Ch. 1 (pg. 1- 17)- This chapter is called Principles of Integrated Language Teaching and Learning. This chapter really outlines to teachers the important of language and learning and ways that it can benefit the learner. Active engagement it really a huge part in successful learning. It is so much easier to remember something once it has been applied or you are actively moving with the activity. It is important to have a comfortable environment that the students feel safe to participate in. While it is important to have active engagement it is important for the students to have cultural relevance with what they are learning about in the classroom. It is important as the teacher to figure out what level all the students are at and then teach at their level while also incorporating new material such as new cultures that they may not  be exposed to. Collaboration is also a huge part of learning. I feel from all my classes I have noticed a huge emphasis on team work and collaborating with classmates as a way to learn. I think as a teacher it is important to reflect and ask is this material difficult to learn for this age level, if the answer is yes then it is important to figure out ways to make the material easier to learn. As a teacher I think it is our job to also collaborate with the other teachers to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the students to figure out their prior knowledge on subjects. Getting to know the students in the beginning is something that I want to strive for in my classrooms because I feel like it creates and safe environment and also gives teachers a starting point without assuming that everyone is on the same level.

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Ch. 4 (pg. 56-85)- This chapter is called Organizing the Classroom for Language Learning. With every students that enters my classroom I want to make sure that they feel safe and welcomed. When an ELL enters into my classroom I want to make sure that I know their name and can pronounce it correctly. With all students but especially ELL's it is important to gather information about them to make sure that I tailor my lessons in a way that is inclusive and easily understandable or relatable. By having previous school records on the students it is a good indication of where they are at academically before they step into the classroom. By making sure to have a desk ready, learn their name, and learn their previous schooling history can really make for the best first impression with the student and help them feel safe in a new environment. This chapter is all about the importance of arranging your classroom to allow optimal learning. Before reading this chapter I have never thought to consider how a classroom set up could have such an impact on student's learning. Desks that are separated into rows often give the impression of a lot of individual work verses having desks in pods of three or four students that promotes student work in groups of pairs. The way a classroom is arranged can tell a lot about the teaching style of the teachers. There are public and private areas to a classroom. Public areas consist of the white board or chalk boards that the teacher can use to use visuals in the classroom, and organize the day with assignments and homework. By providing information on these public spaces it can allow for participation and organization within a classroom. Private space would be the students desks where they can keep their belongings and decorate if they choose. The book talks about the importance of having ELL’s in seats closer to the area where most announcements and instructions are posted. This chapter also talks about know what type of learning are in the classroom and the ways that they learn. A Field Sensitive/Global learner is someone who enjoys working with others, seeks guidance and direction from the teacher, and prefers communicative activities. Field Sensitive learners are typically found in students from Puerto Rico, Caribbean, Chinese and Greek backgrounds. A Field Independent/Analytical learner is someone who enjoys working independently, competes with others, and pays little attention to the social environment. Field Independent learners are typically found in European, Canadian, and US cultures. Knowing these difference is learning styles based on culture is really important and something that I will remember to apply in the classroom when teaching. It is important to teach in a way that the students enjoy and are comfortable with because it is easier for them to learn in that environment. I think when teaching in my own classroom I will make sure to give the option that you can either work with a partner or by yourself. I think this chapter will be very beneficial for the future because I will be very consciences  of how my classroom is organized and the learning styles of my students.

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Ch. 7 (pg. 144-167)- This chapter is called Teaching Vocabulary to English Learners. Vocabulary is essential for ELL’s. This is how they are able to keep up in all the classes and understand what is going on in the lessons. Without the fundamental vocabulary for each lesson ELL students will have an extremely difficult time learning the material. I think that it is important that teachers collaborate and discuss the lessons that they are going to be teaching in order to make sure that the vocabulary that they students are learning is essential and helpful. This book discusses what are the most important words that the school should be teaching and the answer is: words that are used and encountered frequently in school, words that are used I academic texts across all content areas, and words that help students become effective learners (pg. 146). When I have my own classroom I will make it a priority to discuss with teachers what words the students need to familiarize themselves with and also make sure to make vocabulary a prominent lesson when first teaching Social Science. There are so many new words that are presented to students in history books that I truly see the importance of mastering the vocabulary first before having students read. This chapter presents different ways for teachers to present the vocabulary including: Present, pronounce, and define. I think that this is very important for student to know how to pronounce the words so they can get used to saying it and having it incorporated to their everyday vocabulary. The chapter presents activities for the students on how to learn the vocabulary one that I think it really effective is the semantic mapping because I feel like this allows students to critically think about the word and make connections to stuff that they already know. I can really see myself using this method in my own classroom.

 

Ch. 8  (pg. 169- 206)- This chapter is called Developing Literacy with English Learners: Focus on Reading. This chapter focuses on the students reading abilities. This discusses the top down approaches, bottom-up approaches, and integrated approaches. I think that the best approach to take really does depend on the student and the way that they learn best. I do not believe that just one method works for all students. With that being said I think that in the classroom I will utilize an integrated approach more since it incorporates everything and make adjustments accordingly. Language development takes time and I think the most important thing a teacher can have during this stage is patience. There are many different stages that ELL’s have to go through and each one serves as an unique purpose. Each stage is an accomplishment that makes them one step closer to being more fluent. Scaffolding is a huge part in literacy development for young adolescents. This chapter emphasis the importance of the texts that are chosen. They need to be at grade-level but increase in level of difficulty to challenge the learner. As a teacher I think this chapter will be beneficial to remember when it comes to lesson planning and figuring out what books to have the class read and adjusting according to the level of the class or individual students.  

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Ch. 11 (pg. 265-294)- This chapter is called Assessment Tools for the Integrated Classroom. This chapter is all about assessments in a classroom. There are many ways that teachers can assess their students. A common testing system that is used is standardized testing which measures discrete skills at one moment in time. These are tests that are developed on a state and national level. Standardize testing can be great to see where you are ranked in the world and what subjects students may need more help in but in my opinion these tests really do not give an accurate representation of the student. There is a lot of pressure that goes into these tests and for some students this may cause anxiety thus meaning they do not perform as well. I lot of outside factors can hinder their test scores as well, such as if they ate that morning or if they weren’t feeling well. Another type of assessment is the classroom-based assessment. This is an assessment that refers to the gathering of information on an ongoing basis over a period of time. This is something that a teacher puts together for their classroom to assess where their students are. I think that this is a better representation of what a student is learning because it is about the knowledge that they have accumulated over a lesson or a chapter and putting that knowledge to the test. This is also based more off of students needs because a teacher can directly see where students are struggling. I think that this is the more important test because it is tailored more to their needs and the level that they are at rather than where the state and national assessments think the students should be. For all students especially ELL students it is important to make sure that the assessments are fair. An ELL student may not be at the same level as a non-ELL student and thus puts them at a disadvantage on the standardized testing. While I understand the importance of testing to assess where students are at I think that there is too much of an emphasis on it because students are just learning or studying enough to pass a test but then forgetting everything after they learn it rather than if they were to just learn the material to actually understand and comprehend.