Touro University’s Graduate School of Education TESOL Teacher Candidate Meghan Schick on Figurative Language and Multilingual Learners

EDDN 637 Second Language Learners and the Content Areas

Students will become acquainted with and practice effective approaches, methods, and strategies for teaching and evaluating English language learners in the content areas (ELA, social studies, math and science). Throughout the course, students will explore the impact of culture and language on classroom learning. Special challenges in teaching and assessment in each content area will also be discussed. Includes 15 hours of fieldwork.

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Text Analysis & Critique Assignment Description

Following a discussion on the cognitive and linguistic demands of the content areas, you will apply these ideas by closely analyzing a chapter, or an aspect of one content-area text currently in use or recommended by New York State/BOE. Upon analysis of underlying concepts, you will develop a thesis and the purpose of your analysis. You will sequence your ideas with evidence from the text supporting important points. Your critique will feature substantial, logical, and concrete development of ideas describing what makes that concept or section challenging for ELLs. Length: 3-4-page paper (typed, double spaced, 12-point font).

Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate an understanding of various text analysis techniques in relation to educational content-area texts.
• In written form effectively articulate, evaluate and critique educational content-area texts concepts using professional TESOL language, theory, and standards.
• Ask questions from the view of an ELL/ESL learner that can be meaningfully answered using content-area text analysis.
• Evaluate evidence; interpret data such as ELL students cannot glean meaning from context when they have too many words to decipher.
• Express yourself effectively on graduate-level writing

Meghan Schick is a graduate student in the Masters of Education TESOL program at Touro University’s Graduate School of Education, TESOL/BLE program. “I am really enjoying learning more about how to support my students who are English Language Learners in this program. I hope to become a TESOL teacher one day in the future.”

I think that acting out similes and idioms is another effective strategy to support English language learners. One way I would teach my students about similes and idioms is by showing them visual representations from the text. I would also have the students create their own visual representation of each simile and idiom we find in the novel. For example, I would have the student copy down the sentence, “It was like having a chestful of bats”(Davies, 4). I would then encourage them to draw a visual representation of what they believe it means. I would have the students turn and talk to share their ideas with each other.

Meghan Schick, Touro University, Graduate School of Education TESOL Teacher Candidate