So tall within: sojourner truth’s long walk to freedom

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Sari Brodey ◽  
La Wanda Tidd ◽  
Stephanie Serriere

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to support teachers in utilizing the 2019 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable Tradebook, “Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk to Freedom” (Schmidt, 2018). The authors found this book to be useful, beautiful and well-written but with several complex and dense literary aspects. Thus, this lesson offers supports for students in decoding similes and metaphors within “juicy sentences” (Fenner and Snyder, 2017, p. 131). These tools are especially important for English language learners’ (ELLs) unlocking the meaning of a book. Through this lesson, learners are supported in understanding Schmidt’s “So Tall Within” retelling the life of an extraordinary citizen, Sojourner Truth, who worked for the enforcement of emancipation promised in the 13th amendment. Design/methodology/approach In this lesson, students learn to recognize similes and metaphors in texts as a tool to decode a text’s meaning. In the beginning of the lesson, students listen to a rap about Sojourner Truth’s life to initially recognize in-text similes and metaphors. Then, students apply this new skill to unlock the meaning of metaphors and similes in the “So Tall Within” book to better understand the author’s message about Sojourner’s life. Last, students each make an illustrated and written postcard to Sojourner Truth called “Walking Tall Postcards” with their given metaphor or simile and add reflections on how they do or can “walk tall.” Finally, students chronologically re-construct the postcard statements and create a class book called, “Postcards of Walking Tall.” Findings Students, especially ELLs, must be given supports to unlock the meaning of dense texts (Fenner and Snyder, 2017). To promote equity in the classroom, the lesson was created to make this text more understandable for all learners. Originality/value Like many NCSS Tradebooks that are beautiful in illustrations and lyrical prose, this book requires supports for young learners to decode and understand. This lesson plan scaffolds students’ understanding, especially ELLs’ understanding, of simile and metaphor as a tool to unlock a text’s meaning toward increased historical understanding of Sojourner’s life. Understanding the legacy of Sojourner Truth is evermore important to teach today – she was a woman empowered with knowledge of the law to recognize human rights violations and act on behalf of others.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joohoon Kang

Purpose This paper aims to investigate adolescent English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ digitally mediated multimodal compositions across different genres of writing. Design/methodology/approach Three Korean high school students participated in the study and created multiple multimodal texts over the course of one academic semester. These texts and other materials were the basis for this study’s qualitative case studies. Multiple sources of data (e.g. class observations, demographic surveys, interviews, field notes and students’ artifacts) were collected. Drawing upon the inductive approach, a coding-oriented analysis was used for the collected data. In addition, a multimodal text analysis was conducted for the students’ multimodal texts and their storyboards. Findings The study participants’ perceptions of multimodal composing practices seemed to be positively reshaped as a result of them creating multimodal texts. Some participants created multimodal products in phases (e.g. selecting or changing a topic, constructing a storyboard and editing). Especially, although the students’ creative processes had a similarly fixed and linear flow from print-based writing to other modalities, their creative processes proved to be flexible, recursive and/or circular. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of adolescent English language learners’ multimodal composing practices in the EFL context, which has been underexplored in the literature. It also presents the students’ perspectives on these practices. In short, it provides theoretical and methodological grounds for future L2 literacy researchers to conduct empirical studies on multimodal composing practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1183-1198
Author(s):  
Umbreen Tariq ◽  
Summaira Sarfraz ◽  
Ali Abbas

PurposeThis paper examines reasons of pragmatic functions' misinterpretation of three types of Facebook hashtags: long, short and multiple mixed hashtags.Design/methodology/approachFocus group interviews of 15 English language learners, who are also active users of Facebook and hashtags, are conducted. Thematic analysis is performed through the software Nvivo for arriving at reliable findings.FindingsThe findings show that unknown vocabulary in contents and lowercasing in long and short hashtags are major factors that cause misinterpretation. Also, the symbol of underscore and appropriate usage of upper and lowercasing of alphabets should be adopted in hashtag writing for the improvement in communication and successful conveyance of the intended meaning.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the online hashtag writing style by finding reasons for the misinterpretations of different types of hashtags. Hashtags have been developed for adequate communication (Livingstone, 2012), but in Pakistan, hashtags are practiced as a “fashionable” trend and thus result in misinterpretation and inadequate communication among readers even of the same background (Tariq and Sarfraz, 2018). Moreover, this study focuses on the trend of hashtagging that is common among university students and particularly second-language learners because they are active users of Facebook and adopt the latest trends quickly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-154
Author(s):  
Kalyani Krishnan ◽  
Chieh Li ◽  
Louis Kruger ◽  
Edward Kimble ◽  
Gina Aki ◽  
...  

Purpose This study aims to explore whether English-language learners (ELLs) who have struggled to pass a high school exit exam (HSEE) self-report that they are able to self-regulate their learning. It is of interest to find out whether, in addition to limited English proficiency, these students are struggling to exert control over their learning. Design/methodology/approach Using semi-structured interviews, the study sought the perspectives of eight ELLs who had repeatedly failed their state-mandated HSEE. Interviews were transcribed using a modified grounded theory approach, and thought units were coded with a focus on the following elements of SRL: self-understanding, goal directedness, flexibility and strategy use. Findings Results indicated that all interviewees demonstrated a greater, more specific awareness of their academic weaknesses than their strengths. Half the interviewees demonstrated an awareness of how they learned. Similarly, half of them verbalized that they approached learning flexibly. None of the interviewees reported using evidence-based strategies. However, all interviewees were goal-oriented. Research limitations/implications This research approach may limit the external validity of the results. The richness of the data may also be limited because interviews were conducted in English. Practical implications The findings from this study have implications for educating ELLs in an era of standards-based education and helping them pass HSEEs. Social implications These results also have implications for advancing social justice through informed educational policy. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature by extending the theory of SRL, which is associated with academic success in diverse students, to ELLs, a rapidly growing demographic in US public schools that is struggling to achieve academic success.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-324
Author(s):  
Andrea Watson-Canning

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide secondary social studies practitioners with a research-based adaptable lesson plan aligned with the National Council for the Social Studies Thematic Strands and its C3 Framework incorporating the digitized collection of the National Gallery of Art and Visual Thinking Strategies to foster historical understanding through a student-driven process of online gallery curation. Design/methodology/approach The author describes the connections between constructivist learning and technology integration in the classroom, linking technological, visual, and social studies literacy. The internet mediates student experience. It is both text-based and image-saturated; therefore, it is important for students to develop fluency with the written word and visual literacy. To remain technologically relevant, teachers must harness the potential of the internet to aid students with the development of their analytic and evaluative skills. The paper outlines an adaptable method for incorporating technology and art into social studies classroom practice in order to build visual literacy, historical understanding, and skills in evidence-based research. Findings The National Council for the Social Studies has outlined various analytic, communicative, and evaluative skills that students should acquire for social studies literacy. This paper provides insight as to how utilizing digitized collections of artwork has the potential to engage students in active, constructivist learning in order to acquire social studies literacy. Originality/value The paper is of value to secondary practitioners who wish to incorporate visual art, technology, and constructivist learning techniques in their classrooms.


2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 479-484
Author(s):  
Lynda R. Wiest

According to the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs, the growing number of students with limited English proficiency includes slightly more than 10 percent of K–12 students in today's U.S. classrooms (NCELA 2006). English language learners (ELLs) may need special support to meet the educational standards we set for students. In its Equity Principle, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics states, “Some students may need further assistance to meet high mathematics expectations. Students who are not native speakers of English, for instance, may need special attention to allow them to participate fully in classroom discussions” (NCTM 2000, p. 12). This need has become particularly important because mathematics tasks are increasingly contextualized and thus verbal in nature, in addition to the fact that greater emphasis has been placed on communication in mathematics classrooms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 622-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Nicol Watson

Purpose This paper provides insight into the effective education of immigrant and migrant children: many of whom are classified in New York City’s public schools as English language learners. It also highlights the ways in which New York City prepares school leaders and the policies that govern their actions. Design/methodology/approach Literature review. Findings The practices of New York City’s school leaders are governed by the Chancellor’s Regulations. These comprehensive mandates consist of four components and address issues related to students in grades K-12, school-based budgets, personnel matters, and parent and community engagement. In relation to students, including those classified as immigrant, migrant, and English language learners the Chancellor’s Regulation A-101 makes it clear: children may not be refused admission to a public school because of race, color, creed, national origin, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, immigration/citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or ethnicity. Research limitations/implications Implications for future research: How can school leaders (and educational activists) continue to support and advocate for immigrant and migrant children under the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Practical implications Knowledge gleaned from this study may be of use to schools, districts, and educational leaders in the USA and abroad faced with similar demographic trends. Social implications This manuscript examined the ways in which The City University of New York prepares school leaders, the required State exams for school leaders, and the educational policies that govern the practices of New York City’s school leaders that are germane to English language learners. Originality/value This review of the literature may study may be of use to schools, districts, and educational leaders in the USA and abroad.


2022 ◽  
pp. 96-113
Author(s):  
Zeynep Çetin Köroğlu ◽  
Özlem Utku Bilici

Foreign language speaking skills as productive skills are considered one of the concrete shreds of evidence for language proficiency. For this reason, teaching and measuring foreign language speaking skills ability has great importance for all levels of education. Especially with the developing technology, there are various educational tools for teaching and measuring speaking skills in a foreign language. In the present study, the application of Flipgrid will be introduced and examined as one of these tools, and accordingly, a lesson plan will be prepared showing how the tool can be used in foreign language classes. It is thought that the current study will contribute to teachers' professional developments who are working in the field of foreign language education, to teacher educators, and to students who learn English as a foreign language.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-242
Author(s):  
Margaret Angel Bestwick

Purpose Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box (McPhail, 2015) is a tranquil biography primarily focusing on the childhood of Beatrix Potter. This lesson plan, based in the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) C3 Framework, allows second-grade learners to explore the life of Beatrix Potter through this biography and to make connections to his or her own life. Learners move through four stages of inquiry in the C3 Framework. They examine the dust jacket and dual-image book cover for clues about the life of Beatrix Potter. Next, they engage in a read-aloud of the biography during which learners construct knowledge about the life of Beatrix Potter. Learners then create puppets and role play the life of Ms Potter. The lesson concludes with learners making comparisons between their own and Ms Potter’s life. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This is a lesson plan that is intended for second grade students. The duration of the lesson is approximately 90 minutes in length. The lesson utilizes the Whole Book Approach (WBA). The WBA is “an intentional, inquiry-based approach to reading aloud that puts art and design [and children’s responses to them] at the center of the storytime experience” (Lambert et al., 2015, p. 81). During the lesson, the teacher utilizes the WBA through asking open-ended questions as she/he reads aloud. The students and the teacher co-construct meaning through a dialogue about the text and images within the text. The lesson also includes the Role-Playing Characters to Understand Them Better (adapted) approach. This fiction reading strategy is adapted for informational text, a biography, for this lesson. Rather than role-playing a character, students role-play real people: Beatrix Potter & her family, and themselves. Serravallo (2015) writes about this strategy, “Sometimes the best way to get to know our characters is to stand in their shoes-to do what they do, say what they say, and act how they act. With a partner[…] Using puppets or props, act out the scene. Try to talk in the voice of the character, and move the puppet just like the character would. When you finish creating the scene, stop and talk about what you think about the characters” (p. 172). Students will create paper puppets and role-play events from Beatrix Potter’s life as depicted in the biography. Students use a puppet of themselves to talk with Beatrix about how the student's life is similar to and different from Beatrix’s life. McPhail, D. (2015), Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box, New York, Henry Holt and Co.; National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade Book for Young People (2016); JLG Category – Genre: Nonfiction, Lexile Level: AD790L, Elementary Grades K-2, ISBN: 9780805091700 (Junior Library Guild, 2016); the duration of the lesson is approximately 90 minutes: second grade. Findings Little Beatrix Potter loved art. At an early age, she received her mother’s paint box. Beatrix Potter spent hours painting things she loved, like the animals she kept as pets. Her family traveled from their home in London to spend Summers in the country. She loved it there. She spent her time painting her surroundings. When she was older she learned of a young boy who was ill, and confined to bed. So, she wrote him a story and drew illustrations for the story. This story was later published as her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Beatrix Potter went on to publish many other animal tales that became popular across the world and beloved for generations. Originality/value This lesson plan is aligned with the NCSS theme number 10, individual development and identity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annmarie Patricia Jackson

The paper describes a critical multiculturalist approach the author used, while working as a reading support teacher in a third grade classroom of English language learners. The author shares a step-by-step timeline she used to adopt a social justice agenda in the classroom, while teaching a unit. Through integration of reading and social studies content objectives, the author was able to meet students' reading needs, as well as foster critical thinking through questioning, art, discussion, and writing about matters that were relevant to the students' own lives, their familes' lives and the community, while learning the social studies content. Students were able to identify important problems, determine relevant themes within and across texts, as well as decide on potential solutions. Ultimately, the critical approach, helped students learn that they can be agents of change in their own communities, in and out of school. 


2021 ◽  
pp. 80-99
Author(s):  
Joseph Sung-Yul Park

This chapter explores how the act of English language learning came to be framed as a moral project during the Korean English fever, focusing on the role that such aspects of morality played in rationalizing the social inequalities reproduced and exacerbated through the neoliberal promotion of English. Its analysis focuses on representation of successful learners of English in the conservative press, which frequently published stories of elite English language learners throughout the English fever. The chapter shows how these stories consistently downplayed the privileged provenance of the successful learners, and instead highlighted the extraordinary effort they put into learning English, presenting them as moral figures—ideal neoliberal subjects who immerse themselves in careful and ethical management of oneself. It is through such representations that English language learning came to reframed as a Foucauldian technology of the self, and a moral responsibility for neoliberal self-development.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document