Ms. Ambriz

English Learner Teacher

Email: lambriz@baileycharter.org

A Note From the Teacher:

This is currently my 4th year coordinating and teaching in the English Learner program at Bailey Charter Elementary school. I started my career teaching English in Minneapolis, earning at Bachelor of Arts degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and International Education with a minor in Biblical Studies. I went on to earn my Master of Arts degree in English as a Second language. This is my 25th year teaching English. I started my career as an adult education teacher, and earned my K-12 English as a Second Language license in Minnesota in 2009. I went on to teach at a K-12 Classical Charter school for 10 years before moving to Reno.

About our English Learner Program at Bailey: Approximately 40% of students at Bailey qualify the English Learner program. I currently serve 80+ students in grades K-6 with my part-time assistant, Ms. Leslie.

Our classes consist of the following:

Level 1 English: This class consists of students that have not had any prior English instruction. In this class, we learn basic words and phrases that students can use every day in and out of school. Students also learn the names of items that they will see and use every day in the classroom. Students at this level are often learning how to read and write in English for the first time, so we work on letter naming/letter sounds, and phonemic awareness in this class. Students start with C-V-C (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and then expand on those literacy skills incrementally.

Levels 2-3 English: These students have a solid foundation of social and academic language, and are ready to move beyond the basics to expand their skills. Students will learn skills such as paragraph writing, speaking, and reading comprehension strategies. Students learn how to find meaning of words in context, and we are constantly working on expanding vocabulary.

Level 4 English: These students are getting ready to Exit the English Learner program and use all they have learned to achieve academic success. In this level, English and grammar skills are taught within the context of literature. Students may be given the opportunity to participate in bilingual literature studies as well. Vocabulary studies will include learning Greek/Latin roots and strategies to look up words and phrases in the dictionary, thesaurus, or glossary.