Leda holds her milk carton up in the air toward me and grunts, "Uuhhh!"
"Do you need something?" I ask.
"I no can't," she replies with a sad face.
"You can't open your milk?" I reply, and Leda shakes her head no. "Then you need to ask for help. You can say, 'Can you help me, please?'"
"Help me, please!" Leda repeats with a smile. I show her how to open her milk and she promptly says, "Tank you!"
Teaching in a school that is comprised of approximately 60% African American and 40% Hispanic students, I have learned a great deal about English language acquisition in young children. One of my students last year came to school with very limited English skills and began speaking in complete English sentences within four months; Leda began school last winter with literally no English, and just this week she began formulating short sentences independently. Each child follows the same general trajectory of English language development, but proceeds at his/her own pace.
I recognize that good teaching practices for English Language Learners (ELLs) are generally good teaching practices for early childhood in general -- picture cues, hand gestures, and teaching students how to use words to communicate -- but I also recognize that pre-k for ELLs can be dramatically enhanced by additional supports and services. I was impressed to read that the School District of Lancaster, PA is providing additional funding to enhance the pre-k education of their ELL students. They will be providing "a preschool English-as-a-second-language teacher, three bilingual assistants, three literacy coaches and an advocate to serve as liaison between the schools and the prekindergarten students and their families." These are wonderful supports that will help teachers, family members, and most importantly, students, get the most out of their pre-k experience.
Research clearly demonstrates that pre-k benefits all children, but the data is particularly strong for ELL students. Pre-K Now published a report in July 2006, Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future, which clearly outlines these benefits and makes policy recommendations regarding ELL pre-k students. State policymakers are beginning to get the message; 17 state funded pre-k programs currently include ELLs in their eligibility criteria, and many states have policies for how to support ELLs in the classroom. States need to continue expanding eligibility for all children, especially ELLs, and ensure that students, families, and teachers get the supports they need to succeed.
Do you have a success story of an ELL student in pre-k? If so, please share it in the comments section!
Recently, Inside Pre-K co-blogger Karissa wrote about how quickly summer vacation is approaching for her and her students. By the time this article is posted, her community-based center will officially be on vacation.
However, my pre-k classroom, embedded within a public school system, follows the regular K-12 school calendar. Summer fun won't come until our last day of class, this year it falls on June 5th. And we've got quite a ways to go and myriad of assessments to complete before we get there. For this reason, many teachers in my district refer to the final six to nine weeks of school as “crunch time.”
During our final weeks together, I have to assess each student one-on-one in a multitude of areas. Here’s a breakdown of our testing:
CIRCLE testing on palm pilot: Assesses 7 areas of phonemic awareness, all letters -- uppercase and lowercase, letter sounds, vocabulary, nine concepts of print, and writing assessment. Each question must be administered one-on-one.
PMI- Primary Math Inventory: 3 pages of math assessment that must be administered one-on-one. Questions can only be asked one at a time to each student (for example, if you start with student A and ask question number 1, then you have to move to student B and ask question 1, when you get to the last student you can then move to question number 2).
DRA- Diagnostic Reading Assessment: Students reading levels are assessed, this test is also administered one-on-one. The more the student knows, the longer the test takes.
Report card testing: Each child must also be assessed on report card skills not covered in the aforementioned tests, such as oral counting, name writing, color identification, number recognition etc. All of this testing is also done one-on-one.
Now you’re probably wondering when I have time to teach if I’m doing all this one-on-one testing. The answer is, I don’t! It’s just not physically possible to do all the required testing and teach a classroom of 22 four year olds simultaneously.
Add that to the mix of numerous paperwork deadlines, meetings, registering pre-k students for next year, not to mention the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, class pictures, Mother’s Day, and end-of-year celebrations that come with the territory. It’s no wonder that teacher appreciation days come during the first week of May. It's a bribe so we will make it through until the end of the year!
Karissa also wrote about her concerns regarding her student’s lengthy summer vacation. We’re fortunate that in our district all ELL (English Language Learner) pre-k students are eligible to attend a free summer school program where they will continue to develop their oral language skills, should their parents agree to enroll them. The program Learning the Language is offered from June 11th – July 11th, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and includes free bussing and meals.
But unfortunately, not all students qualify for Learning the Language, so I send each of them home with a "summer fun" kit I've devised for them and their parents. It includes:
A letter to parents explaining the content of the kit.
A Map, the address and the phone number to the local library, as well as directions on how to obtain a library card.
A Calendar with dates and times for story hour at the local library as well as dates of special local events such as discount days at the zoo.
A reproducible nursery rhyme booklet, enabling students to practice their nursery rhymes over the summer.
A book list of the top 100 books for preschoolers to check out at the library. Titles include classics such as: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, The Rainbow Fish, The Snowy Day, Corduroy, and The Runaway Bunny.
An Activity-a-Day calendar, like this one from Preschool Express. I generally make up my own activities for July and August as they're not published in advance.
A number booklet comprised of 20 sheets of paper stapled together with a number and the words to each of our number songs on each page. The students practice recognizing their numbers by singing the song on each page. The words are so the parents can read and sing along as well.
An alphabet chart- so students can practice singing their letter sound songs or use it when they write.
A Blank booklet so students can “journal” or write about their summer experiences.
One free treat coupon from local ice cream shop. If you ask nicely, most places will give you free treat coupons to give to your students.
One Scholastic book: I use my bonus points and buy each child one book so they will have a book at home to read. Scholastic offers one 95-cent book each month.
Information about our summer daycare program for those students that don’t qualify for our ELL summer program. Our district offers summer daycare for students ages 5 and up at very affordable rates. The program is staffed and run by teachers.
A Brown paper bag with leftover crayons, markers, pencils, construction paper, glue, scissors, etc. so students can create and practice writing during the summer months.
A Pre-addressed postcard so students can send me a postcard if they travel, or just for fun!
(Note to self: Add “make summer fun packets” to already lengthy crunch time to-do list!)
February can be a very challenging time in an ESL classroom. In addition to preparing my students for the annual Valentine card exchange, I have to explain the process to the parents as well. Many of the parents of students in my class were not born and or educated in the U.S. The concept of a class Valentine card exchange is completely foreign to them.
Over the years I have learned to navigate the treacherous waters of Valentine’s Day through old fashioned trial and error. In the beginning, I sent detailed notes to parents requesting that each child bring one Valentine card for each student in the class. I received everything from decks of playing cards to boxed sets of Christmas cards. Once I received an entire package of 24 baby shower invitations. I asked the student what the cards were for and he said “Your note said we needed 22 cards!” Another time I received 22 identical Hallmark greeting cards that all read “To my teacher on Valentine’s Day”. I was mortified that a parent thought I had requested 22 cards for myself!
Now, my strategies have expanded to include tactics such as copying the front of several boxes of school-type Valentine cards and sending them home as examples in addition to my usual note. At dismissal time,I bring empty boxes of Valentine cards with me so I can show them to parents when they pick up their children. I show the boxes to the students as well so when they are out shopping with their parents, they will be able to easily identify the correct items. We also have parent conferences in January, so I display a few boxes on the table and explain the holiday to the parents. Every year around this time you can find me lurking about the Valentine aisle in the local big mart stores posing as the unofficial “Valentine ambassador” and guiding families through their first Valentine exchange experience.
The best solution I have found thus far is to shop the sales after Valentine’s Day and buy boxes of Valentine cards for 10 cents each so I will be prepared for next year. Students can “shop” for their own Valentine cards and address them in class as well. The superheroes are always a big hit with the boys and the girls love Dora or Hello Kitty. You can always tell what's "hot" by the types of Valentine cards being sold in the stores. The students write their names on the back of each valentine card, but it can get tedious since we have 22 students- we have to break it down into a two-day process.
Despite the unique challenges that teaching ESL students presents, it is very rewarding work. Everything my students do in our class is a “first” for them and I enjoy providing them with those first experiences.
It is good to be back at school after a nice two-week winter break. I have a few new students that will need some time to adjust, but our second semester will hopefully be as great as our first!
This year I am fortunate to have three assistants in my classroom. We have a volunteer and two paid staff members. For perspective, many pre-k teachers have only one assistant, and some teachers have none. Creating a safe and engaging learning environment for 20 four year olds is hard work for two people – for teachers who must go it alone, it is next to impossible!
The kind of learning and interaction that can occur when students are engaged in a small-group setting is amazing. With a lower teacher-to-student ratio, I am able to spend quality time with individuals or small groups. Some meaningful learning happened today with two of my students in just such a setting.
Every day after snack my students have the option of picking a puzzle, book, or literacy activity. One of the most popular literacy activities is a set of lowercase and uppercase matching alphabet cards that were hand-made by my mom when I first started teaching. William chose this activity and invited Scott (an English language learner) and me to sit on the carpet (in a colored square). He then explained that, “This is card game where you say it!” The rest of the game went a little like this:
William: (holding up the first card) “Now you say it!” Scott: “S for Scott!” William: “Yes, S…you are soooo right! It is your job to take the card now!” (William holds up another card.) Me: “U.” William: “No that is [an] umbrella!” Me: “But it starts with U!” William: (holding up a third card) “What is it?!” Scott: “J.” William: “No, silly, that is not J…that is R…..for rabbit.”
This interaction continued until most of the cards were gone. I am continually amazed at how much my students can learn from each other. William was able to help Scott with letter recognition and beginning letter sounds. All of us worked together, had fun taking turns, and practiced our letters!
[This entry was contributed by guest blogger Marissa Castro Mikoy, the director of the Universal Pre-Kindergarten Incentive Program at CentroNía, an educational community-based organization in Washington, D.C.]
The birds are chirping, trees are budding, and flowers are blooming -- Happy Spring everyone!
I appreciate the opportunity to fill in for Sophia this week, provide a window into the pre-k program I direct, and read your comments. I thought I'd focus on the activities that make CentroNía's practices unique to the early childhood education field, the importance of high-quality bilingual education, and how our program supports children and families in the transition to kindergarten.
CentroNía is in the heart of a diverse and vibrant neighborhood in Northwest DC. Our classrooms are filled with children of families who speak Amharic, Spanish, English and Vietnamese. To support our children's native language and culture, we engage in a dual language model of instruction in Spanish and English. Every classroom is outfitted with a designated English speaking teacher and a designated Spanish speaking teacher. All learning centers are labeled in Spanish and English print, and passersby in the hall quickly notice the children engaged in conversations with each other in both languages. We aim to provide a safe environment where the children can express themselves in their language of choice while also having the opportunity to speak in the language they are learning.
Research has repeatedly demonstrated that second language acquisition is successful if children are given the opportunity to develop a strong foundation in their native language. (This letter to the editor in The Washington Post sums up why bilingual education, contrary to the assertions of folks like Newt Gingrich, is effective in teaching children English.) We are beginning to look at how to measure second language acquisition by administering the Brigance Screening in both languages through a baseline and post assessment. But we already have many anecdotes showing our children's progess -- here is one.
Four-year-old Diana entered our pre-k program with knowledge of Russian and English. At the beginning, Mom was concerned that Diana might get "confused" learning a third language. My suggestion was to see how the first couple of weeks went and to observe her comfort level in communicating with her classmates. Fast forward nine months and I can tell you that Diana is singing in Spanish, learning to write her name and identify letters in English, and increasing her Russian vocabulary with her family. Her father stopped by my office one day to say, "Marissa, who knew we had a genius on our hands?" I share this story in part to say that, if children are exposed to an additional language in an intentional and research-based model, we would see many more "geniuses" entering kindergarten.
I strongly believe that our success comes from the support and celebration of a family's linguistic and cultural differences. We bring these differences into the center and make them part of the classroom environment. I hope the benefits of supporting English language learners are seen by more and more of our community stakeholders. It is only in this way we will be begin to see a stronger public education system.
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