Tyler Shea ELL Classroom Plan Professor Reilly 9/10/13 1.) What age level/subject area is the student?

a. After reading Gabbys letter to her parents, I felt as if this letter was coming from a student in the middle level age group. This was mainly due to the writing style seen in the letter, along with some content areas, such as making friends. 2.) Does gender make a difference? a. In my opinion, gender plays a huge role in this experience for the student, especially with this age group. In Gabbys letter, she mentions that she is concerned about the issue of making friends, a topic that is primarily gender related/dominated. As the teacher, I will need to be concerned in her transition into the classroom, and how it can be strongly affected by her ability to make friends. 3.) What cultural knowledge (for you) would be relevant? a. As the teacher of an ELL student, there are certain cultural areas that would benefit the teacher to have knowledge of. In Gabbys case, I feel that her family background and food culture are two key aspects that could allow her to feel more comfortable in the classroom. Because she has mentioned in her letter how the food here in Italy is, it might be smart to incorporate her cultures food into the classroom to allow her to feel more at home. 4.) Does the content knowledge need to change? a. Because I am not an individual teacher to Gabby, but rather a teacher to the whole class, I feel that it would be too confusing for the students to change the content/curriculum. 5.) What are some ideas you have for differentiation? a. When incorporating differentiated instruction, I feel that the teacher must start with better understanding his/her student. After gauging how social the student is, and if you feel they are more of a visual or auditory learner, you will have a better idea on what differentiated strategies will be most effective. In Gabbys case, I feel that visualization is best for her. Because she mentions that the teacher has asked her questions and she gets intimidated, an auditory approach might be too intimidating for her. 6.) What learning materials would be most effective? a. With any ELL student, I feel that a strong use of visuals is crucial in teaching material that can be understood by the student. In this case, I, as the teacher, could deliver my normal instruction, but add in multiple images that convey the same

content. By doing so, it allows Gabby to gain a similar amount of knowledge as her peers without struggling through the language barrier. 7.) Would you need to use different classroom management techniques? a. As Gabbys teacher, I feel that it would be best to slow down my instruction and control my classroom lessons to be quieter. In being conscious of my speed, it will allow Gabby to better grasps the topics, even if it means her picking up on one or two more words. I also feel that by having a quieter, more controlled classroom, it will allow her to gain more from the instruction, not be as easily overwhelmed, and distractions will be minimal. 8.) What are your learning expectations for the student? a. Because I do see evidence that Gabby wants to learn, I already feel that her expectations are high. Rather than a student who just sits in the back of the class, not paying any attention, I see that Gabby is trying to follow along, but simply cant due to the language barrier. Because of this, my learning expectations will consist of full participation from Gabby when possible (translated textbook present, pictures on slides) and for her to complete assignments that I will tailor to meet her needs (math problems, content summaries in her language, etc). 9.) Include a summary of a 25 minute lesson plan for the student. a. When having an individual lesson with Gabby, I would begin by giving her a worksheet that has some key words (revolving around the lesson) in Italian, and I would also have a worksheet for myself with some questions I might ask written in English. If I was doing a reading comprehension lesson, I would have Gabby read the book in her native language, and then possibly draw images of the sequence of events. I could also ask her questions that have a one word response, and then translate her answer so I am aware if she understands the material. The combination of visualization and making adaptations will help Gabby succeed in this new setting.