Created by Krisy Otte kristy.otte@isd197.org

1. BENEFITS OF E-STEM FOR
ENGLISH LEARNERS
Presented by Kristy Otte
ISD 197
W. St. Paul, MN

2. CONTENT OBJECTIVES
 This presentation will:
 Provide specific
information about ELs in
our schools.
 Outline best practices for
ELs.
 Link E-STEM curriculum
to the learning needs of
ELs.
 Develop lesson ideas for
ELs

3. LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES
 Participants will respond to prompts about the ELs in
their schools and communities.
 Participants will be able to use specific vocabulary
related to ELs and E-STEM.
 Participants will list 3 lesson ideas for their own
classrooms or schools.

4. ACTIVITIES
Warm-up discussion- 10 minutes
English Learners (ELs) in the U.S. and your
schools- 10 minutes
Best Practices- 15 minutes
E-STEM integration- 20 minutes
Lesson planning and discussion time- 15
minutes

5. ENGLISH LEARNERS
 Who are the predominant English Learners in your schools?
 What are the dominant languages spoken in your community?
 How many languages are spoken at your school?
 Think- Pair- Share!

6. ENGLISH LEARNERS IN THE U.S.
From the 1997-98 school year to the 2008-09 school year,
the number of English-language learners enrolled in
public schools increased from 3.5 million to 5.3 million, or
by 51 percent

8. ACTIVITY
Anticipation Guide- use socrative or see
handout
m.socrative.com (real- time clicker)
True or False?

9. QUESTION #1
Students who are learning English at my
school get what they need to succeed.

10. QUESTION #2
Teachers at my school differentiate
instruction to meet the needs of English
learners.

11. QUESTION #3
Teachers at my school have the resources
needed to provide appropriate and effective
instruction for English learners.

12. QUESTION #4
The curriculum in most subject areas in my
school works for students who are English
Learners.

13. QUESTION #5
 Short answer:
What does my school need to improve in the
teaching of English learners?

14. CHALLENGES IN OUR SCHOOL FOR
ELS
 Mismatch of school expectations and student ability (due to lack
of English proficiency)
 Resource and opportunity gap for struggling learners
 Lack of adequate programming in English instruction
 “Sink or swim” approach
 Language gap
 Cultural misunderstandings
 Academic achievement

15. BEST PRACTICES FOR ELS
 Scaffolding
 Bilingual support
 Comprehensible input
 Strategy based learning
 Visuals
 Alternate assessments
 Cooperative learning

16. IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE USE
 Language of the content area (vocabulary, technical writing,
speaking)
 Aspects of language taught in content areas
 Academic language is crucial

17. E-STEM INTEGRATION

18. WHY E-STEM SUPPORTS LEARNING
FOR ELS
 Hands-on
 Inquiry based
 Authentic
 Experiential
 Innovative
 Experimental

19. STEM CURRICULUM
 Seen as a way to strengthen science and math in our schools
 Integrated approach to learning
 Function of subject area better understood when interconnected
 Curriculum changes help better organize and deliver instruction
 Students are exposed to inter-relationships among subjects

20. ENVIRONMENT
 Observatory
 Cooperative
 Visual
 Meaningful
 Fun!
 Imperative

21. OPPORTUNITIES IN “E” OF E-STEM
Contribute to upkeep and beauty of community
Protect local habitats
Increase student appreciation of the natural
world
Increase student awareness of the threats to
our environment
Improve the nature in our school, city, state
Advocate
Act as change agents / environmental
stewards

22. ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIENCES FOR
HERITAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS
 Eagle Bluff 5th grade - Lanesboro, MN
 Dodge Nature Center 5th-8th grade - W. St. Paul, MN
 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center 7th grade - Ely, MN
 Mississippi River Canoe Trip 8th grade- Minneapolis, MN
 Courtyard development and gardening on school grounds

23. SCIENCE
 Activation of prior knowledge is key!
 Inquiry based learning
 Scientific writing: journals, note-taking, lab reports
 Learning strategies:
 Grouping/ classifying
 Questioning
 Visualization
 Extension of language:
 Etymology
 Relate academic words to student’s first language

24. TECHNOLOGY
 Technological aids :
 “the effectiveness of these tools will be enhanced if they are
used within a project that students are intrinsically motivated
to perform” (Cummins)

25. RESOURCES FOR TECHNOLOGY IN
THE CLASSROOM
 www.socrative.com
 www.edmodo.com
 www.schoology.com
 www.prometheanplanet.com
 www.discoveryeducation.com

26. ENGINEERING
 Authentic
 Constructive
 Creative
 Hands- on, active
 Exploratory
 Meaningful

27. MATH
 Demonstrations
 Hands- on manipulatives
 Graphic organizers
 Technical vocabulary
 Challenges:
 Word problems require higher level of English proficiency
 Activating prior knowledge

28. “the integrated curriculum design
attempts to capture the interrelationships
within and between subjects and thereby
ground learning in the actual way that
knowledge is used”
The STEM Initiative:
Constraints and Challenges
Dennis R. Herschbach
University of Maryland

29. METHODS
 SIOP or sheltered instruction (SI)
 Scaffolds in place
 Activate prior knowledge
 Co-taught classes (ESL teacher with content area teacher)
 Multilingual approach

30. LESSON IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES
 SIOP lesson plan that includes
 content AND language objectives
 HOTS
 key vocabulary
 visuals
 authentic assessment
 wrap -up

31. LESSON IDEAS (CONTINUED)
 Field experiences linked to in- class learning
 Connect in-class learning to authentic experiences
 Student led learning, inquiry
 Ties to community
 Service learning
 Go outside! Explore!

32. 4 SQUARES ACTIVITY
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Not sure yet

33.  I feel more comfortable with ideas
behind E-STEM.

34. I understand how E-STEM can help
ELs.

35. I can think of 3 ways to use E-
STEM ideas for a lesson with ELs.

36. TASK
What are 3 things you could do
to implement E-STEM in a class
with English Learners?
WHIP

37. RESOURCES
 Vogt, M. & Echevarria, J. (2008). 99 Ideas and activities for
teaching English Learners with the SIOP Model. Pearson
Education, Inc.
 Jim Cummins website: http://iteachilearn.org/cummins/index.htm
 www.cal.org/siop/

38. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Echevarria, J. Vogt, M. & Short, D.J. (2008). Making content
comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
 Louv, R. (2008). The last child in the woods: saving our children
from nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of
Chapel Hill.
 Herschbach, D. R. The STEM initiative: contraints and
challenges. The Journal of STEM Teaching Education 48 (1), (pp.
96-122).
 Moon, J. & Rundell Singer, S. (2012) Bringing STEM into focus.
Education Week. Retrieved from www.edweek.org.
 Nikirk, M. (2012). Teaching STEM to millenial students.
Techdirections. Retrieved from www.techdirections .com.

39. THANK YOU!
 Contact: Kristy.Otte@isd197.org
 Heritage Middle School
 West Saint Paul, MN 55118