M3: Student Background

Post:

You will review any grade level and subject area. You will post 3-4 specific expectations as if you were developing a lesson for your class. You will use the case study below to modify the expectations based on the STEP that student is working at using the descriptors from OLB that the student is working towards in regards to a specific area such as writing, reading and oral.

Note: The OLB descriptors outlined in the STEP document can used to create modifications that pertain to the expectations from the curriculum documents. You will provide 3 mini lessons based on the modified expectations for the student only.

Student Background: (Adapt the student to a grade or for a subject area of your choice)

Tom was born in Dubai and moved to Canada in October 2009. Tom lives with both parents and his older sister. His first language is Malayalam but he speaks English at home. He enjoys reading and drawing, but not writing.

His comprehension begins to suffer when attempting to read books. He cannot make sense of what is being read. There are inconsistencies in his academic ability. When he responds to a question orally he is often way off topic. Other times he is right on and seems to understand the concept being taught quite well. He also has difficulty following simple instructions and requires repetition one on one. He seems to have trouble transferring the instructions. He has an unusual way of speaking and often hesitates and draws out words before speaking, almost like a stutter. He is still learning the language and trying to think of the right words to use.

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Tom is struggling in class and needs to receive assistance in small groups, with students and the teacher present. He seems to express a bit of nervousness when put on the spot and practices rehearsed vocabulary. The hesitation may suggest that Tom would benefit the most from leveled reading. Although he does not enjoy reading, he enjoys drawing. Reading done in short stints could be used to guide him through a "Word Cloud assignment". This would help his development of vocabulary and possibly build a good association between him and reading.

A mini-lesson is available at this link for 'Word Cloud Assignment" with ELD

The art of proper brainstorming may also allow Tom time to recognize what he wants to say, so doodling or crosswords to do while listening in class or during larger readings (crosswords/word searches of vocabulary) may be beneficial to help him at the end of a lesson when the teacher wants to consolidate learning in the wrap up. A potentially terrific break through may be if Tom were able to develop and create his own crosswords/word searches for units of study.

A mini-lesson is available at this link for "Crossword Generator"

Tom's biggest battle to improve will be his writing. He is an artistic individual and teachers should celebrate his skills by creating opportunities for him to recognize the relation of pictures and words. His writing in TGJ20 will be done through typing on the computer, but story boarding for videos would be in done in short successions of writing which may help him develop positive associations with writing. Teachers can be creative with the activity and try a number of combinations to reinforce writing habits.

A mini-lesson is available at this link for "Pivot Animation"

Finally, having Tom draw or develop a set of "word families", may be beneficial for his personal practice. These word families could be kept on a binder ring with colour coded que cards that he can practice with. "Blue being nouns", "Yellow being adjectives", etc. on the back of the flashcards, Tom could even write down the native language of the word on the back of the card.
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In the case of Tom being an Communications Technology 10 student, Tom is at an advantage because he is artistically inclined. He has a natural ability to identify and resolve geometric problems as well as utilize spatial skills. Tom will benefit from the independence of the work completed in class at times, but the teacher will want him to participate in groups to build his English Language skills.

Overall expectations Observed and Modified:
(3 mini-lessons modified for Tom)

A2. demonstrate an understanding of technical terminology, basic scientific concepts, and mathematical
concepts used in communications technology and apply them to the creation of media products;
C1. describe the impact of communications media technologies and activities on the environment and
identify ways of reducing their harmful effects;
C2. demonstrate an understanding of social effects and issues arising from the use of communications
media technologies and the importance of representing cultural and social diversity in media
productions.


OLB Writing Rubric (2014)

A2- (Word Cloud Assignment) STEP 2, Developing and Organizing Content
"At the end of Step 2, students can generate and organize ideas and information in a paragraph using supports such as teacher think-alouds, graphic organizers and/or L1. They write simple compound sentences using content vocabulary and high frequency words. Students bring prior literacy knowledge from their other language(s) to writing in English. They still require editing checklists, guiding questions and descriptive feedback to develop and revise writing."(2011)

It is hoped that Tom will be able to participate in class through written vernacular beyond STEP 2, but it is certain that he will reach STEP 2, he is using a graphic organizer to create and represent his ideas about readings done in class.

C1-(Crossword Generator) STEP 3, Developing and Organizing Content
"At the end of Step 3, students can generate and organize ideas and information using familiar graphic organizers. They write linked paragraphs in specific text forms using complex sentences. They use teacher and peer feedback to revise writing and to select appropriate transitional phrases. Students still require support to build background knowledge for writing tasks related to Canadian cultural topics, as well as content area dictionaries and exemplars to support writing." (2014)

As a Communications Technology Teacher, there is a lot of opportunities to offer Tom success and validation of skills. It is clear that he struggles with writing because of the word choice/vocabulary level he has. Although he can speak well, and read well, choosing the correct words becomes daunting for him. Tom needs to be in an environment where the teacher is able to build his confidence in word choice up, allow him to understand what the word means and examine why the vocabulary he is acquiring is appropriate for class. This could back to a lack of ingrained roots of English words. He can understand things when he reads them, because he studies it and can recall easily. If asked, about reflections or his own thoughts about a topic, he will answer with simplicity. He understands and responds, but as he is developing, teachers are helping him prepare for the next level rather than float at the same level for two three grades which may negatively impact his confidence when watching his marks as he progresses from grade to grade. Ultimately stills will be asked to complete a project that "describes the impact of communications media technologies and activities on the environment and identify ways of reducing their harmful effects", the teacher will use the mini-lesson of a "crossword generator" to assist Tom in building his development of ideas and vocabulary connectivity.

C2-(Pivot animator) STEP 1/2-3/4-Developing and Organizing Content

"At the end of Step 4, students can select appropriate strategies to generate and organize ideas. They use descriptive and content vocabulary in complex sentences. Using organizers and exemplars, they write multi-paragraph text forms appropriate for different purposes and audiences. Students benefit from support for revision related to transitional phrases, word choice, language conventions, Canadian cultural context, and clarity." (2014)

Tom, if the teachers works hard at it, can achieve STEP 4 in the course of a year in regards to this element of the OLB Writing rubric. This is a crucial part of the English development in my opinion because this is where Tom would have developed the confidence needed to succeed in sharing ideas. Once you know a language enough to confidently share your ideas, your progress flourishes with each authentic interaction. This activity "Pivot Animator" will allow a two week window for students to create an animation that reflects an idea from class in regards to "social effects and issues arising from the use of communications media technologies and the importance of representing cultural and social diversity in media productions". The goal of this activity is to use the skills learned in class (animation software) to represent your ideas. As abstract as this idea is, a 'Pivot" animator is not complex and although it stream lines into "Green Screens", the idea is that the students will use what they can in the time given and be more artistic with an oral presentation follow up (the oral presentation is a written paragraph or two, whatever is needed) to explain the impacts of technology on the world. Students will be subject to Q and A after their presentation by classmates. This project can result in a range of progress from student to student based on a number of factors. This is a project that can be used at any STEP level, really, but regardless, allows the teacher to provide more insight specifically to ELL during class time and sometimes produce thoughtful and authentic discussions with Tom.

Resources:

https://www.commonlit.org/
https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/05fbdd88-1d45-40c7-83ac-e15fed1e1a59/
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/accommodations-iep/