THE C.I.R.C.L.E. ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER'S KIT
Introduction: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s Children’s Learning Institute has developed the C.I.R.C.L.E. English Language Learners Kit (“ELL Kit”). The kit is aimed at teaching English proficiency to those for whom English is not their primary language.
The Technology: Teaching English adeptness to those who are not fluent, especially the very young, can be difficult. Often, it can be hard for a teacher, who may only be skilled in English, to teach English to a child who has grown up in home speaking Russian, Spanish, Chinese, or any of the other languages common in our culture. The ELL Kit avoids this issue by using a series of “Strands” embodying a specific theme to teach English language learners through fun activities which contain manipulatives, picture cards, books, etc. This way, a teacher is able to teach children how to become more proficient with English while not needing to actually speak the child’s first language.
Contents of the Kit: The C.I.R.C.L.E. English Language Learners Kit contains the following Strands and Sub Themes:
- The first strand deals with the children themselves and is being identified as the "Me" Strand, its tentative sub thems are "my body", "my clothes" and "my house."
- The second strand deals with food children will encounter, its tentative sub thems are being called "food at home", food at the grocerty store", and "food at the restaurant."
- The final Strand deals with animal's children will encounter, its tentative sub thems are being called "animals in my home", "animals on a farm," and "animals in the jungle."
By using specific activities to teach English Language learners how to gain proficiency, the ELL Kit represents an important step forward for these children.
NON-CONFIDENTIAL TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
The preceding is intended to be a non-confidential summary of a novel technology created at the University of Texas Health Science center at Houston (UTHSCH).
Author(s): Susan Gunnewig, Susan Landry, Linda Aston, Barbara Tuynman, and Scott Bounds.
To obtain further information about this technology, please contact:
Office of Technology Management, 7000 Fannin, Suite 720, Houston, TX, 77030
Phone: (713) 500-3369 Fax: (713) 500-0331
Email: uthsch-otm@uth.tmc.edu
