Every time I read I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien, I discover something new I love about it. First I want to talk about all of the things that the book can teach/remind adults about English Learners (ELs).
- They are going to go through culture shock when they first arrive in your classroom.
- Many could read and write in their first language and were thriving as students.
- Some Els are learning an entirely new alphabet system.
- ELs may not be talking, but their minds are full of thoughts, ideas, and dreams.
- They may feel isolated, lonely, sad, confused, and homesick.
- ELs learn social language first. You will see them talk on the playground and in the cafeteria first.
- They work better with partners and groups. Collaborate is key to ELs thriving in the mainstream classroom.
- ELs can teach children and adults new things.
- They need you to make their environment safe, so they can take risks.
- Every EL has a strength that can be highlighted while they are still learning English. You, as a teacher, can build on this strength.
I’m New Here is a wonderful book to share with classroom teachers and native speaking students to help build their empathy for and understanding of English Learners. It is also a wonderful book to use with your newcomers as part of an instructional program. As I teacher, I would use it as text to read with my newcomers early in their instructional program. I’m New Here would make a wonderful mentor text for an early writing activity. I would use it to create a classroom book that could be added to throughout the school year as newcomers arrive at your school. In addition, I would save these classroom books from year to year to create a library of them for newcomers to read during their first year. Knowing that other have come before you and have survived/thrived could be a great sense of comfort to children at your school.
- Start with a read aloud and discussion of the book.
- Make real world connections to the characters in the book.
- Create an anchor chart with sentence starters. (Back home I could…, Back home I knew…,
- Create a cover of the book.
- Have each student complete a Back Home I page and a Here I page.
- Bind the book in such a way that you can add pages throughout the school year.