Family Unit - MI Activies & Choices Board

So, I'm taking this online class about differentiation - what it is, how to do it, etc.  As a result, I've completed two assignments that might actually be useful.  Both are to be used when teaching a unit about Family to English language learners.

The first is a list of activities tailored to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.  The second is a board of twelve activities students can choose from to help them explore the words and concepts associated with family.  Each set of activities (MI or Student Choice) can be tiered (i.e. simple, right on, challenging) for students' linguistic and background knowledge.

Hope you find them useful.

Multiple Intelligence	Activity
Bodily/Kinesthetic	Create a bust of a family member out of clay.
Verbal/Linguistic	Give a five minute presentation to the class on the topic “The Reason Family is Important”.
Naturalist	Find an example in nature that represents your grandmother or grandfather and write a paragraph about it.  For instance, my grandmother is like a yellow daffodil because she….
Interpersonal	Compare and contrast you and one of your siblings.  If you are an only child, use a close cousin for the activity.
Musical/Rhythmic	Perform a chant or rhyme describing your mom or dad.  Highlight as many of their features as possible (i.e. hair color, height, eye color, etc.)
Visual/Spatial	Create/Diagram your family tree.  Use family photos or draw your own illustrations.  Remember to label each person (i.e. mother, father, etc.) and their birthdate.
Intrapersonal	Begin a blog titled, “My Crazy Family,” and create one entry a day for one week.  Each entry should highlight one or more crazy things that have happened in your family that day.
Logical/Mathematical	Create a timeline showing the intervals at which you and your family members were born.  Include siblings, parents, grandparents and close aunts/uncles.

1.  FAMILY TREE Draw or create a collage of pictures into a family tree diagram and label each family member. (research & writing)	2.  PHOTO ALBUM/SCRAPBOOK Draw or collect pictures for a photo album or scrapbook and label each family member. (art , technology & writing)	3.  ORAL REPORT Collect information and give an oral report about one or more family members.  Who they are, their relationship to you, what they are like, and other personal information. (research & speaking)
4.  FASCINATING FACTS: ARTIFACT/FAMILY HEIRLOOM Identify a family heirloom or artifact from your family that is important.  Write a FACT sheet about the item.  What it is, why it is important to the family, who owns it, where it came from, etc. (speaking, listening, & writing)	5.  INTERVEIW Make a list of questions you would like to ask a family member and conduct an interview.  Remember to take notes and compose the answers into a written interview for a newspaper or magazine. (speaking, listening & writing)	6.  MAP Draw a map of important places in your family or family history.  Label each place and list it’s significance. (art, research & writing)
7.  POSTER PRESENTATION/TIMELINE Create a poster or timeline of important events and the family members involved. (research, art, & writing)	8.  FAMILY MEMIOR Write down a family memory.  Remember to include specific information about the memory such as names, places, dates, and other details.  Draw or include pictures to illustrate the memory. (art & writing)	9.  BIOGRAPHY Choose a family member and write a biography about them.  The biography should be two to three paragraphs long. (research & writing)
10.  SONG/POEM Write a song or poem about family.  Use a familiar tune (like Row, Row Row Your Boat) or a rhyming pattern to help you get started. (music & writing)	11.  POWER POINT PRESENTATION Create a presentation about family.  It should answer the following questions:  What is a family?  Who makes up a family?  How many people are in a family?  What does “extended family” mean?  Provide examples with pictures. (technology & writing)	12.  FAMILY PORTRAIT Draw or paint a family portrait.  Label each person in the portrait. (art & writing)

Fall Reading Lesson

Not sure who, if anyone, is interested in this blog, but I just finished a series of three lessons based on the book The Falling Leaves and the Scarecrow.  It was very enjoyable for the third grade ESL students.  It can be easily adapted for other grades.  If I had more than three days, we could've really done so much more.  Each lesson we read the book out loud.  I added some scaffolding such as a word bank with pictures for writing activity B, which aren't noted in the lesson plan.

Hope you get to try it.

Next week, they will begin partner reading through the PALS for grades 2-6.

The Falling Leaves and the Scarecrow

By Steve Metzger

ELP Standard(s):	Listening 1.1 – Follow modeled directions, supported with visuals. Speaking 2.1 – Produce basic words and familiar phrases that can be understood. Reading 3.1 – Recognize, repeat, and/or read aloud rehearsed words, phrases, sentences and basic reading materials, with extensive support. Writing 4.1 – Write numbers and all letters of the alphabet legibly in manuscript.
Newcomer themes/ideas:	Color words, Seasons, Times of Day (dawn, morning, afternoon, night), Fall vocabulary (tree, leaf/leaves, autumn, scarecrow)
Content Area Connections:	Science
Examine Data:	IPT scores/assessment
Assessment:	Informal – Informal Student Interview (see below) Formal – A Color Collage booklet, Seasons of the Year, Label the Color Wheel
Resources:	One of more copy of the book for read aloud/activities (published by Scholastic © 2004)

Informal Student Interview – Conducted individually or in stations

Purpose:

To determine if and/or to what extent the student knows his/her colors.

Procedure:

1.     Ask the student to point out something in the room that is one of the basic color words.  (Receptive language vocabulary)

a.    “Point to (show me) something that is _____________.”

b.    If the student accurately identifies an object of named color, mark it as “known” in the RLV column.

c.     If the student does not accurately identify an object of named color, do not attempt to correct but simply mark it as “unknown” in the RLV column.

d.    Move on to the next color using the same prompt.

2.     Hold up an object and ask the student to identify the color using a color word.  (Productive language vocabulary)

a.    Hold up one object at a time.  Ask, “What color is this?”

b.    If the student accurately names the color of the held object, mark it as “known” in the PLV column.

c.     If the student does not accurately name the color of the held object, do not correct but mark it as “unknown” in the PLV column.

3.     Display sheets of construction paper in the nine basic colors (read, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, white).

a.    Provide paper that is numbered from 1-9.  Place corresponding numbers on the colored sheets of construction paper.

b.    Ask students to write down the name of the color of construction paper on each line.

c.     Students who struggle with this activity should be provided a matching activity whereby they are given the word already written on separate cards and match it to the corresponding color of construction paper.

4.     Ask students to take the Color Quiz – What Color Am I?

Learning Experiences

Activity 1:  Anticipatory Set

·      Display a chart of the seasons summer, fall/autumn, winter, spring.

·      Ask students to work in pairs and identify which season is which.

·      Ask them to write down the names on a piece of paper or white board.

·      Check their knowledge as a group.

·      Ask students what type of weather occurs during each season.  (Take any answer and make a chart on the board.)

           

 Activity 2:  Presentation of New Language/Concepts

·      Display the front cover of the book without the title.

·      Ask students to name things they see on the cover.

·      Ask them what they think the story might be about (making predictions).

·      Read the story out loud to students.

Activity 3:  Book Talk 

            Using one or more of the following prompts, lead students to talk about the story with their peers either in pairs or as a whole group.

Pre/Early Production:

·      Point to the __________.  (knowledge)

·      Is this book about fall?  (comprehension)

·      Show me the (red, yellow, blue, green) leaf?  (knowledge)

·      Which one is the (farmer, crow, _____ color tree)?  (knowledge)

Speech Emergence:

·      This book was about …. (retell/summarize)

·      Why did the farmer make a scarecrow?  “The farmer made the scarecrow to ….” (inference, analysis)

·      How would you change the main idea of the story?  (synthesis)

Intermediate Fluency:

·      Compare the farmer’s opinion of the scarecrow at the beginning of the story and at the end.  “The farmer __________ at the beginning of the story, but at the end of the story the farmer was __________.”  (analyze)

·      Why was it good that the trees helped their friend the scarecrow?  “It was good that the trees helped the scarecrow because _________.”  Where in the story does it tell us that?  (text dependent question, analysis)

·      Pretend you were there to help the scarecrow.  What would you do?  (synthesis)

Activity 4:  Application

            Students choose from one of the three writing activities below.  Students may complete more than one if time allows.

·      Summarize the main idea of the story.  Write about who is in the story (characters), what happened (plot) and how it ended (resolution).

·      Write down several things that you hear, feel, see and smell on a nice fall day.  Write sentences or a short paragraph using these observations.

·      Story/paragraph starter, “My favorite thing about fall is….”  Write three or four sentences.

Content Connection:

·      Independent reading and response to “Why do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?”

Anchor Activities for Vocabulary Building:

·      Autumn word search

·      Fall acrostic

·      Story sequencing

·      Color chart/matching

·      Seasons

·      Times of day

Assessment:

·      Matching (colors, seasons)

·      Fill-in-the-blank

L

Readyfest

Today is Readyfest at our school. I've never been before but will be going with my daughter. My guess is that students and parents can come and meet their teachers, see the school and get settled in. I think it's an excellent idea. We'll see.

Unfortunately I've gotten no notification of any such events at my son's school, and I must confess, I'm disappointed that they aren't involving parents more in the process. After all, it is my child's first day of Kindergarten.

Another Year On the Horizon...

Last year, I chose to move from a job in which I was challenged and actively engaged in making a difference for kids and teachers to a position that would allow me to work less and drive less. The goal was to be home with my children more. I went from pseudo administrative work with teachers and administrators to a part-time teaching position.

I love teaching. I love young people. I was challenged. I enjoy a challenge. I didn't feel overall that I had a real impact on student achievement or with my new colleagues (minus a few exceptions), however. I can't say I enjoyed the job a lot. But I did learn a lot - about the school and its students. About teaching an underprivileged population that is in an overwhelmingly dysfunctional system (forgive me my bluntness).

That was year one with this school, in this position. In less than two weeks, I begin year two. I trust it will be better. I trust I will learn a lot more. I trust I will make even more mistakes. I hope to have a greater impact on the kids, my colleagues and the school system. I want to be intentional and for my actions and activities to have purpose.

I, we, live in such a privileged society and take so much for granted. Help me, Lord, to share with others and give of myself this year in ways that will glorify You and benefit those around me.

Here's to another school year....

Nearly There

Schools nearly out for the year. We had to add four days as a result of school closings due to the hurricane (September)and snowstorms (January). Although the year has gone quickly, it still seems like a long year all around. Many days I feel as though I spin my wheels, very ineffective and unknowlegable. There are days, however, when I feel like some good has been accomplished. Most days I just wonder if its really worth it.

Is it worthwhile to run around, so busy that I forget to pray?

Is it worthwhile to work almost every night after my children go to bed just to stay ahead of the meetings and trust someone will hear what's being said?

Is it worthwhile to be so isolated that I have only one friend whom I spend time with?

Is it worthwhile to be a part of the church body where you are known only because you volunteer for things, not because of who you are?

Sometimes I wonder, like Solomon, what is truly worthwhile and how do I get there?

Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Great website

A great website to create handwriting and practicing your name worksheets is:

www.eslwritingwizard.com

Enjoy!

Ohio TESOL

Keep your eye on Ohio TESOL's website for information about the fall conference.