Session 5: Attending to Standards and Classifications with WIDA

LA 5.1 (15 min). Enrollment, Placing, Staffing Myths The Facilitator will organize you into groups so that there will be graphic representations for at least 5 of the 7 myths in your group. After each group member shares his/her graphic, each group will share one of the graphics and talk about one of the myths.  

 

LA 5.2 (70 min). Program Models This activity has two parts. Part One is a video segment. It is found in the tell materials site (https://equitypress.org/-Qcry) but you have to scroll down to session 6 and click on 6.1. The active viewing guide is linked in the text. Part Two. Ask teachers to work in their groups and analyze program models. The program models are listed below the instructions. There are seven. The first three which they work on together using three documents—an Analysis Sheet with guiding questions, a SLA fact sheet document taken from Myths and Realities, and WIDA EL standards document. After they examine the first three together each person in a group of four takes on one of the other. We included the Utah Model because it is slightly different from two-way since the orientation is actually more foreign language instruction for native English speakers than it is ESL because there are not really sufficient native speakers of the language to run an ESL Dual program.  

After they each review one additional program they share their thinking with each other. Then you might want to just ask what they notice and what program model their school uses and what advantages and limitations and political issues they noticed in regard to that program. 

The time might be tight. 

 

LA 5.3 (15 min.) The World Inside and Outside Schools. The teachers work in groups. You could  

 

LA 5.4 (55 min.) Introduction to WIDA.  Begin by showing the short power point  which is the first item in the instructions. Then you will use the materials coinciding with this activity: WIDA standards; Can Do descriptors; the WIDA writing standards for academic writing.  Field questions and answer them. If you do not feel secure in your understanding of WIDA and creating strands you might ask one of the district ESL personnel to come and walk students through the materials.  

However be sure to leave at least ten minutes for teachers to begin on their strand work. Teachers will use the linked WIDA documents and a self-selected standard from the State Curriculum Standards for a content area to create a WIDA strand. . Allow student to  work together to do this, if they would like. Teachers will be asked to study the longer power point for homework at the end of this session. 

 

Five minutes for the facilitator to explain homework. 

 

HW 5.1 Teacher Reflection Assignment. Same assignment. There are new questions.  

 

Remind the teachers that at the end of this course they will construct portfolios and should save artifacts and explanations of aha’s (insights) as they go. They will need one for each characteristic of Inclusive Pedagogy Including the center question which is Who is this child? 

 

HW 5.2 Creating a WIDA Strand—Using materials included with LA 5.4, Teachers apply information learned during the session. Teachers can work with a colleague who teaches at the same level.  Teachers write a WIDA strand (expectations for each of the levels of WIDA (1-6) for content they teach, demonstrating how all ELs can have access to the curriculum. Bring your work to class in session 6. 

 

HW 5.3 Exploring Practice Through Technology—Teachers review a TELL case on Program Models at https://tellcases.byu.edu/. The id=tellcases and the pw=videos. The case is the second item under the first course.  The directions for getting there are in the instructions for the activity.  The 2 other things needed are linked in the instructions. Teachers are asked to consider the teacher work and student work for each program model. They can follow the directions on the instruction page.   

 

 HW 5.4 Classifications and Standards. Teachers will watch a video from TELL Materials that is linked on the HW page with directions to access the video and a link to the active viewing guide. They watch Video Segment 6.2 from Session 6. This provides an opportunity to watch the longer power point from the WIDA consortium.  It gives teachers an opportunity to list questions they still may have about WIDA and how to use it.  They will bring their questions to session 6. 

This content is provided to you freely by Equity Press.

Access it online or download it at https://equitypress.org/tell_facilitator_guide/session_5.