This is a personal narrative that I recently completed for one of my classes and wanted to share with all of you. I hope you enjoy! A Year of Blessing 2010 was a memorable year, but not for the reasons it should have been. My daughter Annabelle was born and I was getting to celebrate her milestones as a first time mom. Her umbilical cord falling off, her first bath, her first smile, her first tooth popping through… blessings ! These should be the things that stand out the most about 2010, but they are not. Annabelle finally fell asleep in the bassinet beside the bed. One mom lesson I quickly learned was that when she slept, I needed to sleep too! I dozed off to get some much needed rest. When I awoke, I could hardly move. I knew I needed help, but couldn’t do much to get it. Blind, mute, and lifeless, I kept trying to push through and do something - yell, move, anything! At last! My arm responded. Blessing . I could move my arm! I patted the over-sized bed h
The first time I had English Language Learners (ELLs) in my classroom, I had no idea what I should be doing differently to support these students. I did my best and I have learned that I was doing some things right, but there was a lot more I could have been doing had I been properly equipped. Let’s get equipped! First of all, it is important that you use whatever resources available to you (ESL teachers, records, parents, conferences with student, etc.) to learn as much as you can about your ELL students. You especially need to find out about prior schooling experiences, level of home language literacy, and current level of English proficiency. This information can guide you in the decisions you make in supporting your student(s) in the classroom. Below, you will find some strategies for supporting ELL students in your classroom. Keep in mind that anything you can do to promote home language literacy is a good thing! L1 literacy is directly linked to L2 literacy and man