Questions and Answers About the EMC/NYC Long-Term ELL Literacy Program

The program is overwhelming. What pieces should I start with? What should be my focus?

First, have in mind the skills you want to strengthen in your students and the interests they have. We suggest using a limited number of resources in the beginning. The following resources target skills ELL students typically need to strengthen and can be chosen as your first resources.

• The EMC Write-In Reader is a soft-bound text for students to write in. It strengthens students' reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, writing, and test-taking skills. An accompanying Write-In Reader Teacher's Resource helps teachers teach students to use the eight active reading strategies used in the Write-In Reader.
• Language Essentials strengthens writing and grammar skills.
• The Word Study Resource strengthens vocabulary and spelling skills.
• New York ELA Practice strengthens test-taking skills.

As you build familiarity with EMC resources, you can add additional activities of your own and include ideas from other EMC resources, including:

• Literature and the Language Arts Pupil's Edition is a student text, but students cannot write in it. However, it triples the amount of reading selections found in the Write-In Reader because it not only includes all of the Write-In Reader selections, it includes many other fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, folk literature, and information and visual media selections as well. Because of its size, it includes more artwork, skills activities, writing lessons, a glossary, and indexes. The accompanying Annotated Teacher's Edition for Literature and the Language Arts (ATE) includes teaching notes and additional tests and activities for students.
• The Reading Strategies Resource shows teachers how to demonstrate the eight active reading strategies for each selection in the Pupil's Edition.
• A Vocabulary Resource offers integrated vocabulary lessons for each selection in the Pupil's Edition.
• Lesson Plans with Alternative Teaching Options and Readability Guides have forms for students to use, group evaluation guidesheets, a readability guide that defines the reading level of each selection in the Pupil's Edition, difficulty considerations, and ease factors for each selection, and lesson plans that help teacher select activities for each selection. Lesson Plans provide flexible grouping, homework suggestions, and strategies for helping developing readers and ELLs.

Start by looking for selections and activities that will appeal to you and your students. Then look at the difficulty level of the selections you like. In the beginning, you may want to use a mix of easy and moderate selections. As students become practiced at using some of the strategies, move up to more of the moderate and challenging selections.

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I have only a limited amount of time each week to use the program. How can I get the best results with my students?

Time on task is the important thing. Choose a focus for each day and make sure students spend time a large portion of the day completing activities related to that focus. Finding activities that students can do in groups is an excellent idea because as groups work together, you can work more closely with those groups and individuals who need additional help in completing activities.

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Where do I start in lesson planning?

Look over the sample lesson plans. Each sample lesson shows you how to complete the following steps.

• Set your objectives.
• Decide how many days you want to spend on the lesson.
• Choose lessons that meet students' interests and abilities.
• Find before-reading activities that increase students' vocabulary skills and background knowledge.
• Find during-reading activities that combine whole-group and small-group reading activities.
• Find after-reading activities that help students to summarize their learning.
• Select activities that assess students' learning.
• Choose homework activities that students can complete easily on their own and that help them practice skills they have worked on in class.

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How do I use the pretest results and the individual learning plans in a way that is best for each student?

Use the pretest results and individual learning plans to find the strengths and weaknesses of your class as a whole and the strengths and weakness of each individual.

Students who are strong in a particular area can help others in the class who are weak.

Group students who share weaknesses and offer activities that focus on increasing these weaknesses. For instance, if your class as a whole is weak in vocabulary skills, spend more time each week using the Word Study Resource or the Vocabulary Resource to build their skills.

Students who show strength in a particular area can help others who have difficulty in this area. A student with strong writing skills, for example, could lead a group through a writing or grammar activity in Language Essentials while you help another student.

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What key things can my students do to improve their reading comprehension?

Key things students can do to improve their reading comprehension are included in the Write-In Reader. The Write-In Reader helps students

• become aware of eight key reading strategies shown to increase reading success
• use fix-up ideas when they have problems
• use graphic organizers as they read
• reflect on what they have read or are reading
• share thoughts about what they have read
• practice using the eight reading strategies with other texts
• work on fluency and vocabulary skills

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My kids really struggle with writing. How can I help them improve in this area?

To improve students' ability to overcome their struggles with writing, include lots of writing opportunities in each lesson. You will find activities in the Write-In Reader, Language Essentials, and New York ELA Practice.

The Write-In Reader has the following writing activities.

• Reader's Journal
• Read-Write Connection
• Beyond the Reading
• Put It in Writing (in each unit-ending Reading Review)
• Authentic Writing Prompts (in Appendix at back of The Write-In Reader Teacher Resource)

Use Part IV in Language Essentials.

• Unit 19-Writer's Workshop: Building Effective Sentences
• Unit 20-Writer's Workshop: Building Effective Paragraphs
• Unit 21: The Writing Process
• Unit 22: Modes and Purpose of Writing

Make copies of the tests in New York ELA Practice.

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My students have extremely limited vocabulary. How can I help them engage in meaningful word study?

Students can engage in meaningful word study by completing lessons in the Word Study Resource. The lessons help students

• Keep a Word Study Notebook
• Learn word parts such as suffixes, prefixes, and root words
• Remember spelling patterns
• Identify and use context clues
• Gain knowledge of words with multiple meanings
• Learn a Word of the Week

Additional word study opportunities are included in WordWatch and WordWorkshop in the Write-In Reader and in the Vocabulary Resource for the Pupil's Edition.

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What strategies can my students learn to become better test-takers? How can they prepare for the NY ELA/Regents Exam?

Test-takers who take important tests such as the New York ELA/Regents Exam, ACT, SAT, MCAT, LSAT, Federal Postal Exam or the Federal Clerical Exam read guides and take practice tests that help them do well. Familiarity with the type of test they will be taking is important to their success. Knowing how to answer typical question on school exams is important, too. To make test-taking easier, help students to complete test-taking activities in the Write-In Reader, the Word Study Resource, and the New York ELA/Regents Practice book. (EMC offers New York/ELA Regents Practice book for grades 6-11. The student package for the EMC/NYC Long-Term ELL Literacy Program includes a test practice booklet for the grade level ordered; you can obtain online test practice for other grade levels from the EMC website. Access Schools/Browse Our Books, and then click on the State Information Link and New York.)

Before re-taking the EMC Reading Assessment Post-Test at the end of the pilot, students should look over the strengths and weaknesses identified on the first test. Hints for increasing their scores include the following suggestions.

• Read the test questions (but not the possible answers) before beginning the test.
• Reread the title, introduction, and the first few sentences of the reading portion of the test a couple of times to clearly understand what the selection is about.
• Take notes or mark things that look like they may answer questions.
• Keep track of time. Stop reading and start the test when 10-15 minutes are left.
• On the essay question, write an answer even if you didn't finish reading.
• Answer all parts of the essay question.
• Don't use too many words from the text in your essay; use just enough to support your thoughts and ideas.
• On multiple-choice questions, make a good guess after you eliminate answers you know are wrong.
• Check your answers if you have time.

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How do I help my students build fluency?

To help students build fluency skills, use the many rereading opportunities offered in the Write-In Reader.

• Appendix A, pp. A-1 to A-14, has games and activities students can do alone and in groups to build silent and oral fluency.
• Read Aloud notes and rereading suggestions in the margins direct students to lines they can reread and help them reflect on the meaning of the lines.
• Fluently Speaking exercises at the end of each unit help students develop poise and confidence as they present ideas to others.

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How should I grade the work students are doing with The EMC Write-In Reader?

Find a method for grading that is close to one you already use in other classes such as accumulating points, checking off completed items, or recording grades on activities. As you add grades for students, keep in mind these grading hints.

• Don't grade everything.
• Find ways to have students do the scoring.
• Have students create a portfolio that shows off their best work.

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What kind of formative assessment should I conduct as I implement the program?

The best kind of formative assessment looks for and honors student growth. Charts in the Write-In Reader and the Write-In Reader Teacher's Resource can help students chart their growth. You can conference with students to talk about the growth they chart.

• In the Write-In Reader, use charts in Appendix A and Appendix B, pp. A-1 to B-20 to chart students' progress.
• Make copies of charts on pp. 36-40 in the Write-In Reader Teacher's Resource to keep track of students' progress.
• Help students create a portfolio that includes their best work.

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How can I keep my students motivated?

To motivate students,

• Offer them opportunities to read and write about rich, challenging literature.
• Give them choices about what to read and activities they must complete.
• Use think-alouds to show your own thinking and have students share their thinking.
• Encourage read alouds.
• Support students' use of graphic organizers that help them chart and sketch ideas.
• Prepare minilessons that demonstrate how work should be completed.
• Provide in-class time for extended reading.
• Include lots of group activities.

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If I have ideas for how to improve the implementation of the EMC program, how can I share them?

EMC's editors and consultants are always looking for good ideas to strengthen the program, as well as feedback from teachers regarding what is working and what needs to be strengthened so it can lead to more effective results in the classroom. Please feel free to email Laurie Skiba, coordinator of the EMC/NYC Long-Term ELL Literacy Program at lskiba@emcp.com or to correspond with our Customer Care team at educate@emcp.com.

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