I interviewed a student at Wedgewood Park International Middle School in Milwaukee. I did it on March 6th in the morning. The interview with Gaby (a pseudonym) lasted about thirty minutes during his reading intervention time, so he would not miss curriculum instruction time. He is an 8th grader who grew up in Puerto Rico. … Read more
Scavenger Hunt English Language Learners Legislation 1. Fill in the chart below by following these directions: Choose a school district. Identify the six subsections of the Florida Consent Decree (LULAC et al. v. The State Board of Education of Florida, 1990). Explain how your local school district is complying with each of the six subsections. … Read more
While completing our service learning with the Master of Science in English Education program by meeting with our conversation partners throughout the semester we have each come across some difficulties our partners face. It is often difficult for them to pronounce certain words and syllables, using pronouns correctly, understanding our “slang” and social norms, learning … Read more
“Latin remains the cold, dead language of exclusivity and exclusion,” claims author Donald Clark in his article “10 Reasons to NOT Teach Latin (Reductio ad Absurdum). ” Along with a number of others, Clark holds the belief that learning Latin, a “dead language,” wastes time. Clark, however, is wrong. If we truly examine our interaction … Read more
Richard Rodriguez’s “Public and Private Language,” Amy Tan’s “The Language of Discretion,” and Itabari Njeri’s “What’s in a Name? ” each described language, ethnicity, and identity respectively. In “Public and Private Language,” Richard tells a story of a Spanish-speaking child who gained various positive benefits and advantages by speaking more English. However, they grew apart … Read more
