Moule 6 Quiz

What way for Initial and on-going assessment of language and literacy proficiencies is not outlined in the ELL policy guidelines?

• Looking through the student's unedited written language samples

• Interview with the student

• Standardize test for language proficiency

• Spelling test.

Answer explanation

These 3 ways of assessment are much better than a spelling test. Spelling test gives only a very small view of their writing ability and nothing of their communication skills orally or written. Their ability to spell can give some insight on decoding but not on making meaning and comprehension.

These other assessments need to take into account cultural and linguistic diversity as well as age, maturity, and socio-emotional needs.

What are Long-term ELLs?

• Students who don't want to progress.

• Students from specific countries that have more difficulty with English because of linguistic characteristics and distance in their home language.

• Students who have been in school for most or all their lives but have not mastered the langauge.

• Older students.

Answer explanation

Students may have lived in Canada/USA for most or all of their lives. However, due variety of reasons, they struggle to reach mastery and require further support.

"Many students, including English language learners (ELLs), have difficulty mastering the kinds of academic language needed to succeed in school, especially if they have never been explicitly taught how to use it."

From Academic Language and ELLs: What Teachers Need to Know by Lidia Breiseth

This reading had a great example of a student who was orally proficient and able to engage well during the class showing his knowledge but struggled to read. He had lagging skills and it shows how English learning is not balanced and linear. Also exemplifies the need for UDL since this child, given the choice, would likely give an oral presentation to show their learning.

When planning for academic language, we can think of words as either:

key-vocabulary and concepts in the sentence,

OR,

language that hold words together such as signal words and phrases.

What building metaphor is used to describe these?

See this video to find the super secret answer:

https://youtu.be/ap2F-HdybzU

What are some essentials to consider about language skills when planning for ELLs?

• Not only specific vocabulary(brick) but also the mortar:

  -Signal words and phrases

  -TWIPs (Terms, Words, Idioms, and Phrases)

  -Same word different meaning (table the idea)

• Provide examples and model the kinds of language you expect students to use on a regular basis.

• Use a rubric that explains how to meet expectations by specific checkpoints and pre-teaching vocabulary and terms

• All of the above!

Which of these is not a role for the ELL specialist in your school?

• Consulting, co-planning and co-teaching with the classroom teacher

• Have small groups for instruction

• Report on progress and services

• Write the ELLs report cards

What are ways to support ELL success?

• Build on ELLs' background knowledge to support comprehension

• Look for ways to build relationships with your ELLs.

• Explicitly teach academic language vocabulary and structures.

• Increase ELL students' English language production and peer interaction

Answer explanation

In, Twelve Things Teachers Can Do to Support ELL Success in the New Year, Kristina Robertson speaks of specific and measurable goes to better support our learners. All those goals help teachers get through to students and provide many strategies in the further readings.

Which of these two assessment strategies is more beneficial to ELLs?

Take a look at this before answering:

https://youtu.be/UH52ll_CjH8

• Standardized Tests

• Informal Assessments

Answer explanation

Ongoing informal assessments are best for ELLs. Informal assessments allow teachers to quickly change what and how they teach to target problem areas. On-going assessments let the teacher get a continuous snapshot of the learning. This helps with program placement, services and grading. Two methods are:

• -Performance-based assessment

• -Portfolio assessment

Information from :

Using Informal Assessments for English Language Learners from ¡Colorín colorado!-

Which of the following is NOT a principle/building block of Universal Design for Learning?

• Provide Multiple Means of Representation. Content and skills are presented in multiple ways and students have a choice about which methods and materials to use to reach the goal

• Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression. Students are provided with choice and/or scaffolding when expressing their knowledge.

• Provide Multiple Means of Engagement.

  Students are given many ways and opportunities to practice

• Provide Multiple Means of Technology. Using devices such as Ipads and Chromebooks give all students a chance to learn.

Answer explanation

"The building blocks of UDL include three core principles, which remind educators to provide options to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to access and engage with rigorous academic curriculum." Katie Novak in Why UDL Matters for English Language Learners. UDL take into account all students and will support every learner.

I really got a lot out of Katie Novak's article, "Million Dollar Question: What Does UDL Look Like?

This article highlighted for me a few more reasons for using UDL. UDL removes barriers and provides options and choices for all students. It teaches students how to learn in the way that works best for each of them. Finally, it fosters student self-reflection, self-assessment, and use mastery-oriented feedback.

There are four components to the UDL curriculum. They are Goals, Methods, and Assessment. Which one is missing here.

• Actions

• Evaluate barriers

• Materials

• Reflection

Answer explanation

Materials are stuff teachers use to present the lessons. In UDL teacher provide many different media that has support already in it. It's trying to avoid the one-size-fits-all approach to teaching materials. I see this similar to the use of tiered questions, different learners need different forms of the same content.

If we can think of:

Engagement as the why, and Representation as the what,

which question represents Action and Expression?

• How

• Where

• When

• If

Answer explanation

Providing multiple means of Action and Expression can be seen as the how of the learning in that it informs how the students will show their learning. This outlines how they will physically interact with the learning. (just paper and pencil or more interactive and kinaesthetic?) Giving choices of mediums of expression, or the way they will present what they learn, lets every student express knowledge, ideas and concepts. Furthermore, since kids have to make choices, they are taking control and ownership of their learning. This gives them experience for real life when they will choose the best way to get things done. Students also buy in more if they can make it fun and express their personalities through projects.

From: The UDL Guidelines by CAST