In an atmosphere of encouragement, warmth, and engagement, 83 ESL students in grades three through eight are attending ESL Camp four days a week. The camp which reinforces language skills, with vocabulary, fluency, and the dissecting of relevant stories with a moral, began June 10 and concludes the week of July 29 on August 21. Classes are Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and transportation, lunch, and snack are provided.
For two years Rudd Middle School has held six weeks of ESL, English as a Second Language classes for grades three through eight. There is structure, use of speaking, writing, listening, and reading throughout the lesson, and warm participation as Irondale Middle teacher Mary Downing entices the third and fourth grade ESL students with the book Rene Has Two Last Names.
Briefly, the story is about a little Hispanic boy who is teased about having two last names and some of his classmates taunt that his name "is as long as an anaconda." Rene even dreams about losing part of his last name and not getting it back. At home Mom is assuring him that the Italian part of his name will live in his heart.
Soon after this bad dream, Rene's teacher talks of a class project in which each student draws a family tree and graphically organizes immediate relatives and Rene sees a teaching/learning exercise for his classmates. "Without both names, it is not me. It is like a hamburger without the hamburger and a pizza without cheese. I am not complete." He share with his classmates about the importance of both names and the relatives and their interesting lives, all of which makes Rene who Rene really is.
Then the real nitty gritty learning begins to occur. Over a two day period, the teacher leads a discussion of who is a leader, what do leaders do, how do they think, and what feelings do they have. A citizenship lesson comes through as students and teacher discuss solving a problem peacefully all the way to a conclusion.
Eight teachers are involved this summer with the 83 students and some observations and interns from UAB's ESL Department. UAB offers a free masters degree in ESL for interested teachers and five teachers at Rudd Middle are involved with this program. Teachers include Nathan Saint, Rebecca Smaha, Angela Adams, Mary Downey, Ginger Oliver Wilson, Randy Wilson, and Rachel Reyes. Interns are Maggie Price and Ron Passmore.
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