Page 45 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, 2007

Further examples of information-gap games include the following: one student orders a series of pictures on a grid, and communicates orally to a partner how to order the same set of pictures without the partner being able to see the original order; or one student, using a map, gives directions to a partner about how to find various points of interest in their city or town that are not marked on the partner’s map.
Jigsaw. Jigsaw is a cooperative group activity in which one segment of a learning task is assigned to each member of a small group (the “home” group). All home group members then work to become an “expert” in their aspect of the task in order to teach the other group members. Jigsaw activities push all students to take equal responsibility for the group’s learning goals. Jigsaw activities can be done in both listening and reading formats.
In a jigsaw reading activity, each student becomes a member of an “expert” group, which reads a certain section of a text. Experts then return to their home groups to share infor- mation and thus build a complete picture of the entire text. Each expert must ensure that all members of the home group understand all the information. In a jigsaw listening activity, each expert listens to a different oral excerpt of information. The home group then compiles the components into an overall report, such as a description of the habitats of various Canadian animals, or a brief overview of various First Nation peoples across Canada.
Journal Writing. Journal writing is a technique that encourages students to produce copious amounts of writing while also giving them the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and learning. Journal entries can be personal and private responses to stu- dents’ own experiences and thoughts, or they can be shared with a teacher or journal buddy, creating a flowing, written dialogue between two partners. Another type of jour- nal response is the “in-role” journal, in which students maintain a journal in the voice of a character from a story or novel and convey the character’s reactions and feelings as the story unfolds.
Prompts for student journal writing can be drawn from literature being studied, classroom topics and current issues, events in the lives of students, or questions or open-ended statements presented by the teacher. When responding to student journal entries, the teacher should focus on the content rather than any errors in the writing. A journal is not the place for correcting students’ grammar mistakes. Teacher responses should provide good written English-language models, sensitive prompts for more writing, and overall encouragement for the journal-writing process.
English language learners at the beginning stages of acquiring English should be encour- aged to maintain a journal in their first language. As English proficiency develops, students will feel more comfortable moving to a dual-language format and, finally, to keeping an English-only journal.
K-W-L. K-W-L, which stands for Know, Want to Know, Learned, is a strategy that helps students build background knowledge and plan for further learning and research. The K-W-L strategy gives teachers a picture of the class level of background knowledge on a particular topic so that gaps can be addressed. It also helps students prepare to learn about the topic or theme.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN ESL AND ELD
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