South Carolina Upstate News

Submitted by: Crystal Fields

The Rock-Hill and Lancaster Metro group met Monday, December 8, 2008 for a Carolina TESOL follow-up.  Teachers from Chester, York, Fairfield, Fort Mill, Cherokee, Rock Hill and Lancaster were invited to this meeting.  Teachers who were able to attend the Charleston conference shared information from sessions they attended with the whole group.  Mainstream teachers participating in a PGI in Lancaster County were also invited to the meeting to share their experiences this year working with ELLs and to have a group of experts on hand to help answer questions about ELLs.

Amy Harris a mainstream kindergarten teacher at Indian Land Elementary shared an All About Me foldable she did with all her students at the beginning of the year.

Jessica Sims, Lancaster ESOL  Teacher, presented various games she learned at the

Charleston Conference.

Hands on!  We also learned two new foldables:  a South Carolina Poster Book and a new vocabulary foldable based on the Frayer Method.

 A thought regarding foldables:

Is it better to have your ELLs write a lot a little or is it better for your ELLs to write a little a lot?

Foldables are a great way to integrate the curriculum and narrow the focus of the content for our ELLs but most importantly, foldables involve our ELLs in learning.

Of course our meeting would not be complete without food, fellowship, and door prizes.

Gail Rogers, Carolina TESOL Secretary, and Crystal Fields, Carolina TESOL SC Upstate Regional Representative were key leaders at this local event. 

If your district is interested in hosting a Metro meeting please contact your local Regional Representative. 

Upstate SC – Crystal Fields

Lowcountry SC – Linda Ferguson

Western NC –  Erin Sebelius

Eastern NC -  Arlene Lent