THE BEST OF SAMUELS

SAMUEL IMyths and Realities

Second Language AcquisitionClassroom Strategies in Content Teaching

Assessing in Proficiency Levels

Second Language Acquisition: Myths & Misconceptions

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Agree

Disagree

1 When an EL has acquired communicative fluency, he will be able to handle academic assignments with little difficulty.

2 Oral fluency is a strong indicator that an EL will succeed in the classroom.

3 Placing a child learning English in a mainstream classroom will ensure that he/she will succeed in learning English quickly.

Social Language

Academic Language

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

• P R E P R O D U C T I O N W I D A → • E N T E R I N G

• E A R LY P R O D U C T I O N • B E G I N N I N G

• S P E E C H E M E R G E N C E • D E V E L O P I N G

• I N T E R M E D I AT E F L U E N C Y • E X PA N D I N G

• A D VA N C E D F L U E N C Y • B R I D G I N G

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WILL AN EL EXPERIENCE IN ALL OF THE STAGES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION?

• Silent stage

• Begins to produce words they have heard and understood repeatedly

• Develops receptive vocabulary

Entering/Preproduction

Beginning/Early Production

ALL

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING ELS IN THE CONTENT AREA

• ELs experience challenges specific to content areas.

• A multitude of strategies can be used to help meet these challenges. (hands-on activities, graphic organizers, group activities, step by step directions, etc)

• Every content area has a vocabulary specific to that content area (even Math).

IDEAS FOR ASSESSING ELS

Entering/Beginning Advanced Beginners-Intermediate

• Yes/no or single word responses

• Pointing/gesturing cloze activities

• Hands-on tasks• Class projects• Group work• Portfolios• KWL charts

• Role playing• Completion of graphic

organizers• Simplified study guides• Limit assessment to key

vocabulary of concepts• Allow students use of notes

or texts.• Answer essay questions

orally• Simply essay questions into

manageable parts• Use larger type, more white

space• Fill in modified outline, story

web

SAMUEL IIExploring Culture

Importance of Parental Involvement

EXPLORIN

G

CULTURE

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

This activity is designed to demonstrate how we are all members of a minority

Stand Up If…

Question Agree

Disagree

1. You arrive at dinner an hour late in Costa Rica. Your hosts will be insulted.

2. The parents of your student from Brazil show that they don’t care how their child is doing in school when they arrive 45 minutes late for a conference with you.

3. Your Mexican parents keep their children out of school on the flimsiest of pretexts. They don’t care about their children’s education.

4. Your new student from Argentina stares at you all the time. The student is belligerent and wasn’t taught any manners.

CULTURAL TRUTHS OR STEREOTYPES

CULTURE PRIDE SHIELD

9 TRUTHS ABOUT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT (TERY MEDINA)

Parents have hopes and dreams for their children.

The home is the primary of several domains that simultaneously influence a child’s education.

The parent is the central contributor to a child’s formal and informal education.

Parental involvement requires a vision, a policy and a structure for support and action.

9 TRUTHS ABOUT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT (TERY MEDINA) CONT.Parental involvement is a process, not a

program of activities.

Parents’ interaction with their own children is the cornerstone of involvement.

Barriers to Parental Involvement are found within school policies and practices.

Any parent can be “hard to reach”.

Successful Parental involvement nurtures relationships and partnerships.

DID YOU KNOW?

“The way schools care about children is reflected in the way schools care about the children’s families”

(Epstein, 1995)

DID YOU KNOW?A C C O R D I N G T O A R E V I E W O F R E C E N T R E S E A RC H

P U B L I S H E D BY T H E S O U T H W E S T E D U C AT I O N A L D E V E LO P M E N T L A B O RAT O RY ( 2 0 0 2 ) , S T U D E N T S

W H O S E PA R E N T S A R E A C T I V E LY I N V O LV E D I N T H E I R E D U C AT I O N , N O M AT T E R W H AT T H E I R

I N C O M E O R B A C K G R O U N D , A R E M O R E L I K E LY T O :

•E A R N H I G H E R G R A D E S A N D T E S T S C O R E S A N D

E N R O L L I N H I G H E R - L E V E L P R O G R A M S .•B E P R O M O T E D , PA S S T H E I R C L A S S E S , A N D E A R N C R E D I T S .•AT T E N D S C H O O L R E G U L A R LY.•H AV E B E T T E R S O C I A L S K I L L S , S H O W I M P R O V E D B E H AV I O R S , A N D A D A P T W E L L T O S C H O O L .•G R A D U AT E A N D G O O N T O P O S T- S E C O N D A RY E D U C AT I O N .

REDEFINING PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Investing in families

You’ve got to remove the barriers in order to build the bridge

Be proactive do not expect the parents to just enter your school on their own

Create a welcoming environment for parents by building on their cultural values

Parent liaisons who not only understand the culture and the language but also have “shared experiences” are better able to act as intermediaries between families and school staff

WE CAN ALSO HOLD…

Family Literacy Nights

Family Math Nights

Family Night Dinners

Multicultural Day: Families share their country crafts, foods, arts. Music, dance to entire school.

Adopt a student- EL parent helps an EL child with school work.

Parents read in their first language a story book to regular classroom.

WE CAN ALSO…•W H E N S T U DY I N G E L’ S C O U N T R Y / C U LT U R E W E C A N I N V I T E PA R E N T S I N T H E C L A S S R O O M T O S H A R E C U LT U R E A N D A R T I FA C T S . I F PA R E N T D O E S N O T S P E A K T H E I R C H I L D C A N S P E A K W H I L E T H E PA R E N T S H O W S A R T I FA C T S .

•A S K PA R E N T S T O T R A N S L AT E B O O K S W R I T T E N B Y S T U D E N T S T O C R E AT E B I L I N G U A L B O O K S . E L S T U D E N T S C A N T E L L PA R E N T S W H AT T H E PA G E S AY S A N D PA R E N T S C A N W R I T E I T I N T H E I R F I R S T L A N G U A G E .

•A S K S T U D E N T S T O I N T E R V I E W PA R E N T S A B O U T A S P E C I F I C T O P I C T O S H A R E W I T H T H E C L A S S R O O M .

•I N T H E E L C L A S S R O O M A L L O W S T U D E N T S T O P L A N A FA M I LY R E C E P T I O N A N D P U T O N A S H O W F O R PA R E N T S .

SAMUEL IIIWIDA Standards

Standards Based Assessment

Social Language

Academic Language

LANGUAGE VS. CONTENT

Language proficiency involves the language associated with the content areas.

Content knowledge reflects the declarative (what) and procedural knowledge (how) associated with the content.

BOTTOM LINE . . .

For students to achieve academically and demonstrate learning on a larger scale, such as high stakes assessments, they MUST master Academic Language.

FIVE WIDA ELP STANDARDS

WIDA Consortium / CAL / MetriTech

Standard 1- SIL: English language learners communicate for SOCIAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL purposes within the school setting.

Standard 2 – LoLA: English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of LANGUAGE ARTS.

Standard 3 – LoMA: English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of MATHEMATICS.

Standard 4 – LoSC: English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of SCIENCE.

Standard 5 – LoSS: English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of SOCIAL STUDIES.

ELP STANDARD 1

ELs communicate for SOCIAL AND

INSTRUCTIONAL purposes within the school setting

Examples of Standard 1Social and Instructional Language

Classroom language(ex. “Put your glue and scissors on the table”.)

Routines(ex. “It is time to line up for P.E.”)

Instructions /assignments(ex. “Turn to page 143 in your Social Studies book and read the first two paragraphs”.)

•School behavior(ex. “Always walk in the hallway”.)

•Recreational objects and activities(Let’s play kickball on the playground”.)

ELP STANDARD 2ELs communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of LANGUAGE

ARTS

STANDARD 2THE LANGUAGE OF LANGUAGE ARTS

• Writing a book report• Giving a personal

narrative• Acting in a play• Discussing a story or

poem

ELP STANDARD 3

ELs communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of MATHEMATICS

STANDARD 3LANGUAGE OF MATHEMATICS

• Patterns • Geometry• Algebraic Equations• Describing strategies for

solving problems• Units of measure• Time• Discussion of basic

operations

ELP STANDARD 4

ELs communicate information, ideas and concepts for academic success in the content area of SCIENCE.

STANDARD 4LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE

• Completing an experiment• Photosynthesis• Simple Machines• Genetics• Cell• Astronomy• Meteorology

ELP STANDARD 5

ELs communicate information, ideas and concepts for academic success in the content area of SOCIAL STUDIES

STANDARD 5LANGUAGE OF SOCIAL STUDIES

• Geography• Community/Neighborhoods• Government• Economics

FOUR LANGUAGE DOMAINSListening ─ process, understand, interpret, and

evaluate spoken language in a variety of situations Speaking ─ engage in oral communication in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes and audiences Reading ─ process, interpret, and evaluate written language, symbols, and text with understanding and fluency Writing ─ engage in written communication in a variety of forms for a variety of purposes and audiences

WIDA Consortium / CAL / MetriTech

LEVELS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

6

ENTERING

BEGINNING

DEVELOPING

EXPANDING

1

2

3

4

5

BRIDGING

REACHING

CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCE DEFINITIONS (REVIEW)

WIDA Consortium

ENTERING BEGINNING DEVELOPING EXPANDING BRIDGING

54321 6

REACHING

Linguistic Complexity:The amount and quality of speech or writing for a given situation

Vocabulary Usage:The specificity of words or phrases for a given context

Language Control:The comprehensibility of the communication based on the amount and type of errors

PERFORMANCE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS AT DIFFERENT PROFICIENCY LEVELS

WIDA Consortium

Language Proficiency(Performance Level Descriptions)

1 Entering

2 Beginning

3 Developing

4 Expanding

5 Bridging

PIs

L 1

L 2

L 3

L4

L 5Linguistic

ComplexityVocabulary

UsageLanguage Control

MODEL PERFORMANCE INDICATORSAn MPI is a language objective that contains 3 parts:

1. A language function word such as describe, label, critique.

2. The content of the lesson3. Support or scaffolding to help the

EL obtain the content.

THE MODEL PERFORMANCE INDICATORLANGUAGE FUNCTION

WIDA Consortium / CAL / MetriTech

THE MODEL PERFORMANCE INDICATORLANGUAGE FUNCTION

WIDA Consortium / CAL / MetriTech

Language Function = “Describe”

Content Stem = “objects of the earth or sky”

Support = “from observation, photographs or models”

Planning: Can Do Descriptors•Use with ELP scores from each language domain.

•More specific than Performance Definitions.

•Describes the language functions an EL

“CAN DO” with support at a given ELP level.

•Built upon the Performance Definitions.

•Most useful tool for teachers in planning.

Can you identify the “CAN DO” level in each domain for the native English speakers in your classroom?

ASSESSMENT FOR ELS

EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT FOR ELS:ELs MAY NOT RECEIVE FAILING GRADES or BE

RETAINED AS A RESULT OF ANY LANGUAGE BARRIER.

*Is an I-ELP in place?

*Was appropriate instruction used to increase comprehension and develop CALP according to the student’s EPL?

*Were authentic assessment methods used to evaluate EL student learning of content?

*Were all content objectives included in student’s instruction?

*What level of mastery on content objectives did student demonstrate?

ELs MAY NOT RECEIVE FAILING GRADES or BE RETAINED AS A RESULT OF ANY LANGUAGE

BARRIER.

*Is an I-ELP in place?

*Was appropriate instruction used to increase comprehension and develop CALP according to the student’s EPL?

*Were authentic assessment methods used to evaluate EL student learning of content?

*Were all content objectives included in student’s instruction?

*What level of mastery on content objectives did student demonstrate?

FAILING GRADES & RETENTION

Documentation to support actionDevelop a protocolPossible components:

Samples of regular and accommodated documents

Samples of graded and/or accommodated student work

Brief narrative of teacher behaviorsaccommodations madeteacher observations of student behaviorcontact with EL specialistcontact with parents

GRADES AND RETENTIONCONTINUED

Grades and retention should be determined through support of evidence.

ASK YOURSELFWere accommodations provided?Was consideration made of student’s level of language proficiency?

Were progress monitoring and intervention strategies implemented?

INSTRUCTION AND GRADING

Individual English Language Plan(I-ELP)Establish language development goalsClassroom Accommodations

Lower the language barrierProvide access to curriculumAssessment accommodations

GradingELs may not receive failing grades or be retained as a function of language proficiency.

Individual English Language Plan(I-ELP)Establish language development goalsClassroom Accommodations

Lower the language barrierProvide access to curriculumAssessment accommodations

GradingELs may not receive failing grades or be retained as a function of language proficiency.

WIDA Consortium / CAL / MetriTech

WHERE TO GO FOR WIDA RESOURCES

Access and download the sample ACCESS for ELLs test items and the W-APT test materials

Take Online ACCESS for ELLs Test Administrator Training Course

Read FAQs about WIDA and ACCESS for ELLsAccess your state’s page with contact

information, important dates, state policies, and local training opportunities

Purchase and/or download the WIDA ELP Standards and Resource Guide

Learn more about WIDA staff, products, and services

www.wida.us

CONTACT INFORMATION

Heidi Goertzen– Title III/ESL Specialist hgoertzen@alsde.edu

Dely V. Roberts – Title III/ESL Specialist droberts@alsde.edu

Dr. Tammy Hallman Starnes– Title III/ESL Coordinator tstarnes@alsde.edu

5348 Gordon Persons Building--50 North Ripley Street Montgomery, AL--334-242-

8199