Change my life forever : giving voice to English-language learners / Maureen Barbieri.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Barbieri, Maureen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Study and teaching--Chinese speakers.

English language.

English language--Study and teaching--New York (State)--New York.

English teachers--New York (State)--New York.

English teachers.

English language--Study and teaching.

Chinatown (New York, N.Y.).

Barbieri, Maureen.

New York (State)--New York.

Physical Description:

x, 228 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, [2002]

Summary:

As a public school staff developer in New York's Chinatown, Maureen Barbieri realized that the 1400 students in her new middle school had stories to tell, questions to ask, and opinions to share. Their challenge was adapting to a new home and a new language. Hers was helping them use English literacy skills to bridge their memories of China to their hopes for the future, as they came to value both their old and their new cultures. Through case studies and classroom vignettes Barbieri reveals the power of literacy to change students' perspectives and give them hope. In "Change My Life Forever" you will meet Yi, who works in her family's take-out restaurant where she does hours of homework each night; Cong, a book lover who yearns for greater expression in his new language; and Jun Jie, who uses English to make sense of his emergence as a young adult in America. Hearing these and other stories, you will discover new ways to make room for your students' diverse voices while improving their literacy in English. As Barbieri's students shared their lives with their teachers, through daily interactions with literature and immersion in writing, they came to value English as a means of discovery and expression, and their skill with their new language deepened. With practical ideas, examples of student work, and specialized reading lists, "Change My Life Forever" will help teachers of all English-language learners enhance their own students' learning through the knowledge that literacy is central to the lives of all human beings.

Contents:

1 Change My Life Forever: Discoveries in Chinatown 1

2 Bridges to Understanding: Swans, Dreams, Degas Dancers 16

3 Shaping a New Identity: J.J.'s Story 37

4 Holding Fast to Dreams: Cong's Story 56

5 Making New York Home: Yi's Story 79

6 Weaving the Texture of Life: A Place for Poetry 116

7 To Know and Be Known: Friday's Feisty Females 139

8 Where Are They Now? 167

Appendix A Generations Book Lists 179

Appendix B Other Picture Books for Use with Middle-Level English-Language Learners Learners 184

Appendix C Poetry Books for Middle-Level English-Language Learners 187

Appendix D Books in Classroom Libraries 193.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-216) and index.

ISBN:

0325004730

OCLC:

49874972