Helping English Language Learners Succeed

Helping English Language Learners
Succeed!
Outreach Resources for
ELL Educators
Presenter: Lydia Breiseth, WETA
LBreiseth@weta.org
The American Federation of Teachers, an
affiliate of the AFL-CIO, represents nearly
3,000 local affiliates nationwide, 43 state
affiliates, and more than 1.4 million members.
WETA is a community-based public
broadcasting TV and radio station serving
the Washington, DC area.
ColorinColorado.org is a bilingual
website offering free resources to
educators and parents of English
language learners (ELLs).
Why is the AFT so concerned with this issue?
ELLs still tend to be
concentrated in urban
school districts such as:
• Boston
• Corpus Christi
• Houston
• Hartford
• Los Angeles
• New York City
• Miami
• San Antonio
And rapidly growing in
smaller cities like:
• Hammond, IN
• Dalton, GA
• Durham, NC
Photo credit: George Tuley, American Teacher, Oct/Nov 2009
Questions from
Teachers
• Does it help if my ELLs know how to read in
Spanish?
• I have a variety of levels in my ESL class.
How do I differentiate instruction?
• Do you have any strategies for
teaching ELLs word problems?
• How can I communicate with
parents who do not speak English?
ColorinColorado.org was successful in
providing great information for parents,
but we knew something was missing…
Information for educators!
So, the Reading Rockets Project of
PBS Station WETA and AFT
decided to collaborate to create
practical, online, research-based
information for educators on how to
teach English Language Learners to
read, learn, and succeed in the
classroom…
It was the start of a beautiful
partnership!
Why is it called Colorín
Colorado?
Most Spanish-speakers recognize
the playful phrase “colorín colorado”
from the verse that many children
and adults say after reading or
sharing a story: “¡Y colorín,
colorado, este cuento se ha
acabado! ” (This story has ended!)
Those who grew up speaking
Spanish often smile when they hear
the name of our site, because the
verse brings back happy memories
of childhood for people of all ages.
Educator Resources
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Research-Based Articles
Tip Sheets
Research Reports
Multimedia Professional Development Tools
Recommended Websites
Bilingual Booklists
Monthly Newsletters
FAQs from Other Educators
Parent Outreach Materials
English/Spanish Cognates
Cognates are words in two
languages that have a similar
meaning, spelling, and
pronunciation.
30-40% of all words in English
have a Spanish cognate.
Colorín Colorado provides a
number of resources and
activities to help you use
cognates as a bridge for your
ELLs, including a list of more
than 300 English/Spanish
cognates.
Reading Highlights
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Reading 101 for ELLs
Articles focused on Vocabulary, Fluency, etc.
Reading Instruction by Grade (PreK-12)
Teacher Tip Sheets for Grades 4-12
Webcasts such as: “Teaching ELLs to Read”
Latino/Multicultural Literacy Development
Content Resources
• Math: Reading and Understanding Written
Math Problems
• Science: Using Science to Develop ELLs'
Language Skills
• Social Studies: Using Timelines to
Enhance Comprehension
Making research
accessible:
Our growing
collection of
research and
reports brings
you the latest
news from the
ELL field!
Books and Authors
Books for Kids
• ELL Stories
• Migrant Stories
• Immigrant Stories
Books for Professionals
• Assessment
• Content Instruction
Meet the Author Interviews
• Francisco X. Alarcon
• Linda Sue Park
My Name Is Celia/Me llamo Celia.
By Monica Brown. Illustrated by Rafael
Lopez. Luna Rising, 2004.
Webcast Titles
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Intro to Middle and High School ELLs
ELLs and Academic Language
ELLs and Learning Disabilities
Assessment of English Language Learners
Comprehension: Helping ELLs Grasp the Full
Picture
• English Language Learners in Middle and High
School
• Reading to Learn: ELLs in Grades 4-6
• Teaching English Language
Learners to Read
Watch
video clips
from
Becoming
Bilingual,
hosted by
Rita
Moreno!
Other Resources for
Educators on
Colorín Colorado
ELL Starter Kit for Educators:
Tools for Monitoring
Language Skills
(available for download)
Including:
•Overall Language Performance
•Oral Communication Skills
•Reading Skills
•Fluency Skills
•Use of Comprehension Strategies
Other Helpful Resources:
•Common Classroom Phrases
•Cognates
•Recommended Bilingual Books
•Reading Tips for Parents (PK-3)
Parent Outreach Toolkit
•Provides useful information
about Latino cultures and
values
• Provides helpful
suggestions for involving
parents in the classroom
• Includes actual parent
workshops with video
components in English and
Spanish that focus on preK3 literacy development.
Bonus video clip focusing on
pre-adolescent ELL literacy
issues
• Includes handouts - just
copy and share!
• All is available and
downloadable online!
FREE Monthly E-newsletter
For Educators Featuring:
News from the ELL Field
ELL Strategies
Books and Authors
Recommended Resources
New Research Reports
Resources for
Paraprofessionals
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Reading strategies
Content-area strategies
Tips for working with parents
ELL college resources
How Can Parents Use Colorín Colorado?
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) information on how to
help their children read and succeed in school
• A monthly Spanish-language newsletter about
reading and the U.S. educational system
• Bilingual online video about reading
• Bilingual children’s book recommendations
Boletín informativo
sobre la lectura
FREE Spanish language
newsletter
for parents
…With a summary in
English so educators
can pick articles to
share with their
students’ parents!
Includes information
about reading and
helping children
succeed in school
Multilingual Reading Tips for Parents
Colorín Colorado &
Parent Involvement
Large-Scale
Events
Back-to-School
Night
Parent/Teacher
Conferences
After School
Programs
Parent Workshops
Newsletters
Literacy
Workshops
E-Mail Updates
Small Group
Presentations
How to Use Colorín Colorado for
Staff Professional Development
Here are some ideas!
Staff Training &
Orientation
Faculty Meetings
Newsletters and
E-Mail
Conferences and
Conventions
Grade-Level and
Department Meetings
Book Club
Professional development for:
ELL / ESL / Bilingual
Content-area
Mainstream
Special education
Literacy coaches
Parent liaisons
Administrators
Administrative / Building staff
Generic and
disciplinespecific
teaching skills:
FREE Monthly
e-newsletter
For Educators
Disciplinespecific
teaching skills:
Articles & Tip
Sheets
Book Study
Group:
Find
recommended
books &
research
reports
Critical
Inquiry:
Information,
strategies,
activities, and
resources for
all teachers of
ELLs
Facilitated
Study Groups:
Professional
development
webcasts
featuring
experts in the
field
Colorín Colorado Webcasts
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Are on a variety of critical topics
Can be used in small group settings
Encourage discussion and sharing
Allow both independent and group learning
Include recommended readings, discussion
questions, accompanying PowerPoint
presentation
Cutting-edge
multimedia:
Find video clips
related to researchbased articles…and
download them to
your computer or
iPod!
Professional
collaboration:
Ask for help
from other
practitioners
Coming Soon!
• ELL Resources for Administrators
• Information on Dual-language Programs
• Collaboration on Behalf of ELLs
• More Spanish Video for Parents
• Video Interviews: Meet the Experts
How you can help spread the word:
Join us on Facebook, Twitter, or Ning!
Hold a workshop or event
Use materials in training
Post links
Send e-mails
Tell parents
WETA Learning Media
Websites
Thank you!