Thanksgiving Break

It's already Thanksgiving break and this is the first time I have written in my blog since the first two weeks of school...so much for keeping a blog and being more reflective in my teaching practice! A lot has been going on for me in my personal life plus my classes at UNLV have been quite demanding, but I think now I will have more time to be reflective. The two pictures are my classes this year. The top picture is my ELL I class. They are a quiet, shy and sometimes sleepy group with a lot of different personalities. The bottom picture is my ELL II students. They are a much more talkative and outspoken group who make me laugh a lot. This is the second year I have had many of these students and they all feel very comfortable in my class. I enjoy both groups a lot and feel like everyone is making progress. The exciting news is that I will be getting 10 computers in my classroom over the next couple of weeks and I was also given funds to purchase Rosetta Stone for those computers so starting 2006, I believe I will really be able to start working with students in smaller groups based on their levels. Using the Read 180 program has really allowed me to see the power of small group differentiated instruction which will be a focus of mine.