Some jokes for today on a podcast.
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Dying for the Dream Act
Have you seen the news reports about Juaquin Luna? The New York Times, Huffington Post, and 105,000 other web pages have news about him.
According to the reports he knew that he could not achieve his dream because he did not have the documents necessary to be in this country. His parents brought him to the U.S. when he was very young and it is the only country he has ever known. So, his plight is not his fault. But it could be remedied easily by the passage of the Dream Act which would allow undocumented immigrants to study at the university for the in-state tuition price.
Please contact your senators and representatives to push for passage of the Dream Act. A simple action that could give hope, and save lives
More questions about immersion- 6th grade
What is the model for literacy in 6th grade?
What is the model for Spanish immersion in 6th grade?
How does IB affect the model?
Is there RW? WW? EDM? What language?
How do we combine reading and writing into a LA block?
What would make sense in terms of assessment? In what languages? When?
Can we/ how will we/ who will pull together a pacing guide for shared reading?
Middle School Immersion
A few questions come to mind as I wonder about middle school immersion:
1. What is the balance of English and Spanish that is used in the program? What should it be?
2. Are languages divided by teacher? by subject? by unit? I know that in one elementary school (one-way) all math instruction is done in Spanish and in the other elementary (two-way) even units are in English while odd units are in Spanish. So what should be done about the middle school into which both elementary schools feed?
3. Every student has English Language Arts and Spanish Language Arts every day… don’t they? Is it RW and WW? even in 7th and 8th?
4. If they only have one writer’s workshop class what is the language of instruction? Should it alternate by genre and then switch when they are in 7th and then in 8th?
5. Does the history of the program matter? They have been operating solely in Spanish except for English Language Arts but now there will be students from a two-way program entering.
6. Are there materials available to meet the standards in all subjects in both languages? If not what is needed? Should decisions be made based on available materials or on best practice? What materials are currently being used in 6th grade for RW, WW, Social Studies, math and science to meet the standards?
From on Being- Learning a Language
Homework
Did you see this article in the New York times about homework?
If not, make sure you read it and start applying what it says. For homework to be effective it must not be long or short but smart. The author offers 4 ways to make homework smarter:
1. Space Repetition;
2. Retrieval Practice;
3. Cognitive Disfluency;
4. Interleaving.
Read the article, try the techniques and improve student learning!!
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Saint Paul Public Schools Dual Immersion Programs
Irish Soda Bread
2c flour
1t baking powder
1/2t soda
1t salt
2T sugar
3/4c raisins
1c milk or buttermilk
(This recipe can be easily doubled.)
Mix.
Form into a ball and let rest 1/2 hour on an oiled baking sheet.
Bake for 45 min. at 350 F.
Rub loaf with butter when finished.
- Baked with butter on top
New Poverty Data
RPP news in Peru had an interesting article about poverty in Peru. It is a hopeful article in that the UN believes that Peru can reduce its current poverty rate of 30% to 10% by 2021, when Peru celebrates 200 years. Unfortunately, many people in Peru do not believe that the poverty rate is only 30%- most believe it to be higher. But, I will take good news when I can get it.
I looked, then, at the poverty rate in the school district where I work. Using the ‘free and reduced lunch’ rate, Peru is in better condition than the children in the Saint Paul Public Schools when one looks at poverty.
S. T. Fleming 