How Harrisonburg City Public Schools

1

• How Harrisonburg City Public Schools
• Is Redesigning and Recreating
• Its Secondary ESL Program
• VESA 2006 Barbara Fagan, Deanna Benavides, Pat
  Harmon

2
OVERVIEW

• The Original Picture
• A New Structure
• Aligning Assessment
• Refining Instruction
• Continuing Change

3

• The Original Picture

4
Schedule

• High School Five Levels of ESL in place of
  English
• Middle School Three levels of ESL in place of
  Language Arts
• Students placed in mainstream content elective
  classes

5
Assessment Placement

• Students given the IPT oral, reading writing in
  the fall Spring
• High School placement not tied to assessment, but
  rather to the periods which worked best in
  students schedules

6
Instructional Focus

• Teachers were using random materials and were
  focusing primarily on grammar and oral language
  skills.
• Very little attention was given to direct
  teaching of the reading process for students with
  weak native language reading proficiency.
• Content instruction was limited to helping
  students with the content class homework that
  they didnt understand.

7
A Need for Change

• ESL students were not succeeding in content
  classes were becoming discipline problems
• ESL students were not making the expected
  progress in reading and writing.
• As the program grew, teachers began to complain
  about overlap in materials instructional topics
  within the various levels of ESL classes

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• A New Structure

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Schedule

• When the No Child Left Behind Act was passed
  the levels were renamed to reflect state levels
  more accurately describe the level each class was
  to address. Level 1 was divided into A, B C.
• Sheltered ESL Content classes were added.
• Content teachers were recruited to teach
  sheltered classes for level 2 3 ESL students.

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Current Middle School ESL Program

• Level 1
• Language Arts A, B, C
• Sheltered Science, Social Studies Math (if
  needed)
• Electives/PE with mainstream students

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Current Middle School ESL Program

• Levels 2 - 3
• Transitional Language Arts Class taught by team
  of mainstream LA teacher reading specialist
• Mainstream Science, Social Studies Math
• After school homework help available
• Electives/PE with mainstream students

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Current Middle School ESL Program

• Level 4
• Mainstream Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
  Math
• Reading Support during Elective Block
• After school homework help available
• Electives/PE with mainstream students

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High School ESL Program

• Level 1
• Intensive English Newcomer, A, B, C
• Newcomer A receive additional Reading Block
• B C receive additional sheltered Science/
  Social Studies block
• Math Concepts or SOL Math courses
• Modified Elective Choices some sheltered
  sections

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High School ESL Program

• Level 2-3
• Transitional English
• Sheltered Science / Social Studies classes to
  integrate content literacy skills vocabulary
  into instruction
• Math Concepts or SOL Math courses
• Mainstream PE/Electives

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High School ESL Program

• Level 4
• Full Year English Classes
• Science/Social Studies SOL courses
• Math Concepts or SOL Math courses
• Mainstream PE/Electives

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• Aligning
• Assessment

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Assessment Placement

• Reading and writing assessments were added which
  were more in line with assessments given to other
  middle and high school students
• Placement was tied more closely to assessment
  results.

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Assessment Placement

• Reading Assessments
• Pre-DRP DRP
• STAR (computer based assessment)
• QRI-3 (informal reading inventory)
• Writing Assessments
• Ganske (spelling inventory)
• Rubric scored writing prompt

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• Refining Instruction

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Change in Focus

• Monthly secondary ESL staff meetings focused on
  how to incorporate best practices in reading
  and writing strategies for beginning level
  students, rather than on paperwork program
  management issues.

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• October 5, 2005
• Good Afternoon,
• I am delighted to be working with you again this
  year as we continue learning about providing
  effective reading and writing strategies for our
  English language learners. Today we will focus
  on the Balanced Literacy Instruction Framework
  that you are using in your classes to guide your
  lesson plans. Your first task is to complete the
  Venn Diagram that is on your table. You must
  compare and contrast the changes you have made in
  your teaching from last year to this year. Think
  about your planning, time, students and
  materials. This should be an easy task for you!
  Well check your work in a few minutes.
• Barbara
• 2005-06 2004-05

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Reading/Writing Strategies

• Daily Message
• Guided Reading with overt strategy instruction
• Developing background knowledge
• Before/During/After Reading Activities

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Textbook Adoption Process

• Throughout the year, ESL teachers participated in
  reviewing, analyzing, evaluating materials that
  would integrate new instructional strategies for
  each proficiency level.
• Decisions were made for materials at middle and
  high school levels and all students had
  designated books for September 2005.

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Examples of Selected Language Arts Texts

• Middle School High Point Basic supplemented
  with trade book units with books from Literacy
  Library
• High School Keys to Learning Shining Star
  supplemented with trade book units
• Supplemental Texts Stories from the Heart, Teen
  Scene, True Stories Series

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Instructional Delivery Template

• ESL teachers had little experience or training in
  incorporating the key components of a balanced
  language arts program within their lessons.
• ESL/Literacy team identified areas that teachers
  should address each day/weekly.
• The team then created a Balanced Literacy
  Instructional Framework that described key
  components to be incorporated into daily weekly
  instruction.

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Balanced Literacy Instruction Framework

• Warm-Up Routine
• Oral Language Development
• Journal Writing/Independent Reading
• Guided Reading/Writing (Thematic or Content
  Instruction)
• Wrap-Up Routine

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Summer Curriculum Writing

• ESL teachers needed time to review their new
  textbooks and start working on Pacing Guides
  that would guide their teaching curriculum for
  Fall 2005.
• Some ESL teachers were ready to incorporate
  Units of Study based on readings in textbook as
  well as trade books such as Dust for Dinner Long
  Way to a New Land Balto, the Rescue Dog.

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Examples of Pacing Guides for Texts
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Examples of Units Developed

• Taming Nature Unit including Snowshoe Thompson,
  Buffalo Bill, Johnny Appleseed
• Change Happens Unit based on Pompeii, Buried
  Alive
• Making A Difference Unit based on biographies
  of Helen Keller Rosa Parks

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• Refining Instruction
• Examples of
• Strategies
• Put into
• Practice

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Making a Difference in Instructional Strategies

• Pat Harmon, LA/Reading Teacher at THMS
• Unit for upper Level 1 / lower Level 2 students
  (1st to 2nd grade reading level)
• Developed using unit template with available
  materials that were appropriate for students
  reading level

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Goals Essential Understandings

• Reading the biographies in this unit will help
  students to
• think about how character is a quality that makes
  up
• or distinguishes an individual and to learn more
  about how a persons character defines what they
  can accomplish.
• learn about people who developed unique character
  
• traits to fulfill life long desires.
• learn about people who have tried to make life
  better for others.
• think about how they can develop their own
  character traits/qualities.

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Before Reading Strategy Building Background

• Simulation Activity for Rosa Parks
• Prior to students entering the classroom, select
  a physical trait that will be used for
  discrimination purposes. Also, prepare to
  secretly audio-tape or write down student
  responses during the activity. As students enter
  the room, reward students with the desirable
  trait by giving them a token (candy, pencil etc).
  Do not reveal why selected students are
  receiving a token. Inquire if students can
  identify why some individuals were treated
  differently as they entered the room. Share with
  them their responses that were recorded as they
  entered the room, and talk about how
• it felt to be in this situation.

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During Reading Strategy Focus

• Discuss and model reading strategies such as
  asking questions, predicting inferring, making
  connections, and clarifying.
• Complete graphic organizers focusing on
  questioning, connecting, summarizing and
  comparing and contrasting at designated sections
  of the book.

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Culminating Tasks

• Write a biography or create a power point
  presentation highlighting three character traits
  of a significant individual who made a difference
  in their life/country.
• Write a personal autobiography or create a power
  point presentation that demonstrates three
  personal character traits.
• Design a biographical or autobiographical poster
  depicting three character traits.

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• Continuing Change

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Curriculum Writing 2005-06

• During fall and winter staff development days,
  teachers continued writing their units pacing
  guides, focusing on the following areas
• Before/During/After reading activities
• Integrating technology into the unit activities
• Revising the pacing to reflect actual teaching
  time needed

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Next Steps

• Continue to look at pacing guides and development
  of Language Arts units.
• Review Balanced Literacy Instruction Framework
  for modifications.
• Allow time for teachers to share successful
  strategies and lessons that incorporate best
  practices.
• Assess track students progress in reading and
  writing to inform future focus of staff
  development.

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Contact Information

• Barbara Fagan
• ESL Consultant/Adjunct Instructor,
• James Madison University
• bfagan_at_shentel.net
• Deanna Benavides
• ESL Specialist
• Harrisonburg City Public Schools
• dbenavides_at_harrisonburg.k12.va.us
• Pat Harmon
• ESL/Reading Instructor
• Thomas Harrison Middle School
• pharmon_at_harrisonburg.k12.va.us