The Supporting English Language Learners website from the Alberta Government has recently added some new content! Within the "Programming Information" section there are now two new resources: “Encouraging the Use of Home Languages” and “Understanding the Acquisition of English as an Additional Language.” 
 
Encouraging the Use of Home Languages helps teachers understand the important role home language plays in supporting the acquisition of English and the overall academic success of students who are English language learners. The content suggests ways in which teachers can encourage families to maintain their home language(s) and meaningfully incorporate home languages in the classroom.
 
Understanding the Acquisition of English as an Additional Language provides information and insights into the process of learning English as an additional language and the factors that can affect language acquisition. This information helps teachers provide a supportive learning environment for English language learners and helps teachers select and use instructional strategies appropriate to each student’s language learning needs.

I particularly found the self-reflection charts useful in evaluating my current practices and planning areas for growth.

Come connect, converse and collaborate with others in the ESL community in  Calgary this week.  Check out the poster below for details and to RSVP!

I look forward to welcoming you at ELAC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise on November 4th, 2017. The meeting will start at 12 noon. All members are welcome.
 
Notice of Motion
At our AGM, we will be voting on a constitutional amendments.
Motion: To make changes to the constitution as seen in the following proposed document.
(Attach current and revised with highlighted changes)
 
Call for Nominations
 
Nominations are now open for the Executive for the 2017-18 year.  While all elected positions are open for nominations, we anticipate a particular need for the following positions:
  

• President Elect
• Treasurer
• Professional Devleopment Directors

 
And Members at Large for:

• Edmonton and Area (2 positions)
• Calgary and Area (2 positions)
• North ( 1 position)
• Central (1 position)
• South (1 position)

 
You may nominate yourself or someone you know for these positions once affirming that they will accept the nomination. Please email ataeslcpresident@gmail.com by October 30th,2017.
 
The executive meets 4-5 times each school year, often in Red Deer and usually on Saturdays. Your commitment would be to attend these meetings and fulfill the duties of the role. All expenses to attend and do the role are covered.
 
ESLC strives to serve and represent its members to the best of our ability, so your presence at the AGM does make a difference.
 
I look forward to seeing you there,

Diane Pham
President, ESLC ATA

Still haven't registered for the 2017 ESL-C Conference at the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise?  Consider these top 10 reasons to attend:

1) Be inspired by outstanding keynote speakers: Susana Dutro and Margaret Early   
2) Network with like-minded colleagues 
3) Unify our voices as we look at “next steps” for English Language Learners in Alberta 
4) Learn from the best: practical hands-on strategies ready for classroom implementation
5) Discuss classroom success stories and challenges
6) Share in authentic learning experiences that engage and empower ELLs 
7) Participate in family fun activities
8) Experience ultimate Yoga serenity … mind, body and soul.
9) Enjoy the many amenities offered at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
10) Relax in the majestic setting of the Rocky Mountains​

So are you ready?  Visit us at www.eslcata.com/conference.html ... we’d love to see you there!

Don't miss your chance to attend one of our FREE PD and networking events across Alberta in the next two weeks!

Edmonton please RSVP by May 4 to Nancy.musica@shaw.ca to let us know your coming to our event on Thurs. May 11!  All the details of that event are in our flyer available here.

Calgary event is this Saturday, May 6!  For details or to register click here.

Red Deer event is also Thurs. May 11 and you can register for that here.

We look forward to a great time of networking and building ESL capacity across our province.  Be sure to check out our calendar page for details on these events.  Also don't forget to register for our conference in November at Lake Louise!  A great weekend of learning and growing in our capacity to address the needs of English Language Learners as well as meeting new friends and enjoying the beauty our province has to offer.

Central Alberta, Red Deer and area, this is your opportunity to gather and network with other ESL professionals like yourself! (Not in Red Deer and area?  Checkout our calendar page for similar events in Calgary and Edmonton)

ESLC Networking Event
Who: Central Alberta ESL Specialist Council Members
Where: Red Deer Dawe Centre, Boardroom
When: May 11th
Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Join us for an opportunity to come together to discuss pertinent issues related to supporting English language learners in Central Alberta.  Time will be given to share ideas to help welcome and support ELLs and their families in our school communities.  A brief professional learning session will be offered focusing on effective ELL strategies.  Snacks will be provided.

Come one, come all!  Our conference website is up and running and ready for your registration!  Click the link below to learn more about this years conference in picturesque Lake Louise, Alberta.  Don't forget to register soon so that you can be entered in the early bird prize draw!

The ESLC is very excited to bring some new local events your way.  All you need is membership in the ESLC to attend, which you can get through the ATA.

Calgary
DO YOU SPEAK TECH? 1.0 – Tools to Support Language Learning
Free for members of ESL-C or SLIC  --- and you do NOT need to be a techie to attend!
 
The English as a Second Language Council (ESL-C) and the Second Languages and Intercultural Council (SLIC) of the Alberta Teachers' Association are offering a FREE one day hands-on professional learning opportunity focused on the "Best of the Best" learning technologies to support the acquisition of an additional language.
 
Date: Saturday, May 6th
Time: 9:30am - 2:30pm  (lunch will be provided)
Location: John G. Diefenbaker High School (6620 4 St NW, Calgary, AB)

While advance registration is required, membership to either/both councils can be purchased when signing in on the day of the event. Click here to register!

Edmonton
ESLC Wine and Cheese and Networking Event
Barnett House (Edmonton, AB)
Thursday, May 11, 7-8:45 pm
Come join other ESLC members and make connections to the supports you need.  Hosted at the ATA Barnett House (11010 142 Street NW T5N 2R1) in Edmonton.

For those of you in central part of the province, rumour has it a similar event will be coming soon!

By Gaylene Mackay, ESLC Secretary

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/

Larry Ferlazzo's blog has a vast amount of resources for all educators, but especially for those working with English Language Learners. By subscribing to the blog, you are able to receive a daily list of resources to assist in the classroom. He also maintains a large number of "best of"  websites to assist teachers when looking for new sources and new ideas for the classroom.

by: Nancy Musica, ESL Consultant, Inclusive Learning, Edmonton Public Schools and ESLC PD Director North

​September is the month we most associate with school--the fresh start, the school supplies, and the excitement as the students return and the parents celebrate.  Today I sent my kids back to school--and I was remembering how not that long ago, we prepped for and received so many newcomers from Syria all across Alberta and quite suddenly.  And so many came with not a word of English!  That was a challenge.  Now I'm thinking those students are returning after a great summer (I hope).  They should be a little more accustomed to Canada by now, and I bet they are speaking some English--and pretty excited about school.  But this year poses a new challenge--helping these English language learners move from beginner skills to intermediate.  
This isn't really new to us as educators.  We have had English language learners in our school systems for many years.  It's so wonderful to see students make that progress from no English, to speaking, understanding, participating and learning--and it seems to happen so fast.  Amazing as it is, I think the bigger challenge (and more amazing feat) is moving from beginner skills to intermediate. For academic success, students need to understand and use academic language, read and comprehend in-depth articles, navigate complex topics, and write beyond familiar and personal topics.  Supporting students at this level requires expertise and an intentional approach from teachers.  What are we doing well and what can we do better to support our students in achieving academic success?
There are a lot of recommended, research-based ESL strategies out there and we know about the importance of visuals, building background knowledge, increasing vocabulary, and providing opportunities for oral language.  I believe the challenge is to go deeper into English language development (ELD)--and tackle grammar and vocabulary, providing corrective feedback as well as an explanation of how English works.  Not easy, but maybe something to consider as we set professional growth goals and seek out professional development opportunities.  In his article "Why Teachers Need to Know about ESL Grammar Issues", Keith Folse points out that while we can correct our ELL's grammar errors, we may not always be able to explain why these incorrect structures are not possible. There can be negative consequences if ELLS are told to correct without being taught or shown how, if corrective feedback is not provided, or if teachers can't look beyond the errors to assess understanding of content.  He goes on to explain a few common ELL errors and also points out the importance of grammatical structure in judging the level of a reading passage for ELLs.  
At the intermediate level, it's still a lot about academic vocabulary development.  Beth Crumpler provides strategies and links to resources in her article "Fostering STEM Vocabulary Development in ESL students".  Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) content areas are challenging to ELLs and this short article emphasizes the need for ESL and content area teachers to work together in teaching vocabulary. This is just one example--but this article shows how to go deeper with content area vocabulary.
Many experts in the field of ESL come to mind when considering how to move beginners ELLs to a higher level of proficiency and there's no shortage of information on the topic.  Suzana Dutro, Elizabeth Coelho, and Kate Kinsella provide information, methods and practical resources for teachers to explore.  Certainly there are excellent books, but you can start by seeing what they have posted on the internet and their websites.  Here are a few links to get you started...
Suzana Dutro and EL Achieve:  http://www.elachieve.org/readings.html
Elizabeth Coelho:  http://www.multilingualclassrooms.org/
Kate Kinsella: https://www.ncsu.edu/mckimmon/cpe/opd/ESL/pdf/kinsella001.pdf
References:
"Why K-12 Teachers Need to Know about ESL Grammar Issues", Keith Folse (2009).   http://www.tesol.org/read-and-publish/journals/other-serial-publications/compleat-links/compleat-links-volume-6-issue-3-4-(october-2009)/why-k-12-teachers-need-to-know-about-esl-grammar-issues
"Fostering STEM Vocabulary Development in ESL students", Beth Crumpler (2013). http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/fostering-stem-vocabulary-development-in-esl-students/education

 Source: Educational Leadership April 2009 | Volume 66 | Number 7 pp. 32-37
Read article by Judith Rance-Roney here
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