The Common Core in Poughkeepsie, NY
How can teachers engage middle and high school ELLs, particularly long-term ELLs and students at different proficiency and literacy levels, in the rigorous work of the Common Core? Teachers in Poughkeepsie, New York tackled that question in a multimedia project focused on implementing the standards with secondary students.
About the Project
As part of our Common Core and ELLs project in Poughkeepsie, New York, middle and high school teachers designed lesson plans with the assistance of ELL expert Dr. Diane August and David Pook, an author of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts.
Those lessons were filmed in Poughkeepsie and the following videos showcase the kinds of approaches the teachers used in the lessons. Highlights include an intense focus on academic vocabulary and the use of text-dependent questions.
Project resources
Resources from the project include:
Preparing Teachers and Their ELL Students for the Common Core
Poughkeepsie ESL District Coach Pam Knittel and high school teacher Kerri Bohringer talk about how the Common Core professional development initiative has given them the tools to provide strong instruction and academic support for their English language learners. Kerri shows how she weaves the language of the Standards into her daily lessons.
Partnerships
The project was made possible by a partnership between the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF) and Colorín Colorado, which was funded by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Innovation Fund.
