Modify on the Fly2:

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Modify on the Fly2

• MODIFLY!

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Review of Modify on the Fly 1

• Toolkit contents
• Pencil
• Pen
• Notebook
• Sharpies
• White out
• Ruler
• 3x5 cards
• Paper
• Multicolored highlighters
• Markers
• Crayons
• Scissors
• Post-its

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Our friends, BICS and CALP

• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
  are language skills needed in social situations.
  They support the day-to-day language needed to
  interact socially with other people.
• CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)
  refers to formal academic learning. This includes
  listening, speaking, reading, and writing about
  subject area content material. This level of
  language learning is essential for students to
  succeed in school.
• (from http//www.everythingesl.net/inservices/
  bics_calp.php)

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The Four Domains of the English Language

Reading and Listening
Writing and Speaking
Input
Output
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What if I have to modify on the fly?

• Use a highlighter/ post-it to focus on key
  concepts.
• Write top three vocabulary words on the board.
• Draw, gesture, or mime the concepts while you
  teach.
• Use a Sharpie to simplify readings/questions
  (keep only whats essential).

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What are some strategies for modifying
assessments?

• Reduce response materials for content area
  testing
• Provide a version of the test with simplified
  language
• Simplify directions
• Read test questions aloud
• Supply word banks for tests
• Provide matching activities
• Extend time to complete the tests
• Allow the student to respond orally rather than
  in written form
• Use portfolios to authentically assess student
  progress.

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For Example

• Your 6th grade Science test has 15 matching
  questions, 5 short-answer questions, and 10
  fill-in-the-blank.
• YOU COULD
• For a level 1 student you could write down the 5
  most important vocabulary words/concepts, and
  have him/her illustrate each item.
• For a level 3 student you could give a word bank
  for the fill-in-the-blank questions, ask him/her
  to pick 3 of the 5 short-answer questions, and
  underline the critical vocabulary in each of the
  matching questions.

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Example 2

• Your 2nd grade list of spelling words has 20
  words, and your ESL students dont know what the
  words mean, much less how to spell them!
• YOU COULD
• For a level 2 student you could shorten the list
  to 4-7 words, and ask a native speaker in the
  class to draw a picture next to the words to
  clarify their meaning.
• For a level 4 student you could shorten the list
  to 15 words, and have them do the other 5 as
  bonus words. The student could use a dictionary
  to look up words he/she doesnt know.

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Now to todays material

• Modify on the Fly II
• Modify on the Fly 2
• Modify on the Fly 2
• MODIFLY!

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How do I help teachers modify their lessons?

• Keep em sane.
• Keep em friendly.
• Offer them a Bag of Tricks!

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Bag of Tricks

• OKwe arent talking revolution here.
• Just some practical suggestions you can share
  with your mainstream colleagues.
• For example, the following

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CREATE BILINGUAL VOCABULARY CARDS

• Have the students create cards identifying
  classroom objects in both English and the native
  language (this is fun for the other students
  anyway, and can help you too).

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CUT AND PASTE

• Make Xeroxes of important text to be covered cut
  out important sections, paste in chronological
  order, make copies (science, math, history,
  English). You can also allow students to do this
  as they get more accustomed to the classroom and
  to the way you have been doing itits like a
  free lesson in summarizing.

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OFFER DICTIONARIES

• If possible, give your newcomers dictionaries! If
  you dont have access to any that relate to the
  students languages, see if they can bring in
  their own (often their parents will have some on
  hand). An English picture dictionary is also
  useful.

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CREATE FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS READING SHEETS

• Create an all-purpose sheet you can let the
  student fill out to the best of his/her ability
  when there are passages to be read.

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FIND THE STRENGTHS

• If a student shows good background in math, for
  example, let that student shine in activities
  that do not involve English (times tables
  practice, mad minuteanything thats just symbols
  and not verbal).

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USE MAGAZINES

• Students can find and cut out appropriate
  pictures and text that will permit them to make
  reports when their classmates do. If they have
  magazine in native languages they can bring from
  home, thats also helpful. Maybe finding similar
  pictures in a native-language magazine and an
  English-language magazine will help with
  understanding.

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USE SYMBOLS WHEN POSSIBLE

• Whenever possible, reduce questions to
  symbolsfor example, in a geography worksheet
  that asked students to find cities N, S, E and W
  of each other, all that was needed was a compass
  rose showing what the abbreviations stood for.

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TRY VOCABULARY PULLOUT

• Choose a few vocabulary words from a text you
  will be using during the day.
• Create various exercises using those words.

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Next on the agenda

• Levels of Impenetrability
• Levels of Incomprehensibility
• Levels of Preposterousness
• Levels of Bad!

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What is Bad?

• Basic Assignment Disaster!
• and B.A.D.s come in three levels

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Levels of B.A.D.

• Level One assignment is poorly writtenbad for
  any student
• Level Two assignment is perfectly finebut
  perhaps full of idioms or otherwise unclear to
  ESL students, although clear to native Eng
  speakers
• Level Three assignment is truly complextoo
  long, too involvedinappropriate for the language
  proficiency level of the student

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This assignments so bad

• Even Einstein couldnt do it.
• Over-involved parents couldnt do it.
• .My dog wouldnt eat it!!!!
• (BAD-a-BOOM!)

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Dont forget your

• Tool belt
• Toolkit
• Toolbox
• Toolshed!