English Language Learners and Children at Risk

Chapter 7 of Fox this week talks about teaching ELL students and children at risk.  I enjoyed reading this chapter because I was once a ELL student long ago, and I was able to relate myself to many points Fox was making.  I found this chapter to be really helpful because in my main placement, there are about 4 ELL students I'll be working with in Spring.  Reading chapter 7 of Fox really helped me to better understand how ELL students learn and in ways I can help them. 

I remember going to to a ELL specialist in 2nd grade to learn phonics and read books together.  Back then, I didn't know that it was called "phonics," just doing the work I was told to do.  As a bilingual adult now, I realize how that short time of learning phonics with my specialist was crucial in my time of learning English.  I was able to learn quickly how letters together make sounds and how words are formed.  Because I understand how crucial it is to teach phonics, I hope to better assist ELL students by learning ways to support them. 
I found Fox's tips on teaching, reading, and sharing literacy with English Language Learners to be very helpful on pg. 230. 

1. Adapt instruction to children's English language proficiency, culture, and experiences.
2. Use culturally familiar text to assess reading ability.
3. Connect children's life experiences and home language with your classroom reading program.
4. Develop children's ability to speak their home language and English.
5. Use predictable books to practice and reinforce English language patterns and vocabulary.
6. Read aloud to children.
7. Have children write often and for a variety of purposes. 

Fox, B.J. (2008). Word identification strategies building phonics into a classroom reading program. New Jersey, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Taking the Time to Write

I enjoyed this week's reading of Bird by bird by Anne Lamott.  After reading few pages of her book made me feel like Lamott exactly knew how I was feeling about writing, and she was in a way guiding me to just believe in myself and write.  I felt encouraged that she understood how difficult it can be to be a writer.  This whole week, I couldn't come up with an interesting small moment to write about for my second literacy vignette.  I sat in front of my computer, flashing back to my childhood memories to come up with an interesting topic to write about.  I had a few, but just didn't think it was interesting enough.  I hindered for days, then reading Bird by bird got me started.  I enjoyed the chapter about broccoli.  "When you don't know what to do, when you don't know whether your character would do this or that, you get quiet and try to hear that still small voice inside.  It will tell you what to do." (pg.110)  It sort of worked for me, to take some time, take a breath and listen. I am willing to try it again next time I write. 

Thinking back to my childhood, I wasn't the best reader or writer.  Since it was even so hard for me to learn English as a second language, I didn't really know how to "enjoy" reading.  Not until when I was in 4th grade.  I started ordering books from scholastic book fairs we had in school, and I was so excited to get new books each month.  I literally could not let my books down and even fell asleep with it.  I feel that it's important to emphasize on the idea that we need to constantly read in order to become good readers and writers.  Thinking of my broccoli like how Lamott suggested, I was able to take some time to come up with an topic I wanted to write about and enjoy writing it.