Bowling Green City Schools

Vicki Writsel, Associate SuperintendentTeresa Sneed, Even Start & Parent Involvement Coordinator

Gina Holmes, Bilingual Instructional AssistantKrista Williams, Preschool TeacherDianna Wolf, Primary ELL Teacher

Our District Even Start Preschool Primary ELL

26 Tongues http://vimeo.com/21742992

The Most Diverse School District in the State

Services for English Language Learners include but are not limited to:

• Interpretation and Translation• Even Start Program• Differentiated Instruction• Intervention Programs• Home Visits

Albanian 18 Korean 2

Amahric 1 Laotian 1

Arabic 6 Mandingo 8

Bengali 1 Nepali 2

Bosnian 57 Russian 1

Burmese/Karen 12 Somali 5

Cambodian 3 Spanish 328

Chinese 9 Swahili 5

French 1 Turkish 4

Hindi 4 Vietnamese 18

Japanese 1 Yoruba 2

Kirundi 11 Other 6

Total Number of Languages Spoken: 23+Total Number of Students Speaking Foreign

Language: 507

English as a Second Language (ESL) is a special program in the Bowling Green Independent School District that is present at all 5 elementary schools, BGJHS, and BGHS. There are 15 ESL teachers that support over 500 English Language Learners (ELLs).

ELLs are students whose native language is not English. Currently BGISD supports over 26 different native languages.

The goal of ESL teachers is to help each student become English proficient in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, while also supporting them in content areas to be successful students.

Stages of Language Acquisition ELL or Disability? Valid Assessment for Diverse Learners Respecting Cultural Differences

Newsletters Family Nights ARC Meetings Home Visits Parent Conferences Enrollment

Assistance Notes to Families Phone Calls Assessments

Even Start is a federally funded Family Literacy Program that strives to improve educational opportunities of families by providing early childhood education, GED classes, or language classes and parent education. The program is designed to build on existing community resources to create a range of opportunities to meet the needs of each family enrolled.

Four ComponentsEarly Childhood EducationAdult Literacy Training (GED Preparation Classes and English as a Second Language Classes),Parent Education Parent and Child Activity Time.Home visits are made to assist families with program components and needs.

Who is EligibleFamilies who live in the Bowling Green City School District.Parents and guardians of children under eight who need to learn English as a Second Language or obtain their GED.Teen parents who are not enrolled in a compulsory education program may also qualify.

Opening the World of Learning – Core Curriculum

Breakthrough to Literacy – Computer Component and Home Connections

Imagine Learning English – Intervention

ELLCO & ECERS Rating Scales

2011 Classrooms of Excellence Recipient

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!!

Retelling & Dramatic Play Phonemic Awareness Multiple Modalities & Active

Engagement Home Connections Learning Centers

• Manipulate Vocabulary• Dictation of Play/Work

Vocabulary• Pre-Teaching• Review/Revisit

Engaging Classroom Environment• Make it theirs!!• Make it Safe for learning!!

Early Literacy Research regarding Bilingual Children

Effective Instruction for Bilingual Children

Instructional Strategies

Misconceptions

www.ncfl.org – National Center for Family Literacy

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ - National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquistion

http://wonderopolis.org/

http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/index.asp - Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

http://www.naeyc.org/search/apachesolr_multisitesearch/english+language+learners – NAEYC results for English Language Learners

http://www.education.ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/4d67b825-878f-43cb-adb3-a86a12653ea5/0/prekkellreferencehandbookfinalversion.pdf-PreK-K - PreK to K ELL Reference Handbook

Ten Languages You’ll Need Most in the Classroom by Sunden, Krieger, Pikiewicz

Literacy and the Youngest Learner by Bennett-Armistead, Duke & Moses

Preschool Readers & Writers by Linda W. Ranweiler

Literacy Play by West & Cox Fee, Fie, Phonemic Awareness-

130 Prereading Activities for Preschoolers by Hohmann

Letter Links – Alphabet Learning with Children’s Names by DeBruin-Parecki & Hohmann

Improving the Reading Skills of English Language Learners Resource Handbook by Cheryl Sweeney Bureau of Education & Research