Standards:
-Danielson Group Framework 1B (The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.)
-InTASC Standard 1 (The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.)
Learning Objective:
Teachers will be able to explain to fellow teachers the stages of language acquisition to a greater degree than when they arrived (tied to Bloom’s second level, comprehension).
Learning Strategies:
ENGAGE- The instructor will welcome everyone and state the day’s objectives as well as the next 90 minute learning period’s objective. She will say, “Over the next hour and a half we will be engaging in activities related to language acquisition, the process of becoming fluent in a second language. In order for you to gain an empathy for the process in which these students you teach go through, please take a few minutes to explore and make meaning of the following website, all in French: http://www.uni.edu/becker/french31.html.” Once the group has had a chance to play on the website, the instructor will bring the whole group back together and transition to the next activity by first asking the learners to share their feelings and then say at the end, “As you listen, learn, and share over the six hours, please keep those feelings in mind in an effort to gain empathy for your second language learners.”
ELICIT- The instructor will briefly share explanation of language acquisition theory, the specifics about newcomers, and a brief explanation of the other levels as well as what the four domains of language are (see PowerPoint slides above). Then the instructor will put the ELDT Excel sheet (ELDT) on their screens and facilitate a Think-Pair-Share activity about experiences the learners have had with students from each proficiency level (describe student, describe your attitude, describe your classroom, describe your other students’ reaction/partnership with these students). To change the descriptors on the Excel sheet, change the numbers (1-5) in each language domain. This sheet would be used for individual students corresponding to their standardized language test scores.
EXPLORE- The learners will review information from the resource (http://springdale.sharpschool.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_2942959/File/Departments/ESOL/ELDT.pdf) shared with them on Google Drive file and make notes in groups of 4. Each group will either look closely at the domain of reading, writing, listening, or speaking with a focus thought of a newcomer, intermediate, or advanced ELL. The instructor will tell each group which type of student and domain to focus their attention on. The instructor will make everyone aware of the fact that there are often various names or number designations for the levels, but they are easiest to identify for today’s purposes as newcomer, intermediate, and advanced. All groups will have access to all the notes pages but they will try to keep focused on their specific criteria. There are more resources than they will be able to read thoroughly in the time allotted, so the instructor will encourage them to skip around.
EXPLAIN- Groups of 4 will combine their notes from the research and present to the rest of the groups some of the trends or ah-ha moments they discovered while reading and discussing in their small group. The instructor will make notes of how each group reflected to check for understanding, redirecting or emphasizing key points as needed. See the checklist on the PowerPoint Slide, “Small Group Activity 2” for what the instructor will be looking for from each group. This will be her way of assessing their presentations.
ELABORATE- Each group will be given a proficiency level descriptor from the Excel file and will draw a picture of a student on chart paper and include a few notes about what to look for in their language ability in the classroom (each will be given a different grade level and subject area to use). They will formulate a back story (or simple case study) for their student (name, country of origin, educational background, family life, exposure to English, etc.). The instructor will come around to dialogue about the teams’ work and then have each group present briefly in the next section.
EXTEND- Each group will design a quick role play of their interaction with that student from the previous section, using information they have learned so far today. Each group will record themselves on their phone performing this role play and upload them all to the same YouTube channel.
EVALUATE- Learners will complete a virtual mind map to show that they understand how levels of language acquisition progress and how each of the domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing) requires different skills. See the attached mind map as an example of what the instructor might expect from the learners. Here is an example: MindMapLesson1
Coli Escher 