Sam Habeck
Currins 445
Standard 1- draft
Wisconsin State Teacher Standard #1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and
structures of the disciplines he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject
matter meaningful for students.
I understand the major concepts of language education, both Spanish and English, and the
tools that go with them. Within language education we use the 5 C’s: Communication, Culture,
Comparisons, Connections, and Community. Communication is the main tool and goal in
language education, although the other 4 Cs are also important. Culture other than your own is
part of opening the mind to a global mindset, while community focuses more locally.
Connections incorporates other content areas as a means of extending background knowledge
and comparisons encourages students to compare what they know with what they are learning.
Another tool used more specifically in English language learning is the SIOP model and
sheltered content instruction to aid students in understanding the content taught in their
mainstream coursework. This is to aid teachers in teaching material in a way that is
comprehensible to students, including the scaffolds they need to make connections to the lesson.
To help students work within their zone of proximal development we as teachers have access to
WIDA can do descriptors and the ACTFL performance descriptors. These help us as teachers
plan activities within a student’s level to succeed and use the target language within the different
modes of Communication. This helps us keep the lessons challenging but at a level students can
still reach.
While teaching language it is good to encourage students to draw from their knowledge
of their native language to help learn the new language. One example is cognates, and it is also
important to teach false cognates so students do not embarrass themselves if speaking with a
native speaker (i.e. ‘embarazada’ does not mean embarrassed in Spanish). Using scaffolds is
another important tool when teaching language. If a student is a lower level than other students,
they might need extra time, or a leveled question, and being aware of that can help students
Sam Habeck
Currins 445
Standard 1- draft
succeed in the classroom. Using scaffolds helps create learning experiences where all students
can connect to the language being taught. Teachers must also make the classroom a safe place to
learn language in order to keep students’ affective filters low. If this is accomplished, a student
is more receptive and willing to participate. An example within a teaching scenario would be
modeling correct language. If a student using incorrect grammar while speaking, rather than stop
them simply rephrase their words back to them in a question or affirming statement. Then the
student is not embarrassed or frustrated and still hears the correct forms.
Teachers must know the content they will be teaching. The content might be the language
needed to understand the weather or seasons, or it might be the language needed to understand a
history or science lesson. Teaching the skills needed to succeed, and the language needed to
succeed is a major part of ESL and Spanish language education. In language education it is
important to make connections between the target language and the content areas; connecting the
language lesson with another subject that students are studying helps them build language and
content knowledge simultaneously. Building the connections between the content knowledge and
language also helps students to build more complex schema that will help them use the language.
Especially considering it takes one to two years to build social language and five to seven years
to build academic proficiency, having that schema and connections built early on helps for
continuing language growth.
Finally we need to allow the students interests and current events be a part of what we
teach so that students have a personal connection to the material. This makes classrooms
meaningful to students. We should also bring social justice into the classroom, and teach students
about the events in the world as language education is under attack by prejudiced populations in
the world and our country. This ties into the global mindset that language education encourages.
We must keep the students’ lives and needs in the forefront of our lessons and in our classrooms.
Sam Habeck
Currins 445
Standard 1- draft
Artifact ideas:
Spanish = lesson plan grades 3-5 beginning level- teaching geography of South America
(coutries; major geographical spots like amazon rainforest, etc; directional words, story writing
about animal in Rainforest in TL, etc.)
ESL = SIOP model lesson plan (541) in needs/wants
These two artifacts bring content area knowledge as well as language education strategies
and research into the classroom. Studying South America may incorporate some students’
heritage, if they are from S.A. or it may teach students more about the USA’s neighbor to the
south in a positive light.