ELL and scaffolding

The format and dialogue in chapter 8 was effective and charging. For a long chapter, the flow of conversation took you through it quickly. One thing I have struggled with when it come to reading and studying ELL instruction is connecting. In my district, all ELL students are concentrated to the West side of the district, so I have little to know interaction with this type of student. The few students I do have who are bilingual have already "graduated" from the ELL program. The biggest issue I see is vocabulary acquisition, punctuation (I have at least one Arabic speaking student a year) and reluctance when it comes to speaking in class.

There were strategies in this chapter that I found affirming, like allowing students to write, then partner share and then whole group share. I do that for all of my kiddos anyway. So, while this was not the most useful chapter for me, the format was exciting and allowed me to engage in a conversation the likes of which I have not been privy to in the past.