Programs

ELL - English Language Learner

• Program Description
• Development Team

Ms. Kathryn Sperling

Mr. Jeff Farmer

Ms. Robin Kanev

Ms. Kathryn Sperling

Email: kesperling@seattleschools.org
Phone: 206-252-8102

Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Bon Giorno, Guten Tag, Ni hao, Namaste, Zdravstvuite, Yia sou, Dobry rano, Ohayou gozaimasu, Shalom, Marhabah, Hej, Goedendag, Jambo, Chao ong, Ahn nyeong ha se yo, Bom dia, Hyvää päivää, Teanastëllën, Sok sabai jie te, Sabaai-dii

When I went to study Spanish in Mexico during college I had no idea where learning another language would take me in my future and my career. Spanish has been such an important part of my life ever since. It is now my goal to help my students gain the invaluable skill of bilingualism. At Concord I have the opportunity to teach English to students with a variety of language backgrounds. The diverse backgrounds of the students at Concord make it such an exciting place to teach and learn. My students have taught me so much during my four years at Concord.

As an English Language Development (ELD) Teacher it is also my job to work with Concord's ELD staff and Classroom Teachers make sure we are meeting the needs of our all of our English Language Learners. Most of my day is spent teaching in the third, fourth and fifth grade literacy blocks. I love helping students connect reading to the exciting world around them.

I also teach first grade Spanish literacy as part of Concord's Dual Language Program. It has been so exciting to see our students learning to speak, read, and write both English and Spanish in kindergarten and first grades.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Concord's ELD or Dual Language Programs.

Thanks,
Kathryn

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Mr. Jeff Farmer

Mr. Farmer – Intermediate ESL Teacher
Room 206 – phone: 206-252-8128
Email:mailto:jrfarmer@seattleschools.org
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Mr. Farmer’s Daily Schedule

9:10-10:40 3rd ESL Literacy Group (pull out)

10:45-11:35 3rd Math Group (pull out)

11:40-12:20 Planning

12:20-12:40 Lunch

12:45-2:00 4th ESL Literacy Group (pull out)

2:05-3:05 2nd/3rd Social Studies (push-in support)

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Reading: Reading groups follow the SPS Balanced Literacy Framework, reinforcing the connections between reading and writing. Word work fosters strategies for decoding big words and promotes recognition of sight words. We model and practice fluent reading with chants, poems, and Readers Theatre. Comprehension strategies help students summarize, monitor and clarify, question, predict, and evaluate what they read. GLAD techniques are used to scaffold the development of oral language, reading, and writing skills.

First trimester units are organized into the following themes:

3rd Grade:

· Trickster Tales and Myths
· Nature Stories (fiction and nonfiction)

4th Grade: (Houghton Mifflin Anthology Series)

· Adventure Stories
· Family Traditions

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Math:

We are working in the Everyday Math curriculum on the following units of study:

· Routines, Review, and Assessment
· Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers
· Linear Measures and Area
· Multiplication and Division

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Social Studies:

Currently working with Ms. Myles’ 2nd Graders:

· 2008 Presidential Election
· Neighborhoods/Communities (GLAD Unit)

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Ms. Robin Kanev

The 2008-2009 school year is my ninth year at Concord Elementary!  The wonderful staff, students and families are what make me want to come back each year!  This year I am working as a part-time ESL specialist.  My work is focused on supporting the primary teachers with social studies units both in the Dual Language and regular classrooms.  I love getting to work with so many different students as well as developing new units for a global curriculum.  I am also a Project G.L.A.D. Key Trainer for the Seattle Public School District and enjoy working with teachers to incorporate GLAD strategies into their teaching.

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Concord 's ESL Program

Concord Elementary has a Content-ESL model. Our two full time and one part time ESL teachers teach students and assist the general staff in implementing best practices in teaching academic content (reading, writing, arithmetic, social studies and science) to students who are concurrently learning English as a second language. Our five bilingual instructional assistants work with teachers to provide extra support to students in English, as well as their native language through small group instruction, in-class support, and parent communication. In Concord 's model, English language learners (ELLs) are not pulled away from the core curriculum of their classes. Most teachers at Concord are either ESL certified or trained in ESL methods and working together with the ESL teachers to deliver the core curriculum in the ways best understood by second language learners. The ESL teachers are responsible for teaching small groups of students to reduce class size, planning with mainstream teachers, teaching demonstration lessons in other teachers' classrooms and covering compliance issues regarding in-class learning for ELLs and parent communication. Concord 's Dual Language Program is our bilingual piece of the model.

Some examples of the ESL research-based instructional strategies used by the teaching staff at Concord are:

•  Project GLAD strategies and thematic units

•  Cooperative Learning Groups

•  Thematic Problem/Project Based Learning

•  Providing “Comprehensible Input” to students based on brain and ESL research

•  Dual Language Instruction

•  Literacy taught it primary language in K-1 st

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