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Why you shouldn’t call them the WIDA "Standards"
One thing that I think EL teachers need to get better at is explaining our profession. However, one of the largest organizations for teaching English, WIDA, doesn’t make it easy when they decided to call their framework of instructional tools, “standards”. What is WIDA?WIDA stands for the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment. It’s a consortium Continue reading
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How to use Lextutor.ca to create meaningful sentence frames and stems.
Lextutor.ca is one of those hidden gems of the internet that teachers really should know about. I tell people about it, and they look at me funny. Then I tell them what it does, and they reply with “huh?” Today I’m going to explain exactly what it is, why you should be using it, and Continue reading
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MELED 2017; What I learned (Part 2)
During one of the sessions I attended, there was talk about how to fully utilize the WIDA standards in literacy instruction. Going to this session, I didn’t know what to expect. I was fumbling with my notebook and some papers when one of the presenters said something that stopped me. I can’t quote it, but Continue reading
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Using types of knowledge as a building block in lessons
One thing that I took away from last year, was the use of different learning types. When I first read those words, learning types, my mind immediately drove to my experience in philosophy classes. Thankfully, I don’t have to go back to epistemology. The next thing I thought about and wanted to stay away from, Continue reading
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Differentiating Everything; Why your Word Wall NEEDS to change
Every time I walk by a classroom or view a room in the media, I notice a huge discrepancy between the classroom word wall and the anchor charts and content posters. Recently, this piqued my interest when I thought about the word Equity. Now I know we have all seen the pictures about the differences Continue reading
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MELED 2017; What I learned (Part 1)
There is so much information that is presented during a conference that it’s difficult to comprehend everything in one sitting, or even 5. Fortunately, I took notes. Yet, sometimes it’s just nice to feel affirmed in what you think you know, what you are already doing, and what you think should be done in the Continue reading
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Power Tools – How to effectively use flash cards.
Many new studies have come out showing the power of recall on memorization and performance in school subjects. Personally, when you don’t have a lot of supplies or funds, all the new research can be quite daunting. However, I have found that using flash cards, even at the elementary level, can be extremely effective when Continue reading
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Adventures in Guided Reading
Recently I have been attempting to combine the power of guided reading with the best ESL practices found in both WIDA and the SIOP lesson plan templates. The merge seems to be going well. My students are engaged more now than they ever have been, even on game days. They enjoy the pace and content Continue reading
The Life Argotic 