help! some of these students do not speak english! an orientation to the content needs of english...

Help! Some of these students do not speak English! An

Orientation to the Content

Needs of English Learners

Presenter: Skip Cleavinger, M.A.Director of English Learner Programs,

[email protected]

All together now: Bhutanese refugee children, some with disabilities, at a disability support camp in Nepal. Photo: Howard Davies / Exile Images

http://www.exileimages.co.uk/

General layout for our time together

Day 1: Important Terms, EL demographics in Warren County, Stages of Second Language Acquisition, Academic Considerations and Risks, WIDA & Language Proficiency Standards, Academic Language & Common Core

Day 2: Developing language – English Learner Programming in WCPS, Developing Language in the Content Classroom, Instructional Strategies & Considerations that Work for ELs, Identify Assets and Resources

Setting the Stage

Let’s identify some commonly held myths that undermine quality and robust instruction for ELs.

Instruction in English is the responsibility of ESL teachers

ELs must acquire the language of instruction first and only then can they benefit from for content instruction

Having strong social language in English means that a student can understand the instructional and content language of the classroom

ELs need time to acculturate, become comfortable, learn vocabulary for common objects and the language for social interaction.

Setting the Stage

It is so critically important for us to be aware of our own language use; otherwise, language is “invisible” to us and we don’t realize the opportunities we have to make content meaningful.

Setting the Stage

Throughout our time together, we will talk about the importance of knowing our EL students’ cultural and linguistic background. It is important first and foremost to know this: all of our ELs come to us with rich experiences and language assets.

Taking stock of these assets and utilizing them in instruction and in the “community” of your classrooms is not only good for your EL students’ development- it will enrich the classroom experiences for you and all of your students

Important Definitions &Important Definitions &Background InformationBackground Information

Who are English Language Learners (ELs)?

ELLs are individuals whose native language is a language other than English. ELs are in the process of acquiring the English language and have not yet reached proficiency. For grades K-12, this is based on the results of a formal English language proficiency test.

In Kentucky’s schools, the ACCESS for ELLs is the English language proficiency test used to determine level of proficiency. It is given annually as required by federal law under NCLB.

For your purposes, there are many informal ways to find out how much English a student knows.

Some Key Vocabulary/TermsSome Key Vocabulary/Terms

Limited English Proficient (LEP)- A lack of fluency in speaking, listening, reading, writing English. Determined through an evaluation with a standardized test of language proficiency. This is the term used in federal laws, such as Title III, Title VI, and IDEA.

English Language Learner (EL)- This term is often used in the literature and is synonymous with LEP.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD)- This is another term which is very popular in the literature at the present time. The term acknowledges cultural and linguistic differences, but includes the spectrum of language proficiency, including full proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English.

Terms ContinuedTerms Continued

Language Proficiency: the level of skill a student demonstrates in a language or languages

Dominant Language: the language in which a student is most fluent

Language Preference: the language that a student prefers to speak

Note: The student’s preferred language may not be the one in which they are most proficient


Simultaneous Language Learner- learning two or more language from birth

Sequential Language Learner- learning a second language after first year- most ELL students are sequential language learners

Circumstantial Bilingual- the situation in which an individual is living, working, learning in a setting in which is the dominant language is something other than their native language. Thus, the individual must learn the new language in order to adapt & be successful


Immigrant- (A) are aged 3 through 21;(B) were not born in any State; and (C) have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more States for more than 3 full academic years.

Refugee- A refugee is a person who is outside their country of origin or habitual residence because they have suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Refugees in Bowling Green have been resettled here via organizations, such as the International Center. Their status is recognized by the Department of State

WCPS StatsWCPS Stats

1290 students in WCPS are currently classified as “English Learners”

This is 9% of our overall student population

This classification is based on the students performance on a test of English language proficiency.


We have 49 languages and dialects represented in the district (based on a Spring 2012 survey of our ESL teachers)

The language (other than English) that is most spoken in our district is Spanish

When the languages of our Burmese students are combined, they are move into the second position for most spoken language

Other very prevalent languages in our district include Bosnian, Arabic, Swahili, Japanese, and Vietnamese


About 35 countries are represented in our district currently

The students and their families can be roughly classified as either “immigrants” or “refugees” depending on the circumstances of their arrival

We have a refugee resettlement center here in Bowling Green, The International Center, and they are responsible for all primary refugee resettlement in this area


The classification of “refugee” is reserved for populations targeted for resettlement to the U.S. by the Department of State’s Reception and Placement Program and other agencies, such as the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

The President of the United States is responsible for determining the populations that will be targeted for resettlement and the approximate numbers who will get to come to the U.S.

Burma (Myanmar), Iraq and Burundi are the countries from which the majority of our most recent refugee families have come


Newly arrived students begin have often just completed a very difficult journey, and they begin the journey toward acculturation to our community and our schools. They also begin the process of becoming bilingual.

We must always keep in mind that EL students are expected to perform double the work of their native English speaking class peers. They are expected to learn academic content at the same time they are learning the language in which the instruction is taking place.

EL Demographics EL Demographics

Population of ELLs in the United States is growing faster than any other subgroup

From 1989-1999, the number of students identified as English Language Learners (ELL) increased 104% in the United States (Rhodes, Ochoa & Ortiz, 2005)


Estimated that during the 2003-2004 school year, there were 5 million ELL students enrolled in public schools-10.3% of total enrollment (Lazarus, 2006)

By 2015, it is estimated that EL will comprise approximately 30% of the overall school enrollment in the U.S.

Most EL students are born in the U.S.

•Over 400 languages are represented across the country, with Spanish the most prevalent

•Significant growth in Kentucky in last decade, with urban school districts showing the most growth. However, smaller and rural districts are also showing increases in numbers of students enrolled in schools who are English language learners (ELL)


• Over 95 languages are represented in Kentucky schools.

• Just over 17,000 ELs were being served in Kentucky’s schools during the 2011-2012 academic year.

• In Warren County, we gave the ACCESS for ELs Language Proficiency Test to 650 students in 2006-2007. During our 2012 ACCESS testing window, we tested 1199 ELs- a 84% increase.


WCPS English Learner Programs

International students are enrolled and screened at the GEO Center, which is next to Warren Central HS.

The GEO Center screens English proficiency, and a plan is written to specify goals for instruction, classroom accommodations and testing accommodations.

In WCPS, we have English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in all schools. Generally, students who are new to English are given English language development instruction


EL students are very quickly integrated into content classrooms, which is why you may be seeing students in your classrooms who are only lower intermediate English speakers.

Support is given in the context of our EL Programs until students reach proficiency on an annual test of English.

These students are then “recertified” and monitored for a period of 2 years.


Members of our department can be seen as sources of information regarding a variety of topics. Please ask if you have questions.

The EL Department also assists with things, such as interpretation and translation, facilitating parent involvement activities, coordinating services with community organizations and stakeholders, etc.

Five Very Important Considerations

1. Know your classroom “community” well. In the context of English Learners, we should know:

Educational history

First (and second) language

Something of their culture

Proficiencies in the heritage language

English language proficiency

Considerations Cont. Information about educational, linguistic

and cultural background is available from enrollment information.

Language proficiency information is available form the ESL teacher. You should also have a copy of the annual Program Services Plan, which describes the goals for instruction and accommodations for classroom instruction & testing.

Considerations Cont.2. Seek First to Understand-

You’ve heard this a lot! Seek out information about topics such as second language acquisition, effective practices for ELs in the areas of instruction and assessment, fostering academic conversation in the classroom.

District EL Module

ESL teacher, GEO Center Staff, etc.

Considerations Cont.These last two considerations are foundational beliefs that are so important when we consider the instructional needs of EL students in content classrooms

3. ELs are often considered “difficult to teach,” liabilities, etc., when in fact they bring tremendous linguistic and cultural resources and experiences to bear in our classrooms.

Considerations Cont.4. The language emphasis of the CCS and the (impending) Next Generation Science standards necessity our realization that, if we are teaching content, we are in fact teaching language as well. We are seeking to teach or “apprentice” our students to use the language of content as they explore and construct knowledge within each discipline. In the end, we want them to be able to describe, explain, analyze, synthesize, debate in articulate ways.

Considerations Cont.5. Do not “coddle” the EL by seeking to water down the content and language demands in your classroom.

Maintain high expectations and provide high support .

Academic language can only be learned by engaging with rich, academic, grade appropriate text (when appropriate support is provided by teachers who know how to support the language).

Stages of Second Language Stages of Second Language AcquisitionAcquisition

Preproduction (Generally first 3 months of second language exposure)

Early Production (3-6 months of exposure)

Speech Emergence (6 months to 2 years)

Intermediate Fluency (2-3 years)

Advanced Fluency


(Adapted from Hurley, S. R. & Tinajero, J.A. 2001; Lopez & Gopaul-McNicol, 1997; Collier, C., 2004; Hearn, 2000; Roseberry-McKibbin 2002; Rhodes, Ochoa, and Ortiz, 2005)

1. Preproduction (First 3 months of L2 Exposure)

Characteristics

• Comprehension stage- student is developing skills even though expressive skills are minimal. Listening is critical skill at this stage- student learns to associate sounds and meaning.

• Student is able to understand basic directions when paired with demonstrations and visual cues; may understand key words of concepts

• Very few oral skills are demonstrated at this point. The ELL student may respond nonverbally by pointing, gesturing, nodding and drawing. A “silent period’ in which little or no verbalization is observed often occurs during this stage. The silent period can last up to about 3 months.

Suggestions for Teaching Strategies

Frequent opportunities for active listening using visuals and common objects from home or Classroom)


2. Early Production (3 – 6 Months)

Characteristics

• Word usage and comprehension are continuing to develop.

• Student listens with increased understanding.

• Student uses one or two word utterances, some short phrases/sentences particularly related to social/every day events (i.e., BICS).


Questions to ELLs at this stage should be limited to “yes/no” type questions. It is also appropriate to incorporate “either/or” type questions or questions which require a very simple, factual response. ELLs should be encouraged to imitate correct responses by teacher/peers.


3. Speech Emergence (6 Months to 2 Years)

Characteristics

• Student uses longer and more complex phrases/sentences.

• Student is able to generate independent sentences and retell a short story in second language.

• Student may show problems with grammatical errors related to transferring information from L1 to L2.

• Student understands concrete written English that is accompanied by concrete contexts, such as pictures, objects, actions, and sounds.

• Student understands ideas that are within his/her range of experiences.


Provide opportunities for student to retell stories, using picture and word cues

Have student explain actions in a picture or picture sequences.

Stages of Second Language Acquisition

4. Intermediate Fluency (2-3 Years)

Characteristics

• Student engages in conversations and interacts more with others whose primary language is English.

• Student’s expressive language skills are significantly improved, fewer expressive errors.

• Student’s “information processing” is slower in L2 – won’t respond as quickly as a native speaker.

• Student is able to express thoughts and feelings.


Provide opportunities for student to create oral and written narratives.


5. Advanced Fluency

Characteristics

Student continues to demonstrate more proficient receptive and expressive skills in L2, but processing information may continue to be at a slower rate in the areas of memory, retrieval, and encoding. A slower rate of processing can persist for several years after learning a second language because significant amounts of time and practice are needed to decode a new language. For example, the student may first need to translate information from L1, then back to L2.

At this stage, the ELL student generally produces grammatical structures and vocabulary comparable to native English speakers of the same age.


Teachers continue ongoing language development through integrated language arts and content area activities with an emphasis on vocabulary and content information.

To sum up the stage To sum up the stage discussiondiscussion

The process of second language acquisition proceeds in definable, relatively predictable stages

Generally speaking, higher stages are built upon reaching proficiency in previous stages

Stage summation continuedStage summation continued

While the stages proceed in a fairly linear fashion, skill development in listening, speaking, reading and writing may not. Skill development can be evidenced in various areas at different points in the process, and progress in one area (e.g., reading) can impact progress in other areas (e.g., listening and speaking).

Finally, the development of proficiency is greatly impacted by psychological, personality, emotional and social factors. For example, determination, motivation and/or a general “outgoing” attitude can speed up the process. Shy and reticent children will be hesitant to take risks and their second language development can take much longer.

Two Types of Language Two Types of Language ProficiencyProficiency

Basic Interpersonal Language Skills (BICS)- social language

Academic Language or Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

BICS (Social Language)BICS (Social Language)

Develops with even passive exposure to a second language within 1-2 years

High contextual, concrete

May be very misleading in terms of others’ perceptions of a student’s English Language Proficiency

Social language proficiencySocial language proficiency::This type of language proficiency refers to the language used in informal interaction with others. The vocabulary used in BICS is often very general, and slang and other informal conventions are appropriate. Likewise, the language structures used are generally very direct. Oral language is often accompanied by facial expressions and gestures which can convey meaning, thus the language used in BICS can often be very simple yet still convey complex meaning at times. Vocabulary, syntax and semantics don’t play a critical role in BICS, and this type of language proficiency can develop through very unstructured exposure to a second language in about 1-2 years.

Social language proficiency Social language proficiency continuedcontinued::Unspecific referents are generally fine because people within the context of the communication have a common understanding of what the communication is about… what it is for..

Social communication has an important role in the educational context. Informal activities, discussion, instructions, etc. are often expressed in BICS-like language. Some jargon may be present and there might also be content-specific and higher level vocabulary (e.g., “power” verbs such as identify, specify, classify, analyze, discern, signify, etc.)

“Social/Instructional” language Proficiency is one of the 5 areas measured by our state’s English language proficiency test, the ACCESS

Academic LanguageAcademic Language

Development of academic language must be taught through purposeful, meaningful, explicit instruction

Requires 5-7 years to develop completely

ALP becomes a more critical skill as classrooms and instruction become increasingly decontextualized

ALP encompasses the subject-specific vocabulary, semantic/syntactic control, and linguistic complexity (i.e., the length of oral or written response, the amount of detail, & the cohesiveness of the parts of the communication)

What Is Academic Language?What Is Academic Language?

“Knowing and being able to use general and content- specific vocabulary, specialized or complex grammatical features, and multifarious language functions and discourse structures- all for the purpose of acquiring new knowledge and skills, interacting about a topic, or imparting information to others” (Bailey, 2007).

Simply, “the language of text” (Lesaux, 2009)

Academic VocabularyAcademic Vocabulary

It is critical that all of our children be explicitly taught the meaning of academic vocabulary words. Researchers have determined that students must being able to comprehend the meaning of 90-95% of the words in a passage in order to gain meaning from that passage (Calderone, 2007; Klingner, Hoover & Baca, 2008; Lesaux, 2009)

Typical, Developmental Processing Typical, Developmental Processing errors for English Language errors for English Language

LearnersLearners

Silent Period

Negative Transfer or Interference

Code-switching

Over-generalization

Simplification

Language Loss

Language lossLanguage loss

Brain processing/learning theory and the importance of language as not only a mechanism of storage and retrieval, but also a platform onto which we can build new language concepts, vocabulary and language structures

The development of schema and background knowledge. We need to access this knowledge to build more complex schema

We want to really devote ourselves as practitioners and consultants to inform parents and educators about the importance of strengthening L1 while building L2. Losing L1 (or even an L1 in atrophy) can impede development and make our jobs more difficult.

WIDA (World Class Instructional WIDA (World Class Instructional Design and Assessment) Design and Assessment)

ConsortiumConsortium Consortium of 31 states that share English

language proficiency standards and the ACCESS for ELLs, the test given yearly to assess English proficiency in our EL students. Kentucky joined the WIDA Consortium in 2006

WIDA leaders developed the English language proficiency standards in 2004 and developed the ACCESS soon after. Last year, the ACCESS was given in 27 states to 975,441 students.

WIDA Stages of Language WIDA Stages of Language AcquisitionAcquisition

Level 1 Entering

Level 2 Beginning

Level 3 Developing

Level 4 Expanding

Level 5 Bridging

Level 6 Reaching

The WIDA English Language The WIDA English Language Proficiency StandardsProficiency Standards

5 Standards: Students will acquire...

• Social & Instructional Language

• Language of Language Arts

• Language of Math

• Language of Social Studies

• Language of Science

Of every 100 White Of every 100 White Kindergartners....Kindergartners....

88 graduate from high school

58 complete some college

26 obtain at least a bachelor’s degree

Of every 100 African American Of every 100 African American kindergartners.....kindergartners.....




Of every 100 Latino Of every 100 Latino Kindergartners....Kindergartners....




Of every 100 Native American Of every 100 Native American kindergartners... kindergartners...



So, why is this such a challenge??So, why is this such a challenge??

The process of second language acquisition can be lengthy and difficult

The process of adapting to the school culture is also very difficult for some (Generally, this is a function of how different their native culture is to the culture of the community and school in the U.S.)

They enter school very far behind in terms of exposure to English

They must learn English AND build academic skills. They are constantly in a race to catch up.

Complicating the Challenge: Complicating the Challenge: ELs are often a complex mix ELs are often a complex mix

Nationally, the EL population is very heterogeneous; in Kentucky, we tend to have a mix of different refugee and immigrant groups, but this can vary from county to county

The children vary widely in the quality and quantity of L1 they are exposed to at home

Some have no exposure to L1 print at home

The reasons for immigrating or seeking refuge vary greatly at times

Factors relating to SES and amount of family education vary

Family stressors vary

More Complex Issues: RefugeesMore Complex Issues: Refugees

By virtue of their status as “refugees,” these individuals are fleeing their home due to war, fear of persecution, natural disaster, etc.

Many refugees have experienced traumatic circumstances which will impact their emotional status significantly

Refugees do undergo some training to prepare for their journey to the U.S., but it is generally a very short class. They do not have a choice as to the state or city in which they will live

Language exposure statisticsLanguage exposure statistics(Ortiz, S. (2004). Powerpoint Presentation. National Association of School Psychologists; Multicultural

Resources Webpage)

By the time they begin Kindergarten, native English speakers have approximately 21,900 hours of both active and passive (e.g., TV) exposure to the English language

Given the same circumstances, Limited English speakers have on the average 3,650 hours of exposure to English when they enter Kindergarten

Non-English speakers will enter Kindergarten with little or no prior exposure to English (as compared to 21,900 hours for the native speakers)

The 30 Million Word GapThe 30 Million Word Gap

According to research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley (2003),children from privileged (high SES) families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged (low SES) families by

the age of 3. In addition, “follow-up data indicated

that the 3-year old measures of accomplishment predicted third grade school achievement.”

The Origin & The Origin & Foundations of EL Foundations of EL Programming in the U.S.Programming in the U.S.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which stated that “…no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare issued a memorandum on May 25, 1970 which clarified the application of Title VI to language minority students and directed the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to implement, review, and enforce compliance procedures. The 1970 memorandum directed that school districts must take clear steps to teach English to language minority students in order to open its programs to them

The Origin & Foundations The Origin & Foundations of EL Programming in the of EL Programming in the U.S.U.S. In the U.S. Supreme Court’s findings in Lau v.

Nichols (1974), the Justices ruled that the San Francisco Unified School District violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by not providing English instruction to Chinese-speaking students. In the “Lau Remedies,” the Supreme Court affirmed the authority of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to ensure that districts provide bilingual, multilingual, or transitional bilingual services to ELL students.

The Origin & Foundations The Origin & Foundations of EL Programming in the of EL Programming in the U.S.U.S.

“Basic English skills are at the very core of what the public schools teach. Imposition of a requirement that, before a child can effectively participate in the educational program, he must have already acquired those basic skills is to make a mockery of public education. We know that those who do not understand English are certain to find their classroom experience incomprehensible and in no way meaningful.” Justice Douglas

Important Definitions &Important Definitions &Background InformationBackground Information

What are the stages of “second language acquisition” and how is it the same or different from development of one’s first language:

Second language development is similar to first language development in that it proceeds in stages and, generally speaking, receptive language develops before expressive language.

One of the primary (and most useful) differences is that a first language is in place to some degree. Thus, concepts have been stored in memory and can be accessed to teach vocabulary and concepts in the second language. All major research findings conclude that success in learning academic English is much more likely if the first language is highly developed.

Strategies to Address Strategies to Address the Linguistic and the Linguistic and

Academic Needs of Academic Needs of Your EL StudentsYour EL Students

Native Language FeaturesNative Language Features

Orthographical features: The writing system of any particular language can take many forms, and the degree to which the system differs from the Roman alphabetic system we use in English will impact the language acquisition process. Spanish, the most commonly spoken native language among ELs in the U.S., also uses the Roman alphabet, thus Spanish speaking students will have some familiarity with the letters.

Phonemic/Phonological features: Some sounds and grapheme/phoneme correspondences are particular to English and are not found in many other language. For example, Spanish has only 5 vowel sounds and they do not vary. English, on the other hand, can have 11 sounds. The “short” /i/ and /e/ sounds do not occur in Spanish, and a sound very similar to “short” /o/ is associated with the letter /a/ in Spanish.

Native Language FeaturesNative Language Features

Phonemic/Phonological features cont: Likewise, some consonant blends in English are not used in Spanish. There are many examples of phonemic/phonological differences between English and other major languages.

Syntactic features: The syntax of many languages can differ dramatically from English, and this will obviously impact the second language acquisition process. For example, in Spanish, noun modifiers come after the noun, rather than before. (e.g., “pelota de tenis” for “tennis ball”)

Grammatical features: Again, we can equip ourselves with some knowledge of the grammar of a particular language. In Spanish, one says, “tengo frio” to indicate that he or she is cold. This is literally translated as “I have cold.”

Cultural ConsiderationsCultural Considerations

We should seek information about the student’s dominant culture which pertain to social interaction, education, family member responsibilities, gender roles and responsibilities, education, literacy, etc.

As with Linguistic Proximity, we want to know more about the cultural characteristics present in our classrooms. How divergent from the culture of our community is the culture of the student and their family (i.e., “Cultural Proximity”)?

Also, what is the degree to which the student has adopted or “acculturated” to the culture of our community?

CultureCulture

A combination of feelings, thoughts, beliefs, values, and behavioral patterns which are shared by racial, ethnic, religious, or other social groups.

It is impossible to define any person by a single “cultural” label, as the many facets of all our lives intertwine “cultures”

Culture is constantly changing

AcculturationAcculturation

This describes the process, a relatively natural process, that occurs as an individual moves to an area with a dominant culture that he or she may not share.

Acculturation takes place in very “surface” ways (e.g., adopting clothing styles, casual greetings, mannerisms of the dominant culture) to very deep features (full proficiency in the language of the dominant culture)

Generational studies have mapped the acquisition of English proficiency in immigrant families

EthnicityEthnicity

The concept of “ethnicity” is complex in that many countries and regions of the world define an ethnic group differently. It could be based on religion, language, ancestry, or tribal group.

Ethnicity is defined by NCCRESt as “a strong sense of belonging,” thus that sense of identification and belonging must come from within the individual and cannot be assigned by someone else.

RaceRace

Race is a concept and distinction developed to separate and describe individuals according to their physical traits and characteristics.

Race as a political and social construct has led to enslavement, marginalization, and even attempted annihilation.

Explicitly Teach VocabularyExplicitly Teach Vocabulary

ELs, as we have discussed have a lot of catching up to do in terms of vocabulary. Seek authentic ways to introduce, teach and provide multiple encounters with rich vocabulary.

The types of vocabulary have been classified by several folks, most notably Beck and McKeown. Our young students need the most basic vocabulary relating to themselves and their environment, and they also need highly functional academic vocabulary and linguistic features, such as “but”,“or”, “if ___, then____”, etc.

Academic VocabularyAcademic Vocabulary Type I Vocabulary (Basic)

Type II Vocabulary (Cross discipline, high utility)

Type III Vocabulary (Discipline specific)

Beck, McKeown, & Kucan (2002) Bringing Words to Life

Seek to Strengthen the Native Seek to Strengthen the Native Language or L1of your EL Language or L1of your EL

studentsstudents Encourage parents to read to their children in

the native language

Encourage parents to use rich, robust native language

Use native language support in your room whenever possible (e.g., post labels, use native language books & videos if appropriate, make use of bilingual individuals as tutors or assistants in the classroom when appropriate.

Frequently Assess the Frequently Assess the Language Skills of Your EL Language Skills of Your EL

Students Students

This should be informal and geared to their language proficiency level. All tasks should be authentic and based in classroom instruction. Tasks may be verbal or nonverbal based on the proficiency of the student. If hey are not ready to talk yet, let them respond nonverbally by gesturing, sorting, nodding their heads, etc.

Focus on LiteracyFocus on Literacy

Equip yourself with knowledge about the components of literacy that are critical for reading development.

Use strategies that are known to be effective for ELs, such as preview techniques to discuss/predict the story based on the pictures, pre-teach vocabulary and common phrases, highlight particular vocabulary words which are pertinent to the story line.

Utilize Heterogeneous Groups of Utilize Heterogeneous Groups of Students for Structured Academic and Students for Structured Academic and

Language TasksLanguage Tasks

Group monolingual English speakers with EL students.

Structure tasks in such a way that ELs have a chance to model native speakers in output (i.e., speaking and writing)

Always ensure that ELs have opportunities to engage in language activities with more proficient speakers.

Set High ExpectationsSet High Expectations

Don’t forget Vygotsky. Development occurs when we place a goal just beyond the reach of our students and provide supports and scaffolds for them to reach up to acquire the goal.

With this group of students, it is very easy to fall into a trap of setting low expectations, watering down content, and essentially “loving” them into a deficit that they may never get out of.

The best way for ELs to learn the language of school is to engage in rich, highly structured, meaningful, authentic academic “events” that require the use of langauge

Some things to remember if you Some things to remember if you suspect that ELs are lagging suspect that ELs are lagging

behind the restbehind the rest First of all, there probably will be lags. We

would lag behind our peers, too if we were sent by our parents to a school in which English is not the language of instruction.

The greater the difference between the culture and language of the child and our dominant culture and English, the more you can expect some delays.

Certain linguistic errors are a sign that the child is working to make sense of English. Likewise, the silent period is normal.

Common manifestations of Common manifestations of English Learners (ELs) during English Learners (ELs) during

classroom instruction that may classroom instruction that may mimic various disorders or mimic various disorders or

cognitive deficits.cognitive deficits.

Slow to begin tasksELs may have limited comprehension of the classroom language so that they are not always clear on how to properly begin tasks or what must be done in order to start them or complete them correctly.

Slow to finish tasksELs, especially those with very limited English skills, often need to translate material from English into their native language in order to be able to work with it and then must translate it back to English in order to demonstrate it. This process extends the time for completion of time-limited tasks that may be expected in the classroom.

ForgetfulELs cannot always fully encode information as efficiently into memory as monolinguals because of their limited comprehension of the language and will often appear to be forgetful when in fact the issue relates more to their lack of proficiency with English.

Inattentive ELs may not fully understand what is being said to them in the classroom and consequently they don’t know when to pay attention or what exactly they should be paying attention to.

Hyperactive ELs may appear to be hyperactive because they are unaware of situation-specific behavioral norms, classroom rules, and other rules of social behavior.

Impulsive ELs may lack the ability to fully comprehend instructions so that they display a tendency to act impulsively in their work rather than following classroom instructions systematically.

Distractible ELs may not fully comprehend the language being being spoken in the classroom and therefore will move their attention to whatever they can comprehend appearing to be distractible in the process.

Disruptive ELs may exhibit disruptive behavior, particularly excessive talking—often with other ELLS, due to a need to try and figure out what is expected of them or to frustration about not knowing what to do or how to do it.

Disorganized ELs often display strategies and work habits that appear disorganized because they don’t comprehend instructions on how to organize or arrange materials and may never have been taught efficient learning and problem solving strategies.

Resources

Great resources exist for you to continue your learning in this area. Some great places to start looking include:

http:ell.stanford.edu (Understanding Language)colorincolorado.orgcal.org (Center for Applied Linguistics)iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

E-mail me: [email protected]

ReferencesReferences Artiles, A.J. & Ortiz, A. A. (Eds.), (2002). English language

learners with special education needs. Identification, assessment and instruction. McHenry, IL.: Delta Systems Co, Inc.

Fuchs, D., Mock, D., Morgan, P.L. & Young, C.L. (2003). Responsiveness to intervention: Definitions, evidence, and implications for the learning disabilities construct. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 18 (3), 157-171

Gerber, M. (2006). Response-to- Instruction Models of Assessment: Are they valid for English language learners? Denver: NCCREST.

Hamayan, E., Marler, B., & Sanchez-Lopez, C. Distinguishing learning disabilities from second language difficulties. (2006). Des Plaines: Illinois Resource Center

Harry, B. & Klingner, J. (2006). Why are so many minority students in special education? . New York: NY Teachers College Press

Klingner, J., Artiles, A. & Barletta, L (2005). English language learners and learning disabilities: a critical review of the literature. Denver: NCCREST.

Rhodes, R, Ochoa, S. H., & Ortiz, S.0. (2005). Assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students. New York: Guilford Press

help! some of these students do not speak english! an orientation to the content needs of english...

Documents

content language

language of instruction

language assets

english language learners

language acquisition

language use

native language

english means