INDIVIDUALIZED ESL UNIT PLAN Subject: Skill Level: Grade Level: Timeframe: Objectives: Developmental English Minimal Sixth

through Eighth Grade Four weeks To assist a Spanish speaking student in his development of English comprehension, to improve his enjoyment of learning a second language, and to provide him with a wide range of fundamental knowledge that will benefit his future exploration of the English language. WEEK ONE "INTRODUCTION" To obtain a basic understanding of the ELL's personality and interests, to provide the student with an impression of myself (my persona, my intentions, my experiences, etc.), and to establish the level of his English understanding and comprehension (if any) in the four linguistic divisions (reading, speaking, writing, listening). Elementary Spanish-English Dictionary (Dr. Seuss) Linguistic Division Bridge the communication gap as effectively as possible by using the extent of your Spanish knowledge, a pencil and a paper. Write down letters, words, phrases and sentences that are essential to introduction and work together on translating them. Take turns working verbally through the alphabet, locating any difficulties that the ESL might have with certain pronunciations. Using Spanish-English Dictionary, allow the student to look at the pictures and read the corresponding words in both languages. Ask student to answer identifying questions that aim to reveal his background, his familylife, his interests and his hobbies. Have him write his responses in Spanish (for you to translate outside of class). Reading, Speaking, Writing, Listening Reading, Writing NTCE/ IRA Objective 10

Objectives:

Materials: Activity

3, 10

Speaking, Listening

Reading, Speaking

10

Speaking, Writing

10

Post Lesson:

Take and analyze the work you did this week. How wide is the communication gap? How much research is required on your part to bridge the communication gap? What did you learn about the student? What does the student seem to be like? Did you get a sufficient amount of information to get a feel for their personality? From that information, can you choose a piece of music that they might enjoy? Find a song in Spanish (hopefully by a band that the ESL student mentioned) and translate it into English for next week's lesson.

Objectives:

Materials:

WEEK TWO "MUSIC" To effectively use the identity information gathered from last week to determine the text for this week, to provide a song as text that will interest the ELL student, and effectively use that song to create an enjoyment of the learning process while simultaneously expanding the student's language fundamentals. Lyrics of a song that the student might enjoy (hopefully from a musician they identified during last week's sessions; Translated version of the lyrics in both languages; Audio device capable of playing the song for the student; Worksheet that focuses on the chosen song while maintaining a scholastic agenda that will benefit the student by expanding English comprehension; Elementary SpanishEnglish Dictionary (Dr. Seuss) Linguistic Division NTCE/ IRA Objective

Activity Follow along with the Spanish lyrics as the song plays on the audio device. Allow the student a few minutes to compare and contrast the two versions of the song. Together, write out the conjugated versions of the verbs in each language and have the student speak the English conjugations. Re-read both sets of lyrics together (line by line), exploring the similarities in spellings and sounds. Reveal the differences in sentence structure while connecting phonetically similar words to one another. Take the figurative language and have the student draw a picture of the literal meaning. Try to get the student to acknowledge a difference between the literal meaning and the figurative meaning.

Reading Reading, Speaking, Writing, Listening Reading, Speaking, Listening

1, 3, 8, 10

Reading

Post Lesson:

Analyze this week's work. Did the student enjoy having music brought into their lesson? Did it seem like they could understand the translations? Does it seem like they developed themselves as an English speaker? What did YOU learn? WEEK THREE "MOVIE" To use the identity information gathered from week one to determine the movie for this week, to provide a new style of text that will benefit the ELL by exercising their listening comprehension, to complete a worksheet with the student that requires the transposition of verbal language into written language, and to engage the student by using a more personally relatable form of literacy.

Objectives:

Materials:

A movie scene in English; A script with the scene's text; Translated version of the script; Elementary Spanish- English Dictionary (Dr. Seuss)

Activity Watch the scene in English. Have the student read the translated Spanish version to get an idea of what is happening. Watch the scene again in English, keeping the Spanish translation close by Choose a few sentences and have the student point out their corresponding counterpart. Watch the scene one last time in English Read the script out loud to one another, each playing a separate role. Swap roles and read the script again

Linguistic Division Listening

NTCE/ IRA Objective

Listening Reading, Listening Listening Reading, Speaking, Listening Reading, Speaking, Listening

Objectives:

Materials:

WEEK FOUR "POEM" To use the identity information gathered from week one to determine the poem for this week, to expand the student's understanding of the differences in language structure, to expose the Spanish speaking ELL to poetry in his native language. A poem by a native Spanish speaker; Translated version of the poem; Worksheet for the text that focuses on certain aspects of language that the ELL could improve understanding of (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammatical structure); Elementary Spanish- English Dictionary (Dr. Seuss) Linguistic Division NTCE/ IRA Objective

Activity Have student read Spanish version of poem out loud. Read the English version out loud for the student, having him repeat your sentences. Without correcting him, have the student read the English version out loud and all the way through. Allow the student to explore the text, comparing and contrasting the two languages. Have the student complete the worksheet. Choose a figurative image and have the student draw the literal connotation of it. Point out both literal and figurative speech that exists within the text.

Reading, Speaking, Listening

Reading, Speaking

Reading Reading, Writing Reading

UNIT EXPLANATION This unit plan is not just a theoretical entity, created only for an English assignment. It is unique in the sense that it will truly be put into effect at Pattengill Middle School in Lansing. I will be working with a seventh grade boy from Mexico who has just come over in the last couple months. His English is hardly sufficient, but with my minute knowledge of Spanish, we have already completed week one of this unit. WEEK ONE: "INTRODUCTION" This week focuses on developing a relationship with the student, an understanding of who they are and what they are into. Ideally, the student will provide enough information that we can determine his interests. Once we know what music he likes, what media he watches, what his hobbies are and what his back-story is, we can use that knowledge for reimagining the school day. We can create alternative lessons based on the forms of literacy that would appeal most heavily to our student. By doing so, we are being culturally cognoscente and intellectually sensitive to the needs of our student. WEEK TWO: "MUSIC" In designing this lesson plan, the student is the focus of consideration. Especially in this individual setting, where the teaching is directed at literally one person, the materials and lessons can be constructed and customized to fit the student's personality and style of literacy. In week one, we use a very general strategy of teaching, sticking to basic learning activities in an attempt to unveil our student's persona. By doing so, we are simply setting ourselves up for a drastic reimagination of education. This re-imagination is necessary for the greater good of education. As we boldly plunge into the future, we as a society continuously undergo changes in philosophy, mentality and technology. While universal changes that have taken place in the last 50 years are certainly worth consideration, we must not think so broadly when constructing our canonical educational policies. Within our country, there are so many cultures and sub-cultures that bring their identity into the classroom. If we are only teaching with respect toward one, then we are failing to acknowledge the needs of so many students. David Kirkland addresses his exploration of the canons by stating, "Essentially, we are back to the basics. At some level I think that gives us a good foundation, a significant foundation, by which to build a New English Education. But a foundation alone does not build a house" (Kirkland 237). To explain it further, Kirkland claims that:
"At its root, the New English Education simply means that the study of English needs to keep up with the times... Maybe we need something that's more pluralistic like the study of Englishes. As for the idea of canons, we do great damage to the study of our humanity and to the study of who we are when we don't incorporate new texts and all Englishes that capture our fullness" (Kirkland 237).

By fullness, it seems that Kirkland is referring to our society in its diverse entirety. We need to appreciate the dynamic nature of our students and their needs. In order to do so, we must first understand the ways that our students are learning, and the ways in which literacy can be effectively brought into their lives. The lesson plan from this week involves a song in the student's native language, by an artist that the student openly admitted to liking during the first week. For this ELL, the act of using his native language in learning the second language can be very comforting. By comparing and contrasting the two translations, he engages in a learning scenario that is non-threatening. Also, by adapting the lesson to appeal to his interests, we entice the student to passionately engage with the text and his education.

WEEK THREE: "MOVIE" One, very progressive observation of education was made by James Gee in an article that discusses video games as a form of literacy, but not only as a potential educational tool for students. As teachers, we must observe the superior teaching power of the video game. The player becomes a student of the game as soon as they pick up the sticks, immediately interacting. They are engaged enough to learn how to play the game. With that in mind we ask, how can we, as teachers, create an environment of learning that engulfs the student's attention and passion in a manner similar to the video game? In Gee's article, the first principle that he suggests is that the student must identify with the lesson. They need to lose themselves and make "an extended commitment of self" (Gee 34). In order to get students to do this, they need to find some sort of reliability within the text. In week two, we chose a song that was by a musician they had already invested their time and interest into. That way, the student already has a guaranteed connection and interest in the text. We can mold our lesson around the student's world, but simultaneously achieve our academic objectives and respect the canonical powers that be. During this week's lesson, we incorporate a new style of text. By watching a movie that may appeal to the student, we continue to respect their diverse literary needs. However, the bigger objective of this week's lesson is the script reading activity. While they may not know what they are saying, the action of doing so is extremely beneficial. According to Gee, "Good video games operate by a principle just the reverse of most schools: performance before competence" (Gee 37). By having the student performing before they are competent, it forces them to actively engage with the text. Even if they struggle with aspects that are far too advanced for them, they are still "doing," which is an incredibly valuable step toward the progressive improvement of the English education. WEEK FOUR: "POEM" In his article, Gee points out the appealing educational philosophy that exists within a videogame. "Players can start from the last saved game when they fail. Players are thereby encouraged to take risks, explore, and try new things... the player uses initial failures as ways to find the [text's] pattern and to gain feedback about the progress being made" (Gee 35). Similarly, in this week's lesson, the student is encouraged to "take a risk" by reading the text out loud, without correction or intervention. A long text in the ELL's non-native language might make the student a bit nervous, but this risk is necessary to for the student's learning. Another key aspect of this lesson is the fact that the poem is written by a poet of the same native tongue. By bringing in such a poem, we are expressing a cultural interest in, and respect of, the student. This effort parallels Ayanna Brown's ideas about using Hip Hop in urban scholastic settings.
"Rap music is used to express the multifaceted views within the hip-hop community and to contest contradictions created therein. Rap music utilizes language in specific ways to create and convey meaning about life. One characteristic of rap is its provocative stylized language that does not reflect the voice of the dominant culture and challenges mainstream views" (Brown 2).

The essence of rap, as explained by Brown, rationalizes the appeal to this genre of music. It provides a voice that isn't that of the dominant. It challenges the mainstream ideology and serves as an expression of an American sub-culture. Hip Hop can be used effectively in urban academics because it directly relates to many of their lives and perspectives. Similarly, by choosing a poem that appeals to our student's cultural position, we acknowledge their unique needs and show a much needed respect to their culturally diverse reality.

Works Cited Brown, Ayanna. "Using Hip Hop in Schools." (2010): 1-3. Web. Gee, James. "Good Video Games and Good Learngin." 34-37. Web. Kirkland, David. "Conversations in Cultural Rhetoric and Composition Studies." 224-43. Web. "NCTE/ IRA Standards for the English Language Arts." Web. <http://www.ncte.org/standards>.