Record- In Tch and Lrn 321 everything we learned about was early literacy development and

how to help students learn to read. One of our assignments was to observe 3 hours of reading
instruction through YouTube videos because we were unable to be in classrooms due to COVID.
In this assignment we were tasked with analyzing the different methods and practices that the
teacher was using and explain why it was beneficial for students or make suggestions for things
they could add on or do differently. This semester in Tch and Lrn 413 we were tasked with
taking a lesson plan from our advanced practicum experience where we then broke down what
kind of language demands that lesson required from students and how we could help support
ELL students in that lesson. After doing that, we then were tasked with coming up with
language demand supports for ELL students which included thinking of students at varying
proficiency levels and specific methods we could use with them to help them be successful.
Reflect- This observation reflection for Tch and Lrn 321 was beneficial to me in a variety of ways
as it allowed me to really think about the reasons why behind what I saw the teacher doing
with students and how the students were responding. Seeing teachers use hands on
techniques like where students use blocks to sound out a word before they write it on their
paper to work with students on letter-sound recognition. In these videos a common theme was
how well students responded to the activities when they were hands on and kept students
moving in some way. While completing the Tch and Lrn 413 Identifying Language Demand
Supports assignment I was able to really reflect on how every lesson needs to have a section
tailored to ELL students of varying proficiency levels so that I can be prepared to teach all
students who walk through my door. For this activity I wish I would have incorporated more
about how to bridge gaps between student’s prior knowledge after students share their
different experiences. Because each student has their own unique set of prior knowledge, it
could cause confusion when students are sharing about their past experiences if they do not
overlap so I will need to be sure to help bridge those gaps to help all students understand
during the discussion.
Analyze- Competency 1.A focuses on candidates being able to use various concepts and
theories when applicable which makes my Tch and Lrn 321 observation reflection a great piece
of evidence as it demonstrates how I can apply language application theories as I analyzed what
I saw educators doing. Even though the lessons I was observing were not explicitly with ELL
students, it is still imperative that I as an ELL educator have an understanding of how students
learn to read and speak a language. According to The National Reading Panel the five essential
components of reading are phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, vocabulary
development and reading comprehension meaning that all students including ELL students
should participate in building these skills as they are acquiring English. Identifying language
demand supports for the 413-assignment led me to dive into how ELL students at varying
proficiency levels need to be supported differently during the same lesson through
differentiation. This lesson requires students to share their experiences, read a chart and
comprehend a story. To help all ELL students we will include visuals and illustrations on the
chart, we could allow students to first draw a picture of their experience and then share orally if
writing is a road block and we could define new vocabulary words in the story in the students
native language and in English so that they always have that to reference.
Act- As I move into student teaching and eventually having a classroom of my own, I will need
to stay current with new information in the world of education, but it is crucial that I never
abandon sound theories and practices to best teach language acquisition. Every lesson I create
should identify what language demands it will require from students and ways that I can
support ELL students during the lesson based on those language demands.