Basic Strategies Development
In this class, students are working early in the process of acquiring
English. By the WIDA Can-do standards, they are “entering” at level one and “emerging” at level two. In this class we focus on language development in the context of everyday situations with readings from a variety of sources. We also utilize instructional software titles that aid in language acquisition. Those titles include My Virtual Reading Coach by Mindplay, ESL Reading Smart, and new to 2017-2018, ReadTheory.org. Each of these applications uses student data and metrics to tailor ENL instruction to the individual student.
Cross-Age Tutoring
More than any other instructional strategy, I have found that tutoring gets results. In all of my classes, I set up a system where all students are rewarded for collaboration. Sometimes the motivation is extrinsic (grades, badges, parties, etc.), but in the long term, I have found the intrinsic path (altruism, relationships, friendships) to be better motivators. In this short film, Tanya explains that better than I ever could.
International Seminar
The International Seminar class includes students who are “developing” and “expanding” their skills in English. This class works on PBLs (Project-Based Learning Projects) in the PNN News Room and Studio to produce segments for the
PNN News Show called The World Report. Using the PNN model RUNDOWN and SCRIPT, students in the International Seminar class write and produce stories about what is happening outside the US borders, beyond Bittersweet in other words. These stories can be found on the PNN World Report website.
This class values the many cultures that come together in the PNN newsroom, and it embraces the experiences these writers have had before they arrived in Mishawaka, Indiana. By counting these experiences and understandings as valued assets, students are able to publish writing about world events with an authoritative voice.
Kevin McNulty 