Teaching English Language Learners K-12
A Quick-Start Guide for the New Teacher
- Jerry Jesness - Clear Creek Independent School District, League City, TX
Foreword by Rosalie Pedalino Porter
} teaching methods and materials ("your toolbox")
} working with the learner's native language and culture
} working within the context of the community's language and culture
} working with school administrators, speech therapists, and volunteers
} essential skills: vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing, content classes, including "sheltered" content lessons
} grading, testing, self-assessments, and preparing students for standardized tests
} placements in bilingual/ESL programmes and exiting back to regular classrooms
} placements in special education programmes when appropriate
· timing the students' return to regular classrooms
} the ESL teacher's ongoing professional development
Special features include sidebars for customizing instruction to be developmentally appropriate for younger learners; resources and recommended readings; a glossary to explain common linguistic terms and bilingual alphabet soup (TESOL, NABE, ELD, LEP, ESL, EFL, ELL); and a terrific collection of vocabulary checklists for common English words and concepts, which teachers will be able to use during first few months.
Using Vocabulary From the Native Language
Using Vocabulary from the Native Language
Sidebar: Working with Younger Students
The valuable classroom experience in the author’s background and a genuine sensitivity for his students’ needs are evident on every page of clear prose. The practical information included here addresses the major issues in educating language minority students, without overloading the new teacher with extraneous matter.
What a gift this book will be to ESL teachers . . . How I would have loved such a book when I was charged with the responsibility of teaching ESL students in years past.
Entertaining and straightforward, Teaching English Language Learners K-12 guides teachers past common pitfalls and into what actually works for English learners, whether they are learning through immersion or bilingual methods.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jerry Jesness's commonsense guidebook for teachers of English Language Learners. It is easy to read, jargon-free, and clear. Anyone who helps children learn English as a second language will find this book to be immensely helpful.
Sample Materials & Chapters
Foreword by Rosalie Pedalino Porter
Chapter 1: The Joys and Challenges of Teaching English