"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
The classroom magazines will be used to build students' academic vocabulary to increase reading comprehension. The magazines will help to decrease the learning gap in order for them to succeed in grade level content, especially with the Common Core curriculum. These engaging texts would capture my students' attention and aid their development of reading skills and vocabulary. They will not only develop reading skills but also, a love of reading. After we use the magazines in the classroom, the students will be able to take them home. This is great for new English learners to practice rereading a familiar text to develop reading fluency. These magazines will help students see the value in learning to read. Many students do not have good models for literacy at home, by using current event and high interest texts, the students will develop a love for reading and curiosity to learn and read!
My English language learners are eager to learn English, ask questions, and have their goals set for bright futures ahead.
Unfortunately, many of them are reading two to three grade levels below their current grade. Our school doesn't have new authentic texts available for my students to read at their reading level. These magazines and online resources allow students to engage in an authentic text about current events and culture in the United States. We can use the online edition of the magazine as a class and listen to the articles and watch relevant videos. The online version also allows for differentiation at a teacher level to assign each student a text at their reading level. With the future of computerized testing these online texts will also get my ESOL students ready for state testing and their futures in college and beyond.
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