McLaughlin's Blog

IEL II-January 2010

Students started out reading a novel excerpt from Later, Gator. We discussed the elements of a short story, the basic plots/situations, and the outcomes. Students learned vocabulary in context and created flashcards for themselves. We completed a quiz based on the reading.

The second week students focused on informational texts and Ancient Kids. Students compared and contrasted The Mayans, the ancient Greeks, and the ancient Romans. Then students wrote about their customs, games, traditions. We talked about how families celebrated with each other. We discussed coming of age stories, key birthdays, holidays and life events.

Week 3-Students will focus on Reader Digest Stories. Can cats predict death? Stay tuned!

IEL II 8/29 -9/2/11

Mon-Words and links related to health(OPD text and online links). Can students listen to a health club conversation? Can they remember and record what they hear? Do they understand words in context? Can they discuss and apply contexts? See www.dailyesl.com and www.esl-lab.com for extra practice.

Tues-Lab: Students created health tips to share with their peers. What are ten tips you could follow in order to live a more healthy lifestyle?  (Eat right, get enough sleep, exercise, etc.)

Wed- We discussed a health article from Choices magazine. "Is Soda Making you Fat?" Students learned the harmful effects of drinking too much soda. They studied graphs, nutritional labels, myths about nutrition, and comparative data.

Thurs-Students completed a health crossword puzzle and discussed new vocabulary terms. They also started on their Health projects.

IEL II- 8/15-8/19/11

Monday-Meet, greet, and explain classroom procedures. Go over WIDA standards. We completed a USA and World Trivia exercise. Do students understand the language of social studies? Can they talk about physical features? Can they find rivers, state names, countries, etc. on a map? Could they understand the questions and answers? Could they talk about their own countries? Do they know directions? HW: Write me an autobiography using the "All About Me" sheet.

Tuesday-Students shared their autobiographies in class. We discussed language structures and

IEL I-8/15-8/19/11

Monday-Meet and greet and explain classroom procedures. Review language objectives and assess proficiency levels. HW: Write an autobiography about yourself.

Tuesday-ESL survival kit activities. Read and discuss "In The Lunchroom." Can students follow along as the teacher reads? Can students label pictures as the teacher reads? Can students point to the correct people, situations, and actions? Can students match characters with descriptions? Can students act out situations? Can students talk about the lunchroom at KMHS?

Wednesday-Review yesterday's story. Can students unscramble sentences related to the situations in the lunchroom story? Can students write their own scrambled sentences? Go to www.rong-chang.com and practice unscrambling the sentences there. How does this activity help you read and write English?

Thursday-Comparing/Contrasting ESL sites. Which of these sites looks helpful and interesting? Which looks boring? Why?

Friday-Preview Test of English grammar. 

American Lit ESOL, Fall 2011, 8/15-19/11

Monday- Students read and analyzed Katherine Brush's "Birthday Party."  We studied five lit terms in specific detail: purpose, tone, point of view, diction, sensory details. How do these components fit into the overall theme of the story?  Students wrote a one page response for homework.

Tuesday-Students worked with "Birthday Party" again. First, students completed a "show what you know" Alphaboxes activity. They brainstormed with each other and came up with as many story elements, themes, and lit terms A-Z that they could remember about the story. Then students scanned the actual story and wrote down more notes and facts. Finally, there was a class discussion. In small groups, students completed a 4 corners activity that reviewed symbols, quotes and meanings, setting/context, and real life connections. Their ticket out the door was to come up with as many negative connotations as they could from the story. HW: Be prepared to justify, clarify and explain your connotations in class tomorrow. Also be ready to define and explain key terms from the story.

Wednesday-Final review of "Birthday  Party" and wrap-up discussions. Students studied vocabulary in context today. We looked at a selection from Barron's Painless Vocabulary book. Can students understand 15 vocabulary words within the context of the story? If a word has more than one definition, how can a student decide what the word means in this particular story? We talked about using context and visual clues to infer meaning of new words. We also talked about synonyms and antonyms and using what is known to help pick good choices. Students were split into groups to write a story of their own using the 15 words. We wrapped up class with a vocabulary review game. Study your vocab!

Thursday-"Is Facebook Making You Mean?" Skill-Persuasive Essay/Persuasive Writing.  Students read an article from Scope Magazine and then debated their opinions in class. What do you think? Is Facebook making kids meaner? Why? After the debate, students organized their thoughts in writing using the Scholastic writing organizer. What should the introduction, body, and conclusion look like? How does one hook a reader? How does one support an argument? Students will write an in-class essay tomorrow.

Friday-Students wrote a timed 3-5 paragraph essay. "Is Facebook Making You Mean?" After writing the essay, students switched papers and graded each other using a writing rubric. Papers were returned to the original authors. Rewrites will be done this weekend at home and turned in on Monday.

World Literature ESOL- March 21-25, 2011

Monday-What do kids really know about "All the President's Men?" What do the follow-up activities, journal prompts, and analysis show? How did disc 2 compare to disc 1? What did it take to make the movie realistic? What did you think of the Deep Throat clip? Can students relate movies to real-life? We will discuss questions from last week and then move on to grammar. Do you know the difference between a fragment and a run-on? Can you edit someone else's writing? How is this activity like/unlike the standardized tests you are given? How is this like the online tests and links?

IEL II-March 21-25, 2011

Monday-IEL kids worked on Roll of Thunder Activity Page (timeline, quotes, vocabulary development, writing). Students will get the opportunity to show what they know using a variety of multiple intelligences. It may take an entire week to complete these tasks, connection activities, and assessments.

IEL II-3/14-3/18/11

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Students will focus on Chapters 10-12 this week(themes, characters, situations)

Monday-Review Friday's test. Can students analyze a novel independently, or do they need help? Why? How many students successfully answered the multiple choice questions? Did students benefit from seeing the questions prior to taking the test? How do students study? Are their notes organized? Do grades on the test match what they comprehend in class?

Tuesday-Can students answer chapter questions from an online resource? I paired the students up and they read and discussed their chapters with each other. Then they presented findings to the class. Do you feel sorry for T.J. at the end of the novel? Why? How do the Logans try to help T.J.?  Get ready to really show what you know tomorrow!  Grammar Guide-study the spelling words and make sure you know the meanings/definitions of the words.

Wednesday-Students took a Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry online quiz from different esl sites. Then students practiced grammar, writing, and speaking skills. We will continue reviewing the chapter questions until all students can recall 90% or more of the covered material. Students got to act out their favorite scenes from the novel and explain why that scene interested them.

Thurday-Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Bingo. How well do the students comprehend the big picture? Can they talk easily about key characters, events, situations, causes/effects, vocabulary, and lit terms?  If students do not understand, is it because they haven't read? Who is keeping up and who is not? Why?  Be ready for a major project tomorrow. First, you will do several online activities. Then you will create story charts, a timeline of events, a dictionary of terms, and other follow-up tasks.

Friday-Check out all activities from http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/beaverjf/nbd/roll3.htm.  Students will come back to class to complete follow-up activities(timeline of events, story chart, Q and A, research, vocabulary dictionary). These activities will count as a major test grade.

World Literature ESOL-3/14-3/18/11

After reviewing prior tests, students will watch "All the President's Men."  EQ: Why was there a break-in in the Democratic headquarters? Did Nixon order this break-in and cover-up? How did this affect public opinion of the president and government in general?

Monday-Students will define key vocabulary words and start watching the movie.

Tuesday-How many of the Listening Questions were you able to answer while you watched the movie? What have Woodward and Bernstein discovered so far about the Watergate scandal? What do you think about their investigative styles? Why?

Wednesday-Students finished watching the movie. Who was indicted? Why? Make sure you can summarize key people, events, situations, problems, and the resolution. What was the point of making this movie? If you had to write a review of the film, what would you say? Why?  Be ready for follow-up movie questions.

Thursday-Students responded to 7 questions about the movie "All the President's Men." The purpose is to develop higher level thinking skills. Students will practice writing and speaking skills in an interactive manner. Prior to these activities, students practiced listening and comprehending spoken English. Students also got a chance to organize their thoughts by creating an A-Z summary about the movie. Further, students tested their knowledge of history/Watergate facts, knowledge of journalistic techniques, and recall of people, places, situations/events. If students did not finish #10, they will write a paragraph(10-15 sentences) about the key events in the movie  and/or lessons learned.

World Lit ESOL Periods 2 and 3: 3/14-3/18/2011

Students will review their cumulative tests from last week. We will begin introductory activities for "All The President's Men." This lesson is part of a "teaching with movies" unit and focuses on the Watergate scandal. ESOL students will learn key vocabulary and answer questions while they watch the movie. At the same time, they will learn about two reporters who were on a mission to uncover the truth about Nixon and his administration and their involvement in the Watergate scandal.

IEL II-March 14-March18, 2011

We will be focusing on the last three chapters of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Students will be reviewing their tests from last week and discussing key themes, characters, situations, problems/resolutions to date. As students read Chapters 10-12, they will answer specific questions, review key vocabulary, and use reading strategies to help themselves comprehend contexts.