prtesolgram

P R T E S O L - G R A M ! DECEMBER 2011

!PUERTORICOTESOL.ORG! 1PAGE

PRTESOL-GRAMA publication of the Puerto Rico Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

http://puertoricotesol.org




PRTESOL is a profess iona l o r g a n i z a 5 o n c o m m i 8 e d t o improving the lives of our students, colleagues, and the community in Puerto

Rico. That’s why we chose Integra(ng Ethics, Values and Life Skills in the Teaching of English as the theme of our conven5on.

Puerto Rico has been experimen5ng drama5c social upheaval as evidenced in the daily headlines. Students at every level feel the stress, confusion, and pressure caused by mixed messages given by movies, TV, video games, Internet, adver5sing, rock bands, government agencies, and many others. As teachers we have the task to transmit and reinforce the core values our students need for their future.

Teachers communicate the values of culture, through the nursery rhymes, poems, dramas, stories, and legends of our literature; and the values of our thinkers through essays. Teachers at every level, from the Head Start program to the college professor, can contribute to building a na5on by ins5lling in the hearts of students the values of coopera5on, hard work, perseverance, love, joy, peace, pa5ence, kindness, goodness, humility, faith, self-‐control. We teach, communicate, mentor.

Teachers can build a new genera5on of men and women, of ci5zens and voters, of employers and employees, that will make our country produc5ve. Educators throughout history have helped transform na5ons: Socrates, Plato, Johann Amos Coménius, Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, Gabriela Mistral, Anne Sullivan, Paulo Freire, Eugenio Ma. de Hostos, Jaime Escalante, many, many more.

We all can name the two or three teachers that made a difference in our lives. The mentors who guided us, who understood, who cared. Students don’t care about what you know un5l they know that you care.

The challenge is for today’s teachers in this genera5on: are we living the values we expect of our students? Are you, as a teacher, teaching because you have to say something, or do you really have something to say? You and I are inevitably examples of these values to our students. The challenge is to be the best example possible. Paul of Tarsus expressed it best to his disciple Timothy: “You and many others heard what I taught. Now you must teach these things to men who can be trusted, men who will be able to teach them to other people also.” (Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE) © 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by Soon Educa5onal Publica5ons).

Editor’s

CornerPRTESOL-‐GramTable of Contents

Editor’s Corner: ........................................................................2Dr. Josué Alejandro, 2011 PRTESOL President.............................................................. 3 Dr. Evelyn Lugo, 2012 PRTESOL President.............................................................. 4

Ar(clesRegional Chapter Board Members...............................................5A Game that Has Stood the Test of Time by Elizabeth Diaz...........................................................................6 Regional Chapter Board Members for 2012Talking about Values in the Conversa(on Class with Jigsaw Groupsby Prof. Carmelo Arbona...............................................................8Two different speech communi(es in Puerto Rico: An ethnographic study about social class and children learning English in public and private schools of the island. by Janne8e Hermina.....................................................................9The Art of Teaching by Luis Cora........................................9The Legacy of Piri ThomasBy Manuel Hernandez Carmona..................................................10Gaining Consistency in Grading ESL Wri(ng via E-‐Normingby Ramon Diaz and Linda Fellag, ................................................11Mul(ple Intelligences in the ESL ClassroomBy Dr. Migdalia Cruz Arthurton....................................................12Are you a Blogger? Blogging as a Teaching Strategy, By: Noraida Domínguez, PhD., Lydia Rodríguez, MEd., Mara Luna, MEd. Helvia Guzmán, MEd., and José Rodríguez, PhD....................................13PRTESOL 2011 CONVENTION IN PICTURES.....................15, 16, 17Teaching Values Through Games: The Procedural Rhetoric of Missile Commandby Johansen Quijano...................................................................18The Power of “I Care” Parental Involvementby Elbert D. Solomon ..................................................................20ESL Learning Projects: Building Connec(ons to Students’ Lives and Learning Needsby Dr. Clarena Larrotta................................................................21Use of Social Media for Language Learning: Exploring Students’ Ethical Decision Making by Joseph M. Teran5no................................................................23The Entrepreneurship Teaching Strategy: Integra(ng Life Skills in the EFL Environmentby Sandra M. Dones Román, John M. Esposito Santore & Vigimaris Nadal Ramos................................................................24Birth of a Rican by Manuel Hernandez Carmona; Review by Dr. Samuel Betances...................................................26 TESOL Conven(on informa(on..................................................26Building Academic Vocabulary Using Spanish-‐English Cognatesby Luis A. Rosado and Lidia E. Morris..........................................27Reading and Wri(ng about the Coqui by Carmen Milagros Torres..........................................................30Focusing on the Needs of La(no Students by Manuel Hernandez-‐Carmona.......................................32





DR. JOSUÉ ALEJANDRO, PRTESOL PRESIDENT 2011

President’s Farewell Message It was a true honor and privilege to be the PRTESOL president this year. It has been a challenging and cu lm ina5ng p ro fe s s i ona l experience aper more than 40 years of teaching and about 30 as a member of PRTESOL. Our Board is thankful for leqng us serve you, host you at the

38th Annual Conven5on, and share with you at the state-‐of-‐the-‐art Puerto Rico Conven5on Center in San Juan. We had interes5ng and engaging presenters, keynote speakers, exhibitors’ materials, and entertainment. This most important and inspiring theme “Integra5ng Ethics, Values and Life Skills in the Teaching of English” led us to ponder on the values, ethics and life skills so much needed in our world today. We are certain that most of our educators do teach values, and ethics in the classroom. How do they do it? They ac5vely share with their students their love of learning and teach them how to think and make decisions. There is more to be done and we are certain that you will take the lead in doing it. We hope our Conven5on provided those that a8ended with more ideas and tools to do so more effec5vely. The integra5on of Ethics, Values and Life Skills is an important mission of all educators so we can engage our students in learning, sharing and becoming fruirul ci5zens. We, ESL teachers, have a double load of work for teaching a language that is not in its natural environment, and for teaching it with love and passion. In a survey, recently published by El Nuevo Día newspaper about the most respected leaders in Puerto Rico, teachers were rated by the general public, higher than physicians and lawyers and other leaders in Puerto Rico. That is something to be proud. Thumbs up for teachers!!! I feel quite proud of what we have achieved this year in PRTESOL. These are some of those achievements: A well-‐a8ended and successful Conven5on. A successful summer Ins5tute on technology in June. Almost all the chapters had successful regional conferences and

some had an addi5onal ac5vity. The first PRTESOL Posi5on Statement on the teaching of English

in Puerto Rico. A stand against the moratorium placed on the UPR -‐ Rio Piedras

Elementary English Teacher Educa5on Program. The first PRTESOL Retreat for the training of the new Board

members. The first organiza5onal brochure to promote our organiza5on.

Membership was increased.

PRTESOL Board members visited the legislature to promote our organiza5on and Conven5on.

Met with the Governor’s Educa5on Advisor, to advocate for our organiza5on’s goals and objec5ves and support for our Conven5on.

A YouTube channel was created for our website.

We kept you informed through the PRTESOL website and our facebook page about all our ac5vi5es which was constantly updated with the informa5on.

Three bulle5ns from the Board were also sent out to keep you

informed.

Three PRTESOLGRAMS full of interes5ng professional ar5cles were published and mailed to our members.

A video of the first PRTESOL president and the 2011 Life5me Achievement Award recipient, Paquita Ayala and posted it on our website.

The English program Director collaborated woith PRTESOL to write a proposal for teachers and facilitators to a8end the conven5on this year. So this year, we had about 80 DE educators a8ending the Conven5on sponsored by the English

Program.

For the first 5me our Conven5on plenary keynote speakers and the annual PRTESOL mee5ng were live streamed through the PRTESOL website, giving access to all our members that could not a8end the Conven5on.

Email communica5on was sent to all the ins5tu5ons of higher educa5on and many private schools about the Conven5on with good results.

Promoted our Conven5on in the Virgin Islands. As a result we had a delega5on of nine Virgin Island English educators

a8ending.

All the English Teacher educators of the UPR School of Educa5on a8ended the PRTESOL Conven5on and were sponsored by UPR.

The Na5onal Associa5on for Bilingual Educa5on (NABE) leaders a8ended and made a presenta5on to establish an alliance with PRTESOL. They met with me, Dr. Naomi Vega and the 2012 President of PRTESOL, Dr. Evelyn Lugo.

This great responsibility as a leader of your organiza5on is almost over, and I am proud of what has been accomplished but the mission is not completely over. I will con5nue on the Board of Directors as past-‐president working closely with the 2012 PRTESOL President Dr. Evelyn Lugo and the 2012 Vice President, Prof. Estella Marquez in the great challenges ahead organizing and hos5ng the Caribbean Basin and Central American Regional Conference and a TESOL Interna5onal Symposium. We hope to see you there in 2012. Wishing you many blessings in the new year and may you have a well-‐deserved vaca5on full of peace and joy.

Dr. Josué Alejandro2011 PRTESOL President





DR. EVELYN LUGO, PRTESOL PRESIDENT 2012

Welcoming Message

Puerto Rico is going through interes5ng and challenging 5mes in our educa5onal field, but, as a

commi8ed educator, I am looking forward to contribu5ng to the advancement of the teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) as so many ELT colleagues. It will be my challenge as PRTESOL President 2012 to provide professional experiences that will enrich our educators’ opportuni5es to have a voice and to engage in innova5ng professional development opportuni5es. I strongly believe in establishing effec5ve and solid communica5on among our members. The 2012 PRTESOL Board will be dedicated in developing rela5onships with all promising allies and organiza5ons not only in Puerto Rico, but also with TESOL affiliates around the world.

As a member of PRTESOL for more than twenty years, I’ve come to the realiza5on that serving as President in this organiza5on is the best way to be a role model to our incoming teachers and in par5cular to my student teachers in the present. I want to let them know what an honor it is to serve others from the English language teaching dimension. I believe that God has me in the place He wants me to be and doing what He wants me to do. As many of my colleagues, l will be here for all of you, teachers, in your endeavor of serving our English language learners in the teaching –learning process.

PRTESOL has faced many challenges, such as the issue of standard seqng and the roles and status of teachers in our schools as well as the

effect of new technologies in the teaching of English. These issues will con5nue to be addressed. I do have to say that this year, our main focus will be on the global challenge. PRTESOL goes Interna5onal.

Our Annual conven5on will be joined by Central American and the Caribbean Affiliates. Puerto Rico will also be the host of the first Interna5onal Symposium. We will be visited by TESOL Interna5onal par5cipants who will place our Island in the mirror of the global village. Our Annual conven5on will set the spark of sharing issues on the English Language teaching scenarios of our English language learners from mul5cultural backgrounds. Our aim is to share the diverse roles and iden55es of English language users.

As 2012 President, I am more than enthusias5c and mo5vated to make this year, the year of establishing rela5onships with ESOL colleagues from countries such as Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Peru and the Caribbean Islands in a joint effort to share the advances in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages.

In addi5on to the goal of mee5ng the future challenges that PRTESOL will face, I will devote my effort to assure that PRTESOL reaches out to all our teachers so they know that this organiza5on is their voice. I would like to conclude by quo5ng from one of the candidates during the TESOL Interna5onal elec5on process, “If all our colleagues belonged to TESOL, what a powerful voice we could have.”

Thank you again for your confidence, and I will work hard to reach your expecta5ons for our Puerto Rico TESOL 2012.




PUERTORICOTESOL.ORG! 5

PRTESOL 2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIRECTORY

EXECUTIVE BOARD Dr. Josué Alejandro -‐ PresidentDr. Evelyn Lugo -‐ Vice-‐presidentDr. Gladys Pérez -‐ Immediate Past President

EXECUTIVE BOARD NONVOTINGVanessa Sánchez Negrón-‐Execu(ve Secretary

Janytsie Mora -‐ Membership SecretaryMiguel Camacho -‐ Treasurer

APPOINTED POSITIONS NONVOTINGCarmelo Arbona -‐ PRTESOLGRAM Editor

Eric Otero -‐ WebmasterMaría González -‐ Publishers Liason (Sadlier)

DR. María Antonia Irizarry -‐ Nomina(ons Chair

Chapter Presidents 2011Nora Sáez / Northern Chapter

Manuel Echevarría / Eastern ChapterEdward Torres / Southern Chapter Rosita Rivera / Western ChapterMildred Serra / Metro Chapter

Vacant / Caguas Chapter

REPRESENTATIVESDr. Myriam Caballero -‐ Elementary Educa(on

Inocencia Nieves -‐ Secondary Educa(onDr. Naomi Vega Nieves -‐ Higher Educa(onZoila Latoni -‐ Private School Representa(veJennifer Lopez -‐ Student Representa(ve

TESOLGRAM is a periodical service to English language educators and administrators published by

Puerto Rico TESOL, P. O. Box 366828

San Juan, PR 00936-‐6828.

Newslejer Staff Editor: Carmelo Arbona

Circula(on: 1,000.Ar5cles on English-‐language teaching, theory, and educa5on are welcomed. Submissions must be in MSWord format, double-‐spaced, no longer than five pages, and should follow APA or TESOL Quarterly style. All entries are subject to edi5ng for style, space, and other professional considera5ons.

Copyright No(ce Ar5cles may be reproduced for classroom use. Quota5ons up to twenty-‐five (25) words are permi8ed if credit to the author and the TESOLGRAM are included. In other situa5ons, wri8en permission is required.

PRTESOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dr. Evelyn Lugo -‐ PresidentDr. Estella Márquez -‐ Vice-‐president

Dr. Josué Alejandro -‐ Immediate Past President

Regional Chapter Board Presidents for 2012

Metro Chapter -‐ Rosa Emma MejiasNorthern Chapter -‐ William AliceaWestern Chapter -‐ Hiramys San(agoSouthern Chapter -‐ Edward TorresEastern Chapter -‐ Jorge FigueroaCaguas Chapter -‐ Vivian Rivera

Membership Secretary’s Report

Date: Dec. 10, 2011

Ini(al Number of Members: 334 Total Amount of Members: 411

Total of new members: Total of renewals:

Caguas Members: 21 Eastern members: 57

Metro Members: 145 Northern Members: 35

Southern Members: 105 Western Members: 46

USA Members: 2 Life(me Members: 30 *

Findings:

Chapter (s) with the lowest number of members:

Caguas (21) Northern (35)

Chapter (s) with the highest number of members:

Metro (145) Southern (105)

Submijed by:

Janytsie Mora Maldonado

PRTESOL Membership Secretary 2011

*Life(me Members are not included in the total amount of members





Teaching Tips

A GAME THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIMEElizabeth Diaz [email protected]

There’s a way to combine fun and learning in many different approaches. One of them is located in this familiar tune: “There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-o. B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O-, B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his name-o! Singing out loud this line is the cue I use when I want my students to know the next activity we will do. Playing Bingo! This fun, and engaging game is so far, one of the most effective and enjoyable strategies that I use as an English Teacher for Spanish speakers. Whenever I want my students, be they kindergarteners or sixth graders to practice letter names or sounds, numbers, colors, shapes, rhyming, and vocabulary, I whip up my trusty game cards, and colored markers out of my tote bag and Bingo! -You guessed it-- we play Bingo! You might ask yourselves, what is the big fuss about playing Bingo? Where’s the thrill or fun? The secret is really in this simple formula: the way you play it = the success of the game!

To start it off right, I warm up with my students by singing and dancing to the song. This part is especially crucial so as to retain the students’ attention. This is especially effective with younger students in grades kindergarten through third, as they love to incorporate song and movement in class. The movements I add to the song are a combination of Sign Language words I learned many years ago while working at a children center in NY. To add some variety to the warm up, I change the lyrics a bit for example-- “There was a teacher who had a cat, or a doctor who had a cow, or a

nurse who had a bird” -and others or I even switch them to make it for fun. This way, students improve their vocabulary in English while they also learn some Sign Language. Not bad for a warm up!

I continue to give out the cards and markers to the students. Depending on what I’d like to achieve, I play the game in various ways. One way I play Bingo is using the silent strategy. Usually at the beginning of the school year I like them to develop listening skills so I tell them before we start that it is a silent game, only my voice can be heard. Talking, sharing, looking onto your partner’s game or saying-- “la tengo”! (“I have it”) is not allowed. In other words, this game is played in complete silence and I mean it! But before we begin and to compensate for their extraordinary effort to refrain themselves from making any sounds during the game we practice the “BINGO call”. After reviewing the rules of the game, before we begin, (I usually draw sketches on the board for the little ones to show them vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines on the Bingo cardboard), we rehearse the BINGO yell. I tell them that when they think they won, they don’t’ just say Bingo. Instead they are asked to yell from the top of their lungs the word BINGO! We rehearse a few times before we begin playing by having the whole group yell BINGO when I tell them. I emphasize students it has to be a loud scream; otherwise, I will continue calling cards. This helps them learn to work themselves hard to abstain from making any sounds, then release the tension when they think they’re winning and yell BINGO! Finally the game begins, and it creates an atmosphere of undivided attention towards me. They must listen otherwise they will miss the call. During the first games we play I usually say the word, letter, shape, etc., first without immediately showing the card. A few



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seconds later, I’ll show it. This makes students pay attention to the sound first before they relate it to the picture. As time pass they hear my call and mark their cardboard without even looking at my card when I show it. This truly shows it works!

Other times I do want my students to practice oral communication using the Bingo game. When that happens sharing, looking and talking is allowed, as long as they keep it in a good tone of voice. By working with their neighbors and contributing information, they get to practice short phrases in English like- “I have it”, “I don’t have it”, “He has it”, She has it”, you have it, you don’t have it, I need two more, I need one more!”, etc., Just as the silence strategy they seem focused as they direct their attention to the game and the teacher while practicing oral expression in a very meaningful way. As I circulate the room, I look at the students games randomly and ask them questions like: “Who has two markers in a row in a vertical line? “Who has three in a row horizontal line? What about three diagonal? I can even directly ask a student the question: How many do you need to make Bingo? And so on. The possibilities are endless but the most important task is to have them listen to my question, think about it, count if they have to and practice oral conversation with me or their peers. Not bad either!

If you have ever had the chance to play Bingo as a “pro” you’ll know that there are many ways to play it. In fact there are dozens kinds of patterns you can make. Once my students have enough time practicing skills, I like to take them up a notch up and play the game like a pro. We use the cardboards and markers to form all sort of patterns. First we start making letters like the C, E, F, and then they quickly figure they can form other letters too like the N, O, T, U, X, Y and

Z. I often let students choose what pattern we’ll play next. Then we play Bingo making more challenging patterns like the four corners, the clover leaf and the kite.

When a student cries out loud “Bingo!” do I automatically declare him, her a winner? Definitely not! When that happens my first instruction is: “Freeze, don’t clear your cardboards yet, first we have to verify”. At the beginning of the school year I practically do much of the talking. For example, I would say: “I see you have marked the letter M, let me check if I did call on that letter.” I verify my cards and proceed with the rest. By the end of the year they are able to tell me: I have the letter M, L, T, etc., and I verify my cards. If we have a winner, we give the student a round of applause and I usually give out a lollipop too. My favorite day to play is Friday because students always expect fun activities before the week ends so we look forward to that special day.

I’ve always tried to avoid traditional methods of sound instruction like textbooks and phonetics work sheets, in favor of new and exciting methods. Yet as time goes by, it becomes much more difficult to come up with engaging strategies for students. However, the game of Bingo is always a trustworthy favorite and one that has proved enjoyable and educational for both my students and me. It’s a game that has stood the test of time and will always prove how effective it can be towards a better understanding of sound, attention and phonetics.





Talking about Values in the Conversa6on Class with Jigsaw Groups

by Prof. Carmelo ArbonaUniversity of Phoenix

Certain topics are excellent for the conversa5on class because they create interest and plenty of discussion. One of these topics is values. This topic is both relevant to the needs of our society today as well as varied enough to generate conversa5on, discussion, and debate. Jigsaw groups are an excellent way to promote discussion and par5cipa5on of all members of the class. To use jigsaw groups, divide your class into groups of three, four, or five depending on the size of your class. To simplify this paper, let’s assume a class of twenty-‐four students. We’ll use six groups of four students each. Each group can have a name and each student of the group is assigned a number, a le8er, or a color. The first task of the groups is to brainstorm to create a list of values. Encourage them to make the list a long as possible. Everybody in the group may contribute to the list and each member must have his or her own copy of the list. There may be some discussion in the group about what is a value. Encourage them to think about how they like to be treated by others; what they expect from friends and associates; what society needs. For the second task, we’ll ask the students to stand and reorganize according to their number, le8er, or color. For example, all the students with the number one get together, all those with two, and so on. Now there will be four groups of six students each. This will allow for greater discussion. Now their task will be to make a composite list. Each student par5cipates by sharing (in English, of course) his or her list from the original group. All students par5cipate doing this. Aper they have this new extensive list, they must be more cri5cal and discerning to determine what are the top ten, most important values. This will give the students an opportunity to think, evaluate, and express what they think is more important. It also forces them to appreciate the

connota5on in the selec5on of words. For example, one group chose honesty; however, another group chose integrity because this word includes honesty and is broader in meaning. Now that they have the short list of the top ten values, ask the students to return to their original groups. Now each student must again share the top ten list they brought, see what they have in common, and decide which values to keep or delete to make a final top ten list. To create some more discussion, have the students produce a list of the top five or the top three. This promotes some more discussion (in English, of course). The final ac5vity is to have each group share their final top-‐five lists while someone writes them on the board. Since you have six groups, you will write six lists side-‐by-‐side on the board. Now the en5re class can see which were the values all the groups had in common, which would be the final top values of the class. There may also be some more discussion regarding other aspects on values. Students can discuss the importance of values for society and how we learn these values. Are the values they listed the same their parents would men5on? For assessment, each student may submit an interac5ve entry in which they divide a page in two columns. In the lep column, the student will write a personal list of values; however, for each value men5oned, a reflec5on on that value is wri8en in the right-‐hand column expressing the meaning, the importance, the need for that value in his or her life, family or society. Which values are more difficult to achieve or maintain? Ben Franklin tried to develop virtues in his life. He had a list of twelve; however, a friend persuaded him to add humility. This proved to be too difficult. He writes in his autobiography, “In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, s5fle it, mor5fy it as much as one pleases, it is s5ll alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, open in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.”





Two different speech communities in Puerto Rico: An ethnographic study about

social class and children learning English in public and private schools of the

island.Jannette Hermina

University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM 87106Department of Language,

Literacy and Sociocultural StudiesPh.D. Candidate in Educational Linguistics

AbstractThis research describes an ethnographic

study related to the learning of English in a public school and a private school in two small towns in the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The research examines the social interac5on of elementary school students in the English classroom, as well as different extracurricular ac5vi5es, educa5onal and social resources that families use to increase the learning of English in their children.

Extracurricular ac5vi5es, addi5onal educa5onal and social resources are open referred in sociocultural literature as cultural capital. Cultural capital is a term coined by Pierre Bourdieu (1977) to refer to the different ar5facts and approaches that people implement in order to achieve higher social status. Social class plays an important role in the presenta5on. It aims to i l lustrate that the access and successful management of addi5onal extracurricular, educa5onal and social resources is an asset in the learning of English in Puerto Rico.

The research describes how children and parents see English as a tool for social mobility. The methodology includes classroom observa5ons, sociolinguis5c interviews of focal parents and children, a sociolinguis5c ques5onnaire, and an interac5ve journal of focal children. Finally, the

qualita5ve analysis will focus on general aspects of the children’s social interac5ons in the English classroom, their uses of English and the connec5on of it with their access to extracurricular, educa5onal, and social resources.

The conclusions should bring a clearer picture of how English is perceived by these two speech communi5es and what are the advantages of learning English to move higher in the social class strata of Puerto Rico.

Reference:Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a Theory of Prac5ce. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

The Art of Teaching Values and Ethics In an English Classroom

by: Luis R. Cora (787 671-‐8583) [email protected]

Teacher, “Why can’t I change”… The fact is the teachers can have an impact to change students’ behavior and their value system. Learners expect to leave your classroom with a greater level of knowledge. You can help them to learn and adopt a new way of thinking by insis5ng and assis5ng learners to comply with values in the classroom. Change the environment and create a posi5ve atmosphere that produces well-‐balanced, and socially conscious ci5zens. Inculca5ng individual values as part of a bigger en5ty, we are not helpless teachers, but instead educa5on instruments that have a long term effect on society one student at a 5me. Come see proven techniques with real 5me results... The decay in teaching moral values in the teaching arena is evident. The majority of Puerto Ricans feel that government agencies and teaching ins5tu5ons should build and enforce ethics and values outside the home. Vital to the teaching profession is influencing today’s youth on proper behavior based on beliefs. Language acquisition is dependent on how well the learner understands culture, religion, and beliefs. (continues on page 14)







The Legacy of Piri ThomasBy Manuel Hernandez Carmona

Piri Thomas was born Juan Pedro Tomás, of Puerto Rican and Cuban parents in New York City's Spanish Harlem in 1928. His parents wanted him to assimilate from childbirth and named him John Peter Thomas, but his mother could never pronounce Peter correctly and called him Piri. It was a struggle for survival, iden5ty, and respect from an early age. Growing up in the mean street environment of poverty, prejudice and racism of the years immediately before, during and aper World War II made a dent in young Piri’s upbringing and as a consequence served seven years of horrendous imprisonment. With incarcera5on came an encounter with his roots, and he rose above his violent background of drugs and gang warfare and promised to use his street educa5on and prison know-‐how to touch youth and turn them away from a life of crime. In 1967, with a grant from the Rabinowitz Founda5on, his career as an author was propelled with the exhilara5ng autobiography, Down These Mean Streets. Aper more than 40 years of being con5nuously in print, it is now considered a classic in La5no/a literature in the United States. The literature of Piri Thomas centers on issues such as educa5on, language, culture and racism, and it also speaks out on social concerns such as poverty injus5ce and assimila5on. Assimila5on comes in different forms and different colors. In Piri Thomas' short story "The Konk", a young preadolescent boy straightens his hair to be accepted by friends and family, but once he meets their standards, he is faced with hos5lity and rejec5on. In many ways, “The Konk” is the story of Piri’s life. In the process of assimila5on and belonging, La5nos are faced with situa5ons of race, iden5ty and culture. As a result of his lifelong ba8le with assimila5on, Piri fought for recogni5on and acceptance with a vibrant and powerful voice which his readers and audiences connected with when he read at schools, colleges and community centers.

In Down These Mean Streets, Piri Thomas made El Barrio a household word to mul5tudes of non-‐Spanish-‐speaking readers. A front-‐page review in the New York Times book review sec5on May 21, 1967 stated: "It claims our a8en5on and emo5onal response because of the honesty and pain of a life led in outlaw, fringe status, where the dream is always to escape." Nearly 45 years later, Down These Mean Streets con5nues to thrill and influence readers of all likes and ages. Savior, Savior Hold My Hand also received wide cri5cal acclaim, as did Seven Long Times, a narra5ve of one man's experience in New York's degrading penal system. Stories from El Barrio, a collec5on of short stories, are for young people of all ages. Piri's extensive travel in Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico, Europe, and the United States gave him a vision to expand and recreate with the understanding that his struggles were universal. His eye-‐opening experiences have contributed to an inimitable perspec5ve on peace and jus5ce. During the later years of his memorable life, Piri dedicated much of his 5me to visit young juvenile delinquents in maximum security deten5on centers. He believed in the power of poetry to restore and heal lives. He read poetry and spoke to troubled teens directly with no holds barred because it was a familiar territory which he knew from actual personal experience. In Jonathan Robinson’s PBS documentary, Every Child is Born a Poet, on Piri Thomas’ life5me work, his work is genuinely and graphically portrayed in and out of the classroom, churches and community centers and into the prison cells where he spent 5me to heal and later to go back to and impart by what grace he had received to others. Although during the twen5eth century, his work was viewed as a major literary breakthrough for Nuyorican literature, his worldwide literary outreach liped his voice beyond the influen5al Nuyorican literary discourse, and today is recognized by literary cri5cs as one of the forebears of the Hispanic/La5no/a literary movement in the United States. His un5mely death catapults the discussion and study of the life and literary legacy of a man who was only stopped by death itself. Preachers, priests and





psychologists have made internal healing a necessary process for all those interested in burying past experiences, but Piri Thomas was the embodiment of the healing process itself because he not only exposed who he was for others but allowed people to make a connec5on through him to help them walk forward with their lives. Piri Thomas passed away, but his legacy will live for genera5ons to come. (The author is an associate at Souder, Betances and Associates, an English Staff Developer at the Department of Educa5on and a professor at the University of Phoenix, Puerto Rico Campus).

Gaining Consistency in Grading ESL Wri6ng via E-‐Norming

Ramon Diaz and Linda Fellag, Norming Project Committee

Community College of Philadelphia

Norming sessions are the tradi5onal method for promo5ng grading consistency. However, due to the varying schedules of instructors, geqng them together physically to norm essays open proves difficult. To that end, an online, self-‐paced professional development workshop for arriving at consensus-‐driven grading standards in wri5ng courses for ESL instructors was developed by a commi8ee of ESL faculty at Community College of Philadelphia in 2008. By accessing a specific ESL instructors’ website at the college, instructors can compare their assessment of sample student essays submi8ed by colleagues for the online norming workshop with the commi8ee’s assessment of the same essays. The website also includes an anonymous survey to be completed by the par5cipants. Users who have submi8ed evalua5ons report the workshop par5cularly useful. The goal of this workshop is to provide instructors a convenient means to foster consistency in grading standards and support conversa5ons about the rela5onship between teaching, learning, assessment, and student success.

So that par5cipants would have an understanding from where the idea for the online norming workshop sprang, and taking turns during their presenta5on to cover their agenda, Ramon Diaz and Linda Fellag, represen5ng the English 098ESL Norming Project Commi8ee at CCP, began their presenta5on with a brief descrip5on of CCP’s ESL Program. Second, they explained the six steps that the norming commi8ee undertook as it worked with course documents, materials, and ins5tu5onal resources to build their online norming workshop to try to foster consistency in grading standards in their ESL wri5ng courses. The workshop has subsequently served as a prototype for online norming workshops for the other ESL wri5ng courses, the last of which is in the process of being completed. Next, the departmental documents that guided the Commi8ee’s thinking in the design of the assessment form that it used to evaluate the student essays for the online workshop were described. Diaz and Fellag then led a8endees, who were asked to break into small groups, through a discussion of prepared ques5ons regarding assessment and a sample student essay so that they could get a sense of the issues that the norming commi8ee tackled in the process of norming the essays for its online norming workshop. Next, a8endees were shown highlights of how the actual online norming workshop func5ons and the results of feedback obtained from users. The presenta5on ended with a ques5on-‐answer period. Handouts were made available for par5cipants to follow the different segments of the Powerpoint presenta5on.





Mul6ple Intelligences in the ESL ClassroomBy Dr. Migdalia Cruz Arthurton

As English teachers on a daily basis in a classroom, we have a wonderful opportunity to provide the support English learners need to acquire the new language. We are like a “designer” crea5ng a dress for a fashion show or crea5ng that incredible comfortable look in our new apartment, we create meaningful classroom opportuni5es for our English learners to use the language. We design the ac5vi5es that will help our students to listen, speak, read and write in the new language. Our designs in the classroom are specialized as they a8empt to meet the different language domains. As the designers we use our educa5onal background, knowledge and strategies learned to meet the needs of the English learners in our classes. As we concentrate on our design for the classroom, we must keep in mind the different intelligences the students bring into our seqng—the classroom. Howard Gardner’s theory presents to us eight intelligences: linguis5c, logical-‐mathema5cal, spa5al, bodily-‐kinesthe5c, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. According to Gardner (Armstrong 2009), every student has an “ability” or “talent”. When designing a dress, the designer must keep abreast of the different cloth designs available in order to create the best possible dress and the types of materials available. As teachers, we must keep in mind that our students are not all the same! Each student is different and comes to us with different abili5es that are exhibited in our classroom. Therefore, it is the teachers’ job to “tap” these intelligences to have a well-‐designed ac5vity that provides our English learners with a meaningful opportunity to use the language. Using Gardner’s mul5ple intelligences’ in the ESL classroom, the “English teacher” (the designer) must keep open the “door” to using different teaching strategies just like the designer must consider the material to be used, the texture, and the colors of the materials for the dress that will be designed. Thus, the teacher must keep in mind all

the teaching strategies they know and are available to them in order to create “the lesson” (the design) for the English learner that u5lizes ac5vi5es that caters to their intelligence. Gardner’s theory of mul5ple intelligence provides the teacher (the designer) with a chance or opportunity to crap an innova5ve teaching strategy or simply use a teaching strategy that meets the needs of the students in the classroom. However, it is important for the teacher to keep in mind that children have different proclivi5es regarding the eight intelligences which means that a selected “design” may not fit. That is, the teaching strategy may not work with one group of students and may succeed with another. For example, the ac5vity (the design) selected by the teacher may use chants. Chants may help the English learner that is musically inclined to repeat the phrases or preposi5ons, but for those English learners that are not musically inclined it will not help them to use the language. As the English teacher your focus is to get your English learner to use the language integra5ng all four domains—listening, speaking, reading, and wri5ng. Thus, as the “designer” you will have to make decisions to use the teaching strategies (the fabric) that will help you to mo5vate and engage your English learners. Here is one teaching strategy you can use—learning centers (Armstrong 2009, p. 106-‐107):LinguisGc: A “Reading Center” where students read books on houses and write about what they have read.Logical-‐mathemaGcal: A “Compu5ng Center” where students compare the costs, square footage, or other sta5s5cal measurements of different houses.SpaGal: A “Drawing Center” where students can design a futuris5c house.Bodily-‐kinestheGc: A “Building Center” where students create a model of a house using balsa wood and glue.Musical: A “Music Center” where students listen to songs about dwellings (e.g., “This Old House,” “Yellow Submarine”) and make up their own songs.





Interpersonal: An “Interac5on Center” where students “play house” (simulate a home environment with peers). Intrapersonal: An “Experience Center” where students think, write, draw, and act out their personal experiences with the homes they’ve lived in or with an image of their own dream house.Naturalist: A “Landscape Architecture Center” where students can design natural features to complement house (e.g., lawn, bonsai garden, fountain, plants, aquarium, etc.). As the English teacher (the designer), you must move toward your goal—the design of the lesson that helps the English learner in the classroom to use the language (the material) in a meaningful manner. Therefore, I encourage to use all eight mul5ple intelligences with the teaching strategy (the fabric) that is available to meet each students capability or talent to make the best possible lesson (dress).

References

Armstrong, T. (2003). The mul5ple intelligences of reading and wri5ng: making the words come alive. Alexandria, Virginia: Associa5on of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Armstrong, T. (2009). The mul5ple intelligences in the classroom. Alexandria, Virginia: Associa5on of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of mul5ple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Hall Halley, M. (2004). Learner-‐centered instruc5on and the theory of mul5ple intelligences with second language learners. Teachers College Record, 105, 163-‐180.

By learning you will teach;by teaching you will understand.

Latin Proverb

Are you a Blogger? Blogging as a Teaching Strategy

By: Noraida Domínguez, PhD., Lydia Rodríguez, MEd., Mara Luna, MEd. Helvia Guzmán, MEd.,

and José Rodríguez, PhD.

Introduc(on Faculty members of the English department at UPR Carolina have been working with the integra5on of specific informa5on and technological skills into their courses. During this process, the informa5on literacy librarian has been a key resource in the planning and offering of the ac5vi5es, and in the evalua5on of all the students’ works. Specifically, the course syllabus of a basic English course was revised to include objec5ves and ac5vi5es to work with informa5on and technological skills. A new project was integrated and as part of the course students are required to create a blog, where they publish informa5on about a selected topic. Before implemen5ng the project, a survey was administered to iden5fy the previous knowledge of students related to blogs, and to iden5fy their opinions about the use of blogs. The results of this survey were used to describe the current knowledge and use of blogs by the students. Different ac5vi5es are offered throughout the quarter to help and support students during the development of this project. The purpose of this ar5cle is to present and describe the experience of this librarian and four faculty members who integrated the use of Blogs into a first year English course. Survey Results Before the implementa5on of the project it was considered necessary to iden5fy the students’ use of Blogs. A survey was administered using Google Docs. The survey included ques5ons where students needed to answer if they knew what a blog was, if they read blogs, if they owned a blog, if they trusted the informa5on that was published in a blog, and if they would like to publish a Blog. A total of 278 students completed the ques5onnaire, and the results evidenced that more than a half of the students (61%) did not know what a Blog is.





Considering this answer, and as expected, 91% of the students indicated that they not read blogs, while 96% indicated that they do not own a Blog. In terms of their trust of the informa5on they find in a Blog, 78% indicated they do not trust the informa5on published in a personal Blog, 61% do not trust the informa5on published in a Blog owned by an ins5tu5on, and 47% do not trust the informa5on published in a Blog owned by a company. One last ques5on requested students to indicate if they would publish a Blog, and 73% of the students answered that they were not interested. Aper iden5fying the students’ knowledge and use of Blogs, it was evident that this type of project could help students iden5fy the different purposes of a blog and the aspects that should be considered when publishing informa5on through the Internet. In this case, students needed to understand the importance of iden5fying, evalua5ng and publishing informa5on for educa5onal purposes. At the end of the project, the students’ knowledge and percep5on changed, and they were able to share their experience with each other.Blogging as a Teaching Strategy This first day of the project implementa5on, the librarian and the professor work with students providing the specific instruc5ons, selec5ng the topics and determinig the informa5on that will be needed. Then, the librarian offers a workshop about the crea5on of a Blog. The students create the Blog, which includes different pages where they are going to publish educa5onal informa5on about the topic. Aper the first workshop, students par5cipate in different ac5vi5es that are designed to develop specific informa5on skills, like how to locate the informa5on needed, and evaluate and use the informa5on correctly. Specifically, students are able to search informa5on through the Internet, they evaluate educa5onal informa5on, and they learn how to cite correctly, paraphrase, and prepare the reference list using the American Psychological Associa5on (APA) publica5on manual. Once the students create and publish informa5on in the Blog, they complete an ac5vity where they evaluate the blogs of other students. As

part of this evalua5on, students determine if they cited correctly the informa5on, if they included appropriate informa5on, and if they prepared the reference list following the APA manual. At the end of the project, students present their blogs with an oral report. Each student explains the process of loca5ng, evalua5ng and selec5ng the informa5on, jus5fy why they selected the topic, and demonstrate the effec5ve use of informa5on for educa5onal purposes. Also, students express what they learned through this project and their percep5on about the experience of crea5ng a Blog. The results and evalua5on evidenced that students learn about the importance of selec5ng appropriate informa5on sources, and how to use informa5on effec5vely. Also, the students learn about the different purposes for crea5ng a Blog, and how this experience can be applied to other learning experiences. In general, it is expected that through this project students enhance their communica5on skills in a second language, while they develop specific informa5on and technological skills that are so important for their future careers.

ReferencesAssocia5on of College and Research Libraries. (2000). Informa5on Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Educa5on. Chicago, Il.: Author. Retrieved from h8p://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informa5onliteracycompetency.cfm

(The Art of Teaching Values... From page 9)

A teacher may inspire the desire to be successful by who you are and not what you know. Understanding the culture and background of our students contribute to develop strategies for educa5ng and suppor5ng students and educators of different levels. All teachers need to understand the “insist and assist” philosophy to master the cogni5ve skills necessary to produce well-‐balanced and socially conscious ci5zens. Misconduct will not be tolerated!



http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm






PRTESOL 2011 CONVENTION IN PICTURES






Convention Comments

Johansen Quijano, “Even though I couldn't stay all day both days, I must say that this was the best convention I have gone to. Congratulations to the entire board for putting together such a wonderful program!”

Elizabeth Diaz, “I did enjoy the convention. Actually, I was quite impressed in terms of its organization and quality of the speakers and leading members.”

Former PRTESOL presidents

2012 PRTESOL Board of Directors

Dr. Paul Begley, keynote speaker






Spacious and well-represented Exhibition hall

Southern Chapter Board for 2012

Prof. Estella Marquez and Ms. Robinson

Johansen Quijano conducting a workshop.

Dr. Josué Alejandro receives recognition for hisachievements as 2011 president. Dr. Lugo presents the award.





Teaching Values Through Games: The Procedural Rhetoric of Missile

Commandby Johansen Quijano

Doctoral teaching fellow and the assistant director of the e-‐Create lab

University of Texas at Arlington, Texas

Introduc(on In his book What Videogames Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2003), Gee explores the educa5onal poten5al of games. This opened the door for other teachers, professors, and researchers to further explore the educa5onal poten5al of videogames. By now it has become clear that videogames can help students develop cri5cal thinking and problem solving skills, as well as help them develop linguis5c and social skills (Prenzky, 2006). On 2007, Bogost presented a new framework for exploring the values that videogames teach through their mechanics. He called this new lens of analysis procedural rhetoric. In this piece, I will show how to consider game mechanics using Bogost’s concept to discover what values videogames teach. To do this, I will first show a short sample of a procedural rhetoric analysis of a 5tle that completely forgoes narra5ve – Missile Command (1980) – and then share steps on how to carry out a similar analysis of any videogame text. This will be specially useful for teachers who want to use videogames in their classrooms, as it will help them make informed choices.

The Procedural Rhetoric of Missile Command In Missile Command, the player takes control of three missile plarorms, each with its own limited number of missiles. The role of the player is to defend six ci5es from an oncoming nuclear a8ack. While at first glance this 5tle might seem to encourage violence, it actually conveys a message of non-‐violence, as the player’s missiles are never used offensively. All of the player’s assets are used only to stop an incoming a8ack. When this is taken into

considera5on, one realizes that Missile Command is not about taking lives – it’s about trying to protect lives. By using these mechanics, Missile Command does not reinforce violence in players, but instead advocates values of non-‐violence and reverence for life.

Missile Command puts the player in control of three bases, and the purpose of the player is to defend his three bases and six adjourning towns from an onslaught of missiles. It is in this purpose that the player is engaged in making moral choices. Because of the limited resources and the increasing size of the onslaught, the player will be forced to ask: “Should I let a base be destroyed so that one or two ci5es can be saved? Should I let a city be destroyed to save a base, which I need to protect the other ci5es?” In the game, the player has to weight the value of a missile base versus the value of a city. This offers an excellent opportunity to have a classroom discussion about morals and the “value” of human lives.

Building on these mechanics, Missile Command teaches players to try their best at life even when faced against overwhelming odds. No ma8er how many incoming missiles the player destroys, more will come. S5ll, the player is encouraged to keep defending the ci5es and bases in the game. When the game ends it shows the words “The End” across an incoming blast. This drives home the message that while life will inevitably end, the best that one can do is push forward. Similarly, the game also tells the player that in war there are no real winners. This takes on an even heavier meaning when one considers that Missile Command was created during the Cold War as an interpreta5on of the fears that then gripped the author, Dave Theurer, who saw the six ci5es in the game as the six coastal ci5es of his home state. This context would add an addi5onal layer of discussion about the game’s meaning should one decide to use this game in a classroom seqng.

(con(nued on next page)





Steps to Complete Procedural Rhetoric Analyses As previously stated, videogames have incredible poten5al to teach and to serve as teaching tools. However, before teachers decide which games to use, they should be familiar with the values that the game mechanics teach. In order to do this, teachers will need to do several things: Play the game in its en(rety – Playing through the game once will allow instructors to understand the game as their students ini5ally will. Re-‐play the game while making note of the game’s mechanics – Playing through the game and understanding its values will be key to making the decision on which game to use and serve to fuel discussions of the text itself. Consider the context in which the game was created – Understanding the situa5onal context and authorial situa5on that frame the text will help the instructor in guiding the students on their understanding of the text. Decide if the values expressed by the game are appropriate for your classroom selng – With a younger audience, it might be prudent to forego discussions of Missile Command and instead have

them play and talk about games rated by the Entertainment Sopware Ra5ng Board as “Early Childhood” or “Everyone”.

In the end, we are living in an increasingly digital world where students’ a8en5on spans are only a frac5on of what they used to be. Instructors will need every tool available to them, and video games have proven to be a powerful tool indeed. However, before brandishing these tools, instructors must be aware of their hidden nuances. Those are what this piece will help teachers uncover.

Works Cited

Gee, J.P. (2003). What Videogames Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York, NY: Palgrave McMillan. Prenzky, M. (2006). Don’t Bother Me Mom – I’m Learning! Saint Paul, MN: Paragon House. Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive Games. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Theurer, D. “Blowing Things Up”. Morph's Outpost on the Digital Fron5er. May 1994. Mirrored in h8p://dreamsteep.com/wri5ng/71-‐interviews/46-‐

Let's face it, English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. Why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down; you fill in a form by filling it out; an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'?



http://dreamsteep.com/writing/71-interviews/46-blowing-things-up.html

http://dreamsteep.com/writing/71-interviews/46-blowing-things-up.html



The Power of “I Care” Parental Involvement

Elbert D. Solomon, Director/CEO “I Care” Products & Services

When parents are involved in their children’s learning there are many posi5ve results. Academic achievement improves; students go farther in school, and more graduate and a8end college or technical school. There’s also an improvement in classroom behavior, self-‐concept, 5me spent on homework, and mo5va5on; and there are decreases in absenteeism and dropout rates.

If the par5cipa5on of parents is so beneficial, why don’t more parents choose to be involved? Possibly because they don’t realize the power of their presence; and when they do, they’re not sure what they’re supposed to do about it. Another reason is that schools have not had ways to get parents more involved with their children to reap those benefits reported in the research.

However that is beginning to change. Over the last decade, an organiza5on called “I Care” has mapped out a simple plan for parental involvement, and the results are beginning to be no5ced. “I Care” provides schools with grade level ac5vi5es that parents can do with their children at home. The ac5vi5es are organized around a different character trait each month. For November, for instance, parents receive ac5vi5es about “having respect for others”. Some ac5vi5es would involve talking or wri5ng about respect, there might be art projects, or parents might be encouraged to take their child to a community event or to volunteer to help others, and there’s always a good book to read.

Parents give high marks to “I Care”. They find it easy to use, their children like it and they begin to see results. “I had no idea that simply reading to my child every day would make such a difference in his aqtude.” “The teacher says he pays more a8en5on

and is geqng along be8er with his class mates.” are typical parent comments. Children like “I Care” too. It’s not unusual to hear them comment: “I really like it when my Mom does “I Care” with me;” or “I love “I Care” because it means I get to spend 5me with my Dad. We prac5ce every month.”

Schools that par5cipate in “I Care” have seen improvement in communica5on between home and school as well. Teachers are learning more about their students and the families through monthly parent feedback. Every month they send a posi5ve communica5on to parents about their child. This is quite a change from the tradi5onal parent – teacher communica5on.

Many schools believe one of the greatest benefits of “I Care” is its effect on yearly test scores, which go up as academic achievement improves. They also like the fact that “I Care” builds on what students can do. This helps balance the focus on improving what a child can’t do that is necessary in mee5ng the goals of No Child Lep Behind.

“I Care” is a grass-‐roots parent engagement character educa5on program that is bringing a8en5on to one of the most overlooked aspects of American educa5on – parental involvement – with simple solu5ons that have big results.





ESL Learning Projects: Building Connec6ons to Students’

Lives and Learning NeedsDr. Clarena Larrotta

Assistant Professor of Adult EducationDepartment of C.L.A.S.

Texas State University-San Marcos

The presenter shares research findings and implementa5on of inquiry cycles, personal glossaries, storybooks, and pen-‐pals projects in ESL teaching. The implementa5on of these projects followed a learner-‐centered pedagogy and student funds of knowledge (their life experiences/knowledge/skills/talents/learning habits). The projects were implemented in different courses offered through community programs in Texas working with Spanish speaking adults learning English as a second language and developing English literacy. At the end of this summary, a list of references is provided with publica5ons product of implemen5ng the ESL learning projects described here.

Inquiry Cycles: The students formulated ques5ons related to their daily life experiences outside the classroom. A good ques5on fulfilled three requirements: 1. be connected to the student’s life, 2. be interes5ng for the student to invest 5me researching the answer(s), and 3. foster English learning. Implemen5ng inquiry cycle required following five steps: formula5ng the ques5on, iden5fying sources of informa5on, doing a preliminary report of progress, performing an oral presenta5on with a poster, and coming up with the next inquiry ques5on to start a new cycle. The process of implemen5ng inquiry cycles revealed the students’ higher order thinking skills capability. By asking everyday life ques5ons student mo5va5on and investment in learning English increased. The students inves5gated ques5ons such as: What is cancer? How can I provide good nutri5on for my

children? Why is there racism in America? What is the origin of terrorism between the U.S. and Iraq?

Personal Glossaries: The students built individualized banks of self-‐chosen vocabulary-‐words. We started by punching a hole in the upper lep corner of five index cards; used a metallic ring to keep the index cards together to be able to add more cards and carry them around. For the front of the index card we followed five steps: 1. Write the new word on top of the card. 2. Consult a dic5onary or a person. 3. Translate the word. 4. Look for at least one synonym or word(s) that could mean the same. 5. Associate the word to an image; draw or paste a picture. For the back of the index card we followed other five steps: 1. Write the word in the middle of the card and draw a bubble around the word. 2. Draw lines coming out of the bubble. 3. Connect the new word to other (related) words that you already know. 4. Use the new word to write a sentence in English. 5. Provide an appropriate transla5on for the sentence in your na5ve language (Spanish). Building personal glossaries promoted responsibility and awareness in the students toward learning new vocabulary words– their vocabulary words. The students learned about spelling, grammar and sentence structure, and the different func5ons and meanings of words. Students realized about their capabili5es as learners which in turn increased their confidence in learning the new language.

Storybooks: First, we read short stories, iden5fied the elements in a story (beginning, middle and end), discussed and told other related stories. Next, students selected a topic and used disposable cameras to take pictures to accompany the stories. There was a limit of ten pictures to keep focused on the self-‐selected topic. In class, we brainstormed for ideas to start wri5ng. We used class 5me for draping and obtaining individualized feedback. The students selected topics related to their neighborhoods, homes, families, pets, and children. They received help in class to polish their English and improve the stories in terms of content and coherence; they wrote at least three draps. At the computer lab they





typed the stories. We used Microsop PowerPoint to match the pictures to the paragraphs, made color copies of the slides, and bound them to look like books. Finally, students read their stories during the last day of class and reported having developed a personal connec5on with wri5ng and telling stories. They learned about word choice, sentence structure, and the wri5ng process (draping, revising, and publishing).

Pen-‐pals : The pen pals ac5vity was implemented between a group of Spanish speaking adults and a group of English na5ve speakers who volunteered to keep correspondence with them. The instructor served as the facilitator of the pen pals project collec5ng and delivering the le8ers. She did not interfere in the actual communica5on process. She read all the le8ers before distribu5ng them to make sure par5cipants were observing the rules of respect and ethics. This was a student-‐centered ac5vity and used a holis5c and socio-‐cultural approach to literacy. As a result, student engagement increased, scaffolding learning was possible, and the instructor prepared mini-‐lessons addressing relevant issues that emerged form wri5ng the le8ers. Students wrote about trivial topics such as the weather, free 5me ac5vi5es, sports, TV programs, and pets. They also wrote about very personal topics such as family, jobs, immigra5on, religion, poli5cs, language ideologies, and the death of a family member. In addi5on they wrote about cultural topics such as holidays, food, music, tradi5ons and geographical places. The pen pals project provided the par5cipants with opportuni5es to interact and learn from one another.

ReferencesLarro8a, C., & Serrano, A. F. (in press). Adult learners’ funds of knowledge: The case of an English class for parents. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 55(4), 321-‐331.Larro8a, C. (2011). Second language vocabulary learning and teaching: S5ll a hot topic. Journal of Adult Educa5on, Informa5on Series, 1(40), 1-‐11.

Larro8a, C. (in press). Implemen5ng pen-‐pal wri5ng in the adult ESL classroom. Texas Adult and Family Literacy Quarterly, 15(4).Larro8a, C. Literacy partnership between adult learning master’s students and La5na/o parents developing English literacy: A pen pals Experience. Manuscript submi8ed for the 2011 J. Michael Parker Literacy Research Associa5on Award. Larro8a, C. (2010). Crea5ng a storybook in an English as a second language class for parents. Texas Adult and Family Literacy Quarterly, 14(3), 10.Larro8a, C. (2008). Asking everyday life ques5ons as a successful adult ESL classroom ac5vity. Texas Adult and Family Literacy Quarterly, 12(3), 23-‐24. Larro8a, C. (2007). Inquiry in the adult classroom: An ESL literacy experience. Adult Learning, 17(3/4), 25-‐29.

Teaching Applicant After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted deseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams. You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. You want me to do all this, and then you tell me.............. I CAN'T PRAY?"





Use of Social Media for Language Learning: Exploring Students’

Ethical Decision Making Joseph M. Teran@no

Kennesaw State University

Introduc(on For many of us language educators, a constant challenge is crea5ng a learning environment in which the students can engage meaningfully in the target language. Without the presence of engaging and meaningful language experiences, open students are lep with fragmented pieces of linguis5c knowledge for which they lack the prac5cal applica5on. In an effort to offer a poten5al computer-‐based solu5on to this dilemma, in this ar5cle I will briefly describe how to create language rich experiences via social media that focus on developing language learners’ ethical decision-‐making skills.

How to Do It It is important to note that there are two essen5al components of these language experiences, ethical decision making and the social media applica5on. First, an easy way to integrate a discussion of ethics and ethical decision making into the language classroom is to embed ethics-‐based case studies in your assignments. For example, I open use ethics-‐based topics as an alterna5ve to some of the more tradi5onal wri5ng topics. Typically, I begin by discussing ethics with the students and addressing how due care, confiden5ality, good faith, respect, and compliance should drive ethical decision making. Next, we discuss the types of ethical decisions including right versus right, right versus wrong, and right versus unsure. Last, I embed a case study scenario in a wri5ng assignment in which the students have to evaluate the problem, iden5fy the type of decision, explore the op5ons, make a decision, and defend the decision to other students. Second, as Prensky (2001) indicates, the new brand of students, the digital na5ves, want to be networked socially. For this reason I deliver these

ethics-‐based case studies via various social media including Facebook, Twi8er, VoiceThread, wikis, and blogs. By u5lizing social media to present the case studies, the students are able to respond, create, and share informa5on in one plarorm and in the target language. The result is a fun, interac5ve, and meaningful language learning ac5vity using social media applica5ons that sa5sfy the learning needs of our students.

Prac(cal Implica(ons Aper implemen5ng several of these case studies via social media, I have no5ced several prac5cal implica5ons that can be drawn from my experiences. It was useful to provide a short demonstra5on to the students of how to access and use some of the tools. In par5cular, VoiceThread, a collabora5ve discussion applica5on, was a new tool to the students. Also, although many of the students had previously used Facebook, Twi8er, wikis, and blogs, they had never used them for educa5onal purposes. For this reason I did review some of the specific op5ons available within each applica5on to ensure that the students were able to u5lize the technology appropriately for the purpose of comple5ng the assignments.

Conclusion Based on my experiences with implemen5ng these types of assignments with my language students I have discovered several dis5nct advantages. The social media allowed the students to connect with each other and exchange informa5on in the target language. I feel that u5lizing social media as opposed to a more tradi5onal form of wri5ng assignment mo5vated the students to par5cipate by wri5ng. Also, by integra5ng the concept of ethical decision making and presen5ng several highly debated case studies, the students were engaged meaningfu l ly in the target language and simultaneously learning to be good decision makers. Furthermore, this experience demonstrates how technology, used as a media5onal tool (Gu5érrez, 2006), has the poten5al to influence student language learning and development. In this case the social media (con5nues on page 25)





The Entrepreneurship Teaching Strategy: Integra6ng Life Skills in

the EFL Environmentby Sandra M. Dones Román, John M. Esposito Santore &

Vigimaris Nadal Ramos

The teaching of English as a Second Language is open a challenge for even the most experienced teachers because it requires a complex set of skills and abili5es. Not only are teachers required to master their subject ma8er, but open 5mes they are required to be coaches, counselors, and even cheerleaders. This situa5on is also made more difficult by circumstances in which providing opportuni5es for authen5c language use outside of the classroom is not readily achieved. Providing opportuni5es for authen5c language use is not the only challenge that teachers of English face. Many 5mes teachers struggle to come up with a semester’s worth of content for specialized courses. Business English is an example of such a course. Because of the nature of the ever-‐changing global markets in the 21st century, teaching real-‐life and worthwhile content in business courses is challenging. There is an even greater challenge for teachers of business English courses: the mindset. Tradi5onally, business English courses teach a random set of skills, so that students can supposedly go out and look for a job. However, in the 21st century, we have seen a change. What happens when there are no jobs or very few of them? Furthermore, students who complete even several business courses open 5mes do not possess the life skills needed to be compe55ve. In general, most courses are neither complete nor integra5ve. Professors are forced to look for or create supplemental content for their courses. For many students, the transi5on from classroom to real world presents a great challenge. In short, tradi5onal business English courses don’t truly prepare students for the 21st century job market. Students are not prepared to create a job but rather to look for one. Instead of presen5ng lessons concerned with looking for a job, why not offering ones in which students are encouraged to create one for themselves? It is crucial that educators foster independence and empower students with the skills they need to succeed. The proposed strategy integrates the important life, language, and business skills necessary to succeed in such an endeavor. It

uses and integrated approach to create 21st century entrepreneurs by combining such essen5al skills as media literacy, language arts, and technology. This strategy proposes to prepare students to take learning outside of the classroom and make it more relevant to their lives. However, this approach is aligned with many standards-‐based programs, including the Puerto Rico Department of Educa5on Standards and Expecta5ons. This strategy uses entrepreneurship as a content-‐based or theme-‐based approach to teach the necessary English language skills as well as the necessary life skills and knowledge to create a job rather than look for one. Students must be introduced to concepts such as ethics, e5que8e, listening, teamwork, and nonverbal communica5on. Today’s global market is using a variety of ways to communicate including social networking, blogging, podcas5ng, video, wikis, and other innova5ve technologies. Therefore, this requires a certain degree of technological content, and more importantly, an understanding of media literacy. For this presenta5on we used marke5ng as the main theme. Marke5ng is promo5ng a business to a8ract customers and sell products and services. To market products or services, you must establish its price and determine who will pay for those products or services. Once you know whom you want to reach, you must select the appropriate media outlets (TV, newspaper, radio, movies, among others) and other strategies in order to promote your business. Examples of marke5ng strategies are: elevator pitches, Internet, webpages, e-‐mails, social media, blog, flyers, brochures, postcards, mailings, a8ending conven5ons and giving out goodies, cold-‐calling, sponsoring events, having raffles, hos5ng a buddy week, and crea5ng a referral system/loyalty program, publishing a newsle8er, and selec5ng a client/employee of the month. Why is marke5ng relevant to everyday life? It integrates the necessary English language skills as well as the necessary life skills and knowledge to create a job rather than look for one. Crea5ng a job rather than looking for one implies owning your own business. Combining English language skills and life skills are necessary to run a business. Marke5ng your business also means selling yourself. By empowering students with these skills, we are preparing them for a new reality and breaking away from the tradi5onal business English courses where learning remains in the classroom.





Birth of a Rican

by Manuel Hernandez Carmona

Review by Dr. Samuel Betances,

I found the book insighrul and entertaining. It is also informa5ve and valuable for students of the US La5no experience. Manuel Hernandez is not a complex writer. He does not write for readers of sophis5cated literature or for cri5cs of great classics. The beauty of his memoir has to do with the fact that the writer simply tells from his memory bank what he lived, saw, and experienced and the things that gave meaning to his life. Too few narra5ves have been wri8en by US Puerto Ricans sharing their journey. His book is significant for closing that gap. The book does not go into depth about the meaning of the events that the writer introduces in his memoir. Nonetheless, it is great reading for students of the La5no experience who can expand on the mul5ple themes and topics revealed from his fast moving narra5ve. As a sociologist, I found the book to be a goldmine for jumpstar5ng conversa5ons on a myriad of socio-‐poli5cal-‐historical issues. For example, discussions about race and color challenges between African Americans and La5nos can energize learning in a diverse classroom. The issue of the poli5cal status of American ci5zens in Territories devoid of genuine self-‐determina5on can lead to fruirul conversa5ons. Comparing and contras5ng the Mexican-‐American reality with that of Puerto Ricans

can also be discussed based on issues introduced in the book. He does not take 5me, for example, to explain why he is Pentecostal instead of Catholic. He just is. He loves his pastor. And, based on his commitment to his pastor Louie, he experiences salva5on. Not just in the spiritual sense—that too; but in the fact that he has no voids that drugs have to fill. His friends snort, inject, drink and smoke all kinds of chemicals. Young Manny pursues family, educa5on and develops a love affair with his Puerto Rican ways. It is truly remarkable how he is not really tempted to take a leave of absence from reality through drugs. Once, he drinks rum to prove a point. But his real message in the book is that in spite of many things lacking in life, he finds fulfillment in making his family and pastor proud. The book is a fast read. In many ways the book is wri8en in the way that the author lived his life as captured in The Birth of a Rican. He is in Tarrytown, New York and them in Juncos, Puerto Rico. He is in grammar school and boom -‐ in high school and college. Next he is on his way to John F. Kennedy airport and aper a bumpy ride he is back in San Juan. He meets his sweetheart gets married and has a son. He flies back to New York. He works, he studies, and he says good-‐by he holds back tears and he works hard to go to graduate school, teach and return to one des5na5on or the other. It is not that he likes to travel as much as it has to do with the opportuni5es to take care of family, and professional obliga5ons in an economic system that is 5ed to the Island-‐Puerto Rico nexus. All along, he provides useful informa5on on a man of character, passion and total devo5on to his profession and first love to be a teacher of literature. Manny is a great admirer of women. They are usually light skinned; they have gorgeous eyes and beau5ful shapes. Yet to his credit, he is very respecrul, does not yield to tempta5on and without apology for what his eyes see and record; he remains true to the love of his life. By not having to confess about infidelity and broken vows and fist fights regarding betrayals and character weaknesses; we are treated to book about a La5no man who ba8les poverty, a brutal (con5nues on page 26)





(from page 23) provided the opportunity for the distance exchange between the students, and it also contributed to the overall student success related to language learning. With this informa5on in mind, future research should be conducted to determine how students perceived the use of social media and how the technology may have impacted the language learning process.

References

Gu5érrez, G.A. (2006). Sociocultural theory and its applica5on to CALL: A study of the computer and its relevance as a media5onal tool in the process of collabora5ve ac5vity. ReCALL, 18, p. 230-‐251.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital na5ves, digital immigrants. In On the Horizon, 9 (5), MCB University Press. Retrieved from h8p://www.marcprensky.com/wri5ng/

PRTESOL 38th ANNUAL CONVENTION

Puerto Rico Convention

CenterConvention information

WHO attended?

80 Department of Education English teachers and

facilitators sponsored by the Department of Education

458 Educators 16 past presidents

85 presenters

What was offered?

Three keynote presentations56 concurrent sessions

4 musical eventsChapter meetings

PRTESOL Annual Meeting23 exhibitors

Live streaming of theconvention on Friday

Comments about the Convention

-Super excellent to the last detail.-The area of the sessions was excellent.-Excellent with many well prepared resources.-This has been one of the best conventions. -Great topic!-Sign Language – Excellent!-Great convention! Looking forward to doing it again in 2012. It was my first time, but there was so much to learn.

-Workshops were interesting. -I thought that this convention was one of the best. The plenary sessions were interesting and engaging, the talks were varied and none were recycled from the previous years, and the convention center seemed like the most appropriate place to hold the convention. I want to offer congratulations to you and the entire board and give you my most sincere thanks. Once again, congrats on a wonderful convention, and thanks.

Dr. Martha Burns’s Keynote Presentation

- Excellent presentation on Neuroscience, very informative and relevant to my teaching. - This topic was very interesting. - Outstanding presentation!- The plenary was the best of all the activities- Very interesting topic. Excellent resource- Outstanding, Dr. Burns knows well the how, we as ESL teachers need!-‐ Superb! Bring her next

year- Strongly recommended!- Great! Exactly what we needed!- Excellent! Fascinating!

(Birth of a Rican, from page 25)economy and the constant insecurity from racist and eli5st systems. The truth is that books are open wri8en by urban men and women from groups that are labeled “minori5es” who have experienced violence, disloca5on, addic5ons and lots of adversity. Their stories of pain and struggle both entertain and inspire. Manny has wri8en a different book. It has to do with the struggle of the spirit to find a road that is less traveled in modern literature. He is driven to make sense of how to make something of oneself in the age of diversity. His struggle is one faced by countless thousands of urban dwellers in search of iden5ty and purpose in the midst of a society that all too frequently rejects and ignores passionate spirits who will not be denied. His constant quest to become educated so as to become a great teacher is reason enough for the book to be read and recommended to educators of La5no youth in our increasingly diverse society.The Birth of A Rican is a self-published semi-auto-bio. For books, e-mail the author at [email protected] or call Manny, 939-284-1963.



http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/








Building Academic Vocabulary Using Spanish-‐English Cognates

by Luis A. Rosado and Lidia E. MorrisUniversity of Texas at Arlington

Developing grade-‐level academic vocabulary represents a key benchmark for English learners (ELs), and is a determinant factor in their overall school achievement (Saville-‐Troike, 1984). Achieving this level of vocabulary development becomes most important at the upper elementary grades and beyond, when children are required to read with comprehension to par5cipate in class and to master the content areas. Without an appropriate grade-‐level vocabulary development in English, ELs will not be able to compete equitably with their na5ve English-‐speaking counterparts.

For ELs to achieve the level of language mastery needed to be successful, they must receive explicit instruc5on on the language and the required academic vocabulary. Some strategies to guide ELs from Spanish backgrounds to achieve this vocabulary development are listed below.

Explore and use informa5on from the historical associa5on between Spanish as a founda5on to teach language development. Explore and apply informa5on about the language transfer through the use of Greek and La5n affixes and the value of Spanish—English cognates.

The historical Associa(on of Spanish and English Spanish and English are of Indo-‐European origin, and they share mul5ple cultural and linguis5c components. Spanish is a Romance language that evolved from La5n, while English is Germanic in orienta5on. However, both languages have been heavily influenced by Greek and La5n languages. This historical associa5on and the poli5cal and social connec5on between Spanish-‐speaking countries and the United States have impacted the development of both languages. This connec5on has resulted in the crea5on of common elements between the

languages, including cross-‐linguis5c transfers and word borrowing. Word borrowing has been a prevalent feature between these two languages. Most people are familiar with the words of English origin used in Spanish—Anglicisms. However, there is a less known group of words from Spanish origin that has been adapted to English. We will label these words, Spanishcism [sic]. These words have become part of the English lexicon, and today they are part of the daily speech of Americans. A large number of these Spanishcisms came as a result of contacts between the Spaniards and Mexicans with Anglo-‐American popula5ons in the American Southwest during the later part of the 19th century. Most of these words have been created through phonological adapta5ons, to a point where even na5ve Spanish speakers cannot recognize them. Let us take for example three word concepts that have been historically linked to the cowboy tradi5on of the United States—Mustangs, buckaroos (cowboys) and the Ten Gallon Hat. These words, considered pillars of the American cowboy tradi5on, come from Spanish. The word, mustang is a phonological adapta5on of the Spanish word mesteño—a stray or wild animal. Buckaroo is a word that has been adapted in such a way that most people do not recognize the original word in Spanish, vaquero. The third word also represents an American ar5fact, the Ten Gallon Hat. The concept of gallon in this context refers to the Mexican concept of galones—the stripes and the decora5ve silky fiber used to iden5fy military rank. The same type of thread is used to adorn the Mexican and cowboy hats. From this associa5on, we get the word Ten Gallon Hat. There are numerous Spanishcism used in American English today (See Rosado & Salazar, 2002-‐2003). All these words can be used to guide children to discover the interac5on between the two languages, expand the metalinguis5c awareness of the ELs, and definitely enhance their English vocabulary. Language transfer and Cognates

Promo5ng metalinguis5c awareness and language transfer as a way to expand vocabulary can be achieved through the use of affixes and root words





from the Greek and La5n languages. The Greek and Roman civiliza5ons made significant contribu5ons to the development of government, sc ience, mathema5cs and the a r t s in the wor ld . Consequently, a large number of words and concepts from these disciplines are common between the two languages. The use of similar words and the affixes that they contain have resulted in the crea5on of mul5ple Spanish-‐English cognates—words that are similar in the two languages. Table I presents examples of Greek and La5n affixes, and shows how these structures lead to the crea5on of Spanish/English cognates (Morris & Rosado, 2009).

Table 1 Root Words and AffixesRoot words/affixes English

CognatesSpanish Cognates

Phobia/fobia (Fear of ); Xeno (Foreigners)

Xenophobia Xenofobia

Phono/fono (Sound);Logy/logia (Study of)

Phonology Fonología

Photo/foto (Light); Graphy/gra�a(form)

Photography Fotogra�a

Homo (man); cide (cidium—killing)

Homicide homicidio

Chrono/crono (5empo); Metro (medida)

Chronometer Cronómetro

Meta (cambio); Morpho (form or shape)

Metamorphosis Metamorfosis

Micro (small); Scope (to look or examine)

Microscope Microscopio

The root words and affixes listed in Table I are bound morphemes able to convey meaning, which can be used to guide children in the decoding process. For example, if teachers guide students to learn the meaning of common affixes like bio (life), micro (small), logy (study of), and phobia (fear of), they will have a be8er chance to comprehend a cademi c vocabu l a r y l i ke : m i c rob io l ogy, microorganism, microscope, biology, arachnophobia, acrophobia and agoraphobia. Moreover, teachers in Spanish/English dual language programs can guide children to make the cross-‐linguis5c transfer and iden5fy the cognates created in these words.

Teaching Vocabulary Explicitly

The teaching of Greek and La5n affixes and the resul5ng cognates can be used to expand the vocabulary of Spanish-‐speaking ELs; however, the fact that a child might be fluent in Spanish does not guarantee that he/she possesses the linguis5c sophis5ca5on to recognize morphemes or cognates in English. Consequently, teachers of ELs must iden5fy the relevant vocabulary in English and deliver explicit instruc5on to teach it.

Margarita Calderón (2007) iden5fied three groups of words (Tier I, II and III) that children must master to be successful in mainstream classrooms. Tier I vocabulary encompasses everyday vocabulary and high frequency words required to par5cipate in classroom ac5vi5es, including the use of idioma5c expressions. Na5ve English speakers generally know these basic words, and Spanish ELs might also know them in Spanish, but they need to learn to iden5fy the equivalent label in English (Calderón, 2007).

Tier II words include the vocabulary needed to provide instruc5on to the class, including transi5on words, language connectors, and words and expressions containing less common idioms and allusions. It includes Spanish cognates like gratuito (gratuitous) or gra5tud (gra5tude), who are commonly used in Spanish, but which might not be of common usage in English. Tier II also includes words with mul5ple meanings—polysemus—and words of different meaning with similar pronuncia5on—homophones.

Tier III describes words related to the content areas, including polysemus words, and technical terms rarely used in daily speech. A large number of these less-‐frequent words come from the Greek and La5n and are Spanish-‐English cognates, which can facilitate their analysis and teaching.

Na5ve English speakers master rela5vely early the vocabulary and idioma5c expressions typical of Tier I; but idioms are especially challenging for ELs because these expressions used implied meaning and





make allusions to cultural informa5on that might not be readily available to ELs. Moreover, both polysemous words and homophones can create problems for ELs since ELs have to analyze the cultural and linguis5c contexts to iden5fy the intended meaning.

Content academic words (Tier III) are probably the most challenging words for ELs; yet, ELs who have a strong vocabulary development in Spanish can be guided to iden5fy cognates. While cognates can help in the decoding process, teachers should not take for granted that children will be able to iden5fy them. Instead, educators ought to use the similari5es between the words as a founda5on for providing explicit instruc5on so children can use this metalinguis5c strategy to nego5ate meaning across languages. Building the academic language that ELs need to compete with their English-‐speaking peers can be a challenging task; however, this task can be facilitated if teachers rely on the cross-‐linguis5c connec5ons that the two languages have developed through their historical connec5on.

References

Calderón, M. (2007). Teaching reading to English language learners, Grades 6-‐12: A framework for improving achievement in the content areas. California: Corwin PressMorris, L. & Rosado, L. (2009) Desarrollo del Español para maestros en programas de educación bilingüe. Arlington, Texas: LM Company.

Rosado, L. & Salazar, D. (2002-‐2003). La conexión: The English/Spanish connec5on. Na5onal Forum of Applied Educa5onal Research Journal 15(4), 51-‐66.Saville-‐Troike, M. (1984). What really ma8ers in second language learning for academic achievement? TESOL Quarterly, 18, 117-‐131.

Teaching the Alphabet in the 21 century





Reading and Wri6ng about the Coqui

-‐Carmen Milagros TorresUniversity of Puerto Rico Humacao

Animal stories have always fascinated children. From fables like the “Rabbit and the Hare” to modern classics such as Winnie the Pooh, animals have played an important role in the history of children’s literature and in developing the love of children into the world of reading. Great children’s literature “…develops children’s imagina5on and helps them consider people, experiences, or ideas in new ways.” (Kiefer,7) An animal story becomes a bridge of children’s crea5vity and language learning. If we look back, many of the stories that are memorable to us adult and the new genera5ons of childhood involve animals as important characters in stories: Charlo8e, Wilbur, Curious George, Frog and Toad as well as Joey, the li8le disobedient kangaroo. Children iden5fy with these stories and enter their worlds acquiring the lessons brought within the pages while accomplishing a journey of enjoyment and discovery. As Carolyn L. Burke and Joby G. Copenhaver state in their ar5cle “Animals as People in Children’s Literature” Most children are curious about and fond of animals. Many of us share our homes and our hearts with our pets, certainly our local environments, whether we live in a city, a suburb, or the country, are filled with a vast variety of animals both large and small. So, it would seem rather intui5ve that these same creatures would find a place in the stories we

tell. (206) So it is no surprise that the coqui has captured the imagina5on of Puerto Rican children’s literature. The coqui, this li8le brown amphibian has become the protagonist in the literary crea5on in the island of Borinquen. From the Tainos up to contemporary 5mes, the coqui has appeared in many of the stories told to children and adults alike. Many of the tradi5onal stories told by our Tainos ancestors include the coqui in it. One of the pour quoi tales of the many that s5ll survive say why the coqui appeared in Puerto Rico. According to this tale the island which felt so lonely at night in the vast sea was given the coqui as a companion so it wouold sing it to sleep in the night. In contemporary 5mes, the coqui s5ll appears in many of the novels and picture books published. From the classic story La Cancion del Coqui wri8en by Doris Trutman to the award winning picture book wri8en by Marisa de Jesus “There’s a Coqui in My Shoe”. Other books that are available for children with coqui characters are Everywhare Coquis by Nancy Hooper, Lulu Delacre’s Rafi and Rosi coquis in the I Can Read Series as well as the picture book inspired in a Taino legend Kiki Koki: The Enchanted Legend of the Coqui Frog wri8en by Ed Rodriguez. These and many other books are available for the enjoyment of children with their familiar night creature. Beyond the enjoyment of reading these available stories, they could also mo5vate students in not only acquiring the language due to the familiarity of the topic and their iden5fica5on of their cultural reality as Dr. Anibal Munoz has presented in his disserta5on with undergraduate students with culturally relevant themes, but in expressing themselves by wri5ng about the coqui. AS ESL teachers we can provide the opportunity for students to write poems such as Cinquain, Wh-‐ poetry, Parts of Speech Poems and Haikus such as LiMle coqui sings/ in Borinquen in the night/ such sweet lullaby. Older readers can write their own stories based on Taino legends or fables that can be adapted to include a coqui instead of a frog just to give an example. In my teaching experience, I have integrated the coqui in my Children’s Literature





course (INGL 4326) at UPR Humacao. Our Teacher Candidates write original stories or adapta5ons of well-‐ known European tradi5onal tales. In some of these stories, the coqui has appeared. The first 5me this ac5vity was assigned, I wrote a pour quoi tale as a wri5ng example. It was 5tled “The Coqui Song”. The story goes like this Once upon a 5me there lived a very small brown coqui {KO-‐KEE} near a river in El Yunque. He was a very small coqui, so small like a grain of sand.. He was always sad because every night the other coquis would sing to the stars and moon KO-‐KEE, KO-‐KEE, KO-‐KEE, but they would not let him join the singing. They would say to him, “Go away liMle coqui. Your song is too low… our choir you won’t join.” So he just went away and hid under a big rock, crying quietly for he was alone. He had no friends. One night he decided to sit on the rock while he heard his brother coquis singing “KO-‐KEE, KO-‐KEE, KO-‐KEE” to the stars and moon. Then a bright crystalline light illuminated his rock. He was scared and hid underneath the rock afraid of the light. “LiMle coqui”, he heard a beau5ful voice say, “Don’t be afraid. I’m just a friend.”“I have no friends”, the coqui said. “You do”, the voice answered “Come outside and you’ll see me. I have a surprise.” Curious, the coqui went to the top of the rock. And there he saw a beau5ful woman with long black hair si]ng on the rock. “Who are you?”. The coqui asked surprised. “I am your friend the moon. I have been watching you all these night hiding and so alone. I decided to come and talk to you. Why don’t you sing to me, my liMle coqui?”” I am too small. My brother coquis just laugh at my song. They say the beau5ful moon won’t like to hear such a low singing.” The beau5ful moon smiled at him as she said, “But I do want to hear your song. The beauty of the night is that we are not all the same. Look at the stars very carefully. Some are big, some are small. Some are white, some are blue. No one star is the same.” The coqui looked at the sky. “It’s true!”, he said, “All the stars are not the same.”

The beau5ful moon looked at him as he became a beau5ful ray of light. As she went up in the sky she said to the liMle coqui, “Remember my friend coqui to sing. Your song is part of the beauty of the night.” The next night as the brother coquis started to sing, liMle coqui joined them from the rock near the river. KO-‐KEE, KO-‐KEE the brother coquis sang. And liMle coqui answered ko-‐kee-‐kkee-‐kee-‐kee. All night long the stars and moon heard the song KO-‐KEE, KO-‐KEE, ko-‐kee-‐kee-‐kee-‐kee. And the moon shone happily because her friend sang to her each night.

****** The coqui has inspired the people of this island ever since its existence. As ESL teachers, the coqui can become the inspira5on for our learners. Not only can they choose from a diverse selec5on of books inspired by the coqui, but we can mo5vate students to express themselves in English through wri5ng about this much loved amphibian. And we as teacher can also contribute to our students’ literary experience by wri5ng our own stories that will con5nue acknowledging the immense role that such li8le creature has in our lives. Every night in its song, it con5nues the legacy of our Caribbean iden5ty.

BibliographyBurke, C. L. (2004). Animals as People in Children'sLiterature. The Natural Council of Teachers of English205-‐214.de Jesus Paolicelli, M. (2007). There's a Coqui in myShoe. Ch iChi Rodriguez Books.de Marrichal, F. L. (2006). El Coqui que queria serPajaro. San Juan: Ediciones Huracan.Delacre, L. (2008). Rafi and Rosi: Carnival! PublisherPerfec5ons.Hooper, N. (2003). Everywhere Coquis! Maryland:Omni Arts Publishing.Kiefer, B. Z. (2010). CharloMe's Huck Children'sLiterature: A Brief Guide. New York: Mc Graw Hill.Munoz, A. (2011). The Puerto Rican Accultura5on ofEnglish Literature: A Vygotskian Media5on for theUPRH English Pre-‐Basic Courses. Rodriguez, E. (2010). Kiki Koki: La Legenda Encantada.Vidal de Albo, G. (2005). Polin: el Coqui que se Nego aMorir. Hato Rey: Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas.





FOCUSING ON THE NEEDS OF LATINO STUDENTS

(CONTENT STANDARDS)by Manuel Hernandez-‐Carmona

Associate for Souder, Betances and Associates, an English Staff Development Specialist for the Department of EducaGon in Puerto Rico and a professor at the University of Phoenix, Puerto Rico Campus Focusing on the needs of La5no students is making an alignment with the content standards (C.S.) and grade level expecta5ons of each state and school community. Although there are different versions, the core values of the book Chris5ans call Bible are the same. Much like those who interpret the Bible, it is the responsibility of state and city school communi5es to align their content standards with the specific school needs assessment to which they serve. The alignment does not only come in words but in principle. The New York City Board of Educa5on serves a mul5ethnic and diverse school community of millions of students which spread out in five different boroughs. The Department of Educa5on in Puerto Rico serves primarily Puerto Rican students in seventy-‐eight municipali5es organized in twenty-‐eight mega school districts. Two different school communi5es with diverse and unique academic interests but both adhere to content standards and grade level expecta5ons.

The content standards provide an academic plarorm, and school districts and teachers make the interpreta5on and adjust accordingly. When the C.S. do not meet the expecta5ons of school communi5es, the results are not only reflected in city and statewide tes5ng but put a strangle hold on student achievement. How can an English teacher from Chicago teach Shakespeare to a recently arrived seventeen year old immigrant from Guatemala? This is the story in hundreds of school districts in ci5es across America. Thousands

of immigrant children who are not only threatened to be deported but lack reading and the mathema5cal skills needed to pass city and statewide examina5ons. Knowing the Spanish language at home is not always a guarantee for these students to take what may seem an obviously easy course since the Spanish spoken at home is usually different from the “Castellano” taught at the school. Content Standards must provide for the diverse academic needs assessment of each community. Ever since No Child Lep Behind was created in 2001, the school popula5on in most districts across America has changed dras5cally. The La5no popula5on con5nues to surge, but the Law has stagnated and must be changed!

Because NCLB has not advanced, La5no students con5nue to have reten5on, suspension, and expulsion rates that are higher than those of Whites, but lower than those of Blacks. Regardless of the lower numbers of drop outs, La5no students s5ll have higher high school dropout rates and lower high school comple5on rates than White or Black students. The role of culturally competent teachers has been part of the remarkable strides that have been made in educa5ng La5no students. Research shows that talented and dedicated teachers are the single b iggest contr ibutor to the educa5onal development of these children especially in areas where role models are far and few between.

President Barack Obama has encouraged Congress to work towards comprehensive changes in the NCLB 2001 Law. La5no leaders have been shy about Obama’s desire to change the ten year old law. Focusing on the needs of La5no students is making an academic difference to help improve the quality of La5no children. The 21st century has focused America’s eyes on terror, war and the economy. The empowerment of children in America is focusing towards the improvement of the educa5on of La5no children and all American children as well.





TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo

Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia Marriott, Headquarters Hotel

As the largest organization focused exclusively on English language teaching for speakers of other languages, TESOL annually hosts more than 6,500 people from across the United States and around the world at the international convention. Educators at all levels attend to find a productive exchange of ideas and information and to feel the embrace of a dynamic professional community.

On behalf of the organizing commi8ee of the TESOL Interna5onal Conven5on & English Language Expo, I would like to invite you to a8end the 2012 conven5on to be held on 28–31 March 2012 in Philadelphia, USA. I welcome con5nuing and prospec5ve first-‐5me conference par5cipants to par5cipate in the 2012 TESOL conven5on.

The annual conven5on offers English language teaching professionals from around the globe the premier opportunity for professional development in the field. Par5cipants have the opportunity to exchange ideas and prac5ces, keep abreast of current trends, foster their professional networks, receive mentoring on research projects, review the latest books and professional resources, and learn about advocacy efforts in their communi5es and around the world.

The 2012 conven5on’s theme is “A TESOL Declara5on of Excellence.” The conven5on offers TESOLers the opportunity to declare their vision of excellence in all aspects of the profession. While

TESOL, as an organiza5on, has come a long way in the last 46 years, it is vital for TESOLers to come together to discuss and share issues of concern about, and ambi5ons for, the field of English language teaching. This year, par5cipants are invited to reflect on their prac5ces, voice their opinions, and declare their pursuit of excellence in the English language teaching profession.

In addi5on to the rich academic program, you are invited you to take advantage of a range of professional opportuni5es, such as the exhibit hall, Job MarketPlace, educa5onal site visits, Breakfasts and Teas With TESOL’s Best, and K–12 Day.

Looking forward to welcoming you in Philadelphia.

Mashael Al-‐HamlyConven5on Program Chair

2011 PRTESOL Awards

Award Name Amount

Life Achievement Francisca Ayala plaque & First PRTESOL conven(on fees President Doctorate Kevin Kelly Cooke $300

Doctorate Petra Avillan León $300

Masters Marelisa Alicea $300

Materials to María Correa $300promote excellence in ESL teaching programs

TESOL 2012 Ilsa López Valles $300Travel Grant





You lovers of the English language might enjoy this: There is a two-‐lejer word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-‐lejer word, and that is 'UP'It's easy to understand UP meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?At a mee5ng, why does a topic come UP?Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for elec5on and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends.And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the lepovers and clean UP the kitchen.We lock UP the house, and some guys fix UP the old car.At other 5mes the li8le word has real special meaning.People s5r UP trouble, line UP for 5ckets, work UP an appe5te, and think UP excuses.To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special. A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.We seem to be prejy mixed UP about UP!To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dic5onary.In a desk-‐sized dic5onary, it takes UP almost one-‐forth of the page and can add UP to about thirty defini5ons.If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.It will take UP a lot of your 5me, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.When the sun comes out we say it is clearingUP.When it rains, it wets the earth and osen messes things UP.When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,for now my 5me is UP,so........it is 5me to shut UP!Now it's UP to you to decide what to do with this.

This can be a great exercise on parts of speech and pronuncia5on.

You think English is easy?

1.The bandage was wound around the wound.

2.The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4. We must polish the Polish furniture.

5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there is no 5me like the present, he thought it was 5me to present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the rowers about how to row.

13. They were too close to the door to close it.

14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15.A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16. To help with plan5ng, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18.Upon seeing the tear in the pain5ng, I shed a tear.

19.I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20. How can I in(mate this to my most in(mate friend?




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