Running head: Portfolio Project Reflection 1
Portfolio Project Reflection
Joanna Aviles-Jawhari
ELL – 500 English Language Learners
Colorado State University – Global Campus
Dr. Edith Esparza-Young
March 8, 2020
Portfolio Project Reflection 2
Portfolio Project Reflection
Over the course of 8-weeks, I have learned so much on the approaches, methods,
techniques, and assessments related to vocabulary building, speaking, and listening for English
Language Learners in a classroom. I developed two lesson plans, one in vocabulary building for
my Grade 8 students and the second lesson was a listening and speaking activity for my Grade 9
students.
There is an importance of addressing the learning needs of English Language Learners in
the classroom. According to Sparks (2019), there are 3 in 4 classrooms that have one English
Language Learner, and the numbers are rapidly growing. My students do not live in the United
States and are not surrounded by native speakers, however the SIOP Model has helped me
recognize the learning needs of my learners, as well as give me the knowledge and skills to meet
their learning needs in the classroom.
My students learn 10 new vocabulary words both spelling and definitions every week
from a vocabulary workbook. I realized that 10 new vocabulary words are acceptable for
students to learn. However, over a period of one week, the students do not practice the words in
class once the lesson is done. According to Echevarria, Vogt, & Short (2017), students should
have opportunities to have discussions and exchange ideas. Every week each lesson, I create a
lesson on Quizlet.com of the 10 words to practice spelling and definitions. Students enjoy
playing games and using technology; Quizlet.com allows the kids to enjoy learning while
playing games. I have seen that this does help the students retain the information better. Students
do well in the weekly formative assessment. On the other hand, I know that if students are given
Portfolio Project Reflection 3
more time to use the words in different ways in class, they would have a higher proficiency in
vocabulary.
Next, a speaking and listening activity was done with my Grade 9 students. The students
were each given a topic card and paired up with a peer. Students were to interview each other
and rate each other’s speaking using a rubric. This type of activity gave each student a chance to
be the interviewer and the interviewee. They were finally assessed by me using a teacher rubric;
the same questions from the topic card and additional questions were posed. Students were timed
to have a smooth and consistent conversation for 3-5 minutes with me. The speaking and
listening activity gave students the opportunity to intently listen to each other and prompted
different questions other than the ones posed on the card. Scott (1978) reveals that “speaking can
be typified as an activity involving two or more people in whom the participants are both hearers
and speakers having to react to what they hear and make their contribution.” The students
performed average from this activity. However, there needs to be more listening and speaking
forms of activities in class. For improvement to occur in listening and speaking, different forms
of activities are needed more often.
In conclusion, for students to become proficient in the four skills of speaking, reading,
writing, and listening in the English language, students should have more classroom activities
that involves classroom discussions, group/pair work to give students a chance to exchange ideas
practicing using the language between peers. Additionally, students need the opportunity to use
the language in class, engage with their peers to practice using the vocabulary words to retain the
new information.
Portfolio Project Reflection 4
References
Echevarría Jana, Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English
learners: the Siop Model. Boston: Pearson.
Idrissova, M., Smagulova, B., & Tussupbekova, M. (2015). Improving Listening and Speaking
Skills in Mixed Level Groups (on the Material of New English File). Procedia - Social and
Behavioral Sciences, 199, 276–284. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.517
Sparks, S. D. (2019, December 2). Teaching English-Language Learners: What Does the
Research Tell Us? Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/05/11/teaching-
english-language-learners-what-does-the-research.html
