Newcomer Resources
Newcomer Toolkit
Adapted from “Newcomer Toolkit.” Minneapolis Public Schools, multilingual.mpls.k12.mn.us/newcomer_toolkit
The Language, Culture and Equity Department is committed to providing the necessary support for the many new-to-country EL students that we serve. Their needs are unique in that many of these students may have had limited formal education experiences and may have not been previously exposed to the English language.
Assessments
Instructional Tools
Intake Guide
Resources for Staff
Checklist of Best Practices for Newcomer Students:
High school Newcomer students should be placed in a double-block of ELD and not enrolled in a mainstream English Language Arts class.
In collaboration with the ESL specialist, create a plan for how to help ELL students acquire the language of the content
Help ELL students by directly teaching content vocabulary which can be further reinforced by an ESL teacher
Have key terms and concepts on display all the time
Use drawings, diagrams, graphs and other visual aids to help the students to develop concepts and understanding
Use models or manipulatives to demonstrate concepts and/or processes
Use small groups
Using a “think-aloud” technique to solve the problem
Present activities that involve application of problems in contextual situations to make learning relevant to real-life experiences
Be flexible with student use of native language, if it is helpful in clarifying ideas and concepts
Focus on the meaning ELL students are conveying, not on their grammar and usage of the language. Increase the focus on reasoning and decrease the focus on language.
Adapted from “Newcomer Toolkit.” Minneapolis Public Schools, multilingual.mpls.k12.mn.us/newcomer_toolkit