English learners get ahead in summer

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In a warm classroom on a Monday morning, about 20 English Language Learners (ELL) sat in desk clusters. They were bent over note cards, writing one or two words on each side. At the front of the room, a big piece of paper read, “One or two ways I felt when I had to start high school (again) in the U.S.”

After a few minutes, the teacher, Pamela Gordon, had the students hold up their cards. “Disappointed,” one read. “Depressed” read another. “Angry/surprised,” stated a third.

This class is the Summer Bridge English/ESL (English as a Second Language) class at ELLIS Preparatory Academy, which is one of five smaller schools on the John F. Kennedy campus at 99 Terrace View Ave. ELLIS, which stands for English Language Learners and International Support, works with a very specific population: students who come to the United States when they are around 16 with limited English, and who must repeat high school in order to graduate.

In most cases, the district would place these students in a normal ninth grade class, with classmates who are at least two years younger. Instead, ELLIS places them with their peers, and teachers focus on teaching English through content instead of more typical language classes.

Yoceli Rodriguez knows exactly how long ago she made the trip from the Dominican Republic to the Bronx. “Two years, one month, and six days,” she said.

“I cried so much,” Ms. Rodriguez, 19, said of her early days in the U.S. She didn’t speak any English. “It’s better now. A little.”

This summer bridge class is for students going into their third year at ELLIS who are higher performing, like Ms. Rodriguez. The class, conducted in English, is designed to prepare them for the more difficult English writing and analysis course they will take in the fall by strengthening their critical thinking skills and their grammar. To that end, the course is co-taught by Ms. Gordon and an ESL teacher from the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC).

“I like the summer school because you’re learning more English,” Ms. Rodriguez said.

Jenny Jimenez, also 19, said learning English at ELLIS has made things easier since moving from the Dominican Republic in 2013.

ELLIS Preparatory Academy, English Language Learners, ELL, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Isabel Angell
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