For most secondary students, interpreting and discussing complex texts such as poetry can be difficult. This is especially true for multilingual students who need to engage with and discuss grade-level poetry in their middle and high school English Language Development and English Language Arts classes. The support they receive, however, is often not the type of support they need. At the upcoming National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Conference, Mary Schmida will explore this in her presentation on February 20, 2025, at 3:20 p.m. in room Embassy F.
Many poetry lessons begin with activities that focus on vocabulary. However, this word-level emphasis does not prepare students to engage with this complex genre. Multilingual students need more support—beyond vocabulary—to do just that, such as knowing who authored the text, the topic or context of the prose, and the time period in which the text was written. In this presentation, Mary will provide specific examples of activities, tasks, and prompts that amplify opportunities for multilingual learners to engage in poetry in powerful ways.
Join Mary Schmida at the NABE Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in February 2025.