I have recently had the good fortune to visit several alumni from two of our school corporations who participated in the program last year. Here are some of the goings-on from our friends in Perry and Pike Townships.
MSD Perry
Jamie Frye is in the middle of her third year teaching first grade at Clinton Young Elementary School. Jamie has volunteered to serve on her school’s General Education Intervention Team where she is putting her knowledge of ESL students’ needs to good use. Jamie has also assisted some of the new faculty in her building that have approached her since finding out she participated in the ICP.
 Libby Brentlinger who teaches both ESL and French at Perry Meridian Middle School applied for and received a grant from her township’s education foundation to buy classroom sets of novels with tapes. She chose Ella Enchanted as one of her sets because it is a variation on the traditional Cinderella story. She intends to pair it with versions available in other languages. For practice in reading strategies and skills, Libby also recommends a set of board games from the company Learning Well. These games cover topics such as “Drawing Conclusions-Bingo,” “Context Clues-Hidden Treasure,” and “Comprehension at the Abstract Level.” The location of Learning Well’s website is
http://www.learningwelled.com/c/@RgifwLeteNiCk/Pages/index.html.
Amy Peddie splits her time teaching ESL at Southport High School and foreign language at Southport Middle School. Amy is generously allowing students from the University of Indianapolis to volunteer in her classroom. These students are required to take a Service Learning Class and work with native speakers on a volunteer basis.
Daneen Butler, another ICP alum from Perry Township, is working at Rosa Parks Edison Elementary, pulling out ESL students at all grade levels. She also provides professional development to the other teachers in the building on a daily basis because it is built into her schedule of classes. Daneen, in collaboration with her school’s literacy coach, works with small groups of teachers, and usually they are organized by grade level. At a recent session, Daneen showed a film called My Brown Eyes which she recommends as a way of exposing teachers to some of the social and economic issues their ESL students may be facing.
MSD Pike
Deborah Calhoun teaches biology at Pike High School. Deborah has been pleased with the response she has received from parents this year in terms of collaboration. She handed out her syllabus for the whole year at the Open House, and parents were able to offer assistance in their areas of expertise. Deborah has also found an excellent website for teaching the process of cell division. The site includes short animated clips which demonstrate the process. Below is the link:
Like Daneen, Jeanine Grathwohl provides services for all of the ESL students in her building. She will be presenting to her faculty this month on the topic of “Building Background.” Several of the K through 2nd grade teachers at her building have already participated in the CLASS “Literacy for Life” Program. In this program, students go on fieldtrips related to science and social studies and take pictures which they then label and use to assemble word walls. Jeanine feels that this practice is an excellent way for the students to build background and would like to build on this idea by giving the teachers additional strategies at her workshop. Good luck, Jeanine—we will be on the lookout for ideas we can “borrow” from you!
Jami Riley continues to teach first grade at Snacks Crossing Elementary School. In order to better serve her ever-growing number of students this year, Jami is working closely with her neighboring teacher. They trade groups of students so that each teacher, in turn, can work with smaller groups during guided reading. Jami feels that this practice allows her to provide more individual instruction, especially for students who struggle with reading. Jami, like our other Jamie, has become one of the resident ESL experts in her building assisting new teachers and student teachers with setting appropriate expectations for ESL students.
Julie Sigmund has taken a job working for Pike Township’s Project CLEAR which stands for Community Legacy of Educational Achievement and Responsibility. The project’s goals include differentiating instruction for diverse student needs and designing assessment of individual student achievement. In her new position, Julie acts as both a teacher trainer and a math and literacy coach for students. If you would like to read more information about Project CLEAR, visit the Pike Township website http://www.pike.k12.in.us/pikeweb/ and click on “Project CLEAR” on the side menu. Julie also has other good news to report; she is expecting a baby this April. Congratulations Julie and best of luck! |
