Name of  Module: Using the Internet to Support English Language Learners in the Middle Grades

 

Topic(s): Teaching lessons on Amazon Rain Forest (science) and  Lewis and Clark Expedition (history) to 7th grade English Language Learners, ESL strategies

 

Course: Techniques of Teaching English Language Learners (ELL)

 

Designed by: Ethel Tiersky, Kay McSpadden

 

Duration: 2  weeks

 

Brief  Description: In  this module, pre-service middle school teachers will  be introduced to and practice with search engines and websites for the following instructional purposes: 1)  to master Internet research skills and be able to assist students in  such skills;  2) to provide support for ELL studying middle school units on the rain forest and the Lewis and Clark Expedition; 3) to provide ELL with appropriate Internet materials related to the various subjects they study and to the reading and writing skills they will need to work with diverse content.  Pre-service teachers will become acquainted with a large number of sites useful to English language learners. The pre-service teachers will also develop middle school  Internet assignments  that  English language learners can use to practice reading and writing skills online.  This module will also include

 1) instruction and practice in evaluating websites in accordance with specific, established guidelines; and 2) discussion of the various plug-ins, etc. that may be  needed to download websites with animation and/or sound.

 

Description of  Learners: Pre-Service Middle School Teachers. Students tend to be 25 years of age or older, mostly women.  Many are immigrants for whom English is a second language.  Some may have been teachers in their country of origin but lack educational requirements for U. S. teacher certification.  Those born in the U.S. may have begun college courses at the developmental level; some are minorities.  Students from all of these groups may be single parents and may be working full time and also going to school full time.  Some may be going to school part time.  They may not have computers at home and may have minimal or no computer skills.

 

Prerequisite Skills: Basic computer skills, including some ability to search the Internet, use Microsoft Word, download plug-ins, and do quizzes online.

 

Goal: To develop pre-service teachers who are highly qualified to support achievement of second language learners in content areas.

 

Objectives: By the end of the module, pre-service teachers will know and be able to do the following:

               Use strategies to support English language learners;

               Use technology as one strategy for supporting English language learners;

               Evaluate content-area websites for appropriateness for English language learner support at the seventh grade level;

               Find and use appropriate activities on ESL websites to support English language learning for a specific lesson at the 7th grade level.

 

 

Instructional Strategies: Technology Integration, English  Language Learner Support

 

Implementation:

  1. Familiarize pre-service teachers with  basic computer and Internet knowledge and strategies, including the following:
    1. Identifying the platform, PC or Mac, in use on the classroom computer(s), the school lab computers, and the studentsÕ home computers
    2. Identifying version of the operating system in use: capabilities of newer versions, limitations of older versions in Internet use
    3. Use of Basic Windows/Mac OS, Microsoft Word functions
    4. Use of plug-ins and applications needed for operating audio, interactive, and animated features of some websites:

1)     For pdf files: Adobe Acrobat Reader

2)     For sound: RealPlayer, QuickTime

3)     For video: ShockWave, Micromedia Flash

4)     For viewing PowerPoint presentation: PowerPointPlayer

5)     For reading Zip files: Winzip, Stuffit

  1. Using a lesson on the Amazon Rain Forest as a model
    1. Become familiar with  two search engines for children: Google.com/Directory/Kids and Teens/School Time and Yahooligans.com. by using them to find websites on the Amazon Rain Forest at an appropriate easy reading level for 7th grade ELL, that is, below grade reading level
    2. Practice developing lessons that ELL can use with these websites to support their learning about the rain forest.  Examples:

1)     ELL can watch a movie on Brain Pop and write 3 things they learned about the rain forest

2)     Teacher can choose a movie for ELL to watch and create an exercise to go with the movie

3)     Teacher can create a glossary to go with the movie

4)     Class can create a book about rain forest animals, with each student contributing one animal.  ELL can participate by finding the information they need on an easy-reading website

    1. Use websites in several disciplines to identify language structures that are typically used in each discipline.  Examples: In science, typical language strategies include comparatives and superlatives, passive voice, conditional sentences; in history, past tense, including irregular past tense; in geography, simple present tense.
    2. Acquaint pre-service teachers with some ESL websites they might use to help ELL; create a lesson plan  that requires 7th graders  to use some of these ESL websites as support.  (See list of sites at end of module.)
    3. Identify strategies for evaluating ESL websites for underlying theory and appropriate level.
    4. Assign pre-service teachers to create ELL support for a lesson in a different discipline, for example, a history lesson on the Lewis and Clark expedition. 

 

3. Pre-service teachers will become familiar with reading strategies and graphic organizers especially helpful to ELL.  (Examples: the RAFT writing prompt has students playing a role and writing for a specific audience, such as an Amazon rainforest restaurant owner writing a menu to attract customers.  The Problem/Solution Chart has students reading for information that would clarify the problem of rain forest destruction and suggest possible solutions.  To do either of these activities, students might use information read online or in print.)

 

 

Assessment:  Pretest: to evaluate the studentsÕ Internet research skills

Portfolio: students will demonstrate their Internet skills by creating a unit on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  It will include online work in reading, writing, and grammar.

 

Resources/Materials Required:  Consultations with a linguistics and/or ESL teacher, a middle school teacher, and an Internet specialist.

 

Suggested next step: 1) creation of a more extensive list of good sites for middle school student in the following categories: grammar, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, listening comprehension, pronunciation practice, and computer skills; 2) addition of a list of good rain forest sites at various reading levels; 3) development of connections between specific subject matter and related  language skills in additional academic areas. (For example, in studying the human body or world geography, students would use the simple present tense extensively, so ELL would need to practice the -s ending on third person singular verbs.)

 

Some Web sites Useful for ELL:

 

DaveÕs ESL Cafˇ: http://www.eslcafe.com

Extensive links to other ESL sites; ESL quizzes; long list of phrasal verbs with definitions and sample sentences

 

ESL Blues(s): http://www.collegeem.qc.ca/cemdept/anglais/trouindx.htm     

High-tech, entertaining material at three levels: pre-intermediate, intermediate, and high intermediate; a great deal for grammar and some for reading; quizzes, games, and tutorials.

 

IsabelÕs ESL Site: http://www.isabelperez.com

This site is directed toward Spanish-speaking children, grades 3 Š 12. It has a lot of grammar and links to key pal sites.

 

KarinÕs ESL Partyland for ESL Students and Teachers: http://eslpartyland.com

two sections, one for teachers and one for students.  The teacher section contains lesson plans and reproducible material.  The site also has an Internet scavenger hunt for students working in pairs.

 

Interesting Things for ESL Students: www.ManyThings.org  This is a good site for vocabulary development.  Activities are funŃgames, puzzles, interactive quizzes.

 

Ask Mr. ESL:  http://gepc.org/ESL  

Students can 1) ask a question about English; 2) view archives of past questions and answers; 3) subscribe to receive e-mail messages from the site twice a week. 

 

 

SandyÕs Grammar Rules: http://faculty.ccc.edu/selbaum

This site can also be accessed via Google.com by entering the site name. The site contains at least 150 grammar rules with examples and practice exercises.  ItÕs interactive, animated, and fun.