Spice Up The Basal

How It Works:  Students new to the United States learn English reading and writing skills as they participate in exciting interdisciplinary hands-on activities using a basal reading series. Technology is infused into this unit as students collect information about writing, map making, mathematics, and grammar from various Web sites, publish their work on the web and use desktop publishing and programs such as KidPix to create and present multimedia projects. Students also collect data about weather using weather-related software. Students improve reading and writing skills as they communicate with key pals via the Internet. Although the students are predominantly Hispanic, activities can be adapted to any other recently arrived students.

Standards: 

• Uses simple strategies to determine meaning and increase vocabulary for reading through oral visual cues.

• Reads text and determines the story plot and elements.

• Given a verbal cue, the students will draw and/or model 2 and 3 dimensional shapes, a reflection, translation, rotation, congruency, similarity, symmetry, and use appropriate geometric vocabulary.

• Identify a local weather station and compile current on-line information for an oral presentation.

Estimated Class Periods To Complete: 6

Software Materials Used:  Key pals; word searches; Internet; book marked Web sites, desktop publishing, KidPix and weather software

Keywords:  Basal, twister, weather, fifth grade, ESOL lesson plans, geometry, LEP (Limited English Proficiency) plan, tornado, reading, writing, acrostic, poetry

Students:  The students involved in this project are of predominately Hispanic origin and have been in the United States for less than two years.

Overall:   The program gives step-by-step innovative and motivational techniques and activities for integrating language arts, reading, math, science, and social studies.

Tips:   Flexibility is the key!

About the Teacher: Ms. Carlette Brown is a fifth grade Self-Contained ESOL (English as a Second Language) teacher and a participant in the Citibank FamilyTech program.  This program gives students, new to the United States, an opportunity to have immediate exposure to technology. Ms. Brown has been in the teaching profession for 13 years. She received her B.S. degree from Florida State University and has done graduate course work at Nova Southeastern University.

Subjects:  ESL (English as a Second Language) and Math

Grade Levels:  3 Through 6

Email Carlette