PBTIL Abstract - The purpose of this three year project is to create a new setting for learning and to further develop innovative and effective curriculum models, instructional strategies, and assessment components that will ultimately improve instruction for LEP students.

These models, aligned with The Massachusetts Department of Education's Curriculum Frameworks and Goals 2000 and proven to be successful, will be integrated into both the curriculum and inservice staff development programs of participating schools as well as courses offered by The University of Massachusetts Lowell's Graduate School of Education.

The curriculum coupled with instructional and assessment strategies, developed during the life of the project, will be utilized in participating schools and published electronically, maintained, and updated on the EduTel Communications' bilingual project based web site, CommunityNet.

Dr. Juan C. Rodriguez, Professor of Education and Director, Bilingual/ESL Program is the Principal Investigator of this program.

Featured Project Highlights:

I Search - Endangered Species - Students at the Wang School are working on research of various endangered species at the library and on the Internet. They have published the results of their work.

Owl Reseach at the McAvinnue School - Grade 4 students worked long and hard to research the owl of their choice. After researching, they typed their information onto Alfasmarts and then downloaded them to the computers in the classroom. See the results of their work!

The CGS Moon Journal - Comprehensive Grammar School third grade has been busy studying the Moon and keeping nightly journals.

The Hat / Play - McAuliffe School Grade 3 students followed the directions for converting "The Hat" by Jan Brett into a play that they could perform in the classroom. They wrote/adjusted the dialogue, downloaded the graphics from the Jan Brett web site and presented their work for their parents at an evening meeting.

Cuando Mi Familia - The Reilly School Grade 4 worked on a family quilt with the idea of having each "patch" available here on our web site.

Adopt-A-Salmon - The Reilly School students are participating in the Adopt-A-Salmon project this year. Click here to view their slide show of a field trip to the Nashua, NH fish hatchery.

Internet Night @ the McAvinnue School - Parents of students in S. Carmona's Grade 4 class were invited to an "Internet Night" where they could learn how to "surf" the web and view their children's work on the PBTIL web site.

Egyptian Accordian Books - McAvinnue Grade 4 students made accordion books that represented vocabulary about Egypt.

Farm Animal Addition (22 Legs) - McAvinnue first graders draw farm animals to solve math problems.

Los Niños Lávalotodo - Mrs. Wishy Washy gets a "re-write" from McAvinnue first graders.

Leaf Art Project - During the fall students at the Reilly School collected leaves for their annual "Leaf Art" project. This year they also used the computer to word process some captions to go along with the "animals" that they created from the leaves.

Coming to America - This activity involves two teachers and two integrated classes from the Comprehensive Grammar School in Methuen. First and second language children are paired to encourage language acquisition while students engaged in early literacy practices, purposeful use of technology, and in the social studies content area.

Mi Papá - A kindergarten student at the McAvinnue School authored this picture book about his father.

Farm Animals "I-Spy Book" - McAvinnue kindergarten students created this picture book about animals that they had seen while on a recent field trip to Parlee Farm.

September Hero - The Marsh School grade four bilingual class has been reading about Johnny Appleseed, our hero for the month of September.

Adopt-A-Tree - Grade four scientists at the Marsh School have been working on a year-long independent project which connects them with their environment and sharpens their skills of observation, measuring and making predictions. Each season brings changes to trees. Here are some activities that the children have been engaged in, to document the changes.

Parent Workshops - McAvinnue School teachers, M. Gervais and B. Curley hosted a series of parent workshops that involved science lessons and use of the Internet