Cafeteria Language

Everything about school can be overwhelming for our littlest learners, so one lesson I like to do at the beginning of the year with Kinders is cafeteria language. We cover how to ask for help and also how to order lunch. 

The first part is teaching the different hand signals that indicate different needs. I took photos in our actual cafeteria and then paired them with visuals of the hand signals they need to use for each request. But, I also want to encourage students to use language and not just hand signals, so each picture/signal is paired with a question.

I use this song to introduce how we need to use please and thank you and then I used the same tune for the questions associated with each cafeteria need. Some people might dislike the use of "can I" instead of "May I" but the video uses "Can I" so I just stuck with that. Kiddos love this video and then it helps provide some musical styling for working on saying those challenging questions!

After we watch the video, we (the teachers) will role play (remember these are co-taught lessons), asking for help in the cafeteria using manners. With students, we will practice singing the questions and saying thank you, modeling after the video.

The next part of the lesson will be teaching students how to order hot lunch. Using some of the same food images as we used in our Pete the Cat lessons {food pics & more food pics}, we will model and how to tell the lunch lady what we'd like for lunch. We role play examples and non-examples so students can get an idea of what they need to do:

Use a "3 foot voice"

Say the name of the food they want

Use manners (please and thank you)

We use the same tune from the video to model a complete sentence: Can I have the ___ please? At this point we are perfectly ok with students pointing to their food choice or simply saying ___ please, but we also teach and encourage students to use a complete sentence if they can.

We also use play food and real cafeteria trays to practice. We check in by pulling sticks to select random students and having them come up to the front and make a food choice. Then we ask the rest of the students to give a thumbs up/thumbs down to show whether or not the student did all of the things we practiced. 

Language Objectives:

I can say please and thank you when I ask for help.

I can say what I want to have for lunch.

Language function

Express needs, likes, and feelings

Express social courtesies 

Language form: nouns (naming the food items)

Sentence Frame

______ please  (newcomers/beginners)

May I have the ____please?

Can I use the bathroom please?

Can I dump my trash now please?

Can you help me open this please?

Can I get a drink of water please?

Target words: 

please, thank you 

Kicking off Co-Teaching in K

I have not been at all good about keeping up with this blog, but since a few people have asked for the resources I used for my Pete the Cat lesson,  I thought I would create a post with the links and info.

This image shows how I prep all my materials for co-taught lessons. I get everything ready in a pocket chart that is pinned to my wall. When it's time for the lesson, I simply grab the pocket chart and go! In each classroom where I co-teach I have a place to hang the charts I bring (usually over the classroom teacher's chart) and then I carry them away with me when I leave. 

The images I used for this lesson can be found here:

Food Pics

More Food Pics

Pete, Big shoe, and small shoes with color words

I did not use all the food images, just selected what I thought my students might like and foods that represent different colors.

Prior to doing this co-taught language lesson, classroom teachers read:

Content Objective: I can recognize colors.

Language Objective: I can use color words to describe Pete’s shoes.

Language Function: describe people and things

Language Form: color adjectives

Sentence Frame(s):

Pete stepped in a big pile of ________.

I love my _____ shoes. 

This is a really fun lesson to review/teach color words  as well as foods. It's also fun to get a little silly singing along to the tune from the book. If you can access this story as an audio book, it's great to listen to.

We typically choose sticks to select students as helpers. Helpers get to choose a food. Then we use a a  response signal that incorporates think time and have the whole class respond with what color that food will turn Pete's shoes. 

Then we sing using the frame: I love my {color} shoes!

I plan to bring a blow up guitar and also my great karaoke microphone, which the kiddos love to speak into. 

Let me know if you try this with your students too! Kinders sure do love Pete the Cat! 

Using Flipgrid to Support English Learners

Over the summer, Sarah Said (@MrsSaid) and I put together an #EllChat_BkClub
round focused on using the app Flipgrid for English learners. Flipgrid asked us
to share some of our takeaways, so we wrote this blog post detailing the benefits
of using Flipgrid to support English learners. Thanks to all the amazing educators
who chimed in and contributed ideas!

Flipgrid is a great tool for capturing student voice, which is one of many reasons we
selected it for one of our #EllChat_BkClub technology rounds on Twitter. Typically
 #EllChat_BkClub chats are focused on reading books that help us (language
teachers from across the globe) improve our instructional practices for English
learners. Then, Sarah had the idea to add a focus on technology into the mix since
devices and educational technology are so prevalent in today’s classrooms. In
between our book chats, we organize chats around particular apps, specifically how
they benefit English learners and language development in the four language
domains; reading, writing, speaking, and listening. We posted the following 5
questions and asked participants to join the chat using #Flipgrid4ELs.

Over the course of about a week, we had many teachers participate and offer
some great insights around the power of using Flipgrid for the benefit of English
learners.

Check out some of the comments:

Q1: How can using digital media to create support the speaking and listening
skills of ELs?

Q2: How does Flipgrid make conversations more accessible to ELs?

Q3: How can Flipgrid support parent engagement for ELs?

Q4: If you have previously used Flipgrid in your classroom, tell us how you
used it. If you haven’t used it, try it out and tell us how it went!

Q5: How can Flipgrid build speaking confidence for ELs?

Some of the main discussion points reflect that Flipgrid allows students sufficient
time to process, plan, and think about what to say. All of these elements are very
important for students who are learning a new language and likely processing
information in both their native language and English. It also provides opportunities
for students to record their language, listen to what they said, stop, go back, and
listen again in order to ensure they are happy with how their recording comes out.
Listening to their own language production affords English learners opportunities
notice areas where they can improve and also gain confidence.

In our live chat, we discussed how to overcome the barrier of students who are

shy or not comfortable being recorded on camera, such as middle and high
school students who might have concerns over their appearance. We brainstormed
ideas to support students with those concerns such as offering silly glasses,
masks, or photo booth type props they could use to conceal their faces while
they speak. We also chatted about how when students frequently use technology
to record their spoken language and learn how to listen to their own speech to
evaluate their volume, clarity, grammar, etc., they are better prepared for
standardized language assessments that involve voice recordings. For one of
my students who is very soft spoken and shy, the quality of her recordings on
ELPA21 in Kindergarten resulted in a level 4 for speaking because she routinely
recorded on her iPad in class leading up to the test, yet her score dropped to a
2 in first grade because she was not engaging in the same practice with digital
recordings and didn’t have the same confidence as she did the year prior.

Many teachers are diving into the #flipgridfever movement and realizing how fun

and engaging it is for students to use, but we are particularly excited about its
potential as a wonderful tool for English learners. If you’re interested in trying it
out, but you’re not sure where to start, Flipgrid offers some great resources to
help teachers out. The e-book and teacher guide offer ‘how to’ information and
there is also a disco library provides a variety of activity templates created by
teachers, which are organized by audience, topic/subject, and topic goals.
Within this database, there is a category of activity templates for language learning.
These templates can provide teachers with pre-created assignments or they can
serve as inspiration by showing teachers how they can structure assignments in
ways that support English learners. Also, don’t forget to search #FlipGrid4ELs for
additional ideas about how and why Flipgrid is great for your ELs.

Sometimes you pause the test

This morning I tested one of our newcomers who recently moved from Guatemala. 

She is in first grade. 

As I pointed to images of animals and body parts, she quietly thought, clearly reaching into the depths of her brain to come up with the word, then shook her head each time I asked "what is this?" because she didn't know the English words. 

As we began the section where she needs to repeat what I say, she started off okay, repeating "good morning" and trying to repeat "I'm hungry." Then, when I got to some phrases with 4-6 words, she hesitated and tears began to form in her eyes.

She felt like a failure.

I could have just continued on with the test given that I had a lot of other things to do and it was pretty clear that she was struggling.  Sometimes we feel like these tests are just something we have to to get through. But, I saw this little human, feeling badly and I had to stop. 

I looked at her and in my best Spanish, I told her that I know this is hard, but that it's okay because she is just starting to learn English. I acknowledged what she was feeling and then...

She blew me away.

She told me she actually speaks two languages in Guatemala...Spanish and K'iche'. So, English is actually her THIRD language and she is just six years old. She shared that she still has family living in Guatemala and has two cousins locally, one that attends our school. We talked about which family members speak which languages and I told her that when I moved to Germany I didn't understand anybody and I also felt bad about it, but little by little I learned. 

When we resumed the test, she read several words in English! At that point I told her very enthusiastically that I think she is the smartest girl in the world because she can speak two languages already AND she can read words in English. 

And she smiled. 

Really big. 

When we got to the section where I read a story accompanied by 4 images and then asked her to retell what happened, she retold the story in entirely in Spanish. I wrote down "response in Spanish" on the answer sheet because an answer with no English words gets a 0. Then, I reconsidered. 

She is not a 0. 

I told her I wanted to write down all of the words she said, but since I would be writing in my second language I needed her to speak slowly. She ever so slowly enunciated each word, stretching them out into syllables so I could write it all down.

ma-ri-po-sa

za-pa-to

We came to a word that I didn't know so I asked her what it meant and she explained it so that I understood it meant barefoot. I took off my ballet flat and pointed to my bare foot and she nodded. I asked her if she might want to be a teacher when she grows up because she's was very patient with me and she said yes, she might like that. 

This entire interaction made me think about the purpose of assessment. 

I could have told you prior to administering this test that she would be a beginner, but giving this test was an opportunity.

An opportunity to build a relationship.

An opportunity to make a worried child understand she is not alone.

An opportunity to make a sweet student smile.

An opportunity to learn a new word in Spanish.

An opportunity to learn more about a student new to our school. 

An opportunity to inspire a future teacher. 

After this interaction, I excitedly shared with several colleagues about how special this girl is. I thought a lot about Emily Francis and her story. I thought about so many other stories I've read or heard from students who felt so alone and felt badly about themselves when they first came to the U.S. and didn't know English yet. 

I really hope that today becomes part of this girl's story. I hope that when she thinks about her first week at school she remembers me and what I said. I hope she realizes how much power there is in being multilingual and how SMART she is. 

I hope she knows.

Engage

One element we focus on in teaching is keeping students engaged. 

Engagement is huge. 

For #EllChat_BkClub on Twitter, we are currently reading the book EL Excellence Every Day by Tonya Ward Singer, which includes an entire section called "Engage" that offers valuable information on keeping learners, particularly English learners, engaged. 

Tonya breaks engagement down like this: 

• Interest-Wow. This is fascinating. I love this! Cool.
• Sense of purpose-I want to learn this because I understand why it is important.
• Relevance-This is relevant to me. I see myself in this goal.
• Connection-This reminds me of...This is similar to...
• Choice-I choose this book because...I want to write about...I want to create...
• Curiosity-I wonder....? What will happen if...?
• Self-efficacy-I know I can do this. To move closer to that goal, I'll try...

I want to take a moment to flip the context. 

Let's talk about professional development. 

I would argue that engagement is just as significant when it comes to teachers in the role of learners. 

But, how often do experience interest, a sense of purpose, relevance, connection, choice, curiosity, and/or self-efficacy when it comes to our PD? Surely, it's different for everyone across different contexts, districts, states, even countries. The extent of our engagement may shift depending on the time of the year, the topic at hand, what is happening in our personal lives, our group of students and many other factors. 

But ultimately, are we more engaged or disengaged when it comes to PD that is provided to us within our contexts? 

Are we recharged and motivated by our colleagues or drained by negativity and the "one more thing" mentality that overtakes the authentic desire to learn?  

Are we subjected to one-size-fits-all when it comes to the latest initiative we learn about or are we flying our own plane when it comes to our personal and professional development? 

I recently read the book Future Driven by David Geurin and some of my favorite quotes were: 

"Don't expect your school to own your personal growth."

and

"Ultimately, it is your responsibility to be a learner."

I love these sentiments because they really embody what I think about professional development. 

I want to be fully engaged in my own learning and that necessitates the same things Tonya focuses on with regards to student learning. 

Interest

Sense of purpose

Relevance

Connection

Choice

Curiosity

Self-efficacy

 I am not at all intending for this to be a shameless plug for #EllChat_BkClub, but I truly think our little book chat has gained popularity because it represents these elements of engagement. 

We have a sense of purpose because we are focusing on professional knowledge and skills that will best contribute to the success of our students. 

Not any students, but OUR students. 

The ones who we share our classroom with daily. 

The ones we pour ourselves into

The ones who are on our minds constantly

who sometimes keep us up at night

bring us tears of sadness, joy, pride

who are the reasons we do what we do

who are our WHY

There's relevance for you!

We feel engaged because we are choosing to be part of this phenomenal PLN.

We are interested because we are choosing what we learn about and what books we read.

We feel connected because we are surrounded with greatness, enthusiasm, and a thirst for knowledge that is often found within one another.

We are curious to learn about the experiences of other teachers, leaders, and coaches in settings that are different than our own. 

Sometimes when I speak highly of Twitter as a resource for professional development, I get questioning looks.

Really? 

Twitter? 

Sure...

But, it's just the truth. 

Truth: Most of the people in my PLN are people I have never met. 

Truth: Many of the people in my PLN are people I never will meet. 

Yet, 

Truth: They are my Tribe. 

I have called them on the phone for advice. 

I have texted with them. 

 I have asked for their feedback on my writing. 

I have presented with them at conferences.

I have shared ideas and stories with them. 

I have collaborated with them.

I have done virtual hangouts with them.

Most importantly, I have learned a great deal from them. 

The connection is there and that contributes so much to my sense of purpose and self-efficacy in my role as an ELD teacher. 

This little book chat has truly rocked my world in terms of my personal and professional growth. 

"Ultimately, it is your responsibility to be a learner."

We are taking that responsibility very seriously. 

For the sake of our students, our schools, our colleagues, and each other...

We are changing the face of PD and it's incredible. 

Let's do this. 

#BetterTogether 

That's Why

I have recently been inspired by several of my colleagues on Twitter (shout out to Justin Garcia and Dr. Chris Tennyson) to start blogging.

But the thing is...this blog isn't new.

It's actually been around since 2008 or 2009 when I was a first grade teacher. I named my blog Sneaker Teacher because my husband was working for a well known sports company, and consequently, I had a pretty rocking collection of sneakers. (During rainbow week, when my students learned the colors, I sported a different pair of kicks daily to match the color of the day.) My husband's job took us to Germany, where I worked as a K-12 Support Services (SPED) teacher for a year at the Franconian International School before returning to the U.S. to continue my doctoral work. When I moved back from Germany, I was reassigned as a Kindergarten teacher and joined the ranks of Kindergarten teacher bloggers. I taught Kindergarten and blogged about it for five years.

Blogging was part of my identity.

In 2012, I had my first daughter and went from a full-time Kinder teacher to a part-time Kinder teacher. Kindergarten was half-day back then so it worked out really well. In 2014, I had my second daughter and continued as a part-time Kinder teacher until the state of Oregon decided to make Kindergarten full-day state wide. Wanting to balance my teaching job with my new role as a mom of two, I wanted to continue working part-time, which didn't mesh well with the state's decision. Part-time positions are not allowed in Kindergarten, so I advocated to move into the role of English Language Development Specialist. I had gotten my ESOL endorsement along with my master's degree in SPED back when I first started teaching, so I figured why not. If it would help me stay part-time, then it was the right job for me. Unfortunately, after transitioning into the new role, my time for blogging took a hit, but something else incredible happened.

I was unaware of the true impact the new role would have (and dare I say the impact I would have).

 Now that you know the condensed history of my teaching career, let's get to it...

 ... 

 I have a confession to make. I can confidently say that I am ashamed of this little piece of my history, but I'll share it anyway.

 When I first moved out to Oregon and started looking for a teaching job in 2005, I actually looked up school demographics in order to apply to schools where most of the kids were White. If you know me at all, you're probably thinking that doesn't really sound like me. Yet, at the time, the White kids were all I knew. I grew up in a small town in Connecticut and we didn't have ESL or ELD programs. I can't recall anyone I went to school with who was learning English as a second language and our student population didn't have much diversity. There were very few, if any, students of color, and privilege was abundant. When I attended Villanova University, my teacher prep courses didn't really address the fact that students would not be white and privileged. Seriously. I did my student teaching in an affluent school filled with White children and when I graduated, I wanted to have a classroom just like that.

 In my subsequent equity related professional development, one of the phrases I learned was "we don't know what we don't know" and that is exactly how I would attempt to excuse my intentions from that point in time. I didn't know. I didn't know the value in diversity because I had not experienced it. So, I avoided it. It's hard to even write that. But, it's the truth.

Things happen for a reason though because I didn't get hired at any of those predominantly White schools I applied to. Instead, I took a job as a Head Start Pre-school teacher in a bilingual program for migrant families. Pretty much the polar opposite of what I had been looking for. And you know what?

It changed my life.

 It was that experience that made me realize how much I love working with English learners. It was that experience that made me realize there is so much to be learned from people who have lived experiences quite different from our own. It was that experience that gave me the desire to pursue an ESOL endorsement in the first place. I wanted to be sure that when I did get a job in an elementary school, I would be able to meet the needs of my ELs. But even after getting my ESOL endorsement, I still failed my English learners because I didn't believe in them. I thought I did, but looking back I realized I didn't believe in them the same way I do now. I felt bad when they couldn't do the work, so I lowered my expectations because I didn't want to hurt their feelings. I didn't correct them because I didn't want them to feel bad. I loved them. But I did them a disservice.

 Looking back, I realize that we are all on the path to becoming the best educators we can be. We certainly don't start out as rockstars. We try our best with the resources we have, but we all make mistakes. So, we learn. We grow. We try something new. We make more mistakes. Ultimately, we find our place. We solidify our beliefs. We come to understand our purpose and who we are and who we need to be.

 I guess my goal in reviving this blog is that I hope to be a voice that connects with teachers like my former self, teachers who are still finding their way, and also teachers who are on my page and want to continue their journey towards being the best they can be. Many of you reading this likely know me from Twitter, where I am a well known book hoarder book lover. I read because I never want to stop learning. I never want to stop growing into the best educator I can be.

Why?

Because of Randy.

And Saul.

Alejandra, Andrea, Enrique, Chelsea, Ernestine, Ian, Evelyn... the list goes on.

That's why.

As you read the names of my students, surely you're thinking of some of your own.

Past and present.

It's about them.

We do this for them.

So, I want to write again. I want to reflect, and discuss, and inspire.

I hope you'll join me.