FEATURES
Two Down, Eight to Go
By Roselyn Rauch
It’s hard to believe that we are already two months in to the new school year. The leaves are dropping; the cool nights are becoming even chillier and the kids soon will be trick or treating. Two down, eight to go, and so much to do in those remaining eight.
With all of the pressures on teachers, and ESL and bilingual teachers in particular due to their students’ linguistic and emotional needs, the articles in this issue will certainly strike some chords. Start with Tina Kern’s piece, I Am Not Invisible, then Michelle Land’s A Holistic School Start for Everyone, and finish with Angeline Sturgis’ Evidence of Empathy. These three pieces address the emotional needs of students. Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy? I’m a firm believer in the Hierarchy, seeing it in action in many classrooms over many years of teaching. These articles will remind you of human basic needs: students and our own. You can’t get anywhere until these basic needs are met.
Always on our minds are those BIG TESTS. Our president, JoAnne Negrin, starts us off with Preparing for ACCESS Through Yearlong Formative Assessment. Caia Schlessinger, our Vice-President and Conference Chair, gives a quick preview of the 2017 Spring Conference while Gwen Franks posts the registration information. It’s never too early to register. Speaking of (or writing about) conferences, be sure to read about NJEA November Convention workshops that our members will present, sent in by Joan Pujol. *Check out the Calendar page, too, to see the workshops’ dates in your area that will support your testing acumen. (Please note: The southern workshops had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances; they are expected to be rescheduled. Those who registered may opt to go to the Northern site at William Paterson University or request a refund.)
Read about Sonya Bertini’s experience at the WIDA standard setting session in What I did on My Summer Vacation.
Focusing on our students are articles on advocating for them: Vision and Action by BJ Franks; My Summer Lessons Learned, by Sandra Nahmias; Advocacy and Collaboration and Publicity, Oh, My! by Carole Maurer. Bridging Non-academic and Academic ESL is the article that Debbie DeBlasio promised from the last issue.
Bryan Meadows’ submission should be of interest to all, The edTPA: The Education Teacher Performance Assessment which will be implemented on September 1, 2017. Our Technology Advisor, Marilyn Pongracz, critiques another favorite website to add to your repertoire: Voice of America Learning English.
And one last thing: the Voices Submission requirements have been changed to be more user-friendly with our on-line format. Give them a look.
Enjoy everything in this issue; there is so much here for everyone. Don’t stick just to your SIG. See what’s happening across the board and gather some new ideas and adapt and refine. And remember, you’re never alone in this world.
Looking forward,
Roselyn
Roselyn Rauch, Ed. D, retired from the Paterson Public School District as an ESL teacher and District ESL Resource Teacher, is a consultant with ESL Unlimited. She may be reached at rrauch@njtesol.org .
By JoAnne M. Negrín
Preparing for ACCESS Through Yearlong Formative Assessment
Welcome back. And, more to the point, congratulations for getting through September. It’s heavy lifting but it is always gratifying to look around once everything is working and know that your preparation and hard work, often done prior to the start of the year, and many times completely voluntary, is going to provide your students with the best education possible.
It’s a new year, and we have new challenges. Last year’s big mystery was what the ACCESS 2.0 was going to be like. Our regional conferences focused on preparing teachers and administrators for what the test would contain, as well as what it would require from both a pedagogical and a test administration and technological perspective. I would venture to say that attendance at last year’s regional conferences saved many districts a lot of stress when the testing window opened.
Now the question of what to do has transformed into how to best do it. Rather than simply “teaching to the test,” we want to incorporate techniques and strategies into our daily instruction that will help our students learn while simultaneously increasing their comfort level with the tools and tasks that they will be required to use on the ACCESS, as well as on other computer-based assessments such as PARCC and those required for attainment of the Seal of Biliteracy.
To that end, we have the good fortune of having a wide variety of speakers who will be discussing these topics from their own angles of expertise. Some of them are specialists in ESL pedagogy, others in the application of Universal Design for Learning to L2 learners, and others in Special Education and the application of pedagogical tools across the content areas. In contrast to last year, when we tried to stick to a uniform set of ACCESS 2.0 facts, each of the regional conferences this year will have its own, unique twist.
I hope that we will see you at one of our regional conferences. They represent a great opportunity to network, learn, and share with colleagues. You will learn skills and techniques that will get your students excited about learning, and that will give you new ways of meeting the needs of all your English learners. See you there.
[Editor's Note: See the Calendar page for days, locations, and times of the Preparing for ACCESS Through Ongoing Formative Assessment workshops. Two of these workshops had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances; they are expected to be rescheduled. Those who registered may opt to go to the Northern site at William Paterson University or request a refund.]
JoAnne Negrín, Ed.D, President, NJTESOL/NJBE, Supervisor of ESL, Bilingual Education, World Languages, Performing Arts, & ESSA, Vineland Public Schools
jnegrin@vineland.org
Engage and Empower ELLs for Excellence
By Caia Schlessinger
The 2017 NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference will take place on Wednesday, May 31st, Thursday, June 1st, and Friday, June 2nd. I am excited to announce that the theme for our conference will be ‘Engage and Empower ELLs for Excellence.' I am looking forward to a wonderful conference and I am hoping that many of you will submit proposals so that we can have a variety of presentations.
One thing that I love most about my recent career change is that I am able to see the magic that happens on a daily basis in almost every classroom in my school. I am currently the only ESL teacher in my building, but I work with a collegial and collaborative staff. I look forward to the NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference so that I can network, find new ideas, and then return to my building and turnkey the information that I have learned in order to help the mainstream teachers engage our ELLs.
Presenting at the NJTESOL/NJBE 2017 Spring Conference will have many benefits. First of all, you will be able to share your best practices with other ESL and bilingual teachers from all over New Jersey. Many ESL/bilingual teachers are often the only ESL/bilingual teachers in their building, or even in their district, which provides them with few opportunities to network and share ideas. Please share your wonderful ideas about technology, curriculum, classroom organization, and pedagogy.
If you are a classroom teacher who is currently pursuing an administrative certificate, applying to teach in a college or university, or networking for your consulting business, presenting at the NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference will give you valuable experience. Our conference attendees will provide you with an audience that is interested and engaged in your topic. You will have opportunities to network and establish yourself as a voice in the ESL/bilingual field.
If you still aren’t convinced that you are ready to present at the Spring Conference, then take a look at some presentations from the 2016 Spring Conference: http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/handouts16/index.htm. You will see that there is a wide range of topics and something for everyone. And remember that you can present a workshop with a colleague.
Let’s engage and empower each other. Please consider submitting a proposal to present at the NJTESOL/NJBE 2017 Spring Conference, May 31st, June 1st, and June 2nd, 2017.
Proposals can be submitted on our website, www.njtesol-njbe.org, through November 15th, 2016.
Caia Schlessinger, Vice President/Conference Chair, NJTESOL/NJBE, ESL Teacher, Highland Park School District, cschlessinger@njtesol-njbe.org
I Am Not Invisible
By Tina Kern
They look uncertain as they enter my room. It’s the first day of another year at the high school. They awkwardly walk to a desk, and sit down, glancing from right to left, wondering how to keep their new backpacks from getting dirty on the floor. Instead they either clutch them to their body or place them in the center of their desk.
These are my new ELLs, and as I peruse the room full of an uncomfortable group of teenagers, I take a deep breath and begin our introductions. I, like you, am trying to create the atmosphere that will persist throughout the year – one of acceptance.
As their new teacher, my responsibility goes way beyond the academics. It is my first duty to make them feel welcome and hopeful, so that they can put aside their anxiety for a moment perhaps, and concentrate on the overwhelming amount of new knowledge presented to them. Some seem confused by the regimen, especially since many of have not seen the inside of a school for many years. Others seems scared, hoping they are safe, but still uncertain.
The more I learn about each one of them, a story unfolding bit by bit, I am overcome by their courage and determination to survive. Unfortunately, their struggle does not end when they arrive. These are students of trauma. Many are reunited with their mothers for the first time in twelve years or more. Most of them now attend school and work part-time, as their new families struggle with the additional financial responsibility thrust upon them. Many parents were unaware that their child would arrive, driven from their country by danger.
I’ve learned so much these past two years at the high school. It is really evident that their emotional self must be attended to in order for them to attain educational progress. It is a daily dance, watching for signs that there is a need for intervention. They are fragile and sensitive, even though their armor seems hardened.
So every day they attend school, tired and still uncertain what to make of this new world. In the ESL and bilingual classrooms, they sit with students like themselves, students of interrupted formal education and horrific experiences.
Then the bell rings for lunch and my students melt in the crowd. They try to blend in, making their way silently to the cafeteria, some already clutching their IDs to get their free lunch, looking this way and that for something they want to eat, something familiar. Around them other students start becoming impatient, visibly moving forward to grab their food before their favorites are gone. The cafeteria workers talk to the ELLs, many of the words indistinguishable from each other, until a kind person who speaks their language steps forward to help them. When they enter the cafeteria again, they will know who can help them, but the first few days are difficult, learning new rules and foreign procedures.
To most of the students in the cafeteria, these new arrivals are almost invisible. Most of the American students don’t understand the fear, the uncertainty, the desire to fit into a world that differs from what they left behind. They feel like outsiders, different in almost every way from our mainstream students.
What we do the first few weeks of school can determine the experiences our students will have, and possibly impact them for years. How do we help the students of trauma who have lost part of their childhood and educational years?
Recently, I read an article in the New York Times Magazine called “The Outsider”. It says: “In the high schools of Boise, Idaho, the class of 2016 includes refugees who have fled violence and persecution around the world. They’ve found one another, but still long to fit in.” That is a powerful statement.
There is a two-fold approach to teaching students of trauma. First, academically, lessons must be presented in a way that won’t overwhelm them. I don’t want them to give up before they even start. An example of the challenges they face internally was verbalized recently when one of my students from Guatemala, trying to learn his third language (Mam, Spanish, and now English) sat down in a seat next to my desk, put his head in his hands, and whispered, “I am so sad.” He repeated it several times. The bell was about to ring but knowing this was an important moment to him, I asked him what was wrong. I expected the answer to be about a family situation and was ready to call a counselor to intervene. Instead he repeated, “I am so sad. I don’t know English yet.” I visibly relaxed, and smiled as I said to him, “Patience. You have to have patience. English is difficult and you need to give yourself time to learn. But it will come. Patience.”
Our students come with various experiences but little of these experiences will transfer into their academic life. “Building background” with these students is a more difficult task than that in our regular reading classes. Their family situations were so different than the average students in our school that even seemingly innocuous books in our school libraries seem disparate to them. Though many textbooks are written for our population, I spend hours deconstructing and constructing lessons, integrating vocabulary they will know with words they need to know.
Second, our students’ emotional lives must be considered, too. What do we do to attend to these other needs? I feel lucky that there are counselors and staff to assist us. But I also carefully think about what I say and do in the classroom so that my students feel accepted and understood. I try not to raise my voice when they unwittingly say something inappropriate, remembering to consider their previous circumstances and their need to exude strength to survive.
These students are aware of how different they are. Like all teenagers they want to fit in. They don’t want to stand out, yet they don’t want to be invisible either. They walk a precarious line between being too different and being ignored.
Our career is special. We are the ones that can help our students be less invisible by creating experiences and bridges to ease their stress and help them become part of our school community. We help them feel welcome,encourage them to join school activities, and create special events for them. We want everyone to know they have many talents, and we want them to feel welcome. Our ELLs want to be teenagers and we can help them.
It takes time and patience, but watching our students gain confidence and eventually breaking out in a real smile – that makes it all worthwhile.
And so another year has started but we are together in our goal. NJTESOL/NJBE is here, too, to provide information and support for our ELLs. We’re going to have a great year.
Tina Kern, Liaison
Vision and Action
By Elizabeth (BJ) Franks
"Vision without action is only a dream.
Action without vision passes the time.
Vision with action can change the world! " J. Barker
The year 2016 will be a busy one for action: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA,) Pre-K expansion, Pathways to Biliteracy, Supporting Undocumented Students:
ESSA
With the transition into ESSA, NJTESOL/NJBE is involved in providing input as to how the law impacts our student population and making recommendations for implementation. Please check our website on the advocacy page for the PowerPoint which outlines those recommendations http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/announcements/default.htm.
Pre-K
In addition to the transition to ESSA, we are also partnering with Pre-K Our Way. This organization is committed to expanding the funding for Preschool programs to over 100 more districts. We have decided to support their efforts because we know how critical it is for our dual language learners (DLLs) to be enrolled in high quality preschool programs. We also intend to use this opportunity to educate the general public of what a high-quality program looks like for this special population. Pre-K Our Way’s message is “to expand NJ Pre-K now - that 50,000 NJ kids are waiting. That they were promised expansion 8 years ago, and that’s not right.” Please click on this link to view their message. Feel free to share the video with parents and friends. http://bit.ly/1WKtAHD.
By sharing the video with your colleagues and/or personal friends, you’re helping to move public opinion and bring pre-k expansion to the forefront of New Jersey discussion. There are many thousands more that need to hear how New Jersey’s 3- and 4- year olds are waiting for what was promised to them eight years ago – the chance to access NJ’s high-quality, full-day, state-funded pre-k.
NJTESOL/NJBE is in the planning stages of co-sponsoring a one-day conference on the topic of Early Childhood Education with NJASCD (The New Jersey Affiliate of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) on January 23, 2017. More information will be posted on the Hotlist and our website, www.njtesol-njbe.org .
Pathways to Biliteracy
Since the Seal of Biliteracy passed, it is now time to turn our attention to building pathways to biliteracy. NJTESOL/NJBE will be coordinating efforts of districts which have begun dual language programs as well as hosting information and education sessions about dual language programs as a first step. If you are interested in participating in this grass roots effort, please contact BJ Franks*.
Please note: If anyone is interested in the Seal of Biliteracy, your district will need to contact David Greer (david.greer@doe.state.nj.us) or Lori Ramella (lori.ramella@doe.state.nj.us) at the NJ Department of Education as they will be implementing the Seal from now on.
Advocacy into Action
Building Inclusive, Educational Pathways for Undocumented Students
October 21, 2016, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, NJ.
The goal of this conference is to build coalitions among K-12 educators, higher education professionals, and advocates who serve undocumented students, so that they may be able to support students on their pathways to higher education and offer support to those students on college and university campuses. The conference focuses on how to support students throughout their educational trajectories––before they enroll in, and after they graduate from, institutions of higher education in New Jersey.
As a state educational institution, we call on our partners across the state to leverage support and advocate for undocumented students.The program will include a dynamic keynote speaker, expert sessions for K-12 and higher education practitioners, and networking opportunities. Session topics will include federal and state policies, barriers to educational access and success, and best practices for K-12 and higher education.
Featured keynote will be by Dr. Kent Wong, professor at the University of California-Los Angeles and Director of the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education. Dr. Wong is editor of the three-part series Underground and Undergrad: UCLA Undocumented Immigrant Students Speak Out (2008), Undocumented and Unafraid: Tam Tran, Cinthya Felix, and the Immigrant Youth Movement, (2012) and Dreams Deported: Immigrant Youth and Families Resist Deportation (2015).The conference has been organized by the Center for Latino Arts and Culture, the Graduate School of Education and UndocuRutgers, and sponsored by the Rutgers Division of Student Affairs. Please register here: https://webapps.rutgers.edu/vcsa/clac/
NJTESOL/NJBE ADVOCACY COMMITTEE
Join NJTESOL/NJBE in changing the world. We are looking for volunteers to serve on an advocacy subcommittee, especially if you are retired but would like to stay involved. We need your passion and advocacy. We are hoping to have one face-to-face meeting and online communication. So please contact BJ Franks* if you would like to be more involved.
RESOURCES:
Partnership for a New American Economy www.pnae.org
Education Law Center www.edlawcenter.org
Elizabeth (BJ) Franks, the Advocacy representative for NJTESOL/NJBE, also serves as a consultant for Language & Literacy Associates for Multilingual and Multicultural Education. *She can be reached at ejf24bb@aol.com .
Favorite Websites: Voice of America Learning English
By Marilyn Pongracz
The Voice of America Learning English website has extensive free content that builds vocabulary and general knowledge based on a wide variety of news stories. While the audience seems to be intermediate adult learners, many of the topics could also be valuable for high school and middle school students.
Articles are high interest videos on news topic from politics, science, and international events. These are divided into levels, with the lowest having the fewest words, but the vocabulary is not overly simple. They also have subtitles of what is being said so it is easier for the learner to follow. In addition to Articles, there are also Radio programs which are audio only but have text that students can follow. An example of one of the video series, English at the Movies, gives fun, clear presentations of vocabulary words. There are also videos about U.S. elections and the Constitution.
Lessons consist of short videos of everyday adult life that focus on various grammar topics for high beginning to high intermediate students. Included is a transcript of the content, a few opportunities for the student to fill in the blank orally that using the grammar, a short pronunciation lesson, and a downloadable worksheet for individual or group activities on related vocabulary. There is also a five question quiz that is not just about details of the video, but includes higher-level thinking question. Vocabulary and grammar lists are included, too. Teachers can download detailed lesson plans that follow the metacognitive strategy described as, “The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) is an instructional model for second and foreign language learners based on cognitive theory and research.”
Every day grammar is a two-minute weekly video series about various grammar topics. The series was started in January, 2016, so now there are twenty-six videos which can be used to introduce or reinforce lessons. The topics are clearly presented, but are organized only by date created.
Voice of America Learning English is great for adult learners and can be used to provide good additional content for lessons for students in grades 7-12.
Marilyn Pongracz is the Technology Coordinator for NJTESOL/NJBE and the English Language Resource Center Supervisor at Bergen Community College.
Our New Jersey Education Association Convention Preview November 10th and 11th 2016
By Joan Pujol
On Thursday, November 10th and Friday, November 11th, members of NJTESOL/NJBE will be presenting eleven workshops at the NJEA Convention in Atlantic City, NJ. They are:
ADDRESSING NEEDS OF ELLs IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM, presented by Noreen Drucker & Michelle Land. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grade. The category is Instructional Strategies/Best Practices. The science classroom is a daunting place for our ELLs. This workshop will provide strategies and scaffolds to increase their comprehension in the mainstream science class.
BRAIN FRIENDLY TEACHING & ELLs, presented by Ana Mistral. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grade. The category is Instructional Strategies/Best Practices. This workshop explores literacy activities for ELLs that are brain friendly. Planning of content-based projects that help long-term learning & connect with students’ affective area will be also presented.
BRINGING MINDFULNESS & HAPPINESS INTO YOUR CLASSROOM, presented by Jory D. Samkoff. The target audience is Elementary grades. The category is Comprehensive Health/Physical Education. Come learn how to integrate mindfulness & breathing strategies, along with yoga poses into your classroom routine. Not only will your students benefit from these strategies, but you will too.
DON’T EQUIVOCATE, ADVOCATE!, presented by Joyce L. Farr. The category is Instructional Strategies/Best Practices. Participants will engage in interactive activities following a presentation on the need for advocacy in teaching ELLs & the outlets for advocacy efforts in the classroom & community.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE MAINSTREAM CLASSROOM, presented by Michelle Land. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grade. The category is Instructional Strategies/Best Practices. Experience strategies to help ELLs succeed in the mainstream. Learn about common pitfalls & misunderstandings that can be avoided to make your classroom an even more welcoming environment.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS? HOW DO I HELP THEM? is presented by Mary Ellen Fitzpatrick. The target audience is elementary grades. Come for an interactive presentation on strategies for differentiating instruction in the general education classroom. Our goal is to meet the needs of all students, including English language learners.
FINDING & TEACHING ACADEMIC PATTERNS IN TEXT FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS, presented by Timothy Hall & Debra L. Billmann. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grades. Learn how to identify patterns in school-appropriate texts & teach those patterns for the purposes of guiding reading comprehension & writing for ELLs.
MUSLIM ARABIC-SPEAKING STUDENTS IN THE AMERICAN CLASSROOM, presented by Jory D. Samkoff. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grades. Do you work with Muslim Arabic-speaking students? This presentation addresses their cultural, religious, & linguistic diversity. Come to learn more about these students & their families.
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY MEETS LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PEDAGOGY, presented by Laurine Sibilia. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grade. Explores the key components of Positive Psychology & learn correlated research-supported strategies to maximize student engagement & success in the ESL & bilingual classroom.
TEACHING ELLs WITH LIMITED OR INTERRUPTED FORMAL EDUCATION, presented by Jory D. Samkoff. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grades. ELLs with limited access to education in their native languages face challenges in school. Suggestions regarding how you can address their academic, linguistic, & cultural needs will be discussed.
USE REALIA IN EVERY LESSON, presented by Yesenia Hernandez & Nancy J. Sampogna. The target audience is pre-k to 12th grades. Think you can’t use realia with content lesson plans? Come learn how to use realia to engage students with fun & exciting hands-on experiences with each lesson.
Try to attend these workshops to support our colleagues. Watch the Hot List for more information.
Hoping to see you at the NJEA Convention.
Joan D. Pujol, Liaison to NJEA, Membership Chair
2017 Spring Conference Registration
By Gwen Franks
Registration Information is available on-line NOW!
Conference Dates: Wednesday, May 31, Thursday, June 1 & Friday, June 2
Early Registration ends March 3, 2017
Regular Registration ends May 5, 2017 (unless capacity is reached before this date)
Act NOW!
http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/spring-conference/default.htm
Check your NJTESOL/NJBE membership status before filling out the registration form. Your membership expiration date is listed under your name in the email introducing this issue of VOICES. Your membership must be valid through June 2017 in order to register at the member rate.
THREE ways to register:
- Print out the registration form and mail in with a personal check
- Print out the registration form and mail in with an approved & signed Purchase Order
- Pay on-line with a credit card or PayPal account.
All registrations & payment (PO, personal check or credit card/PayPal) must be sent together. Registrations sent without payment will not be processed.
If your registration fee is being paid by your district with a Purchase Order, PLEASE follow up with your district as of the status of your registration. DO NOT ASSUME that it has been sent in by your district! Keep in mind the time it takes for your district to approve your request to attend the conference when filling out the registration form. Early registration ends March 3rd and regular registration ends May 5th .
Email confirmations are sent out to all those who are registered from gfranks@njtesol-njbe.org.
LOOK FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION – Please read it carefully & completely.