Natural Stages of Language Development:

Teaching Learners through Principles of Language Acquisition TLPI Spring 2007 Prepared by Virginia Shannon

Some Maxims    A student’s literacy in their first language dramatically impacts their ability to acquire subsequent languages (Krashen).

A student’s ability to produce language will vary from context to context.

ELL does not equal low I.Q.

Assessment and Placement      Home Language Survey (HLS) Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM) California English Language Development Test (CELDT) Primary language tests Teacher observation and recommendation

Level 1: Pre-production Stage   Minimal comprehension No verbal production  Strategies to use listen move mime point match draw select circle act

Level 2: Early Production Stage   Limited comprehension Verbal responses limited to one or two words  Strategies to use name label group answer list categorize say or tell

Level 3: Speech Emergence Stage    Increased comprehension Simple sentences Simple errors in speech  Strategies to use recall compare restate define describe explain role play

Level 4: Intermediate Fluency Stage    Very good comprehension More complex sentences Complex errors in speech  Strategies to use analyze create defend complete evaluate justify support describe in detail

Level 5: Fluency Stage   Learners in this stage have acquired basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) Their ability to acquire cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) enhances their ability to learn challenging content in an acquired language (Cummins)