The Language & Learning Post

Weekly News, Tips and information for the classroom teacher of English Language Learners!
Key Ideas--
This week I attended a work shop on Meta-Cognitive Thinking!
(Thinking about your thinking). I know you are ready to tune out
but WAIT!!!! The presenter did have a few golden nuggets I would
like to share.
She began the presentation my reminding us that the TEKS are
70% content and 30% process/problem solving. The
STAAR, however, is 70% process/problem solving and only
30% content!! This means that if we dont TEACH how to THINK,
our students are likely to struggle!
There are many things I could share but today I just want to give
you some bullets that were in her packet.
--- Ways to engourage Mata-cognative Thinking
* Pose questions that cause students to check for accuracy.
-How did you know?
-What other ways can you prove you are right?
*Pause and clarify
-Explain what you mean when you said you just figured it
out.
-When you said you started at the beginning how did
you know where to begin?
*Provide data and guidance, not answers
-You need to check your addition
*Resist making value judgements.
-So your answer is 48, who came up with a different
answer?
*Stay focused on the thinking process
-Tell us what strategy you used to solve the problem.
*Encourage persistence.
-Come on, you can do it!
ELPS FOCUS For the week of 2/3/14
Kinder
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FIrst
* 4! demonsLraLe
Lngllsh
comprehenslon
and expand
readlng skllls by
predlcung,
maklng
connecuons,
drawlng
lnferences and
concluslons from
LexL and graphlc
sources.
Second
* lnLernallze
new baslc and
academlc
language by
uslng and
reuslng lL ln
meanlngful ways
ln speaklng and
wrlung acuvlues
LhaL bulld
concepL and
language
aualnmenL.[1L]
Third
*!4l] demonsLraLe
Lngllsh
comprehenslon
and expand
readlng skllls by
employlng baslc
readlng skllls such
as demonsLraung
undersLandlng of
supporung ldeas
and deLalls ln LexL
and graphlc
sources,
summarlzlng LexL,
and dlsungulshlng
maln ldeas from
deLalls.
Fourth
* 4l uemonsLraLe
Lngllsh
comprehenslon
and expand
readlng skllls by
employlng baslc
readlng skllls such
as demonsLraung
undersLandlng of
supporung ldeas
and deLalls ln LexL
and graphlc
sources,
Fifth
* 4! Lngllsh
comprehenslon
and expand
readlng skllls by
employlng
lnferenual skllls
such as predlcung,
maklng
connecuons
beLween ldeas,
drawlng lnferences
and concluslons
from LexL and
graphlc sources,
and ndlng
supporung LexL
evldence
commensuraLe
wlLh conLenL-area
needs.
Sixth
* 4! Lngllsh
comprehenslon
and expand
readlng skllls by
employlng
lnferenual skllls
such as predlcung,
maklng
connecuons
beLween ldeas,
drawlng lnferences
and concluslons
from LexL and
graphlc sources,
and ndlng
supporung LexL
evldence
commensuraLe
wlLh conLenL-area
needs.
by, Alissa Tubbs
ESL Teacher
Lawrence
Strategy vs. Activity
Is there a difference?
Strategy = HOW Activity= what
Our kids need strategies.
They need to be taught the how.
-- It is a strategy if... it is taught early and then used and
perfected the rest of your life!
-- It is a strategy if... it is used across curriculum!
Here is the a list of some of the strategies we use and teach..
-- aking questions
clarifying information
using cognates
using prefix, root and suffix
background knowledge
making a plan
persistence
collaboration
visuals
thinking flexibly
thinking aloud
searching for patterns
makings graphs, charts & drawings......just to name a few
Your ELLs (and all your students) need to learn to verbalize their
strategy. Its not just what you know, its HOW you got there!!