Anne Hubbell

About Anne Hubbell

Anne Hubbell is an ELL instructional coach for LPS. She has been an ELL teacher and team leader for LPS since 1992. She has also taught English for Gretna Public Schools in Gretna, NE and Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, CA.

Opportunity to Support Middle School ELL students

ELL students from Culler, Goodrich, and Park attended UNL in the spring of 2015 to participate in a Digital Festival. UNL education majors facilitated the event with various activities throughout the day. ELL students got a tour of the campus, participated in icebreaker activities, and ate lunch in the cafeteria. This was a great experience for all involved. The UNL students got an opportunity to interact with students from many different countries who speak various languages. The ELL students got an opportunity to see the University and start to envision their future as a college student.

We are asking for help to fund this project again this spring. Here is the link to our Fund-A-Need proposal.

http://flps.fund-it.org/grants/view_grant.php?gid=3773

New ELL Arrivals to LPS

They walk through the door, and we welcome them.

We also need to take them where they are.

 

This is where they are:

They have just left their home country.

They have just walked days without food or water.

They have just left the fear that a soldier might kill them or someone they love.

They have just left a place where they witnessed a loved one die.

They have just left a place where school was not in session because of war.

They have just left a place where they couldn’t be outside alone.

They have just left a place where soldiers raped and terrorized them.

They have just left terror and death.

 

Lincoln Public Schools has recently experienced high numbers of new refugees from the Middle East. These families are coming from horrible situations and are now trying to adjust to life in the United States. There are many children who have not been in school or who have not been able to experience any sense of normalcy.

These families have been granted refugee status and have been given an opportunity to live their lives in safety and with freedom in Lincoln, Nebraska. We are fortunate in Lincoln to have quality housing, good employment opportunities, and an excellent school system.

So, how do we respond?

*It isn’t perfect timing, they’ve missed some of our instruction…..we take them where they are and we welcome them.

*Our classes are already full and we have everything in place……we take them where they are and we welcome them.

*I’m not sure how to communicate with them…. we SMILE and take them where they are and welcome them!

Grammar-Incorporating Language Structures into Instruction

During this session we discussed theories regarding grammar instruction for English Language Learners. We read about the Natural Order Hypothesis, the Monitor Hypothesis, the Active Construction of Grammar Theory, and Insights from Linguists. We looked at the new ELP standards and we identified the levels of academic language: discourse level, sentence level, and word/phrase level. We discussed some syntactic challenges and transfer issues ELL students face and we looked at an example from a 6th grade text. We evaluated two sample lessons that incorporated language structures into instruction. We discussed the standards, language structures, and objectives that included a content and language focus. We explored various tools we can use to support ELL students with grammar. For a list of resources, click here. To view our entire presentation, click here. To access the entire collection, click here.

Lincoln High Staff Meetings November 12, 2014

As part of the cultural proficiency journey, teachers at Lincoln High attended period staff meetings throughout the day on November 12, 2014. One focus was second language acquisition and how to support the ELL students (levels 1-5)  and the students who have a home language other than English. We discussed input (receptive language) and output (productive language) and how to support students at any given proficiency level. We shared some ideas of strategies to support these students and allowable accommodations. To see the presentation, click here.

Strategies and Accommodations Shared by Staff

illustrated directions-many photos of process

directions given orally and on the board

speak slower and check for understanding

enunciate clearly

demonstrations (modeling)

show videos to promote understanding

use nonverbal cues, gestures

word walls

word banks

notes with visuals and drawing options

small groups, pairs (sometimes with same language, sometimes with English-speaking peer models), preferential seating

provide extra help, one-on-one support

extended time

shorten assignments, provide alternative assignments and assessments

have students translate words in their language

use bilingual/picture dictionaries, Google Translate (for vocabulary and simple phrases), dictionary phone apps

encourage students to access resources online

text on tape, listen to reading

use sentence starters/frames

use graphic organizers

use rewordify.com

have students present a speech in their native language, followed by English (grade the presentation -Native, the content -English)

use cooperative learning strategies

encourage self-advocacy skills

contact bilingual liaisons-make sure that I make the first phone call home

learn about the different cultures

use ISELL

 

 

Digital Resources for ELL

In this session we discussed the importance of digital citizenship and we shared resources to promote language acquisition for ELLs. We shared resources available through Wonders, the LPS Library Media Center Digital Resources, Edmodo, and GoogleDocs. Teachers had the opportunity to explore these resources and create their own lesson plans. To view the Docushare collection, click here.

Secondary Curriculum Reading Assessments (Target Objectives)

Reading Target Objective Schedule 2014-15

Level 1 Class A (Inside Materials)

  • Quarter 1 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 2 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 3 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 4 Text Structures (T.O. 3)

Level 1 Class B (Reading Focus)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 3 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 4 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)

Level 1 Class C (Content Focus)

  • Quarter 1 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 2 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 3 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 4 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)

Level 2 Class A (Inside Materials-Middle School)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 3 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 4 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)

Level 2 Class A (Edge Materials-High School)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 3 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 4 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)

Level 2 Class B (Reading/Content Focus)

  • Quarter 1 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2) and Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 2 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 3 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 4 Text Structures (T.O. 3)

Level 3 Class A (Inside Materials-Middle School)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 3 Text Structures (T.O. 3)
  • Quarter 4 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)

Level 3 Class A (Edge Materials-High School)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 3 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 4 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2) and Text Structures (T.O. 3)

Level 3 Class B (Reading/Writing Focus)

  • Quarter 1 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 2 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 3 Persuasive Writing
  • Quarter 4 Expository Writing

Level 4 Class (Inside Materials-Middle School)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 3 Persuasive Writing
  • Quarter 4 Expository Writing

Level 4 Class (Edge Materials-High School)

  • Quarter 1 Elements of Fiction (T.O. 1)
  • Quarter 2 Main Idea and Details (T.O. 2)
  • Quarter 3 Persuasive Writing
  • Quarter 4 Expository Writing

Using NebraskAccess to Find Professional Journal Articles

It is important for us, as educators, to keep current on the variety of issues that impact our students and their learning. ELL students are one group of students with diverse cultural and linguistic needs. These students are in more and more classes every year and one way to learn about them and how to meet their needs is to read professional journals. Here’s how to access these articles using NebraskAccess through LPS.

 

Secondary ELL Resources

There are many resources available for secondary ELL teachers to support them in all of the different classes at each language level. Teachers can access the latest draft of the scope and sequence for each class at each language level in Docushare. To access the different classes in level 1, click here. For the classes in level 2, click here. For the classes in level 3, click here. For level 4, click here.

In addition to the scope and sequence for each class, there is also folder in Googledocs containing various resources. Teachers can find a comparison chart for the different reading leveling systems and lists of texts that could be used at each language level. To access this folder, click here.

As we continue to work and improve the reading and writing skills of our ELL students, we have resources to support guided reading groups in secondary ELL classrooms and writer’s workshop in all ELL classrooms. To find more information about guided reading, click here. To find more information about writer’s workshop, click here.

ELL at Goodrich

Goodrich is preparing for the return of the ELL program for the 2014-15 school year.  We offered sessions for the teachers in March of 2014. We shared resources that are available in our district as well as how they can learn more about the ELL students they will have next year. We provided a family home language report that gave teachers information about students at Goodrich who have a language other than English spoken in the home. To see that report, click here. We shared the difference between instructional techniques used by teachers to promote language development and learner strategies that students use to help develop their language proficiency. To view that document, click here. To view our presentation, click here.

Secondary ELL PLC Work 2013-14

In order to correlate our work with the district’s PLC vision using Data Teams, ELL teachers, coaches, and ESU Assessment Specialists collaborated monthly during the 2013-14 school year. We worked to identify target objectives, to define proficiency, and to develop common assessments for each ELL level in the areas of reading and language acquisition. We developed a table of specifications for three target objectives in reading that define the objectives we are measuring, how we will measure these, and benchmarks that will be used.  Our plan is to continue working on the data teams process.

During our first PLC meeting in August, we presented the data teams process. We looked at what we would be doing and how we would be doing it. We looked at the alignment of our reading objectives with our state ELL guidelines, our ELDA assessment, the NeSA Reading assessment, and Common Core Anchor Standards. Our first target objective focused on fiction and the elements of a story. To see our presentation, click here.

During our September PLC meeting we discussed the process of identifying target objectives and how to determine proficiency at each language level. Teachers brought student work and began to write a description of what a Level “X” student who is proficient on this objective should be able to do (skills) and know (language concepts)? We also discussed how a student might be asked to demonstrate this. To see our presentation, click here.

In October, we reviewed the tenets of successful PLCs and we really focused on looking at the reading objectives through the language lens. We collected student artifacts for the target objective #1 reading fiction and identifying the elements of fiction. We began unwrapping our target objective #2 reading nonfiction and identifying the main idea and key supporting details. To see our presentation, click here.

At our November PLC, we shared the work that each group had done to define proficiency at that language level. Each group shared a statement of what students can do and how they will demonstrate their proficiency at the level. We also began looking at student work for our second target objective of identifying the main idea and supporting details in nonfiction. To see our presentation, click here.

During our December PLC, we reviewed the work we had done thus far. We reviewed target objective #1, we worked on target objective #2 and wrote the description of what a Level “X” student who is proficient on this objective should be able to do(skills) and know(language concepts)? We also began looking at our target objective #3 reading nonfiction and identifying text structures. To see our presentation, click here.

Our PLC work in January consisted of evaluating the proficiency definitions for each level, the graphic organizers and texts for both fiction and nonfiction for each level, and the writing language structures for each language level. Teachers worked together in their language level groups and reviewed all of the materials for target objectives #1 and #2 for all four language levels. To see our presentation, click here.

In February and March, we continued to define our target objective 3 and collect student work. We discussed the importance of identifying different text structures and also the importance of helping our students apply these structures to gain comprehension of the texts they are reading. We developed a table of specifications and created multiple choice assessments for levels 1-4. We also found texts at each language proficiency level representative of these various text structures. Students will read, identify the text structure, and write a short summary to demonstrate proficiency . To see our presentation for March, click here.

At our final PLC in April, we shared all of the work we completed this year. We reviewed all three target objectives, the table of specifications for each objective, and the assessments we created. We also shared the docushare folders for all of our work this year. We discussed our goals for next year and our curriculum plans. We plan to meet as a district group next year and use the 5 step data teams process. We will use the target objectives and pre-test students in each level, then group them as proficient, close to, far from, and needing intensive support. We will identify strategies, set goals, implement strategies, and use assessments to determine student progress. We will use our benchmark assessments for our summative assessments of language proficiency each quarter. To see our presentation, click here.