1. “But I Don’t Speak Spanish.” “Pero no hablo español.”
Workshop: How we can help our Spanish-speaking
students (even if we don’t speak Spanish….much.)
August 8, 2016
Western Suffolk BOCES
Presenter: Amy Benjamin

2. Demographics: NYS

3. NEW YORK STATE DEMOGRAPHICS
Top ELL Districts
# of ELLs
New York City
158,094
Brentwood
5,742
Buffalo
4,799
Rochester
3,981
Yonkers
3,362
Syracuse
3,339
Spring Valley
2,503
Hempstead
2,147
Central Islip
2,025
Utica
1,736
Newburgh
1,605
Buffalo (4,799)
Rochester (3,259)
Syracuse (3,339)
Brentwood (5,742)
Hempstead (2,147)
Yonkers (3,362)
New York City (158,094)
Utica (1,736)
Central Islip (2,025)
Newburgh (1,605)
Spring Valley (East Ramapo) (2,503)
* Big 4: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers
** ROS: Rest of State
Of the approximately 2.7 million public school students in New York State, 8.9% are English Language Learners.
Source: Public School ELL Counts as of May 31, 2013
Source: Public School ELL Counts as of May 31, 2013
Source: Public School ELL Counts as of May 31, 2014

4. NEW YORK STATE DEMOGRAPHICS 2013-14 Top 10 ELL Home Languages
New York State is linguistically diverse, with over 200 languages spoken by our students.
Two thirds of ELLs speak Spanish as their home language.
Chinese is the next largest language group, followed by Arabic, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Urdu, Russian, French, Korean and Karen.
The remaining 17% of ELLs speak over 190 languages, with each language representing less than 1% of the total ELL population.
Source: Public School ELL Home Languages as of May 31, 2013
Source: Public School ELL Counts as of May 31, 2014

5. Performance Outcomes for ELLs: 2014
Grades 3-8 ELA: Performance
Graduation and Aspirational Performance Measure Rates: 2014
In 2014, only 3% of ELLs in Grades 3-8 achieved proficient scores on New York State ELA tests.
In 2014, the graduation rate for ELLs was only 31%, and the proportion of ELLs meeting the State’s Aspirational Performance Measure in ELA and Math (i.e., demonstrated the skills necessary to be considered College and Career Ready) was only 5%.
Source: IRS 2014

6. Learning Spanish will (truly) expand your universe.
“…the limits of my language are the limits of my universe...“
Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein

7. If you learn a third language, such as French, Italian, Portuguese or Romanian, already knowing Spanish will be a huge advantage because these languages, too, are Romance Languages.
Sp: A caballo regalado, no se le miran los dientes.
Port: Um cavalo de presente, ne esta olhando dentes.
Fr: Un cheval doue, vous ne serez pas regarde les
dents.
Ital: Un cavallo di talento, non siete alla ricerca dei denti.
Rom: Un cal talentat, nu sunteti in cautarea dinti.

8. Since many English words are also of Latin origin, when you learn vocabulary in Spanish you will simultaneously be expanding your English vocabulary.
Latin: A praeditos equi dentes non putatis.

9. Read article: “The Superior Social
Skills of Bilinguals”

10. Bilingualism enhances mental abilities in both children and older adults.

11. Learning Spanish is actually preventive medicine!
Speaking two languages reduces your chances of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease.

12. account for 70% of words used in English.
Tier 3: glossary word:
Multisyllabic
Specific to a subject area
Latin or Greek-based
topography, escarpment, cartography
extrude, metamorphose, striate
sedimentary, organic, leeward
Nice to know:
Have to know:
Tier 2: Words of literature and
sophisticated conversation:
carapace, cornice, tendril
admonish, unfurl, memorialize,
tenuous, blithe, innocuous
Tier 2: Words of education, business,
government, religion:
Components: Prefix, root, suffix
Latin-based
elevation, formation, protrusion, expanse…
elevate, formulate, isolate, develop…
remote, irregular, uninhabited
Tier 1: Basic conversational words: Friends & family
1 or 2 syllables
Learned naturally, through exposure
hills, grass, rocks, land, sky, clouds,
…grow, fly, climb, …green, high, rocky, grassy
FYI: Most common 1,000 words
account for 70% of words used in English.
Different kinds of vocabulary.

13. The Sounds of Spanish a
agua e
que y i si o
loco u tu

14. Accents: Guess My Rule
nada = na da
limonada = li mo na da
zapatos = za pa tos
Rule 1:
Words ending in
a vowel, or n or s
have the accent on
the next-to-last
syllable.
origen = o ri gen
compro = com pro
estas= es tas
ellos= ell os
comprenden= com pren den

15. Accents: Guess My Rule
doctor = doc tor
ciudad= cid dad
Rule 2:
Words ending in
any consonant
except s or n are
stressed on the
last syllable.
comer= co mer
hospital = hos pi tal
profesor = pro fes or
animal = an i mal
verdad = ver dad

16. Accents: Guess My Rule
compro= com pro
esta= es ta
estas= es tas
ingles= in gles
Rule 3:
When Rules 1 and 2
are not followed, an
accent mark is used.
debil = de bil
arbol = ar bol
verdad = ver dad
policia = po lic cia
atención = a ten cion

17. Accents: Guess My Rule
si (if)
si (yes)
mi (my)
mi (me)
Rule 4:
Accent marks are
used to differentiate
sound-alike words
(homophones).
tu (your)
tu (you)
el (the)
el (he)
que, cuando, donde, quien, como, por que= relative
pronouns
que, cuando, donde, quien, como, por que= question
words