Offered below is a suggested framework for the SIELP curriculum. It’s a genealogy of collaborative contributions for the teaching and learning through educators, students, staff, administrators and alumni of SIELP.

Modifications are expected and encouraged, specifically to reflect current affairs and circumstances. Most of the content can be implemented for both in-person and virtual/remote/distance learning settings. Access to technologies such as internet accessible computer devices, and multi-user digital communication platforms such as Zoom or Blackboard/Canvas are generally required for in-person and remote/distance learning program models.

SIELP and ESL

SIELP is a pre-college summer program aimed at integrating college readiness, English language fluency for academic success as an undergraduate student. As a 2-credit bearing course, ESL 25, SIELP is framed by the Language and Cognition department at Hostos Community College- CUNY’s course description:

Prerequisite: placement diagnostic determined by Interest Form.
This intermediate six-hour content-based ESL course utilizes subject matter from selected disciplines. In response to the topics discussed, students will expand their vocabulary and improve their grammar within an integrated skills context that will permit practice in reading, writing, listening and speaking in English. This course will target linguistic and critical thinking skills through intermediate level content material designed to motivate students to participate in class discussion and to prepare written assignments related to the various topics presented. The course will reinforce structures covered previously and will go on to cover intermediate-level grammar structures required for academic literacy. By writing multiple drafts for a variety of assignments, students will develop the ability to revise and edit their work. Assessment of student performance will be based on comprehension of and written/oral responses to uniform interdisciplinary content.

More information can be found on the Language and Cognition website: https://www.hostos.cuny.edu/Administrative-Offices/Office-of-Academic-Affairs/Departments/Language-Cognition.

Learning Goals

• Learn the reading, writing, research and oral communication skills necessary for success in high school and transition to college.
• Read books and engage in reading-group discussions.
• Take trips to places of interest in and around New York City connected to the U.S. American Revolution.
• Develop Computer skills (computer and internet literacy, responsibility, & use).
• Develop college readiness skills.
• Engage in physical education (swimming) one hour 3 day per week.

Language Development

Reading/Writing/Discussion

The development of the English Language is core to all the SIELP program courses and activities. A focus on the U.S. American Revolution is used to develop fluency in reading, writing, and engaging in discussions that involve both speaking (oral) and listening (aural) skills as a daily three-hour course component. Lecture-sessions, discussions, projects and assignments are used to activate student learning.

Some activities are recommended within an emergent and intermediate emergent fluency. When appropriate suggestions are included with lessons and activities.

Reading

Vocabulary Development

Academic Terminology Development. Students can use a curated list of academic terms relating to SIELP program content. Students can use it as a reference to develop critical reading, support of identification of themes from novels and course materials, and teachers can use the list as a guide for course lectures activities and discussions.

Writing

• When people articulate connections between new information and what they already know, they learn and understand that new information better (Bruner, 1966).
• When people think and figure things out, they do so in symbol systems commonly called languages, most often verbal, but also mathematical, musical, visual, and so on (Vygotsky, 1962).
• When people learn things, they use all of the language modes to do so -- reading, writing, speaking, and listening; each mode helps people learn in a unique way (Emig, 1977).
• When people write about new information and ideas -- in addition to reading, talking and listening -- they learn and understand them better (Britton, 1975).
• When people care about what they write and see connections to their own lives, they both learn and write better (Moffett, 1968).

(Excerpted from Toby Fulwiler's The Journal Book, Boynton/Cook, 1987)

Compositions

Intermediate Emergent Bilingual (IEB): Two to Four compositions as drafts (with peer and professor feedback), a research project, and short semi-daily writing assignments (with peer review and professor feedback).

Emergent Bilingual (EB): two to Three compositions as drafts (with peer and professor feedback), a research project, and short daily writing assignments (with peer review and professor feedback).

Suggested Composition/Essay Prompts

Composition papers could be 2-5 pages in length (page numbers can be adjusted as appropriate and needed). Persuasive essays are suggested, which prompt students to claim a stance and support it with examples from their experiences and course materials. Self-reflection, analysis, and comparison are also appropriate.

• New York City: A Good Place to Grow Up?
  • Prompt: This summer you will be reading novels about growing up during colonial times, in New York City and in the countryside. By now, you know from your own experience what it is like to live in New York City. Some people think this city is not the best place for a young person to grow up. Others argue that New York offers young people many valuable opportunities. What do you think? Is New York a good place to grow up? Make your opinion clear and support it with examples.
• A Response to War Comes to Willy Freeman.
  • Teachers may choose a prompt from the following or formulate their own composition prompt for War Comes to Willy Freeman. The prompt should help students connect themes in the novel to those in their own lives; it should also push them to think about the novel analytically -- in terms of characters, conflict, historical content, and theme. Entries from students' reading journals can be developed into compositions on such topics as the following:
    • What was it like to be a teenager in New York City during the American Revolution? How is your daily life different from Willy’s life? How is it similar? Which time and place would you rather live in? Explain.
    • Write a description of New York City at the time of the Revolution. What is hard to find? What do you see, hear, and smell as you walk down the street? Describe Canvas Town and the people who live there. How does the city compare with New York City circa 2008?
    • Write a letter to Aunt Betsy in the voice of Willy. Describe what you are doing at Fraunces Tavern. Tell Aunt Betsy about the mysterious Sam Fraunces, and about your efforts to find your mother.
    • Choose a character from War Comes to Willy Freeman and write about why you like (or dislike) this character. What are the character’s qualities or traits that make you feel this way?
    • What have you learned from this book about how the British fought against the Americans during the American Revolution? What battles did you read about? How would you describe those battles? Why do you think the Americans won their independence in the end?
• Biographical Research-based essay.
  • Prompt: In this course, you have been reading about teenagers who lived through the American Revolution. You’ve read about their hopes and dreams, and about the hardships of life during wartime. You’ve also learned about everyday “American” life in villages and cities during the 18^th century: how people dressed, what they ate, how they made a living, how they relaxed and celebrated holidays, what they talked about, worried about, and believed in.
    
    To complete this research project, you can find out about the life of a real person who lived at the time of the American Revolution. You should learn as much as you can about this person’s childhood, education, family life, religion, work life, and the role they played during the war and write an essay discussing a theme related to the historical event.
• SIELP: A Good Way to Spend the Summer.
  • Prompt: Write an essay about what you have accomplished this summer in SIELP. What have you learned? What was most fun or interesting? Would you recommend this program to other students? Give reasons for your opinion. Of course, you may disagree that SIELP is a good way to spend your summer and should explain why.

Journals

The article, Rethinking Feedback: Engaging An Ongoing Learning Process published by Visible Pedagogy; a Teach@CUNY Project, is suggested as a recommended method and strategy for engaging with students and their work. Access the article through this link: https://vp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2021/11/10/rethinking-feedback-engaging-an-ongoing-learning-process/

Reading Journals

Students can be offered at least 15 minutes for this kind of writing every day. Student interest and needs may vary about room ambience. Different practices include a quiet room and the ability to use individual audio devices to support student learning styles. Students may sometimes prefer to hear a type of music as they work. Free Music Archive is a free access resources containing musical playlists. Remember, while students write, so can teachers and teaching assistants.

Students should learn to respond personally and analytically to the text. “What seemed interesting to you? Why?” is reflective prompt that can help students get started.

Students may share their reading journals with each other and write responses to eachother.

Reading journal entries can and should be developed into compositions.

Dialogue Journals

Have students choose an idea from that day’s reading assignment and copy a sentence or two (up to a paragraph) from the chapter at the top of the page. Each student then writes for 10-15 minutes on the passage, explaining why they chose it. Students can then exchange journals and read what someone else chose and wrote about, adding a response of their own. When journals return to their owners, students can write in response to what their classmates said, clarify their understanding of the text, or summarize the points of view represented.

Discussion (Oral & Aural): Students can then read the most interesting parts of these exchanges aloud, providing the basis for whole group discussion. Writing first allows students to see different points of view and gives each student time to think about their own response further. At the end of the discussion, students write a concluding entry, incorporating new ideas or extending previous ones.

Extension: After the written dialogue, have students underline the words most important to the theme of the exchange -- have them say them out loud as they are written on a collaborative board -- they should form a thematic map of important vocabulary words. This is an opportunity to assess English language acquisition. Students should copy new words into their vocabulary list at the back of their notebooks.

Point-of-view Journaling
Based on a scene from the novel, have students write in the voice of one of the characters; they could extend the text by imagining how the character would react to a hypothetical situation, or simply expand upon the thoughts and feelings the author has described.

Students can write about a personal connection they can make with the text; do they have experience with a similar context or feeling? How is it similar? How is it different?

and/or

Have students “rewrite” a scene or a chapter. They could write a different ending, suggest a different set of exchanges, or imagine other possibilities for the plot.

Students or the teacher can pose a question or prompt, and the group can respond.

Reflection Journaling

Thinking about one’s own language learning: Possible Prompts

• Keep track of how long you read at a stretch, and how many pages you read during that time.
• What was your experience reading? Were you able to handle words you didn’t understand? How?
• Keep track of new vocabulary words by creating a place to make note of them.
• Reflect on common language errors that are difficult for you to correct on your own. What keeps you from noticing them as errors? What strategies have helped or might help?
• What was your experience writing your first draft of your paper? What was your experience revising your paper? What comments were most useful to you in revising your paper?

Familiar Writing: Possible Prompts

• What did you do this weekend and how did you feel about things that happened?
• How do people celebrate the independence of the country where you come from? What are they celebrating? Why is it important?
• If you could live in one part of New York City where would it be and why would you want to live there?
• Describe your favorite place in New York. Make it clear why you like it without exactly telling your reader why. Also don’t name it; when you’re finished, your classmates will try to guess the place you are describing.

Inner Monologues

After reading Willy or Sophia’s interior monologues, students write their own. What does the readers own inner speech sound like in a given situation? After writing an interior monologue, students can turn it into a dialogue. It is important to distinguish how the two are different.

Engaging with Student Writing

Engagement with Journal Entries

The purpose of keeping a journal is to provide a context for “first thought” writing. The focus of engaging (responding) therefore, needs to be what students are saying (ideas) rather than how (grammar) they are saying it. Naturally, if a student seems to need a specific word/concept, you will provide it, but in general journals are not the place for a concern for correctness or for feedback on form or grammar. They are a place for informal communication using writing, as an exercise for practice and confidence. The following are just suggestions for how to use journals in SIELP.

Written engagement with student work should be offered as a genuine dialogue exchange with ideas presented by the student. Students may choose to respond or teachers can have a discussion about ideas presented, and find ways to continue the “conversation” with students as they develop their final compositions/essays. Make note of the various topics students wrote about. Offer feedback as a follow up course activity. You may also want to create a document in which you type quotes from each member of the class to share examples of peer-work, for collaborative editings and review (offer an opt-in or -out option for their work to be shared with the course community, people feel differently about sharing their written work).

Grading Journals.

Give the journal entry a check, a check plus or a check minus based on criteria you share with the students: length, evidence of real thinking, captivating writing, connection making. Make note in margins next to ideas that seem particularly interesting. The intensity of the program may prevent you from being able to respond to each individual student entry. Plan out your grading so each student get equal attention to their writing throughout the summer. You may want to develop a routine or method for checking student work semi-daily based on first letter of last name or other categorization. You can offer students to do peer responses with each other.

Engagement with Compositions/Essays

Approach the teaching of writing as a process, concentrating first on helping students understand the rhetorical requirements of written communication, and only later focusing on correctness issues at the sentence level (grammar and formatting). Below is a suggested process to follow when engaging with (responding to) student composition/essays.

Draft 1--Revision -- Peer feedback: teach students to look for organizing themes, language that is lively, ways of expanding on an idea. A peer response sheet helps students have a record of notes. Students revise by adding, subtracting, responding. You might provide them with a checklist for important features to consider as they write a second draft. The “peer edit and response group” document found in the “writing and compositions” digital folder can be used as a guide for group revisions.

Draft 2 -- Revision -- The teacher makes comments ONLY about content and organization: where an idea seems unclear, where an example would help, sequencing, focus. A paper should get a grade of “Satisfactory” on these things before line editing is addressed.

Draft 3 – Editing -- First peers read the paper together and make editing suggestions. It helps to have students read their own paper aloud, slowly. The student then edits his or her own paper before handing it in. As the teacher notices patterns of mistakes in a student’s or in the group’s writing, grammar lessons should be offered to explain the pattern and related issues.

Any of this can be done individually, in a conference, in the margins of the paper, or with the group as a whole.

Resources for Teaching Writing

SIELP Writing & Composition Resource Folder

The Writing Center at Hostos Resources Website https://commons.hostos.cuny.edu/writingcenter/resources/

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html

Purdue OWL General Writing Resources: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/index.html

Listening Speaking

Sometimes students need encouragement to engage with reading, especially within an intensive language program. Below is an optional intro activity that can be used with all students as an icebreaker/entry for a reading strategy that can be used throughout the program.

The Process of Reading Activity:

Ask students to read the statement below, individually or as a group.

The hs bn a lt of dbat ovr th pst tn yrs abt th tching of rding. Sme see rding as th mastry of phncs, othrs as a procss of prdctn whrby the rdr uss bckgrnd knowledge of th lngge systm to prdict mning. It shou_be onbvi_to anyo_ readi_ thi_th_ goo_ read_ use a range_ of strateg_to gain- mean- fro- writ- tex-. (p. 136)

Allow students the same amount of time to read the statement. Have a group discussion about whether or not students were able to interpret meaning from the statement. Allow students to share their experiences and engage them in a conversation about reading, and how:

• It’s an individual journey/process to extract meaning.
• Reading as a form of language development.
• We have different reading strategies (prediction, background/prior knowledge, phonetics, memory, and/or vocabulary).

This activity is also useful as an assessment tool for teachers to use to determine the reading fluency of students.

Multilingualism & Reading, Writing, Discussion Assignment.

The lesson below is adapted from an ESL 25 syllabus and is suggested to be implemented within the first few days of the program. It can serve as a writing assessment and Composition/Essay #1.

Research Project

Each student will be responsible for a research project which includes a written component and a digital oral/aural presentation. It is expected that students develop their research projects throughout the semester and integrate computer skills. Students are encouraged to use internet search tools to identify educational references for their chosen research topic(s) and to develop a digital presentation for their research project to share during the last week of the program.

The goal is to find information directly related to our course and to synthesize the information in essay format. Students will choose a topic of inquiry to research, flexibility should be offered as topic changes are expected during the first two/three weeks of the program. Every week (or semi-weekly) students engage in research project check-ins to which peers and teachers/teacher aides respond to student ideas and work. Semi-daily research project check-ins should also facilitate any support finding references through online and library research.

Guide

Use the following outline as a guide for the research project. The process may evolve based on course community members. Research projects should be developed during the first full week of the program and continue during the six-week program. Students should begin to identify themes as they begin reading and engaging with course lectures. The Academic Terminology List may help scaffold/guide lessons and activities.

Students can begin writing as early as they can so that there is enough time to develop and revise the research project.

Step 1: Identifying a topic or theme.

Suggested Prompts:

Step 2: Conducting Research by Visiting Web sites.

Students should identify credible digital (online) resources to help them build knowledge about their topic. Librarian, Teacher, or Teaching Assistant can offer a lecture-discussion about finding resources, and how to identify credible sources. Suggested methods: Hostos & CUNY library, NYC Public Library systems, publicly funded educational and cultural institutions (such as: museums, university & college websites), and google scholar.

Step 3: Drafting.

Draft Research Paper. Student can outline, and then construct the written part (essay) of their research project. This can be handwritten or typed. Students should be encouraged to share their work with teacher, teaching assistant(s) and peers, to get feedback on how to develop or clarify parts of their story.

Step 4: Revising the Narrative.

Students can work with the course community to revise their drafts. Students should each receive communication about the development of any work they turn in. They can exchange their work with a teacher, teaching assistant, peer or writing collaborator (such as a mentor, librarian, teacher). A final version of the paper should be turned in by the second to last week of the course, to allow enough time for the teacher to comment, grade and return to students. This also gives students enough time to prepare their oral presentations.

Step 5: Student Oral Presentations.

Students will present their research to the course community. They should discuss their research topic and findings. Presentations are meant to be brief summaries with an explanation about process completing the project. Presentation times may vary depending on time available and course size. 7-15 minute presentations with or without digital components (slides) is the suggested range of time for each student.

Web-based research

Information on the Web comes from many sources. Some of these sources are very reliable, some are not. Below are some suggested prompts for discussion about web-based research.