“Coming to America: The Story of Immigration,” by Betsy Maestro and Touro University TESOL Candidate Ada Hirschfeld’s Text Analysis

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.

Adah Hirschfeld is a New York City Public School librarian who currently works at IS 240 in Midwood, Brooklyn. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Pratt Institute and a Master’s degree in School Administration from Touro University. She is pursuing certification in TESOL to better meet her students’ language and literacy needs.

The Text Analysis discusses the cognitive and linguistic demands of a content area text. Touro University TESOL/BLE candidates closely analyze 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, they develop a thesis and purpose for their analysis. Mrs. Hirschfeld’s paper sequences her ideas with evidence from the text supporting essential points. Her critique features substantial, logical, and concrete development of ideas describing what makes that concept or section challenging for ELLs.

Phonics and phonological decoding of the multi-syllabic words may be difficult for ELL students. Examples of words that do not follow standard rules are: ocean, fascinating, officials, unique, foreign. Students would have to be aware of the hard and soft “c” sounds of recent, cities, places, and appreciation. As well as the spelling patterns and pronunciation of words ending in -gh and -ght.

Ada Hirschfeld, Touro University TESOL Candidate
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Overall, this is a highly complex text for English language learners. The sentence length, multisyllabic unknown words, and academic vocabulary are difficult for readers to comprehend without scaffolds and modifications. The illustrations correspond to and enhance the text allowing the reader to gain an understanding but without the visual enhancement, meaning may be lost.

Ada Hirschfeld, Touro University TESOL Candidate
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Author: drcowinj

Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin, an Associate Professor at Touro University, received the 2024 Touro University CETL Faculty Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching and the Rockefeller Institute of Government awarded her the prestigious Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellowship (2024-2025). As a Fulbright Scholar and SIT Graduate, she was selected to be a U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist. Her expertise in AI in education is underscored by her role as an AI trainer and former Education Policy Fellow (EPFP™) at Columbia University's Teachers College. As a columnist for Stankevicius, she explores Nicomachean Ethics at the intersection of AI and education. She has contributed to initiatives like Computers for Schools Burundi, served as a resource specialist for Amity University in Uttar Pradesh, India, and participated in TESOL "Train the Trainer" programs in Yemen and Morocco. Her research interests include simulations and metaverse for educators-in-training, AI applications in education and language acquisition and teaching, and distributed ledger technologies, with a focus on her 'Education for 2060' theme. In conclusion, my commitment extends beyond transactional interactions, focusing instead on utilizing my skills and privileges to make a positive, enduring impact on the world.