Office of ENL, World Languages and Bilingual Education

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Issue 2
Office of ENL, World
Languages and
Bilingual Education
Jacqueline LeRoy, Director
Ly da R a g o n e se , I n st r u c t i o n al S p e c i al i s t
J an e t S t au b, L an g u ag e A s se s s o r
J ay e T u bo l i n o , L an g u a g e S u p po r t T e ac h e r
D e bo r ah F l o t t m a n , S e c r e t ar y
Central Office, Room 215
725 Harrison Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
(315) 435-4927
www.syracusecityschools.com
January 2016
ISSUE 6
Message from the Director
Greetings and Happy New Year! As we
move into the second half of the school
year, it’s a great time to reflect on our
successes and accomplishments. We have
had several initiatives planned for
implementation this year, and we are right
on track! Here are a few highlights:
The textbook series for English Language
Development was selected by the
Textbook Committee, after a 5 month
process of piloting with training and
support from our vendors. The committee
ensured that all ELLs are engaged in
instruction that is grade-appropriate,
academically rigorous and aligned with the
CCLSs with a strong ELD component for
every grade level during Stand-Alone
instruction. Next steps include presenting
to the CCPD and the Board of Education
for adoption.
We are now in the process of working with
vendors to outline the piloting plan for our
World Languages teachers, and developing
the timeline for the selection process.
More details will be forthcoming.
We are using the Ellevation data platform
to ensure that all ENL teachers receive
By Jacqueline LeRoy
specific and individual ELL student
information, have a tool for developing
Individual Learning Plans and monitoring
progress, a method to communicate to
parents in their native languages, and a
mode to document required parent
meetings.
The Bilingual teachers in the Dual
Language programs have had training and
support with the American Reading
Company Spanish and English materials
that now provides an alignment in the
instruction Dual Language students receive
in both languages.
We have established and provided supports
to parents, schools and students with
increasing the availability of interpreters
and translated school related information
to ensure compliance, accommodate
student needs, and promote home school
communication.
We continue to review, revise and enhance
the registration process so that it will be
consistent and accessible to ELL students
and their families, and prospective dual
language students and their families with
established consistent protocols and
policies for dual language program
eligibility.
Our teachers have supported and
collaborated with colleagues on the new
mandates implemented for the 2015-16
school year, and have been diligent in
maintaining compliance.
I applaud all of you for the hard work you
do every day, and the importance you
place on your students and the quality of
instruction that they receive. I am looking
forward to the second part of the school
year, and the many successes we will be
celebrating!
Message from the Director
Page 1
Department of Bilingual Education
Page 3
Department of English as a New Language
(ENL)
Page 4
Department of World Languages
Page 11
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Helpful Information

Office Support/Contact
Debbie Flottman x4927
[email protected]
 Interpreter requests-fax or email
interpreter requests forms
 In emergencies, call the ENL office
Lyda Ragonese x5043
[email protected]
 Curricular materials
 Ellevation Platform
 Monthly newsletter
 Professional Development
Important documents you can find on the SCSD Office
of ENL, World Languages, and Bilingual Education
website:
Bilingual Glossaries
Framework for English Language Development
Interpreter Request Form
Language Acquisition Chart revised July 2015
Jaye Tubolino x4927
[email protected]
 Special Education/ELL inquiries
 Professional development
 ENL Units of Study and schedule
support
 Instructional delivery models:
Stand-Alone and Co-Teaching
Janet Staub x4953
[email protected]
 Intake and student registration
 Data discrepancies
Monthly Department Newsletter
SCSD Curriculum Instructional Resource Guide for
ELLs
SCSD ENL Programming K-6
SCSD ENL Schools
SCSD Recommended Units of Study K-8
SCSD Recommended Units of Study 9-12
SCSD Translated Forms Letters
“THIS NOTICE IS IMPORTANT” translations

NYSESLAT Administration
Speaking April 12-May 13
Listening, Reading, Writing May2-May 13
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Issue 2
Department of Bilingual Education
Delaware Primary
and Seymour
Academy Pilot
American Reading
Company 100 Book
Challenge and
Research Labs
Nazareth College
•
•
Dual language teachers at Seymour Academy and Delaware Primary have been
implementing the 100 Book Challenge by American Reading Company (ARC).
They are piloting the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) for the
monolingual classes and the Evaluación del Nivel Independiente de Lectura
(ENIL) for their students for the Spanish component in the dual language
program. These assessments are a teacher’s toolkit to identify each student’s
needs in English and Spanish. The American Reading Company materials
provide grade-level instruction and individualized support with CCSS-specific
strategies to get students to reach a level that is appropriate for his/her needs.
Teachers can work in small groups or one-on-one conferences to assess, coach,
and re-teach standards when needed. Research labs and a content-based
curriculum, will be implanted in the near future. For more information about
these instructional materials, you can visit the ARC website.
Programs for Bilingual Extension
SUNY Oneonta
This program offers a 15 credit pathway that extends
your New York State teacher certification to teach in
bilingual settings at the same grade levels as your
original certification.
https://www2.naz.edu/academics/grad/bilingualeducation-teacher-certification
•
•
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The Bilingual Education Advanced Certificate Program
PreK-12
Completely online and consists of five graduate level
courses
Tuition support is available to qualifying candidates
through a grant from the New York State Office of
Bilingual Education and World Languages.
http://suny.oneonta.edu/academics/majorsprograms/graduate-programs/bilingual-educationadvanced-certificate-online-program
Teachers of Tomorrow: Grant for Bilingual Extension
The 2015-2016 Teachers of Tomorrow Science, Mathematics and Bilingual Education Tuition
Reimbursement Program Grant is effective from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. The purpose of
the program is to provide funds to school districts to reimburse teachers for courses taken towards
meeting requirements for a permanent or professional certification to teach Science, Mathematics or
Bilingual Education in a low-performing school. This program provides an initial reimbursement award
of $4,000 per year (or the actual annual tuition cost of the approved program, whichever is less) and is
renewable for one (1) additional year. There is a one (1) year service agreement for each award given.
These awards shall be given in addition to and are NOT part of the teacher's base salary.
More information about this grant can be found on the SCSD website page.
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Issue 2
Department of English as a New Language
Ellevation Update
By Lyda Ragonese, ENL/Bilingual Instructional Specialist
The December ENL department training session
introduced ENL teachers to the Ellevation Platform. It
ensures that all ENL teachers will have access to
student demographics and data that will help inform
instruction in Stand-Alone and Integrated Co-teaching
classes. Ellevation allows ENL teachers to store
meeting notes between ELL families, the ENL teacher,
and other school staff. This module, Meeting Center,
can also be used to document professional
conversations about student progress and student
achievement with colleagues in data meetings and
special education meetings. Before the winter break,
teachers learned to batch students according to their
ENL services in Ellevation. By the end of the month,
ENL teachers will be expected to batch all Stand-Alone
and Integrated Co-teaching services. The batching of
students will provide teachers and administrators with
a filtering system that will ensure that the district is
adhering to the regulations in the State Education
Department’s CR Part 154.
On the Superintendent’s Conference Day, January 29th,
the Ellevation team will return to train teachers on the
implemention of the Ellevation Monitoring Module.
This module will allow ENL teachers to monitor the
progress of our former ELLs, known as FELLs, and
increase collaboration with content area teachers
when more language support is needed for specific
students.
ELLEVATION TIMELINE for 2015-2016
December 2
Introduction to Ellevation
December 23
Batching of ENL services is complete
January 28 ACTION REQUIRED
Batching of all ENL Integrated Co-teaching services is
complete
January 29 IMPORTANT DATE
Ellevation Monitoring Module training
May 1
Monitoring of FELLs is complete
June 1
Parent/Guardian meetings are complete
What is the role of the ENL Teacher?
In ENL Stand-Alone class…
In ENL Integrated Co-teaching class …
In the Stand-Alone class, an ENL teacher is expected to
focus on English language development through a
language-rich environment that is differentiated to meet
the language acquisition needs of proficiency levels in the
group. Language objectives are established and follow an
English Language Development (ELD) scope and sequence
taught through content-based lessons that prioritize the
four language domains: speaking, listening, reading, and
writing.
In an ENL Integrated co-teaching class, the ENL teacher is
focused on working with ENL students to develop
language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
in the content area. Through collaborative conversations
and collegial lesson planning, the ENL teacher prescribes
appropriate language objectives that will help ENL
students meet the content objectives in each content
area classroom. Remember—we are ALL teachers of
language, no matter the content area.
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Issue 2
Five Things
Teachers Can Do to
Improve Learning
for ELLs in the New
Year
By Kristina Robertson
Strategies for the New Year
1. Increase ELL students' English
language production and peer
interaction.
Specific and measurable goal: ELL
students will verbally demonstrate
their English speaking abilities in
classroom work at least three times
a week.
There are two key items ELLs need
in order to improve their English —
time and practice. There is nothing
teachers can do to rush English
acquisition, but there are many
ways to provide opportunities to
practice English in the classroom. If
activities are structured to support
student-to-student or group
interaction, ELLs are required to
use English to explain concepts and
contribute to the work. This gives
teachers an opportunity to gauge
what the student has learned, and
it demonstrates student progress in
English language development.
Teachers can also informally assess
for correct use of language
structures and academic
vocabulary. If ELLs are having
difficulty with phrases or
vocabulary, the teacher will be able
to offer guidance or further
instruction to support language
development. See the Hotlinks
section for links to ideas on
interactive learning activities.
2. Explicitly teach English language
vocabulary and structures.
Specific and measurable
resolution: I will identify, teach,
and post key academic vocabulary
and structures for one content
lesson each day.
In, "What Teachers Need to Know
about Language" by Lily Wong
Fillmore and Catherine Snow, the
authors state that:
Teachers play a critical role in
supporting language development.
Beyond teaching children to read
and write in school, they need to
help children learn and use aspects
of language associated with the
academic discourse of the various
school subjects. They need to help
them become more aware of how
language functions in various
modes of communication across
the curriculum. They need to
understand how language works
well enough to select materials that
will help expand their students'
linguistic horizons and to plan
instructional activities that give
students opportunities to use the
new forms and modes of
expression to which they are being
exposed. Teachers need to
understand how to design the
classroom language environment
so as to optimize language and
literacy learning and to avoid
linguistic obstacles to content area
learning (Wong Fillmore & Snow, p.
7).
The need to understand English
language structures and language
acquisition theory is increasingly
important as the number of ELLs
increases in classrooms. However,
very few teachers have had the
formal training required to be
prepared to identify and teach the
English vocabulary and structures
found in specific content areas.
When I first started teaching ESL,
my students knew way more about
grammar than I did. I joked with
them, "I don't know English; I just
speak it."
Content teachers can begin by
reviewing a content area lesson
and identifying not just the
vocabulary that every student
needs to know, but other
vocabulary words and grammar
structures that ELL students may
not be familiar with. See the
Hotlinks section for resources on
how to provide explicit instruction
on English vocabulary and
structures.
3. Build on ELLs' Background
Knowledge to Increase
Comprehension
Specific and measurable goal: I will
elicit background knowledge from
ELLs in one content area through a
variety of activities, including
questioning and graphic organizers.
Learning something new is like
stacking building blocks. The more
you have, the higher you can go. It
is not always apparent what
building blocks ELLs come with due
to language barriers, and
sometimes ELL students don't
| Issue 6
connect their previous experience
with the lesson currently being
taught. That is where the teacher's
skill at drawing on background
knowledge becomes so important.
Teachers can work creatively to
elicit background knowledge from
students on content topics in order
to increase comprehension of the
material. This may be as simple as
taking the time to do a "K/W/L"
(Know, Want to Know, Learned)
chart, or as individualized as asking
questions about the topic: "Has
anyone ever visited the jungle? A
jungle is like a rainforest. What do
you see in a jungle?" Students can
share their knowledge and see how
it is connected to new academic
information. See the Hotlinks
section for more resources on
strategies to increase connections
with student background
knowledge.
4. Increase ELL Parent Involvement
Specific and measurable goal:
Teacher will contact one ELL parent
each week to share information on
his/her student or to inform the
parent of a school event.
No matter what language you or
your students' parents speak,
parental support is a big key to
academic success. ELL families are
often at a disadvantage when it
comes to supporting their child
because of language and cultural
barriers. It can be easy to interpret
ELL parent "no shows" as a lack of
interest in education; however,
very often ELL parents want their
children to succeed as much as any
other parent but are unable to
participate to the same extent that
other parents participate due to
these barriers or their work
schedules.
Regular, open and friendly
6
communication from the teacher
can make a big difference in ELL
parent participation. It can feel
daunting for an English speaking
teacher to call a non-English
speaking parent, but usually there
is someone in the family who
speaks enough English to interpret
the message for the parent, or the
parent speaks enough English to
understand a simple message. It
may also be possible to get help
from a bilingual school staff
member to assist in making a quick
phone call. ELL parents will be very
pleased and excited to hear
positive news about their child and
will feel more comfortable asking
questions and visiting the school in
the future. The more informed the
parents are, the more likely it is
that the student will get support at
home and parents will have the
information they need to help their
child be successful. See the Hotlinks
section for links to further
resources with specific ideas for ELL
family outreach.
5. Increase Writing Opportunities
Specific and measurable goal:
Students will engage
in a weekly writing
activity that will focus
on developing a
certain skill such as
creative vocabulary
use, the correct
format of an essay or the peer
editing process.
The ability to write effectively and
accurately to convey a message is a
very important skill for a college
student and in most careers.
However, it often seems as if the
curriculum is largely focused on
developing reading and math skills.
Of course, these are very important
too, but students need to have
many positive opportunities to
develop writing skills in a variety of
formats in order to strengthen their
communication skills. For ELLs this
is particularly important.
Depending on their writing skill
level in their first language and
their English language abilities,
writing may be frustrating.
Students need to engage in a
variety of writing to develop an
understanding of different types of
writing and to identify their
strengths and weaknesses as a
writer.
I want to underscore the
importance of interacting with
writing in a positive way by
examining creativity and word
usage, in addition to the mechanics
of writing. Many ELLs will focus
negatively on problems with
mechanics and miss the strengths
they display in their writing. We
write the way we think and speak,
and by analyzing our writing we
begin to analyze our thoughts and
speech as well. When students
discuss their writing they are able
to see their thoughts and
statements from someone else's
perspective and they gain
awareness of their
own language
development. In
this age of
technology where
a lot of
communication is
done electronically, it is more
important than ever that students
develop the ability to state their
thoughts clearly and accurately in
writing — as well as to know the
difference between texting a
message to buddies and sending an
email to the boss. See the Hotlinks
section for links to instructional
resources for writing.
The complete article can be found
here.
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Issue 2
Challenges for ELLs in Content Area Learning
By Judie Haynes
Do you want to help classroom teachers in your school with their English language learners? Begin by understanding the
challenges ELLs face in their content area learning. Here some of the challenges ELLs face in content areas. These come
from participants in various workshops that I have conducted around the U.S.
English
Mathematics
English language learners face
many obstacles when reading
literature in English. Most
literature is culture bound. We
expect students to have prior
knowledge of literary genres such
as fairy tales, myths, legends, and
tall tales. If the teacher has not
activated prior knowledge or built
background information, knowing
the vocabulary will not solve the
problem. ELLs may be able to read
the words but it doesn't mean they
will understand the text. They are
not aware of information that the
author left unsaid; the information
that "everyone knows."
 An abundance of idioms and
language in English texts
 Density of unfamiliar
vocabulary
 Use of homonyms and
synonyms
 Grammar usage especially the
"exceptions to the rules"
 Word order, sentence
structure and syntax
 Difficult text structure with a
topic sentence, supporting
details and conclusion
 Unfamiliarity with the
connotative and denotative
meanings of words
 Ells may not have practice in
expressing an opinion about
text.
 Use of regional U.S. dialects
 Fear of participation and
interaction with mainstream
students
 Story themes and endings can
be inexplicable
 Literary terms for story
development are not
understood
 Unfamiliarity with drawing
conclusions, analyzing
characters and predicting
outcomes
 Imagery and symbolism in
text are difficult.
Mathematics is not just arithmetic.
There are considerable challenges
for English language learners in
math. There are challenges for
teachers of mathematics, too. We
may find that our ELLs use a
different process to arrive at
answers. Many teachers do not
validate other systems and prior
mathematical knowledge. Problem
solving is not just language but a
thought process. Students from
other cultures may be more
concerned with getting the correct
response than with the process.
They may not be able to justify
their answers.

Formation of numbers varies
from culture to culture

Use of decimal point and
comma vary from culture to
culture

Students have no experience
with our measurement
system, It is an abstract to
them.

Math is not spirally taught in
many cultures. So students
may not know a lot about
geometry, for example.

Many students have never
seen or worked with
manipulatives. They may not
take a lesson using
manipulatives seriously.

Students learn math by rote
memory.

Math curricula in their
countries may be primarily
calculation.

Word problems may not be
introduced until much later.

Estimating, rounding, and
geometry are not often
taught as early in other
cultures.

Mathematical terms do not
always translate well.

Mental math may be the
norm. Students may not show
work in addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division or
they may show work in a
different way.
•
Science
Social Studies
ELLs may lack of background
•
knowledge in science. Our "handson" approach is different from
what they are used to. Drawing
conclusions on their own may be
difficult for ELLs. In their own
culture students may not have
been trained to make guesses.
Social studies and U.S. history
provide the biggest challenge to
ELLs in their content classes. They
have very limited background
knowledge to activate. ELLs lack
prior knowledge of U.S. and U.S.
history, geography, and current
events needed. Many students will
memorize information for a test,
but it has no relevance for them so
the information is quickly
forgotten.
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•
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The vocabulary of science
presents a huge difficulty.
There are a special set of
terms for the student to
learn. Even simple words that
the student may know, could
have another meaning in
science.
Material is covered very fast
Directions are often multistep
and difficult.
There are too many concepts
explained on each page of a
science text.
Cooperative learning may not
fit in with students
experiences in learning.
Visuals may be confusing and
difficult to understand.
Sentence structure is complex
and the passive voice is used
in textbooks.
What was taught in class does
not always match the
assessment.
ELLs are not used to science
labs or equipment
Students lack background in
scientific method
There is no standard form of
delivery of information
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Use of higher thinking skills
for reading and writing.
Lack of familiarity with
historical terms, government
processes, and vocabulary.
Social Studies text contains
complex sentences, passive
voice, and extensive use of
pronouns.
ELLs may not be used to
expressing their personal
opinions.
Nationalistic and cultural
focus of maps.
Concepts which do no exist in
all cultures are difficult. This
includes privacy, democratic
processes, rights of citizens,
free will.
No concept of movement
within the structure of a
society.
ELLs are seldom asked to
contribute an alternate view
that reflects conditions in
other countries.
Use in our schools of
"timeline" teaching vs.
learning history by "dynasty"
or "period."
Difficulty with understanding
what is said by the teacher
and being able to take notes.
Amount of text covered and
the ELLs' inability to tell what
is important in the text and
what is not important.
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Issue 2
Selecting an ELD Textbook Series---Teacher Input is a Priority
By Lyda Ragonese, ENL/Bilingual Instructional Specialist
On January 6th, ENL teachers had the opportunity to receive an overview of
each series by representatives from each of the three publishing companies.
In addition, a Q and A session was led by piloting teachers after the
presentations to allow non-piloting teachers to ask specific questions
pertaining to their grade-level and concerns.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Rigby On Our Way to English
The Textbook Adoption Committee met for the final time on Monday, January
11th to recommend a textbook series for the ENL department. The final
recommendation was guided by the results from the department created
SCSD ENL Instrument Materials Evaluation Tool (IMET). I want to personally
thank each Textbook Committee member for his/her active participation to
this process. Members guided the committee discussions and created a
forum for all ENL teachers to provide feedback in the selection process. The
committee’s recommendation will be brought to the Board of Education in
February.
National Geographic/Cengage
Reach, Inside, Edge
ENL Textbook Adoption Process
Winter 2015-2016
January 6
ENL
Department
Final Review; all
ENL teachers
have input
Fall 2015
PD/PLC for all
teachers
Summer 2015
January 11
Textbook
recommendation
by the Textbook
Adoption
Committee
Textbook
Adoption
Committee
established
July
ENL Summer Institute
provides overview of
piloting textbook series
September
Implementation of pilot
Pearson Keystone Longman
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Issue 2
News from SCSD ENL Central Registration Center
By Janet Staub, Language Assessor
Eritrea: A Country of Strength,
Sadness and Beauty
SCSD has enrolled a number of families from Eritrea over
the last year. The primary languages we see from Eritrea
are Tigrinya, Saho, and Arabic. While the numbers in our
district are not large, we do see more students from
Eritrea coming to us during the rest of this year and
beyond.
Capital: Asmara
 Population 5.6 million
 Area 117,400 sq km (45,300 sq miles)
 Major languages Tigrinya, Tigre, Arabic, English
 Major religions Islam, Christianity
 Currency Nakfa
Eritrea is a country on the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa. It
borders Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. It is close to Egypt,
Israel, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia. Its population
of around 4,000,000 is part Christian and part Muslim. It
has temperate highlands and broiling deserts. It is here
through which prehistoric man migrated from Africa to
Europe. Today Eritrea is drought-prone and is one of the
poorest countries in the world.
Eritrea is also considered to have one of the world’s most
repressive governments. The country is tightly sealed and
largely impenetrable by outsiders: independent
journalism, foreign NGOs, freedom of speech, and
oppositionist parties are banned, while brutal military
conscription, political imprisonment, torture and death
from abuse are widespread. As a consequence, hundreds
of thousands of refugees have fled the country in recent
years.
Yet Eritrea is home to a rich cultural heritage, with
spectacular scenery and historically peaceable and
tolerant traditions. And its emigrés have typically
acculturated well in developed countries such as the
United States and Western Europe, bringing their
moderate temperament, their industrious outlook, and
their aptitude for Western-style education with them as
they embark on making new homes. Indeed many had
enjoyed advanced educations and substantial careers
before fleeing their native land, and those capabilities
have accompanied them here.
Source: http://eritreanrefugees.org/eritrea-and-itsstruggles/
Refugee camps on the outskirts of Eritrea
http://geographical.co.uk/people/the-refugee-crisis/item/1127-fleeing-eritrea
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Registration Process at the Central Registration Center (CRC)
Each family registering their children in the SCSD begins by
completing an online application from the SCSD website. The
application includes: personal information, contact information,
prior schools attended, as well as questions about the languages
spoken in the home. This is the first step to identify potential ELLs.
All families need to provide registration documents by uploading
them on to the SCSD registration website or bringing the
documents to CRC.
Additional documents:
 2 proofs of address
 Birth certificate or I-94
 Prior school records
 Proof of necessary medical information
All families come to CRC to complete the following forms:

Health History

Authorization for Disclosure of Health Information

Home Language Questionnaire (HLQ)
A Registration folder is created to hold hard copies of all
documents.
Language Assessors schedule an appointment with the family to
complete the next phase at CRC.
The ENL folder is created for potential ELLs, holding the first ENL
documents: ENL/Bilingual Student Information Sheet (Cherry Card)
and the HLQ.
ENL folders should
contain the following
documents:
1. SCSD ENL/Bilingual
Department Student
Record
2. Student Intake
Information
3. Entitlement Letter to
Parents or Nonentitlement Letter to
Parents
4. Home Language
Questionnaire ()HLQ)
A Language Assessor and interpreter, when possible, confirm the
HLQ and complete the Student Intake Information form with the
family to verify testing eligibility. The form is added to the ENL
folder. A Language Assessor administers the New York State
Identification Test for English Language Learners (NYSITELL) to
each eligible student.
Test results are shared with the family and they are given an ENL
‘Entitlement’ or ENL ‘Non-entitlement’ letter.
The Director of CRC places students in an appropriate school. The
schools and families are notified of the student’s school placement.
The information in the Registration folder and the ENL folder are
scanned and mailed to each school to become part of the Student’s
cum folder.
Coming soon- Purple folders that
are designated for ELL student
forms only
| Issue 6
11
Department of World Languages
New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers, Inc. (NYSAFLT) will offer a series of webinars throughout the
2015-2016 school year that will address multiple facets of foreign language education. You are encouraged to register at
your earliest convenience for any of the webinars at http://www.nysaflt.org/webinars/.
March 2 -- 4:00 p.m. EST (1 hour)
Art & Creativity: Strong Tools to Teach a Language
Creativity is always recommended in any field but when we talk about learning a language it turns into a super strong tool
that every teacher should consider using. As an illustrator, teacher, and creator of the program 'Learn Spanish Love Español'
used in the Instituto Cervantes New York & Chicago, I will show you the way I use it when teaching Spanish, and I can also
suggest tips to make your classes more interesting both for your students and for yourself. You don´t have to be an artist to
be a creative teacher. It´s surprising how fast students learn when they are inspired!
March 17 -- 4:00 p.m. EST (1 hour)
April 14 -- 7:00 p.m. EST (1 hour)
Top Ten Games And Activities to Liven Up Your
Creating the Can-Do Classroom
Language Class
Skillful use of the NCSSFL/ACTFL Can-Do Statements can help
teachers build student proficiency in an engaging, effective
and efficient manner by being able to focus instruction on
the essential elements of communicative modes of each
level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. In this
presentation, participants will identify essential
characteristics of the "Can-Do Classroom;" examine
instructional decision making for each proficiency level
concerning text-type and language functions; and analyze
research-based best practices for facilitating proficiency
development.
Do you find yourself in a rut doing the same activities over
and over again? Do you wish your students were excited to
learn a foreign language? Spice up your language class with
activities and games that will get your students moving,
talking and having fun. We will share our top ten activities
that will be mostly kinesthetic and will include games and
technology, such as sites, speaking assessments and more.
Join us and bring the enthusiasm, energy and eagerness to
learn back into your class!
Can a student take a foreign language class outside of the district and receive credit for independent study towards a
Regents diploma or Regents diploma with Advanced Designation?
No. Credit for independent study may be awarded for elective courses only, and shall not be awarded for courses
required for the Regents diploma.
The district/school deciding whether or not to accept a language class for elective credit should take into account the
number of weekly hours of instruction, the rigor of the program, and alignment to NYS checkpoint A and B standards.
If a 9th grade student skips a first year of LOTE because s/he speaks a language other than English at home, how many
more units of LOTE must the student take to receive the Regents with Advanced Designation?
Regardless of where a student is placed in his/her first year of LOTE instruction, in order to receive the Regents with
Advanced Designation, the student would still need to successfully complete a total of three units of study and pass a
locally developed Checkpoint B exam.
If a student earns 3-5 LOTE credits for education and residence in another than English–speaking environment, does
s/he have to take a locally developed LOTE exam?
No, not if the credit is towards a Regents Diploma.
Yes, if the credit is towards Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation.
FAQ Source http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/docs/November-December2015newsletter.pdf
| Issue 6
12
Issue 2
The 10 Most
Common
Languages
by Accredited Language
What are the world’s most common
languages?
Estimating these most common
language populations can be tricky,
and there is a range of data available.
Quiz yourself: See how many of
these most common languages you
can name before looking at the list.
Keep in mind that this list is
composed of native speakers — so
people who learned Mandarin in
college, for example, are not
included in the total number of
Mandarin speakers.
You might find some languages that
surprise you!
1. Mandarin
With more than 955 million speakers,
Mandarin claims the top spot as the
world’s most common language —
and one that often requires
professional translation services.
One of the five major dialects of
Chinese, Mandarin is the official
language of China and Taiwan, as
well as one of the four official
dialects of Singapore. Approximately
14.4 percent of the world’s
population are native speakers of
Mandarin.
2. Spanish
Its prominence in the Americas as
well as in Europe makes Spanish one
of the most common languages, with
405 million speakers. The Castilian
dialect in Spain is held as a national
standard, although Andalusian and
Catalan are also spoken.
3. English
English used to be the second-most
common language, but Spanish-
speakers have increased much more
rapidly over the past 15 years. Still,
scholars have named English the
world’s “most influential language,”
due to the number of speakers (360
million) and the number of countries
in which it is spoken.
4. Hindi/Urdu
Although they have different written
forms, Hindi and Urdu share a
history, many common words, and a
grammar. Many linguists consider
them different “registers” of the
same common language. Over 310
million people speak one of the two.
5. Arabic
Arabic, spoken by 295 million
speakers worldwide, is also the
language of Muslim holy writings. It
has also influenced other most
common languages — Spanish has
approximately 4,000 words with
Arabic roots.
6. Portuguese
Out of the 215 million Portuguese
speakers worldwide, nearly 150
million of them speak Brazilian
Portuguese, the most common
language variant. Portuguese is also
the official language of other
countries
including
Angola,
Mozambique, and — clearly —
Portugal, among others.
7. Bengali
With 205 million speakers, Bengali is
also the second most widely spoken
language in India, popular in the
easternmost states. Bengali is an
official language of both India and
Bangladesh.
8. Russian
Russian’s 155 million speakers make
it the world’s eighth most common
language. It is also one of the six
official languages of the United
Nations, along with Arabic, Chinese
(Mandarin), English, French and
Spanish.
9. Japanese
Out of the approximately 125 million
people who speak Japanese, 124
million live in Japan and the island
group of Okinawa. This makes it
unusual among the most common
languages
in
its
geographic
concentration.
10. Punjabi
Fifteen years ago, German held the
tenth spot, though Punjabi has
recently surpassed it. With 102
million speakers, Punjabi is mainly
spoken in India and Pakistan, and is a
native language of 1.44 percent of
the world’s population.
How do we know who speaks what?
Fluctuations in different estimates
can be attributed to population
growth, as well as how linguists
choose to group dialects and
microlanguages
into
larger
groups.
The
most
common
languages can also vary depending
on whether studies include only
primary languages, or all languages
spoken in a population.
These numbers were taken from the
2010
edition
of
Nationalencyklopedin, a Swedish
language encyclopedia. The top 100
languages can be found here.
| Issue 6
13
Staff Highlight: Dadhi Dahal
was a science teacher in V. S Niketan
Higher
Secondary
School,
Kathmandu, Nepal from 2004-2008.
When it became clear that a return to
Bhutan was impossible, he began the
resettlement process. He would
remain a refugee until arriving in the
United States on March 26, 2009.
Dadhi Dahal was born as the eldest
son to Dhana Pati Dahal and Nar
Maya Dahal on July 30, 1975 in
Babethang, Dagana, Bhutan.
On
December 22, 1991, at the age 16, he
entered a refugee camp in Nepal from
Bhutan. He became a refugee when
the monarch of Bhutan began an
ethnic cleansing campaign against
Nepali speaking Bhutanese called
“Lotshampa”.
Mr. Dahal received his Bachelor of
Science degree in Chemistry from
Tribhuwan University, Nepal and
Bachelor Degree in Education from
Purbaanchal University, Kathmandu,
Nepal. He taught math and science in
different high schools of Nepal and
After arriving in Syracuse,
Mr. Dahal was employed with Duke
Plumbing, B & B Lumber Company
and Iroquois Nursing Home as a
certified nursing assistant. He joined
the Syracuse City School District as
an interpreter for the Refugee
Assistance Program in September
2010 which led to the Nationality
Worker position for the ENL Office
in September 2011. He is also a parttime Information Aide at LeMoyne
Elemenatry.
He believes that hard work
and
responsibility
make
you
successful and that nothing is
impossible if you have those traits.
His favorite thing about living in
America is the citizenship and
freedom that he never had in Bhutan
or as a refugee in Nepal. He enjoys
the diversity of America and the
multitude of opportunities available
to him and his family. One way he
gives back is through volunteering
with the Bhutanese Community
Organization in Syracuse (BCS). He
works with other volunteers teaching
children the Nepali language, culture
and religion. Through this work he
seeks to ensure bilingualism in the
children while also creating a
stronger community.
Mr. Dahal is married with two
children, a daughter, Anupa and a
son, Anurag. His parents and brother
reside in Syracuse and he has two
sisters also in the US.
He loves
traditional foods including daal (lentil
soup), bhaat (boiled rice), tarkari
(curried vegetables) and achar
(pickled vegetables) but is also fond
of American foods like pizza and
sandwiches.
| Issue 6
14
Issue 2
Board of Education
Derrick Dorsey, President
Patricia Body
David Cecile
Mark D. Muhammad
Rita Paniagua
Dan Romeo
Katie Sojewicz
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:
Sharon L. Contreras, Ph.D., Superintendent
Jaime Alicea, Chief Operations Officer
Brandan Keaveny, Ed.D., Chief Accountability Office
Christopher Miller, Ed.D., Chief Talent Officer
Linda Mulvey, Chief Academic Officer
Suzanne Slack, Chief Financial Officer
Monique Wright-Williams, Chief of Staff
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Syracuse City School District hereby advises
students, parents, employees and the general public that
it is committed to providing equal access to all
categories of employment, programs and educational
opportunities, including career and technical education
opportunities, regardless of actual or perceived race,
color,
national
origin,
Native
American
ancestry/ethnicity, creed or religion, marital status, sex,
sexual orientation, age, gender identity or expression,
disability or any other legally protected category under
federal, state or local law.
Inquiries regarding the District’s non-discrimination
policies should be directed to:
Executive Director of Student Support Services, Civil
Rights Compliance Officer
Syracuse City School District
725 Harrison Street • Syracuse, NY 13210
(315) 435-4131
Email: [email protected]
Visit our
website for
more
information.