Appendix: Implementing District Standards
“And since we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman and our game from a woman...”-Tupac
All students I teach have one thing in common, English is not their first language. Considered to be the Crossroads of Texas, Hearne is fast becoming a diverse community with a shared goal of student success. Students, with this unit, will listen to poems, read poems, discuss poetry, and author poems of their own.
The English Language Proficiency Standards are used to measure emergent bilinguals’ handling of the English language in Texas, also known as ELPS. The student expectations required by Texas include listening, speaking, reading, and writing standards. Students whose first language is not English must be placed in a school setting that helps bridge the gap between their native language and the English language. They must be placed in a school setting that allows them to bridge the gap between their native language and the English language. Across Texas, speaking has been the Achilles heel of emergent bilingual students, but writing is another aspect that students typically struggle with as English learners. This curriculum unit will assist in getting emergent bilingual students more comfortable with taking command of the English language.
The standard in Texas applies to grades kindergarten through twelfth and encompasses all disciplines and subjects.
74.4. English Language Proficiency Standards.12
(a) Introduction.
(1) The English language proficiency standards in this section outline English language proficiency level descriptors and student expectations for English language learners (ELLs). School districts shall implement this section as an integral part of each subject in the required curriculum. The English language proficiency standards are to be published along with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for each subject in the required curriculum.
(2) In order for ELLs to be successful, they must acquire both social and academic language proficiency in English. Social language proficiency in English consists of the English needed for daily social interactions. Academic language proficiency consists of the English needed to think critically, understand, and learn new concepts, process complex academic material, and interact and communicate in English academic settings.
(3) Classroom instruction that effectively integrates second language acquisition with quality content area instruction ensures that ELLs acquire social and academic language proficiency in English, learn the knowledge and skills in the TEKS, and reach their full academic potential.
(4) Effective instruction in second language acquisition involves giving ELLs opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write at their current levels of English development while gradually increasing the linguistic complexity of the English they read and hear, and are expected to speak and write.
(5) The cross-curricular second language acquisition skills in subsection (c) of this section apply to ELLs in Kindergarten-Grade 12.
(6) The English language proficiency levels of beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high are not grade-specific. ELLs may exhibit different proficiency levels within the language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The proficiency level descriptors outlined in subsection (d) of this section show the progression of second language acquisition from one proficiency level to the next and serve as a road map to help content area teachers instruct ELLs commensurate with students' linguistic needs.
(2) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/listening. The ELL listens to various speakers, including teachers, peers, and electronic media, to increase comprehension of newly acquired language in all content areas. ELLs may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high stage of English language acquisition in listening. For the ELL to meet grade-level learning expectations across the foundation and enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with the student's level of English language proficiency.
Comments: