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1 NYS TESOL IdiomFall 2011 1Fall 2011

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ContentsCollaborative Conversations.......................1Conversations in Support............................3Acting...........................................................4Resources for the Common Core.................6Talking is learning........................................10Small Talk....................................................14Conversation Table......................................24Regular Features/ SpecialAnnouncementsPromising Practices..................................8Book Review............................................12SIGs and Regions....................................17Members Only Website ...........................18Editorial Notes………………...……….......22Upcoming Idiom Themes……....……........22Calendar and Announcements…....……...22NEW Membership Form……....……...…...23

NYS TESOLAnnual Conference

Oct. 28-29Marriott Hotel

CollaborativeConversations*by Andrea Honigsfeld

That effective collaboration benefi ts students (and teachers alike) isaffi rmed by the well-deserved attenit has received most recently inthe professional literature (see, forexample, DelliCarpini, 2008, 2009;Honigsfeld & Dove, 2010; NACTAF,2009; NEA, 2009; Pawan & Ortloff,2011) and in the TESOL educationalcommunity (e.g., themes of 2011 NewYork State and Kentucky TESOLconferences). Acknowledging theimportance of collaborative exchangesamong teachers is not a completelynovel idea, though. Close to three

Judith Warren Little (1982)examined the differences betweenmore and less effective schools andfound that the more effective oneshad a greater degree of collegiality.She noted four unique characteristicsof collegiality (or collaboration) insuccessful schools, where teachersparticipate in the following activities:

• Teachers engage in frequent, conand increasingly concreteand precise talk about teaching

• Teachers are frequently observedand provided with useful critiquesof their teaching. • Teachers engage in frequent, conand increasingly concreteand precise talk about teaching

• Teachers are frequently observedand provided with useful critiquesof their teaching.

This issue’s theme:

Conversations

NYS TESOL IdiomFall 2011 2

Dear Colleagues, I hope you have been enjoying a happy, healthy and restorative summer. I would like to update you on some changes and challenges facing educators.On July 13, I attended the Bilingual/ESL COP (Committee of Practitioners)meeting at Teachers College, Columbia University. The most major changesinclude the New Evaluation Law for K-12 teachers and principals:

1. Annual evaluations for all teachers and principals2. Clear, rigorous expectations for instructional excellence, prioritizingstudent learning3. Multiple measures of performance4. Multiple ratings: Four performance levels to describe differences inteacher effectiveness5. The new system should encourage regular, constructive feedback andongoing development6. Signifi cance: results are a major factor in employment decisions. You can view all documents discussed at the COP Meeting at the followinglink: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/BilingualESLCOP.html. Formore information about the Common Core Standards, please consult the web-site at: http://www.corestandards.org/ and see the article in this issue.

Though it was not considered at this meeting, the 14 Bilingual/ESL TechnicalAssistance Centers (BETACs) across New York State closed permanently onJune 30, 2011. This puts both our schools and our LEP/ELL populations at riskof not having the appropriate resources to meet their educational and program-matic needs over the next fi ve years.

Our new Commissioner of Education, Dr. John B. King, Jr., may not beamiliar with the importance of the resources offered by the BETACs. You maye-mail him directly at: [email protected]. In addition, you may email theNYS Board of Regents on this issue at: RegentsOffi [email protected]. At the Melville Marriott October 28-29th, I will be passing the gavel to ourincoming President, Rebekah Johnson. I would like to thank the many wonderfulmembers of my Executive Board and the many SIG and Region Leaders fortheir service to the organization. Special thanks to Cornelia Randolph, a con-

New York State Teachers of Englishto Speakers of Other Languages

Offi cers and Executive Board 2010-2011

President, Nanette DoughertyNYC Public Schools

First Vice President, Rebekah JohnsonLAGCC, CUNY

Second Vice President, Christy BaralisSouth Huntington School District

Second Vice President Elect, Olivia LimbuPace University

Past President/TESOL Liaison, Mount Vernon City Schools

SIG Coordinator, Laura Van TassellSouth Huntington School District

SIG Assistant Coordinator, Jennifer ScullyConsultant

Regions Coordinator, Tina VillalobosHicksville Public Schools

Assistant Regions Coordinator,Brighton Central School District

Membership & Marketing Chair, Patricia JuzaBaruch College, CUNY

Assistant Membership Chair, Drew FaganTeachers College, Columbia UniversityCurriculum and Standards Chair, Maria Dove

Molloy CollegeAssistant Curriculum and Standards ChairPosition Open

Professional Concerns ChairPorfi rio Rodriguez, East Ramapo CSDProfessional Concerns Assistant Chair

Yonkers Public SchoolsIdiom Editor, Cara Tuzzolino Werben

Nassau Community CollegeDialogue Editor, Sue Peterson

St. John’s UniversityWebmaster, David Hirsch

New York CityBusiness Manager/TreasurerL. Jeanie Faulkner, Cornell UniversityCertifi ed Public Accountant

From the President’s Deskby Nanette Dougherty, NYS TESOL President


Curriculum Experiments Based on Conversations with ELLS

Conversation with Families

Adolescent ELLs are secondlanguage learners who are still devel-opingtheir profi ciency in academicEnglish. Moreover, they are learningEnglish at the same time they arestudying core content areas throughEnglish. Thus, English language learn-ersmust perform double the work ofnative English speakers in the coun-try’s middle and high schools. At thesame time, they are being held to thesame accountability standards as theirnative English-speaking peers (Short& Fitzsimmons, 2007, p. 1).

Conversations with ELLs andcolleagues are viable ways for ESLteachers to help their students navi-gate academic challenges. My short time at Jamaica High School has been

At Jamaica High School, an ESLsupport class is offered zero pe-riod,7:22 to 8:06 a.m., to provide intermediateELLs with additional tar-getedinterventions. September 2011 will bethe third year I am teaching zero period, and each year is an ongoing cuiculumdevelopment action research-experiment. I conduct the course as acombined resource room and ad-visory class model. Based on daily conversations with my students about their challenges, I provide home-work help; teach problematic topics in mathematics,science, and social studies; and assess and teach diverse skills necessaryfor academic success. The fi rst year of the experiment, my curriculum included mathematics sym-bols and word problems

Individual writing conferencesoften involve reinforcing the student’sstrengths and discussing specifi c ar-easn need of improvement (Fountas& Pinnell, 2001). I had conversationswith each student about his/hermultiple intelligences and learningstyle profi les generated from the Dunn often involve reinforcing the student’sstrengths and discussing specifi c ar-easn need of improvement (Fountas& Pinnell, 2001). I had conversationswith each student about his/hermultiple intelligences and learning

Conversations in Support of High School ELLS by Victoria Pilotti

and organ systems; social studies top-icsof feudalism, estates, and analysisof political cartoons; English languagearts topics of idioms, formal versus informallanguage, and dictionary/glos-saryskills; and academic readiness intest-taking strategies, study skills, timemanagement, notebook organization,public speaking skills, and computerskills. I also taught graph skills acrossthe disciplines. This class was oneof a select few Jamaica High SchoolEnglish and ESL classes that benefi ted from TeenBiz3000 (Empower3000),a Web-based in-dividualized reading program by Achieve3000.

Conversations with ELLs form part of the data collection that drives mycurriculum changes. Several fi rst-yearstudents (participants in ExperimentI) reported the lessons and activitieshelped them pass content-area fi nalsand New York State Regents examina-tions.When asked how the supportclass could be improved for thefollowing year, ELLs suggested thatI allot more time to science, continueteaching math and social studies,and retain computer instruction onTeenBiz3000. One student, who wasparticularly resistant to my teachinganything but ESL all year, later admit-ted he benefi tted from content-areainstruction by his ESL teacher. Allstudents expressed a deep apprecia-tion for the bilingual content area glos-sariesI provided.In the second year (Experiment II),I spent less time on dictionary/glossary

(Dunn & Dunn, 1993; Dunn & Griggs,2003, 2004, 2007; Missere & Dunn,2005). I added native-language trans-lations of key content vocabulary tomy student notebook grading rubric.Groups researched continents andexplorers and presented their Power-Point slide shows to ELLs in otherclasses. TeenBiz3000 was replaced byStudy Island, Web-based instructionbuilt on New York State standards,that provided all Jamaica High Schoolstudents practice for English, mathematics,science, and social stud-ies Regents exams; and for nationalScholastic Achievement Test (SAT)and Advanced Placement (AP) exams.Based on requests from Experiment Iparticipants for Internet resources forspeaking practice, I created lists ofWeb sites and links with podcasts andspeaking exercises.

As I gear up for Experiment III inthe 2011-2012 school year, I plan todevote more time to dictionary skills,such as alphabetizing, and contentareatextbook structure, with specialattention to textbook glossaries andindices; the participants in ExperimentII were lacking in dictionary/textbookresearch skills and did not make opti-mumuse of these resources.


All the World’s a Stage: Ways in Which Teaching Is Like Acting by Elizabeth Fonseca

days when you can’t imagine genera-tingthat energy at all. On those days,you have to “act as if”: put on yourteaching persona as an actor donsa mask or stage makeup, preparingherself to go before the lights. If youdon’t show up, or show up withoutenergy, you might flop.

This leads us to the all-importantteaching persona. As an actor slips ia role through preparation, curiosity,and the desire to share emotion andinformation with an audience, you canslip into your teaching persona, com-prised of your sincere and genuine selfwith a soupçon of public-role poise,strategic sass, and teacher’s toolsyou’ve learned throughout your teach-ingdays that help you on the way.

Is your persona the classic scholar?Do you have a little playful clownthrown in? Are you the compassionateguide, leading students to the knowl-edge they already possess? Can youswitch hats to that of the taskmaster,pushing for and demanding the verybest? It can be useful to think of theteacher role as composed of these different personae that serve useful functions in the various processes of learning,including enabling you to reach students of different backneeds, and learning styles. Even if youare not like that, your alter ego, “Pro-fessor Picky”, can be. Although youare more lenient, “Scholar Strict” canbe called upon as necessary to whip anunderachieving class into shape. Being

Acting is a sport. On stage youmust be ready to move like a tennisplayer on his toes. Your concentrationmust be keen, your refl exes sharp;your body and mind are in top gear;the chase is on. Acting is energy. In theatre people pay to see energy.

—Clive Swift

Good teaching is one-fourth preparationand three-fourths theater.

—Gail Godwin

If “acting is energy,” teaching ismany things: a combination of knowledge,experience, awareness, expertise,and care. is also the energy we,as language instructors, bring into theclassroom that absolutely affects theorder of the day. As a theater lover andpast occasional performer, I have oftenthought about the parallels betweenteaching and acting. Here are a fewthat come to mind.

You’re on stage. All eyes are onyou. You’re the initial focal point ofattention. Your presence shifts theenergy in the room. Sometimes, youliterally have a podium, with desks arrayedin rows before you like patronsat a theater. There is noise, chatter,laughter, shuffl ing in the room untilthe lights dim. Curtain up! Enter stageleft, the professor. Cell phones getput away, or at least discreetly placedto the side. Chitchat dies down. Theroom is hushed a moment, the pauseof anticipation before the fi rst wordsof dialogue are spoken.

information about her character before she even speaks. So do you. How are you dressed? Does what you wear convey some message about your position in this play, your role, your persona as

Teacher, leader, or facilitator of theenergy in the room? How do you walkin? Are your eyes downcast, refl ectingyour students’ spent energy at the endof a long week, or do they sparkle? Doyou walk in the room with pizzazz,transmitting vital energy to them, tocreate the cycle of give-and-take necessaryfor effective language learning?Do you use gestures, winks, and nodsto convey information, emotion, evencomedy? These are things worth thinkingabout, because one of the mostimportant ways you are like an actoris in this all-important function. Yourenergy and presence set the tone.

Just as audiences must have faithin actors and suspend their disbeliefto fully enter into the world the actorsare creating, your stude agreeto thebonds them to you in a vulnerablelearning situation. Your ability to createthat atmosphere of trust is important;your dynamism helps your classgenerate energy that in turn feeds youand helps the learning environment bedynamic. This is important for learningas well as for the teacher’s abilityto sustain energy and passion bothwithin a class and over her entire run.Actors use their voices as tools,relying on not just word choice but


The fi eld of ESOL has lost one of its most revered members, Jeanette D.Macero, who died May 9, 2011. Jeanette was passionate in her dedication tonon-native speakers of English as exemplifi ed by her teaching, mentoring andparticipation in professional organizations. Jeanette, one of the founders of NYS ESOL BEA (now NYS TESOL—seenote below), was a leader in that organization nonstop until her retirementfrom Syracuse University in 1998, as associate professor of English andTESOL coordinator of languages, literatures and linguistics. She moved toMedfi eld, MA to be near her family.

Many NYS TESOL members will testify to the mentoring they receivedfrom Jeanette, who held leadership positions in the organization for her entirecareer. Jeanette graduated with a BA in English from Barnard College, an MAin linguistics from Columbia University, and did doctoral study in linguisticsat the University of Michigan. She was president, second vice presidenttwice, and chair of various TESOL committees: publications, paper selection,awards and nominations. Twice, she received the NYS TESOL Distinguished

In addition to Jeanette’s full-time teaching at Syracuse University, shepublished skill books for beginners of English through Laubach Literacy(now known as ProLiteracy), as well as a number of scholarly papers and addresses,edited books of readings, and acted as consultant to many groups. All those who knew Jeanette are aware of her many accomplishmentsin professional organizations and her skillful teaching, but those closest toher will remember most her kind and compassionate manner to all she metand worked with, her hearty laugh, and her engaging personality. Jeanette’sfriends and colleagues have lost a treasure. All those who knew Jeanette arein professional organizations and her skillful teaching, but those closest toher will remember most her kind and compassionate manner to all she metand worked with, her hearty laugh, and her engaging personality. Jeanette’sfriends and colleagues have lost a treasure.

classroom, here are some suggestionsto get you started:• Take an acting class. Learn howto use body language, breath, andvoice to create energy and atmospher• Take a public speaking class.Learn relaxation techniques, visualiza-tiontechniques, and tips foreffectively conveying a message.• Join a group such as ToastmastersInternational, where you’ll learntips for public speaking.• Listen to and read poetry aloud.Learn about cadence, rhythm, andvolume to use your voice moreeffectively—and to save it fromtoo many of those hoarse, raggedy,“I’ve-spoken-too-much” days!• Similarly, take a vocal or voicetraining class. Learn specifi cbreathing exercises to strengthenyour voice and to become expertin effectively and effi ciently usingand saving your voice. Here is a website to get you thinkingabout your own parallels betweenacting and teaching: http://www/

ReferencesGodwin, G. (1974). The Odd Woman.New York: Ballantine Books.http://www/jbactors.com/actingphilosophy/actingquotations.Elizabeth Fonseca is an avid travelerwho has taught ESL/EFL in such countriesas Italy, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Her work has been published in the Arabia Review and the Traveler’s Tales series, among others. Her interest in

NYS TESOL Remembers Jeanette D. Macero by Vel Chesser


After the classmates have heardthe dialogue, I will ask them, “Whereis the change?” Hopefully, they willhear “OUt” on the fi rst try. I will thenmark it on the board. The rise in pitchat the beginning of “OUt” rather thanon the word “hang” is essential to theintelligibility of the idiom as well asto the rest of the dialogue. Teachersplay a vital role here. Once an idiomis presented, either the students or theteacher should provide/elicit the properintonation and then mark it. marking system is especially impor-tantfor non-native-English-speakingteachers who may be unfamiliar withthe proper intonation of idioms.

The good news regarding idiomaticphrases is that there are generalintonation patterns. In an emphasizedtwo-syllable word, such as “brainer”in the expression “no-brainer,” theword tends to receive a higher tone orpitch on the fi rst syllable. It’s a no-BRAIner. In the case of a one-syllablethewexpression“piece of cake,” there is a higher tone on the fi rst half ofa piece of CAke. In either case, therising intonation at the beginning isthen followed by a falling intonation.Saying the idiom in front of your stu-dentsin slow motion can really helpto clarify this, and it is also good for alaugh. When students know theintonation, communication can beachieved even with less-than-perfectpronunciation. This is good news forour students, as it is generally mucheasier to change the pitch of a wordthan to pronounce the word properly.

Mini Dialogues The mini dialogues written bythe students, followed by an in-class

Promising PracticesPiece of cake! Idiomactivities and the importance of proper intonationby Andrew Edison

BYOI—Bring Your Own Idiom Each student chooses one idiom to“teach” the class. They may choosefrom any source, and learn it wellenough to be able to explain it in frontof their classmates. This is a greatwarm-up; it’s student-centered andexciting, since they have chosen theseidioms themselves based on theirown interests. Don’t be surprised if anumber of idioms come from GossipGirl or Glee, American television procentering around high-school number of idioms come from Gossip girl withGirl or Glee, American television procentering around high-school

students, so idioms relating to datingand shopping tend to surface quiteoften (i.e., It’s on me; She’s into him;Those shoes are totally you). Duringthe students’ explanations, I stay off

to the side and will assist only if thesituation calls for it; I have even donethis activity remotely via Skype whenI was home sick in bed. Having thestudents in charge of this activityit quite manageable. It can also act asa springboard for all kinds of cul-turerelated discussions

Where Is the Change?Is intelligibility, especiallywhen using idioms. While pronuncia-tionmay be a factor, an equallyimportant factor is proper intonation.As the pitch in our voices rises andfalls, these changes in intonation areprocessed by the listener (Cruttenden,1986). If you have ever studied nese, link between the proper tone andcontextual situations and apply theproper intonation. A mini-dialogue Imight have with a student in front ofthe class, in which my role would beB, is as follows:A: What are you doing this weekend?might have with a student in front ofthe class, in which my role would beB, is as follows:

Idioms pop up everywhere in Englishmedia, often met with confusedlooks by our students. Even more adstudents have diffi culty usingthem with any degree of competence,especially if the idioms are culturallydifferent from their own (Irujo, 1986).Given their importance, more attentionshould be paid to teaching idioms inESL settings (Cooper, 1998). It is upto teachers to help students not onlylearn idioms, but also to encouragetheir usage in an intelligible manner.How can we incorporate idioms intoclassroom settings in a relaxed, communicative,and student-centered way?More important, how can weteach the intonation of idioms to


Some Helpful Resources Common Core Curriculum Maps:www.commoncore.org/free/ Common Core Standards andEnglish Language Learners:www.colorincolorado.org/educators/common_core Common Core State StandardsInitiative Web site:www.corestandards.org Common Core Standards Workfor ELLs: The Importance ofLinking English Language Profi -ciency Standards to the CommonCore Standardswww.colorincolorado.org/powerpoint/ELLELPStandardsPPT%20Slide.pdf K-6 Units in ELA Aligned withCommon Core Standards:www.elementarytests.com/blog/k-6-ela-common-core/ P21 Common Core Toolkitwww.p21.org/images/p21_toolkit_fi nal.pdf www.thejournal.com/articles/2011/08/02/common-core-toolkit-aligns-standards-with-21stcentury-skills-framework.aspxWebsites of the members of theadvisory board to the Common CoreInitiative:Achieve, Inc.: www.achieve.orgACT: www.act.orgThe College Board:www.collegeboard.comNational Association of StateBoards of Education:www.nasbe.orgState Higher Education ExecutiveOffi cers: www.sheeo.org

Hakuta, a professor of education atStanford University, a member of theCommon Core Validation Committee,and a long-time expert on ELLs; andMaria Santos, the former director ofprograms for ELLs for the New YorkCity school system, are co-chairs ofthis national effort to write standardsfor ELLs to parallel the Language Artsand Mathematics Standards of theCommon Core, as well as the ScienceStandards that are expected to bedeveloped. This grant award fi lls thegap in the process of implementing theCommon Core for ELLs (Zehr, 2011).The grant, which lasts for two years,is called “Building on Common-CoreStandards to Improve Learning forEnglish-Language Learners.”

“The effort is to think about thecontent areas in the common core thatoffer strategically fertile areas aroundwhich language instruction can takeplace,” Dr. Hakuta explained. “Thestandards will elaborate on what ELLsshould know and be able to do in thecontent areas at different Englishprofi ciency levels,” he added. (Zehr,2011).

Preparing ELLs for the CommonCore—A WebinarOn May 5, 2011, Dr. Hakuta presenteda webinar at www.teachscape.com called “Research to Practice:He offered his thoughts and ideasduring the webinar under the topicof planning for the Common Core,including:

• Engage in the idea that excellencein instruction and assessmentaround content revolves aroundthe idea of rich language use;

• Engage in the idea that excellencin instructionaround content revolves aroundthe idea of rich language use;

• Build the professional developmentaround the idea that languageinstruction is the domainof all teachers, not just EnglishLanguage Arts and ESL teachers;

• Identify your objectives, assessments,and best practices inclassrooms and ensure that you’remaking progress toward those

• Use the Common Core to recognizeand amplify the opportunityfor rich language development forELLs and for all students (Hakuta,

According to Dr. Hakuta, there aresome key elements for ELLs regardingthe Common Core, including:

• The Common Core provides astrong incentive to examine therole of language in content instructionand in assessment; there is arole for leadership to take advantageof this opportunity;

• Even though the Common Coresays nothing about the EnglishLanguage profi ciency expectationsof ELLs, there is a requirementthat English language profi ciencybe aligned to the Common Core;

• There will be more commonalityacross states in the identifi cationof students because there will bemore common profi ciency tests;

• The Common Core has the potentialto move ELL performance/profi ciency both across schools

and across the country (Hakuta,2011). • The Common Core has the potentialto move ELL performance/profi ciency both across schoolsand across the country (Hakuta,2011).• The Common Core has the potentialto move ELL performance/profi ciency both across schoolsand across the country (Hakuta,2011).

Promising Practices


ESL teachers employ a variety ofinstructional tools in the classroom.Conversation can be used to helpstudents practice pronunciation, to pre-pareand develop a well-thought-outparagraph, and to enhance listeningskills. Most important, conversationalactivities tap into students’ schemato help them fully develop criticalthinking skills in English. Below areseveral activities I have used with my

To introduce the concept of whichstudents’ origins, I show students howto use the Reporter’s Questions (Who,What, When, Where, Why, and How)to gather information. Students partnerwith one another to ask these question-sand record the answers. When theclass comes together again, I ask thegroup, “Who has a partner comingfrom a country whose name beginswith the letter A?” Students mightanswer Argentina. The class thenidentifi es which continent Argentinais on. Students check the map inthe classroom to know more abouttheir partner’s home country. This isrepeated until the end of the alphabet.Students work with their partners to

See what they already know aboutthese countries. This prior knowledgehelps students realize that they knowmore than they think about geography.Next, the class discusses the varietyof languages spoken by the students.After obtaining this information,

What they already know aboutthese countries. This prior knowledgehelps students realize that they knowmore than they think about geography.Next, the class discusses the varietyof languages spoken by the students.After obtaining this information, of languages spoken by the students.After obtaining this information,

homework is to review the draft andto rewrite it at home on the computer.The next day, I review the homeworkwithon a grammatical topic, such as verbtense usage. I choose to focus myfeedback on one or two aspects of thewriting assignment so that a completelymarked-up paper does not The next assignment involvesa biography about a famous American.It might be a commonly known Ameri-can like George Washington orso-meone from a particular fi eld. After orming groups and prior to reading,students discuss what they alrea-dyknow about the person and what theyexpect to see in the article. I introducethe concepts of topic and mainidea as well as vocabulary specifi c tothe story. After reading the biograstudents individually answer the

Reporter’s Questions from the article,and then share their answersIn groups, students generate theirown questions using the Reportons. When the class comestogether, one student from each con-versationgroup writes one question onthe board—the questions shonot beduplicates of other groups’ questions.Students read each question aloud.I ask the whole class for grammaticalcorrections to the questions. Aftercompleting the exercise, students writea summary of the biography—they canuse these questions or the ones fromthe conversation group—and showthis to their conversation partner forfeedback. Their homework is to createa revised version of the in-class writtensummary that incorporates their


When the class comes together, one student from each conversationgroupthe board—the questions shonot beduplicates of other groups’ questions.Students read each question aloud.I ask the whole class for grammaticalcorrections to the questions. Aftercompleting the exercise, students writea summary of the biography—they canuse these questions or the ones fromthe conversation group—and showthis to their conversation partner forfeedback. Their homework is to createa revised version of the in-class writtenuse these questions or the ones fromthe conversation group—and showthis to their conversation partner forfeedback. Their homework is to createa revised version of the in-class written

Promising Practices


Introduction from the New Idiom Editor, Cara Tuzzolino Werben

dialogues supply the context necessaryto achieve natural usage andeffective communication (Nippold& Martin, 1989). The task is to writemini dialogues, where each dialoguecontains at least one idiom from class,either from our text or from one ofthe students’ BYOI. There should bejust enough context (4-6 lines) for theexchange to be meaningful (Nippold

Make sure the students understandthat even though these dialogues arebeing written down, they should bestriving for spoken and not writtenEnglish. I also ask them to considerthe roles of the speakers as in the student dialogue (the professor

A: Excuse me. Professor? Are youbusy? B: I’m running LAte, actually. I’ll behere tomorrow. A: Ok, thank you. B: Alright.

This exchange meets the criteria inthat it is a spoken dialogue, the rolesare defi ned, at least one idiom is used,and the idiom is marked with the properintonation. Once their dialoguesare done, I collect, correct, and returnthem. Afterward, I circulate, takingstudent questions on my corrections.Then, I have each pair practice andperform at least one of their dialoguesintonation. Once their dialoguesare done, I collect, correct, and returnthem. Afterward, I circulate, takingstudent questions on my corrections.Then, I have each pair practice andwent to scholl at seven clock in the morning went school sevenin I have each pair practice andperform at least one of their dialoguesintonation. Once their dialoguesare done, I collect, correct, and returnthem. Afterward, I circulate, taking

like a director’s slate. The class listensfor the idiom used in the dialogue. Thisis always fun, as students enjoy watch-ingtheir classmates perform. I like tosupply props/wigs to spice it up. Beprepared for the cameras to come out!I also quiz them on the idiom and theintonation right after each dialogue.

Conclusion English continues to be a globallanguage. Proper knowledge and us-age of idioms are powerful tools foranyone requiring English in daily com-munication.By focusing on the properintonation for our students to achievemaximum intelligibility, we are betterequipping them for the English-speak-ingworld. It is important for us asteachers to go the extra mile.

ReferencesCooper, T. C. (1998). Teaching idioms.Foreign Language Annals, 31(2),255-266.Cruttenden, M. (1986). Intonation.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Universrujo, S. (1986). Don’t put your legin your mouth: Transfer in theacquisition of idioms in a secondlanguage. TESOL Quarterly, 20,287-304. Nippold, M. A., & Martin, S. T. (1989).Idiom interpretation in isolationversus context: A developmentalstudy with adolescents. JournalSpeech & Hearing Research, 32,.Nunan, D. (2003). Practical Englishteaching. New York: McGraw Hill.Scott, W. A., & Ytreberg, L. H. (2000).Speech & Hearing Research, 32,.Nunan, D. (2003). Practical Englishteaching. New York: McGraw Hill.Nunan, D. (2003). Practical Englishteaching. New York: McGraw Hill.Scott, W. A., & Ytreberg, L. H. (2000).Speech & Hearing Research, 32,

Greetings Idiom readers,

I am delighted to combine mybackground in publishing with mylove of TESOL as the new editor ofIdiom. Thank you to my predecessor,Julie Dziewisz, for her great workand help with a smooth transition. Ialso thank the column editors, copyeditor, NYS TESOL leadership andmembers for the warm welcome. My career began with a B.A.in journalism from NYU. After Iswitched to marketing, and laterfundraising, I volunteered in anESOL classroom and loved it. I enrolledin Teachers College, ColumbiaUniversity, graduated with an Ed.M.in TESOL, and began working as anadjunct at Pace, CUNY, andColumbia. Presently, I work in an intensiveEnglish program at Nassau CommunityCollege. We focus on improvingstudents’ skills through an integrated,holistic approach, so that they canexit our program and be prepared forcollege-level work. I also instruct andmentor aspiring TESOL teachers atthe Literacy Assistance Center.I welcome the chance to meet withinterested writers during the Annual


ESL teachers employ a variety ofinstructional tools in the classroom.Conversation can be used to helpstudents practice pronunciation, to pre-pareand develop a well-thought-outparagraph, and to enhance listeningskills. Most important, conversationalactivities tap into students’ schemato help them fully develop criticalthinking skills in English. Below areseveral activities I have used with my

To introduce the concept of whichstudents’ origins, I show students howto use the Reporter’s Questions (Who,What, When, Where, Why, and How)to gather information. Students partnerwith one another to ask these question-sand record the answers. When theclass comes together again, I ask thegroup, “Who has a partner comingfrom a country whose name beginswith the letter A?” Students mightanswer Argentina. The class thenidentifi es which continent Argentinais on. Students check the map inthe classroom to know more abouttheir partner’s home country. This isrepeated until the end of the alphabet.Students work with their partners to

What they already know aboutthese countries. This prior knowledgehelps students realize that they knowmore than they think about geography.Next, the class discusses the varietyof languages spoken by the students.After obtaining this information,

See what they already know aboutthese countries. This prior knowledgehelps students realize that they knowmore than they think about geography.Next, the class discusses the varietyof languages spoken by the students.After obtaining this information, of languages spoken by the students.After obtaining this information,


Reporter’s Questions from the article,and then share their answersIn groups, students generate theirown questions using the Reportons. When the class comestogether, one student from each con-versationgroup writes one question onthe board—the questions shonot beduplicates of other groups’ questions.Students read each question aloud.I ask the whole class for grammaticalcorrections to the questions. Aftercompleting the exercise, students writea summary of the biography—they canuse these questions or the ones fromthe conversation group—and showthis to their conversation partner forfeedback. Their homework is to createa revised version of the in-class written

Come to theAnnual Conference

October 28-29, 2011New York State Teachers of

English to Speakers ofOther Languages

41st Annual Conference“Enhancing English

Learning: ConnectingCommunities Through

Collaboration”Marriott HotelMelville, NY

For further information,go to

www.nystesol.organd check your e-mail

on theNYS TESOL Listserv

If you are interested involunteering

or have questions,contact

Conference ChairChristy Baralis [email protected]

For ELLs, Talking Is Learningby Elaine Caputo Ferrara

English to Speakers ofOther Languages

41st Annual Conference“Enhancing English

Learning: ConnectingCommunities Through

Collaboration”Marriott Hotel


CALL FOR AWARDS

Exceptional Professionals

To honor contributions made within our fi eld, NYS TESOL presents severalawards annually, including:

James A. Lydon Distinguished Service AwardOutstanding Teacher Award

Recognition AwardLifetime Achievement Award

James E. Weaver Memorial AwardSpecial Award

Year Award Honoree2010 Recognition Award Dr. Anita Batisti

Outstanding Teacher Dr. Maria Dove2009 Lifetime Achievement Award Estee Lopez

Recognition Award Dr. Walter Sullivan& Saul Cohen

Outstanding Teacher Barbara Suter2008 James E. Weaver Memorial Award Alison O’Neil

Recognition Award Sam HoytOutstanding Teacher Donna Bove

2007 James A. Lydon Distinguished Service George MorrisRecognition Award Maria NeiraOutstanding Teacher Dr. Andrea

Honigsfeld &Caryn Bachar

2006 James A. Lydon Distinguished Service Dr. Frank TangOutstanding Teacher Patricia C. La Rose

2005 James A. Lydon Distinguished Service Diana Segovia

Praus2011 Award Winners will be presented at the

41st Annual ConferenceOctober 28th & 29th, 2011

Please review our available awards and criteria for submission atwww.nystesol.org.

Submit all nominations and supporting documentation as attachmentsvia e-mail to:

Meredith Van Schuyler, [email protected] submissions due September 23, 2011.

seasons, media, habits, and customs.These can be used to talk about thetopic in conversation groups, to learnvocabulary specifi c to a topic, and topractice pronunciation. I ask studentsto look up defi nitions of highlightedwords on the sheets. As an instructor,using these sheets is a way to deterstudents’ familiarity with Americanculture and to plan class trips.

Students can also conduct researchenhance their knowledge about media.I used these conversation activitieswith levels 3 to 7 students (as meaby the Best Plus) enrolled innon-credit ESL CUNY courses fora semester or more. Students rangedfrom 18 to 60 years, were from allover the world, and spoke a wideof languages. Some were recentlyarrived professionals who had universidegrees; others had a basic education

Students developed a sense ofcommunity because of the sharedconversation exercises. Many goodfriendships began in class and continafter graduation. These friendshipsmade it more enjoyable for many toattend class on a regular basis and didlead to fewer absences. By the end,students learned how to express theirideas more clearly in English andhow to formulate questions for futureeducational use. Their critical thinkingskills were used to evaluate the newinformation and to compare it to whatElaine Caputo Ferrara received aMaster’s degree from N.Y.U. in educashe developed a citizenship class for


Book Review games and page numbers. Thisis followed by a detailed map of thebook with the game titles, grammartopics covered, and levels and timeneeded. The introduction also includescommentary from the authors on howthe book can be used and their ratiofor the methodologies utilized by

Each game begins with the titleof the game and a box restating thedetails from the map of the book. Ifthe game can be adapted for otherstructures and levels, a sub-box statesstart the main portion of themini-les-son, the authors note anypreparationis followed by a breakdown of thein-class procedures of the game. Theauthors also include examples, variaa rationale overview, and notesor acknowledgements when neces-Lastly, any required handouts are pro

On a minor note, the examplesand handouts are written using BritishEnglish vocabulary. In the case ofclasses in the United States, instrucwill need to rewrite these in StandardAmerican English.

The first section includes competistart the main portion of themini-les-son, the authors note anypreparationis followed by a breakdown of thein-class procedures of the game. On a minor note, the examplesand handouts are written using BritishEnglish vocabulary. In the case ofclasses in the United States, instrucwill need to rewrite these in StandardAmerican English.The fi rst section includes competitivestart the main portion of themini-les-

More Grammar Games: Cognitive,Affective and Movement Activities forEFL Students. By Mario Rinvolucriand Paul Davis. Cambridge Press. Cambridge. UK. (2010).176 pp. ISBN: 978-0-521-46630-1

The usefulness of the book as a sup-plementaltext in the adult ESL classis the main purpose of this review, itsutility can be applied to various teacing

The text is divided into nine sectionsincluding “Competitive Games,”“Cognitive Games,” “Feelings andGrammar,” “Listening to People,”“Movement and Grammar,” “Meaningand Translation,” “Problem Solving,”

“Correction” and “Presentation,” fora total of 81 games, or mini-lessons.As the titles suggest, many lessons arerooted in the principles of well-knownEnglish language learning methodoloincluding the Silent Way, as wellas Counseling-Learning/CommunityLanguage Learning (CLL). The bookbegins with a table of contents notingThe text is divided into nine sectionsincluding “Competitive Games,”“Cognitive Games,” “Feelings andGrammar,” “Listening to People,”“Movement and Grammar,” “Meaningand Translation,” “Problem Solving,”

“Correction” and “Presentation,” fora total of 81 games, or mini-lessons.As the titles suggest, many lessons arerooted in the principles of well-known

“Correction” and “Presentation,” fora total of 81 games, or mini-lessons.As the titles suggest, many lessons arerooted in the principles of well-known “Correction” and “Presentation,” fora total of 81 games, or mini-lessons.As the titles suggest, many lessons arerooted in the principles of well-known

The cognitive games in section twoare unique in their structure as, ac-cordingto the authors, the exercisesmostly open-ended ones: this differsfrom many grammar exercises thatrequire one correct response. tlan-guage without the direct infl uenceof the instructor. While these typesof activities can be very creative andhave their place in certain contexts,giving students unlimited control overthe types of sentences produced cancause the direction of the lesson to be

For this reason, although thissection follows the Silent Way methodin its purest form (Larsen-Freeman,2000), the lack of fi nal language desdoes not follow the integratedand pragmatic way that the Silent Wayis often practiced in the classroom.Sections three and four, which dealwith feelings and listening to others,respectively, are arguably the strongeschapters. Here, games are designed tSections three and four, which dealwith feelings and listening to others Sections three and four, which dealwith feelings and listening to others,chapters. Here, games are designed tSections three and four, which dealwith feelings and listening to others,Sections three and four, which dealwith feelings and listening to others


NYS TESOL SIG Coordinator In coordination with the 2011 NYS TESOL annual conference, “Enhanc- ing English Learning: Connecting Communities through Collaboration,” the topic for this year’s student essay contest, “How has your community helped you learn English?,” revolved around communities and the role that living, working, and interacting in them plays in the English language learn-ers’ (ELLs) acquisition of English.

The essay contest was held for students who are current or former ELLs within three categories: students in grades four through eight; students in grades nine through twelve; and students enrolled in a university or an adult education program, including students enrolled in Intensive Eng- lish programs, community colleges, degree-based programs, and ESOL

The student essay contest was very successful, with 113 essays received from throughout New York State. A winner and an honorary mention were chosen from each of the three categories. The names of the winners and honorary mentions will be an- nounced during the Friday luncheon at the annual conference and their essays will be printed in the conference booklet. The winning essays will also be included in dent Essay ContestPlease join me in thanking all of the students who submitted essays to the sixth annual student essay contest! Watch for news about the 2012 con-test in an upcoming issue of Idiom, as well as on our website.

2011 NYS TESOLStudent Essay Contest by Laura Van Tassell

References

Baker, C. (2006). Foundations ofBoth students and teacher have b i l i n -gual education and bilingual- much to gain from More Grammar i s m (4th ed.). Toronto: Multilin-2011 NYS TESOL Student Essay Con-test by Laura Van TassellNYS TESOL SIG CoordinatorIn coordination with the 2011 NYS TE-SOL annual conference, “Enhanc- ing English Learning: Connecting Commu-nities through Collaboration,” the topic for this year’s (Larsen-Freeman 2001). t i v e , Affective and Movement To offer some criticism, the orga- Activities for EFL Students. Newnizational structure of the text can York: Cambridge Univsity Press.

coordination with the 2011 NYS TESOL annual conference, “Enhanc- ing English Learning: Connecting Communities through Collaboration,” the topic for this year’s student essay contest, “How has your community helped you learn English?,” revolved around communities and the role that living, working, and interacting in them plays in the English language learn-ers’ (ELLs) acquisition of English.

The essay contest was held for students who are current or former ELLs within three categories: students in grades four through eight; students in grades nine through twelve; and students enrolled in a university or an adult education program, including students enrolled in Intensive Eng- lish programs, community colleges, degree-based programs, and ESOL

The student essay contest was very successful, with 113 essays received from throughout New York State. A winner and an honorary mention were chosen from each of the three categories. The names of the winners and honorary mentions will be an- nounced during the Friday luncheon at the annual conference and their essays will be printed in the conference booklet. The winning essays will also be included in dent Essay ContestPlease join me in thanking all of the students who submitted essays to the sixth annual student essay contest! Watch for news about the 2012 con-test in an upcoming issue of Idiom, as well as on our website.

amount of setup. While an instructor first language (Baker, 2006; Gibbons, may hope to use a book of games as 2009). Therefore, if instructors use a quick reference for lesson ideas, the these mini-lessons, they may find that time required for finding an appropri- when properly administered, deep ate lesson and setup prevent the book learning can take place during games from being used in that manner. Fi- that use translationnally, while one would assume that all

The last three sections are less of the games are related explicitly to

substantial. Section seven deals with grammar, some have a more semantic from gaining knowledge but should be .


Small Talk: A MeaningfulConversation Tool by Joy Scantlebury

Engaging English Language Learner(ELLs) in a few minutes of smalltalk prior to the start of ESL class canbe a very useful strategy. The purposof small talk is not about gauging howgrammatically correct my students caspeak in English -- although I do makmental notes of students’ grammaticadiffi culties for subsequent lessons.It provides the opportunity for mystudents to be heard in a very relaxedsetting, while allowing their English toemerge. It certainly can be a challengto insert those few minutes during thefast-paced schedule of a typical schoday, but I have found it to be a sourceof valuable information.I often begin the small talk sessionwith an informational “wh” questionsuch as “How was your appointmentat the dentist?” or “What did you doafter school yesterday?” are quite revealing. Some students,especially those in middle school, areinitially guarded, while others seemsurprised that I want to know moreabout them. Gradually as they learnto trust me as well as their classthe students slowly open up. It isgratifying to see a once painfully shykindergarten student now coming toclass with daily announcements suchas, “You know what? Yesterday, IThere are other times when studentsexpress more sensitive issues,which we discuss further in priOne example of this occurred

ELL who mentioned this incident had always felt self-conscious about his ability to speak English prompted my immediate arrangement of a meeting with his teacher and the other student. Fortunately, we were able to resolve the situation, but it taught me to be-come more vigilant when working with ELLs in the mainstream classroom.It is impressive to listen to a student retell a story or incident, but the most gratifying part is when he or she is able to connect it to a new concept. When studying the concept of cause and effect during a reading lesson, I sensed that only a few students understood this concept, while many did not. Suddenly, one student an-nounced, “Do you remember when I told you the story about how I acciden-tally spilled water on the kitchen He proudly continued, “That was an example of cause and effect. The cause was when I spilled water on the floor. The effect was when my mom became angry.” His classmates nodded their heads in agreement. It was as if a light bulb had been turned on! I could not have provided a better example of cause and effect!As ELLs become more confident in speaking English, more of their per- sonalities emerge. During one of our small talk sessions, I asked a begin- e laugh. I then decided to follow her quip with another “wh” question. I tapped up from the table. “What does your brother like to do at school?” I asked.

She smiled and impishly replied, “He like (sic) to sleep.” How clever this little girl was! I realized several things during our small talk exchange. This student demonstrated that she understood the word “sleepy”, she connect- ed that understanding to a different context, and she found a way to make it humorous. None of these is easy to do, especially at the beginning of the language acquisition process. Laterin the day, I had this student retell the joke to her teacher and some of her classmates. This small talk session was a pivotal moment for this student because she was clearly pleased to see that she could be funny in English.I have noticed that ELLs have the ca-pacity to dissect words in interest- ing ways, especially when these words are spoken. When native English speakers think about words, we tend to focus on the sum and not the parts. When a student was beginning ELL in second grade, I recall his reading a passage out loud. After encountering the two-syllable word, “awesome”, he pronounced it as if were a three- syl-lable words, “a – we—some”. Prior to that day, I had never realized that the word “awesome” is comprised of three smaller words: “a”, “we” and “some”. That was a revelation for me. How

College, Columbia University. Joy cur-rently teaches ESL at Pocantico Hills Central School in Sleepy Hollow, NY. <[email protected]>


Above: Everyone listens as Ufualè Afola Amey talks about learning English from her teacher Dave, a Peace Corps volunteer.Right: Sonia Portugal, Peru, performs Floating Words, a dance she choreo- graphed to portray the spirit of English language learning.Below: Ahmed El-Habashi, Egypt; Tomoko Kihira, Japan; Ufualè Afola Amey, Togo; Osiris Romero, Dominican Republic and Elena Lyumanova, Russia, come together in anticipation of their panel presentation.


Resources for Implementing...(continued from page 7) standards with recommended student objectives, texts, and activities.Examples of these thematic curriculum units include: Grade 1: The Amazing Animal World; Grade 3: The People, the Preamble, and the Presi- dents; Grade 6: Folklore: A Blast from the Past; Grade 9: Literary Elements of a Short Story; and Grade 12: Eu-ropean Literature: Renaissance and Reforma- tion. Common Core

NYS TESOL Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Regions Leadership Directory 2010-2011SIG LeadersSIG CoordinatorLaura Van Tassell <[email protected] SIG Coordinator<[email protected]>Applied LinguisticsAndrew Miller Lindsay Wells<[email protected]>ESL in Adult EducationTamara Kirson <[email protected] in Bilingual Education Co-ChairLydia Gutierrez <[email protected] in Elementary Education Co-Susan Goldstein Diane Howitt<[email protected]><[email protected]>ESL in Secondary Education<[email protected]>ESL in Special Education Co-ChairPatty Barry <specialeducation@nysteTeacher Education Co-ChairsSoonhyang Kim Joanna Labov<[email protected]>Teaching English Internationally Co-Chairs Claudette Oliveras Melissa Du<[email protected]>

Core Standards for ELA/Literacy, wrote two documents highlighting the key ideas of the standards and de- scribing the qualities of instructional materials they consider an accurate reflection of them (Gewertz, 2011).

Common Core Assessments According to the National Gover- nor’s Association/CCSSO, the Com- mon Core State Standards will also ul-timately be the basis for a system of high-quality assessments. New York State is a governing member

The PARCC Web site can be viewed at http://parcconline.org/. Over the next few years, New York and 25 other states will develop a set of English Language Arts wand Mathematics assessments, which will be finalized in 2014-15 (NYSED, 2011). Common Core Standards Assessment Re-sources are located at http://education northwest.org/resource/1331. as- ses-sments, which will be finalized in 2014-15 (NYSED, 2011). Common Core Standards Assessment Resources are

Conversation Table is held at theCenter for International Programs ona different weekday each month to that students have the opportunityto attend at least once a semester. Atthe catered lunch, 20-25 guests meetfor 45 minutes. Attendees are seateda large rectangular table conducive tointeraction. Faculty, staff, and volunmay lead discussions with studentson topics such as food, culturalsimilarities and differences, religionand government. If a student seemslonely, the faculty is there to makeintroductions and initiate dialogue.The program promotes ConversationTable in a variety of ways.At the beginning of each semester,all new students receive an eventhandout. ESL teachers review it inclass, answer questions, and promoteattendance. One week prior to theluncheon, fl iers are posted and e-sent out. Students can RSVP andon the event’s Facebook page.The day before the event, we remindstudents to attend. On the day of the sent out. Students can RSVP andon the event’s Facebook page.The day before the event, we remind

Conversation Table is held at theCenter for International Programs ona different weekday each month to that students have the opportunityto attend at least once a semester. Atthe catered lunch, 20-25 guests meetfor 45 minutes. Attendees are seateda large rectangular table conducive tointeraction. Faculty, staff, and volunmay lead discussions with studentson topics such as food, culturalsimilarities and differences, religionand government. If a student seemslonely, the faculty is there to makeintroductions and initiate dialogue.The program promotes ConversationTable in a variety of ways.At the beginning of each semester,all new students receive an eventhandout. ESL teachers review it inclass, answer questions, and promoteattendance. One week prior to theluncheon, fl iers are posted and e-sent out. Students can RSVP andon the event’s Facebook page.The day before the event, we remindstudents to attend. On the day of the sent out. Students can RSVP andon the event’s Facebook page.The day before the event, we remind


Check out the new Members Only website!

We’re very excited to announce the launch of the new Members Only website for NYS TESOL. We are just gearing up, but hope this will become a major resource and networking site for our members.Current members were sent an email alert in early September containing their username and password. Of course, your email system may have fi ltered our message into a spam folder — if you are a current member and did not receive a notice with your login information, please contact us at [email protected] annual conference registration already under way, please act quickly to login and verify your profi le data and network-ing preferences.

What’s There• Your profi le page• Membership renewal •Discounted event registration •Members Only online publication,logue • Discussionboards

Coming Soon• Networkingoptions • SIG/RegionE-lists •Job Coach/Career Mentoring •Service opportunities and awards

This site is viewable only by active members. And, because this is new, we have also blocked your contact information from members. So, unlike Facebook, where you decide what to set as ‘private,’ we’ve already done this. The only information visible to other members is: your Name, Member Type, Region and SIG preferences. You can privatize these, too, if you wish, by updating your profi le..What’s Next?We’d like you to tell us! Please look around the site, update your profi le, join a discussion board, and send us ideas for ad-

Discounted Membership UpdateNYS TESOL is committed to providing members with the most up-to-date resources, news and educational tools. To enable access by all members of our fi eld, NYS TESOL offers discounted memberships. Recently, we revised the documentation policy for discounts to align with other non-profi t organizations as well as to create greater consistency and transparency. Please check the new requirements when you prepare to renew. For questions regarding membership status and discounts, please contact us at [email protected].


Collaborative Conversations*(continued from page 1)• Collaborative Craftsmanship: Through conscious efforts for continuous improvement of the craft of teaching, teachers explore ways to enhance instructional time, language development, and content area resources, and offer support forTable 1 shows how the concept of collegiality and collaboration may offer a system of support in a linguistically and culturally diverse school context by including the four Cs with ample examples.

Collaborative Curriculum Development

Lesson objectives (language objectives and content objectives)Unit goals Curriculum maps Primary and supplementary instructional materials Adaped texts and materals

Collaborative Coaching

Use peer coaching to improveLesson planning Lesson delivery Unit design Use of supplementary materials Adapted content Modified instruction Assessment practice

The Four Cs of Collaboration

Collaboration may start out as a small, grassroots effort, involving only two or three teachers who share the re-sponsi- bility for some of the same ELLs and are concerned about their students’ progress. It may involve an entire grade level. Some examples include grade clusters working together to develop or enhance curricula in elementary schools; an interdisciplinary team of math, science, social studies, English, and ESL teachers (sharing respon-sibility for a cluster of classes in middle schools); or a discipline-specific department (focusing on preparing all students to meet graduation requirements of high schools). Regardless of the local context, all these collaborative

Collaborative CraftsmanshipExploreELLs’ background knowledgeELLs’ prior learningPeer coachingPlanning instruction collaboratively or in the context of co-teachingEffective methods for aligning curriculum and objectivesUsing time more effectively


DelliCarpini, M. (2009, May). logues across disciplines: Prepar- ing English-as-a-second-language teach-ers for interdisciplinary collaboration. Current Issues in Education (Online), 11(2). Re- trieved from http://cie.ed.asu.edu/ volume11/number2/Honigsfeld, A., & Dove, M. (2010).Collaboration and co-teaching: Strate-gies for English learners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NAC- TAF). (2009). Learning teams: Creating what’s next. Retrieved from http://www.nctaf.org/documents/NCTAFLearningTeams- 408REG2–09_000.pdfNEA (2009). NEA reiterates collabo-ra- tion as key to keeping teachers. Retrieved from http://www.nea. org/home/31477.htmPawan, F., & Ortloff, J. H. (2011). Sus- taining collaboration: English-as- a-second-language and content-area teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 463-471.Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld is associate dean and professor in the Division of Education at Molloy College, Rock- ville Centre. She is the co-author with Maria Dove of a recently published book, Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Strategies for English Learners (Cor- win Press, 2010).<[email protected]>*Sections of this manuscript have grown out of the author’s coll

Resources for Implementing...(continued from page 17) tional Policy Forum. http://www. colorincolorado.org/powerpoint/ ELL-ELPStandard-sPPT%20Slide. pdfColorin Colorado (2011). Common Core Standards and English Lan- guage Learners. Reading Rockets. WETA Learning Media. http:// www.colorincolorado.org/ educators/comGewertz, C. (2011). Common Core Writers Craft curriculum criteria, July 22, 2011. Education Weekly. http://www.edweek.org/ew/article s/2011/07/21/37curriculum.h30.ht ml?tkn=UPSFLpcFv4ebJmsg2qZx 2C7B8rKm7AL%2FiacG&cmp=c Gewertz, C., & Robelen, E. (2011). Curriculum maps aim to bring ELA Standards to life. July 25, 2011. http://blogs.edweek.org/ edweek/curricu-lum/2011/07/the_ nonprofit_group_common _cor. htmlHakuta, K. (2011). Webinar: Research to practice: Preparing ELLs for the Common Core, Teachscape, May 5, 2011. http://marketing. teachscape.com/K12Kenji ELLMay2011WebinarA-ccess.html

Lopez, E. (2010). ELA Standards: Shifting the focus to the Common Core comments, standards and cur-riculum, NYS TESOL, October 2010. http://www.nystesol.org/ curriculum-standards/standards. html

NYSED (2011). FAQs—Common Core learning standards. http:// www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/com- mon_core_standards/faq.htmlNYSUT (2011). Educational Resourc- es for English Language Learners. http://www.nysut.org/cps/rde/ xchg/nysut/hs.xsl/k12_13765.htmQuay, L. (2010). Higher standards for all: Implications of the Common Core for equity in education. Civil Rights Research Roundtable on Educa-tion, Berkeley Law, April 2010. http://www.law.berkeley. edu/files/Educa-tion_Roundable_ Standards_Brief_ 4_10.pdfWashington State School Board (2010). Common Core Stan- dards—Process FAQs. http:// www.sbe.wa.gov/documents/ FAQ%20Com-mon%20 Core%Standards%20Pro-cess.pdfZehr, M. A. (2011). Conference: Imple-menting Common Core Standards for ELLs, Learning the Language Blog, August 11, 2010. Education Weekly. http://blogs. edweek.org/edweek/learning-the- language/2010/08/con-ference_ implementing_common.htmlZehr, M. A. (2011). Stanford to lead creation of ELL standards for “Com-mon Core” Learning fifteen years of public school teaching experience. Diane’s previous posi creation of ELL standards for “Common Core” Learn-ing fifteen years of public school teaching experience. Diane’s previous posi


Idiom is a quarterly publication for members of NYS TESOL. The editors welcome articles as well as reactions to articles. All copy (maximum 1000 words, typed, double-spaced, with word count provided ) should follow APA guidelines and be submitted via e-mail (MS Word). Please include your name and address (including tele-phone number and e-mail address), as well as a brief (3-4 sentences) biographical statement. Please visit idiom.nystesol.org for links regarding APA guidelines and to view a sampleIdiom’s editorial goals are to be ac- cu-rate, to maintain the writer’s message, content, and style, and to fi t the work in the space allotted.

Idiom reserves the right to edit all manuscripts for clarity, brevity, and style; the editors will consult with con- tributors on substantive revisions. Ar- ticles from Idiom may be reprinted with proper acknowledgment of the source.

Cara Tuzzolino Werben LINCC-Nas-sau Community College One Educa-tion Dr. Garden City, NY 11530 (516) 573-0165 E-mail: [email protected] Idiom reserves the right to edit all manuscripts for clarity, brevity, and style; the editors will consult with con- tributors on substantive revisions. Ar- ticles from Idiom may be reprinted with proper acknowledgment of the source.Cara Tuzzolino Werben LINCC-Nas-sau Community College One Educa-tion Dr. Garden City, NY 11530 (516)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Consultant:Ceil GoldmanPrinting and Mailing:The Coughlin Printing Group, Water

Column Editors:Book Review

Nanette Dougherty Email: idiomnysteCulture NotesElisabeth Gareis 257 Crest Drive Tar-rytown, NY 10591 Tel.: (914) 524-7915 E-mail: [email protected] PracticesAnn C. Wintergerst Dept. of Languag-es and Literatures St. John’s Univer-sity Queens, NY 11439 E-mail: [email protected] Elisabeth Gareis 257 Crest Drive Tarrytown, NY 10591 Tel.: (914) 524-7915 E-mail: egareis@

baruch.cuny.eduPromising PracticesAnn C. Wintergerst Dept. of Lan-guages and Literatures St. John’s University Queens, NY 11439 E-mail: [email protected]

Upcoming Idiom

Annual ConferencePlease submit articles based on presentations at the NYS TESOL conference (Oct. 28-29, 2011) “Enhancing English

Learning: Connecting Commu-nities Through Collaboration” at

Melville MarriottSubmission Deadline: Decembe

TBDDeadlines and themes for 2012 will be published in the Winter

2011 issue of Idiom.

Calendar and AnnouncementsOctober 28-29, 2011February 11, 2012March 28-31, 2012NYS TESOL 41st Annual Conferene“Enhancing English Learning: Con-necting Communities Through Col-laboration” Melville Marriott in Melville, Long Island. See http://www.nystesol.

“Connections: TESOL and Applied Linguistics in a Global Context” Philadelphia For more information:


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A single conversationacross the table with a wiseperson is worth a month’sstudy of books.—Chinese proverb

Once a month, the Haggerty EnglishLanguage Program at SUNY NewPaltz hosts an informal learning known as Conversation Tableto encourage casual conversation on arange of topics in an inviting environmThe program was established tohelp promote interaction and dialoguebetween international students (parESL), faculty, and staff andAmerican students interested in interstudies. Occasionally, communityvolunteers attend as well.

Conversation Table is held at theCenter for International Programs ona different weekday each month tothat students have the opportunityto attend at least once a semester. Atthe catered lunch, 20-25 guests meetfor 45 minutes. Attendees are seateda large rectangular table conducive tointeraction. Faculty, staff, and volunmay lead discussions with studentson topics such as food, culturalsimilarities and differences, religionand government. If a student seemslonely, the faculty is there to makeintroductions and initiate dialogue.The program promotes Conversation

At the beginning of each semester,all new students receive an eventhandout. ESL teachers review it inclass, answer questions, and promoteattendance. One week prior to theluncheon, fl iers are posted and e-mailsent out. Students can RSVP and sign

Conversation Table by Sarah Elia

luncheon, the event coordinator arearly at the venue to set up and greetguests. At the end of the meal, stuare asked to help with cleanup.After the gathering, photographs ofthe event are uploaded onto the ESLdepartment Facebook page. Stupost photos and comments. A stusurvey on Facebook following thehelps with preparation for futureevents. A student journalist writes anarticle about Conversation Table forthe ESL department newsletter, is distributed to all ESL students aswell as other departments on cam

Conversation Table has becomeincreasingly popular because of theopportunity it offers for socializationand discussion. Attendees leaveshared dialogue, laughter, smiles, angood food. ESL students also have avaluable language experience andconnections with native speakers.Sarah Elia is a lecturer in ESL at the

Haggerty English Language Programat SUNY New Paltz. As the proevent coordinator, she works topromote positive interactionsbetween international students andAmerican students. Elia has a B.A.from Bard College and an M.A. inTESOL from SUNY New Paltz.

During Timed Conversations,

learners primarily practice listening/speaking skills and a host of otherconversational skills, including butlimited to: turn taking; the language ouragement and praise; the lanof expressing unfamiliarity with

in the title, for example: Four MinuteConversations. Timed Conversationsare typically fl uency-based and opfor learners to personalize andconverse about a topic, for a specifi edperiod of time.

For the instructor, Timed Conversacan function as: a warm-upactivity to activate learners’ schemata,to focus learners on the lesson topicor to connect the previous and currentlessons; a follow-up activity to allowlearners to expand on and personalizelesson content; a fi ller activity to purutilize ‘extra time’ at the endof a lesson; a stress-reliever activityto infuse a sense of fun into a lesson;a review activity for content courses;and a speech-sampling activity togauge learners’ conversational skills.In order to conduct Timed Conversayou essentially need twothings- a timer and topic cards. Convewrist watches, cell phones,iPads, computers, stop-watches,kitchen timers and classroom clockscan all function as timers.Ideally, the topics refl ected on thecards should complement your lesson

For example, if you were plana lesson on ‘classic baked goods,’each topic card could refl ect the nameof a classic baked good. Format topiccards on a computer, print in color andlaminate them (if these are resourcesavailable to you and if you will addthis activity to your repertoire).


ELLs respond well to lessons in theform of conversations as another

to incorporate some of the sameand scaffolds used for writing.As an example, I often give students aprompt of 5-10 words. For all gradesI have used “My greatest surprise.”Fourth graders write about justice.The students use the prompt as astarter and begin writing, eventuallyproducing a well-developed paraThese same prompts can be used tomaintain intelligent discourse amongstudents. The difference with makingconversations the major goal in alesson is that the discussion will notbe based on previous reading and/orwriting, but strictly on the presentSelf-expression, thoughts,ideas, and opinions will begin and endwith clarifi cation through conversation

Making this an integral partof lessons will address the challengesfaced by our ELL population in verbalcommunication, and can enhance thestudent’s listening and speaking skills.Another value with conversationsas a major focus is that the vocabularychallenges faced by many of our ELLswill be considered. Our students mayhave divided language skills. They arecomfortable with a specifi c lexiconfrom the home language, but use adifferent second language lexicon. Astronger emphasis on classroom conwill allow for a balance andexchange of word comprehension ofsimilar vocabulary in both languages.Conversations will be a major themein my ESL classrooms this school yearin support of enhancing my students’oral language skills.

Let’s Talk about It! by Yanick Chery-Frederic

ExplicitCommunicationby Ellen Terry Vandrew-Wald

The manner in which language andwriting are understood and misunderpromotes success or failure.Understanding what is said is the keyto communicative competence.Explicit communication is dialoguethat is clear, sure, and restated whennecessary. Crawford (1993) states thatthe processes of literacy and languagelearning require learners to be imin meaningful, relevant, andfunctional situations. In this way, stucan learn to handle themselvesin various situations.

Let’s begin with a kindergartenermeeting an instructor for the fi rst time.If the child is asked to describe someperhaps drawing it is a muchbetter way of communicating whathappened. Description may not simplybe done by talking. The explicit comwould require that theteacher talk and demonstrate so thatthis student knows what to do.Middle school students who do notspeak English can benefi t from ex

Let’s begin with a kindergartenermeeting an instructor for the fi rst time.If the child is asked to describe someperhaps drawing it is a muchbetter way of communicating whathappened. Description may not simplybe done by talking. The explicit comwould require that theteacher talk and demonstrate so thatthis student knows what to do.tspeak English can benefi t from ex

might offer to translate for this student,but that means that every utterancerequires assistance. When I write theaim and other particulars on the board(I verbally explain to the rest of theclass), I open a newcomer’s notebookand write a few of the words from theboard in his or her notebook, givingthe student explicit communication forinstruction by demonstration. Thecopies what is on the board. ThenI say “Copy.” From that time on, thisstudent knows what the word “copy”means and can copy.

Explicit communication withparents is one of the most importanttypes of communication. After all,the parent(s) or caretaker is the fi rstteacher and the one who can do themost to facilitate a student’s academicsuccess. In parent meetings, I comsimple words with academic languageand have the requisite bilingual dicBy explaining and demonstratingslowly and carefully, explicitcommunication and a good dialogueWhen one speaks with humility andcaring, the communication is explicit.Explicit communication is the key toall forms of dialogue; if one methoddoes not work, just keep on trying.

ReferencesCrawford, L. W. (1993). Languageand literacy learning in multiculturalclassrooms. NeedhamHeights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Ellen Terry Vandrew-Wald was born inthe Bronx into a multicultural, religiousbackground. Barry Wald, herhusband, encouraged her to become ateacher. She got her B.A. from


Model high school assessment Learning in Vogue:Elements of Style (LIVES) (Missere& Dunn, 2005) and suggested indistudy and homework strategies.

My students had critical conversawith their families about theirpersonal preferences, strengths, andareas for improvement. Some studentsdiscussed their need for a quiet, cool,and brightly lit place to study andcomplete homework assignments. student, who was not a morning perdiscussed her need for an alarmclock to wake her so she could arriveto class on time. Sadly, her family didnot want to be disturbed by the soundof an alarm clock so early in the mornand the student’s guidance counselorsuggested dropping her from thissupport class.

Conversations with ColleaguesMy fellow ESL teachers, bilingualguidance counselor, and departmentsupervisor met regularly to discussparent outreach, truant students, students, overcrowded classes,credit accumulation, and NYSESLATscheduling, among the numerouschallenges facing our ELLs. Theseconversations led to solutions andconsensus on major decisions andinitiatives. Colleagues who sharedstudents would (a) discuss divisionof language skill focus—one wouldemphasize the writing process, voand grammar, while the otherwould provide readings of a broadrange of literary genres, teach literary

Much to our dismay, we discoveredthat students often did not transferlearning between ESL classes andteachers—somehow, the learningin the classroom environmentand was forgotten in a new setting.Conversations with mainstreamEnglish colleagues centered on implementationof TESOL strategies tothe needs of transitional and post-ELLs. Conversations with mathematscience, and social studies assistantprincipals and teachers helped mefocus on topics that they found werethe most problematic for ELLs.

As the ESL teacher component in acollaborative team teaching mathclass, daily co-teaching experiencesand collaborative conferences led todifferentiated tutoring and small-groupinstruction. I reinforced basic mathskills to the students who did not knowsimple addition, subtraction, multiplicaand division, while my mathcolleague reinforced higher-level mathskills and concepts.

Conclusion

These conversations take time andenergy. High school teachers of ELLsmay fi nd they, too, are performingdouble the work to support adolescentELLs in meeting the challengesof second language acquisition in anacademic environment. This increasedresponsibility, however, may proveworthwhile when the resulting converlead to targeted instruction andinterventions as teachers collaborate

References

Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (1993). Teachingsecondary students throughtheir individual learning styles:Practical approaches for grades7-12. Boston, MA: Allyn &Bacon.Dunn, R., & Griggs, S. A. (Eds.).(2003, 2004, 2007). Synthesis ofthe Dunn and Dunn learning-stylemodel research: Who, what, when,where, and so what? Jamaica, NY:St. John’s University’s Center forthe Study of Learning and TeachingFountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001).Guiding readers and writersgrades 3-6: Teaching comprehension,genre, and content literacy.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind:The theory of multiple intelligences.New York: Basic Books.Gardner, H. (1993, 2006). Multipleintelligences: New Horizons. NewYork: Basic Books.McKenzie, W. (1999). Multiple IntelInventory. Retrieved fromhttp://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.Missere, N., & Dunn, R. (2005).Learning in vogue: Elements ofstyle (LIVES). Retrieved fromwww.learningstyles.netShort, D., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2007).Double the work: Challenges andsolutions to acquiring languageand academic literacy for adolescentEnglish language learners—Areport to Carnegie Corporation ofNew York. Washington, DC: Alliancefor Excellent Education.Victoria Pilotti, Ed.D., is an ESL


Timed Conversations(continued from page 24)PreparationConsider your learners’ profi le, lessontopic and objectives when decidingif this is an appropriate activity todo with your learners.

1. Consider how much time you wantto allot to the activity. Multiply thenumber of topic cards by the durationof each conversation- 10 topic cardsX 2 minutes per conversation = 20minutes total.

2. Decide which version of the activityyou are going to do. You can choose

a. Conversation pairs static andhave learners switch topic cards.With static pairs, learners get to‘bond’ with one conversationalpartner over various topics whilefocusing on sharing their ideasand personalizing the topic.

b. Topic cards static and have learnersswitch partners. With dynamicpairs, learners get to interact withdiverse speakers while refi ningtheir ideas about one topic andpolishing their delivery.

c. Both topic cards and conversationpairs static while reducing theduration of the conversations inset increments. This version lendsitself to learners who are preparingfor timed oral presentations

d. Decide how you will pair offyour learners and if pairs are goingto sit in two rows or stand intwo concentric circles facing their

3. Decide what an odd-numberedwould be responsible for- time keeper

4. Plan to model activity and deliverclear instructions specifi c to the verof Timed Conversations you aregoing to do.

5. Plan what you will observe whilemonitoring learners during the activity.This will consequently direct thefeedback you will give learners.

6. Plan the questions you will use toelicit feedback from learners after theactivity about their performance duringProcedureUse teacher talk appropriate to theprofi ciency level of your learners todeliver clear instructions and to confirm your learners’ comprehension ofyour instructions.

1. Deliver global instructions to yourlearners which include: the activitytitle, sequencing/format, purpose andduration, and, if necessary, responsibilof odd-numbered learner or useof ‘rest’ chair.

2. Pair off learners and arrange pairsthat they are either seated in two rowsor standing in two concentric circlesfacing their partners.

3. Model activity for class and demon

a. you will start the activity by saying

b. pairs will take turns to converseabout the topic indicated on thetopic card for X minutes

c. pairs will converse only in English

d. every X minutes, a time keeperwill say “switch” indicating thatpairs need to switch topic cardsby passing them to the pair to theright (or to the left)

e. you will end activity by saying“the

6. Begin activity and cycle through thenumber of topics you have planned.Circulate and monitor learnersthroughout activity.

Elicit feedback from learners abouttheir performance. Give learnersbased on how successfully theycompleted the activity. Remember, thisis a fl uency-based activity. However, ifyou modify it to include specifi c verbalstrategies or a focus on form, youcould document the inaccuracies ofyour learners’ English as you circulate,and do a whole-class correction on thewhiteboard following the activity.

1. Elicit specifi c feedback from learnabout how they felt about having to:

a. sustain a conversation in Englishfor X minutes at a time

b. switch topics every X minutes

c. include conversational language

d. have a classmate time them or sitin the ‘rest’ chair

e. Stand or sit during activity;pass along topic cards; change

2. Give learners specifi c feedback a. how well they sustained theirconversations in English for Xminutes at a time

b. how well they stayed on task

c. their use of conversational language

d. how effi ciently they followed in

3. Promise to do variations of activitythroughout the semester.These fl uency-based activities maygenerate future conversations in yourclassroom, providing rich opportunitiesfor students to interact and practiceEnglish-speaking skills.


Applied Linguistics Winter Conference

Connections TESOL and Applied Linguistics in a Global Context

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012Teachers College, Columbia University

525 W. 120th Street, New York, NY• Presentations throughout the day• Poster Sessions• Publisher Exhibitions

Call for Proposals & Registration Information Coming Soon !Organized by

NYS TESOL Applied Linguistics SIG &Teachers College, Columbia UniversityContact us at [email protected]

Applied Linguistics Winter

Connections TESOL and Applied Linguistics in a Global Context

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012Teachers College, Columbia University

525 W. 120th Street, New York, NY• Presentations throughout the day

Upcoming Idiom ThemesThe theme of the Winter 2011-12 issue of Idiom is “Annual Conference.” The deadline is December 1.

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