ESOL -- NEISD.net

Curriculum
English for Speakers of Other Languages


ESOL

PHILOSOPHY

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

INDICATORS OF EXCELLENCE

PROGRAM MAP

PK-5

PROGRAM MAP 

6-12

COURSE OF STUDY

PK-5

COURSE OF STUDY 

6-8

COURSE OF STUDY

SECONDARY ENGLISH

NEW!
ELEMENTARY PARENT HANDBOOK
English Version: WORD - PDF
Spanish Version: WORD - PDF
SECONDARY PARENT HANDBOOK
English Version: WORD - PDF
Spanish Version: WORD - PDF

MARIE MENDOZA
DIRECTOR OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER PROGRAMS
210-804-7180 EXT. 372


English as A Second Language PK-12

Philosophy

To ensure equal educational opportunity, the North East Independent School District believes that all students who have a language other than English and who are identified as Limited English Proficient shall be supported in their efforts to become competent in the comprehension, speaking, reading and composition of the English language through the N.E.I.S.D. curriculum and integrated use of second language methods.

Core Values:

  • Language acquisition
  • Comprehensible Input
  • Relevancy
  • Literacy
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Technology
  • Accountability

Core Purpose:

To promote and support the efforts of the second language learner in acquiring English so that he may continue his cognitive development, literacy and communication skills within an ever-increasing global community.
Critical Attributes: Cognizant of the student's level of English proficiency, developmental stage, academic background and learning style, the teacher will provide ample opportunity for the student to:
  • Interact with other students and teachers in a risk-free environment
  • Respect oneself and the diversity of others
  • Cooperate and collaborate with others in order to complete a task
  • Learn how to question for clarification
  • Employ the cognitive strategies of elaborating prior conceptual knowledge
  • Make logical guesses as to meaning using context clues and pictures
  • Recognize and use similarities between one's native language and English
  • Apply and demonstrate the metacognitive strategies of planning, monitoring and evaluating a task
  • Employ the use of technology for accelerating language learning and communication
  • Demonstrate the process of research at one's level of proficiency
  • Exhibit accountability and responsibility

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North East Guiding Principles

English for Speakers of Other Languages PK-1

Guiding Principles

Bibliographic Sources

Language Acquisition and Learning – For their cognitive growth and mastery of academic content, the LEP student must learn content while English is being learned. The student cannot afford to wait the five to seven years it takes to learn a second language before he learns academic content. Educators have increasingly emphasized the importance of integrating language learning with the teaching of academic content. Effective instruction promotes the integration of language, cognition and content mastery.

Early, M. (1990). "Enabling First and Second Language Learners in the Classroom." Language Arts, 67: 567-575.

Mohan, B. (1986). Language and Content. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Cummins, J. (1994). Schooling and Language Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework. California State University, Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center.

Comprehensible Input and Relevancy – Modifications to the instructional program are required, but that does not entail a dilution in the conceptual or academic content. Rather, it is required to adopt and implement instructional strategies that are appropriate to the student's proficiency level, academic background, developmental stage, and learning style, which will ensure understanding of the material covered.

Krashen, Stephen D. (1991). Fundamentals of Language Education. Beverly Hills, CA: Laredo Publishing.

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking – The ESL student should be encouraged to interact with other students and teachers in a "risk-free" environment by respecting himself and the diversity of others, by cooperating and collaborating with others in order to complete tasks, and by learning and employing cognitive strategies.

LEP students will be explicitly instructed in learning cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The students will develop their ability to regulate their own learning by applying prior knowledge and searching for meaning through the use of higher order thinking skills. They will be able to plan, monitor, elaborate, and evaluate their own learning and second language acquisition.

Short, Deborah. (1991). How to Integrate Language and Content Instruction: A Training Manual. Washington, D.C. : Center for Applied Linguistics.

Chamot, Anna U., and O'Malley, Michael J. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. New York: Cambridge UP.

Chamot, A. U., & O'Malley, J.M. (1994). The CALLA Handbook: How to Implement the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Chamot, A.U., Dale, M., O'Malley, J.M., & Spanos, G.A.: (1993). "Learning and problem solving strategies of ESL students." Bilingual Reseach Journal, 16.

Cummins, J. (1986). "Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention." Harvard Educational Review, 56.

Reading and Writing – Quality and age-appropriate literature provides models of language with increasing complexity and sophistication that challenge ESL students to develop new vocabulary, to learn effective use of mechanics and to acquire the structures of language through the use of the reading process. Good literature is about human experience combined with universal themes that speaks across cultures and language backgrounds. Well-selected literature can provide a common text and experience that allow students to interact and figure out meaning for themselves.

ESL writers while they are still learning English are able to work in the craft of writing. They are able to respond to the writings of others and take into consideration the ideas of others. In order to craft many kinds of writing the ESL student reads a variety of writing. Quality expository texts offer models for good expository writing. Reading a variety of texts-- poetry, essays, narrative fiction, fantasy, songs, second language learners are able to model and to use writing for multiple purposes.

McClosdey, M.L. and Stack, L. (1993). Voices in Literature: Integrated Language and Literature of ESOL. Heinle and Heinle.

Hudelson, S. (1989). Write On: Children writing in ESL. Englewood, Cliffs, NJ: Longman.

Krashen, Stephen D. (1991). Fundamentals of Language Education. Beverly Hills, CA: Laredo Publishing.

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Indicators of Excellence

English as a Second Language PK-12

Teachers Will: Students Will: Environment:

Use in-depth curriculum and elaborate connections across disciplines as well as make connections between curriculum and students' lives

 Utilize technology and the internet to enhance and accelerate second language teaching and learning

· Accompany verbal explanations with visuals, realia, dramatizations and other nonverbal methods; scaffold materials for students

· Explicitly teach problem-solving and critical thinking skills focusing on meaning rather than form and on the need to support generalizations with facts

· Provide opportunities for students to process material using a variety of formats: question, discussion, group work, review, read, write, reteach

Vary thematic content, genres, and texts using assessment methods that permit students to display learning in a variety of ways, both verbal and nonverbal

Incorporate all six literacy's into the curriculum: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, Viewing, Representing

 
  • Interact with peers, teacher and assistant in discussions and problem solving

  • Express their understanding in a variety of ways—verbally, artistically, dramatically, factually

  • Read everyday using varied texts (novels, short stories)

  • Write meaningfully everyday (journals, narratives, poems, learning logs, poems, responses to literature)

  • Choose frequently within teacher guidelines and expectations in reading material, writing topics, and assessment

  • Engage in self-assessment and peer evaluation

  • Make connections between literary experiences and real world experiences

Learning
  • Demonstrate that all students can learn to communicate verbally, read and write successfully in English given many opportunities to do so

  • Reflect teachers who maintain a rich knowledge of content, strategies, and technology

    Exhibit a safe, friendly atmosphere for academic risk-taking

    Display a variety of instructional strategies which support second language learning, learning styles and multiple intelligence

    Produce activities for planning, monitoring, evaluating, reflecting, problem solving, supporting & interaction

    Present an appreciation of cultural diversity

  • Exhibit a safe, friendly atmosphere for academic risk-taking

  • Display a variety of instructional strategies which support second language learning, learning styles and multiple intelligence

  • Produce activities for planning, monitoring, evaluating, reflecting, problem solving, supporting & interaction

  • Present an appreciation of cultural diversity

Physical
  • Dictionaries in each language represented in the classroom

  • Print-rich and content rich with student work displayed

    Computers, overhead, library, language master, tape recorder, television, VCR

    Variety of computer programs, resource and high interest reading material

    Teacher and assistant actively interacting with students

    Cultural and language diversity evident in the bulletin boards

  • Computers, overhead, library, language master, tape recorder, television, VCR

  • Variety of computer programs, resource and high interest reading material

  • Teacher and assistant actively interacting with students

  • Cultural and language diversity evident in the bulletin boards

  • Computers, overhead, library, language master, tape recorder, television, VCR

  • Variety of computer programs, resource and high interest reading material

  • Teacher and assistant actively interacting with students

  • Cultural and language diversity evident in the bulletin boards

  • Computers, overhead, library, language master, tape recorder, television, VCR

  • Variety of computer programs, resource and high interest reading material

  • Teacher and assistant actively interacting with students

  • Cultural and language diversity evident in the bulletin boards

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ELEMENTARY PROGRAM MAP

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SECONDARY ESOL PROGRAM MAP
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COURSE OF STUDY
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE PK-5

PK/Kindergarten

Participates in rhymes, songs, conversations, and discussions.

Presents dramatic interpretations of experiences, stories, poems, or plays

Uses prior knowledge and experiences to understand meanings in English

Makes connections across content areas and uses language and concepts in different ways

Understands basic structures, expressions, and vocabulary

First Grade

Listens critically to interpret and evaluate

Produces sounds and intonation patterns of English

Develops vocabulary through meaningful/concrete experiences

Retells or acts out the order of important events in stories

Writes to record ideas and reflections

Uses prior knowledge and experiences to understand meanings in English

Makes connections across content areas and uses language and concepts in different ways

Understands basic structures, expressions, and vocabulary

Second Grade

Decode by using all letters/sound correspondences within a word

Blend initial letter - sounds with common vowel spelling patterns to read words

Recognize high frequency irregular words

Identify multi syllabic words by using common syllable patterns

Use structural cues to recognize words such compounds, base words and inflection

Use structural cues such s prefixes and suffixes to recognize words

Use of knowledge or word order (syntax) and content to support word identification and confirm word meaning.

Read both regular and irregular words automatically such as through multiple opportunities to read and reread

Third Grade

Identify people, places, objects, events, and basic concepts such as numbers, days of the week, food, occupations and time

Arrange phrases, clauses, and sentences into correct and meaningful patterns

Use a combination of skills to decode words such as pattern recognition and identification of cognates, root words, and affixes

Use basic capitalization and punctuation correctly, such as capitalizing names and first letters in sentences using periods, question marks and exclamation points

Recognize and distinguish phonological elements of newly acquired vocabulary such as long and short vowels, silent letters and consonant clusters

Use active listening comprehension in a variety of situations such as following directions, responding to requests, and listening for specific purposes

Read silently with increasing ease for longer periods

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NORTH EAST COURSE OF STUDY

ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES 6-8

English 6/SOL

Students master previously learned skills and apply them to increasingly more complex presentations, reading selections, and written compositions as they progress to the next grade level

All expectations apply equally to second language learners; however, it is imperative to recognize critical processes and features of second language acquisition and to provide appropriate instruction to enable students to meet these standards.

Reading and Writing

  • Reads widely in classic and contemporary selections and informational texts
  • Understands idioms, multi-meaning words, and analogies in text
  • Distinguishes denotative and connotative meanings
  • Understands historical influences on word meanings
  • Recognizes literary devices such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, symbolism
  • Selects and uses different forms of writing for specific purposes such as to inform, persuade, or entertain
  • Varies sentence structure, use more complex punctuation such as hyphens, semicolons, and possessives
  • Edits own writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, and other conventions of written language
  • Produces final, error-free pieces of written composition on a regular basis
  • Searches out multiple texts to complete research reports and projects
  • Evaluates the purposes and effects of film, print, and technology presentations

Listening and Speaking

  • Listens and speaks to gain knowledge of the culture of others and recognizes the common elements among cultures
  • Comprehends proficient models of oral readings in classic and contemporary works
  • Understands major ideas and supporting evidence in a spoken message
  • Determines purpose of L/S as to gain information, appreciation, solve problems
  • Connects own experiences, information, ideas and insights with those of others
  • Compares perception of a spoken message wit those of others
  • Chooses vocabulary and grammar to fit a specific audience and occasion
  • Presents dramatic interpretations of stories, poems, or plays
  • Evaluates own and others' oral interpretations
  • Clarifies and supports spoken ideas with evidence, elaboration, and examples
  • Analyzes and evaluates a spoken message critically in terms of content and credibility

Viewing and Representing

  • Takes notes during oral presentations, organize and summarize spoken messages
  • Evaluates their own presentations
  • Assesses how language, medium, and presentation contribute to meaning
  • Produces communications such as a report using technology, a news report, or a class newspaper

Selected Readings WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS   Selected folk tales/Greek mythology Selected poetry and short stories Selected biography

English 7/SOL

Students master previously learned skills and apply them to increasingly more complex presentations, reading selections, and written compositions as they progress to the next grade level.

All expectations apply equally to second language learners; however, it is imperative to recognize critical processes and features of second language acquisition and to provide appropriate instruction to enable students to meet these standards.

Reading and Writing

  • Continues to read widely in classic and contemporary selections and informational texts
  • Uses knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes in reading
  • Recognizes how style, tone, and mood contribute to the effect of the text
  • Selects and use different forms of writing for specific purposes such as to inform, persuade, or entertain
  • Varies sentence structure and use verb tenses appropriately and consistently such as present, past, future, perfect, and progressive
  • Edits their own writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, and other conventions of written language
  • Produces final, error-free pieces of written composition on a regular basis
  • Draws data from multiple primary and secondary sources for use in research and projects

Listening and Speaking

  • Compares and contrasts oral traditions across regions and cultures
  • Adapts spoken language (word choice, sentence structure, usage) to the purpose and audience
  • Demonstrates effective communication skills in interviewing, reporting, discussing, and providing information
  • Presents dramatic presentations of experiences or literary works
  • Generates constructive self and peer evaluation of oral presentations
  • Clarifies spoken ideas with evidence, explanation, and examples
  • Critiques oral interpretations of literature for effects on the listener
  • Analyzes and evaluates a speaker's message with regard to purpose, persuasive techniques, content, credibility, and delivery
  • Understands the difference purposes for listening—to gain information, to solve problems, or for appreciation of a selection

Viewing and Representing

  • Analyzes a speaker’s persuasive techniques and credibility
  • Evaluates a spoken message in terms of its content, credibility, and delivery

Selected Readings Authurian Legends  Selected fables, myths, legends THE RED PONY  Selected poetry and literary terms A CHRISTMAS CAROL  Selected autobiography Selected short stories

English 8/SOL

Students master previously learned skills and apply them to increasingly more complex presentations, reading selections, and written compositions as they progress to the next grade level.

All expectations apply equally to second language learners; however, it is imperative to recognize critical processes and features of second language acquisition and to provide appropriate instruction to enable students to meet these standards.

Reading and Writing

  • Continues to read widely in classic and contemporary selections and informational texts
  • Identifies characteristics of various literary form
  • Selects and uses different forms of writing for specific purposes such as to inform, persuade, or entertain
  • Students produce multi-paragraph compositions with varied sentence structure
  • Edits their own writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, and other conventions of written language
  • Produces final, error-free pieces of written composition on a regular basis
  • Uses citations competently and writes by following accepted formats for research reports

Listening and Speaking

  • Uses active listening skills to critiques a speaker's message
  • Judges a speaker's qualifications based on pre-established criteria
  • Recognizes rhythm, power and beauty of language in poetry
  • Distinguishes between formal and informal language
  • Compares own culture with that of others, noting common elements
  • Demonstrates effective communication skills during interviewing, reporting, role playing, answering questions, and providing information
  • Presents dramatic interpretation of experiences, plays, poems, or short stories
  • Clarifies spoken ideas with evidence and elaboration
  • Adapts spoken language such as word choice and usage to audience and purpose
  • Analyzes a speaker's persuasive techniques and credibility in order to defend or criticize a message

Viewing and Representing

  • Understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings (illustrations, political cartoons)
  • Produces visual messages with regard to language, method, and presentation
  • Evaluates media forms (magazines, television news, ads, films, newspapers, novels, music, and art)

Selected Readings THE CALL OF THE WILD THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK  Let Me Hear You My Name, My Self   The Keeping Quiet

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NORTH EAST COURSE OF STUDY

SECONDARY ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

English I/SOL

Reading and writing are increasingly more demanding requiring multiple levels of understanding and sophistication.

All expectations apply equally to second language learners; however, it is imperative to recognize critical processes and features of second language acquisition and to provide appropriate instruction to enable students to meet these standards.

Reading and Writing
  • Reads widely to increase knowledge of the culture of others and the elements across cultures
  • Reads world literature in a variety of texts including books, essays, letter, journals, electronic texts, newspapers, magazines
  • Responds to texts through journals, discussions, oral interpretations and dramatizations
  • Reads critically to evaluate texts by determining credibility of sources, purpose of message, persuasive techniques, and logical argument
  • Uses a variety of strategies to comprehend and interpret unfamiliar texts and to extend vocabulary (compare/contrast, cause/effect, inferences, outlining)
  • Uses prereading as a strategy for understanding
  • Investigates social conditions and historical contexts impacting literature
  • Discovers meaning in literature by analyzing literary elements such as plot, setting, conflict, characterization, point of view, mood, tragedy, comedy, and symbol
  • Writes in a variety of forms (personal, business, persuasive) for various audiences and purposes (inform, influence, describe, entertain)
  • Engages in the writing process (pre-writing, writing, revising, publishing)
  • Applies the conventions of spelling, grammar, and usage for effective writing
  • Uses writing as a tool for learning through research and other methods of inquiry
  • Analyzes various types of writing for meaning, motives, style, and techniques
  • Evaluates own and others' writing

Listening and Speaking

  • Prepares, organizes, and presents informative and persuasive oral messages and literary interpretations
  • Listens critically for bias, message, clarity and understanding
  • Uses the conventions of oral language effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes

Viewing and Representing

  • To communicate with others—uses line, shape, color, texture to create visual representations to include but are not limited to—videos, films, web pages, documentaries, billboards, photographs
  • Recognizes visual and sound techniques; various genres such as news magazines, nightly news, documentaries; sources of presentation (who made it and why); persuasive techniques and the use of generality and fallacy.
  • Comprehends and interprets visual messages such as advertisement and film

Selected Readings Comprehends and interprets visual messages such as advertisement and film

Selected Readings Short Stories and Poetry ROMEO AND JULIET/Shakespeare  THE ODYSSEY/Homer THE PEARL/Steinbeck THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA/Hemingway THE MIRACLE WORKER/Gibson

English II/SOL

Reading and writing are increasingly more demanding requiring multiple levels of understanding and sophistication.

All expectations apply equally to second language learners; however, it is imperative to recognize critical processes and features of second language acquisition and to provide appropriate instruction to enable students to meet these standards.

Reading and Writing

  • Uses context to determine meaning
  • Applies meanings of prefixes, roots, suffixes for comprehension
  • Expands vocabulary through wide selection of reading material and structured vocabulary study
  • Understands the complexities behind connotative meanings drawing information from prior knowledge and primary language
  • Uses a variety of strategies to comprehend readings—own background to provide connections with texts; identifying main ideas and supporting details to produce summaries; analyze text structures (compare/contrast, cause/effect, chronological order); draw inferences such as conclusions, predictions, generalizations; support interpretations with evidence from the text
  • Reads from a variety of texts such as diaries, journals, textbooks, maps, newspapers, letters, speeches, and electronic texts
  • Appreciates and understands world literature including classics and contemporary works
  • Recognizes distinctive and shared characteristics of cultures through reading
  • Expresses and supports responses to types of texts through the comparison and contrast of tone, mood, point of view, style, character development, setting, rising action, denouement and the impact of the text on intended audience
  • Understands and identifies literary terms such as protagonist, antagonist, paradox, symbol
  • Reads and understands analogies
  • Locates information using databases, the internet, text
  • Evaluates the credibility of the sources of information including the writer's motivation
  • Writes using a variety of forms—letters, persuasive styles and literary forms
  • Writes in a voice and style appropriate to a particular audience and purpose
  • Varies sentence patterns in increasingly sophisticated ways
  • Recognizes errors in writing in order to revise and correct
  • Demonstrates control over subject/verb agreement, pronoun antecedent and agreement, verb forms, and parallelism
  • Expands ideas into multi-paragraph formats
  • Produces reports and research projects and connects information to other content areas; to personal concerns; to current social, economic or political conditions
  • Uses recursive writing processes as needed: prewriting, writing, editing, refining
  • Uses writing as a tool for learning, such as to formulate questions, compile information from primary and secondary sources, represent information by using graphics, maps, learning logs
  • Incorporates evidence from literature to persuade, inform, describe

Listening and Speaking

  • Listens attentively in order to engage in critical, empathetic, appreciative, and reflective responses
  • Is aware of the use of body language to understand meaning and bias
  • Distinguishes between statements of fact and statements of opinion
  • Relates the speaker's ideas and information to own experiences and interest
  • Understands the use of verbal and non-verbal strategies (eye contact, posture) to convey feelings and meaning
  • Uses the conventions of oral language effectively
  • Identifies and analyzes artistic elements such as rhyme, rhythm, imagery that assist in conveying meaning
  • Prepares, organizes, and presents a variety of informative and persuasive messages such as poetry, stories, original works, dramatic scenes
  • Recognizes the importance of logical sequencing of ideas and information
  • Evaluates presentations of peers, public figures, the media
  • Viewing and Representing
  • Recognizes genres such as nightly new, news magazines, documentaries and identifies the properties unique to each
  • Recognizes how special effects, editing, camera angles, reaction shots, music convey meaning
  • Recognizes techniques used to sell a product—glittering generalities and emotional appeal
  • Examines the effect of media on the construction of a person's perception of reality
  • Uses videos, taped recordings, photographs and web pages to communicate messages
  • Analyzes and critiques visual representations involving information, entertainment and advertisement
  • Creates media products to include a five to six minute documentary, a print ad, an editorial, a flier, a movie critique or an illustrated children's book to engage specific audiences

Selected Readings Short Stories and Poetry ANIMAL FARM/Orwell  MACBETH/Shakespeare OF MICE AND MEN/Steinbeck TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD/Lee

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