Latino Mix Club

If anyone is interested in learning more about my colleague's experience with founding and running the Latino Mix club, please contact me or leave a comment.

Online Translators

I found a list of online translators (scroll down, the list is on the left in a baby blue field), but I can't vouch for their worth. If you have documents that you need translated and are loathe to use one of these, I would suggest:

• contacting a Spanish teacher in your school district for help...
• asking your students' parents to help...
• contacting the foreign language teacher preparation professors at colleges or universities near you...
• looking for documents that other schools have already written and translated for your own use...

CALLA Handbook: Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach

The other text that I used in the ICP program through IUPUI was the CALLA handbook.

Anna Uhl Chamot and J. Michael O'Malley (1994)
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
Pp. x + 340
ISBN 0-201-53963-2 (paper)

 Here is a review of the CALLA Handbook by TESL-EJ

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP)

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary collaborative program through IUPUI. We were introduced to the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). I *really* learned a lot about ELLs and how to be a better ELL teacher because of this program.

I am not sure that you can purchase the handbook without attending the training... but there are many resources based on this framework that are available and worth your time.

Accommodations, Adaptations & Modifications

Some definitions that might help you as you consider what you can do for ELL students:

Accommodations are supports and services that help students be successful. Accommodations for ELL students might include:

• supplemental materials (i.e., diagrams, illustrations, charts, definitions, articles in L1)
• tutors, advocates, after-school programs, translators
• pull-out programs / sheltered programs / ELL study halls
• equipment (i.e. hearing aid, wheel chairs)

Adaptations are instructional tools and approaches that bolster a student's ability to learn or demonstrate learning. Adaptations for ELL students might include:

• using a bilingual dictionary during tests
• using audio recorders or word processors
• adapted texts / materials (i.e., materials written in simplified language) or translated texts
• modified assessment procedures / materials (i.e., directions written in L1)
• notes / materials (i.e., pre-teach vocabulary, concepts, background)
• Consultation with teachers, family, agencies, and other advocates (i.e., ESL teacher, conferences with family and translators)

Modifications are significant changes that are made to the content so that a student may be successful

• reducing objectives
• reducing content, process, and product
• alternative texts and tests (The key here is that the content is different, not the way it is presented.)
• assistance for majority of learning

Susan Fitzell, a special education teacher and educational consultant, makes the distinction that modifications are significant changes (> 33 percent) to the content of a class / curriculum. Fitzell has resources available to teachers on her website. Of interest to teachers of ELL students are:

Grading in the Diverse Classroom: What's Fair?
Grading Special Needs Students In The General Classroom