All the Feedback in the World
If you’re like most writing teachers, you give your students a lot of feedback. This helps them edit their initial drafts better. It does not, however, help them to become better self-editors, which can be a recipe for disaster in mainstream courses. The solution is easier than you think.
Add An Extra Step
(Please don’t stop reading; this won’t add to your workload)
Before students turn in their first draft, require them to do a formal self-editing exercise. …
Get Your Students Ready for Mainstream Courses
It seems simple, but it isn’t. Your students have to understand and participate in mainstream classes, but getting them ready can be daunting. Academic Connections follows three principles to teach the language and skills that research has shown your students need for academic success.
Principle 1: Research Base
Academic Connections
starts with research into what students need. This research found a
common set of skills that are important in all academic situations. …
What’s
the Best ESOL Curriculum for 2009? (Could It Be NorthStar?)
What’s the secret to a winning ESOL curriculum? Integration.
Instead of separating language from content, grammar and vocabulary
from language skills, and textbooks from software, everything must be
integrated into a comprehensive program. NorthStar
has the award
to prove it. …
No More Boring Books! A Solution for Frustrated Reading Teachers
Research shows that students become better readers when they understand 95% of the words in a text. Meeting this goal often results in boring books. New Password‘s high-interest subjects provide an engaging atmosphere in which to teach reading and vocabulary skills.
Teach Reading Skills, but Through Engaging Texts
As Linda Butler explains in the introduction to New Password, it is
very important for students to feel successful in their reading. They
can learn and apply new reading and vocabulary skills only if they
understand the words they encounter. …
Poll: Speaking and Writing Difficult for Students
In a recent informal poll, teachers in the U.S. report that extended
speaking and writing continue to be difficult for students. The causes
can vary from student to student, but simple concrete steps can help learners across a broad spectrum. These same strategies were incorporated into the Third Edition of NorthStar and have contributed to the series’ widespread popularity. …
