ENL program delivering important skills at South Colonie

ENL students petting a tortoise
Students in Ms. Levine’s First-Grade ENL class at Shaker Road wrote letters to the school’s pet tortoise, Mr. Greenbean. These first graders hope Mr. Greenbean writes back soon!

Many of us take for granted the ability to communicate in English. Our days are routinely easy to navigate as it pertains to day-to-day communication with business colleagues, family, friends and our community members. What seemed difficult as a child, has become second nature for many of us. Most individuals start early in their educational pathway to become what they are today, especially as it pertains to reading, writing and comprehension of the English language.

That beginning process is crucial for many students, especially South Colonie ENL classes. Better known as English as a New Language (ENL), the program assists students with navigating the English language through interpretive studies that enable students to easily obtain the learning materials to process, learn and understand the complexities of the English language in the classroom.

The South Colonie Central School District’s ENLprogram provides instructional support to English Language Learners (ELLs), or students whose primary language is not English, and who demonstrate eligibility for ENL services.

The district’s seven ENL instructors at the elementary, middle school and high school levels provide instructional support to about 200 students from 25 various languages spoken.

The goal of the ENL program is to provide necessary language and academic support to English Language Learners in order for them to meet the demands of the South Colonie curricula and the Common Core Learning Standards.

Student with their letterRecently, as part of the initiative, students in Ms. Levine’s First-Grade ENL class at Shaker Road Elementary have taken their experiences in the classroom to begin working on crafting letters. The class took their new skillsets to write letters to the school’s pet tortoise, Mr. Greenbean. 

In their letters, some students wished Mr. Greenbean a happy 22nd birthday, while others inquired about the tortoise’s favorite foods, toys, or colors. One student even wondered whether there is a Ms. Greenbean in the tortoise’s life! By utilizing their expertise developed in the ENL class, they have been able to express and share their thought processes with their fellow classmates, teachers and families.

Here are some photos of the students delivering their mail to Mr. Greenbean. These first graders’ hope Mr. Greenbean writes back soon and we can’t wait to follow their future projects!