Karuna Dwivedi, a full-time English Language Learner (ELL) specialist at Riverview Gardens High School, has been selected to present her work at the 55th Annual New York State TESOL Conference on Nov. 8.
Dwivedi, an experienced educator and author, focuses on empowering multilingual learners through inclusive, grammar-based instruction. At Riverview Gardens, she has helped increase student language proficiency and WIDA assessment scores while advocating for dedicated ESOL class periods at the high school level.
Her recent book, “Grammar as a Bridge: Empowering ELLs Through Writing and Speaking,” was accepted as the foundation of her conference presentation. The book emphasizes grammar as a pathway to fluency in writing and speaking for ELL students and offers practical, step-by-step methods for educators. Topics include “Voices from the Classroom” and “Culturally Responsive Grammar Instruction.”
In the book, Dwivedi emphasizes the importance of grammar instruction as a bridge to writing and speaking fluency for English Language Learners (ELLs), providing a practical and theoretical guide for ELL educators that integrates grammar teaching with writing and speaking skills across all language domains. She emphasizes the need for step-by-step teaching methods, starting with simple sentences and gradually moving to complex ones, and advocates for connecting grammar teaching to the unique ways of articulation in different languages. Other topics include "Voices from the Classroom and "Culturally Responsive Grammar Instruction."
"Because every language has a unique set of rules for subject-verb agreement, word order, and tenses, ELLS need explicit instruction to form complete sentences correctly," Dwivedi stated. "Grammar must be taught as a foundation for authentic communication and academic success."
Currently, the book is not published and is under peer review by publication companies.