Academic+English+for+SPED+students

Loring Community School Morgan Stangl, Alicia Reyes, Krista Lima, Sarah Kolb
 * Team Members/ School(s)**

[|Prezi Presentation of Our Project and Student Work Samples]

Mainstream, ELL and Special Ed teachers alike struggle to meet the needs of dual eligible students while still providing access to challenging content and academic language for all students. How do we get students to go beyond sentence stems to apply academic language and produce greater quantities of writing with greater a greater range of vocabulary, language control and complexity? When it comes to writing the question is, how do we differentiate writing instruction and activities to meet the needs of varying language levels? How can Special Education strategies be useful in planning for differentiation and likewise how can ELL strategies be useful for Special Education teachers? Together how can we improve our practice and better serve these learners? We propose to work collaboratively as a team of ELL, Special Education and Literacy specialists to share strategies and design a persuasive writing unit of study to implement in April and/or May.
 * Brief description of Learning Circle plan:**

As a team we will collaborate to pull together: -Resources for teachers on implementing Writers’ Workshop and teaching persuasive writing -WIDA Model Performance Indicators to articulate the content and language objectives of the unit, the necessary support and differentiated expectations for varying language levels and learning needs -MPI’s tied to state standards and reading curriculum objectives -Persuasive mentor texts -Real world examples of persuasive language and strategies (ads, videos, etc.) -Grade and language level appropriate persuasive language (vocabulary and sentence stems) -Supporting activities and rehearsal strategies -Persuasion project directions for students -Differentiated graphic organizers to support the writing process -Rubrics for student self-assessment and teacher assessment

We will measure our effectiveness by work produced by our students as they progress through the writing process. The final products of this process will demonstrate the students’ ability to apply persuasive language, utilize academic vocabulary, communicate ideas clearly and accurately and increase writing complexity. We will evaluate the students’ growth in these areas using a rubric. The students’ work throughout the unit will also show their growth from beginning to end and the effectiveness of the strategies we use along the way.
 * Plan to measure results:**

Identify Academic Language Gather Resources: -Mentor Texts -Real World examples of persuasive language -Persuasive Language lists || Write MPI’s for unit Plan the scope and sequence of the unit || Implement Unit with small groups Teach and Assess Reflect Share with staff in end of year PLC’s || Reflect and discuss steps for next year ||
 * Timeline:**
 * March || April || May || June ||
 * Develop our content knowledge

Work & Progress:
. http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/index.html#cat20070 http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/writing/persuasive-essay-worksheets/ http://eslbee.com/persuasion_essays_models.htm http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/6_8/showcase/5-6/persuasive.html http://pbskids.org/go/video/?category=Cyberchase&pid=P_gPki_vncNuh_wwh20_dTLojivIm3H3 http://www.timeforkids.com/homework-helper/a-plus-papers/persuasive-essay http://www.thelunchbox.org/videos/chef-ann-eliminating-chocolate-milk-schools?gclid=CJX1iff70q8CFZDrKgodyz4Dcw http://www.raiseyourhand4milk.com/

[|Prezi Presentation of Our Project and Student Work Samples]