Week Six: Reinforcing English over the Summer Vacation

          My Google Alerts this week focused on the most effective ways that technology can be integrated into the ESL summer programs.  My first alert focused on an elementary school that hosted an ESL summer camp.  Knollwood Elementary School ran a summer camp for English as Second Language students from across the county.  The ESL program at Knollwood Elementary is designed to meet the needs of students who are learning English at the same time they are studying the standard mainstream curriculum. Sixty-four ESL students in second and third grade came to the Knollwood summer-camp to reinforce and grow the English skills they had gained throughout the school year in a relaxed and fun environment. 

            At the camp, the students completed worked in small groups to complete centers that reinforced English reading, writing, speaking and listening.  Many of the centers involved technology.  Technology was used to make the activities individualized to each student’s specific learning needs.  For example, one of the camp’s centers involved having the students scan a photo using an app on an iPad. After scanning the photo, a video would pop up on the screen. The video would then show a fairy-tale character that would read the students a sentence.  The students were then required to write down the sentence. Each sentence integrated vocabulary words from the lesson.  Ms. Gardner, a teacher in the program stated “The app uses augmented reality.  It helps them learn sight words, but in a fun way.” 

            My second alert focused on another summer program geared toward ESL students.  At Kipps Elementary School, thirty-seven ESL students participated in the English as a Second Language Summer Experience.  Tacey Apisa, an ESL teacher at the school, said that the program was effective because “They (the students) tend to not have a lot of exposure during the summer to academics or English. So, it kind of keeps them going”.  The program was originally developed in response to an influx of children from refugee families at Kipps Elementary School this year. The program was then expanded to include ESL students in kindergarten through fifth grade.  The students in the summer program took part in art projects, differentiated reading groups, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities intended to increase their exposure to English and encourage English discussions among the students themselves. 

Students from Spanish, Arabic, Aramaic and Persian-speaking backgrounds were represented in the program.  All of the students’ home cultures and languages were valued and respected, but the students were encouraged to rely on English when participating in whole group activities and discussions.  Apisa even noticed that after continued exposure to the language, the students were beginning to converse with each other in English, even in non-formal settings. The summer program was effective because it provided a safe and supportive environment for the students to practice speaking English, while at the same time reinforcing content of the mainstream classroom though the use of technology. 

Both of these camps are great examples of how English can be reinforced and expanded over the summer vacation.  These programs are effective because they do not approach English instruction in isolation, but instead integrate English and vocabulary in content instruction.  I would like to see more school districts develop summer programs that allow their ESL students to practice their English skills in a program other than traditional summer school.   

Morgan, S. (2017, July 4). Knollwood Elementary School hosts ESL Summer Camp. Retrieved    July 12, 2017, from http://www.salisburypost.com/2017/07/04/knollwood-hosts-eslsummer-camp/

Williams, T. (2017, June 30). Learning English growing summer trend in Montgomery County.     Retrieved July 12, 2017, from http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/learning-english         growing-summer-trend-in-montgomery-county/article_4a6a69f3-bbbc-5981-ad4c      4e7c248da757.html