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STANDARD 3B

Standard 3.b. Implementing and Managing Standards-Based ESL and Content Instruction. Candidates know,
manage, and implement a variety of standards-based teaching strategies and techniques for developing and integrating
English listening, speaking, reading and writing for a variety of social and academic purposes. Candidates support
ESOL students in accessing the core curriculum by teaching language through academic content and view language and
content as joint means to achieve ELLs academic and language development goals. They understand that language is
developed most effectively in meaningful contexts, and they manage and implement learning around both subject matter
and language learning objectives. They use meaningful instruction to build relevant academic vocabulary.

The two artifacts I provide to demonstrate my mastery of Standard 3b on teaching strategies, include a letter of
appreciation from a parent and an example of how I related my unit lesson plans to authentic language use and realworld application of the subject matter.
As the guide suggested, a parent letter thanking me for the extra effort with their child regarding behavioral
needs is also appropriate. The letter is from the father of a Vietnamese-American student, whom I tutor regularly. Janson
is a first grader who lives in my neighborhood. His immigrant parents own a nail salon in Yonkers, working long
business hours and have lower English language skills. His father also speaks vernacular English, which he learned
conversing with customers but has low literacy. Therefore, I actually helped him type the letter. Culturally, they believe
education is very important, often hiring tutors and even placing Janson in a Chinese school.
In only Kindergarten, Janson was evaluated for special needs and now receives, ESL, Speech, Occupational
Therapy and SECCTS services. Janson has overwhelming anxiety and a learning disability. Unfortunately, his parents
did not understand the teachers well and were left with the impression that their son was a poor student. This also caused
his cousins to believe and claim that he is stupid and often compare him to his second grade cousin.
Jansons mom reached out to me for help and Ive been tutoring him since September. She felt that she was
unable to read to him and help him with English based homework, although she takes charge of his math education.
Therefore, I see Janson twice a week, as we complete his weekly homework, working on reading, sentence writing,
phonics and content learning. I also went to his two parent teacher conferences this year and his IEP meeting. Jansons
reading and speaking level improved greatly. He rarely exhibits poor behavior, but can become removed or shy and not
participate if not engaged. Yet, he does react best to positive compliments or highlights of other students great work.
This artifact documents my experience and commitment tutoring an ELL and working with a special needs
student. It also demonstrates my ability to manage teaching strategies and implement a variety of techniques to integrate
oral and literary skills with content learning. For example, I was able to differentiate instruction for Janson, using various
learning styles as well as his individual interest for motivation. That includes, allowing Janson to draw and label
diagrams to display his reading comprehension. Another, example is using sing-along songs from the popular video
game, Minecraft, to have Janson practice reading and speaking to his favorite tunes. I also help him writing sentences
with his weekly vocabulary, by pre-teaching the vocabulary in meaningful context and also by modeling sentence
grammar.

My second artifact --an example of how I related my unit lesson plans to authentic language use and real-world
application of the subject matter-- is a lesson plan that I taught as a substitute teacher for a 10th grade ELA class.
Therefore the attached artifacts include two lesson plans, part of the unit curriculum, an excerpt from the text and copies
of students writing quiz and completed worksheets. The lessons are based on a larger 10th grade unit curriculum and are
aligned to ELA speaking, reading and writing standards. The theme of the lesson is stereotypes as related to the students
reading of Down these Mean Streets, an urban memoir about a Puerto Rican teen from Spanish Harlem in the 40s setting.
The novel contains graphic content and explicit language.
The lessons demonstrate my use of meaningful instruction to build relevant academic vocabulary, in terms of
the books content being relatable to my urban students, and in having students read to acquire literacy and analytical
skills, simultaneously. While the student enjoy reading aloud the bilingual dialogue and curse words, there are other
higher tier vocabulary words they are exposed to in the context. The lessons agenda also includes a weekly vocabulary
quiz, that students take, which focus on SAT words and incorporates SAT grammar writing. Some of these keywords
were present in the text or are alternatively offered for students to use for connections and explanations.
The learning context is also very meaningful because students are able to connect to the stereotypes, sharing
examples and even apply the topic when learning about stereotype threat and related research experiments. This ties their
very real experiences to academic studies and builds their interest in sociocultural analysis. For example, one worksheet
is a analytical viewer guide to accompany the streaming of a short documentary on a stereotype threat experiment.
Another graphic organizer, was a diagram of an identity chart that students could use to model their individual identity
charts and complete one for the book character in pairs. These assignments were given as classwork, but gave students
ample opportunity to share discussions on their experiences related to studies and to make connections, as well as learn
how to rightfully identify themselves, despite potential stereotypes.
These artifacts contribute to my professional skills and disposition, in that I gained experience teaching applied
content to ELLs and special needs students, through using differentiation methods. These experience helped increase my
understanding of how to develop language in meaningful context. I was also able to notice when students need more
academic or authentic experience and improvise appropriate means of instruction, while balancing both. In the future, I
hope to plan and teach more student centered lessons and activities that provide academic instruction, authentic
application and promote greater student consciousness.