My students are inquisitive, creative, and motivated to absorb experiences and learning. They arrive to the classroom with a rich cultural history.
Many are refugees, having spent some or all of their lives in refugee camps or locations exposed to war, violence, natural disaster, and instability.
Their school histories are often characterized by transitions, interruptions, or little to no opportunities to safely attend.
All of my students are English-language learners in beginning phases. They genuinely demonstrate gratitude and desire to understand and express, connect with adults and peers, and contribute to our community.
Our school is situated directly outside a large urban site and is considered a high-poverty area. 85% of the attending students are high needs as determined by the state. The student body is large and ethnically diverse with 60% speaking a native language other than English.
My Project
Although our English Language-learning community grows on a daily basis, room constraints in our school, built in 1923, led to the relocation of my ELL classroom to a small, third-floor former closet. Also, my students need an air conditioner because the room becomes uncomfortably warm and stuffy. I seek resources that boost engagement and enrich the visual and verbal skills of students in a more tolerable physical setting.
To develop English language skills critical to their academic success, our students need opportunities to engage, process, and express verbal and visual connections.
These students do not receive art classes at school. The materials will provide opportunities to strengthen visual literacy and utilize it as pathways to language acquisition. Embedding language learning in visual resources meets the varied learning styles and needs of my students.
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