Standard+4

Standard 4: Diversity

__Reflection:__ Working at Gwin Elementary in Hoover City, I am provided multiple opportunities to embrace diversity and overcome biases in the classroom. We are fortunate to have two ELL teachers with whom to work and collaborate with.

While I have had ELL students every year during my six years at Gwin, I've recently have had two new challenges. Last January I received a new student from Mexico who did not speak any English. This school year I was fortunate to receive a student from Yemen who also did not speak any English. During the first six weeks of school I was on maternity leave, so I was able to use that time to prepare for my return with that student. I collaborated much with one of our ELL teachers and my substitute during this time, finding out what the student was able to do. Using that information I was able to pre-make items for him upon my return. Attached is my project from EDC 720 I completed on this student in preparation for my return to the classroom. I continue to collaborate weekly with an ELL teacher. Each week we discuss what we are learning in the classroom and how she can front load or provide additional opportunities during his ELL class. These two experiences, and what I have learned about transformational teaching have helped me to try even harder to "a nchor content in learning experiences that make the subject matter meaningful for all students" (Standard 1).

Also as a part of EDC 720, I researched about the transient students at our school. We tend to be a transient system. By November of this school year, I have already received two new students. Of course, other teachers on my grade level have received new students since the start of school as well. I knew that these students tend to have difficulties academically, so I conducted research about this and sought to find solutions to the problems. I was disappointed to learn that schools are not require to send records when they receive a records request from the new school, since this was one of the teachers' greatest concerns about receiving new students during the school year. Therefore, I wrote the State Board of Education to ask them to consider changing this policy. Attached is my project on this.

I try to differentiate learning and assessments as much as possible with my ELL students. For example, when learning about landforms, what they learn and how they are assessed is much different than the other students when necessary. Attached is a landform assessment I used with ELL students in which they had to simply match the word to the correct picture. In my classroom I differentiate spelling words for all students based on their spelling ability. I understand that what is a challenge for one student may be too hard for another student. I also know that some students aren't ready for spelling words like other students, so I have them work on sight words. Below is an example of differentiated spelling words. The sight words were used with my very low ELL students.







r-controlled /or/ Again By From Going Has Just Let || __Group 2__ Story Wore North Form Warm Score Forget Before Storm Tore Order Forty Force Horse Short || __Group 3__ Northern Forgetful Before Stormy Orderly Morning Border Warming Former Stories chorus Floral Forceful Horseback Shortage || __Group 4__ Forgetful Orderly Northern scoreboard tornado Chorus Cornmeal Fortress Horseback Porpoise Shortage Sportsman Boredom Shoreline Portrait ||
 * __Group 1__