Welcome to Mrs. Schwallier's website
ABOUT THE TEACHER:
My name is Pam Schwallier, and I am currently an ESL teacher at Harbor Lights Middle School, part of West Ottawa Public Schools. I have previously taught 4th grade, middle school Spanish, and middle school ESL. My husband is also a teacher in the North High School and is the varsity girls' and boys' tennis coach. We have a 2 year-old son named Landon that keeps our lives busy and fun! When I'm not with students, I love to read, run, and relax with my family.
Teaching is a great responsibility and privilege! I hope to empower my students by giving them both the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in reaching their future goals. Knowing more than one language and culture can be very beneficial throughout life. I also have a major in Spanish and studied in Santander, Spain while a student at Western Michigan University. I understand how difficult it can be to learn another language, and know that it is a life-long learning process!
ABOUT THE CLASSES:
ESL: English as a Second Language
These classes will help students connect their own knowledge and experiences with new skills and information by building academic and social language skills. We will focus on reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but we will be making global and cross-curricular connections in all units.
There are 4 levels of ESL offered at Harbor Lights:
1) Center: Entering/ Beginning (2 hours)
2) Level A: Beginning/ Developing (1 hour)
3) Level B: Developing/ Expanding (1 hour)
4) Level C: Expanding/ Bridging (1 hour)
*Students are also scheduled with SIOP trained teachers.
WIDA Test:
Starting in 2013-2014, students are required to take the WIDA test instead of the ELPA. It measures language proficiency for reading, writing, listening, and speaking in content/ academic contexts. Visit www.wida.us for more information or feel free to talk with me!
We are required by the state of Michigan to provide ESL services to any student that speaks another language at home and needs support in order to succeed in general education classes. As a district, we use multiple assessments in order to determine which level of ESL is appropriate including MEAP, WIDA, Discovery Education, and common assessments. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me, and I would be happy to assist you.
NEW for 2014-2015:
West Ottawa has adopted the National Geographic INSIDE textbooks! Look for new activities, resources, assessments, and units of study!