How can you to tell Fact from Fiction.? How do you Determine Importance?

Literacy Fair Teaches with Fun By Ms. Stahl-Van Brackle          Visitors to Ms. Hussain’s ELL Literacy class on March 5th were greeted by the sight of students sharing their Literacy projects with one another and guests. “It’s very fun to make a prediction,” said seventh grader Lucky. “Having people come and ask me about how to do it lets me show people how much I know.”      Ms. Hussain’s idea was to make learning and using the various literacy skills that will be on the English Language Arts State Exams in April more fun for her ELL students. “Students created  how-to/ tutorial projects to display their understanding of the skills they were studying. The students were asked to model the skills for anyone that came to their ‘Skill Stand.’"      Seventh grader Angel created a chart that explained how to determine the difference between fact and fiction. “I got to be the teacher, I got to teach,” he explained. Though the majority of students in Ms. Hussain’s Literacy class have only recently come to the United States, the excitement about sharing and showing how to speak and comprehend English was visible throughout the Skill Stands.      “Students had to model their work and show in-depth understanding of their skill,” Ms. Hussain explained. “They got a chance to see how teachers have to be prepared to teach on a daily basis.”      Such empowerment of student-as-teacher brings a deeper understanding of the skills being used. “Do you know how to Determine Importance?” Lucky asked a student at his Skill Stand. If you don’t, ask Lucky, he can tell you. Students enjoyed being the teacher.