Online Courses » Open for Enrollment
Scaffolding Content for English Language Learners (K-5)
Begins March 18
Acquire effective strategies for reaching ESL students in your classroom. This course will help you relate to students’ lives and cultural struggles as they adapt to a new language.
Scaffolding Content for English Language Learners is designed as an introduction to working with English language learners (ELLs) in the mainstream K-5 classroom. It contains an overview of some primary concepts for working with ESL students. Specifically, the course will:
- Provide a deeper insight into English language learners’ lives and cultural struggles
- Illustrate the significance of acquiring academic English and social English
- Demonstrate effective strategies for reaching English Language Learners
- Offer teachers an opportunity to use strategies and ideas in their own classes
- Supply teachers with reliable sources for supplemental information/assistance
Syllabus
Download the Course Syllabus.
Prerequisites
None
Course objectives
Although there will be a variety of activities and readings designed to teach you the specifics of teaching English language learners, there are eight overarching goals we hope you’ll achieve. You’ll learn to:
- Identify the differences between social and academic language skills
- Make a newcomer feel welcome in your classroom
- Understand the importance of making accommodations and modifications for ELLs
- Effectively modify lessons, projects, assignments, and tests
- Utilize strategies for making lessons comprehensible for ELLs
- Recognize the four stages of language development
- Understand the role culture and other language variables play in the acquisition of English
- Implement at least one literacy strategy effectively in your classroom
Time commitment
Approximately 6 hours per week
Materials required
For the second week of this course you will be required to read at least one of the books below. These books should be easily obtained in your school or public library. However, if you have difficulty in locating a copy of at least one of these, please contact your instructor immediately.
- I Hate English, Ellen Levine (Scholastic Paperbacks)
- The Circuit, Francisco Jimenez (University of New Mexico Press)
- Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan (Blue Sky Press)
Take this course!
This course is scheduled to be taught beginning March 18.
It will be open for enrollment until March 18 or until maximum enrollment has been met.
