Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies Ch. 8-10

SQUARE:

“Our ELLs have been really successful when given access to a variety of strategies to communicate, and art is a great way for them to express their ideas. This is particularly true for emergent writers. Although their vocabulary and grammar may not yet be as sophisticated as it is in their native language, they are able to add to the words by using art as a means of communication” (Burhow and Garcia, 2006, p. 106)

This text really squared with my thinking because from my experiences with English Language Learners I have noticed that art is the best way for them to communicate themselves because even though we may not verbally say the same things, we visually see the same things. I have found this to be an awesome means of communication for me and my ELL students and even some times when they are saying something to me that I cannot quite decipher, I then draw a picture on a sheet of paper and allow them to engage in a back and forth pictorial conversation with me.

TRIANGLE:

“Instead of lists of vocabulary words or labels of innate objects, we use content-based word walls with images. These thematic words walls are often very useful for new English speakers. Instead of thinking of them as isolated vocabulary words, imagine a mural of exquisite art. Each and every piece is interrelated and creates a mosaic on the classroom wall that is useful and purposeful. Word walls based on the theme of study for a specific unit help children access new and prior schema, which allows them to write about what they know or what they are learning” (Burhow and Garcia, 2006, p. 133)

I really love this idea! In thinking about the quote that squared with my thinking, this one really pointed me in a new direction because by interrelating everything in our lesson while simultaneously including the use of pictures could create so much meaning for my students. The thing that I really like about this text is because the techniques are not only beneficial to my ELL students, but they are also beneficial to the class as a whole. Considering the fact that I teach Pre-Kindergarten students, I really see how a lot of the things that are discussed in the text coincide with strategies that can be beneficial for emergent learners as well.

CIRCLE:

“Differentiating instruction takes place in every classroom; however, in  a classroom where there are ELLs, two kinds of differentiation must take place: for complexity of content and for complexity of language. One easy way to facilitate this is to keep blocks of time open for inquiries” (Burhow and Garcia, 2006, p. 140)

While reading this quote, a lot of thoughts were still circling in my head. Although I think that this is an awesome idea and something very critical to consider during instruction, I am still wondering about how I can actually implement this in my classroom. I have no doubt that considering both these aspects while differentiating instruction can be accomplished; however, I think just the juggling act of it all and remembering to consider both content and language simultaneously during instruction will definitely be something that I will have to navigate through. All in all, I think that I am up for the challenge!