For young students who don’t speak English regularly at home, returning to school in the fall can be tough.
Vocabulary that is often used at school might easily be forgotten during the summer, but this year Everett Public Schools offered a program to English-Language Learners to prevent the students’ English from being rusty at the start of school.
The idea was to “keep them using English during the summer so when they come back to school, they won’t slip,” said Silver Firs Elementary teacher Judy Johnson.
At Silver Firs, first-, second- and third-grade students from Penny Creek and Silver Firs met three days a week for seven weeks to maintain and improve their English. The class was team-taught by Johnson and fellow Silver Firs teacher Mary Rife.
Some students were born in the United States, while others moved to the area from other countries, Johnson said. The 23 students from Penny Creek and Silver Firs are from China, Ethiopia, Korea, Libya, Mexico, Russia and Vietnam.
Two of these students, twins from Ethiopia, just moved to the United States, and this was their first experience in an American school, Johnson said, and it was an important step to help in their adjustment to life here.
The teachers’ focus was on vocabulary. They used an animal-themed curriculum to introduce new information to the children, and they often utilized songs, plays and art projects to keep the children engaged and learning.
After reading the story of “Three Billy Goats Gruff,” the children were given the opportunity to wear masks and act out the story in front of their peers. Similar skits took place after reading “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and “The Three Little Pigs.” Reading the stories multiple times and engaging the children in skits and songs really helps them understand the language, Johnson said.
Students often spent time working with a partner or in small groups, which also helped them improve their speaking skills, Johnson said.
“The whole emphasis is having them use the language and work with each other,” she said.
Children who speak the same first language were partnered with children who had different backgrounds – making English the main commonality.
“Rather than getting into specific academics, we’re working on real active learning,” Johnson said.
Johnson said this was the first extensive work she’s done with ELL students, and she hopes to be able to increase her involvement through school district offerings, like this summer program.
The school district offered this program to all students who qualify as an ELL student. Transportation was provided, as school buses picked the students up in the morning and dropped them off when class was done.
She and Rife both said that teaching these students was a great opportunity for them.
The best part about the summer program, Rife said, was “the kids – they’re so excited to learn.”
Johnson agreed that their enthusiasm makes the instruction a lot of fun.
“They are such a delight to teach,” Johnson said. “They come to school so ready to learn.”
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