HILT for SIFE“High Intensity Literacy Training for Students with Interrupted Education”

Shaina Gilbert (sgilbert@techboston.org)

Native Language (Haitian-Creole) Literacy Teacher6-8th SIFE-SEI at TechBoston Academy in Dorchester

AgendaSharing Our Unique SIFE Experiences and Perfecting Our

Practice

The SIFE Teacher“The HILT teacher, in collaboration with other members of the HILT for SIFE team plans, designs and implements creative and innovative units of study that are not only aligned with the curriculum, but are also clustered around concepts critical to the literacy and academic development of SIFE.”

-Boston Public Schools HILT for SIFETeacher Position Description

(http://www.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=43093&print=)

Challenges•Must develop your own SIFE curriculum •Only SIFE teacher at the school•Lack of resources in native language•Students enter SIFE class at any point in the academic year•Responsible for filling K-7th Grade Literacy and Content gap

The SIFE Students

• English Language Development Level: Beginners, 6-8th grade• Range of levels overall literacy skills (low to moderate) • Irregular school attendance while in native country• Rich with diverse life experiences and perspectives• Parental support is usually provided whenever needed• Lived in both rural and urban areas in Haiti• Most have their immediate families still living in Haiti

Challenges•Unidentified learning disabilities•Lack study skills: organization, handwriting, note-taking, test taking, etc.•First-time exposure to science and history (outside of the context of Haiti)•Coping with loss, trauma, and stress•Trouble adapting to new culture and home•Difficulty with transferring knowledge and skills from L1 to L2

The SIFE ProgramSIFE Placement• Newcomers assesses them as SIFE via Newcomers assessment• Moved to SIFE from SEI if a student’s SEI teachers, parents, and/or educational

background strongly suggest that they need SIFE supports– Evidence: interview students and parents about student’s schooling in Haiti

(particularly which schools the student attended) & assess student’s academic progress in SEI classes compared to students who enrolled into SEI at a similar point

SIFE at TechBoston• 15 students max.• Math (1hr.), science (1hr.), history (1hr.), ESL (2hrs)• 6-8th grade; teaching towards the 7th grade benchmarks and standards• SIFE SEI Mainstream

– Their content-area grades (progress by term) determine whether or not student moves from SIFE to SEI. Work samples are reviewed and assessed by SEI teachers.

– Note: SEI is 6-10th grade cluster with Haitian students; TechBoston is 6-12th grade

Challenges•Students enroll at any point in the year•Difficult transitions from SIFE SEI•There is no SIFE 9-12th

•Number of ESL Beginners are climbing

Disclaimer• I use Native Language to teach

my SIFE students• Haitian Creole-English Cognates• Temporarily co-teach ESL -

Focus on History, Science, Math• Some of my students looped• Communicative SEI staff

(including 2 TFA); Haitian Guidance Counselor – all Haitian cluster

• Not all students have extremely low literacy skill – different educational backgrounds

• During the summer, I work in Haiti with SIFE students who live in extreme situations whish manifest their educational gaps

Overall: SIFE Needs Consistency and Supports

Consistency: Daily Lesson Structure• Do Now (Yesterday’s Material)• Review HW (Yesterday’s Material)• New Vocabulary • New Material (I Do)• Practice/Discussion (We Do)• Group/Partner Work (We/You Do)• Independent Practice (You Do)• Sum-up/Review Lesson• Exit Ticket (Yesterday/Today’s Material)• Pre-View HW

– Notes are dated and Written in Notebook/ Homework in HW Folder/Worksheets in Binder

Supports: Resources and Techniques • After-school office hours (M, T, and Th)• Access to laptops, use of projectors, science kits• Use of H. Creole Eng. dictionaries, graphic organizers, teacher models• Visit SEI classes in preparation of SIFE exit

Math Best Practices

Create Intentional Curriculums/Lesson Plans (Consistency)• Math Literacy

– Actively teach how to understand & use math terms –must teach ½ class in English

• Backwards planning– Assess & teach foundational skills needed per lesson (ex: adding decimals,

re-grouping, etc.); once mastered, teach actual lesson• Fill-in gaps along the way

• Layering Effect Based on Central Ideas– Ex: (1) Teach student about angles, the properties of a right angle, (2)

then introduce triangles, right triangle, (3)next introduce quadrilaterals, know that squares have right angles and rhombuses do not

– MINIMUM: Within the unit, must master central idea (ex: right angle)

Engage Students in Learning (Supports)• Foldables for vocabulary terms• Weekly Vocabulary and Math Content quizzes• Student teaches class a math problem in English (Teacher Model)• Practice worksheets – Assessments based on worksheets• Math Competitions• Pairing Matters

– heterogeneous when reviewing material– homogenous pairing when learning new material

Study Skills: Note-Taking

• Notes are ALWAYS dated– Promote Layering Effect

• Key vocabulary words are ALWAYS underlined– Promote Math Literacy

• Heading Options: Objective, Do Now, Vocabulary– Understanding the

different parts of their notes

– Learning how to write, read, and use their notes

How Rigorous Can Make We SIFE?STANDARDS SAY

(8.P.2 )Evaluate simple algebraic expressions for given variable values

e.g., 3a –2b for a=3 & b=7.

WHAT I DO…3 – aa=3

…UNTIL (within reasonable time) THIS IS POSSIBLE…

If not then…• We move on to the next lesson

and when SIFE students are in Math SEI the following year, they will master it at the appropriate level of rigor

Science Best Practices

Create Accurate Assessments w/ Focal Points (Consistency)• Presentations- Assess use of vocabulary, clarity, volume, eye contact• Projects- Use of vocabulary, related images, short answers/writing

prompt• Notebooks- Date, headlines, underline key terms, space between

topics• Labs- Title/Picture, Introduction, Question, Hypothesis, Material,

Method, Results, Data, Conclusion• Homework- Try your best• Tests/Quizzes- 3 sections: vocabulary, content, skill (ex: inferring,

comparing)

Engage Students in Learning (Supports)• Foldables for vocabulary terms• Weekly Vocabulary and Science Content quizzes• Teacher Model• Hands-on Activities• Science Jeopardy, Projects, and Presentations• Pairing Matters

– heterogeneous when reviewing material– homogenous pairing when learning new material

History Best Practices

Promoting Critical Thinking and Study Skills (Consistency)

• Presentations- Assess use of vocabulary, clarity, volume, eye contact

• Writing Prompts- Topic Sentence (1 Opinion), Supporting Details (3 Pieces of Evidence)

• Graphic Organizers- T-Charts, Problem-Solutions, Step-by-Step

• Discussions- Critical Thinking Questions (may answer in L1)• Debate Teams-Oral Writing Prompts; Topic/Idea

Evidence

Engage Students in Learning (Supports)• Foldables for vocabulary terms• Weekly Vocabulary and History Content Quizzes• Read textbook aloud like it’s a narrative• Word Search Puzzles for Vocabulary Practice

Discussion Teaching Content v. Literacy

How do you teach the content and literacy

skills in unison?

• I teach grade level content with a focus on promoting(1) literacy skills– Students are constantly

dissecting their textbooks• Taking notes on the main ideas

– Writing Prompts, Oral Presentations, and Projects related to the Lesson

DiscussionTeaching Content v. ESL

How do you teach the content & language

development in unison?

• I teach grade level content with a focus on promoting (2) language development– Students use English to

explain their reasoning– Respond to answers in

class in English– Submits written work in

English

When do you choose to use L1 v. L2?

• Teach conceptual materials in Haitian Creole• Teach standard material in both languages• Teach ESL Class in strictly in English• Teach key vocabulary and terms in English• Step by Step directions in both languages

DiscussionUsing L1 v. L2

Case-StudyA SIFE Lesson Learned

“Sabrina” -15 years old - 8th Grade• SIFE since entry in April 2011• Trouble advancing grades while in Haiti• Adopted in Boston, guardians anxious about lack of academic

progress Their theory is that she is too distracted; send back to Haiti

• Difficulty with fluency; Mastering sight words• Reading Comprehension skills limited to identify setting,

characters, and plot• Underdeveloped writing; uses the same vocabulary and

simple sentence structures

Overall: Skills are developing; Comfortable with the basics ofESL but her progress is slow

Task and Question“Sabrina” must learn how to write a proper lab report bythe time she enters 9th Grade SEI Science.

Considering her profile, what instructional techniques would you use to promote literacy and language development while teaching this grade level content?

Ou gen kesyon? Poze yo!

Shaina Gilbert (sgilbert@techboston.org)

Native Language (Haitian-Creole) Literacy Teacher6-8th SIFE-SEI at TechBoston Academy in Dorchester