ELL Product Review: Skill Sharpeners
By Jeanette Gordon and Alex Ragan, ELL Outlook Staff Writers
In this and future issues, the ELL Outlook will review instructional materials and technology designed for ELLs and their teachers. The purpose of these reviews is to not only point out what we perceive as the weaknesses of these instructional materials and technology (and, hence, suggest room for improvement)–but also to start a logical, analytic forum for discussing the strengths and weaknesess of ELL instructional materials and technology currently published in the United States. Our goal is to help educational publishers create instructional materials and technology that better meet the needs of ELLs and their teachers.
To that end, we've taken various steps to ensure that reviews are as balanced and fair as possible. First, we developed a framework for analyzing products according to six main categories identified by the ELL research literature, peer feedback, and personal experience. More specific indicators are listed under each main category. (See the Product Report Card for these categories and their corresponding indicators).
For each review, two reviewers (see their bios under Quick Links) review the products independently, according to the six categories and indicators (when applicable). Based on the specific indicators under each category, each reviewer provides a letter grade from A to F. Reviewers then average letter grades to provide readers with an overall evaluation of the product. The "Comments" sections provide more details about the evaluation, with a discussion of the product's instructional design, scope and sequence, use in classrooms, and overall recommendations.
Going forward, we would appreciate any feedback you have on these reviews. We'd also appreciate copies of instructional materials and technology from educational publishers for future reviews. Please direct any comments or questions to alex@coursecrafters.com.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
Product Name: Skill Sharpeners, 4th Edition
Publisher: Pearson Longman (http://www.longman.com/)
Author(s): Judy DeFilippo and Charles Skidmore
Grade Levels: 6-12
Subject Area: ESL and English/Language Arts
English Language Proficiency Levels(s): Beginning to Advanced
Product Description (from the publisher’s website):
Skill Sharpeners, Fourth Edition, by Judy DeFilippo and Charles Skidmore, is a four-level series especially designed for students whose skills in English require strengthening. By introducing basic skills tied to classroom subjects in a simple grammatical framework, the series helps to prepare these students for academic success. The Skill Sharpeners series bridges the gap between English Language Learning and regular school subjects. With all students, it reinforces confidence and self-esteem.
Each level of the series offers exercises to sharpen both language and subject-area skills. Students interpret graphs and charts, read maps, solve math word problems, and learn library and study skills. They sharpen comprehension skills as they read about history, science, and American culture. And they deepen their understanding of basic English structure. Lessons cover skills required on most middle school state-competency tests.
PRODUCT REPORT CARD
REVIEWED
BY: |
||
Assessing Prior Knowledge and Building Background
|
C |
C+ |
Standards and Learning Objectives
|
C |
B- |
Lessons and Activities
|
C |
B- |
Engagement, Motivation, and Interaction
|
D– |
F |
Text Accessibility and Challenge
|
B– |
C+ |
Teacher Support
|
N/A |
N/A |
Assessment
|
C |
C |
OVERALL GRADE: |
C |
C |
QUICK LINKS
JEANETTE’S COMMENTS
Skill Sharpeners is competitive with other products of its kind, but it offers nothing that is significantly new as a resource for developing skills. It is a grammar-based program consisting primarily of routine exercises on English language features. Interactive tasks are noticeably lacking, and there is no accompanying audiotape. Hence, the focus is individual reading and writing. Because the exercises are presented in leveled books, most students would have access to developmentally appropriate grammar activities. Some of the reading selections would be less accessible, requiring more background knowledge and vocabulary support. The literacy tasks place heavy emphasis on low-level questions, particularly in the first two books. While some summarization strategies are included, use of graphic organizers is sorely lacking. One of the most positive aspects of the series is the inclusion of questions about charts and graphs, common in standardized assessment measures, and an area in which ELLs can often perform well if given practice.
While the program does not specifically identify standards, there is evidence of alignment with TESOL and language arts standards. Alignment with state English Language Proficiency Standards mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act is present to a lesser degree. The program is not a resource for incorporating multilevel language objectives related to common age-appropriate content standards. Rather, the focus is on providing skill instruction resources for specific English language proficiency levels.
Positive aspects of the program are that the language objectives in Skill Sharpeners are identified clearly on each page, and there is a helpful index of the language objectives in the back of the book. An index of the grammatical features, not included, would have made it even easier to quickly find support for student needs. Content objectives are present, though not specifically identified as such. The objectives reflect a focus on facts and skills rather than deeper understandings.
While the authors contend that the series reflects “thematic units”, the activities are related primarily to common grammatical features rather than well-developed themes or even topics. Like most skill resources, there is minimal evidence of any attempt to really promote in-depth understanding. Even when the focus is on survival topics, learning is shallow. For example, the activities related to banking expose students to a savings account and provide a brief and incomplete exposure to the forms for using banking services. A sample check is included but is such a poor model that the amount could easily be altered. Students jump from a couple of activities on banking to several unrelated tasks in diverse contexts that focus on discrete skills. Even though each skill in that unit could have easily been taught in the context of banking, the unit title is a language feature “Always, Sometimes, Never” rather than a meaningful topic.
While real-world examples like banking do generate interest, the program would be enhanced if the content and related ideas promoted application. It is possible, while teaching skills, to also teach important ideas related to a topic. For example, to help learners transfer prior knowledge about managing money to important topical understandings about banking would require activities that scaffold learning toward authentic goals (for example, evaluating current practices and comparing them with the options provided by available money services). Additional activities could then help students transfer those ideas to even broader understandings, such as: People make choices about how to spend and save money. Educated consumers get more for their money. However, such thematic teaching is not in evidence.
It is a common problem in skills series of this type that the books for beginning ELLs do not evoke much thought. While the more advanced books do incorporate some situational examples of higher-order thinking, cognitive challenges are rarely present for students with very limited language skills. Such an omission is not necessary. Students can draw inferences from visuals or examples requiring minimal literacy (for example, infer a “story” from a sequence of checks related to purchasing and maintaining a car). They can classify and rank pictures and/or vocabulary (for example, the best buy to the worst buy based on different variables that affect value). Students can compare and contrast information presented through pictures and graphic organizers (for example, select money services based on consumer advantages).
The program authors rightly contend that “Students do not always intuitively grasp grammar and language rules.” However, if the focus of the program were really on deeper understanding of grammar patterns, parts of speech, and the conventions of spelling and punctuation, it would have been helpful to also incorporate inductive instructional methods. The authors rely completely on a deductive instructional format. Each page provides a brief explanation of a grammatical pattern or skill followed by opportunities for student practice. Notably lacking are any activities designed to help students “discover” grammar rules and patterns prior to the text explanation and skill practice. Focus on form over function is another problem. Students may know the form of a tense but have limited understanding of appropriate use.
Promoting cultural understanding is a goal in many ESL materials. Probably “Dear Dot”, similar to “Dear Abby”, would be the most interesting to students because the letters do reflect culture and require thoughtful analysis in authentic tasks. However, the letters tend to convey only assumptions of the dominant culture, such as dating being acceptable among young adolescents. One letter expresses a problem with parents when a girlfriend who was watching TV with her boyfriend fell asleep and didn’t go home until the next day. It may be helpful to some students to see a letter questioning the dating practices in this country and asking for advice on how to respond to assumptions and pressures when such perceptions counter their own beliefs. The “voice” in one letter reflects lack of respect for parents. Many ELLs often question why so many Americans speak in such a manner toward or about their parents. In a book for ELLs, one would expect to hear “voices” that reflect the diversity of the students served to a greater extent.
Multilevel ESL skill development activities directly tied to the content that students are studying as well as to the literature they are reading would benefit students far more than this series. However, due to the limited availability of such resources, a series like Skill Sharpeners is an alternative that does provide some explicit guidance and practice in skills related to learning the grammatical features problematic for many English language learners. I concur with the authors that some of the comprehensive programs do not provide enough skill practice to address this need for many students.
Hence, I hesitantly recommend Skill Sharpeners as a support in situations where ESL teachers seek to address the skill needs of their students but have not had time to develop more authentic resources tied to the content and literacy sources their students are currently using. In addition, in some schools, particularly those with low numbers of ELLs, ESL support is limited. Materials such as these can at least help students with the grammatical features of learning a new language that are not included in resources for mainstream students but needed by ELLs.
My greatest fear in recommending materials like these is that they could be used for whole class instruction with an ESL teacher proceeding through the books in a sequential fashion–all students on the same page at the same time. I encourage all ESL teachers to use their precious contact time with ELLs in more productive ways.
ALEX’S COMMENTS
Skill Sharpeners is an accurate title for a product that turns out to be pretty dull and traditional. Students complete worksheets, fill in blanks in cloze sentences, and complete similar types of worksheet activities after reading short instructions, looking at pictures, or reading short passages. Arranged into a series of four books, activities in each book get progressively harder as the series continues. Activities range from the very simple (e.g., introducing yourself) to the more complex (e.g., identifying the main idea). Each book ends with two multiple choice tests, one on grammatical structures and the other on reading comprehension.
How Might Teachers Use Skill Sharpeners in the Classroom?
Due to the nonsequential nature of activities within Skill Sharpeners, teachers can pick and choose to assign activities based on a student’s individual strengths and weaknesses and what’s being covered in class. Skills, topics, and language objectives are identified so teachers can assign a specific activity that will reinforce and reteach the skills that a student is struggling with. Unfortunately, it may be difficult for teachers to easily select an activity for an individual student, for a number of reasons.
First, how these activities should be used with ELLs of varied English language proficiency levels, background knowledge, and reading abilities remains unspecified by the authors of this product. Individual teachers must determine on their own if an activity is appropriate for an individual student. For example, a certain Skill Sharpeners activity may be appropriate for an ELL of advanced level of English proficiency, but assumes a level of background knowledge and reading skills that the student may or may not have. Does this student have a good enough vocabulary to read a page-and-a-half passage on Harry Houdini (because there is no glossary of difficult vocabulary)? Does this student know enough about American history to understand the significance of this passage about George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson? In these cases, a teacher may be required to build additional background, pre-teach vocabulary, or more directly link Skill Sharpeners practice to exactly what's going on in class. None of the Skill Sharpeners books offer teachers any guidance on these issues.
Second, Skill Sharpeners precariously straddles the divide between offering students decontextualized grammar skills practice and more meaningful, content-area skills reinforcement. The good news is that the activities focus on reviewing some of the language and content-area reading skills that students will need to be academically successful. The bad news is that these activities may have no connection to the literature a student is reading in class, the math concepts being covered in a math textbook, or the period of history the class is learning about. Additionally, themes in Skill Sharpeners are based on language skills and not on universal themes that may be an appropriate fit with an ESL basal or ESL classroom curriculum.
What Type of Students Should Teachers Use Skill Sharpeners With?
Skill Sharpeners would probably work best with beginning and low-intermediate ELLs struggling to learn basic conversational English and with highly motivated ELLs with high levels of native language literacy. For ELLs of lower English language proficiency, limited knowledge of U.S. culture, and in need of survival skills, Skill Sharpeners may be both interesting and helpful. Students practice reading and writing skills such as classroom language, following directions, reading a calendar, and names of food in Book 1. In Book 2, students can practice using such diverse skills as opening a savings account, reading a graph, using the card catalog, and U.S. geography. For ELLs with high levels of native language literacy, language-based skills reinforcement may be just the thing to give them an opportunity to practice their English skills and to try to transfer what they know about reading comprehension strategies in their native language to English. Books 3 and 4 offer students some potentially helpful topics in getting ready for mainstream classroom work—reading about the Declaration of Independence, learning about prefixes, telling fact from fiction, and voting rights, for example.
At the same time, typical middle and high school students may be bored or unmotivated when working through these books. If a teacher is not extremely careful in assigning Skill Sharpeners in moderation, a student could very easily get trapped into associating learning with endless completion of worksheets that will never have any significance or meaning to the student.
I’d be hard-pressed to recommend this product for use in anything other than very limited situations. In many ways, this product seems like it should have been retired after its first edition—the activities activities are boring and often nothing more than busy work that may put many middle and high school students to sleep. Yet, in other ways, the product may meet a specific, focused need in ESL and English/language arts classrooms if used intelligently. Activities are content based, reinforce important reading comprehension strategies that students need to be comfortable with, and progress from reviewing survival skills to content-area reading comprehension. This makes the activities in Skill Sharpeners more appropriate in pull-out ESL situations, self-contained ESL classrooms, or after-school or summer school settings than in grade-level math, science, social studies, or English/language arts classrooms.
As with any set of instructional materials, the success of this product depends on the time and abilities of the teacher, the needs and motivation of the student, and the quality and content of the curriculum. Skill Sharpeners may be a good match for your classroom, reinforcing that pesky grammar that your students keep struggling with; it may also be that part of the day that your students dread, completing activities as soon as possible and then doodling so you think they are still busy.
If you have any comments about this article or questions for the author, please send them to: alex@coursecrafters.com.
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