Differentiating Instruction and Assessment for Ells, with Poster: A Guide for K-12 Teachers - Paperback

by Shelley Fairbairn (Author), Stephaney Jones-Vo (Author)

This user-friendly guide shows elementary and secondary general education and content-area teachers, as well as literacy, special education, and English language development (ELD) specialists, how to differentiate core content-area instruction and assessment for the English language learners (ELLs) in their classes.

• True-to-life scenarios of students and teachers in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms ground every chapter
• Easy-to-use templates model how to differentiate core-content instructional units and lessons according to ELLs' ELD level and other background factors (e.g., home language literacy, prior schooling, cultural orientation)
• End-of-chapter professional development activities guide teacher implementation
• Extensive resources enhance continued professional development
• Differentiator flip chart for use in the classroom

• Responds to changes in student demographics and learning standards
• Additional chapter on teaching content and language to diverse learners
• Attention to academic language at the word, sentence, and discourse levels
• Greater focus on how students learn to use language and literacy for school success
• Stronger emphasis on teacher collaboration, leadership, and innovative teacher-directed approaches to professional learning
• Incorporates feedback from teachers and educators in the field

Back Jacket

?The notion that we must explicitly teach language within all academic classes is gaining ground today. . . . This guide is packed with ideas for purposeful and differentiated language instruction and assessment that can be applied in most content classrooms. . . . I predict this second edition will be as popular with teachers facing the challenges of educating ELLs as it will be in university teacher pre-service programs. As teachers . . . make use of the strategies, they will begin to share the excitement I felt at seeing a guide that addresses language differentiation for ELLs.? Tim Boals, Executive Director, WIDA Consortium What's New to the Second Edition? - Updated student demographics that show the range of English language learners (ELLs) we find in the United States; with attention to home language, prior schooling, and cultural background - A new chapter on teaching content and language to diverse learners that: Aligns with new learning standards (e.g., Next Generation, College- and Career-Ready, Common Core) and language development progressions (e.g., WIDA, ELPA21, NY, CA, TX); Prepares teachers to teach language and literacy across content areas; Examines academic language at the word, sentence, and discourse levels - An improved differentiating instruction and assessment template that draws teachers? attention to the language demands of content-area instruction - Stronger emphasis on teacher collaboration, leadership, and innovative teacher-directed approaches to professional learning Includes a quick-reference poster of differentiation strategies by ELD levels for teachers? classroom use.

Author Biography

Shelley Fairbairn, Ph.D., is a professor at the Drake University School of Education and a national teacher professional development consultant. Fairbairn specializes in the instruction, assessment, and grading of K-12 English language learners; issues of cultural and linguistic diversity; and teacher education.