Write. Share. Give. Be sure to mention if you're participating in Multi-Lit Friday when you leave the teaser and link to your post today.
Category: multilingual
Over-Scaffolding: Beware of the Temptation!
We went into teaching to support students with learning. Sometimes, though, our well-intentioned supports can get in the way of learning and growing.
Chants for Writing: Support Routines, Conventions, and Craft
Chants are a highly engaging teaching strategy that support multilingual and monolingual learners alike. Try them out for teaching routines, conventions, and craft in writing workshop.
Bringing Down Students’ Affective Filter
March seemed like it was never-ending. I glanced at my planner last week and realized one whole week left in March. For those that share my sentiment, breathe, we made it, and tomorrow is April. This month, I've been assessing our multilingual learners. It is called the Summative English Language Assessments for California (ELPAC) in… Continue reading Bringing Down Students’ Affective Filter
The Smile Shop: A Tribute to Language and London
Award-winning author-illustrator Satoshi Kitamura details the inspiration for his picture book The Smile Shop. He explains how his introduction to the Spanish language planted the idea in his head and how the book is a tribute to the London he knew and loved when he was living there and developing his career as an artist.
Reading + Talk + Writing = Innovative Expression Opportunities!
One way to keep writing interesting and fun right now is with the writing of life equations, supporting students in finding phrases to add together to capture small moments, experiences or feelings in their lives.
Recording, Revision and Repetition: Empowering Multilingual Writers
Recording for revision, encouraging translanguaging, and repetition are useful strategies to exalt and empower multilingual writers. As teachers of multilingual students, encouraging translanguaging and recording as revision is akin to telling students: every aspect of you is valued. Every aspect of you is important.
Supporting English Language Learners with Summary Writing
When I first started teaching and heard experienced teachers converse using acronyms related to English Language Development, I wondered if I would be able to memorize these acronyms as freely as they had. Twenty years later, I think I have a grasp on several of them. Here’s a few, try it out and see if… Continue reading Supporting English Language Learners with Summary Writing
Behaviors: Meet Writers Where They Are
Since the beginning of our school year, our schedule has changed more times than I could count on one hand. Students have come back from virtual learning, some have moved in and out of at-home learning for set periods of time, and the rest have remained in the physical classroom. Our environment is in a… Continue reading Behaviors: Meet Writers Where They Are
Providing Tools for Writing and Sharing Writing Through the Pandemic
Calling all primary writing teachers. Today Janet Ahn shares how she worked with her Kindergarteners to continue thrive in writing workshop through the pandemic. These young scholars continued to draft pieces, engage in conferring, collaborate to mark up mentor texts, and publish their writing through online platforms. Their dedication to continuing the writing workshop virtually was a reflection of how they truly saw themselves as writers.
Translanguaging, EALs, & Testing
All I wanted was for their pencils to keep moving, for the writing to flow without stopping. For a short while, that proved to be difficult, but not impossible.
Spelling in a Writing Workshop
The truth… I’d rather not talk about spelling. There are more important things in a writing workshop, than to talk about spelling. Spelling well is a good thing. When we edit what we write, it is profusely important, but it has nothing to do with growing a writer. When we focus on spelling or grammar correctness, the growing writer becomes stifled.