussions, write it on the board and ask students to do a quick write, or try using a poll. To see a poll in action, watch Using Technology to Boost Confidence. In this video, high school teacher Johanna Paraiso explains how she uses technology to build communication skills in her class, including warming up her students for academic discussions with polls using Google Forms. No matter which method you try, questions are a great way to get your students thinking.

4. Start with Movement

Have an early class of tired high schoolers? Are your 1st graders squirmy after lunch? Get them on their feet with Sarah Brown Wessling's Stand Up Game. For this strategy, you start your lesson with a question, but the twist is that you get everyone on their feet to answer it. Students are able to sit down when they share their answer with the class. Take two minutes to watch this fun idea and then give it a try yourself.

5. Start with a Mistake

Make learning from mistakes a natural part of your daily lessons. Next time you're thinking of starting off your lesson with an exemplar, consider what could be learned by sharing student work that's not quite perfect. Take a look at My Favorite Noto see how Leah Alcala begins her lesson with a brief formative assessment activity and uses it as an opportunity to teach her students to learn from their mistakes. And for more ways to begin your lessons with formative assessment, be sure to check out our Formative Assessment Deep Dive filled with ideas for you to explore.

How do you like to start off your lessons? Share your thoughts below. And, let us know if any of these ideas sparked your creativity!

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Attention getters, do nows, morning meetings, hugs, and high fives. These are often the ways teachers start their days. By now, you probably have your routines in place for how you start your day or class period. But sometimes it's good to mix it up.

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Blog

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Listen to my interview with Michael Linsin here or read a full transcript.

When I was a teacher, classroom management was not my strongest suit. I relied heavily on forming good relationships with my students, thereby preventing misbehavior. This worked about 90 percent of the time; I really didn't have a whole lot of behavior problems. Unfortunately, the way I dealt with that other 10 percent was rather haphazard: Far too often, I defaulted to the "Wait till there's a problem, then react" mode.

If I had known about Michael Linsin back then, if I'd had access to the stockpiles of advice he shares on his website, Smart Classroom Management , I would have done things differently.

For you, though, it's not too late. If you haven't already discovered Michael Linsin or Smart Classroom Management, this will be a good day for you. Because a few weeks ago, Michael and I spent close to an hour talking on Skype. I asked him to share his advice for teachers implementing a classroom management plan for the school year.

For those who want the quick version, I have pulled the four most important points he made-four keys to setting up and implementing a classroom management plan so that it really works-and summarized them here.

My biggest classroom management mistake was that "wait and see" mentality I mentioned before. I never really had a clear plan, and I don't remember ever giving more than a few minutes to explaining my rules and procedures to students. Honestly, I didn't want them to think I was mean, or boring, or lame. I wanted to talk about the good stuff on day 1, not bog students down with a bunch of negativity.

And year after year, that bit me in the butt. It's not that I had badly behaved students, but my lack of clear structure made my job way harder than it had to be. If I'd set up and communicated a clear behavior plan at the beginning of each year, I know I would have enjoyed teaching a lot more.

A classroom management plan should not be complicated. All you need are rules and consequences.

Classroom Rules

Linsin recommends creating a short, simple list of rules. "It's important just to think about how you can protect your students' right to learn and also protect your freedom to teach. You want to think about all those behaviors from your experience that are interfering with those two goals, and you create a set of rules as boundaries that protect that freedom."

In his basic classroom management plan , Linsin recommends including the following rules:

1. Listen and follow directions.

2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat.

3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

4. Respect your classmates and your teacher.

Now I'll tell you this: I have always had my doubts about simple lists like this, because I felt they were way too open to interpretation (and misinterpretation). Too much gray area. But that's because I didn't understand how to effectively implement a simple list of rules. Now I do, and I'm going to get into that in Key 2. But first, the consequences.

Classroom Consequences

To accompany the simple list of classroom rules, Linsin recommends a short sequence of consequences for breaking the rules:

1. Warning

2. Time-out

3. Letter home

Linsin acknowledges that these rules and consequences are pretty standard, and he does not insist that all teachers stick to his specific choices. "There is no magic in the rules and consequences themselves," he says. "It's how you present them and then how you fulfill them."

That's where the magic starts to happen.

This is not the same as "going over" the rules. That's just reading off a list and basically telling students what you expect. While that's better than nothing, it isn't enough. If you want students to really understand exactly how they should behave and exactly what will happen if they don't, you need to teach your behavior plan as you would any other piece of content. The bulk of this, Linsin says, can be accomplished through detailed modeling of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.

"Model those rules so there are no misunderstandings about what they mean, and what behaviors they cover. You would model from your perspective as the teacher and as a student, so you may be sitting in a student's chair with the students surrounding you showing them precisely how to raise their hands."

Linsin urges teachers to be excruciatingly specific in this modeling. "The more detailed you are, even to a ridiculous degree," he says, "the more effective and powerful it is. I may show them the actual bend in the elbow of how to raise their hand, the finger placement..."

And after you model the behavior, have the students model it back for you. "You may have the whole class showing you how to raise their hand, how to get up to get a tissue. You may have one model, and then you'll have five model, and then you'll have them all model at the same time."

Although this kind of detailed teaching takes time at the beginning of the year, it ultimately saves you time and frustration later. And it may not be necessary to teach ALL the rules on the very first day. "Let's say you have time to only model one rule," Linsin says. "If you model it in a highly detailed way, it transfers. They begin to understand that you're going to expect that with everything. The first routine you teach of the year, you want to teach the heck out of it, to a remarkable, ridiculous level, because you're not so much teaching the routine, you're teaching how to do things the right way. You're teaching excellence. You're setting the tone of 'This is how we do it here. We do things the right way, and we pursue excellence in everything we do.'"

When it's time to enforce your rules and consequences, establish some professional distance between you and your students. Execute your plan without getting emotional about it. Linsin advises teachers to be "incredibly personable with the students, and build really close relationships, but when it comes to classroom management, you're an unfeeling robot almost. Or a referee on a football field. You call them like you see them."

For a lot of teachers, this is easier said than done. I know it was for me. When students misbehaved, I did kind of take it personally. My heart believed that if they respected me, if they cared about me, then they wouldn't talk when I was talking, they wouldn't fool around when they were supposed to be doing something else. It upset me, and I'm sure that showed on my face and in my voice. It added an extra layer of tension and compounded the problem, making the interaction more about the student and me than about the behavior.

It would be far more effective for teachers to train themselves to perceive misbehavior the way Linsin does.

"It's not me," he tells himself. "It's a choice they're making, and there's a consequence for that choice. I'm not going to take it personally. I'm not going to feel like that student is doing that because of me."

He urges teachers to treat infractions quickly and with no emotion. "I believe in never lecturing, scolding, any of that kind of stuff, because every time you do it, it just makes managing your classroom more difficult."

Although making sure students have razor-sharp clarity of your behavior plan is essential, it's just as important to make students want to be in your class.

"You have to sell your program," Linsin explains. "My number one goal is not that at the end of the day that they know the rules and consequences. It's that they're happy and excited to be part of the class. That they run home to their parents and say, 'Oh my gosh. I have the best teacher. I have this awesome class. We're going to do this and that this year. It's going to be great.' Because that's what's going to give you the leverage. The classroom management secret is to create a classroom that students love being a part of."

So spend lots of time that first day getting students excited about the year, about the learning they're going to do and the community they will create. "The idea of classroom management, of my website, is not just to get through the day," Linsin says. "It's to create an experience those students will remember for a lifetime ." ♦

Michael Linsin is the author of several books on Classroom Management: Dream Class , The Classroom Management Secret , and The Happy Teacher Habits *. His most recent publication is an e-book, The Smart Classroom Management Plan For High School Teachers .

* Some of these are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I get a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you.

There's a lot more where this came from.
Join the Cult of Pedagogy mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to my members-only library of free downloadable resources, including my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, which has helped thousands of teachers spend less time grading. If you are already a subscriber and want this resource, just check your most recent email for a link to the Members-Only Library-it's in there!

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Classroom Management: 4 Keys to Starting the Year off Right

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How to set up and implement a classroom behavior plan that really works, with advice from Smart Classroom Management's Michael Linsin.

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The Nine Intelligences: by itself the term sounds like an elite spy group or a color-coded hero team.

"Gentlemen, we're clearly in over our heads. The world is in danger. Only The Nine Intelligences can save us now!"

Although the nine intelligences aren't a super hero team, they saved me on countless occasions - only under totally different circumstances. Boring textbook have you cornered? Give them a call! No ideas on how to teach a topic? They can lend a hand!

Like a secret weapon, I call upon this educational theory in times of trouble. When my mind goes blank, the creativity well runs dry and lesson plan ideas are few and far between.

Although originally intended to quantify learning styles and help all students find success in the classroom, the nine intelligences - part of Multiple Intelligence Theory - can also be used to add variety to lesson plans. And since the theory can be applied to any age group, in any subject - all teachers, regardless of their situations, can benefit from using it.

History

The real hero, Harvard professor Howard Gardner, formulated Multiple Intelligence Theory in the 1970s and published his findings in the groundbreaking book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences in 1983. And he hasn't looked back since, defending and refining his theory to this day.

According to Mr. Gardner, Multiple Intelligence Theory started as a response to the introduction of IQ tests, uniform curriculums, and other "one dimensional" educational practices - particularly those that aimed to gauge intelligence. Mr. Gardner writes:

Some years ago it occurred to me that this supposed rational (of a single, quantifiable intelligence) was completely unfair. The uniform school picks out and is addressed to a certain kind of mind... But to the extent that your mind works differently... school is certainly not fair to you (5).

Gardner contends that since individuals' strengths and weaknesses vary, everyone thinks and learns differently. As a result, uniform tests and curriculums fail to accurately measure a student's true intelligence and capabilities. He implored his readers:

Let your thoughts run freely over the capabilities of human beings... Your mind may turn to a brilliant chess player, the world-class violinist, and the champion athlete... Are the chess player, violinist, and athlete 'intelligent' in these pursuits? If they are, then why do our tests of 'intelligence' fail to identify them?... What allows them to achieve such astounding feats? In general, why does the contemporary construct of intelligence fail to take into account large areas of human endeavor? (6).

Gardner challenged contemporary ideas of intelligence by considering successful, evidently intelligent people that scored low on the tests - or more accurately, that the tests had failed to recognize. He contended that people were intelligent in different ways, ways the tests and "uniform schools" failed to evaluate or perceive.

I believe that human cognitive competence is better described in terms of set abilities, talents, or mental skills, which I call intelligences. All normal individuals possess each of these skills to some extent; individuals differ in the degree of skill and in the nature of their combination. (6)

Gardner quantified these intelligences in multiple intelligence theory. Although Gardner's original theory featured only seven intelligences, he later expanded the count to nine. As an ever evolving theory, Gardner contends that if discovered, more intelligences can be added.

Without Further Ado: The Nine Intelligences

Gardner's original seven intelligences included visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, intra-personal, interpersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical categories. Years later he added naturalist and existential intelligences to make a total of nine intelligences. Multiple intelligence theory devotee Dr. Thomas Armstrong provides a concise summary of the nine intelligences, which I have streamlined for this article, in his book, "Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom."

Visual-Spacial Intelligence: the ability to think in three dimensions, graphic and artistic skills, and an active imagination. Sailors, pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects all exhibit spatial intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing.

Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence: the capacity to manipulate objects and use a variety of physical skills. This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and the perfection of skills through mind-body union. Athletes, dancers, surgeons, and craftspeople exhibit well-developed bodily kinesthetic intelligence.

Musical Intelligence: the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music. Interestingly, mathematical and musical intelligences may share common thinking processes. Young adults with this kind of intelligence are usually singing or drumming to themselves.

Interpersonal Intelligence: the ability to understand and interact effectively with others. It involves communication, sensitivity to the moods and temperaments of others, and the ability to entertain multiple perspectives. Teachers, social workers, and politicians exhibit interpersonal intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence are leaders among their peers, are good at communicating, and understand others' feelings and motives.

Intrapersonal Intelligence: the capacity to understand oneself and one's thoughts and feelings. Intra-personal intelligence involves not only an appreciation of the self, but also of the human condition. It is evident in psychologist, spiritual leaders, and philosophers. These young adults may be shy but aware of their own feelings and are self-motivated.

Linguistic Intelligence: the ability to use language to express complex meanings. Linguistic intelligence allows us to understand the order and meaning of words and to reflect on our use of language. It's the most widely shared human competence and is evident in poets, novelists, journalists, and effective public speakers. Young adults with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, reading, telling stories or doing crossword puzzles.

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: the ability to calculate, consider propositions and hypotheses, and carry out complete mathematical operations. It enables us to perceive relationships and connections and to use abstract, symbolic thought and sequential reasoning skills. This intelligence is important for mathematicians, scientists, and detectives. Young adults with logical intelligence are interested in patterns, categories, arithmetic problems, strategy games and experiments.

Naturalist Intelligence: the ability to discriminate among living things as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world. This ability lends itself to botanists and chefs,but is also speculated that much of our consumer society exploits the naturalist intelligences.

Existential Intelligence: the ninth and final intelligence (not pictured in the chart above) regards sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why do we die, and how did we get here. This intelligence also concerns cultures and religions. This intelligence might be attributed to philosophers, theologians and life coaches." (6-7)

Multiple intelligence theory asserts that individuals possess "the full range of intelligences" but no two people share the same "intellectual profile," or mix of skills in each category, which is shaped by both genetics and life experience.

Furthermore, possession of an intelligence does not guarantee its use. In fact, thanks to uniform testing and curriculums, some individuals may never discover their intellectual strengths - which makes incorporating Multiple Intelligence Theory into the classroom all the more important.

The Secret Spice

Inherently positive and empowering, multiple intelligence theory believes all students can succeed. Instead of molding students to a curriculum or test, the theory encourages students to explore, learn about themselves and take advantage of their individual strengths, talents and interests.

By incorporating the theory into lessons, educators acknowledge and activate intelligences, providing students with opportunities to discover their own strengths and talents.

Once students recognize their strengths and weaknesses, they can take responsibility in their own learning - taking advantage of their strengths while improving weaknesses. The first taste of success gives lifelong "failures" invaluable and refreshing confidence, leading to increased motivation and (in theory) more success.

Although multiple intelligence theory benefits students, it also makes teacher's lives easier, acting as a simple, convenient tool for adding variety to a lesson. And I find it especially useful in the English classroom as an ALT in Japan. With so much to gain, educators should call upon the nine intelligences whenever necessary!

And there's no situation more necessary than lesson planning. Dull lessons act as classroom kryptonite, stripping students of their will to learn, sucking away everyone's energy, and destroying any chance of a positive atmosphere. Multiple intelligence theory became my secret spice, the flavor that added extra zing to my lesson plans. Whether applied to lessons created from scratch or those based on a textbook, Gardner's theory always helps to mix things up.

Classroom Examples

During my time as a high school teacher I taped a list of the nine intelligences to my desk. Always a glance away, they became impossible to forget. When my mind went blank I knew where to look. Like the magic eight-ball, the list held an answer.

At times a lesson topic and intelligence would mesh perfectly. Other times combining intelligences and topics would be a fun, creative challenge. Creating warm-ups and activities to go along with textbook topics had been difficult, but The Nine Intelligences changed that. Here are some examples.

The musical intelligence sparked the use of Bill Haley's song Rock Around the Clock to introduce time - afterwards students had no trouble remembering the term o'clock.

In honor of Halloween, the naturalist intelligence inspired pumpkin carving which also sparked the visual-spatial thinkers' artistic abilities. Students reviewed face words and experienced another culture first hand. A week later we displayed their work at the school culture festival.

The body-kinesthetic intelligence made boring activities into fun games by adding movement. In one case, student pairs had match questions and answers. To make the activity more interesting I posted the sentences on the classroom walls. Students walked around the classroom, reading and remembering the questions and answers. Back at their desks they wrote down and then matched the questions with the corresponding answers.

In reading class I simplified a fable's dialogue and students activated linguistic and body-kinesthetic intelligences by performing the story in the classroom. The performance assured they understood the story's content, something that was later proven when they took a test on the unit.

I incorporated existential intelligence into a cultural lesson about the Amish societies of the United States. Students not only contemplated different religious beliefs but the reasoning, challenges and consequences of lifestyle choices.

In elementary school I incorporated the logical-mathematical intelligence into a dice game. Two students faced off, each casting a giant die. The first to add up the rolled numbers and say the answer in English would earn the team a point.

In kindergarten we played a game that activated interpersonal intelligence. First we chose a category. In this case, we chose fruit. Next, with students unable to see my paper, I wrote down four types of fruit in English. Student teams then chose four fruit, hoping to match my choices. Each correct match earned one point. Students not only considered what choices I would make ("Sensei said he likes strawberries, maybe he'll choose that!"), but had to cooperate with group members when making their choices.

As time passed, incorporating different intelligences into lessons became natural. Variety within a single lesson is just as important as variety between separate lesson plans. I added opportunities for music, art and movement - venues for learning I had neglected. I started integrating multiple intelligences, using one for a warm-up activity, a different one for main activity and then another for the conclusion.

The lessons surprised students with their variety and originality. The lessons surprised me because they worked. Multiple intelligence theory became my secret spice - the heroes that made adding that variety to lessons (almost) as simple as glancing at a list.

Value In The Face of Criticism

Every hero team has an adversary or rival. In the nine intelligence's case, it's The General Intelligence Factor or Spearman's g. Dating back to the early 1900's, Charles Spearman sought a universal way to measure intelligence. His studies eventually spawned IQ tests which sowed the seeds of standardized testing and unified curriculums. Spearman concluded that with proper testing, anyone's intelligence, regardless of strengths and weaknesses, could be determined and assigned an accurate value, called "g" (Brand and Kane).

Proponents of Spearman's theory point out that multiple intelligence theory is not research based and therefore doesn't produce quantifiable hard data (Armstrong 194). Its effectiveness is difficult to gauge.

Other claim multiple intelligence theory "dumbs down curriculum." According to these critics, lessons incorporating music, art, and hands-on activities don't produce solid, measurable results and thus have no place in a serious curriculum. Furthermore, these lessons pose the danger of giving students a false sense of accomplishment, making students feel smart and capable - even if they are not. (Armstrong 194)

Spearman's g and Gardner's multiple intelligence theory seem to oppose one another. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Competition between the theories will (hopefully) lead to improvements in education.

Yet, incorporating multiple intelligence theory into lessons doesn't need to undermine the goals of standardized testing and curriculums. As my examples show, educators can incorporate the nine intelligences into a standard curriculum. The two theories can coexist.

Nine Intelligences! Assemble!

Whatever the case, multiple intelligence theory has too many benefits to ignore. To argue over a lack of hard data is to miss the theory's point - education needs to address its learners' diversity.

For me the theory became a useful, convenient tool for adding diversity to lessons. But the nine intelligences, my secret spices, those lesson-saving heroes add up to more than just a convenient "trick."

As an English teacher it pleases me to see students do well on tests. But engineering lessons that awaken students that "hate," "don't understand" or "have no need for" English provides the most satisfying experience of all.

By harnessing the nine intelligences, I've been able to reach the unreachable, inspire the uninspired, motivate the unmotivated, and English the "unEnglishable" (is that a flash of linguistic intelligence there or a lack thereof?). For students that have never tasted success, that have never been given the opportunity to discover or use their talents in the classroom, sometimes a little variety is all it takes.

Sources

Armstrong, Thomas. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom.

Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons.

Kane, Harrison, and Chris Brand. The Importance of Spearman's g As a Psychometric, Social, and Educational Construct.

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How to Spice up Your ALT Lessons with the Nine Intelligences

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The Nine Intelligences: by itself the term sounds like an elite spy group or a color-coded hero team. "Gentlemen, we're clearly in over our heads. The world is in danger. Only The Nine Intelligences can save us now!" Although the nine intelligences aren't a super hero team, they saved me on countless occasions - only under totally different circumstances.

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Last fall, the Brookes Publishing team created a little poster about student differentiation that took off in a big way. Check it out:

The poster went viral as educators shared their love for the Fair is Not Always Equal philosophy-but some teachers asked the tough questions about student differentiation.

Realistically, how can we find time to differentiate our teaching for 30 students every single day?

We also have the pressures of standardized testing. How can we check off all the boxes and still individualize learning for our students?

And they're right. It's easy to talk about student differentiation. But making it work in an actual classroom? That's another story.

Here's some practical classroom advice from four of our top teacher authors and experts for making learning in your classroom fair for every student this year.

1. Start small-focus on one change at a time.

2. Once you make a small change for student differentiation, stick with it!

3. Make a master "cheat sheet" of accommodations.

4. Team up-even if you're not officially a co-teacher.
-Nicole Eredics, author of the blog The Inclusive Class
5. Make co-teaching a true partnership.

6. Switch up your co-teaching arrangement-often.
-Julie Causton, author of The Educator's Handbook for Inclusive School Practices
7. Start a peer buddy program.

8. Make your classroom collaborative.
-Carolyn Hughes, author of Peer Buddy Programs for Successful Secondary School Inclusion
Want more? Check out the Fair is Not Always Equal blog series for even more ideas and strategies for reaching and teaching every learner in your classroom.

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8 Ways to Get Real With Student Differentiation - WeAreTeachers

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Last fall, the Brookes Publishing team created a little poster about student differentiation that took off in a big way. Check it out: The poster went viral as educators shared their love for the Fair is Not Always Equal philosophy-but some teachers asked the tough questions about student differentiation.

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https://vtshome.org/about/

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Dr. Veronica Alvarez discusses teaching ELL in Museums

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Dr. Veronica Alvarez discusses teaching ELL in Museums

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https://anchor.fm/ana-guzman-student/episodes/Dr--Veronica-Alvarez-discusses-Museums-Studies--Inclusion--and-Equity-in-the-Arts-e14onll

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Jacobo Coronel, MEd discusses the impact Art has in ELL classrooms

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Jacobo Coronel, MEd discusses the impact Art has in ELL classrooms

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https://anchor.fm/ana-guzman-student/episodes/Jacobo-Coronel--MEd-discusses-the-impact-Art-has-in-ELL-classrooms-e14p6ho

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Visual and Performing Arts Standards (VAPA)- CA

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Visual and Performing Arts Standards (VAPA)- CA

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English Language Development Standards- CA

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English Language Development Standards- CA

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What are the National Arts Standards? A process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school Read More

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School districts have sought to create systemic plans for multilingual learners that move beyond compliance to insure coherence across their programs, policies and practices for their students and families. Understanding Language partners with districts to co-create, implement and refine their plans based on student evidence.

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Improving Education for English Learners - Webinar Series Archive

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Improving Education for English Learners - Webinar Series Archive

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Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches

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Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches

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Description

English learners currently constitute one in four of California's K-12 public school students. Improving educational outcomes for English learners remains one of the greatest challenges in the public school system. Nationally recognized scholars have synthesized the best available research for improving educational outcomes for English learners. This publication offers a comprehensive, user-friendly review and analysis of recent research to inform and improve instructional practices.

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Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches

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English learners currently constitute one in four of California's K-12 public school students. Improving educational outcomes for English learners remains one of the greatest challenges in the public school system. Nationally recognized scholars have synthesized the best available research for improving educational outcomes for English learners.

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¡Colorín colorado! Common Core Standards for English Language Learners

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¡Colorín colorado! Common Core Standards for English Language Learners

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How can we help English language learners successfully meet the Common Core State Standards? This resource section offers ideas and materials including classroom videos, teacher interviews, and bilingual parent tips. For more great ideas and resources, see our Common Core and ELLs blog!

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The Common Core and English Language Learners

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How can we help English language learners successfully meet the Common Core State Standards? This resource section offers ideas and materials including classroom videos, teacher interviews, and bilingual parent tips. For more great ideas and resources, see our Common Core and ELLs blog!

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Thinking Through Art; The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum School Partnership 

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Thinking Through Art; The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum School Partnership 

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ProgramAuthor(s): Principal Researchers: Marianna Adams and Jessica Luke

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Aesthetic Development and Creative and Critical Thinking Skills Study

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Aesthetic Development and Creative and Critical Thinking Skills Study

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Author(s): Abigail Housen

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The J. Paul Getty Museum

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In English-language development (ELD) textbooks and activities, an illustration can serve to promote the development of new vocabulary, discussion, or writing. Using works of art is a natural fit for English-language acquisition, as works of art can be used for a variety of levels of English-language learners and in a variety of activities to introduce new vocabulary.

The materials in this curriculum are designed to be flexible and to work for a variety of ELD levels. Most of the lessons begin with identifying and developing new vocabulary, and then progress to discussion with students based on an idea about the image.

Two elementary-level lessons focus on learning new vocabulary and using descriptive words to discuss two paintings, and culminate in creating poems inspired by the paintings. Two secondary-level lessons incorporate oral and writing activities, followed by an art-making project inspired by the two works of art.

A "Background Information" sheet for each object is provided in each lesson and in the Image Bank. Also included with this curriculum is a "Thirty-Second Look" activity that can be used to generate new vocabulary through group discussion. All activities connect to English-language development, visual arts, and language arts content areas for students in the State of California.

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In English-language development (ELD) textbooks and activities, an illustration can serve to promote the development of new vocabulary, discussion, or writing. Using works of art is a natural fit for English-language acquisition, as works of art can be used for a variety of levels of English-language learners and in a variety of activities to introduce new vocabulary.

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New York-based research looking at how museums provide authentic, meaningful, and engaging experiences to immigrant communities and where learning, enjoyment and civic engagement support the development of the individual’s voice

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Our vision is to create a dynamic environment where museums provide authentic, meaningful and engaging experiences to immigrant communities and where learning, enjoyment and civic engagement support the development of the individual's voice.

Our mission is to serve as a national model and catalyst for the self-empowerment of immigrant English language learners and their families through the development of collaborations amongst museums, institutions of formal education and literacy organizations. To support systemic change that transforms museums into powerful learning spaces for immigrants and their families. To be a vehicle to strengthen the immigrant's voice by encouraging the development of their academic, social, cultural and civic capital.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Principle One:
Every person has the right to equal access to aesthetic encounters with art and to museums in a meaningful and independent way and institutions have a responsibility to engage all community members. The program empowers participants to embrace art and museums as resources for learning, enjoyment and global understanding.

Principle Two:
There is inherent value to all points of view and backgrounds. Participants' personal stories as immigrants are at the core of the program and are used as the springboard for acquiring new knowledge. Participants are encouraged to access prior knowledge and experiences and see them as an asset and not a deficit.

Principle Three:
Teaching and learning should be a dialogue based on shared authority. Every participant in CALTA21 (students, teachers and museum educators) has an expertise and has an opportunity to share it with their fellow participants and learn from each other's knowledge.

Principle Four:
Art and culture are powerful catalysts for developing literacy skills. Art addresses complex issues. Adult participants access higher order thinking skills using their senses (perception), emotions and cognition (often thinking in their native language) to look at and find meaning in art. They collectively explore complex ideas and think in abstract, speculate and infer while they build lower order thinking skills in their acquired language, such as vocabulary and sentence construction.

Principle Five:
Situated and contextualized learning fosters transformative experiences. Participants are prepared to become teachers and facilitators in a public environment, such as a museum. Visual literacy and art anchor the learning experience and the practice of literacy and critical thinking skills is set in a real life environment.

Principle Six:
Museums must embrace their new expanded roles - inclusion, access to knowledge, civic engagement and democratic practice. CALTA21 encourages the strengthening of the immigrant voice and full civic participation. Participants shape their cultural identities while they recover their personal immigrant narratives and engage in relevant art discussions in a space of public value. CALTA21 provides museums with an opportunity to include an underrepresented audience in a meaningful and sustainable way.

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Our vision is to create a dynamic environment where museums provide authentic, meaningful and engaging experiences to immigrant communities and where learning, enjoyment and civic engagement support the development of the individual's voice.

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Museums as Allies: Mobilizing to Address Migration

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Museums as Allies: Mobilizing to Address Migration

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Patricia Lannes

&

Lauren Monsein Rhodes

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A Conversation on Object-Centered Learning in Art Museums

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A Conversation on Object-Centered Learning in Art Museums

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Mrs. Fatima Smith discusses Arts impact teaching English Learners in Elementary School

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Mrs. Fatima Smith discusses Arts impact teaching English Learners in Elementary School

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https://anchor.fm/ana-guzman-student/episodes/Mrs--Fatima-Smith-discusses-Arts-impact-teaching-English-Learners-in-Elementary-School-e150t9r

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Teaching English with Art - Speaking Through Images - Vol. 1 - EnglishAnyone.com

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Teaching English with Art in South Korea- Art Kiddo Program

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Teaching English with Art in South Korea- Art Kiddo Program

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Teaching English through Art. Butterfly, ESL, TESOL. Teaching English foreigner

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Amy Lingenfelter is an internationally/USA-certified English and ESL instructor as well as a consultant, coach, trainer, and curriculum specialist in the areas of TESOL and career development.  

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Amy Lingenfelter is an internationally/USA-certified English and ESL instructor as well as a consultant, coach, trainer, and curriculum specialist in the areas of TESOL and career development.  

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Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Assistant Director and Director of Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art and discusses how to think like an artist

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Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Assistant Director and Director of Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art and discusses how to think like an artist

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Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist? | Cindy Foley | TEDxColumbus

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Art education matters, so what’s the problem? | Laura Mack | TEDxSalem

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Natural Approach / Direct Method of Language Teaching

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Dr. Laci Coppins-Robbins is a visual artist and educator, her presentation around Experiential Learning is best expressed through the visual narrative.

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Dr. Laci Coppins-Robbins is a visual artist and educator, her presentation around Experiential Learning is best expressed through the visual narrative.

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Experiential Learning through Art and Museum Experiences | Laci Coppins - Robbins | TEDxUWMilwaukee

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Learning through Art for Self-Expression

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Learning through Art for Self-Expression

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Learn English Through Movies || Learn English || English Movie || Practice English Speaking

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The Art of Story-Telling (Listening skills)

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The Art of Story-Telling (Listening skills)

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Learn English with Audio Story Level 1 ★ Easy English Listening Practice For Beginners

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Art Class Curator- Podcast Episode on supporting English Learners

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Art Class Curator- Podcast Episode on supporting English Learners

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Cindy Ingram - Artist, Writer, and Creative Coach

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40: Supporting English Language Learners in the Art Classroom

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Teaching English without Teaching English- Roberto Guzman

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Teaching English without Teaching English- Roberto Guzman

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Teaching English without Teaching English | Roberto Guzman | TEDxUPRM

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Social-Emotional Learning: What Is SEL and Why SEL Matters

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Classroom Management using Social Justice Practices

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Classroom Management using Social Justice Practices

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10 Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity | Cult of Pedagogy

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Awareness of educational inequity is important, but we also need to take action. Pedro Noguera shares ten ways educators can do just that.

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"You have to remember that as an educator, you have the responsibility to build a community of scholars who will fight for what is right. You must distribute knowledge that permeates advocacy within your classroom. There's so much more to teaching than education; it is a fight for equitableness."

In the face of current incidents, it is evident that teachers have a responsibility to educate students by engaging with them to bring meaningful progress to the world, address real-life issues and different points of view, and build a classroom environment that fosters genuine empathy.

A lot of discussion has been generated about being a 'social justice educator.' What does this mean? I suggest it means taking action with a few basic classroom practices that allow educators to engage in unique teaching approaches while advocating for social justice in the classroom.

Social justice is an avenue to create change and is appropriate to engage in across all classrooms. Teachers play an important role in creating a culture of consciousness by developing rules which teach justice in both conversation and action in the classroom.

CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Teachers can enhance classroom culture by creating learning opportunities built from their students' varied backgrounds. Providing different viewpoints helps align new learning with the experiences of students.

Teachers should use books, articles, and lesson plans, which include diverse voices and cultures when choosing class materials. Educators may need to call on colleagues or community members from particular backgrounds to better understand student's culture. As the adult, working to understand your students, creates opportunities for students to feel comfortable and confident to develop critical thinking, collaboration, and self-reflection skills necessary to foster a better society.

Useful discussions can be generated by encouraging students to express their ideas and react to other ideas that allow for disagreement, while equally respecting the viewpoint of their classmates. Teachers can model questions and answers which illustrate how to engage in thoughtful conversation, rather than making their classmates feel badly or devalued. Teachers can also explain to students by presenting model responses that equip students to engage in critical discourse.

THE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE CLASSROOM

There are many different ways for you to be a champion of social justice in your classroom. It is also important to note that you do not have to do them all to orient yourself towards social justice. Try to find small ways for you and your students to incorporate the ideas in the practices that you know will work best.

Every member of a just society should have their basic needs fulfilled. They should be physically and mentally stable and secure, be able to develop their natural talents, and be willing to interact openly with others. Therefore, social justice is incompatible with prejudice or bigotry centered on ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, or capacity (Wade, 1997).

Criticism is an important element of social justice in the classroom, especially when addressing the origins of injustice in pedagogical practices, the school system, and community. Do not steer away from incorporating social justice because it makes individuals uncomfortable. After all, from being uncomfortable, you ultimately grow.
Your students might investigate the following types of questions in understanding how social justice works:

'Who is involved in decision making?'

'Who succeeds, and who does not?'

'What is a reasonable or unfair practice?'

'What options can we envisage to improve conditions?'

Progress will also occur from the development of tangible, meaningful and real democratic coalitions and the widening of one's understanding of the effects of racism, and how it affects not just Blacks and other communities of color, but also how it affects white citizens and how these things intersect (Adams et al., 1997).

Ultimately, social justice will not be taught in one lesson. It is a concept that is embedded throughout pedagogical practices and the action of educators. IT'S ON US. Educators can help students start asking the right questions by making them feel comfortable, motivated, and engaged in purposeful and constructive dialogue.

REFERENCES

1. Adams, L. A. Bell, and P. Griffin, eds., Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice: A Sourcebook(New York: Routledge, 1997).

2. C. Wade, ed., Community Service-Learning: A Guide to Including Service in the Public School Curriculum(Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1997).

Books on Social Justice:
Foundations and Resources for Social Justice:

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"You have to remember that as an educator, you have the responsibility to build a community of scholars who will fight for what is right. You must distribute knowledge that permeates advocacy within your classroom. There's so much more to teaching than education; it is a fight for equitableness."

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3 Restorative Practices for Classroom Conflict

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As teachers know, relationships are at the core of any learning environment. After a year of trauma and separation during the pandemic, and despite the exhaustive efforts of amazing educators, many students reported feeling isolated and disengaged from their peers. Looking ahead to the start of a new year, educators should place intentional relationship building at the center.

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This school year, I have the privilege of working shoulder to shoulder with teachers who are rolling up their sleeves and asking hard questions about how they can better serve their under-performing students who are disproportionately English learners, poor students, and students of color. They are working to incorporate culturally responsive practices into their classrooms.

I believe culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a powerful method for accelerating student learning. But truth be told, most educators are not really sure what it is or what it looks like. For some, it seems mysterious. A number of leaders discount it because it seems too "touchy feely" or only focused on raising students' self-esteem, when they need to raise achievement levels. But CRT is so much more than that. It's the reason why I wroteCulturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. ( Brief podcast on CRT)

Two of the biggest challenges I see teachers struggle with when first embracing CRT, is understanding the role culture actually plays in instruction and how to operationalize culturally responsive practices. They worry that they have to learn 19 different cultures -- everyone's individual customs, holidays, foods, and language. This simply isn't true. Here are four other big ideas about culturally responsive teaching to keep in mind:

1. Culturally responsive teaching isn't the same as multicultural education or social justice education. Too often we use the terms culturally responsive teaching and multicultural education interchangeably, when they're different things. They are related, but only culturally responsive teaching focuses on building students' learning power. It's important to remember that CRT isn't about diversity training, but about helping students reach deeper levels of understanding.

2. Culturally responsive teaching builds students' brain power by Improving information processing skills using cultural learning tools.This isn't an aspect of CRT we talk about a lot. Instead, educators like to focus on the affective elements. Keep in mind one way that the achievement gap manifests itself is by creating dependent learners who find it hard to do critical thinking or independent learning. When we focus on using culture as a cognitive scaffold, then we're able to leverage students' neural pathways that make learning easier.

3. Culturally responsive teaching is grounded in social and cognitive neuroscience. Neuroscience is giving us new findings every day that support why culturally responsive practices work. For example, social neuroscience reminds us that relationships are the on-ramp to learning, meaning if a student doesn't feel heard or seen, then it leads to increased stress. Stress hormones like cortisol impair the brain's executive function. So in order to create a learning environment conducive to all students learning, we need to lower stress hormones by building those relationships.

4. Culturally responsive teaching requires teachers to recognize the cultural orientation we call "collectivism."Teachers are often confused about how culture plays a role in culturally responsive teaching. They think they have to mention race, ethnicity, or cultural artifacts like ethnic food, music, or literature all the time for every different group. Instead, a key starting point to making cultural responsiveness manageable is to organize instructional activities around collectivist cultural principles -- group harmony and interdependence. Vygotsky talks about this as "socio-cultural learning" and highlights that it is necessary to move students into their zone of proximal development.

Here's another important point to make: Culturally responsive teaching isn't a program or set of strategies. First and foremost, it is a mindset. That means that it's equally important to do the ongoing "inside-out" work to build your social-emotional capacity to work across social, linguistic, racial, and/or economic difference with students and their families. Too often I hear educators say that they are "color-blind" or don't understand the socio-political issues that lead to inequities in education -- like disproportionate discipline outcomes for boys of color or low achievement data for English learners, poor students, and students of color in general.

We have to make it our personal business to build our emotional stamina to address our own blind spots and biases. One of the nation's leading implicit bias scholars, Patricia Devine of the University of Wisconsin, compares implicit bias to habits that, with intention and practice, can be broken. Her research has found that three conditions need to be in place for individuals to successfully "de-bias":

1. Intention: You have to acknowledge that you harbor unconscious biases and are motivated to change.

2. Attention: You have to pay attention to your triggers and know when stereotypical responses or assumptions are activated.

3. Time: You have to make time to practice new strategies designed to "break" your automatic associations that link a negative judgment to behavior that is culturally different from yours.

"De-biasing" requires a level of metacognition. In this case, you're not thinking about your thinking, but thinking about your unconscious reacting. Remember, it isn't about getting rid of our biases, it's about rewiring our brains to not respond unconsciously to the negative dominant narratives about the learning capacity of poor students, students of color, and English learners. We have to tame our amygdala, our brain's fight or flight defense mechanism, and take advantage of neuroplasticity - our brain's ability to change itself and respond differently to emotionally charged situations, like talking about race, culture, and inequity.

At the end of professional development sessions with teachers, I usually share this quote from Atul Gawande, author of the Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right: "Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try." Operationalizing CRT may seem overwhelming, but start with something small but high leverage, and grow your comfort and skill level. We can do this!

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Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain

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This school year, I have the privilege of working shoulder to shoulder with teachers who are rolling up their sleeves and asking hard questions about how they can better serve their under-performing students who are disproportionately English learners, poor students, and students of color.

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Multiple Intelligences and Foreign Language Learning

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Multiple Intelligences and Foreign Language Learning

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Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that's simple, beautiful and fun.

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Enriching Academic Vocabulary: Strategies for Teaching Tier Two Words to E.L.L. Students (Published 2017)

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Ideas for working with challenging words — in New York Times articles and beyond.

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by BUSYTEACHER_admin 79,029 views

For over a decade, teachers have been using the Internet as a resource for lesson plans, searching for jobs and to communicate with other teachers and to find out background information on potential locations and employers around the world. The Internet is also currently in the potential position where it poses a threat to many ESL positions, given the rising interest in teaching live over the internet using applications such as Skype.

However, it is the students who are the ones that can benefit the most from the Internet, and it is the teachers who should be harnessing this invaluable resource and incorporating it into their class. The Internet is a great tool that entertains students, while providing subtly educating them requiring them to use a mixture of the four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

This article takes a look at some of the unique and creative activities that teachers can incorporate into their lesson plans while students build on their English skills using a complete range of multimedia available on the Internet.

How You Can Use The Internet In Your ESL Classroom

1. Gain Invaluable Research Skills Through Unfamiliar Topics
One of the major skills that are required throughout life, and especially at university, is researching a topic that is relatively unknown. The Internet is a great place to look to obtain background information and formulate a picture of the background of a topic that is relatively unknown to a student. I like to assign my students a topic, such as 'volcanos', and give my students the task to find out the different types of volcanos that exist, and to explain some of the similarities and differences between the different types. This activity provides students with the ability to practice a number of skills that is involved in the research process, while at the same time giving them useful reading and speaking practice. To create an interactive element to the exercise, students can form pairs or groups in order to discuss the information that they come across, and then present their findings to the rest of the class.

2. Internet Treasure Hunt
This is a great activity that can be adapted for students of all ages and abilities. Create a worksheet with a series of questions for students to research and find the answers. Students can work individually or in groups in a race to see who can successfully navigate the Internet to find the answers to the questions.

3. Presentation Assignments
As an increasing number of students are beginning to attend foreign universities, the need to present information in a variety of forms other than essays is becoming more and more widespread. Dossiers are a common form of presentation styles of assignments at universities throughout the world. I like to assign my students with a country to research and find out certain information, preferably a country that is not too familiar to the student. I generally ask my students to find out information about a country, such as population, religion, food, system of politics, environmental issues and current news items, and present the information in the form of a dossier. Rather than focus on the structures of writing, a dossier looks at the student's ability to research information, focusing on the ability to summarise and dissect a large sum of information. Students also enjoy collecting the information and presenting the information in a colourful and creative way.

4. News Tasks
I am a big believer that students should know what is happening in the outside world, and one of the best way for the students to practice their English and find out what is happening in the outside world is to make use of the Internet and take a deeper look at the news happening around the world. I like my students to bring in an item of news once a week and to discuss it with the rest of the class, adding their own opinions and possible solutions to the situation. This activity can potentially turn into a classroom discussion or debate, and gives the students control over the material used in class.

5. Email Buddies
While Facebook and Twitter may initially appear to be a distraction to the learning process, teachers can easily harness the popularity of social networking and use it to their advantage. I like to encourage my students to find what we used to call a pen pal, and write on a regular basis. An email buddy gives students the chance to personalise the structures and grammar used in class and put it to practice on a personal level with someone that they can grow close too and become friends with. They can develop this relationship over a period of time and report back to the class over time and talk about the ups and downs that happen in their email buddy's life.

6. Surveys
Ah yes, the age old school activity where we used to go to our local shopping centre and ask members of the public various questions, which the answers we will correlate at a later stage. Well, as technology has advanced, students can conduct their surveys on the Internet. I like to give my students a topic and then get them to conduct an online survey. The survey could be about any topic at all, and students could conduct the survey with their friends using social networking websites such as Facebook. Surveys are great for students to analyse responses and provide a short writing that allows the students describe the findings. This is an important skill that students will need later on when undertaking task 1 of the writing component of IELTS.

So, there you have it. In addition to checking whether you have been paid, bitching about your school anonymously on the forums, or even finding a girlfriend, the Internet can turn your class into ESL gold that inspires your students.

By dragging your students away from the traditional classroom and into the computer room, they're learning a number of important skills that are essential when learning English, all under the guise of entertainment.

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What You Can Do With The Internet: 6 Creative Online ESL Activities

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by BUSYTEACHER_admin 79,029 views For over a decade, teachers have been using the Internet as a resource for lesson plans, searching for jobs and to communicate with other teachers and to find out background information on potential locations and employers around the world.

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Supporting English Language Learners With Digital Storytelling

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Apr 13, 2018 2018-04-13

By Jason Ohler

In this installment of our Digital Storytelling Series, Jason Ohler provides a framework for using digital storytelling (DST) to enhance educational standards. He also suggests ways to incorporate new media development into future versions of those standards.

Current educational standards, or the information that is considered vital for students to learn within a specific content area based on grade level, are often lacking in their inclusion of new media creation and DST. In this digital age, we must incorporate these principles into how we teach to ensure students have the education they need to face the modern world.

Digital storytelling is important to the following four types of standards: content standards, technology standards, language arts standards, and Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

The content standards that currently exist focus mainly on outcomes rather than methodology. They address what each student must know within a content area and at what grade level. However, they don't offer a strict layout of how educators must achieve those results. This offers some flexibility to incorporate technology into the curriculum.

DST is generally considered a methodology. It is an effective tool that can be applied to topics across most content standards including, but not limited to, language arts, math, and science concepts. It also opens the door to connect these topics to broader concepts like culture and personal significance. However, for this to be an option, students must have access to technology, as well as the training and time to use it.

Like content standards, there are technological standards for students, which are outlined by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Previous versions of their standards focused on how to effectively operate and use technology. ISTE's new and refreshed standards focus on developing creativity and innovation using out-of-the-box methods.

DST teaches students creatical thinking (merging creativity and critical thinking skills). It encourages the creativity and innovation ISTE's standards promote, while also learning emerging literacy skills. Because the digital world is social, connected, and aided by narrative, students learn to navigate through the mix of text, images, graphics, video, sound, and other elements to find the message of the story.

3. Language Arts Standards

The standards for English language arts, developed by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association, directly discuss the production and understanding of narrative. This provides a great opportunity to use new media development and DST to enhance students' comprehension of concepts like reading, writing, and grammar.

DST is both a writing and reading process. To create effective new media, students must understand the basics of language structure, crafting narratives, researching and analyzing data, and the language translation process of changing script to media. Conventional writing techniques form the blueprint for new media development. Students are also able to bring text to life by adding supporting elements, like music, graphics, photos, or video. Whether they are participating in an online discussion or enjoying a multimedia digital story, they must learn to grasp all elements of the narrative.

4. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts appear to view literacy strictly as a means of communication. Unfortunately, this can limit the creativity and innovation we have seen in other standards. The Common Core State Standards also do not include much direction for art or creativity.

This set of standards does allow educators to use their own tactics and methods in the classroom, giving educators some flexibility to incorporate DST. They also mention "non-print texts," which is a nod to the new media landscape. Within some subsections for specific skills and grade levels, the standards actually suggest the ability to craft narrative through DST, which is an excellent opportunity to explore DST as a tool for deeper learning.

Incorporating Digital Storytelling and New Media into Future Standards

While the various standards currently offer some opportunity to utilize digital storytelling to enhance the curriculum, we need to see more direct references to digital literacy, media grammar (the guidelines that should be used when creating media), and some specific direction for art, which is an important part of DST and new media narrative. All of the standards should include art, creativity, and innovation, while valuing the production of quality media.

Finally, because the digital landscape is ever-changing, so must the standards for education. Development of the standards should be a never-ending research project that will continue to grow as the world, and our knowledge of it, evolves.

Dr. Jason Ohler is a professor emeritus, speaker, writer, and a lifelong digital humanist who is well-known for the passion, insight, and humor he brings to his writings, projects, teaching, and presentations. He has been helping community members, organizations, and students at all levels understand the ethical implications of being digital citizens in a world of roller-coaster technological change. His most recent book, 4Four Big Ideas for the Future, reflects on his 35 years in the world of educational media and innovation in order to chart a course for a future. He is first and foremost a storyteller, telling tales of the future that are grounded in the past. Find Jason on Twitter @jasonohler or visit his website: JasonOhlerIdeas.com.

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Digital Storytelling as an Educational Tool

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Apr 13, 2018 2018-04-13 By Jason Ohler In this installment of our Digital Storytelling Series, Jason Ohler provides a framework for using digital storytelling (DST) to enhance educational standards. He also suggests ways to incorporate new media development into future versions of those standards.

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Building Bridges Through Storytelling: What Are Your Students’ Stories?

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As an educator serving English learner and immigrant students in our current political environment, I often find myself in conversations with people who may or may not share viewpoints similar to mine. I know the wonderful assets that my students bring to the classroom. I know how their families con…

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If you were to walk into my high school Language Arts classroom mid-unit you might see students working in cooperative groups using good old-fashioned butcher block paper and markers. You might also see them using their iPads and design apps to "draw" their thinking about a text we're reading or a topic we're studying. Some of the crafty activities we're doing might seem designated for elementary grades, but visuals in the classroom benefit students of all ages, and the use of visual tools for constructing knowledge is particularly fitting for today's smartphone generation of learners who are virtually always engaged. Learners are looking for visual stimulation, and when they are provided opportunities to transform their ideas into images, they can make stronger connections and achieve deeper levels of understanding with the material and their classmates in a format that is engaging.

After learners have had the opportunity to construct their thinking visually, they have a greater understanding of what they want to say about the subject or text, which then leads to improved reading, writing, discussions, test performance, etc. In this blog, I will focus on how visuals benefit English Language Learners in the classroom, but these tools and activities would also support students with RtI plans, or any students who have been identified to have a preference for visual learning.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are by no means a novel idea in the field of education. However, these 'oldie but goodies' are powerful tools to improve literacy. English Language Learners can be overwhelmed by the complex process of language development, and they benefit from the multisensory approach of graphic organizers: seeing information on the graphic, hearing it from the teacher, and writing it on the organizer. In order to promote interactive learning with these tools, I first model for students how to use them-this step is critical for success. When used properly, these organizers are not simply fill-in-the-blank worksheets, but rather scaffolding tools with clear objectives to help students break down a task into manageable steps.

I have used many of the most common graphic organizers--Venn diagrams, concept maps, KWL charts, character diagrams, anchor charts-to target the specific reading skills we're practicing. Reading comprehension visuals help students read more closely and summarize what they have read because they encourage students to pause and think about important information in the text, and they help students organize their thoughts. These formative assessments help me to diagnose learner strengths and weaknesses with reading skills-sequencing, decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, inferencing-and they are helpful tools to gauge students' progression over time. Sometimes I will measure a reading skill in both the ELL's primary language and secondary language to see if there are differences between the two, and to identify and remedy gaps in understanding.

Graphic organizers are helpful with progress monitoring, providing a better understanding of student comprehension of concepts. These visual tools allow teachers to get into our students' minds as they are constructing what they are learning; we can see what and how students are thinking before they have to perform on a summative assessment like an essay or test. With access to a visual representation of the student's thinking, I can remediate misunderstandings or misconceptions before the student is evaluated. Continuous assessment--through direct observation, checklists, anecdotal notes-- allows me to monitor how students are understanding and applying what they've learned, and this feedback informs the direction of my whole-class and individual instruction. Once students use these tools to organize and analyze their thinking about the material, they ultimately synthesize information they have learned more effectively than if they did not have a visual tool. When I compare progress of my ELLs with and without the use of visual tools, undeniably, the data reveals my students reach greater levels of achievement when they have had opportunities to construct their knowledge visually. Also, teachers could have students compile their work in a portfolio so that they can see their improvements, and they can monitor their own learning through self-rating scales and checklists, all of which motivate the learner.

Of course, graphic organizers can be used to help students on individual and group levels in the classroom, but when districts implement the use of graphic organizers across disciplines and grade levels, they are likely to experience more success because students become familiar with the format. Providing teachers opportunities to collaborate and make decisions about which graphic organizers are most valuable for their students across grade levels and content areas will result in more consistent practice and less confusion for the students. If multiple teachers are using a variety of organizers, learners-particularly those with special needs or language barriers-could be overwhelmed, but a handful of agreed upon tools that can be tailored to individual needs and ability levels (while also being strongly tied to the curriculum) will allow students to become proficient with these formats. These visual tools also support reading and writing across the curriculum programs in school districts.

Graphic Novels

At first glance, graphic novels might be disregarded as silly, comic book reading. However, any serious reader knows the value of these books, and their potential to reach a wide range of students. When I was a student teacher, I taught my first graphic novel, Maus by Art Spiegelman, a story about his father's experiences in the Nazi concentration camps. This teaching experience opened my eyes to the value of these books. This genre of writing engages students intellectually and emotionally, and the visual format provides helpful clues for readers. The language load is lightened for ELLs, the colorful images engage the readers, and the different font styles put emphasis on context clues that help ELLs draw inferences. These books reduce the heavy language load of traditional novels, but also provide students the opportunity to practice the same reading skills that are required to read a novel.

Along the same vein of graphic novels, storyboards are an engaging assignment for students to visually demonstrate their understanding of a text. Storyboards challenge students to summarize what they have read as well as identify key information about plot sequence, characters, setting, and themes. I like to do storyboards in cooperative groups because this format allows me to gauge learner understanding through classroom observation. Again, students use a scoring rubric or checklist that details the goals of the assignment, and I walk around the classroom providing helpful feedback to groups, while also informally collecting data on individual students. In observation of cooperative learning groups, I can measure what ELLs can do independently or with the assistance of their peers. I always write this anecdotal information down (so I don't forget) and I keep that data handy to tailor individual instruction. I also use this information to form reading groups based on reader strengths and weaknesses. Also, if you're in a 1:1 technology district, there are educational websites wherein students can create these storyboards digitally. Students really produce some engaging graphics that are enjoyable to read.

Drawing to Understand

Drawings are another way to help students break down challenging texts. Edgar Allan Poe's writing is tough for many high school students, but his academic language can be particularly difficult for English Language Learners. Visual activities provide ELL students more support for comprehending a classical writer such as Poe. When students "draw" select vocabulary or even a few descriptive paragraphs from one of Poe's short stories, the images help the students think about the language in an accessible format, and they ultimately help students bridge the gap to higher-order thinking about themes, inferences, patterns, and concepts. ELLs need opportunities like this to practice language skills, and I have found that this activity decreases learner anxiety and increases confidence and reading comprehension skills. Once students see how text can transform to images, they become aware of the relationship between text, images, and thinking, and they are better prepared to use those visuals to perform more complex tasks. Again, I always accompany an assignment like this with a scoring rubric or checklist that details expectations for the student.

A fringe benefit, visual assignments such as these allow students with artistic skills to shine. Of course, these students might be recognized in an art class-if they are enrolled in one-but I have found that these activities are beautiful opportunities for students to recognize and appreciate the gifts and talents of their peers. That student who might not be the most assertive in class discussions has a chance to show his or her talents and feel recognized and successful. And there are so many technology apps and software programs available to digitally design these drawings.

Performance-Based Assessments

Each year, my Language Arts students study literary symbolism, and a performance-based assessment of that unit is a creative project wherein students design a mask that symbolically represents them. Students choose colors, images, and designs that reflect their interests, personalities, bad habits, cultures, aspirations, talents, life experiences-the possibilities are endless. After students design their masks, they write about their symbolic choices and finally, share their masks with their peers in a speech. I also use a scoring rubric for this project so students clearly understand the learning objectives. This is not just a simple arts-and-crafts project, but an opportunity for assessment of learner understanding of the concept of symbolism, and an opportunity for students to really get to know one another better in a format that is visually engaging. Students learn about the goals of their peers. They learn about losses their peers have suffered. They learn what matters most to their peers. They learn about different cultures. And what an opportunity for ELLs to share their culture with their peers, another important support for those students. Once again, this activity reduces the heavy language load of traditional writing assessments for ELLs, and provides me valuable information to get to know my students as individual learners. The creative masks are displayed in my classroom for the remainder of the year. An added bonus, this activity gets kids thinking about "who am I?", a question that quite honestly, never gets old.

These are just a few visual tools and creative activities I have found particularly helpful in supporting English Language Learners in the classroom. What strategies have you used to engage these learners?

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Four Ways to Use Visuals when Teaching English Language Learners

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If you were to walk into my high school Language Arts classroom mid-unit you might see students working in cooperative groups using good old-fashioned butcher block paper and markers. You might also see them using their iPads and design apps to "draw" their thinking about a text we're reading or a topic we're studying.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Prof. Coronel shares words of wisdom for 1st year teachers

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Prof. Coronel shares words of wisdom for 1st year teachers

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Teal Yellow and Pale Carmine Hand Drawn Batik Cultural Art Technique Visual Arts Infographic