Help Me! Signs

One of the first things ESL teachers need to give new students is survival phrases in English. A great strategy is to use Help Me! Signs. These little signs serve as signals that new students can wave to show the teacher when they are not understanding something. They are great for whole group instruction -- I've used them during read-alouds to post-it note pages that need to be re-explained. Give 'em a try!

All you need is index cards, large straws, tape, and a marker.

Write the phrases you want your children to know on the cards. Pre-teaching all of this vocabulary is the vital step! These sayings will help them later on learning more English or other languages and content vocabulary.

                

Flip the cards over and tape the straws to the back of them....

And they're ready to use! Enjoy :)

                         

Some of my cuties on pajama day!

Phoning in on Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness, or the ability to recognize and manipulate phonemes (individual sounds in a language) is one of the most vital components to early literacy skills. Being able to recognize that sounds are related to symbols, characters, or letters and eventually words (phonics) leads to strong readers.

METALINGUISITC AWARENESS

Just as metacognition ("thinking about thinking" or "knowing about knowing") is a general educational practice for all grades, metalinguistic awareness (the ability to objectify a language - or understand when you are speaking one or an other) needs to be highlighted when teaching ESL students literacy.

Since young children are learning to read and write and their metacognition and metalinguistic awareness are still being developed, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness (in preferably BOTH languages) helps students realize that they speak two languages.

Imagine if you were a young ESL-er riding on two sets of train tracks that take you to the same place; The train tracks represent language (the means/way of understanding a message) and the place represents the meaning or message of the communication act (the point of saying something). Since you don't know how to read and write yet, you don't SEE that you are riding on different tracks, but you can HEAR it.

PHONEMIC AWARENESS PRACTICE IN ESL

This is why phonemic awareness is so important. Not only does it build literacy skills but it help differentiate the sounds between languages, which ultimately leads to the understanding of one's own bi- or multilingualism (metalinguistic awareness)!

A way I introduce metalinguistic awareness is that I tell my students, "You know you speak more than one language because you understand what your family says to you at home, and when you come to school, you understand what I tell you! Even though the sounds your family makes and the sounds I make are different, you still know what I'm saying!" (Despite metalinguistic awareness NOT being part of the general curriculum, it is incredibly important to language development and needs to be taught in ESL classrooms.)

Young ESL children are absolutely NOT the on the same playing field as native English speakers in regards to literacy. Their brains are competing to build a working system of understanding between two sets of sounds - or two languages. Phonemic awareness in both languages builds a foundation of bi-literacy. One great strategy to focus on phonemic awareness is using phones!

The phones are simply made plastic tubes with a curve. Students hold the phones up to their ear and mouth and speak into them so they can hear their own voices and they sounds they make. These are great for rote speaking practices, repeating, and daily routines where speaking is involved. Other teachers use them in areas when children hold the phones while reading a list of letters and sight words out loud. I've even witness some of my children exit their silent period with the use of these phones. They love speaking into them and hearing the sounds they make - give it a try! You'll definitely see some light bulbs on you bright, shining students!

 

On a budget? Head to the local hardware store and pick up some elbow PVC piping. Works like magic (for less)!

Being Culturally Responsive at Open House

Open house is a time for teachers and families to come together to share the growth of the children. It's important for teachers to showcase what English language learning children HAVE ACCOMPLISHED rather than what they have not -- especially when the parents may not be English speaking!

A culturally responsive Open House includes teachers stressing the importance and relavance of children learning to speak, read, write, and understand their home language. Although the parents may not know English, they know their home language -- which is a vital component of second language acquisition!

FIRST LANGUAGE LITERACY TRANSLATES TO SECOND LANGAUGE LITERACY!

A great strategy is for teachers to ask families to teach their children how to write their names in their native language. Teachers can provide resources for practice.

I was lucky to learn how to write my name in Tigrynia!

UB Course

What's for Dinner?

Eritrean food is! Eritrea is a small country on the coast of the Red Sea, neighboring Ethiopia. Their cuisine is similar to Ethiopian and just as tasty. Buffalo's Eritrean community is on the rise--so take advantage of their amazing culinary cuisine!

A former ESL student had us over for Beef Tibbs--a typical dish found in Ethiopian restaurants. First, they chopped the onion and fried it in a little oil.

Next, they added finely chopped beef...

Next, they took out the injera (a crepe-like bread) and laid it on a large plate.

And finally, they served the dish by spreading the Tibbs over the injera.

REMEMBER! It is culturally apropriate to eat with only your right hand!

ENJOY!

Don't be a stranger to the refugee community -- they love to share their culture and cuisine!

See what's cookin' in your neighborhood :)

BELL Network December Flyer

Voices of Youth Roundtable

Stephen Krashen

Stephen Krashen is one the forefathers in ESL education and his work has been studied in universities since it was hot off the presses, right along with Chomsky and Skinner. This video shows the importance of using SIOP components and makes the audience think of how instructional models should be used (at least it made me think of how explicit instruction is being used all wrong in some schools with ELLs). Though riddled with charming 1980s awkwardness, this video sums up the foundation of language learning.

Take a look at the 1980's superhero of SLA:

Sand Letters

We all know kindergarten is the perfect time to learn letters, but this activity is fun and engaging for all students to practice gross motor skills and letter formation! Keeping learning light and enjoyable encourages not only content knowledge growth, but language development as well. Try this out!

Have a couple old baking sheets? (I went to thrift stores and the local dollar store!)

Have some cheap spray paint and a flat surface?

Paint front and back...

Add sand or shaving cream to the pans -- not too much! Just enough for students to be able to see the color show through. 

Have fun!

Thanks to Kim Parzymieso for the great idea!!

NYSABE

DACA

Karen Wrist Tying Ceremony

This week, the doors to the Buffalo Karen Baptist Church opened wide in a beautiful celebration that united the community with the annual Karen Wrist Tying Ceremony. 

The ceremony included over 100 Karen people from Buffalo's west side and other members of the community reaching as far as Rochester, NY. The tying of wrists symbolizes a binding and uniting of the Karen people in spirit from all around the world.

The event began with an elaborate plating of fruits, flowers, and food such as coconut, banana, oranges, carnations, lotus flowers, and rice wrapped in banana leaves. The elders sat on one side of the table as the teenaged generation sat before them in traditional garments to open the ceremony.

After the elders gently tied the soft, light white and red string of the second-generation Karen children, the flood gates seemed to open. People lovingly and courteously crowded the tables to be next in line to have the blessing from the elders, often times offering their spot in line for the person behind them.

All members had a chance to participate. The person opposite the elder held the fruit and offerings in one hand, while the elder blessed the wrist by praying aloud and sweeping their fingers over their wrist then gently wrapping the string around it. The fruit was placed from one hand to another and the elder did the same to the opposite wrist. At the end of the blessing, they placed a piece of the blessed fruit on the top of the head to conclude the ritual. 

During the ceremony, traditional music was sung and played by members of the Karen community.

After the wrist tying was complete, a fantastic buffet of food was displayed in the back of the hall and the young ladies and gentlemen of the Karen vanished, only to appear in beautifully adorned dance and traditional outfits. 

 
Note from the author: As an American teacher and newcomer to many cultures, I am always excited and grateful to be welcomed into new cultures. While walking into the church, I was greeted by warm smiles by many former students, parents, and even strangers in the community. I felt like I was at home immediately -- especially when I was swarmed by a helpful group of laughing Karen women for wearing my new longyi (a beautiful skirt from Eh Thaw's mom) upside down!

This experience was eye-opening and exhilarating. I've never felt more at home in the city I love by such a wonderful, loving group of people. Even though it's been very few days since the wrist tying, I know I'll wear my new welcoming-sign for many days to come.