[NIUTeach]

Who is with me?

I am a first year 2nd grade bilingual teacher. My students are fine in social English, but not as much as in academic English language.

I took my Type 29 test (Illinois bilingual certification) in January and I was offered this position in May. It's for a school that I subbed at a lot last year and the teacher that I am taking over moved to a bilingual kindergarten position. I am very confused of what I am teaching in English and in Spanish, how to do a word wall that works for students who are more comfortable staying in Spanish and those who are ready to bridge into English, and just guided reading and writing!

So anyway...there is a PT board for teachers like us, we just need to wake it up!! We need a place to talk about our classrooms!

[Tigger518]

ME! I'm new to ESL and would love some advice and help before the new year starts!!!! My thinkg is I'm not sure if people know how to get to the board! You have to add it somehow (not sure how I did it) in your profile to get the board to appear as an option and I don't think people have done that. Maybe if we made it easier to get to or let more people know how to get to it then we'd have more posters.

[NIUTeach]

Towards the bottom in blue I believe -- I will have to announce it somewhere else. You can too!

Yea!

[pinktxteacher]

I posted here a few weeks ago and not much has happened since.
I'm sure there are more ESL/BIL teachers out there somewhere.
We need there expertise

[PanchaO]

I have been teacing ESL for over 20 years. What would you like to know?

[NIUTeach]

Oh so many questions!

First off, word wall -- should I have it in Spanish and English or just one? If both, how do I distinguish between them on the wall?

How do I differentiate instruction for those kids who want to start writing, discussing, and reading in English and those who feel more safe in Spanish?

Should I be labeling things in the classroom in both Spanish and English?

For calendar should I start off in English or Spanish? (Last year (1st grade) they did their calendar in English and Spanish).

More or less my main worries are the word wall/spelling - which language or should I do both and then guided reading, should I have some groups reading English and some reading Spanish -- then, how do I know when they are ready to bridge?

By the way, I have 20 second grade students whose average ELL proficiency is a 3.0 on a 1.0-6.0 range. The lowest being at 1.9 and the highest at 3.6. Their social English is awesome, but their academic English skills are what I need to work on this year.

So yeah...THANK YOU! This is my first year teaching and my mentor teacher hasn't been around to help (understandable, it is her summer break) and I am just filled with so many questions!

[Tigger518]

I'm going to be teaching ESL for the first time this school year. I will be teaching k-5 pull out. I'm just not sure where to start. My district doesn't have a ESL curriculum and I'm not sure what to do. Should I do themes? What about the older children?

I'm a new teacher and I will have a 1st and 2nd grade combined ESOL class in a high needs section of Philadelphia.

[pinktxteacher]

I guess we need a little clarification to be certain everyone gets the info they need.
In my district, we have separate Bilingual and ESL classes. Students who attend BIL are taught in both Spanish and English. Primarily Spanish in K-1 and gradually more English in 2nd and up through 6th grade.
Students who speak languages other than Spanish and some Spanish speakers are in our ESL classes.
I have never taught Spanish to any of my students. I don't even speak it that well. I have always taught fully and totally in English.
I think some people confuse the two programs and I guess in some parts of the country they may be combined. But for 14 years, I have always encountered them as separate.

[NIUTeach]

Bilingual.

K-3 in our school has their own class for students who primarily speak Spanish. These are the bilingual classes. Sometimes they will be taught in English and sometimes in Spanish. I am there to support the kids who are ready to go on to English (for writing and reading -- because truthfully they all speak English fine - they are at an average 3.0 on the ELL scale) and those who feel more comfortable in Spanish.

4-5 have an ESL pull-out program. They are taught in English all day, but if they are very new to the language, they will be pulled-out for Spanish Lectura or Escritura.

I know that in my classroom I have some ESL curriculum books, but I am not sure how much the teacher used them before.

I know that I have a bilingual classroom though!

[PanchaO]

First off, word wall -- should I have it in Spanish and English or just one? If both, how do I distinguish between them on the wall?

I would have 2 separate word walls. The kids would be able to use them according to which language they are using at the time.

How do I differentiate instruction for those kids who want to start writing, discussing, and reading in English and those who feel more safe in Spanish?

Bilingual is tough..basically teaching every thing twice, Try to move the kids as quickly as you can into English. Those awho are comfortable should be moved right into Englsih.

For calendar should I start off in English or Spanish? (Last year (1st grade) they did their calen

dar in English and Spanish

I think Calendar should be in Englsih. Thiis is easy vocabulary and very repittitious so the kids will pick it up quickly.


Should I be labeling things in the classroom in both Spanish and English?

YES


then guided reading, should I have some groups reading English and some reading Spanish -- then, how do I know when they are ready to bridge?


You will need to have differnet groups according to Englsih level. If kids can read in Spanish the transfer should be easy

[PanchaO]

I do themes, especailly in the beginning of the year. After that you can congrue withthe grade level teachers and work on whatever they are doing either in SS, science or in their basal series, depending on the level of your kids and the needs of your school. Some teachers want you to use the ELL componant of the basal series.