WELCOME!

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     Dear Parents/Guardians,

     

    Welcome to English as a Second Language (ESL) at Olmsted #64!  My Name is Miss Deborah Smith and I will be teaching your son or daughter how to listen/understand, speak, read and write in English. I am very excited to teach your child!

                   This website that is a great way for you to know what is going on in the classroom and what your child will be learning. You can even translate each page into your own language! I am most excited about this ability to translate because I am limited with my knowledge of Spanish.

    On the homepage you will find a link to a site called “Think Central”. Think Central has your son or daughter’s current English Language Arts (ELA) text. Your child can listen to and re-read their text online at home.  https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com

    The following is how I will be assessing each student’s ability to listen/understand, speak, read and write in English:

    Listening: Spelling (using a program called “Words Their Way” which requires students to sort and spell by sound), Dictations (Writing what a student hears), and Note-Taking (for grades 2-4)

    Speaking: How well a student speaks in English

    Reading:

    • IRLA 
    • I use the students’ Dibels scores as well as my own observations on students’ ability to identify words and read fluently

                   

    Writing:

    -        Dictation- After a Dictation, students must rewrite the sentences correctly. I grade on how well they copy the correct answer (K-1)

    -        Journal (Daily writing)

    -        Homework and Class Work

    -        Conventions (use of periods, commas, etc.)

    -        For grades 1-4, I also evaluate students on organization skills using a program called “Step Up To Writing”, which is a way to organize and write an expository essay.

    Please feel free to write me an e-mail, a letter, or a note in your own language and I will get help with translating. The other teachers in the Dual Language Immersion Program have been very helpful with translating. We could also arrange a meeting where one of the Dual Language Teachers could translate for both of us. If you feel confident enough to speak in English, please call me at any time.

    I look forward to working with you and your child this year!

    Miss Deborah Smith

    dmsmith@buffaloschools.org

     

     

     

     

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