"ESOL Connects Worlds" is on a poster outside of my classroom. My students come from other countries around the world and from different parts of the neighbor in Baltimore City. When they enter into my classroom to learn English, it helps them connect to others at school and in their lives.
My students are English Language Learners (ELLs) in a low income Baltimore City Public School.
We have a variety of language backgrounds such as Chinese, Nepali, Bengali, Arabic, and Spanish. Our school has a variety of cultural backgrounds and languages. Students are in larger class sizes of 25-30 and come with me for specialized instruction in English. Our school is a close community of learners and teachers. All teachers support our ELL students around the school.
My Project
We currently use the Chromebooks daily in my ESOL classroom to learn lifelong skills. The ESOL student population continues to grow at our school. My classroom needs additional Chromebooks to allow each ESOL student to use a Chromebook for learning in class. Many of my students only have access to a computer and the internet at school, they do not have regular access at home. Our school system has Office 365 for our students and is a great resource I'd use with them in the classroom. Also, ESOL students need access to rich literacy resources that can be found online. Our classroom subscription to "Scholastic News" magazine is online for students to view. Students may also listen to an audio version of each issue. I can also assess reading comprehension from their online work to evaluate further instruction. In addition, the Chromebooks will be a asset for language acquisition. New concepts, instructional videos, cultural knowledge, and academic vocabulary are all at their fingertips with the internet in reach. Teaching them to find those resources online to become lifelong learners with and be college ready is a goal I have for my students.
As John Dewey said, "If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow." The Chromebooks will significantly help my students' second language acquisition of English by giving them access to the world of resources on the internet in my classroom.
Currently I do not have enough student Chromebooks in my classroom for all my students. I believe having access to the internet and using of a Chromebook will greatly help these students with their acquisition of English.
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