English Language Learners: How Do They Acquire Literacy Skills

1. English Language Learners: How Do They Acquire Literacy Skills? Andrea Honigsfeld, Ed.D. ahonigsfeld@molloy.edu Molloy College

4. What do teachers need to work effectively with ELLs? (Rojas, 2001)

5. Krashen's Theories of Second Language Acquisition Natural order hypothesis Input hypothesis Affective filter hypothesis E.g. Certain morphemes, such as ing and plural, tend to be acquired relatively early, while others, such as the third person singular /s/ on verbs in the present tense (III sing.) or the possessive 's marker tend to be acquired late. The best acquisition will occur in environments where anxiety is low and defensiveness absent.E.g. Certain morphemes, such as ing and plural, tend to be acquired relatively early, while others, such as the third person singular /s/ on verbs in the present tense (III sing.) or the possessive 's marker tend to be acquired late. The best acquisition will occur in environments where anxiety is low and defensiveness absent.

6. Language Acquisition: What to Expect To find out more about the stages of language acquisition and how they affect LEP children, Instructor spoke with Andrea Hernandez, assistant director of the Bilingual Bicultural Mini School (La Escuelita Biling�e Bicultural) in New York City. Q: Please give us an overview of how children acquire a language.A: 1. During the first stage, called preproduction, children begin to take in the language and understand it, but they're not yet able to verbalize it. This is a time for listening activities, pointing to things, selecting, drawing. We can't expect to engage children in a conversation or ask them to respond to questions because it's too soon for them to deliver the language. 2. The next stage is early production. Children have limited verbalization and growing comprehension. Because they understand bits and pieces of what is said, we have to remember that they still don't understand everything. At this time children also begin to respond with one- or two-word answers (yes or no, lists and/or names of objects, and so on). Don't look for, or demand, complete sentences. 3. Next comes speech emergence. You'll notice increased comprehension and simple sentences and, of course, some errors. Encourage students to retell and define, explain, compare, and describe. 4. Later, students reach intermediate fluency. They have very good comprehension and are capable of constructing complex sentences, analyzing, examining, and justifying. Q: What is the teacher's role?A: Tailor your language expectations to where the child is developmentally, so that you don't ask a child to produce at a stage he or she hasn't reached. Otherwise it's defeating and frustrating. At the same time, give children opportunities to exhibit skills and not assume that just because the child doesn't speak the new language that he or she doesn't have the ability to function. Capitalize on the child's strengths in his or her own language. A bilingual aide, student, or volunteer is a great help. So is your sensitivity. Q: Any other tips?A: Try to find age-appropriate materials. Fifth graders aren't interested in the same things kindergartners are and shouldn't have to use inappropriate materials. Children's self-esteem is vulnerable enough without being forced into such awkward situations. Relate to the child as an individual and learn about who he or she is. Let children know they are special because they add to your class, not because they are different. Language Acquisition: What to Expect To find out more about the stages of language acquisition and how they affect LEP children, Instructor spoke with Andrea Hernandez, assistant director of the Bilingual Bicultural Mini School (La Escuelita Biling�e Bicultural) in New York City. Q: Please give us an overview of how children acquire a language.A: 1. During the first stage, called preproduction, children begin to take in the language and understand it, but they're not yet able to verbalize it. This is a time for listening activities, pointing to things, selecting, drawing. We can't expect to engage children in a conversation or ask them to respond to questions because it's too soon for them to deliver the language. 2. The next stage is early production. Children have limited verbalization and growing comprehension. Because they understand bits and pieces of what is said, we have to remember that they still don't understand everything. At this time children also begin to respond with one- or two-word answers (yes or no, lists and/or names of objects, and so on). Don't look for, or demand, complete sentences. 3. Next comes speech emergence. You'll notice increased comprehension and simple sentences and, of course, some errors. Encourage students to retell and define, explain, compare, and describe. 4. Later, students reach intermediate fluency. They have very good comprehension and are capable of constructing complex sentences, analyzing, examining, and justifying. Q: What is the teacher's role?A: Tailor your language expectations to where the child is developmentally, so that you don't ask a child to produce at a stage he or she hasn't reached. Otherwise it's defeating and frustrating. At the same time, give children opportunities to exhibit skills and not assume that just because the child doesn't speak the new language that he or she doesn't have the ability to function. Capitalize on the child's strengths in his or her own language. A bilingual aide, student, or volunteer is a great help. So is your sensitivity. Q: Any other tips?A: Try to find age-appropriate materials. Fifth graders aren't interested in the same things kindergartners are and shouldn't have to use inappropriate materials. Children's self-esteem is vulnerable enough without being forced into such awkward situations. Relate to the child as an individual and learn about who he or she is. Let children know they are special because they add to your class, not because they are different.

7. Cummins� Theories of Second Language Acquisition BICS vs CALP Takes up to 2 years Face-to-face communication Survival English Playground language Takes 5-7 years Specific vocabulary Complex sentence structure Higher level thinking skills School language

8. Factors resulting in individual variances Motivation (Extrinsic and Intrinsic) First Language Development Prior Schooling Language Distance and Attitude Access to the Target Language Age Personality and Learning Style Peers and Role Models Quality of Instruction Cultural Background Others Adapted from Using the SIOP Model (2002). Center for Applied Linguistics.

9. Normal processes of second-language acquisition Language Interference or Transfer Silent Period Code-switching Language Loss Dysfluency (associated with lack of vocabulary, word finding difficulties and/or anxiety) Fossilization

10. Four Corners Activity Good teaching is good teaching. Agree, Strongly Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree Literacy instruction for ELLs should mirror literacy instruction for native English speakers: Agree, Strongly Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree

11. Essential Components of Reading National Reading Panel: Phonemic Awareness Phonics Fluency Vocabulary development Text comprehension Given the fairly nonspecific conclusions from the NRP report, it is not surprising that all the major American publishers of reading curricula found it possible within a few months of the report�s appearance to advertise that their products addressed all five �research based� instructional domains.Given the fairly nonspecific conclusions from the NRP report, it is not surprising that all the major American publishers of reading curricula found it possible within a few months of the report�s appearance to advertise that their products addressed all five �research based� instructional domains.

12. A Cautionary Tale What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners? By Suzanne Irujo (2007)

13. CAUTION: Phonological Awareness for ELLs 1. ELLs cannot develop phonological awareness in English until they are familiar with the sounds of English. 2. Once explicit instruction has begun, modifications must be made to allow for more practice with sounds that can potentially cause confusion.

14. CAUTION: Phonics for ELLs ELLs often have difficulty discriminating between similar sounds because the English language does not have a regular system of correspondence between letters and sounds. Advanced decoding skills may develop, while reading comprehension will not if students' oral language proficiency is not developed to the level of the texts they are expected to read. For this reason, reading instruction should be combined with intensive development of the oral language. Practicing skills must be embedded in meaningful texts helps ensure that decoding skills don't progress beyond students' ability to comprehend the text.

15. CAUTION: Fluency for ELLs ELLs cannot achieve fluency in oral reading before they have achieved fluency in speaking.Students' own language experience stories are a very good choice, as are read-alouds that students have heard several times and discussed. ELLs' normal self-consciousness about accents and errors can affect their reading fluency, especially if they are asked to read aloud in front of the entire class. Decoding skills, fluency in oral reading, and reading comprehension interact in various ways.Effective instruction for ELLs integrates these three elements of reading (plus vocabulary learning) into the same lessons using the same text, as each element helps build and reinforce the others, producing a multiplier effect.

16. CAUTION: Vocabulary for ELLs 1. Failure to understand even a few words of a text can have negative effects on comprehension. 2. ELLs need more vocabulary instruction than their native-speaking peers. 3. ELLs need instruction in different vocabulary words than their native-speaking peers. 4. ELLs need different vocabulary teaching techniques and strategies than their native-speaking peers. If a native-speaking child enters kindergarten knowing about 5,000 English words, and an ELL with no previous exposure to English enters the same class knowing no English words, it's obvious that the same instruction for each of them will not produce the same results. Everything a teacher of ELLs does should revolve around vocabulary acquisition-explaining, demonstrating, drawing, repeating, reading, writing, and playing with words throughout every aspect of instruction. If a native-speaking child enters kindergarten knowing about 5,000 English words, and an ELL with no previous exposure to English enters the same class knowing no English words, it's obvious that the same instruction for each of them will not produce the same results. Everything a teacher of ELLs does should revolve around vocabulary acquisition-explaining, demonstrating, drawing, repeating, reading, writing, and playing with words throughout every aspect of instruction.

17. CAUTION: Vocabulary for ELLs What ELLs need: words that are crucial for understanding a text; words that are encountered in a wide variety of contexts; frequently used words that contain word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes) that can help students analyze other unknown words; words with multiple meanings, whether spelled differently (homophones such as to, two, and too) or spelled the same (such as a dining room table and a multiplication table); figurative language and idiomatic expressions; academic words that indicate relationships among other words (such as because, therefore, and since to indicate cause and effect). If a native-speaking child enters kindergarten knowing about 5,000 English words, and an ELL with no previous exposure to English enters the same class knowing no English words, it's obvious that the same instruction for each of them will not produce the same results. Everything a teacher of ELLs does should revolve around vocabulary acquisition-explaining, demonstrating, drawing, repeating, reading, writing, and playing with words throughout every aspect of instruction. If a native-speaking child enters kindergarten knowing about 5,000 English words, and an ELL with no previous exposure to English enters the same class knowing no English words, it's obvious that the same instruction for each of them will not produce the same results. Everything a teacher of ELLs does should revolve around vocabulary acquisition-explaining, demonstrating, drawing, repeating, reading, writing, and playing with words throughout every aspect of instruction.

18. Vocabulary: What ELLs Need Avoid simply handing out lists of definitions or asking ELLs to put the words into sentences ELLs who are literate in a language should be taught to recognize cognates and use them to create meaning. The meanings of words are acquired through multiple opportunities to hear, say, read, and write the words in slightly different meaningful contexts. Explicit explanations of unknown words should include contextual support through real objects, pictures or drawings, gestures, examples, demonstrations, or experiments that accompany the verbal explanations. The use of context clues to infer meaning is not always successful with ELLs because they may not understand the context well enough to infer an accurate meaning.

19. What might beginner ELLs understand? ___________ cars are _____ __ ___ top __ ___ first ____ __ _ _____. ____ ______ _____ ___ car ___ ___ ____ __ ___ ____. ___ ______ down ___ first ____ ______ __ ______ _____ ___ ___ cars __ ___ __ ___ ____ ____ ___ __ __ _____ ___ end ___ ___ ____.

20. What Might Intermediate ELLs Understand in English? Roller-coaster cars ___ ______ __ ___ top of the first hill ___ _ _____. Then _______ moves the car for the rest of the ____. The _____ down the first hill ______ __ enough speed for the cars __ ___ __ the next hill ___ ___ __ _____ the end of the ____.

21. What Might Advanced ELLs Understand in English? Roller-coaster cars ___ pulled ___ the top of the first hill ___ a chain. Then gravity moves the car for the rest of the ride. The _____ down the first hill _____ __ enough speed ___ the cars to ___ __ the next hill and __ __ until the end of the ride.

22. CAUTION: Reading Comprehension for ELLs Asking ELLs to read the same texts and do the same activities as everybody else will only result in frustration for teachers and failure for students. Implement the curriculum at a language level that makes it accessible to ELLs, while at the same time working to develop their oral language so they will be able to comprehend texts at higher levels. Provide as much nonverbal support for reading comprehension as possible, including pictures, diagrams, real objects, gestures, acting, and graphic organizers. Explicitly teach comprehension strategies, such as reader-generated questions, summarizing, and monitoring comprehension. Teaching strategies is not enough; students must practice them with texts that are accessible at their level of language proficiency. If students don't experience successful application of the strategies, they won't even try to use them with other texts. Plan interactive activities around reading and interpreting texts.

23. CAUTION: Reading Comprehension for ELLs ELLs are more likely than native speakers to lack the background knowledge necessary for understanding texts. The language level of the text to be read, compared with ELLs' language proficiency, is a major factor in how much they will understand of the text.Even advanced ELLs will experience difficulty with unusual vocabulary, figurative language, very complex sentence structures, or unfamiliar styles and genres. For this reason, the integration of intensive language development with reading instruction is highly recommended for ELLs at all levels of language proficiency. ELLs' prior educational experiences may have been substandard or interrupted, so reading texts that assume certain prior knowledge becomes difficult. Even for students with good educational backgrounds, cultural differences and culturally based assumptions can result in a lack of background knowledge and thus loss of comprehension. Whatever the reasons for a lack of necessary background knowledge, before asking ELLs to read a particular text, teachers must identify information that is prerequisite for understanding the text, evaluate students' prior knowledge of these prerequisites, and fill any gaps that are found. The best kinds of activities for building background knowledge are those that get students involved in manipulating language and concepts, rather than just receiving information from the teacher. These include experiential activities such as science experiments, classification activities, role playing, previewing a reading and generating questions about it, and sharing predictions about the answers to those questions. ELLs' prior educational experiences may have been substandard or interrupted, so reading texts that assume certain prior knowledge becomes difficult. Even for students with good educational backgrounds, cultural differences and culturally based assumptions can result in a lack of background knowledge and thus loss of comprehension. Whatever the reasons for a lack of necessary background knowledge, before asking ELLs to read a particular text, teachers must identify information that is prerequisite for understanding the text, evaluate students' prior knowledge of these prerequisites, and fill any gaps that are found. The best kinds of activities for building background knowledge are those that get students involved in manipulating language and concepts, rather than just receiving information from the teacher. These include experiential activities such as science experiments, classification activities, role playing, previewing a reading and generating questions about it, and sharing predictions about the answers to those questions.

24. Summary of Key Issues Research on ELLs and literacy Second language acquisition and multiliteracy development Cultural, socio-economic, affective, and academic challenges ELLs face Meaning at the CENTER of all literacy instruction Differentiated instruction for all ELLs