A helpful learning blend

Deirdre Newman

When students at Wilson Elementary School in Costa Mesa improved their

Academic Performance Index score by a whopping 56 points -- more than any

other elementary school in the district -- one of the secrets to their

success was a lesson delivery system that engages the students in

multiple ways.

Project GLAD -- Guided Language Acquisition Design -- includes the

integration of listening, speaking, reading and writing into all content

areas and the interrelation of science, social studies and literature

with each other. High teacher expectations are embedded throughout the

program.

One Wilson teacher who employs GLAD strategies in her classroom is

Carol Redford. Recently, Redford has taught her fourth- and fifth-graders

about the intricacies of the solar system, linking science with social

studies and math.

Redford has a high percentage of English-language learners, so

disseminating information visually is key. She first presented the topic

with a pictograph -- a picture of the solar system outlined in pencil. As

she discussed the various planets, she wrote the vocabulary with

different colored markers so students could relate the language to the

visual representation.

Then, Redford engaged the students in a chant that focused on the

distinguishing information of each planet, providing a chance for them to

practice the vocabulary in a fun, entertaining and nonthreatening way.

Later in the week, Redford discussed the great space race between the

United States and Russia. With a wall chart documenting a 20-year period,

she asked students to read about the advances the countries made each

year and then tallied the results.

Then she passed out information about various space explorations and

asked students to read in groups and pick out the important details. The

information was chock full of difficult vocabulary, so Redford circulated

throughout the room, helping the students understand words such as

“de-orbited.”

“The vocabulary is extremely challenging,” Redford said. “I don’t

water down anything. Part of Project GLAD is to expose them to it. The

look on their faces once they get it is incredible.”

Student Esther Gomez and her group read about the Apollo spacecraft

and launch. Esther said she enjoyed learning about the solar system.

“It’s fun because you get to see how the planets work,” she said,

adding that Pluto is her favorite planet.

Redford said seeing the kids huddled together, working on a project,

is unusual with such a large number of English-language learners. But

involving students in their own learning is inherent in the Project GLAD

philosophy.

While GLAD is mainly for classrooms where students speak diverse

languages, Redford believes the strategies are beneficial for any

classroom.

“I think it’s wonderful for all kids, and I think it’s easier to

teach,” she said.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education

writer Deirdre Newman visits a campus within the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District and writes about her experience.