February 2006
No. 58
www.valrc.org
VAACE Annual Conference will be held in Virginia Beach , May 3-5. For more information as it is available, go to: www.vaace.org.
February is Black History Month. This issue of Update provides you with some resources to use with your students as you study black history.
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Join in on a NIFL discussion about the struggling ESOL learner. The NIFL Focus on Basics discussion listerserv is hosting a discussion with Robin Schwarz. Robin is an ESOL tutor, LD specialist and consultant in ESOL/LD issues, and a partner in the TLP Group in Columbus, Ohio. The discussion will run from Wednesday, February 15 to Wednesday, February 22. She will discuss the topic of the ESOL learner who is having difficulty, as was outlined in her recent Focus on Basics article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners" (click on the article title to view the article). To subscribe to the list, go to : No longer available.
Updated Practitioner Toolkit! The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) are planning to update the Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners, and they will also be making print copies available. It is now available online in a PDF version at www.cal.org/caela/tools/program_development/elltoolkit/
Do you need new ideas for teaching your multilevel ESOL classes? You might want to check out the following resources for some innovative ideas.
The LaRue Reading Skills Assessment for Pre-literate Students was developed by Charles LaRue to meet a need for testing students who have very limited English literacy skills and cannot read and write in their own language. It was created to assess what literacy skills and knowledge pre-literate ESOL students have. This test is not appropriate for students who have attended school and learned to read and write in any language. To learn more, go to: www.mcedservices.com/ESL/Littest.html.
The Simple Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written in simple language, so that those who have a limited English vocabulary can still understand the content. To browse the Simple Wikipedia, go to: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page. |
Need some help with your math instruction? Check out the following resources:
- Skillswise by BBC Fractions, decimals, and percentages
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/fractiondecimalpercentage/
The Literacy List is a large collection of free adult basic education and English language ELL/ESL/ESOL websites, electronic discussion lists (listservs), and other Internet resources for adult basic skills learners, teachers, and tutors. The resources have been suggested by adult literacy and ELL practitioners. To explore further, go to: http://alri.org/literacylist.html.
The National Institute for Literacy's Partnership for Reading has made two new reading-instruction resources available: Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults: First Steps for Teachers and Teaching Adults to Read. Both are available to download from No longer available.
A plethora of web-based resources to enhance or reinforce skills taught in the classroom!
- Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun
www.vocabulary.co.il/
- AAA Math
www.aaamath.com/
- A+ Math
www.aplusmath.com/
- Woodlands Magnetic Word Families
http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/games/mag/spelling.html
- Ireland's National Adult Literacy Agency's Literacy Tools
www.literacytools.ie/welcome.cfm
- Teach Writing
www.teachwriting.com/
- Classbrain.com's Biographies
www.classbrain.com/artbiographies/publish/index.shtml
- SnowCrystals.com - Your online guide to snowflakes, snow crystals, and other ice phenomena
www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/
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What is lesson study? In Japan, teachers improve their teaching through "lesson study," a process in which teachers jointly plan, observe, analyze, and refine actual classroom lessons called "research lessons." Lesson study is widely credited for the steady improvement of Japanese elementary mathematics and science instruction. Since 1999, lesson study has rapidly emerged in many sites across the United States. To learn more, go to: www.lessonresearch.net/ and www.tc.edu/lessonstudy/.
What Works Clearinghouse Launches New Help Desk The help desk will assist educational policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to advance evidence-based education. To access the help desk, go to: www.whatworkshelpdesk.ed.gov/.
Does your program need to increase learner persistence? Find out what CALPRO's study circles have determined about what works for learner persistence. To find out more, go to: www.calpro-online.org/ |
Digital Workshops The U.S. Department of Education has brought together some of the nation's most effective teachers and practitioners to share the research-based practices and ways of using data they have employed in their own schools to make a difference in student achievement. For the past two years, they have shared their expertise through the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Workshops, offered in various locations all over the United States. In order to more broadly share the information, these workshops have been taped and converted to online courses delivered using the video-streaming format. They are designed so teachers can experience on-demand professional development in specific content areas to increase their knowledge and skills for improving student achievement. To learn more about these professional development opportunities, go to: www.paec.org/teacher2teacher/abouttheinitiative.asp.
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The Economic Policy Institute's JobWatch Bulletin provides information on jobs in 2005. To read the entire bulletin, go to: http://jobwatch.org/. The California VESL and Workplace Clearinghouse provides links to various workplace resources organized by industry. The site does require a login, which is free. Once you have signed up with the website, go to OTAN Resources then Reference Libraries, and then VESL Workplace Clearinghouse. To find out more, go to: www.otan.us. |
AwesomeStories is available free to educators. Here are some of the stories relevant to Black History Month that may interest you and your students. There are many, many more included on the site.
- "Frederick Douglass"
- A summary biography with links to his narratives and pictures of his family and home
- www.awesomestories.com/biography/frederick_douglass/
frederick_douglass_ch1.htm
- "Underground Railroad"
- The story opens with the legend which named a movement.
- www.awesomestories.com/history/underground_railroad/
underground_railroad_ch1.htm
- "Amistad Incident"
- A former United States President represents captured Africans and wins their freedom.
- www.awesomestories.com/famous_trials/amistad/amistad_
ch1.htm
- "School Busing"
- Nine Little Rock students are the first African-Americans to attend Central High School
- www.awesomestories.com/history/school_busing/school_busing_
ch1.htm
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) offers an extensive web list of Black History Month resources. To view it, go to: www.ed.gov/free/index.html.
The Library of Congress' The African-American Mosaic exhibit marks the publication of The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture. A noteworthy and singular publication, the Mosaic is the first Library-wide resource guide to the institution's African-American collections. Covering the nearly 500 years of the black experience in the Western hemisphere, the Mosaic surveys the full range size, and variety of the Library's collections, including books, periodicals, prints, photographs, music, film, and recorded sound. Moreover, the African-American Mosaic represents the start of a new kind of access to the Library's African-American collections, and, the Library trusts, the beginning of reinvigorated research and programming drawing on these, now systematically identified, collections. To learn more, go to: www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html.
PBS' African American World website is your guide to African American history and culture. From Sojourner Truth to Jacob Lawrence, discover the courage and talent that shaped the African American experience. To find out more, go to: www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/.
The History Channel's Black History Month website View program listings, video clips, maps, great speeches, and other wonderful resources at this website. To see more, go to: www.historychannel.com/blackhistory/.