[Counselors] ESL students

Wed Mar 12 16:52:11 CDT 2014

When did they move into your district and did they come from another USA
school prior too, even if only since Christmas?  I'm from Guymon and this
is normal here. Currently we have 20 languages in high school and have had
nearly 30 "newbies" since Christmas. What size of school do you have?  What
resources do you have? What age group are we talking about?

At Guymon High School, a non-English speaking, first-time-on-USA-soils
student typically gets a schedule similar to the following: sheltered
English I, Algebra I or pre-Algebra, sheltered Oklahoma History and/or
sheltered Government, sheltered Language Acquisition science that counts as
an elective, 2 ELL classes, and an elective of their choice.  We used to
try and get them to graduate in 4 years until we realized the damage it was
doing to them.  Many are interested in college and if they are, we work on
a 5-year-plan and help them compete for success at the college and
work-ready level. Statistic show that college is a reality for the third
generation to USA. We are working to change the stats in the first gen!
...And sometimes, we are successful. ;-)

If the students are new and will not receive credit, the best thing to do
is to find classes where they can interact socially so they can pick up
"daily/common" language and some classes where presentation of content is
primarily oral or visual helps. There are many very good computer courses
that teach English as well to aid and add to the reading and writing of it.
 If there is no credit to be given, immerse the students in as many ways as
possible. Give them office aide and have them work side-by-side with the
current office aid of that hour...both students will benefit.  Give them an
hour to watch an educational kids show to learn. There are really good
programs that are rated and reviewed online. Convince your district to
purchase or subscribe to such online programs and let the student learn.

Be patient, don't panic. The student will learn and will survive if they
are immersed. Encourage them to read, write, hear, and speak English to
learn. Buy a word-to-word dictionary for them in their language that can be
used on state tests and let them use these during their classes. Ask
teachers to speak more slowly and enunciate their words, but not to speak
louder...the student most likely isn't deaf and the raised volume creates
confusion about anger. Videos tend to speak too quickly for an ELL student
to understand. If videos are used, try to provide a written handout of the
important points or make it so the student can ask periodic questions or
rewind when needed. Instructions written and orally presented also helps.
Encourage the student to use the new language they are learning but help
them to feel safe.

I feel like I'm shooting in the dark... Feel free to call me at the contact
information below if I may be of assistance. If it is for an elementary
school, I could guess but my elementary counselors are experts and any of
them could be called.
~Dana Martin
(580) 338-4350

On Wed, Mar 12, 2014 at 2:21 PM, OSRHE EPAS PK-12 Counselor Discussion
Board <counselors at lists.onenet.net> wrote:

> I would place in at least one, if not two ESL classes and then a math and
> electives. I would question the ability to award credit but a math course
> might indicate how strong these skills might be. I'd put them in a French
> class to help them more comfortable.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Mar 12, 2014, at 2:09 PM, "OSRHE EPAS PK-12 Counselor Discussion
> Board" <counselors at lists.onenet.net> wrote:
> >
> > I have two new students who are from Africa.   The speak a corrupted
> French, but do not write in it.  What do you think might work for the
> remainder of the year?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > rF
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Counselors at lists.onenet.net
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>
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-- 
Dana Martin, M.Ed.
11th & 12th Counselor
Guymon High School
PO Box 1307
2002 N. James
Guymon, OK 73942
(580) 338-4350
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