Enjoying Exploring ELL by Robyn Mesic https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67 It is my goal to join with my colleagues to explore, experiment, observe, adopt and advocate for the latest trends in ELL. en-us 2018-07-15 22:42:07 UTC 2023-06-12 00:53:38 UTC hello@padlet.com Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck robyn909 https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270246704 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream--a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. 

The theme in this book is bullying. Bullying is a relevant topic to children in today’s society and can foster much discussion. Teenagers often feel lonely and powerless, therefore they can identify with many of the characters in this book. 

]]> 2018-07-15 22:42:07 UTC https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270246704 I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez robyn909 https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270280398 When an accident leaves her older sister Olga dead—and eternally perfect—Julia must reassemble her shattered family, but pleasing her parents seems impossible: They don't think a Chicana teen should leave home for university, much less be a writer. Then Julia learns that Olga had a secret. With the help of friends and family, she travels from Chicago to Mexico and back, determined to discover the truth—and heal herself.

This book appealed to me because it is an account of survival in a culturally  contentious world, it's written in the style of a journal and it teaches about the destructive power of secrets. Mental health is one of the most important themes of the novel, centered around Julia’s crisis of depression and anxiety and her subsequent recovery. This would be a good way to teach SEL, and raise awareness about culture. Tortillas represent the "traditional or seemingly correct performance of Mexican identity", and students could embrace the culture by making Tortillas.

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-i-am-not-your-perfect-mexican-daughter/symbolsobjects.html#gsc.tab=0 ]]> 2018-07-16 06:00:06 UTC https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270280398 07/15/18 - A Balance of Literacy robyn909 https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270280588 A classroom library needs to include quality literature with a balance of canons and contemporary stories. In elementary, emphasis needs to be on both fiction and nonfiction literature. In high school, students need more time interacting with nonfiction text to them for higher learning and the global word force.
-R.M.]]> 2018-07-16 06:05:27 UTC https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270280588 The Arrival - Shaun Tan robyn909 https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270329072 The Arrival is a migrant story told as a series of wordless images that might seem to come from a long forgotten time. A man leaves his wife and child in an impoverished town, seeking better prospects in an unknown country on the other side of a vast ocean. He eventually finds himself in a bewildering city of foreign customs, peculiar animals, curious floating objects and indecipherable languages. With nothing more than a suitcase and a handful of currency, the immigrant must find a place to live, food to eat and some kind of gainful employment. He is helped along the way by sympathetic strangers, each carrying their own unspoken history: stories of struggle and survival in a world of incomprehensible violence, upheaval and hope.

I love how The Arrival is told in detailed pictures! This text would also fit under the heading GRAPHIC NOVEL, and it is "a wonderful book to use within a study of immigration, bringing together the essence of that experience today, historically, and always." (1) Many of our learners need visuals to support their learning, and a picture book is a powerful way to engage our language learners, and learners with special needs. A picture really is a worth a thousand words!

(1)https://medinger.wordpress.com/2007/10/13/in-the-classroom-thoughts-on-teaching-the-arrival/]]> 2018-07-16 18:16:15 UTC https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270329072 07/16/18-A Great Technology Visual robyn909 https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270344193 Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Webbs+Depth+of+Knowledge+Images&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=XfINJGTpRW5wUM%253A%252CETmc2aRfIR8JoM%252C_&usg=__3h5rTI3oxtv7ZAelzajFHY-78-4%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjq6suR16TcAhWIFzQIHdDwB_gQ9QEwCXoECAYQFg#imgrc=XfINJGTpRW5wUM:]]> 2018-07-16 22:29:02 UTC https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270344193 07/16/18 - Intermediate Nonfiction robyn909 https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270362736 Always remembering the objective...

R.M.]]> 2018-07-17 02:09:34 UTC https://padlet.com/robyn909/o6yzi4enzs67/wish/270362736