Finding the Green Grass

I am Jon Nordmeyer, 9^th grade ESOL teacher at SAS.  I’m writing to tell you a little about myself, share with you about our ESOL program and discuss how we can work together to support your son or daughter’s learning.

I have been teaching ESOL for 19 years and this is my fourth year at SAS.  I have taught in the US as well as at international schools in Taiwan, Turkey, Holland, Ecuador and the United States.  My wife Cynthia is one of the high school counselors here at SAS, and we have two sons (Kindergarten and 4^rd grade) both of whom attend SAS.

I appreciate that students bring many languages and cultures to SAS.  Nearly 65% of all SAS students have a native language that is not English!  The model of ESOL used at SAS is called “sheltered immersion.”  This means every SAS student takes the same mainstream English, math, science and social studies classes.  By collaborating with ESOL teachers, all teachers can help students to develop academic English skills.  In addition, we provide three different levels of ESOL support for English language learners:

I welcome any questions you have about your child’s educational program. At this point, I’d also like to ask for your help: I believe the home-school connection is an important factor in student success!

1) Please fill out the ESOL Parent Survey (given to you student in class) to help me understand your child and your family better.

2) Please help your son or daughter by discussing what we are learning in Academic Literacy class as suggested below.

The following is an overview of ESOL Academic Literacy class for the first semester. We will build foundations of reading and writing to help students start ninth grade with the tools for learning they need to be successful at SAS.

• We will build vocabulary tools since students need to know specialized words in all classes. For example, we will review parts of speech and then analyze words to use the component parts as a clue for meaning.  In the process, students will learn the most common Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes and roots.
• Students will analyze their own learning styles and how to connect studying and learning.
  • Ask your child:  what is the difference between “studying” and “learning” and can you have one without the other?
  • Try it yourself: Take the VARK questionnaire at www.vark-learn.com
• Students will learn to use an effective method of developing, organizing and articulating ideas called the Writing Process.  This powerful tool helps students in all their classes.
  • Ask your child to explain the five steps of the Writing Process.
• Students will practice descriptive writing techniques to prepare for the common assessment all 9^th graders will take in English class.
  • Ask to see Writers Inc, a resource we will be using.

Please contact me with any questions.  I look forward to hearing from you and hope to meet you at the high school Open House on the evening of Tuesday, September 7.

Warm regards,

Jon Nordmeyer

Jon.nordmeyer@saschina.org

It’s time to celebrate.  The summer is finally here!

You have worked hard all year and your parents have encouraged and supported you along the way. Over such a long break, it is expected that you will spend some time maintaining your English language skills. So don’t limit yourself to reading the back of cereal boxes or writing text messages!  After all, the summer break is two months long.  You can afford to relax after a long year at school, but you should also find time to work on English.

What can you do to support your language learning this summer?

• Writing – Writing helps students use new vocabulary, practice correct grammar and develop fluency.  You can keep a journal or blog in English.   You can also draw or write poems in your journal.   Writing letters to friends and relatives in English is a great way to practice writing.   Email can be a fun way to practice writing to friends, relatives (or teachers!) when you use English.
• Speaking – Although this is probably the most difficult skill to practice on your own, try to find ways to practice speaking in English whenever you can.    Try speaking English on the phone from time to time.
• Listening – There are a lot of materials available to help you work on your listening skills.  Watching TV or videos is an easy way to practice listening in English. (Hint:  turn on English subtitles.)  Also, paying attention to music or the news on the radio can improve your listening. Try watching English TV news together as a family, and then talking about what everyone heard.
• Reading: Reading deserves special attention as a skill. Students who love reading (or teach themselves how to love reading) typically have:
  • a better vocabulary
  • a wider selection of creative ideas for writing in class
  • a more sophisticated and mature view of the world
  • a faster reading speed

What should you read? First, follow your interests.  Your reading skills improve faster if you read what you enjoy.  Then explore some styles you haven’t read before.  This helps you to discover new literature and different ideas.

Choose from:

• novels (adventure, horror, science fiction, romance, historical, classics…)
• non-fiction books (biography, autobiography, memoir, real-life events…)
• poetry (anthologies, online poetry websites…)
• short stories (anthologies, on-line stories…)
• plays (single play scripts, anthologies, on-line sites, published in magazines, …)
• magazines ( Time, Newsweek, sporting publications, fashion magazines…)
• newspapers ( The International Herald Tribune, Shanghai Daily,  NY Times,  other printed English newspapers, reputable on-line newspapers…)
• detailed websites (your favorite websites, informational websites, hobbies…)

Why should you read? Keep in mind that a person whose only reading outside school is SMS texts or online chats with friends is severely limiting language growth.  This may not seem like such a big deal right now, but it is not fun to be a college student with immature reading and writing skills.  Here are some statistics:

• we lose 1/3  of our current reading level over the summer if we do not consistently read every day
• 30 minutes of reading every day over the summer keeps our reading at the same level where it was in June when we left for vacation.

What should you do when you finish a book? Use Accelerated Reader to check your comprehension and vocabulary. (Email me if you cannot sign in).  Log in and take quizzes every time you finish a new book.  You can also continue to practice your literary analysis skills by taking the Literacy quiz.

It seems a shame to have worked so hard during the school year to improve your reading and then to lose so much over the summer by not reading.  By not reading over the summer, you will start the next school year behind the other students who did read in English.  Finally, you are lucky to be bilingual (or trilingual) so make sure you also do some reading in other languages to reach your full potential.

Still not sure what to read?

Try these resources:

• 2010 High School Summer Reading Lists at: http://saspudonglibrary.wikispaces.com/HS+Summer+Reading+Lists
• SAS ESOL reviews on the wikispace www.whatareyoureading.wikispaces.com – feel free to add reviews of books you read over the summer!
• English grade 10 tentative reading list:
  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller
  • Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  • Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
  • Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Enjoy your summer!

jon.nordmeyer@saschina.org

Click here for STAR/AR test.

With the May holiday this weekend, students will have extra time which had previously been scheduled as instructional time.

All high school teachers will be giving students work to do at home, as virtual instruction.  In Academic Literacy 9, students have an assignment to help them begin to review the 150 new words we have learned this semester.  It is posted on our class wiki calendar and copied below:

• In pairs, review 3 vocab lessons (sign up on the wiki) for lessons 19-33
• Create a multimedia presentation to share with our class
• For each word, include the word (LARGE), stress, an image, the meaning, a sentence and your voice (correct pronunciation & stress) – Music is optional but fun…
• Post your final show to the wiki by Monday, May 4 at 10:00 pm
• On Tuesday, watch any 5 shows and leave a comment using the Discussion tab

Now is the time to start thinking about summer programs. Talk to your son or daughter and feel free to contact me or a counselor for suggestions. There are many options and I would be happy to discuss your plans during the parent conferences on April 8/9.  Some students study in their home country and others travel to the US or Canada for summer camp.  A great option for those families remaining in Shanghai is the SAS Summer Program.

The SAS 201 Summer Program registration and program selection starts today!  Summer Programs are offered:

Session 1

(Week 1) – Exploratory Programs  June 21 – 25 (8:30 – 3:00)

Weeks 1 – 4 Four-Week Programs June 21 – July 16 (8:30 – 3:00)

(Four Week Programs are only offered for Geometry and Intensive Chinese)

Session 2 (Weeks 2-4) – Education Programs July 28 – July 16 (8:30 – 3:00)

Session 3 (Week 5) – Special Programs  July 19 – 23 (8:30 – 1:00)

The 2010 SAS Summer Program online registration and program selection portal may be accessed at: www.saschina.org/summerprogram . Here you can also learn about the SAS Summer Programs, and access all the information about the SAS Summer Program including bus transportation, cancelation and refunds, changing programs after registration and payment methods and deadlines).

We had the chance to visit Mrs. Borden’s PreK-4 class today to share research skills by helping out some young “study buddies” who are learning about animals.  Students had the chance to practice reading skills of skimming, scanning and summarizing.  They read books aloud and helped turn conversations into research questions.

Thanks to Mrs. Borden for sharing the video!  Here is what she had to say:

The children chose animals that they want to research and already checked out some books from the library in preparation. The children collectively talked about how they could get more information, and decided that they could find information through books, Internet searches, magazines, newspapers, visiting zoos and television programs. Today, high school partners (Atticus Dads class) came and guided them in their researches. It was emphasized that the process of Pre K children learning with high school students help is more important then the product!  Day 1: The children focused on two areas today – 1. Where does the animal live? 2. What does it eat?  It was wonderful experience for our kids and they are very looking forward to seeing them again this Friday!

See the video here

As you know, at this time each year SAS high school students select their courses for the following year.  Course selection forms are due this Friday, March 5. An important part of this process is determining the type of ESOL support that will enable each student to be most successful in grade 10.

ESOL support involves two options at SAS:

• Pull Out (Core ESOL): Students take ESOL Academic Literacy class in place of a foreign language. This class develops reading, writing, speaking and listening skills with a focus on academic language. These students also have an ESOL Flex which provides one-on-one tutoring for homework.
• Push In (Transition ESOL): Students enroll in a foreign language and ESOL Flex. Each of these options also provides testing accommodations: ESOL students have the option of taking extra time on semester exams in English, history, science and some math classes.

Please understand that 10th grade at SAS is very demanding, and in particular, the texts students read in English 10 are quite challenging. Academic Literacy class provides content-based ESOL by reinforcing key ideas, themes and vocabulary from English 10 texts. Students’ current performance in English 9 is directly supported by ESOL classes.

In order to determine the most appropriate ESOL support for students next year, we evaluate each student on the basis of core GPA, English proficiency and teacher observations. English and history teachers, in particular, comment on how well a student is able to cope in these subjects where language demands are high. Based on these factors, I have made recommendations and met with each student to explain these.

3rd quarter grades will include an explanation of individual placements.  Please feel free to contact me via email or phone if you have questions or would like to set up an appointment.  I hope to meet with you during Parent/Teacher conferences on April 8th and 9th.

Happy Valentines Day and welcome to the Year of the Tiger!
Show your LOVE of reading by spending some time with a good book this vacation. Enjoy the days with your friends and family. Safe travels!

We have been discussing the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti and students have been researching an aid organization in order to prepare a persuasive speech for our class.

As we say goodbye to 2009 and get used to writing “2010″ on the tops of our papers, here are some activities we did in class as well as some ideas for discussing with your son or daughter at home.

Happy Old Year  “Those who don’t understand the past are doomed to repeat it.” The beginning of a new year means the end of an old year.  People usually look back at the previous year (last year) and think about the good things and bad things.  It is helpful to reflect on (look at and think about) what you did and what happened in the last twelve months.  Students answered the following questions:

• Compared to the rest of your life, was last year good or bad?
• What do you think was the best thing about last year?
• What do you think was the worst?
• What lessons did you learn from last year?

>> DISCUSS: Ask your son or daughter what they wrote about when they reflected on 2009.

Happy New Year: A new year is a time to make a new start.  We usually think about last year, what we have learned and how we would like to make things better.  Looking at the new year, many people want to make a change in their lives.  People also try to predict (tell the future) about what will happen.

Making resolutions  People who want to change their lives make “New Year’s Resolutions.”  A resolution is a decision.  You decide to do something that is important to you.  It’s like a promise to yourself.   However, change is sometimes difficult.  For example, it’s difficult to stop smoking.  So when New Year’s Day comes, some smokers decide to quit and they make resolutions: “This year I am going to quit smoking.”  But many people make resolutions they can’t keep, and they soon start smoking again.  Why?  Because their resolution is too difficult.  Here’s some advice:  make a resolution that you think you can keep!

Making predictions  It is also fun to try to guess what will happen in the next year.  When you try to tell the future, it is called a prediction.  People use cards or crystal balls to predict what will happen in the new year.  Think about what happened last year and make your guess about next year.

>> DISCUSS: Ask your son or daughter what goals and predictions he or she wrote for 2010.  Do you agree?  What are your resolutions?