Well put! I agree with Lilian Katz when she says it's important that every child receive enough support to succeed every day and enough challenge to keep on growing and learning!
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 20:48:40 -0400> To: > mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Big Words> > > Bev> I > think it might unmuddy things a bit is to think of it this way: If we > teach > those big words to ELLs and anyone else, in an appropriate way...ie with > > direct experiences...with visuals...with repetitions...with time to practice > > using the words in oral language through opportunities to turn and talk > rather > than fill in a vocab worksheet...then I think teaching the > sophisticated vocab > pays off. It is just making sure that we do vocab in > authentic ways. It > is keeping the expectations AND the support high that > makes this kind of > vocab teaching appropriate. The fun of learning big > words is that it often feeds > a drive for kids to want to learn more of > them. Just listen to my below > level readers in third grade going around and > using "fervent" and using it > appropriately! They show off! They want more > words like it! In the end, I think > that only helps those kids move > forward.> In a message dated 6/3/2008 12:13:04 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:> > I would love to hear this conversation develop. > Please keep thinking and > posting, Lori and Carol. I'll throw a few of my > biases into the mix here. > The trouble with populations such as Carol's > (Hispanic LEP, ELL, whatever) and > Lori's (Native American, LEP) and > "language instruction" a la NCLB/Reading > First/CR/RM/OC, etcetera is that > EXPLAINING WORDS WITH MORE WORDS is just never > going to do it for the very > kids that may be at highest risk. They will > remain kids without any true > understanding of the vocabulary, therefore unable > to use the language of > power such as Lori is talking about, consequently ready > to be marginalized > or oppressed. "Big words" peppered in do not an > understanding of register, > or any other more powerful language usage, make. _________________________________________________________________ It’s easy to add contacts from Facebook and other social sites through Windows Live™ Messenger. Learn how. https://www.invite2messenger.net/im/?source=TXT_EML_WLH_LearnHow _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
