Discussion 1

The term first generation immigrants refers to those who have migrated to the United States as adults. Second generation immigrants are those who are considered U.S. citizens by birth.

There is a new group of students who are populating today's schools, who have been termed Generation 1.5. These students were born in their native land and then raised in the United States.

They speak their native language and live traditional cultures at home, while speaking English and conforming to American culture while in school.

This poses a new set of issues for teachers of ELLs who are caught between two cultures and two languages. Take some time to read the articles, Will The Real Generation 1.5 Please Stand Up? and Generation 1.5: Recognizing an overlooked population. Next, respond to the discussion prompt below.

During your progression through this program, you've had the opportunity to explore the demographics of your local school district. If this is your first class, now is a great time to begin familiarizing yourself with this information which you can find through a brief Internet search.

For example, San Diego Unified School District publishes their information here: About San Diego Unified School District. Use the demographic information from your school district or feel free to use San Diego Unified School District's, along with Chapter 1 in your textbook and the information you learned from this week's reading to discuss specific challenges teachers in your district face when teaching Generation 1.5 students. How will their written and oral language assessment differ from those who are new to American schools?

How will their level of readiness be evaluated in terms of planning effective lessons? How can you leverage their knowledge when creating lessons for L1 learners?

Guided Response: Respond to at least two peers whose minority population is different from the population you researched. What are the similarities? You may also consider responding to a peer who has the same demographic population as the one you've identified. Continue the conversation by sharing more resources with one another.

How does this group's assessments and level of academic and social readiness differ from yours? In addition, address the challenges that these populations face in their community? Make at least one additional suggestion for each peer response on evaluating students' readiness from Generation 1.5 specific to the stated demographics.

Carefully review the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate this Discussion Thread.

Respond

Week 1 - Discussion 2

Second Language Acquisition

You are teaching a fifth- to sixth-grade class that was developed for students who are ELL only, with the expectation that they will soon participate in the high stakes testing and be included in the general education classroom.

The class consists of students from Japan, Korea, and China. Most of the students know a few English words, but will only use them when specifically prompted.

You notice that although all the students are friendly to each other, the feel most comfortable talking with their peers who share their common native language. Sometimes when walking by a group during free time you suprisingly hear a word spoken in English such as playground or cousin.

You know from your research prior to teaching this class that in East Asian countries, students are taught "passive learning" where they are discouraged from answering first, but rather reflect on giving a thorough response. Watch the two videos on second language acquisition:

Stephen Krashen, An Interview

About Krashen's theory of Comprehensible Input

The Everyday Language Learner Interview Series: Dr. James J. Asher

Dr. James Asher on Total Physical Response.

First, explain how passive learning may be detrimental in a traditional American classroom, and reflect on the strategies both researchers have presented and devise a plan on how you could reach these students language needs best.

Explain your thought process, and be sure to cite at least one additional scholarly source when defending your position.

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your peers to extend what has been written to include practicing more active learning outside of school including English language enrichment. Suggest ways to include family members into addressing the student's language needs from your own experience, what you've read this week in class, and your own research.

Carefully review the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate this Discussion Thread.

Respond

Assignment

Professional Organizations and Resources

There are quite a few nationwide, professional organizations that support teachers who focus on educating students who are English language learners (ELLs). Some of the most well-known include:

National Association for Bilingual Education

TESOL International Association

International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

National Council of Teachers of English

In addition, there are also groups that focus on a specific language or state.

Professional Associations

Provides information on professional organizations.

NCELA Publications

The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition - clearinghouse of information

International Reading Association

The world's leading organization on literacy.

After reading Chapters 1 and 3 in your textbook, take time to explore the websites listed above, and review lesson plans, assessments, and resources for instructors. Then create a resource guide for teachers who are new to educating ELLs.

Please keep your guide focused on students of a specific grade-level (either elementary, middle, or high school). Your guide should address the following:

Discuss the social and academic challenges unique to ELLs.

Explain how a teacher would identify an ELL student's level of academic "readiness."

Describe the characteristics of an effective ELL instructor.

Describe at least three common language proficiency assessments for reading or writing.

Describe at least three teaching strategies used by experienced ELL teachers when planning effective lessons.

Your resource guide can be written using Microsoft word, Microsoft Publisher, Wordpress, Weebly, Blogger, or another creative outlet approved by your instructor. It is strongly suggested that you step outside your comfort zone for this assignment as many ELLs feel as though they are immersed in a new environment.

This guide must thoroughly address the guiding questions at the elementary, middle, high school, or college level and include at least five outside scholarly sources in addition to the textbook, which must be fully cited in APA formatting. If you choose to create a blog, please place the hyperlink in a Microsoft Word document for submission.