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Building Background Knowledge
To give my students a chance to express themselves, we did biopoems and described our communities. So I was given an initial look at their writing/ comprehension levels before receiving PSSA test scores or having time to read IEPs. Per the principal's request, we are also recruiting for sports and extra curricular activities to motivate our students.
The 7th/8th grade ELL teacher reviews my lesson plans, previews certain concepts, and we team teach twice a week. Interestingly, this is my first time using a bilingual word wall. I love doing labs and building models just as much as the students. Photogalleries that match vocabulary to appropriate google images works really well for most children. My student teaching supervisor has employed these and graphic organizers for several years to teach ELLs and others at Grover Washington Jr., Middle School.
One method, I have recently discovered, helps get students thinking and can be transferred to short reading or writing activities. This is the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method. It is a very simple activity designed to build students' background knowledge and develop thinking skills that use detail to enhance understanding.
To give my students a chance to express themselves, we did biopoems and described our communities. So I was given an initial look at their writing/ comprehension levels before receiving PSSA test scores or having time to read IEPs. Per the principal's request, we are also recruiting for sports and extra curricular activities to motivate our students.
The 7th/8th grade ELL teacher reviews my lesson plans, previews certain concepts, and we team teach twice a week. Interestingly, this is my first time using a bilingual word wall. I love doing labs and building models just as much as the students. Photogalleries that match vocabulary to appropriate google images works really well for most children. My student teaching supervisor has employed these and graphic organizers for several years to teach ELLs and others at Grover Washington Jr., Middle School.
One method, I have recently discovered, helps get students thinking and can be transferred to short reading or writing activities. This is the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method. It is a very simple activity designed to build students' background knowledge and develop thinking skills that use detail to enhance understanding.
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udl_student_profile.docx | |
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I also need to more effectively evaluate students on an individual basis as their pockets of prior knowledge appear to differ greatly even within the same class.Hopefully, this UDL - universal design for learning - concept can help with this as well as track how well I stick to IEPs- individualized education plans for certain students. These will also be cross referenced with student PSSA scores. My latest attempt at data driven lesson planning & delivery is coming together!