As I have been working with S, I have realized the importance of a good and cohesive ELL department to support students in transitioning into the United States school system.
On a logistical and realistic level, SBHS is following federal education standards, in their ELL program. The federal government has given the school a special formula title 3 grant in order to create an up to standard ELL program. While the school's ELL population is only 2%, the resources they do have are impeccable.
On the South Burlington High School webpage there is a page specifically for the English Language Learners Department. On the page, their personal mission statement reads as follows:
“The South Burlington School District is a diverse community with students and families from many countries and around the world. It is our belief that through knowledge and a commitment to understanding and getting to know each other, our lives are enriched as well as community. To acknowledge, utilize and promote these value inherent in this diversity, and to best serve all students, we have developed this resource guide. We encourage students, staff, families and community members to learn more about our South Burlington School Community and the many ways we can support each other’s learning.”
The page also includes contact information for the two ELL teachers who work at SBHS as well as a link to “Can Do Booklet” and “Resources for English Language Learners.”
The WIDA Can Do booklet has in depth information on the different WIDA levels standards to work towards, performance definitions, and Can Do Descriptors for grades 9-12. For Example, An ELL students who shows a level 3 (developing) ability in Listening will be able to:
- Evaluate information in social and academic conversation
- Distinguish main ideas from supporting points in Oral Conversation.
- Content related discourse
- Use learning strategies to describe orally
- Categorize content based examples, described orally.
Here are the links:
Can-Do Booklet: https://www.sbschools.net/cms/lib/VT01819219/Centricity/Domain/81/CanDoBooklet9-12.pdf
Resources for English Language Learners: https://vt01819219.schoolwires.net/cms/lib/VT01819219/Centricity/domain/81/ell_resources/ELL_Resources.html
By working with S on every Tuesday and
Friday morning I am also able to interact with the ELL teachers, mostly Mrs. W.
Mrs. W’s strategies and calm coaxing with the students. When I tutor S, Mrs. W
has a class in the same classroom at the same time. She is always calm and
composed. She always has a clear and concise agenda of the activities for the
day. She is also very hands on with her students. When she hands back assignments
she goes over everything with them individually. She points out the things they
did well on, and where the students need to improve.
She
also, uses her body to act out difficult concepts that are hard to understand
just by explaining verbally. I remember she was describing how when our bodies
are in motion, it makes energy for the cells and she was running around the
room.
As
an ELL teacher it is Mrs. W’s job to make sure that her students continue to
improve their WIDA scores and their overall understanding of the English
Language. I specifically remember Mrs.
W, talking to S about his Lab Report. While his sentence structure is improving,
he always forgets the letter S. For example S, would write “He wait for the
bus.” When it fact it should be, “He waits for the bus.” In this instance Mrs.
W had to give S some tough love. While she knows S is very smart and she knows
he understands the topics, his writing and grammar skills need to improve in
order for his work to truly show how capable S is as a student.
