Page 50 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, 2007

THEONTARIOCURRICULUM,GRADES9–12 | ESLandELD
Before beginning a question or review session, students create response cards with content-specific words, symbols, or pictures from the lesson. Information on the cards could consist of English vocabulary items, geographical names or features, scientific or mathematical terms, or even the words yes and no. Then, in response to the teacher’s questions or prompts, students hold up the appropriate card or combination of cards. A similar whole-class response activity can be done using individual dry-erase boards or magnetic letter boards.
Word Walls. Word walls are lists of words displayed in the classroom for vocabulary development and word study. They can be arranged alphabetically or thematically, and are often accompanied by drawings, photographs, and other visuals and/or by word equivalents in other languages. A prominent word wall on a classroom unit of study provides constant reference to and reinforcement of the vocabulary needed to under- stand the unit.
Teachers can use the word wall as a springboard for word sorting and categorization, spelling activities, and the study of prefixes, suffixes, and word families.
PLANNING ESL AND ELD PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS WITH
SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS
Classroom teachers are the key educators of students who have special education needs. They have a responsibility to help all students learn, and they work collaboratively with special education teachers, where appropriate, to achieve this goal. Special Education Transformation: The Report of the Co-Chairs with the Recommendations of the Working Table on Special Education, 2006 endorses a set of beliefs that should guide program planning for students with special education needs in all disciplines. Those beliefs are as follows:
All students can succeed.
Universal design and differentiated instruction are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students.
Successful instructional practices are founded on evidence-based research, tempered by experience.
Classroom teachers are key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development.
Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning.
Classroom teachers need the support of the larger community to create a learning environment that supports students with special education needs.
Fairness is not sameness.
In any given classroom, students may demonstrate a wide range of learning styles and needs. Teachers plan programs that recognize this diversity and give students perform-
ance tasks that respect their particular abilities so that all students can derive the greatest possible benefit from the teaching and learning process. The use of flexible groupings for instruction and the provision of ongoing assessment are important elements of programs that accommodate a diversity of learning needs.
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