WEEK 2
WEEK 2 DISCUSSION 1
Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
Theoretical Perspective Reflection
In Chapter 3, you were presented with four language acquisition theories: behaviorist, active construction of a grammar, connectionist, and social interaction theories. For this discussion, you will first select one of the theories and explain its main components in a graphic organizer. The recommended website, Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers
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Links to an external site.
, offers digital graphic organizers to help you with the creation of your graphic organizer, or you can use the graphs/charts feature in Microsoft Word. You will then compare and contrast your chosen theory with the other theories listed above, highlighting the major similarities and differences.
The graphic organizer you create for the theory you choose should include:
The main theorist associated with the theory
A summary of what the theory states
Evidence supporting the theory
Evidence against the theory
In your compare/contrast analysis of the theory, include the following:
Similarities to other theories
Differences from other theories
Refer to Chapter 3 of the text, additional resources, and your own insights. Remember that your graphic organizer needs to contain an APA citation for any source used, including the textbook. Your discussion post title should be the same as your chosen theory. The body of your post should consist of your compare/contrast analysis.
Guided Response: After viewing several organizers, respond to at least two classmates who chose a different theory than you did. Further elaborate on the similarities and differences with your main theory of choice.
Week 2 - Discussion 2
Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
Supporting Second Language Learning
Our classrooms are filled with students who come from diverse backgrounds. When we get to know our students and their families, we strengthen the home-school connection, which research has reported leads to increased student achievement. Using information gained the textbook readings and the required article, Can Preschool Children be Taught a Second Language?
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Links to an external site.
, explain strategies that effectively support students who are learning a second language. You can use the textbook and the recommended article, Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
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Links to an external site.
, to support your discussion.
Your 300-350 word post should be formatted to include the following in order:
Three ways to support children learning a second language in the classroom
Two ways to support the families of children learning a second language
One example of a resource you can use to help plan for children learning a second language, with a summary and justification of your choice
One question you still have about learning a second language
Refer to Chapter 4 of the text and additional resources, and draw from your own insights. Citations must be properly formatted in APA style.
Guided Response: After reading several posts, respond to at least two classmates, and address the question they still have about learning a second language. You do not necessarily need to provide them with an answer, but you may want to provide information related to what you have learned.
Language Rich Environment
All children learn language in a language-rich environment. In thinking about what you have learned about language so far, how will you design the physical space of your classroom to allow for language opportunities? You will need to think about the type of communication and interactions that you would like to see take place throughout your classroom.
For example, you might place drawing paper and clipboards in the block area to help foster communication so that children can draw their block creations on paper and share them with other children. Having a large open space in the block area invites cooperation so children can verbally communicate and work together on large building structures. You also might have the block shelf labeled for children to be able to see and provide books of shapes and building for children to explore.
For this assignment, you will create a floor plan of your classroom that fosters language development. Your classroom design should have a minimum of three physical areas of the classroom detailed including an explanation of how the design supports language acquisition. You can use web resources such as Classroom Architect or Gliffy to design your classrooms or you may use Microsoft Word to draw your design using shapes and the textbox feature. If you choose to use Classroom Architect
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or Gliffy
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, you will need to download your design as a PDF file or JPG file and insert the image into a Word document before uploading your final assignment.
For each area (minimum of three) that you define in your classroom floor plan, you must include the following:
Explain how the area is set up
Explain how specifically the area supports language development
Describe the activity or experience that the children can specifically be engaged in
Explain what the role of the teacher will be
How you will assess the effectiveness of this area on language development
This assignment should be completed in a two- to three-page paper (in addition to the title page and reference page) that accompanies your visual floor plan. Your project should be written in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, and include at least two scholarly resources in addition to the course text. Please remember to provide evidence from the textbook to support your design features. You must also provide a reference citation in APA format at the bottom of your floor plan.
When you submit your assignments each week, they will be returned to you with specific feedback. This feedback should be used to revise the assignment for the Final Project. Please make the necessary corrections and save for Week Five use in the Final Project.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric
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Links to an external site.
for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.