Supporting Language Learners with Book Creator

Table of contents

About this book ........................................................................
Introduction ...............................................................................

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1. All About Me ................................................................
2. My New School ..........................................................
3. Anchor Charts ............................................................
4. Sentence Starters and Sentence Frames ..........
5. Cognates .......................................................................
6. Reading Response Journal ......................................
7. TPR - Total Physical Response ...............................
8. Alphabet ........................................................................
9. Numbers .......................................................................
10. Currency .....................................................................
11. Measurement .............................................................
12. Art .................................................................................
13. Music ............................................................................
14. Physical Education ...................................................

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A Special Thank You ................................................................
About the Authors ....................................................................

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About this book

This book is written for teachers of language learners and students acquiring a new language.

Lesson ideas can be used in all subjects and at all grade levels. There are outside resources and Book Creator tips and tricks included as well.

Features of this book include ideas for use by both teachers and students, other resources and Book Creator tips.

Also included are suggestions on how to incorporate the four language domains - Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, in various activities.

Introduction

Book Creator is the perfect app for language learning students because it supports work in all four of the domains - Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

It is intuitive enough for young students to grasp quickly and complex enough for older students to be challenged and engaged.

Book Creator not only addresses the four domains, but gives students an outlet for content creation regardless of their language proficiency level. All of our students should be creating content to demonstrate their thinking and understanding of the world around them, including the concepts they learn in school.

For this book, we're drawing from our experience of teaching at Berwyn South School District 100 in Berwyn, Illinois, USA.

In this district, the most common language other than English is Spanish. Students come from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central and South America. We also have students that speak Vietnamese, Arabic, Tagalog, Russian and Bulgarian among others. We recently implemented dual language classrooms in some of the schools.

The strategies in this book are tried and tested to support the students who are learning English or Spanish as an additional language. We have seen students come and go in our district or move across town to another one of our schools. Creating a permanent portfolio of teacher and student work will help support children who are mobile.

We hope the strategies we've employed at our schools will help and inspire you as you support your language learners in any subject.

1. All about me

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All children, regardless of their language skills, have a need to fit in and make connections with an adult or adults in their school.

Teachers can build a stronger relationship and connections with students by knowing more about their background and what makes them unique.

Newcomers and those who continue to transition to a new language can use this strategy. Students can create books to help show their teachers and peers the things that make them special, while they practice their new language.

For Teachers

A teacher can provide the template for students. This way students do not have to spend time formatting the book.

The teacher can provide oral instructions face to face or use the audio recording feature to leave instructions in the template.

Students can practice their reading and writing skills in their new language.

The teacher can view what the student has added to their books at regular intervals to check progress.

2. My new school

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A new school can be confusing, especially if you don't understand the language, can't read the signs, or ask for directions.

There are so many new faces, new rules and many different rooms to visit. Students may only be going to a classroom one time per week or even one time per quarter. This can create anxiety for new students or those who are trying to learn a new language in a new land.

The 'New School' book should include pictures and videos of people and places in and around the school. Students should record audio or video to practice their language skills. The book can be used as a reference throughout the school year. Student should continue to add to it as the year progresses.

3. Anchor charts

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Anchor charts help build support in a classroom that strives to increase student's visual literacy.

Charts are there to make the thinking of both students and teachers visible. Posting the charts keeps the lessons relevant. It also helps students make connections as new learning occurs.

For Teachers

Teachers can use Book Creator to keep their own repository of anchor charts. The amount of wall space around the classroom is finite.

Record audio to give context to the lessons that were covered and might be covered in the future. As new students arrive in the classroom the teacher can share the completed anchor charts with them.

Anchor Charts

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