GLAD strategy presentation

[Gisela Daniel]

I am being a teacher for 21 years. I taught kindergarten in Puerto Rico for 5 years. Then I moved to Las Vegas where I taught first and second. I being in Reno for the last 8 years I taught 4th and 1st ESL and Kindergarten. Currently I’m teaching a bilingual immersion kindergarten class.
I had always worked with at risk kids. This year I have 12 Hispanics kids and 12 middle class Americans kids in my classroom. Writing looks a lot different for me this year.
I decided to do presentation on the Cooperative Strip Paragraph. It is a great strategy that can be use from kindergarten through High school. It varies according to the grade level of course. It is use in the primary grades with the high students and in the secondary grades with the students that are falling behind. It’s also an excellent strategy to use with the ESL student in High School.
I hope after seeing my presentation you have one more strategy to use and make your students better writers.

[Mary Lynn]

Hi Giselle
I taught in the inner city of Los Angeles, and East L.A., for 4 years, prior to moving to Reno, 18 years ago. This was when bilingual education was being used, so I taught the lesson in English and then in Spanish. It is not being used in Los Angeles now, I think parents wanted their kids to learn English, and they weren't.

Then I taught at Sierra Vista for 10 years, so I am very familiar with teaching kids whose first language is Spanish. Having been raised by a hispanic woman, I speak Spanish and have a deep fondness for the culture.

I am looking forward to hearing more about your Cooperative Strip Paragraph, it sounds interesting.

The school that I am at now is not really an at risk school, though we have quite a large number of ELL students.
All the things I learned over the years to teach the different learning levels of the kids I had in Los Angeles, and at Sierra Vista, have been so helpful to me even at a school that is more middle class.

See you soon,
Mary

[Wendy Ritter]

Hello Gisela,

You have gained a wide range of experience throughout your 21 years of teaching. It is nice to have a chance to see the progression of skills throughout the grades. When working in one grade for a long period of time, you don't often get a chance to see where the students began and where they will be headed. Over the past few years, I have worked primarily within the 5th and 6th grade classes. However, this year, I had the opportunity to work with the 3rd grade and kindergarten students. I loved the variety in my day and could see the initial instruction of a skill in 3rd grade retaught in 5th grade.
I had a chance to attend a short GLAD presentation and really liked the ideas and strategies shared. I can see how they help second language learners acquire the language needed to be successful in school. I have not heard of the Cooperative Strip Paragraph, so I am interested in learning more about it. I am always looking for new ways to work with struggling writers. Next year, I will be working collaboratively with a 5th grade teacher teaching writing traits and writing skills. Her class will have many second language learners as well as several special education students. Your strategy sounds like a motivating and fun way to practice writing skills. I look forward to your presentation.

Wendy Ritter