Independent Unit 1

ESL 6: English Language Learners, Families, Community

and Professionalism
Field Based Study

Megan Tunon
12/20/14

Professional Field Study Time-log

Name. Megan Tunon

Time-log Page

1 /1

Course. ESL 6: English Language Learners, Families, Communities and Professionalism

Date

Time

12/1/14

2:00pm3:00pm

Ross Elementary
School

Sight words

12/8/14

2:00pm3:00pm

Ross Elementary
School

Shapes/Colors

12/17/14

8:00am12:00 pm

McIntyre Elementary
School

Kindergarten

12:00 pm4:00 pm

McIntyre1Elementary 4th and 5th grade

School
Novel study, sequencing of events, cause and effect

12/17/14

Location

Activity

Letters, dates, colors, shapes, numbers, weather,

animals, adjectives

Section 1: School Profiles

Plum Borough School District- Plum, PA

Holiday Park Elementary School
ELL Population- 12 Students from Russia, Asia, and the Middle East
ESL Supports- Holiday Park Elementary School is the district satellite school for English as a Second
Language (ESL) students. The ESL program is for those students whose dominant language is not
English. In conjunction with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, ESL students receive the
instruction needed to achieve English proficiency and academic standards. (Taken from
http://www.pbsd.k12.pa.us/EnglishasSecondLanguage.aspx)

Franklin Regional School District- Murrysville, PA

Heritage Elementary
ELL Population- 9 Students from the Middle East, Europe and Asia
ESL Supports- The ESL Resource Center provides instruction in English as a Second Language and content
area concepts for students in grades K-12. English as a Second Language classes are considered core
curriculum, like Math, Science, History and English. Grades K-5 are pull out classes based on the
student's English Proficiency needs. Grades 6-12 are regular scheduled classes based on the student's
English Proficiency needs. Classes are scheduled daily. Students in grades 4-12 receive a grade that is
sent home to parents each nine weeks. Students in grades K-12 also receive a Progress Report detailing
information about the student's progress in the 4 domains of reading, writing, listening and speaking
each nine weeks. (Taken from http://www.franklinregional.k12.pa.us/academics/e_s_l)

North Hills School District- Pittsburgh, PA

McIntyre Elementary
ELL Population- 25 Students from Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and Africa
ESL Supports- The goal of this program is to increase the English language proficiency of children whose
dominant language is not English so they can achieve academic success and to help the children become
acclimated to a new culture. The program is taught by a trained specialist using research-based
instructional practices and conducting periodic assessments of progress. Children meet with the
specialist in small group settings, or they have one-on-one instruction, based on their level of
proficiency. (Taken from the elementary student handbook.)

Section 2: School Selection

For the Action Research Project portion of this field study, I chose McIntyre Elementary school in the
North Hills School District near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I chose this school because it is the district
location for ESL courses in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Because it is the magnet for ELLs, there are
a considerable number of ELLs in the building; even a kindergarten class of ten students. The numbers
of ELLs in this district continue to grow, with the majority of students coming from Asian and Middle
Eastern nations. Furthermore, this school has two ESL teachers who bring different teaching styles and
levels of experience to the classroom. The teachers are contracted the Allegheny Independent Unit and
use the National Geographic Reach curriculum and have access to the most current technologies. For
all of these reasons, the ESL course at McIntyre Elementary will make for a great research subject.

Section 3: Community Description

McIntyre Elementary is one of four elementary schools in the North Hills School District in Ross
Township, Pennsylvania. The school has 546 students and is the magnet school for ELL students who
live in the district. As of the census of 2000, there were 32,551 people, 13,892 households, and 8,807
families residing in the township. The population density was 2,255.3 people per square mile
(871.0/km). There were 14,422 housing units at an average density of 999.2/sq mi (385.9/km). The
racial makeup of the township was 95.93% White, 1.42% Black or African American, 0.08% Native
American, 1.80% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more
races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population (wikipedia.com). The district is
located just a few miles north of downtown Pittsburgh and the area has access to many resources, such
as libraries, museums, universities, major sporting events, theatres and other cultural events. Pittsburgh
is also a major medical center with several major hospitals and medical facilities that attract many
healthcare professionals to the area.

Section 4: School Personnel Interview

Section 5: Teacher Interview

Interview with Tara Geouque- McIntyre Elementary
How do you communicate with the families of ELLs? Does your school/employer provide a translator for
non-English speaking family members?
The National Geographic curriculum has unit newsletters that I send home in English and their native
language. It supplies 9 languages. I also use TransAct, which is free on-line, that has several school
specific documents translated. Finally, I use the paid service of TransPerfect, which can get a live person
on the phone to translate.
In what ways can family members of ELLs become involved in your class?
I hold a cultural night where families get to share their culture (dress, food, holidays, customs) with the
content area classroom and/or school. Family members are always welcomed to read books in my
classroom as well. The unit newsletters often involve their family.
What supports do you offer for:
ELLs when they are outside of school?
It depends on the area. Usually I give my students many flashcards to use outside of school. I share
with them applications they can use on their phone in order to translate. Finally, I direct them to
churches or services that provide free language classes to adults.
Families of ELLs to support their children at home?
I provide several flashcards and newsletters. I encourage them to visit their local library, zoo, or
museums. I think it is important for families to speak in English at home for 15-30 minutes a day. I also
encourage parents to get involved in extra-curricular activities.
ELLs and their families with respect to community resources?
I often direct parents to the library, CCAC, churches, etc. Often times my families do not have
transportation to get access for paid resources nor do they have the funds. I always look for free
services available.

Interview with Lauren McClain- McIntyre Elementary

How do you communicate with the families of ELLs? Does your school/employer provide a translator for
non-English speaking family members?
-I communicate mostly by emailing parents. This is an easy and preferred way for most non-English
speaking parents. They can then translate by copying and pasting in Google. I keep emails precise and to
the point. Some parents I communicate with by calling. We also just got a translation service that allows
you to call in and pick a language from a lengthy list of languages. You then get an actual person on the

phone. We recently used this service at an IEP meeting and the dad was very pleased that we could
provide this. Also, all PA state IEP and evaluation documents are translated into a select amount of
languages on TransAct.com. This is helpful when parents are trying to fill out questions for their
children.
In what ways can family members of ELLs become involved in your class?
We hold an ESL Open House every year where parents can attend to meet all the ESL teachers and
gather information from the community.
What supports do you offer for:
ELLs when they are outside of school?
There are several websites that the district has memberships to that kids can use at home. One is
RazKids for reading, and First in Math is used for math facts. Also, at the start of each unit that we do, a
translated newsletter is sent home from our curriculum that has activities for the parents and child to do
together. It also has the units vocabulary to talk about at home.
Families of ELLs to support their children at home?
Leveled readers are sent home to the younger children on a weekly basis to read with their parents. The
purpose of this is for students to be able to read independently to their parents.
ELLs and their families with respect to community resources?
At our ESL Open House, we had a representative from a local church come and speak. They provide free
adult ESL classes for parents. We also had a rep from CCAC come to speak to the parents and high
school students about ESL accommodations in college and the help they can receive.

Section 6: Model Programs Research

From: Meetings without Dialogue: A Study of ESL Parent-Teacher Interactions at Secondary School
Parents' Nights
A study performed at Canadian parent-teacher conference night showed that both parents and
teachers of ELLs came to the conference with different expectations. The teachers viewed the night as
an opportunity to deliver an overview of the ESL program to parents, while the parents thought they
would have a chance to conduct one-on-one discussions about their specific child. Furthermore, the
parents thought that they would have an opportunity to offer input about the ESL programs and express
their ideas for change to improve the program. The researchers identified a power struggle between
parents and teachers, where teachers took the position of the expert and parents lacked the confidence

to speak their minds. In this case, a translator was present and the translation helped, but the study
concluded that more could be done do facilitate better understanding between parents and students.
The researchers concluded that more should be done to incorporate parents into the ESL classroom so
that they have more of a presence in the program. Perhaps when teachers feel that parents have a
better understanding of the program they will be more inclined to begin a collaborative relationship
with them.
From: Becoming School Literate Parents: An ESL Perspective
Educators would all agree that one of the most important factors in student success is the
support they he or she gets from home in terms of homework help, healthy habits, ad encouragement
and structure. A study conducted in Australia focused on the struggles that parents of ELLs face trying
to negotiate the standards and procedures of an unfamiliar school system. The study followed several
ESL students in Sydney and their families and noted their cultural habits when it came to literacy
support at home. They concluded that, in addition to helping to educate parents with the ways that
they can support their childs literacy development at home, they should become familiar with the
values and customs of the culture which the family comes from, and help them to incorporate these
practices into their routine support at home. The study concluded that parents who have more access
to the literacy practices in the school, opportunities to conference with the teacher, and opportunities
to volunteer and observe the reading program in the classroom was tremendously helpful to increase
the academic achievement of the ELLs.

From: Bridging Cultures between Home and School: A Guide for Teachers : With a Special Focus on
Immigrant Latino Families
The Bridging Cultures Project is a collaboration between educators and ELLs and their families at a
regional educational laboratory in California called WestEd, the University of California, Los Angeles, the

California State University at Northridge, and seven elementary school teachers from southern California
Public Schools. The group formed in 1996 with the end goal of helping students from diverse cultural
backgrounds find greater academic success in the American public school system. The group strives to:

understand differences between home cultures and school culture

enhance cross-cultural communication

organize parent-teacher conferences that work

use strategies that increase parent involvement in schooling

support teachers to become researchers

use ethnographic techniques to learn about home cultures

Through the implementation of these practices, the group has created a guide for educators and
families of ELLs to help bridge the gap between cultural perceptions of education to help ELLs succeed
in the public school system.

From: Many Pathways to Literacy: Young Children Learning with Siblings, Grandparents, Peers, and
Communities
The authors of Many Pathways to Learning did extensive case studies of children from various
cultural backgrounds and looked at how they learn in school, in the home, and in the community. Upon
the conclusion of their study they decided that more sharing and understanding needs to exist across
these institutions so that children can reach their ultimate academic success. The recommendations the
authors gave are as followed:
We advocate that teachers and teachers-in-training:
Observe children and members of their communities in school and out. Visit families and interact with
them in places where they are the experts (Ladson-Billings 1995) and in collaborations they have

developed (Haight 2002). Develop 'ethnographic eyes' (Frank 1999).

Learn about and value insiders' voices. Work with community members to recognize the value of their
knowledge and practices while supporting their efforts to understand, work with and challenge
mainstream perspectives. Work together with community members to develop syncretic perspectives
that build on your expertise and theirs (Compton-Lilly 2003).
Understand that the teacher is a mediator of young children's learning and just one member, though
an important one, of children's learning communities (Nieto 1999).
Begin with the assumption that children have had relevant and valuable experiences with literacy
before and outside of school. Work with family members and fictive kin to learn about, understand and
Participate in such literacy events. Respect and tap into the social matrices in which funds of knowledge
are shared in children's communities (Moll et al. 1992).
Explore ways to link mandated curriculum and standards to local funds of knowledge.
Learn about the cultures and political histories of children's communities from a critical perspective.
Analyze and appreciate children's developing literacy and language as embedded in these contexts.
Nurture learning communities within classrooms and schools (Rogoff et al. 2001). Build on and create
opportunities for children to teach and learn from each other within and across age groups and ability
levels. Nurture the expertise of peer teachers and learners and the synergy that can be generated in
their interactions. Look for and support a variety of learning relationships within children's zones of
proximal development.
Make a commitment to the maintenance of children's first languages. Create bilingual contexts in
schools in which English language learners can work with children and adults who are native speakers of
their language to jointly construct understandings of language and literacy. Create opportunities for
children to be experts in their own language(s) and culture while broadening the worldviews of those

who speak only English.

Support the social development of English language learners. Provide children with opportunities to
engage in play and informal learning interactions with others who speak the same language as well as
with those whose language they are learning.
Weave literacies from children's interests, families, communities and popular culture into a classroom
culture (Kenner 2000b; Dyson 2003). Do the same with styles and forms of communicating, such as
storytelling, that are familiar to the children. Use the juxtaposition of these literacies as learning
opportunities (Gregory 1997).
Create opportunities for children to help shape their own learning and to co-construct it with others,
both children and adults.
Consider the desired ends of your change efforts. Certainly children's learning is a central one.
Creating a democratic classroom and '[p]reparing students for active membership in a democracy'
(Nieto 2002:41) may be others (Gregory, Long, & Volk, 2004, p. 223)

From: Caring Closes the Language-Learning Gap: Investing in Developing Caring Relationships between
School and the Families of English Learners Pays off in Parental Support for Education and Improved
Learning for Students
As a former teacher and principal, Mary Borba noticed the significant achievement gap between
native English speakers and ELLs in the schools where she worked. To combat his problem, she created a
series of guidelines for her colleagues to follow to help. The first priority was to get families of ELLs
more involved in the school community and she noted that many educators are reluctant to reach out
to these families because they believe they cant or wont be interested. What she found is that
immigrant families are very willing to help, they often just dont know how to get involved. She also
brought on translators to assist when Spanish-speaking families visited the school and to translate the

automated home messages that go out to each household in the district. She implemented a parent
education program to help parents understand the ins and outs of the school and the daily procedures.
She also sent home recorded articles translated in to parents native languages on the topics of
supporting their child at home. She encouraged families to speak their native languages at home,
because asking them to speak to their children in broken English proved to slow the childs language and
cognitive development. She sent home documentaries and instructional videos in English for parents to
watch with children and get help from the vivid imagery. She encouraged the families of ELLs to
volunteer as classroom aids to become more involved in the school and to share their cultural customs
and traditions with the class. Finally, she approved professional development to help all of her staff
utilize these techniques.

From: Getting Started with English Language Learners: How Educators Can Meet the Challenge
Many schools and districts offer extra programs for their ESL population such as Saturday
school, family literacy classes, adult ESL classes, and bilingual handbooks for parents. A bilingual
handbook might contain important information for parents about the school in English and in their
native language. Your school or district should also keep a file of standard school communications and
school social activities written in your newcomers' native language to send to parents. If there are no
native language teachers or aides in your school district, find parent and community members who can
help translate and communicate important school information. Another way to help families become
acclimated to the school and the community is to hold meetings in the evening to explain school
programs to parents. You can encourage more families to attend by offering babysitting services for
parents who must bring their children to the meeting. Your school and district can demonstrate respect
for your newcomers' families by inviting them to participate in their children's education.The authors of
this text offer some very useful suggestions for improving communication between school and home

and for getting the families of ELLs involved in the school community. The events such as Saturday
school, family literacy classes, and adult ESL classes would benefit ELLs and their families tremendously
and would ensure increased academic success of the ELL. Making strides to translate important
documents such as student handbooks and event calendars would demonstrate a welcoming and
inclusive attitude to the parents of ELLs. Finally, holding meetings to educate parents on school
programs would not only help parents become more comfortable with the new school environment, but
it may also encourage them to become more involved.

From: Classroom Instruction that Works for English Language Learners

In this example from a school in Wyoming shows the implementation of a needs assessment or
survey prior to offering support for the families of ELLs. This plan allowed administration to get a good
idea of what the parents of ELLs already knew or did not know about the public school system and its
essential elements, such as the No Child Left Behind Act. Furthermore, they followed up the survey by
really reaching out to the families to ensure that they were aware of the meeting that was being held
and felt welcome to attend. This strategy makes a lot of sense in terms of addressing the specific needs
of the families of ELLs and making sure that they are aware of the support services available to them.
Often, immigrant parents feel intimidated to attend school functions, but the educators in this example
went above and beyond to make sure these families felt welcome and included.

From: Building a Community of Learners: A Collaboration Among Teachers, Students, Families and
Communities
The researchers of this book found that family education programs conducted by schools operated
on the following false assumptions:

Giving parents guidelines, materials, and training to carry out school-like activities in the home.

Training parents in effective parenting

Teaching parents about the culture of American schooling.

Developing parent language and literacy through skills, grammar, and behavioral approaches.

Upon following up on these educational initiatives, they found that no significant gains were made by
the students after these programs were attended. The authors of the study concluded that a new
approach to collaborative learning among teachers, students, families and communities was much more
influential on student achievement. They found that it was wrong for educators to assume that they
had it right and had all of the answers and that it was the family that needed to change.

From: Home and Community Factors Influencing Bilingual Childrens Ethnic and Language Vocabulary
Development
The researchers conducted this study in Singapore with the participation of 282 children who spoke
Chinese, Malay, or Tamil. The objective was to understand how speaking these languages outside of
school affected their English language acquisition. The results of the study concluded that:

Parents speaking their native or ethnic language to their children had a positive effect on their
vocabulary development and whereas parents who spoke only English had a detrimental effect.

The strength of the language community had an impact on students language acquisition.
Communities who were proud of their language heritage had a positive influence on students
English language acquisition.

Family income had no significant impacts on language acquisition.

Watching television in English had only a negative effect on language acquisition.

From: The Home Oral Language Activities (HOLA) Program: Building Parent Partnerships for Academic
Success
A school district in Toronto, Canada implemented a home/school programs which purchased
story bags to be sent home each week to parents to give them the resources to engage students in
literacy in the home. Five stories were sent home each week with themes from different content areas
to promote interdisciplinary literacy. The bags also contained books for ELLs with text in the native
language as well as English. Some stories were accompanied by audio disks or videos to supplement the
stories. Each week, parents were provided with a manual to engage their child in guided reading which
included comprehension questions, and techniques for talking about the text. The goal was to provide
parents with resources to engage their children in literacy training while still fitting into their nightly
routine in an enjoyable and way.

Section 7: Position Statements

TESOL Position Statement for Programmatic and institutional support: Depending upon the program
model and methodology employed, institutions need to be able to provide the type and level of
resources necessary to support the program. Support materials should be designed for both teachers
and students with the appropriate cultural context of the country in mind. The culture of the EFL/EAL
young learner should be regarded as a valued and respected resource that informs decisions regarding
approaches, techniques, activities, learning styles, curriculum design, and materials whether the young
learner is in his/her native cultural setting or in a mixed-culture setting in a classroom in a country
where English is spoken as a native language. Institutions should provide resources for young learners to
be able to portray their cultural values within English-speaking contexts, whenever possible, with the
sole purpose of strengthening their own cultural identity at the same time as they are exposed to
EFL/EAL learning experiences. Additionally, resource materials should be provided in sufficient

quantities so that teachers can do their work well and productively. Community and home support for
the program should be encouraged, as well as continued professional development for teachers, as it is
an essential part of effective teaching.
In this position statement regarding programmatic and institutional support, the TESOL emphasizes that
the culture of the ELL should be understood and utilized in the learning process and environment. The
TESOL makes clear that incorporating the ELLs native culture into the classroom, resources, curriculum
and activities is critical for the academic success of the ELL. The organization briefly mentions the
importance and necessity for community and home support, but does not indicate how this can be
accomplished, nor does it place enough emphasis on the importance of this element for the success of
the ELL.
Connecticut State Board of Education Position Statement on the Education of Students Who Are
English Language Learners: The Board values Connecticuts diverse ethnic and linguistic populations
and affirms that our educational system must respect the uniqueness of all students and the languages
they speak. In Connecticut, 133 languages are spoken among the thousands of ELLs in our schools. To
close the achievement gaps that have historically separated ELLs from native speakers of English,
rigorous programs and services must be provided to every student who needs them. ELLs in general
education classrooms must receive the differentiated instruction and ongoing support that will enable
them to acquire content, academic vocabulary and English language skills simultaneously. A students
level of English language proficiency must be taken into consideration and, when necessary, students
will need extended learning time. Despite the exceptional rates at which young students can learn to
speak a second language, the rate of acquiring cognitive academic proficiency in reading and writing
differs among language learners. All certified and pre-service teachers, administrators and staff need
professional development to become more effective when teaching ELLs. Strong partnerships with

parents, community organizations, businesses and universities that respect and celebrate cultural and
language differences can provide additional support for these students.
The Connecticut Board of Education touches on some important aspects of ESL instruction such as
differentiated instruction in the general education classroom and modifications such as extended time.
They emphasize the importance on hiring qualified teachers and providing professional development for
non ESL teachers. Once again, however, little is said about providing support to the families of ELLs and
the need for community involvement aside from stating that these element are important.

New Jersey Department of Education Position Statement for the Education of ELLs Recommendations
to Administrators:
Rely on the opinions of well-prepared, successful bilingual and ESL educators to establish programs
that make effective use of native language as well as ESL services that support second language
development.
Create, in cooperation with your staff, job-embedded staff development at the school level, in order to
discuss best practices for ELLs education and research that supports them.
Provide counseling services and orientation for students that go beyond the first day of school. These
services are invaluable in supporting students acquaintance with and adaptations to the new school
culture and the host country.
Review, expand, and monitor school practices and policies so that they recognize and validate the
language and cultural experiences of all students, including ELLs.
Organize ELLs parent orientation meetings in order to inform them of programs, request their
assistance, and demonstrate the schools welcoming attitude toward parental participation.

 Engage your school teachers and administrators in ESL services for parents that include courses and
workshops such as the school curriculum for various subjects and grade levels, introduction to
computers, etc.
Tap into community organizations and district resources to seek translation services that would make
information accessible to parents who do not speak English.
Consider the language proficiency level of the ELL when analyzing formative and summative data.
Cluster students in classes in order to facilitate support for students and logistics of scheduling for
appropriate services.

The NJ Department of Education gives specific recommendations for administrators in New Jersey
schools for how to support ELLs and their families outside of the school. They suggest valuable supports
such as counseling services for ELLs and families, organizing parent orientation meetings and workshops
to help parents with technology, and reaching out to community organization which may provide
services that ELLs and their parents need. Out of the three statements that I reviewed, the NJ
Department of Education was the only organization that went beyond stating the importance of home
and community support for ELLs and actually provided concrete steps towards achieving this.

Section 8: School Observations

Kindergarten class at McIntyre Elementary, North Hills School District

In this class, kindergarten students were reading a storybook about winter holidays. Before beginning
the lesson, students were introduced to new vocabulary words such as Christmas, Santa Claus, Elf,
Hanukkah, Menorah, Kwanza, and Kinara. Students colored pictures of these symbols of the three
different holidays and practiced saying their names. The teacher explained what each of the holidays

was about by using videos. Most of the native speakers in this classroom celebrated one of these
holidays, but vocabulary from each was learned to accommodate English language learners who were
unfamiliar with the mainstream religions and traditions of the community. After my observation, the
teacher invited some of the parents of ELLs to give a presentation about their personal winter holidays
and traditions. This homeroom teacher did a great job of incorporating the culture, background, and
family of the ELLs.

4th grade class at McIntyre Elementary, North Hills School District

This class contains three English language learners who receive services at McIntyre Elementary. In
social studies, the class is learning about life in the colonies. The text gives three vocabulary words for
the chapter that students are reading in class: rural, urban, and indentured servant. To accommodate
the ELLs in class, the teacher created a graphic organizer with an extended vocabulary list for the text
which included words that would be familiar to native speakers, such as merchant, agriculture, cattle,
shopkeeper, inventor, and machine. All students defined these vocabulary words before reading which
made the text more accessible for ELLs. In addition, this teacher invited all parents to school to view a
production the 4th grade was putting on about Benjamin Franklin. She reached out to the parents of
ELLs by sending a translated invitation home with an excerpt about Benjamin Franklin to help the
families become familiarized with the plays main character before viewing it. This effort most certainly
made the families of the ELLs in the classroom feel accepted and welcome to attend the event.

6th grade class at McIntyre Elementary, North Hills School District

Two sixth graders in this class receive ESL services for literacy and writing but stay in the regular
education classroom for math class. The students are studying ratio word problems, and the teacher
takes care to explain all of the unfamiliar vocabulary in the word problems for the ELLs in his room. He

also changes the wording on the chapter test so that they do not contain any unfamiliar words or
concepts. He sends home detailed instructions for homework assignments to help parents assist their
children with the advanced mathematical concepts. Especially for parents of ELLs, he gives out his home
phone number to make himself available to answer question about the math assignments. Not only is
the math program being used in North Hills Elementary schools new to teachers and students, it is also
very new and unfamiliar for parents of ELLs, as is the rest of the public school system.

Section 9: School Supports and Model Programs Comparison

Many Pathways to Learning Model

McIntyre Elementary Practices

Observe families in the home during home

visits

Home visits are not conducted because district

policy does not allow them.

Learn about ELLs community by meeting

community members

ESL teachers research ELLs culture and invite

members from their community to give
presentations in the school

Understand that teachers are just one

member of an ELLs learning support team

ESL teachers at McIntyre know that they are

just one component in their students pathway
to academic success

Understand and build upon students

background knowledge

Teachers spend time getting to know the

histories of their ESL students and their
cultural backgrounds

Link educational standards to local resources

Teachers use community organizations to help

promote their lessons and objective

Learn the histories of ELLs native countries

ELLs do research projects and give

presentations on their home countries

Create learning communities in the classroom

Incorporate bilingual instruction

Cooperative learning is utilized on a regular

basis
North Hills does not have the resources to
incorporate bilingual instruction in ESL
classrooms. They conduct English-only classes

Support social developments of ELLs

ELLs engage in cooperative learning and

structured play with other ELLs and native
speakers

Incorporate reading based on students

interests and cultures

Teachers at McIntyre make sure to

incorporate texts that students like and can
relate to

Section 10: Recommendations for Support

Parent Recommendations- Parents should have a big a presence in their childs school and
classroom as possible. It is understandable that after arriving in a new country, it may be
intimidating to try to ingrate yourself in an unfamiliar institution, but there is truly no better
way to learn about something than to immerse yourself in it. Staying in close contact with the
teacher, volunteering in the school, giving presentations and attending all parent/teacher
conferences will not only ensure that parents learn the policies and procedures of the school,
but it will help them to learn the values and expectations of the school as well and will help
them to offer better support for their child at home. Furthermore, it gives the parents and
opportunity to educate students and teachers about their native culture and spread greater
cultural awareness and understanding between the home and school communities.
Administration Recommendations- School administrators would do well to provide families of ELLs
with support in the form of workshops and conferences to help parents better understand the schools

policies and procedures, and to give them the resources they need to help support their children at
home. This may include adult English courses, technology workshops, and presentations about school
curriculum and standards based education. Administrators can also work with community
organizations to help parents of ELLs find the resources they need to navigate the new community
that they are living in with services like translators or adult education classes.
Teacher Recommendations- Teachers should increase their communication with parents of ELLs
and find ways to communicate with them better, such as translated correspondence or materials
that offer non-verbal representations of text. They can also send home learning support materials
such as videos and text with lots of descriptive illustrations. They should also encourage parents
of ELLs to continue conversing with their children in their native language and not to use English
exclusively. This way, the linguistic development of the ELL will not be delayed. Parents can read
books in the native language and have conversations with their children so that they stay on track
in terms of cognitive development.
Paraprofessional Recommendations- Paraprofessionals can be instrumental in the development of
ELLs in school. Learning support paraprofessionals can work one-on-one with ELLs in their regular
education classes to offer additional language support when engaging in core content activities.
Paras can explain clarify course content, and offer extended time for ELLs in the classroom.
Policymaker Recommendations- Policy makers should make supports for the families of ELLs
part of their policy reforms. They should offer services such as translators, adult education,
one-on-one conferences, and presentations about school policies, procedures, expectations,
standards-based education, and school values to families of ELLs. They should also make efforts
to incorporate community involvement of institutions and organizations that would be
beneficial to immigrant families through the school.

Section 11: Professional Knowledge

Explain your knowledge of behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes of multilingual learners and families
specific to the cultural demographics of this school.
The ELL population in this community is growing rapidly and the ESL program at McIntyre
Elementary has new students added to it every year. As of now, however, the school community is still
negotiating unfamiliar waters when it comes to ELLs. The school has begun to implement continuing
education for regular education teachers so that they can better accommodate ELLs in their
classrooms, but much still needs to be learned when it comes to understating how to best teach ELLs
by incorporating their native language and culture into the classroom instruction. In this era, teachers
feel as though they are stretched very thin already, and it will probably take time before the full
embrace the new measures that are necessary to supporting ELLs.
Explain your knowledge of current methods and techniques based on recognized principles of
teaching ESL in working with culturally and linguistically diverse students and families.
Involving parents of ELLs in the classroom is critical to the academic success of ELLs. Parents should
be educated on the schools policies, procedures, expectations and values. There should be supports
in place to help teachers and administrators communicate with parents. Parents should be
encouraged to participate in classroom activities and present their native cultures to the class and
faculty at the school. Parents concerns should be taken into account when designing curriculum and
policy and their native attitudes and practices with regards to education should be taken into
account. Parents should be encourage to assist their children at home with homework and should
receive knowledge and training on how to do this.

Explain your knowledge of how to facilitate the ELLs and their families in understanding and
collaborating with ESL and other school staff.
Families of ELLs should be encouraged to volunteer at the school and become a part of the classroom
community. They should be asked input about curriculum and policies at the classroom and school-wide
level. They need to be welcomed and offered language support so that communication with parents and
guardians is clear and effective.
Explain your knowledge of how to promote school staffs understanding of sensitivity toward
cultures other than American and languages other than English.
School faculty and staff should receive training on cultural sensitivity and should be provided with
the knowledge of how incorporating a students native culture into their education can be beneficial
to every member of a students support team. When school personnel understand how detrimental
it can be to a students academic achievement if they are only provided with learning materials that
are specific to the mainstream culture. Learning materials in every subject need to be modified to
incorporate the ELLs cultural background, interests, and limitations in understanding based on
familiarity.
Section 12: Advocacy
Explain your position regarding the education of ELLs and ways you can become an advocate for the
education of ELLs.

The education of ELLs is a relatively new and ever expanding part of our public education
system. Like all new challenges, it takes a lot of time, research, trial and error, new theories and
rejected theories, and an ever expanding understanding to find the most effective ways of meeting it. It
is my belief that diversity makes any community stronger, and the school community is no different. To

get the most of out of the ELL/school relationship, there must be a meeting of the minds and a
reciprocal involvement in the process of education. The cultural backgrounds of ELLs should be
embraced and utilized in the education process. This not only means that cultural norms, practices and
traditions should be incorporate into the school curriculum, activities and materials, but the culture of
ELLs should be taught to the native-speaking students as well to increase their cultural sensitivity. To be
an advocate for and ELL to me means to educate my colleagues and students about the tremendous
benefits of diversity in the school and to make sure that a students diversity is taken into account in all
educational practices. It also means encouraging school administration to provide services for ELLs and
their families so that the ELL is getting the crucial support from school, at home, and in the community.
It is my firm belief that any child who has the proper support from home can succeed in school, this is
why it is so important to make the parents of ELLs feel welcome and accepted in the school. The school
should offer supports to the parents in the form adult education, translators, teacher conferences and
workshops and should use surveys and one-on-one interviews to collaborate with ELL parents on
curriculum and policy changes that affect their child. Being aware of these important aspects to the
overall education of ELL means that I have a responsibility to share my knowledge with the educational
community around me.
Section 13: Reflection
What have you learned about each of the following PDE ESL program specialist/TESOL
competency categories?
1. Language is more than a means of communicating, it is an integral part of our identity as a
society and our identity as individuals. Imbedded within our native languages are nuances and
intricacies that communicate a thousand thoughts, emotions and opinions. It is language, far
more than actions, that demonstrates to those around us who we really are, what we stand for
and what we believe in. This is why finding yourself in a new environment, trying to

communicate in a new language can be one of the biggest challenges a person can every face.
Ive learned this first hand and so can sympathize with the ELLs that I have met along this
journey.
2. Culture is one of the most important factors affecting language. To truly teach a student from a
different culture, you must first understand their native culture and incorporate aspects of it
into the classroom. If as student is simply forced to abandon their culture and adopt a new one,
they will struggle unnecessarily along the way. When we incorporate the values, traditions, and
norms of the native culture into the curriculum and classroom activities, we can build on a
students prior knowledge and help make the new language and content more meaningful to
him or her. More than that, we can learn about diverse cultures along the way through a
learning collaborative with ELLs and their families.
3. Observing, Planning, Implementing, and Managing Instruction should be done with a students
cultural background, interests, learning profile, and limitations in mind. To reach all learners, the
instruction should be differentiated to meet all learning styles and should be modified to suit
each ELLs level of proficiency. Furthermore, prior knowledge and cultural background should be
incorporated to ensure academic success
4. Assessment is probably just as important in language acquisition and development in our ESL
classes as the instructional methods and materials. Without formative assessments, we would
not be able to identify the areas that ELLs need to work on, and we would have no record of
their progress. In language development, if we do not correct errors and build on prior learning,
then ELLs will not every full acquire the language skills they need to be fully integrated into our
schools and our society.
5. Professionalism is fundamental when it comes to being an effective teacher. If a teacher does
not conduct his or herself professionally, then he or she will not earn the respect of the students

or their parents. In order to learn, students need structure in the classroom and have a set of
rules and procedures to follow in order to feel safe and focused. In an ESL classroom, a teacher
will be confronted with language and cultural barriers. It is so important for an ESL teacher to
maintain the highest level of professionalism when encountering the obstacles that come with
teaching students of other cultures.

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