Teaching English Language Learners K-12: A Quick-Start Guide for the New Teacher

"The valuable classroom experience in the author′s background and a genuine sensitivity for his students′ needs are evident on every page of clear prose. The practical information included here addresses the major issues in educating language minority students, without overloading the new teacher with extraneous matter." From the Foreword by Rosalie Pedalino Porter From the Foreword by Rosalie Pedalino Porter"What a gift this book will be to ESL teachers . . . How I would have loved such a book when I was charged with the responsibility of teaching ESL students in years past." Donna Garner, English and Spanish teacher Hewitt, TX Donna Garner, English and Spanish teacherHewitt, TXBring the English language to life with this valuable new resource! Some say that learning a second language is like drinking water from a fire hose. But teaching it does not have to be like standing under Niagara Falls. This is the fundamental message of Jerry Jesness′ new quick-start guide Teaching English Language Learners K-12. In our climate, ELL teachers face immense demands as educators because the ELL class is often the critical, transitional step into a student′s entire education. The author provides specific strategies to address the special challenges for instructors. This valuable resource offers a terrific framework to nurture that motivating spark in English Language learners. For ELL educators, it′s more than a job—it′s a mission! Teaching English Language Learners K-12 includes: includes: Customizing instructions to create developmentally and culturally appropriate lessons for all learners Comprehensive vocabulary checklists for common English words and concepts Practical methods for using the learner′s native language and culture in the classroom Helpful strategies for teaching spoken English, reading, and writing Encouraging tips to become a better ELL teacher

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. The Joys and Challenges of Teaching English as a Second Language The Joys of Teaching ESL The Challenges of Teaching ESL Travel the World With or Without Leaving Your Classroom It′s More Than a Job, It′s a Mission 2. Your Students ESL, ELL, LEP, and Other Acronyms Placement in Bilingual and ESL Programs SEP Students (Someone Else′s Problem) Inclusion and Support in Regular Classrooms 3. Your Toolbox The Textbook Other Books Realia: Pictures, Maps, Charts, Toys, and More Audio Tapes and CDs Gadgets Galore Paying for Your Tools Getting Help from Volunteers Getting Advice and Help from School Personnel 4. How Much? How Soon? How Fast? BICS and CALP Pie-in-the-Sky Goals Is One Year Enough? When Should Students Exit to Regular Classes? Steep Hills and Frustrating Plateaus Motivation Inside and Outside of Class Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 5. Using the Learners′ Native Language in the Classroom Don′t Force Them to Go Mute What Works Best in the Students′ Native Language Consider the Language and Culture of the Community Use Time Limits Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 6. Natural and Unnatural Approaches to Learning English The Natural Approach: Learning English by Hearing It and Speaking It Applying First Language Skills to Second Language Learning Balancing Experiential and Analytic Approaches Using Total Physical Response (TPR) Language in the Foreground and the Background Winning Over the Skeptics in Your School Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 7. Building Vocabulary: They′ll Need Lots Enjoying the Path to a Large Vocabulary Learning from the Movies Teaching Vocabulary with Picture Dictionaries Using Vocabulary from the Native Language Using Vocabulary From the Native Language Using Vocabulary from the Native Language Building Vocabulary with Word Blocks Idioms and Other Confusing Expressions Look It Up!: Learning English with Dictionaries Electronic Dictionaries Those Boring Vocabulary Lists Layered Vocabulary Learning Sidebar: Working with Younger Students Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 8. Grammar: The Skeletal System of the Language Me Very Grammar When to Start Grammar Lessons English Grammar Isn′t as Tough as We Think Freebies: When English Grammar Matches the Learner′s Native Language The Garden Path to English Grammar Pronoun Cases Implicit and Explicit Grammar Instruction Pattern Practice Makes Perfect: Well, not Really, But It Works Grammar in Action: Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Conversation Tag, You′re It: Converting Statements to Tag Questions Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 9. Listening Skills: The Gateway to Language Learning with a Tape Recorder or CD Player Learning with Software: The Rosetta Stone, Instant Immersion, and Other Programs The Great ESL Film Festival Dictations Encouraging Listening as a Stand-Alone Skill Teaching with Minimal Pairs: Bit, Bet, Bait, Beet, Bite Sidebar: Working with Younger Students Chapter 10. Now Say It: Teaching Spoken English The Direct Method Controlled Conversation Role Playing Student-to-Student Teaching Recitals Using Media and the Language Lab Teaching Pronunciation (Speech Therapists Can Help!) Using the International Phonetic Alphabet Error Correction: When and How Often Let Your Students Correct You Too Speaking Practice Outside of Class Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 11. Teaching Reading When Students Are Struggling Readers in Their Native Language Quick-Start Phonics for English Learners The Constant Consonants Those Tricky Vowels Decoding Skills and Background Knowledge Graphic Organizers Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 12. Writing It Right Getting Started Writing Begins with Spelling Gadgets and Media Again The Vanishing Word Technique Picture and Word Cards Punctuation and Capitalization Dictation In Their Own Words Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 13. How We Know What the Students Know: Grading and Testing Grading in Mixed Ability Classrooms Individualized Education Plans Multi-Track Grading: Same Class, Different Goals No, You Aren′t Cheating: What Counts for General Learners and College Prep Learners Keeping Noses to the Grindstone Testing Vocabulary Testing Spelling Testing Speaking and Listening Testing Grammar Self-Assessment: Giving Students Their Own Checklists Preparing Students for Standardized Tests (Please Don′t) Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 14. Teaching English Learners with Special Needs Prior Education, Semilingualism, and Learning Disabilities What Does Special Education Offer Your Students? When They Need a Special Education Referral But Haven′t Gotten One Determining the Appropriate Program Sidebar: Working with Younger Students 15. English Learners in Content Classes English Throughout the Curriculum Sheltered English Content Classes Content Objectives and Language Objectives A Sample Sheltered Science Lesson A Sample Sheltered Vocabulary Lesson Using Sheltered English to Teach and Practice Grammar When Are Students Ready to Wade into the Mainstream? The Power of Prior Knowledge The Power of Incidental Learning Reasonable and Unreasonable Modifications in the Inclusive Classroom The F Word (Failure) The Bright Side: Enriched Class Discussions Out-of-Class Support for English Learners in Regular Content Classes 16. Helping Everyone Else Understand Your Students Attitudes Make the Difference: Racism and Xenophobia I′m Here, So Shut the Door Already Exposing Other Students to Your Students′ Culture Avoiding Trivial Pursuit and Superficial Multiculturalism Illuminating with Literary Classics From Other Traditions Living Social Studies Graphic Art and Music Mutual Tutoring and Dual Immersion 17. Preparing Yourself to Be a Better ESL Teacher Catching Up and Keeping Up with Advances in the Field Acquainting Yourself with Your Students′ Culture Trying on Your Students′ Shoes And If You Teach at the Base of the Tower of Babel... Vocabulary Lists Numbers 1 - 10 Shapes Numbers 11-20 People and Things Numbers by Tens Colors All Numbers to 100 U.S. Currency Time Classroom Nouns Classroom Verbs Large Numbers: Hundred and Thousands Arithmetic I: Addition and Subtraction Alphabet A - H Arithmetic II: Multiplication and Division Alphabet I - P School Supplies Alphabet Q - Z Computer Nouns Computer Verbs Human Body Family Home Nouns Home Verbs Park and Playground Pets and Pet Accessories Farm Animals Wild Animals World Geography: Continents and Countries U.S. Geography: Oceans, Rivers, Mountain Ranges, Borders Ordinal Numbers City Geography: Streets, Avenues, Buildings, Directions, Travel Fruit and Vegetables Meat and Seafood Bakery Products Dairy Products Women′s Clothing Men′s Clothing Emotions Baseball Possessive Pronouns Prepositions and Their Objects Glossary Recommended Reading Recommended Websites References Index

About the Author :
In Jesness′ twenty-five year career as an educator, he has worked with English learners in a number of environments. He has taught ESL in public middle and high schools, special education for bilingual children at the elementary level, and language arts and social studies in classes that included both English learners and regular education students. Jesness has also taught students privately, ranging from preschoolers to top executives of multinational corporations. Over the years, he has worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, for public schools near the Texas-Mexico border, for Berlitz Language Schools, and for small, privately owned language schools in Mexico and Japan. Jesness holds a BA in English from the University of Minnesota, Morris, and earned an MA in Spanish and an ESL teaching endorsement from the University of Texas, Pan American. He was the first non-Hispanic to earn a graduate degree in Spanish literature from UT Pan American. Jesness currently lives in League City, Texas with his wife and three daughters, and teaches Spanish and ESL at Victory Lakes Middle School. His email address is furnes@yahoo.com.

Review :
The valuable classroom experience in the author’s background and a genuine sensitivity for his students’ needs are evident on every page of clear prose. The practical information included here addresses the major issues in educating language minority students, without overloading the new teacher with extraneous matter. What a gift this book will be to ESL teachers . . . How I would have loved such a book when I was charged with the responsibility of teaching ESL students in years past. Entertaining and straightforward, Teaching English Language Learners K-12 guides teachers past common pitfalls and into what actually works for English learners, whether they are learning through immersion or bilingual methods. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jerry Jesness′s commonsense guidebook for teachers of English Language Learners. It is easy to read, jargon-free, and clear. Anyone who helps children learn English as a second language will find this book to be immensely helpful.