I teach kindergarten through second-grade English language learners. My students love coming to my class in small groups and are always willing to try something new. I also teach writing, editing, and the basics of starting a school newspaper to other grades.
My students are so excited to come to ENL class that they sometimes get in trouble from their classroom teacher for racing to the door when I arrive.
Being in a small group allows the students to take risks and build confidence so they can return to their large class equipped with the necessary tools to do class work with all the students.
My Project
Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Leonard Maltin, Joel Siegel, and Pauline Kael...wait, why are there so many male film critics? Well, I have seven future female film critics working on our school newspaper, The Dragon Express, who could be the future of movie reviews! This project will allow the budding reporters and four high school mentor chaperones to see a current movie so they can write persuasive reviews about the movie. The students are learning to state their opinion about the movie (or restaurant or play) clearly, support their opinion with reasons and details, and wrap up the argument with a strong conclusion. Creating authentic writing experiences for my students helps with motivation and creativity. Their movie review could persuade their peers to see the movie they write about or convince them to not see it! We will go on Rotten Tomatoes to read reviews and see how compelling reviews are written. And, of course, watching a movie without popcorn and candy doesn't seem right! Our high school ELL mentors will each sit by their third-grade mentee and help them write a persuasive article about the movie.
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