robnieto


 * Unit Picture: 1965 Mustang Ford Motor Co.**

__**Main Novel**__ : //The Outsiders// Hinton, S.E.,Puffin Books 1967
 * Unit Resources:**
 * Websites: []**
 * Poems:**
 * []** "Nothing Gold Can Stay" Poem By Robert Frost
 * __Article:__** //10 People indicted for beating of thousand oaks man,// Hernandez, Raul, Ventura County Star: July, 21st 2010

__**Movie**__: //The outsiders,// Warner Home Videos 1983 __**MUsic**__: 1965 Greatest Hits CD Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach boys, Sonny and Cher, Bob Dylan , The Animals
 * __Book:__** //Monster,// Scott, Monster Kody, SAN Val, 1994

My unit plan will be on the coming of age novel //The// //Outsiders//. It will be geared to 8th graders in middle school. I chose this book because the school I work at Comstock Northeast Middle School has some of the same problems that are in the book. The socioeconomic gap in the school where I work is a divider in the school. Some students are living on welfare and some students parents own their own bussineses. You don't see too many of the free or reduced lunch students hanging out with the higher income students. Some of the students at my school live with siblings, like the character ponyboy. Being at this age and some of the students coming from rough neighborhoods, there is the gang issues. The gang issue is a major theme in this book, because some of the characters only family are the gang they hang out with. I think this is a great book for this age, I read it when I was in 8th grade and really enjoyed it. I think I can teach about alot of different issues with this book such as violence, gangs and socioeconomic status.
 * __Unit Plan__**

Rob Nieto ENGL 4800, Dr. Vocke __Importance of being knowledgeable about ESL Students __

Abstract- I work in a middle school, where this year we had two students transfer to our school who were English language learners. They had basic interpersonal communication skills, but no cognitive academic language proficiency. Listening to teachers talk in the staff lounge about how these two students struggled with the subject content made me realize I would also have a hard time teaching English as a second Language, or ESL students. Many teachers have no training or knowledge of how to help ESL students understand the content they are teaching. Because America’s student population is growing more diverse year by year, I wanted to learn more, and hopefully give some tips, on how to teach ESL students.

Teachers study and learn many things while on the path to become educators, but one thing many do not learn is how to teach English as a Second Language students. Over the past thirty years or so, there has been a lot of research done on which teaching strategies actually help ESL students learn the best. In this article I plan to share these different teaching strategies, and explain how these strategies can help all content area teachers improve their teaching of ESL students. Student populations in America’s school districts are becoming more culturally diverse every day. It is more than likely that a young teacher of today will have to teach an English language learner at some point in his or her career. In some states it is almost certain you will have English language learners in your classroom. In California, English learners constitute more than 25% of the total public school enrollment (Martinez, 2007/2008). Research has shown teachers are ill-prepared to educate these students. According to Ellen Curtin, 75% of non-English speaking students are placed with teachers who lack specialized training in school language acquisition, English as a second language, or bilingual education (Curtin 2005). It is important for educators to be knowledgeable of teaching strategies that assimilate ESL students and help them flourish in the classroom. It takes time for English language learners to be comfortable in their new learning environment, as they are adjusting to new cultures and schools. According to researchers Jim Cummins and Virgin Collier, second-language learners can obtain the everyday language used in conversation in around two years, but it takes five to seven years of English exposure before English language learners can demonstrate academic English proficiency equal to their native English speaking peers (Rance-Roney 2008). School districts do not have this amount of time for English language learners to show improvement. As there must be Annual Yearly Progress made or there may be school wide intervention by the state. Research shows the most effective way to teach ESL students, is through conversation and class participation. However, many English Language learners may be reluctant to participate in class for fear of being misunderstood, having the wrong answer or being laughed at. What the teachers often misinterpret an ESL student’s silence as general unwillingness to participate in class. What the students are really doing is adjusting in what researchers call the “silent period” (Ernst-Slavit, Moore, Maloney 2002). During this time ESL students are learning what behaviors native English speaking students exhibit, how do they talk to one another and the teacher. During this silent period it is important the teacher provide a stress free environment for the student, where the student will not feel singled out, and they are given the option to pass on a question given by the teacher. By offering support and encouragement, teachers can lead students to the next stage of language development and cultural adaption (Ernst-Slavit, Moore, Maloney 2002). The quicker teachers can make the ESL student feel comfortable the quicker the student will start to participate in class. One way to deal with a quiet ESL student is what Ellen Curtin calls being an interactive teacher (Curtin 2005). Curtin defines an interactive teacher as someone who greets the students at the door, empathizes with students, incorporates students cultural backgrounds, communicates with families, uses humor well and knows the background of the student. (Curtin 2005). An effective teaching method often used by interactive teachers is called cooperative learning. Curtin observed two veteran interactive teachers in Texas that used cooperative learning, as a teaching method. In one example, a U.S. History class, where the teacher engages her ESL students by putting them groups to read, write and discuss historical events individually, in small groups and in front of the whole class (Martinez 2007/2008). Cooperative learning forces the ESL student to participate in class with their classmates. In another example of cooperative learning, an English teacher, Judith Rance-Roney, giving out an assignment, those students had to interview a class member who they felt had a background different from their own. This was to help two Vietnamese students that were very quiet in her class. The project had the option of writing an essay about the person or creating a multimedia presentation about the similarities and contrasts among classmates. This served several purposes, first it used their artistic strengths by creating slides, it also practiced there spoken English by discussing themselves. Lastly and maybe most important it let the two Vietnamese students talk about their culture and teach others. (Rance-Roney 2008). Students are not just learning from the teacher. One of the veteran interactive teachers states “I do a lot of peer grouping so if they’re not getting it from me maybe someone else can speak their language so they can get it” (Curtin 2005). By forcing ESL students to talk to their classmates in groups, it can open them up to participate more in class. It also allows students to get to know one another and feel more connected to the learning environment. Talking and interacting with the student is the best way to get to know them. The more you know the student the better you can judge if they are retaining the information. In the case of Judith Rance-Roney she joined the group conversations. She believes it is one of the most critical steps in a English language learner education is for the educator to learn the student’s unique needs and motivations. It also builds a personal relationship with the teacher ( Rance-Roney 2008). An interactive teacher circulates the room and calls on everyone. They also use their intuition and gauging the faces and non-verbal communication to monitor frustrations of ESL students ( Curtin 2005). The two veteran interactive teachers noticed ESL students exemplified less frustration when using hands on materials. So they consciously did something in the planning of the lesson to meet the needs of the students so they had less frustration. There was a group project, choice of assignment, hands on activity, video, conversation or interaction in the lesson (Curtin 2005). Using photos is one way to help ESL students visualize what you are trying to teach. If you show Dorothea Lange’s photos of the 1930s while the class is reading the Grapes of Wrath, it can help students understand and feel what life might be like in the United States during the Great Depression (Ernst-Slavit, Moore, Maloney 2002). Using these strategies will not just make your class more interesting for ESL students; it incorporates multiple intelligences to help all your students learn better. Teaching is a difficult job and having student in the classroom that does not speak English makes it even more difficult. The more you know about teaching ESL students can only help you succeed in your teaching career. The different teaching strategies you use to help ESL students may also help native English speaking students. These strategies such as cooperative learning and hands on projects can only make the classroom more vibrant and help the students learn from each other. In my opinion every teacher could benefit from some type of training in teaching ESL students. 

1. Martinez, R.A. (2007/2008). Teaching English Learners and Immigrant Students in Secondary Schools. //Bilingual research journal, 31//, 359-364 2. Ernst-slavit, G., Moore, M. & Maloney, C. (Oct 2002). Changing Lives: Teaching English and Literature to ESL students. //Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 46.2,// 116-129 3. Curtin, E. (2005) Instructional styles used by regular classroom teachers while teaching recently mainstreamed ESL students. //Multicultural Education 12.4// 36-54 4. Rance-Roney, J. (2008) Creating Intentional Communities to Support English Language Learners in the Classroom. //English Journal, 97.// 17-23 Final PLan
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