First Grade Library Skills

Live Oak students master language skills

LIVE OAK - Seventy-one students in the District Live Oak School have mastered English, excelling in control despite speaking another language.

The "re-designated" students were honored by district leaders and teachers at a ceremony on board Tuesday for the meeting of trustees at Green Acres Elementary School.

Elizabeth Frausto, 12, started school only speaks Spanish, though her mother encouraged her to put in the time and extra effort to master the new language and meet their peers in English class.

"I spent many nights reading," Frausto said. "My mother pushed me. She would tell me to read everyday and to do my homework and pay attention in school."

Fourth-grader Edgardo Escobar Serna spent part of his day Tuesday with his Principal Lisa Dilles in the school library reading a book. He was among the students in the school's multiuse room Tuesday night who came with their parents and teachers to celebrate their achievement.

The students represent the district's four schools - Live Oak Elementary, Green Acres, Del Mar Elementary and Shoreline Middle School.

Nancy Krueger, coach of literacy in Green Acres, congratulated the students and called the reclassification a major achievement in the career of students.

"The challenge for you is to continue to be challenged in your studies in both languages," said Krueger. "The best way to do is read, read and read some more. And ask questions. You are the future, you have a special gift."

Students from homes where Spanish is the predominant language.

On average, it takes a student five to seven years to become fluent in English, which involves English language development classes and perseverance.

Shoreline sixth-grader Brian Medina Garcia said it's taken a lot of work to perfect his English skills.

His first English instruction was in kindergarten in Live Oak.

To become reclassified as English fluent, a student must score "early advanced" or "advanced" on the California English Language Development Test.

Nearly 2 million students statewide take the California English Language Development Test each year.

Students also are tested on their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

They also must score at the "basic" level on the California standards tests all children are required to take each year.

Teacher recommendations for the individual students are also part of the process.

Our First Grade Blog: A Peek at the Week

We will be heading to the new Plymouth Library for a tour and then on to Stages Theatre to see the production, "Pinkalicious" on May 18.  Students will need to bring a bag lunch and water/juice box for our picnic lunch if you have not already ordered one in advance from Culinary Express.  Please have your child bring their Hennepin County library card from home.  Otherwise, they will receive a new card if they turned in an application with their permission slip.  We are looking forward to a great trip! It's hard to believe that we are winding down with the last few weeks of first grade curriculum!  For the next two weeks, we will focus on reading biographies and even doing a little research on our own.  Try to keep up with the spelling routines at home.  These last couple lists are challenging and the kids will benefit from a little extra practice at home. We have begun our Geography and Map Skills unit.  Focus questions include: Where do we live in relationship to the rest of the world, and how do we use mapping skills in our daily life?  This week students practiced locating the seven continents and major oceans on a map.  Next week, we will introduce how to read a state and neighborhood map and identify basic locations. The Wayzata Public Schools Education Foundation was formed in June 2003 by a group of citizens concerned about the serious impact of state and federal budget cuts to education. The group's mission is to maintain educational experiences in Wayzata Public Schools by providing private financial support for innovative programs that might otherwise not receive funding.

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