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

Help! Some of these
students do not speak
English! An
Orientation to the
Content Needs of
English Learners
All together now: Bhutanese refugee children, some with disabilities, at a
disability support camp in Nepal. Photo: Howard Davies / Exile Images
Presenter: Skip Cleavinger, M.A.
Director of English Learner Programs, WCPS
[email protected]
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 &
Background 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/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 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
Terms Continued
 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
Terms Continued
 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 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.
WCPS Stats
 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
WCPS Stats
 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
WCPS Stats
 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
WCPS Stats
 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
 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)
EL Demographics
 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.
EL Demographics
•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)
EL Demographics
• 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 20062007. 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
WCPS English Learner
Programs
 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.
WCPS English Learner
Programs
 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
Acquisition
 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
Stages of Second Language
Acquisition
(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)
Stages of Second Language
Acquisition
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).
Suggestions for Teaching Strategies
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.
Stages of Second Language
Acquisition
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.
Suggestions for Teaching Strategies
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.
Suggestions for Teaching Strategies
Provide opportunities for student to create oral and written narratives.
Stages of Second Language
Acquisition
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.
Suggestions for Teaching Strategies
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 discussion
 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 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
Proficiency
 Basic Interpersonal Language Skills (BICS)- social
language
 Academic Language or Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency (CALP)
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 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
continued:
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 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?
 “Knowing and being able to use general and contentspecific 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 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 errors
for English Language Learners
 Silent Period
 Negative Transfer or Interference
 Code-switching
 Over-generalization
 Simplification
 Language Loss
Language 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
Design and Assessment) Consortium
 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 Acquisition
 Level 1
Entering
 Level 2
Beginning
 Level 3
Developing
 Level 4
Expanding
 Level 5
Bridging
 Level 6
Reaching
The WIDA English Language
Proficiency 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 Kindergartners....
 88 graduate from high school
 58 complete some college
 26 obtain at least a bachelor’s degree
Of every 100 African American
kindergartners.....
 82 graduate from high school
 35 complete some college
 11 obtain at least a bachelor’s degree
Of every 100 Latino Kindergartners....
 63 graduate from high school
 35 complete some college
 8 obtain at least a bachelor’s degree
Of every 100 Native American
kindergartners...
 58 graduate from high school
 7 obtain at least a bachelor’s degree
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: 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: 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 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 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 & Foundations of
EL 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 of
EL Programming in the 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 Chinesespeaking 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 of
EL Programming in the 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 &
Background 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 the
Linguistic and Academic
Needs of Your EL
Students
Native 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 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 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?
Culture
 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
Acculturation
 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
Ethnicity
 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.
Race
 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 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 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
Language or L1of your EL students
 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 Language
Skills of Your EL 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 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 Students for
Structured Academic and Language 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 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 suspect
that ELs are lagging behind 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 English
Learners (ELs) during classroom
instruction that may mimic various
disorders or cognitive deficits.
Slow to begin tasks
ELs 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 tasks
ELs, 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.
Forgetful
ELs 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 situationspecific behavioral norms, classroom rules, and other rules of social
behavior.
Impulsive
Distractible
Disruptive
Disorganized
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.
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.
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.
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.org
cal.org (Center for Applied Linguistics)
iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu
E-mail me: [email protected]
References
 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