SJSU Writing
Center/Fabretto
Partnership
Report for 2008-2009
Prepared by
Mayra S. Cerda
Edited by
Andrea T. Smith
Linda C. Mitchell
Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Karl Toepfer, the
Dean of the College of Humanities, and Congressman Mike Honda for
their enthusiastic support of the SJSU Writing Center/Fabretto
Partnership.
Special thanks to Andrea T. Smith, Writing Center Administrator, for
her editing and technical expertise in support of this partnership.
Table of Contents
I.
Photo Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
II.
Introduction of the SJSU Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
III. The Goals of the SJSU Writing Center/Fabretto Partnership. . .3
IV. Assessment and Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
V.
Service, Leadership and Time Commitment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Professional Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Funding Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
VI. Summary of the SJSU Team’s Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . .10
Appendices
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Observation Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Template for Lesson Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
House Appropriations Abstract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Fabretto/SJSU Partnership Fact Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Mike Honda Announces Partnership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
CATESOL Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Nicaraguan Newspaper Articles Covering SJSU Team Visit. . . .34
I. Photo Page
SJSU Team Members:
Left to right: On their way to
Managua, Nicaragua, in March
2009: Rosemary Henze
(Linguistics), Mayra S. Cerda
(Applied Anthropology), Fabio
Coehlo (Linguistics), Linda C.
Mitchell (English), and Janet
Hagemann (Justice Studies).
Fundraising:
“Kids’ Night Out” fundraiser at Ernie
Reyes’ West Coast World Martial Arts
Studio, December 2008.
1
SJSU Writing Center/Fabretto Partnership
Report for 2008-2009
"Fabretto does not have an English program, but due to the combined efforts of
the SJSU team and our team, [the development of the English teaching program]
is in progress and moving fast." - José, Estelí English teacher, Nicaragua
II.
Introduction of the SJSU Team
Linda C. Mitchell
Linda is the Director of the SJSU Writing Center. She teaches courses in modern
English grammar, world literature, composition, early modern literature, history
of the English language, and history of rhetoric. In March 2009 she visited
Nicaragua and saw firsthand how Fabretto schools are helping families provide
better opportunities for their children.
Rosemary Henze
Rosemary is a professor in the Linguistics and Language Development
Department, where she prepares future EFL and ESL teachers. She also conducts
workshops and presentations for K-12 teachers and administrators on leadership,
community building in ethnically diverse schools, race as a biological fallacy and
social reality, and critical language awareness. She joined this project because the
Fabretto Children's Center has a vision that is in alignment with hers—promoting
community sustainability, critical thinking, healthy interdependence, and
communication skills for global citizenship.
Janet Hagemann
Jan has been a lecturer in the Justice Studies Department since 1982 and a
Faculty-in-Residence at the SJSU Writing Center since it opened in February
2007. At the Writing Center she works with students in many disciplines, which
has further reinforced her belief that regardless of one's background, success
grows from an educational foundation. The values and goals of Fabretto are very
much in keeping with her own personal values and goals.
Mayra S. Cerda
Mayra has a degree in International Business and is currently a graduate student
in Applied Anthropology. Her goal is to work on projects that will make a
difference in the lives of others, and the Fabretto/SJSU Partnership provides that
opportunity. A native of Nicaragua, she understands the difficulties her country
has always faced. She has witnessed personally how education for many
Nicaraguan children is limited. She believes that much can be done if people
combine efforts to help others.
2
Fabio Coelho
Fabio is a graduate student in Linguistics and Bilingual Education. He is
interested in issues of language and education affecting bilingual and/or
multilingual communities in the United States and Latin America. He joined the
team because he is interested in working with schools in areas of extreme poverty.
He supports Fabretto because the organization is helping children in poor
circumstances get a good education in Nicaragua.
III.
The Goals of the SJSU Writing Center/Fabretto Partnership
In spring 2008, the SJSU Writing Center’s Director, Dr. Linda C. Mitchell, put together a
team of three faculty members and two graduate students to work with the non-profit
Fabretto Children’s Foundation in Nicaragua. Fabretto provides school programs and
nutritious meals to children in rural areas where few financial and physical resources are
available. The purpose of the SJSU Writing Center/Fabretto Partnership is to facilitate the
development and local sustainability of the English language teaching program in
Fabretto schools.
Since the beginning of the partnership, the SJSU team has been committed to (a) assisting
Fabretto’s English teachers with curriculum development, (b) providing coaching and
professional development workshops for both primary and secondary level English
teachers, and (c) seeking funding to support further development of the partnership.
With the financial support of the Fabretto Children’s Foundation, the SJSU team visited
four Fabretto locations (San Isidro de Bolas, Nica Hope, Estelí, and Cusmapa) in
Nicaragua during March 2009. The team observed classes taught by the Nicaraguan staff
in Domingo Savio, Estelí, and San José de Cusmapa. The team used these class visits as
part of an ongoing assessment. The main challenges identified were lack of an adequate
ESL/EFL curriculum, inadequate training to facilitate the local sustainability of
Fabretto’s English program, and a high turnover of English teachers.
In Nicaragua, the SJSU team found a very dedicated staff willing to support the
partnership and eager to collaborate. Fabretto’s staff have been very responsive and have
continued to exchange concerns and ideas to strengthen the organization’s English
teaching program. Their level of involvement in partnership activities is uniformly
impressive.
3
IV.
Assessment and Planning
On April 21, 2008 Congressman Mike Honda announced the launch of the SJSU Writing
Center’s new initiative to develop and implement an English-as-a-Foreign-Language
(EFL) curriculum in Fabretto Children’s Foundation schools in Nicaragua. With the
assistance of Dr. Rosemary Henze, Mayra S. Cerda and Fabio Coelho developed an
assessment questionnaire to better understand the needs of Fabretto’s English program.
The assessment questionnaire was divided into the following categories: General
Questions, Curriculum and Materials, Goals and Objectives, Leadership Structure,
Teachers, and Testing. The questionnaire was sent by email to Fabretto’s Curriculum
Consultant, Helena Edwards, who forwarded it to all Fabretto English teachers.
The Summer 2008 Assessment showed that
(a) not all of Fabretto’s centers use the same ESL/EFL materials.
(b) ESL/EFL teachers lack formal training and adequate teaching/interactive
materials at some sites (e.g., software programs).
(c) no pre- or post-testing takes place to evaluate students’ English levels.
In March 2009, Dr. Rosemary Henze developed a Classroom Observation Guide “to learn
and understand how we can meet the needs of teachers and students through programwide modifications of the curriculum/teaching strategies.” (See Appendix A for the
Guide.)
The March 2009 Classroom Observation Guide helped us
(a) learn the structure of the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT) program (e.g.:
classroom setting and teaching methodologies).
(b) view the challenges that English teachers face in the classroom because of
curriculum.
(c) prepare professional development workshops to support Fabretto’s English
teachers.
V.
Service, Leadership, and Time Commitment
Despite the lack of funding, the service and leadership of the SJSU team have kept the
project active and strong. Working around busy schedules, the SJSU team has devoted
substantial amounts of time and effort to various activities for Fabretto. The team has
completed assessments, done observations on-site, drafted and edited proposals,
communicated with Fabretto faculty via email and Skype, attended weekly team
meetings, and arranged and participated in fundraising events.
4
Professional Development
70
60
50
Hours
40
Research
30
Curriculum
Workshop
20
10
0
Professional Development
Activities
Research & Curriculum Development: Dr. Rosemary Henze and Fabio Coelho conducted
research to develop curriculum activities both for the Fabretto Sistema de Aprendizaje
Tutorial (SAT) program and for teacher training at Fabretto sites. The SAT curriculum
activities are English versions of content book lessons. These activities are aimed at
developing students’ English vocabulary based on concepts taught in different
disciplines, such as science and math. Teacher training activities were designed to help
with lesson planning (see Appendix B for sample activities). After the research and
development period, these activities were submitted to Fabretto curriculum staff for
analysis and approval. Additionally, Katie Masters conducted extensive research for the
professional development workshops she led in Nicaragua in the summer of 2009.
Total time: 68 hours for
research and 30 for
curriculum development
Workshops: In the summer of 2009, Katie Masters designed and presented the following
workshops to Fabretto English teachers in Nicaragua:
1. Into-Through-Beyond: A Framework for Lesson Planning: strategies to
activate and use students’ prior knowledge before the lesson, as well as
increase their engagement during and after it.
2. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT): the importance of meaning,
use, and form in language teaching.
3. Enhancing Student Engagement and Motivation: helping teachers diversify
activities to keep students interested and motivated.
Total time: 25 hours
5
Funding Activities
68
Hours
67.5
67
Proposal
Development
66.5
Fundraising
66
65.5
65
Funding Activities
Proposal Development: The SJSU team has written two proposals: (1) The House
Appropriation Proposal and (2) Puerta San José: Enhancing English Language Teaching
in Nicaragua.
1. House Appropriation Proposal: In August 2008, Dr. Rosemary Henze and
Dr. Linda C. Mitchell (with the support of Karl Toepfer, Dean of the SJSU
College of Humanities) wrote a draft for the 2010 Federal Agenda-SJSU
Earmark fund. The proposal seeks federal funds to develop a new Center for
Culturally Responsive English Language Teaching at SJSU. The Center will
provide SJSU students and faculty with hands-on curriculum development and
program design opportunities, while fostering new leadership in English
language teaching. The proposal was turned in to the SJSU Research
Foundation on October 23, 2009. The CSU Chancellor approved the proposal
for SJSU, and it will be one of seven being forwarded to the House in
Washington DC. If funded, the project will begin in 2011.
2. Puerta San José: Enhancing English Language Teaching in Nicaragua:
This proposal seeks funds from private and/or public organizations to
facilitate the development and local sustainability of Fabretto’s English
language teaching program. The team is currently editing the proposal and
looking for potential funders.
Total time: 68 hours
Fundraising Events: The SJSU team has supported Fabretto with fundraisers. Jan
Hagemann has led fundraising efforts and contributed her time and financial resources to
make every fundraiser memorable. In December 2008, she helped with two events for
Fabretto. In 2009 she organized three fundraising events for Fabretto. These events
generated a combined total of $5,410.00 in donations, in addition to educating the South
Bay Area community about the excellent work done by Fabretto.
6
1. Kids’ Night Out, December 2008: Ernie Reyes’ West Coast World Martial Arts
Studio hosted a Friday night party for young students. The event was organized
by Kwon Jin Nim (KJN) Donna Bernardi, and she and other KJNs donated their
time to provide games and pizza for the kids. Parents made donations to the
Fabretto Children’s Foundation. The money raised from Kids’ Night Out was
used to sponsor two Fabretto students for a year: Carlos Castillo, age 10, and
Lisbeth Zeledón, age 9.
2. Potluck and Fabretto Fundraiser, December 2008: This event was coordinated
by KJN Donna Bernardi (West Coast World Martial Arts), along with Linda C.
Mitchell and Jan Hagemann of SJSU. The studio hosted adult martial arts students
and their guests at a potluck. During the evening, items were auctioned off, e.g.,
Cusmapa baskets, NicaHope jewelry, and donated items. Congressman Mike
Honda donated an American flag flown over the Capitol in Washington DC.
3. Other SJSU Fabretto Fundraisers, September-December 2009: At these
functions the team sold baskets from Cusmapa, NicaHOPE jewelry, and recycled
glass jewelry from Cusmapa. Guests enjoyed Nicaraguan food and beverages with
Latin music to set the mood. Guests watched the NicaHOPE video documentary
and a presentation of photos from the team’s trip to Nicaragua.
4. Interact Club Fabretto Fundraiser, December 2009: SJSU team members
Fabio Coelho and Jan Hagemann did a presentation on the Cusmapa Water
Purification Project for the Central High School Interact Club, a student group of
the Rotary Club in Morgan Hill, California. The Interact Club donated $250.00 to
support the water purification efforts in Cusmapa.
Total Time: 66 hours
Event
Date
Audience
1. Ernie Reyes’ West Coast
World Martial Arts Studio:
Kids’ Night Out
2. Ernie Reyes’ West Coast
World Martial Arts Studio:
Potluck & Fabretto Fundraiser
3. SJSU Fabretto Fundraiser
December 8, 2008
Young students and families
of West Coast World Martial
Arts
Adult students of West Coast
World Martial Arts
4. SJSU Fabretto Fundraiser
November 14,
2009
December 22,
2009
5. Interact Club Fabretto
Fundraiser
December 18,
2008
October 21, 2009
Funds
raised
$1,000.00
$2,800.00
Friends and colleagues of
SJSU Fabretto Team
Aerobics class (friends of Jan
Hageman)
General public
$1,325.00
TOTAL
$5,410.00
$780.00
$225.00
7
Collaboration
600
Hours
500
400
Site Visit &
Observation
300
Weekly Team
Meetings
200
Online
Networking
100
0
Networking
Site Visits & Observation: The SJSU team made four site visits to Nicaragua in 2009:
1. January 2009: Fabio Coelho spent four days in Domingo Savio and one day
in Estelí meeting with local supervisory staff and English teachers, learning
about their program strengths and needs.
2. March 2009: Fabretto invited the SJSU team to visit four of their sites and
assess the needs of its English programs. The SJSU team assisted Fabretto in
connecting with Nicaraguan universities and global organizations, such as
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-Estelí, Universidad Centro
Americana, the Peace Corps, and the US Embassy.
3. Summer 2009: Katie Masters spent six weeks in Nicaragua presenting
professional development workshops, visiting different Fabretto sites,
fundraising for teacher participation in TEFL conferences (Pearson Education
Day and Nica-TESOL), and helping meet the basic needs of our two
sponsored children, Carlos Castillo and Lisbeth Zeledón. Fabio Coelho also
went to Nicaragua and worked with Katie Masters during her first two weeks
on-site with Fabretto. They visited program sites and met with English
teachers.
Total time: 520 hours
Weekly Team Meetings: In 2009, the SJSU team met weekly to discuss issues such as
fundraising, curriculum development, grant writing, and network development within the
SJSU campus.
Total time: 300 hours
Online Networking: Since the team’s first visit to Nicaragua, the group has been in
contact with Fabretto’s Nicaraguan staff to discuss issues related to the English program.
8
These meetings were held online through Skype. The group discussed such topics as
curriculum development, teaching methodologies, new teacher training, and partnership
updates.
Total time: 70 hours
Documentation
40
35
Hours
30
Reporting
25
20
15
Website
Development
10
Corresponding
5
0
Documenting
Reporting: Mayra S. Cerda has kept a record of the SJSU team’s activities throughout the
partnership. A 2009 report and binder were developed to describe these activities and the
team’s accomplishments. Besides the report, Mayra has developed an online
documentation system to keep track of volunteered hours. The SJSU team members have
also facilitated meetings and recorded discussions.
Total time: 36 hours
Website Development: In May 2009, the SJSU team produced content for a webpage on
the partnership between the SJSU Writing Center and the Fabretto Foundation. Andrea
Smith, the SJSU Writing Center Administrator, created and continues to maintain the
webpage located at www.sjsu.edu/writingcerter/partnership/index.htm.
Total time: 18 hours
Corresponding: Since the beginning of the partnership, the SJSU team has provided
Fabretto English teachers with materials for classes and professional development. The
team has already sent two sets of English teaching materials for elementary school, one
TOEFL preparation book, workbooks, activity books, reading books, and classroom
supplies. The team has also kept in touch with their two sponsored children through
letters and cards. In addition, the SJSU team sent twenty-two Christmas cards to Fabretto
staff and volunteers.
Total time: 10 hours
9
VI.
Summary of the SJSU Team’s Accomplishments
The actual work of the SJSU team has been provided on a volunteer basis. Team
members have been generous with time and resources to contribute to the project. Two
summer volunteers to Fabretto covered their own travel and lodging expenses.
The SJSU team wishes to thank the Fabretto Children’s Foundation for generously
funding their visit in March 2009. This visit established what will be the common goals
for a long-standing partnership between the SJSU Writing Center and Fabretto. During
this visit, close ties and commitments were formed that will be the basis for a productive
working relationship.
The team has come to understand Fabretto’s needs in the area of English language
teaching. They are dedicated to working with Fabretto teachers to reach specific goals
and objectives. The team is proud of their work and the positive relationships that have
been established with Fabretto.

Summer 2008: The SJSU team developed a needs assessment questionnaire and
emailed it to Fabretto teachers in. Six English teachers completed the survey,
which was subsequently analyzed and used to inform our next steps.

January 2009: Fabio Coelho visited Fabretto schools in Nicaragua and met faculty
and staff.

March 2009: The SJSU team spent a week visiting four of Fabretto’s locations
(San Isidro de Bolas, Nica Hope, Estelí, and Cusmapa). During that time the team
a) observed classes and interviewed teachers and staff members.
b) held a number of meetings with Fabretto’s management team as well as
with the local Peace Corps chapter, the US Embassy in Managua, and two
universities (UCA and UNAN-Farem-Estelí).
c) delivered a report about these activities and suggestions for action items to
Kevin Marinacci, Vice-President of Programs for the Fabretto Children’s
Foundation.
d) presented books and classroom supplies to several Fabretto sites. (The cost
to the team was $1,000.)

April and May 2009: The SJSU team held meetings with Karl Toepfer, Dean of
the College of Humanities and the Arts (SJSU), and with Mike Nguyen, aide to
Congressman Mike Honda, to brief them about the partnership. Both the Dean
and the Congressman expressed their support for the project and suggested
avenues to pursue funding for the project.

Spring and summer, 2009: Rosemary Henze and Fabio Coelho developed several
sample lessons and supplements, a lesson-planning guide, and a teacher workshop
plan. In addition, the SJSU team has called and emailed regularly to support
10
teachers on pedagogy and practicum in the classroom, as well as communicated
with one of the faculty members at UNAN Estelí. Katie Masters, a graduate of
SJSU and former Writing Center Specialist, joined the project and volunteered to
spend six weeks with Fabretto to present workshops for English teachers and to
assist with teaching classes.

Summer 2009: Fabio Coelho and Katie Masters visited Fabretto schools to learn
more about the SAT program used in high schools. Fabio presented workshops
and worked with classroom teachers on effective pedagogical strategies. Fabio
and Katie paid for their own transportation, lodging, and meals.

Summer 2009: the SJSU Writing Center offered its Handbook on how to build
and run a writing center to Fabretto partner UNAN Estelí. UNAN intends to use
the Handbook to build its own center modeled on the one at SJSU.

During 2008-2009, the SJSU team held five fundraisers in the San Francisco Bay
Area.

The SJSU team, along with Ernie Reyes’ West Coast World Martial Arts,
began to co-sponsor two Fabretto students in Nicaragua. This sponsorship
continues to this day.

Summer 2009: The SJSU team raised money to help their two sponsored
children with emergency medical, food, and clothing expenses.

The SJSU team supported NicaHOPE and local artisans in San José de
Cusmapa by selling their jewelry and hand-made baskets.

The SJSU team raised money for five Fabretto English teachers to attend the
NicaTESOL conference in Managua.

The SJSU team raised money for Fabretto English teachers to go to a Pearson
Publishing book faire in Managua.

Fall 2009: The SJSU team wrote a proposal that was vetted through the CSU
Chancellor’s office and was forwarded to the House Appropriations Committee.

December 2009: SJSU team members Fabio Coelho and Jan Hagemann did a
presentation on the Cusmapa Water Purification Project for the Central High
School Interact Club, a student group of the Rotary Club in Morgan Hill,
California. The Interact Club donated $250.00 to support the water purification
efforts in Cusmapa.

December 2009: Jan Hagemann and the Central High School Interact Club began
a pen pal project with high school students in Cusmapa.
11

December 2009: Katie Masters raised money to send art supplies to Fabretto’s art
teacher at Estelí, Doña Fidelina.

December 2009: Rosemary Henze, Fabio Coelho, and Katie Masters had a
proposal accepted and will be presenting a paper at CATESOL in spring 2010.
The title of the proposal is “What does ‘culturally responsive pedagogy’ mean in
a rural EFL context?”
12
Appendix A
Classroom Observation
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION GUIDE
Part I: At the beginning of the observation, fill in the following:
Observer:
Teacher:
Date and time:
Level/Subject:
Students: How many? Boys/girls? Approx. ages?
Seating:
Materials:
Part II: Procedures During the observation, describe what the T. and SS. Do and say.
The lesson may contain some or all of the following segments: Housekeeping,
Presentation, Practice, Assessment, Summary (or Wrap-Up), Homework. How long for
each segment of the lesson? Do not evaluate what you observe; just describe! Use
binder paper for this section, and then clip or staple it to this cover sheet.
Part III: Reflection
Student Learning Objective(s): Do you know what the learning objectives are/were for
this lesson? (if possible, ask the teacher)
Approach: How would you describe the teaching approach? (e.g., transmission,
constructivist, TPR, Audiolingual, Critical pedagogy, Focus on form vs. meaning,
communicative…)
Language Use: How much English? How much Spanish? Can you discern what
conditions the use of Spanish versus English? (You might want to analyze separately for
teacher and students).
Students’ responses: What types of interactions occur between students and teacher,
students and students? Do students give yes/no answers, information answers? Do
students ask questions? Do students engage in group work with each other?
13
Student engagement: How much do you think the students were engaged in the lesson?
What made them engaged or not engaged? Was classroom management an issue?
Level: How challenging was the lesson for the students? About right? Not challenging
enough? Too challenging? How could you tell?
Assessment: How does the T. (or you) know whether Ss are learning what the T. intends
for them to learn?
Usefulness of English content: Is the English Ss are learning in this lesson likely to be
useful and relevant in their future (e.g., access to opportunities as global citizens?) (Give
1-2 examples)
14
Appendix B
TEMPLATE FOR LESSON PLANNING
This template is organized into 4 basic stages to help teachers think about the overall
process of planning and teaching a lesson. It can be used to plan any kind of lesson,
whether Math, Science, EFL or any other subject. When thinking about lessons, it’s best
to think about the lessons as part of larger units or projects; in this way, we create greater
coherence and conceptual development in the learning process.
The four stages are:
Before class: This includes all the things you need to get together to be ready for class.
Into: During this part, the teacher engages the students’ interest and prepares them for
the main content of the lesson.
Through: In this part of the lesson, new information or the main content of the lesson is
communicated.
Beyond: In this part, the teacher and students extend the main content of the lesson or
apply it in other contexts and situations.
Before Class
Into
Before class
(planning)
• What do students
already know that is
related to the new
content?
• How is this lesson
related to the larger unit
or project?
• What are the student
learning objectives
(what do I hope
students will
understand or be able to
Through
Into the content
Through the content
• Let students know
the agenda for
today’s lesson
• Make a
connection with
what they learned in
the last lesson
• Elicit background
knowledge that will
help student be
successful learners
for today’s lesson1
There are many ways
to present the
substance of the
lesson, including:
• Teacher presentation
(deductive style)
• Discovery activity
(inductive presentation
in which students
discover the pattern or
generalization via
many examples.)4
Beyond
Beyond the
content
• Apply what
was learned to
a different or
broader
context
• Homework
activity that
helps students
make the
knowledge
theirs
• Prepare
15
do after this lesson)?
• How can I introduce
students to the new
content (e.g., pictures,
acting, video,
demonstration…?)
• What materials do I
need to bring?
• What participation
structures will I use?
• Make a lesson plan!
• Incite the
students’ natural
curiosity2
• Make an effective
transition to the
next part of the
lesson (e.g., Are
you ready to learn
more?)3
• Make any physical
changes that are
needed for the next
part (e.g., moving
into small groups,
etc.)
• Student or teacher
reading of a text,
followed by
comprehension
activities
• Practice of material
that has already been
taught (either in this
class or a previous
class.)
• Ongoing assessment
of student learning
(how do you know
whether students are
“getting it” and
whether your lesson is
clear and at the right
level?)5
students for
the next lesson
or unit
EXAMPLES USING THE TOPIC OF “FROGS”:
1. Eliciting background knowledge: Let’s see; raise your hand if you have seen a frog
before. …What did it look like? What color was it, size, shape, etc.?
A useful tool for eliciting background knowledge is the KWL chart. K stands for Know
(what students already know); W stands for what they Want to know, or the questions
they have; L stands for Learned (what they learned as a result of the lesson (or unit). In
Spanish, it might be called an SQA chart (??).
Know (Sabemos)
Want to Know (Queremos
Saber)
Learned (Apprendido)
2. Inciting the students’ natural curiosity: Help them to ask some questions or make
some hypotheses about the content. For example, how many people think that all frogs
are green? Does anybody know where frogs go during the dry season? How sensitive
are frogs to pollution in our environment?
3. Transitions:
Transitions after the “into” stage: OK, are you ready to learn more? Are you ready to
find the answers to your questions?
16
Transitions after the “through” stage: OK, do you think you understand? Let me see if
you really understand.
Transitions after any segment of the lesson: OK, we have talked about X, now we are
going to talk about Y…
4. Discovery (or inductive) presentation: Give students several examples of
statements about frogs and their general habits. Then ask them, what is the time we are
talking about in these statements? (No specific time –we are talking about general habits
of frogs). What do you notice about the verbs in these statements? (They are all in the
simple present tense.) Finally, help students summarize with a statement about the
pattern or rule. (So, we can say that when we talk about general habits of a person or
animal, we use the simple present tense).
5. Ongoing assessment: Build in to your lesson opportunities to assess how well
students understand or practice what you teach them. For example, at lower levels this
can be a simple listening discrimination exercise: Hold up one finger if you hear the
vowel sound / / as in frog. Hold up two fingers if you hear the vowel sound /o/ as in
“pole”. The teacher then reads a list of words, such as frog, rock, pole, walk, all, soap,
goal, hope, talk, moss, etc.
Sources
Celce-Murcia, Marianne, Ed. (2001). Teaching English as a second or foreign language,
Third Edition. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
Corrigan, Kim & Davies, Bob. Into-through and beyond: A lesson planning framework
for using YES in the classroom. Retrieved May 29, 2009 from
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1006.
Top ten tips for writing an awesome lesson plan. Retrieved May 29, 2009 from
http://www.esubjects.com/article/lessonplans.html
Ur, Penny. (2002/1991). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory.
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
17
Plants and their needs
1- Open your book Unidad 1 - Sembrando Cultivos to pages 45 and 46. Compare the
illustrations on these pages with the ones below and fill in the missing words. Then compare
the two plants in each picture and answer the questions that follow:
Figure 1
English
Leaves
Spanish
Raíces
Purple
Small
Fósforo
 How does the plant on the left look?
The plant on the right looks healthy.
 How does the plant on the right look?
The plant on the right looks weak.
 What do bean plants need to grow well?
Bean plants need phosphorus, water, and sunlight to grow well.
18
Figure 2
English
Spanish
Deficiencia
Verde
Nitrogen
Corn
Pálidas

How does the plant on the left look?

How does the plant on the right look?

What do corn plants need to grow well?
19
Figure 3
English
Spanish
Nudos
Potassium
Chamuscada
Punta
Yellow
(d) How does the plant on the left look?
(e) How does the plant on the right look?
(f) Why do corn plants need potassium?
20
Figure 4
English
Spanish
Fruto
Calcio
Rots

How does the plant on the left look?

How does the plant on the right look?

What do tomatoes need to grow well?
21
Figure 5
English
Magnesium
Potato
Spanish
Manchas
(d) How does the plant on the left look?
(e) How does the plant on the right look?
(f) Why do potatoes need magnesium?
22
Appendix C
House Appropriations Abstract
Section I: General information
SJSU information:
College of Humanities and the Arts
Rosemary Henze, PhD in Education and Anthropology
408-924-4438
Rosemary.Henze@sjsu.edu
College of Humanities and the Arts
Linda C. Mitchell, PhD in English and Linguistics
(408) 924-2279
Linda.Mitchell@sjsu.edu
Title of Program:
Puerta San José Center for Culturally Responsive Language
Teaching
Abstract:
In an era of greater global collaboration and competition, English language competency
is recognized, along with technology proficiency, as a key skill for those wanting to
improve their standard of living. However, English learning opportunities, both in the
U.S. and abroad, are unevenly distributed by socioeconomic class and by rural versus
urban environment. In the U.S., economically disadvantaged and rural adult students are
unlikely to receive English instruction that prepares them for more than survival. In
developing countries like Nicaragua, rural students rarely go past the sixth grade; often
they receive no English instruction at all. Such inequality in the opportunity to learn a key
skill tends to reinforce existing gaps between the poor and the middle classes and restricts
students’ ability to move out of poverty.
Preparing more English language teachers to teach both at home and abroad is not the
answer. In the U.S. and Canada alone, some 450 programs prepare new English language
teachers (ESL/EFL teachers), some of them graduating as many as 1,000 new teachers
each year. While these professionals may be prepared to teach English, they lack
leadership preparation that would enable them to apply a culturally responsive framework
to the design and implementation of new programs. This framework, developed in 2002
by Villegas and Lucas among others, emphasizes not only cultural sensitivity but also the
need for teachers to work as active respondents to challenge conditions of injustice and
poverty.
Puerta San José will build on an international partnership between San José State
University and the Fabretto Children’s Foundation in Nicaragua. Announced by
Congressman Mike Honda in April 2008, this partnership will create a Center for
Culturally Responsive English Language Teaching. The Center will develop an adaptable
23
model for program design, useful both internationally and locally, that will address the
challenges of learning English in rural and low-income communities. The Center will
bolster SJSU faculty and student expertise in language pedagogy, curriculum
development, and program leadership. At the same time, it will position the University to
broaden its ties to academic institutions and civil society organizations working globally
for more democratic educational opportunities.
24
Appendix D
SJSU/Fabretto Partnership
Frequently Asked Questions and Fact Sheet
April 2009
A. WHAT IS FABRETTO?
In Nicaragua, the public school system is considered below educational standards. Due to
a lack of resources, schools offer only a half day of instruction using a very limited
curriculum that, in many cases, does not include foreign languages and other subjects
traditionally taught in U.S. schools. In some rural areas, secondary education is not even
offered. At the same time, two of Nicaragua’s fastest growing economic sectors—tourism
and trade—are placing a greater demand on the country for well-educated bilingual
speakers.
Padre Fabretto was a Salesian priest from Italy who in the 1950s set up a number of
orphanages and lunch programs for rural children living in poverty in Nicaragua. After
his death in 1989, the non-profit Fabretto Children’s Foundation was established, giving
more of an educational focus to the work begun by Padre Fabretto. The Fabretto
Children’s Foundation is working to address the disparity between Nicaragua’s
inadequate educational system and emerging employment trends in an effort to break the
cycle of poverty for Nicaragua’s young people and their families. Fabretto accomplishes
this task by offering Nicaraguan children a core curriculum of after-school studies and by
providing their students nutritious meals, the only one many of the students receive each
day. With the support of USAID, Fabretto has begun offering secondary educational
opportunities in rural areas where none currently exist. Currently Fabretto serves over
6000 children in five rural and semi-rural regions. To learn more, visit the website at
www.fabretto.org.
B. HOW WAS THE PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHED?
In an effort to enhance its English language teaching program, Fabretto requested and
secured the support of the SJSU Writing Center. On April 21, 2008 Congressman Mike
Honda announced the launch of the new initiative by the San José State University
(SJSU) Writing Center to develop and implement an English-as-a-Foreign-Language
(EFL) curriculum for teachers at the Fabretto Children’s Foundation.
C. WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE PARTNERSHIP?
Our overall goal is to facilitate the development and local sustainability of Fabretto’s
English language teaching program. Our specific goals are to
1. assist Fabretto leaders in establishing an EFL curriculum that specifically addresses the
needs of Fabretto students, both primary and secondary;
2. create a model for ongoing professional learning for Fabretto's EFL teachers so that
they can effectively enhance student learning of English;
25
3. create an exchange program for Fabretto teachers to attend professional development
courses at San José State University, and for students from SJSU to do volunteer
teaching and other service learning projects at Fabretto centers;
4. assist Fabretto in establishing a permanent position for a teacher leader/curriculum
coordinator who will provide coaching and professional development workshops for
both primary and secondary level English teachers on an ongoing basis;
5. establish a professional network within Nicaragua that will continue to exchange
resources and support one another for the benefit of Nicaragua’s poorest children (to
include the Fabretto Centers, US Embassy, Peace Corps, NICA-TESOL, and
universities);
6. secure funding that will allow the partnership to reach and expand the above goals;
7. create an evaluation plan to document project outcomes.
D. WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR?
To date (April 2009), the SJSU team has
• conducted an on-line needs assessment of Fabretto teachers;
• reviewed the materials currently being used for English language teaching at Fabretto
schools and centers, including the SAT (Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial) curriculum;
• researched the history and background of the SAT curriculum used in Colombia &
Honduras;
• observed a wide variety of classes (English as well as other subject areas) at Fabretto
sites;
• interviewed SAT English and content teachers and Fabretto leaders on site;
• met with members of the US Embassy’s Public Relations Office in Nicaragua, Peace
Corps, Universidad Centro Americana (UCA), and Universidad National Autonoma de
Nicaragua in Estelí (UNAN-Estelí);
• established contact with the US State Department’s Regional English Language
Program (RELO) – Director John Connerley and Central America Officer Kitty
Johnson; and
• presented sample English language books and curriculum to Fabretto teachers.
E. HOW IS THE PARTNERSHIP BEING FUNDED?
Costs to date have been paid by Fabretto and private donations. SJSU portion of the work
has been completed by our Writing Center Team made up of five volunteer faculty and
graduate students. Going forward, the partnership will require additional funds, which we
plan to seek through outside grants.
F. HOW WILL SJSU BENEFIT FROM THIS PARTNERSHIP?
1. Diplomacy: SJSU has already gained considerable positive visibility in Nicaragua.
During the SJSU team’s recent visit March 23-30, 2009, newspaper articles about the
partnership were published in La Prensa (major national news) and Hoy. The team
met with staff at the US Embassy in Managua and with the director and associate
director of the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Productive meetings took place with two
major universities: University of Central America (UCA, Private) and Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN, a large multi-campus public university
26
similar to the CSU). The SJSU team also distributed T-shirts, mugs, hats, pens, and
notepads with the SJSU logo. As SJSU team members continue to work with Fabretto
and with other institutions in Nicaragua, we are building a long-term relationship and
exchange program that will benefit students and faculty at SJSU and in Nicaragua.
2. Professional learning on both sides: In this partnership, we are extending and
adapting many educational practices that are successful at SJSU. We are also learning
from what Fabretto and the other Nicaraguan institutions do. This learning will be
directly applicable to our programs at SJSU. Some examples follow:
•The SJSU Writing Center has become a model on our campus for providing
support to students in their written work. This model is now being extended to
UNAN- Estelí, one of the campuses in Nicaragua’s largest public university
system. With our help, UNAN-Estelí plans to adapt this model for Spanish
writing on their campus.
•We are currently sharing curricular ideas and pedagogical suggestions with
Fabretto English teachers so that they can enhance the quality of English
language teaching. We are also exchanging information about TESOL program
models with UNAN-Estelí, which has a similar program. We are interested in
learning what they are doing to prepare English teachers, and likewise they
would like to know what we do in our MA-TESOL program.
•One of the distinguishing features of Fabretto’s high schools is their use of the
SAT curriculum (SAT stands for Sistema de Aprendisaje Tutorial or Tutorial
Apprenticeship System) across all content areas. Designed for rural students,
with goals of community development, sustainable agriculture, critical literacy,
and empowerment of students as change agents, this curriculum has been used
in India, Columbia, and Honduras. In Nicaragua it is being used for the first
time in the Fabretto Schools, with very promising initial results. Our classroom
observations have made us keenly interested in learning more about this
curriculum. We believe it offers many possibilities for use elsewhere in
Nicaragua, in Central America, and perhaps even in rural and semirural areas
in the United States.
3. Opportunities for students: As we develop the work plan and seek outside sources
of funding, opportunities for various types of student projects in Nicaragua will open up.
Possible summer programs could include service learning in areas such as health, water
purification, poultry raising, English language teaching, technology, and many others.
Nicaraguan professionals and students could also come to SJSU as Fulbright scholars or
other grantees. Graduate students from SJSU might choose to do their master’s thesis or
other research in Nicaragua.
4. A model for international cooperation that enhances regional security: Nicaragua
currently has the second lowest per capita income of any nation in the Western
hemisphere. Its near neighbors, including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and
Mexico, are undergoing horrendous violence due to drug wars. Nicaragua so far does not
27
have violence on this large scale, but it could easily become like its neighbors. Improving
education and creating local forms of sustainable development are the best ways to
prevent drug lords from making inroads into poor communities, and if SJSU can play a
small role in enhancing educational opportunity for poor, rural students, it may have
results that go well beyond the individual beneficiaries.
G. WHO IS INVOLVED?
1. SJSU team:
Principle Investigator:
Linda C. Mitchell, Professor of English; Director/SJSU Writing Center
Faculty:
Rosemary Henze, Professor, Linguistics and Language Development, ESL, EFL
Jan Hagemann, Lecturer, Coordinator/ SJSU Writing Center, Justice Studies
Graduate Students:
Fabio Coelho, Linguistics and Language Development
Mayra Sabrina Cerda, Applied Anthropology
Advisory Committee: TBA
2. Fabretto Leadership:
Kevin Marinacci, Vice-President of Programs
Helena Edwards, Director of Curriculum and Development
Peter Schaller, Executive Deputy Director
28
Appendix E
Saturday 6 February 2010 :: 11:14am
April 23, 2008
Contact: Jose Dante Parra: 202.225.3327 202.225.3327
jose.parra@mail.house.gov
Rep. Mike Honda announces partnership to boost bilingual
education in Nicaragua
Washington, DC – Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15) unveiled this week a program that will train English teachers in Nicaragua
through a joint initiative between San Jose State University’s Writing Center and the Fabretto Children’s Foundation.
The announcement comes at a critical moment when growth in Nicaragua’s trade and tourism sectors is driving stronger
demands for a bilingual workforce. For example, also this week, a $100-million denim plant opened in Nicaragua, which will
generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, including many that require English skills. However, schools often teach half
days and English language instruction cannot be implemented because of a lack in resources.
“We hope this initiative will help Nicaragua become more competitive as it continues to develop and that it will help it fully
reap the benefits of trade and tourism” said Honda, an educator of 30 years. “Fabretto’s programs, which I had the
opportunity to observe, are exceptional. I am confident this new partnership with San Jose State, my alma mater, will further
enhance their great work and help Nicaragua take advantage of the new opportunities that are knocking on its doors.”
Honda toured on Monday Fabretto’s campus in San Isidro de Bolas, near Managua, before making the announcement with
U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Paul Trivelli and Kevin C. Marinacci, Fabretto’s vice-president for programs. Later in the day
Honda visited the foundation’s facilities in Managua.
The Fabretto Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit that operates educational centers in disadvantaged Nicaraguan
communities, helps bridge the educational gap through an after-school curriculum and nutritious meals. The initiative with
San Jose State University (SJSU) will help Nicaraguan teachers design an effective English curriculum for the Fabretto
program. SJSU professors and students, in coordination with a select group of Peace Corps volunteers, will help in the
curriculum development, a phase that will last between four and six months.
SJSU -- Silicon Valley's largest institution of higher learning with 32,000 students and 5,700 employees -- is part of the
California State University system. SJSU's 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation's 10th largest city.
“Being able to contribute to the development of a country with such potential as Nicaragua is a great opportunity for San
Jose State,” Karl Toepfer, dean of SJSU’s College of Humanities and the Arts said. “For the faculty and students of the
SJSU Writing Center this is a great opportunity to internationalize our curriculum while doing meaningful field work and to
reaffirm SJSU's commitment to service learning. For the Nicaraguan people it means acquiring language skills which we
hope will help improve their country’s competitiveness. This is positive diplomacy at its best.”
29
Once the curriculum design phase is concluded, SJSU faculty and students will start helping in its implementation.
“The partnership with SJSU will help strengthen our English as a second language program, giving thousands of
Nicaraguan kids the access to quality English training, a critical tool in today’s world,” Said Kevin C. Marinacci, vicepresident for programs at Fabretto.
-MHHome | Latest News
30
Appendix F
Proposal for CATESOL 2010
(accepted December 2009)
Title: What does “culturally responsive pedagogy” mean in a rural EFL context?
Presenters:
Rosemary Henze, San José State University
Fabio Coelho, San José State University
Katie Masters, University of California Davis
Discussant: Julia Menard-Warwick, University of California Davis
Abstract: In this colloquium, we will share initial results and insights gained through a
transnational partnership between San José State University and the Fabretto Foundation
in Nicaragua. Participants will learn what is involved in implementing a culturally
responsive and critical framework for EFL program development, particularly for rural
programs in Central America.
Summary:
TESOL programs educate many new professionals to teach English worldwide, but these
professionals often lack specific preparation in leadership that would enable them to
develop new programs within a critical and culturally responsive framework. This
framework, developed in by Villegas and Lucas (2002), Edge (2007) and others,
emphasizes not only cultural sensitivity but also the need for teachers to work as active
respondents to challenge conditions of injustice and poverty. Part of this model involves
the recognition that program developers must value and incorporate the insights of local
teachers so that the resulting framework fits with their cultural setting, not that of the
program developers. In this colloquium, we will share our experiences in EFL program
development in Nicaragua. For the past year and a half, a team from San José State
University has been working with the Fabretto Children’s Foundation, a Non
Governmental Organization, to extend educational opportunities, including English
language instruction, to around 6000 rural children and young adults who would
otherwise have no access to secondary schools or to English instruction. Announced by
Congressman Mike Honda in summer 2008, this partnership is creating an adaptable
model for culturally responsive EFL programs. We will discuss insights about assessing
needs, building and maintaining relationships, enhancing teachers’ capacities, developing
relevant curriculum, and volunteering. To conclude, we will consider broader
implications of this emergent model for TESOL professionals.
31
Appendix G
Fabretto/SJSU Writing Center Partnership Webpage
http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/partnership/index.htm
Fabretto/SJSU Writing Center Partnership
SJSU team members meet with Sistema de
Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT) faculty in the remote
village of Cusmapa, Nicaragua.
In March 2008 staff at the non-profit Fabretto Children's Foundation asked the SJSU
Writing Center for assistance in developing an English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL)
curriculum at its educational centers in Nicaragua. The Writing Center agreed, and a team
of five faculty and graduate students began work on what would become the goals and
objectives of the endeavor. On April 21, 2008 Congressman Mike Honda announced the
launch of the new initiative to support Fabretto's schools and teachers in Nicaragua. This
initiative has become the Fabretto/SJSU Writing Center Partnership.
Through the partnership, the SJSU Writing Center is committed to facilitating the
development and sustainability of Fabretto's English language teaching program. The
goals are to

assist Fabretto leaders in establishing an EFL curriculum that specifically
addresses the needs of Fabretto students, both primary and secondary.

create a model for ongoing professional learning for Fabretto's EFL teachers so
that they can effectively enhance student learning of English.
32

create an exchange program for Fabretto teachers to attend professional
development courses at San José State University, and for students from SJSU to
do volunteer teaching and other service learning projects at Fabretto centers.

establish a professional network within Nicaragua to exchange resources and offer
support to help Nicaragua's poorest children. The network will include the
Fabretto Centers, US Embassy, Peace Corps, NICA-TESOL, and universities.

secure funding that will allow the partnership to reach and expand the above
goals.
http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/partnership/index.htm
33
34