The International Center

1. Serving Newcomers to Hamblen County The International Center

2. ELL Population

3. Hispanic Population 05-06 by Grade

4. Challenge for the Mainstreamin the Last 25 Years • School aged children have increased by 19% • ELL students have increased by 161%

5. ESL in Hamblen County Current Challenges

6. Hamblen County ESL: 2007-08 • 939 ELL students • 787 in ELL classes • 152 Transition students within first two years out of ELL classes • Almost 300 NELB (non-English language background) • ELL students make up about 10% of our total school population

7. Our Human Resources • 18 Schools plus International Center • 17 ELL teachers • 5 ELL assistants • 3 Migrant assistants • These assistants work primarily with migrant students, whose families move for seasonal or agricultural work • 1 Immigrant assistant

8. Hamblen County is Different • ESL is a true priority. • Teaching in multiple schools is the exception rather than the rule. • All teachers have at least some bilingual support. • No one teaches in a closet.

9. The International Center

10. International Center • Center for newcomers for intensive English language instruction • Half-day program • Bused to and from “base school” • Base school community is important • Attend field trips, plays, dances, and daytime sporting events with their base school classmates • Front door and back door • Students return to base school for ESL services once they become “limited English proficient”

11. Logistics • Elementary School • 5-12 students • Attend 8:00-10:30 a.m. • Middle and High School • 14-28 students • Attend 12:00-2:15 p.m. • Students ride buses between schools • Students eat lunch and most attend math at their base schools

12. Who can attend • Students take IPT when they enter the school system. • If they score as “Non-English Proficient,” they can come to the International Center. • After 1 or 2 semesters, student placement is re-evaluated. • If they score as “Limited English Proficient” in each area on IPT, they return their base school all day. • Classroom and ELL teachers at base school are consulted regarding the best placement. • English language classes take place at the home school.

13. ELDA • Students take the ELDA in March each year. • Students with a Composite score of 1 or 2 can attend the International Center. • When students score 4 or 5 on the ELDA, they exit out of English language services.

14. Schedules • Morning: Elementary (4th – 5th grades) • 8:00 – 10:30am • 5-12 Students • 2 Teachers • Journal Writing • Math • Science • Social Studies • Reading • Phonics, Comprehension, Fluency

15. Schedules • Afternoon: Middle and High (6th – 12th grades) • 12:00 – 2:20pm • 14-28 Students • 3 Teachers • Reading • Math • Science • Social Studies

16. Highly Qualified • All teachers at the International Center are highly qualified in the subjects they teach. • High school credit • Life Science • Environmental Science • World History • Government and Economics • Math Foundations I and II

17. High School Credits • High school students can earn credits toward graduation at the International Center in: • US Government/Economics • World Geography • Life Science • Environmental Science • Math Foundations II

18. Conference room Sheltered instruction Comfortable community environment for students to experiment with English Additional Benefits • Team teaching • Small group teaching • Projectors for multimedia presentations • Partitions for adjustable classroom sizes

19. How Do We Help • Clear, concise articulation • Eye contact • Visuals • Gestures and body movement • Shorter, slower, simpler sentences • High frequency vocabulary • Minimize use of idiomatic expressions • Model • Scaffold • Access • Activate prior knowledge • Provide cooperative learning • Differentiate instruction

20. The SIOP Method Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners

21. SIOP • Sheltered • Instruction • Observation • Protocol • Making content more accessible to English Language Learners (ELLs)

22. Scaffolding • Create content objectives that students are able to achieve. • Use supplementary materials to visually show what they are learning. • Use repetition to reinforce knowledge. • Allow students to experience content through meaningful activities. • Give opportunities to practice what students have learned.

23. Building Background • Simple questions: “What did we do yesterday?” or “What do you know about Thanksgiving?” • Charts- KWL: Individual or as a class • Journals: Have students write what they learn at the end of class; read it before the next class • Make connections with what we have already learned and through all content areas.

24. Comprehensible Input • Making what you say and teach easy for students to grasp • How to do it: • Speak clearly and at an appropriate rate of speed. • Clearly explain and demonstrate academic tasks. • Use a variety of teaching techniques (visuals, oral and written descriptions, hands-on materials). • Give multiple examples and ask students to provide examples.

25. Strategies • Examples of strategies: • Using charts to organize information • KWL Charts • Story Webs • Time Lines • Graphic Organizers • Teach students to preview text: look for pictures, bold text, info boxes, etc. • Teach students how to ask appropriate questions • Model

26. Any questions? • What was not clear? • What examples can you offer? • Would you like more information? Thank You!

27. Additional Resources • Hamblen County Schools • www.hcboe.net • The SIOP Model • Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model (3rd ed.) • By J. Echevarria, M. Vogt, and D. Short. • Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2007. • 99 Ideas and Activities for Teaching English Learners with the SIOP Model. • By M. Vogt and J. Echevarria. • Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008.