ESL/LEP Module
Activities and assignments
There are several different activities to complete in the module. Some are contained in these web pages, some will take you to other sites on the web, and others will necessitate the use of the campus Memorial Library. Several of the activities contain video clips. These clips are in mp4 format and should work in your web browser.
Activity #1.
You will have ESL/LEP students in your classroom at some point in your teaching career. You will also be directly involved in the educational planning that affects these students. You may be already baffled by these acronyms as well as other vocabulary that is typically used in conjunction with this student population. Therefore, you need to learn the terminology associated with ESL/LEP students.
Click here to go to the terminology page and familiarize yourself with this vocabulary.
Activity #2.
Ok, you think you know these terms and how they will be used in the context of discussing the educational needs of ESL/LEP students? Then it's quiz time. Click here to take the ESL/LEP Terminology quiz, which you will print out and turn in to your instructor.
Activity #3.
Now that you know the terminology, you will need some background on general issues surrounding the education of ESL/LEP students. A key issue here is that of Bilingual Education, a very controversial topic. Click here to go to the Bilingual Education portion of the module and do the activities there.
Activity #4.
One of the goals of this module is to give you some insight into the situation of the ESL/LEP students and their situation in the public schools. Many LEP students are placed directly into content-based courses with little or no ESL support. They are expected to learn the content area information along with all the other students who are, of course, English-speaking. Try to put yourself in the position of a newly enrolled LEP student in this situation. YOU are that student, and you have just been enrolled in several content courses that are NOT taught in your native language.
Click here to go to the Immersion page and do the activities there to get an idea of what your LEP students might experience. Follow the instructions on the Immersion page for writing down and printing out your answers, which you will then turn in to your instructor.
Activity #5.
Hopefully you now have a little better idea and appreciation of what your ESL/LEP students have to face on a daily basis just coming to and sitting in your content class. In keeping with the goal of giving you some insight into the situation of the ESL/LEP students and their situation in the classroom, this activity aims to provide you with firsthand information about some difficulties these students confront regularly. The activity contains a series of interviews with ESL/LEP students wherein they discuss the problems they encounter in the classroom and also offer suggestions for you, the teacher, that will improve their comprehension and learning.
Click here to go to the ESL/LEP Student Interviews page to listen to what ESL/LEP students have to tell you about being in a content class. Follow the instructions on the Interviews page for writing down and printing out your answers, which you will then turn in to your instructor.
Activity #6.You have been working fairly hard so far, so let's go to a page that is important but not terribly taxing. On the Definitions page, you will need to examine your own definition of LEP, become familiar with several other definitions (including the official New York State one), and then you can test your LEP trivia acumen. Click here to go to the Definitions page now.
Activity #7.
Ok, rest period is over. Now we need to get down to the heart of the matter. Click here to go to the Resources page, where you find much useful information and several tasks to complete.
Activity #8.
Now you have quite a store of general information regarding the education and assessment of ESL/LEP students. Your next step is to investigate the research database and see what is known about ESL/LEP students and your particular subject area. Click here to go to the Content Areas page. Once there, follow the directions for your next two assignments.
Return to the ESL/LEP home page
Jean W. LeLoup
Modern Languages Department
Copyright © 2000, 2014 Jean W. LeLoup; technical modifications Bob Ponterio