ELL Students and Libraries : Developing R elationships and Teaching the Common Core

1. ELL Students and Libraries: Developing Relationships and Teaching the Common Core Rebecca Marcum Parker, BSE MA Librarian: Border Star Montessori Kansas City, MO Public Schools

2. From the chapter “Programs, Signage, and the Kitchen Sink: Attracting Multicultural Patrons to School Libraries” by Kris Baughman and Rebecca Marcum Parker Library Services for Multicultural Patrons: Strategies to Encourage Library Use by Carol Smallwoodand Kim Becnel (Jan 12, 2013)

3. Objective: improving/ gaining skills in teaching ELL students while utilizing Common Core. Teaching ELL students can be challenging- language, cultural, and educational differences can challenge both students and librarians. 25% of children in the United States under the age of 6 are Latino, so more schools are teaching immigrant children than ever before. Teaching Common Core to ELL students is a rewarding experience and the techniques you use will help all students. Our group discussion will provide you techniques and ideas for working with ELL students. Chime in with questions and ideas!

4. Students from around the globe? Teaching ELL students is an exciting challenge! And, how can Common Core help you teach?

5. Working with ELL students depends on building trust and relationships; students need to feel welcomed, comfortable asking questions, and assured that they are in a safe learning environment.

6. Learning more about customs, practices, and even in language, plus careful communication techniques, will show your ELL students that your library is a welcoming place to work, read, and enjoy.

7. The beginning My experiences began 15 years ago in a school with a Latino population over 65%, and with about 15% of my students were from other international backgrounds. My school was a balanced literacy demonstration site. Most of our population was low-income and the district had restructured- a new experience for all. We found our way; within three years we earned Missouri’s Gold Star award for the success that the school community achieved.

8. Crucial First Steps in Building Relationships *ask for help from all parents and students- brainstorm ideas for initial programs and ask for opinions. *The term “Hispanic” vs. the preferred “Latino”, the Spanish equivalent. *Differences of Latino students- from Mexico, Central America, and South America. Individual differences in countries (Americans and Brits- bothspeak English, but…). *Translations. Translators familiar with term differences between countries- commonly terms used might not be correct. “Librería” vs. “biblioteca.”

9. Developing relationships Promote community! • Find what students and families enjoy, and meld it into a promotion of your library! • Read In and chili dog supper-mistake made, but good bonding experience. Asemester of Spanish and a free translation website equals barking- (translation- dog with chili on it). Created a strong camaraderie- effort to reach out left a positive impression, even though translation was horrible! Not a recommended mistake, but it did cement a strong relationship, and no one missed the Read In and chili dog supper—it was another chance to bark!

10. Growing your program Brainstorm future programs showcasing skills of students and parents, including programs about cultural traditions, stories, and history. Library newsletter- my first was called “In the Pink” (the library was pink- a good way to teach English idioms!). News, plus tips for reading at home with children. Ask students to contribute ideas- they love being recognized (any suggestion used in my library is publically credited). Reading buddies news- readings and progress. Partner with public library- present their program info in the newsletter.

11. Overcoming Language Barriers • Language classes- encourage your district to provide these for all. • Make opportunities for other staff and parents (Spanish for English-speaking parents, too). • Working with translators- *eye contact with person you are communicating with. *your knowledge good for quality control

12. As a librarian of a multicultural school: • Assume most of what you know of other cultures is incorrect. • Maintain eye contact when communicating, especially in working through a translator. • Ask questions always! Once you get the concept, you can apply it to other situations. • Attend community programs for and created by your target community- expand your knowledge. • Attend your students’ in and out–of-school programs- get to know your families better. • Learn at least a bit of the language of your students and families. Show your interest in your students and their families.

13. Know that you will make mistakes- be prepared to laugh at yourself, apologize, and learn. A great sense of humor can guide you well! • Always ask for help. All like to be experts- most are flattered and eager to help. • Always look for new avenues of help and resources. • Double check your work and translations! Plan ahead- have time to catch mistakes and problems. • Ask students and parents their opinions and for suggestions. Your best ideas and most successful plans often start with ideas from others. • Be prepared to change directions when necessary; a better plan may present itself.

14. Common Core and ELL Students • Common Core- Missouri implementation- SY 2014-2015 http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/Common_Core.html • Nine Ways Common Core Will Change Classroom Practice http://hepg.org/hel/article/543 • Parkway School District Curriculum http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/panda/libManual/LibraryMediaCurriculumGuide.pdf

15. Library/ ELL and use of Common Core Common Core Standards translated for librarians serving ELL students: from “Nine Ways Common Core will Change Classroom Practice.”

16. * Greater Focus- Depth rather that narrow breadth-fewer topics addressed in more depth. Librarians and teachers can help students develop a real understanding so they can proceed to more advanced topics.  For ELL students: this provides a great opportunity to be sure key topics are thoroughly explored and understood. Use multimedia options to share information; for example, show a video to demonstrate an author’s topic, so that all, including those with limited English, see as well as hear about the subject being taught.

17. *Coherence. CC builds on students’ understanding by introducing new topics at each grade and by building on previous topics by showing relationships and coherence between standards. Students will learn content and skills, and then move to more advanced topics. Perfect for teaching library skills to ELL students; expand instead of having to repeat skills. As students learn English, their scaffolding skills improve.

18. *Emphasis on Practices. CC allows students more time to work on problems rather than expecting them to develop quick solutions. Gives more time for fewer projects- ideal for ELL students. Find each student’s resulting expertise and ask them to teach their forte as a review. To measure students’ skills, after covering reference tools, provide students with a variety of tools and ask them to choose the one that works best instead of choosing tools in advance.

19. *More Nonfiction. Students mostly read expository texts after high school, so CC has a much greater emphasis on nonfiction. 50% of reading in elementary school and 75% in high school will be nonfiction. Use of narrative fiction will decrease, and students to write more expository prose. In read alouds, use nonfiction in conjunction with fiction to provide background of ideas introduced; this will greatly help ELL students.

20. *Focus on Evidence. Students will be expected to use evidence to demonstrate their comprehension and will need to read closely (and re-read) in order to make answers evidence-based. In writing students will be expected to cite evidence to justify statements rather than relying on opinions. This is a great way librarians can help in teaching the CC standards to ELL students; librarians are experts at the evidence-based answer process. Create lessons for library class and to co-teach with classroom teachers regarding citing evidence. Also, teaching textbook/ nonfiction reading skills will be crucial, and key for ELL students.

21. *Text Complexity. Students will be expected to read and comprehend increasingly complex texts in order to be prepared for success (the complexity of school texts has declined over the past 40 years). Librarians and teachers will have to choose materials that are grade-level appropriate. With an ELL population, it might be helpful to have books in your students’ languages or in English and their languages in your collection. Use sources to support fiction and nonfiction readings.

22. * Speaking and Listening. Students will need to demonstrate they can speak and listen effectively—rarely included in previous standards. Librarians and teachers will need to require students to engage in small-group and whole-class discussions and evaluate students on how well they understand speakers’ points. This will help ELL students; students will be able to teach each other, and will help them in developing English verbal skills.

23. * Literacy in the Content Areas. CC includes criteria for literacy in all subjects. Understanding a text in various subject areas requires a unique set of skills. Librarians and teachers will need to teach students to understand a document’s importance, glean information from a document, and make judgments about its credibility. Teaching using primary documents will provide a great foundation for students.

24. Contact information: Rebecca Marcum Parker rparker@ kcpublicschools.org