English Language Learners

1. English Language Learners BTE363/364

2. National Student Profile • Fastest growing segment of the student population in U.S. • 1 in 5 students in the U.S. are immigrants or American-born children of immigrants • 2.0-3.3 million are English language learners • 73% of ELLs are native Spanish speakers • 2 in 5 Latino students aged 15-17 were enrolled below grade level (Source: U.S. Department of Education)

3. Myths About ELLs • Many ELLs have disabilities. • Children learn a second language quickly and easily. • When an ELL student is able to speak English fluently, s/he has mastered it. • All students learn English in the same way. • Teaching ELLs means only focusing on vocabulary. (Source: National Council of Teachers of Engliish

4. English Language Learners—Culture, Equity, and Language

5. Stages of Second Language Learning • Different children may enter school at different stages

6. Phase I: Observation & Imitation • Silent stage – child is taking in new situation & listening • Child will imitate what other children do in class; may be pretending to understand • An outgoing child may use a lot of body gestures; this may be misinterpreted as physical aggression

7. Phase II: Single word & phrase use • Child begins to use words or phrases that are important for survival in classroom • Stop it; I’m next; Me too! • Child begins to use language but is still not sure of what constitutes single word in English • “I like it” which student hears as two words • “I like it play ball”; “I like it little trucks”

8. Phase III: Initial Understanding of Grammatical Rules • Child may leave out plurals or past tense • Child’s comprehension exceeds ability to produce language; may use appropriate content words but not in appropriate form • Child may use grammatical forms that are literal translations from first language • Child gets most of vocabulary but generalizes meaning

9. How English Sounds to Non-English Speakers

10. Other Points • Easy to assume child knows a lot more of language than s/he actually does • Children will experiment more with new language when with peers than with adults; if possible observe student interacting with peers to assess student’s English language skills.

11. What is dripping from the faucet?

12. On what is the food sitting?

13. Excerpt from a science book: The water table lies beneath the surface of the earth.

14. Question: What is a water table?Is it an underground table made of water?

15. BICS and CALP Video

16. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) • Language skills needed in social situations • Day-to-day language • Social interactions are usually context embedded; occur in a meaningful social context; not very demanding cognitively • Language required is not specialized • Usually develops within 6 months to 2 years after arrival in U.S.

17. BICS (Continued) • ELLs can comprehend social language by: • Observing speakers’ non-verbal behavior (gestures, facial expressions, and eye actions); • Observing others’ reactions; • Using voice cues such as phrasing, intonation, and stress; • Observing pictures, concrete objects, and other contextual cues which are present; and • Asking for statements to be repeated and/or clarified.

18. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) • Refers to formal academic learning • Listening, speaking, reading, & writing about subject area content material • Essential for students to succeed in school • Usually takes from 5-7 years • If child has no prior schooling or no support in native language development it may take 7-10 years for ELLs to catch up to their peers

19. CALP (continued) • Isn’t just understanding of content area vocabulary • Includes comparing, classifying, synthesizing, evaluating, & inferring • Context reduced • Becomes more cognitively demanding; new ideas, concepts & language are presented at same time

20. CALP (continued) • Proficiency in CALP is gained more slowly because: • Non-verbal clues are absent; • There is less face-to-face interaction; • Academic language is often abstract; • Literacy demands are high (narrative and expository text and textbooks are written beyond the language proficiency of the students); and • Cultural/linguistic knowledge is often needed to comprehend fully.

21. Second Language Acquisition

22. Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) • Skills, ideas, & concepts learned in first language will be transferred to second language

23. Teacher Expectations, Beliefs, and Attitudes about the ELLs • Teachers expectations work to make or break the ELLs. • High expectations help ELLs. • Lowering expectations hurts the ELLs. • Teacher expectations work as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

24. ELLs and Mainstream Teachers • Negative attitudes and beliefs about the ELLs stem from societal attitudes toward the ELLs. • Media bias and propaganda campaigns have given rise to “English Only” and “English for Children” movements. • States have passed legislation banning bilingual instruction (California – Proposition 227.)

25. Mainstream Teachers’ Resistance to Helping the ELLs • Some teachers do not want to adjust and adapt the curriculum and instructional strategies to help ELLs. • They think, “Why should we make it ‘easy’ for the ELLs?”

26. Effective Communication Tips • Newcomers need visual & kinesthetic support to understand academic content material • Board sketches • Photographs • Visual materials • Mime, gestures, or acting out • Exaggerate emotions and vary voice; teach mainstream student to do same • Repeat actions & rephrase

27. Effective Communication Tips • Speak in a clear, concise manner at slightly slower pace using short, simple sentences & high-frequency words • Students won’t understand fast speech or words run together • Pause after phrases or short sentences, not after each word • Avoid passive voice, complex sentences, & slang

28. I am an avid hunter. I recently bought a Labrador retriever puppy. I can’t wait until he grows up so that I can hunt him. What does this imply?

29. Effective Communication Tips • Smile & speak in a calm, reassuring manner • Show patience through facial expressions & body language • Make every effort to understand ELLs’ attempts to communicate

30. Effective Communication Tips • Allow new ELLs extra time when listening & speaking • Many ELLs translate language they hear to their native language, formulate a response, & then translate response into English

31. Effective Communication Tips • Check comprehension frequently • Don’t ask “Do you understand?” • Write down information so students have visual as well as auditory input • Print clearly & legibly; cursive writing may not be understood by ELLs

32. Effective Communication Tips • Accept one word answers, drawings, & gestures • Do not jump in immediately to supply words or insist ELLs speak in full sentences • Resist urge to overcorrect which will inhibit newcomers • If students respond with incorrect English, repeat their answers correctly but do not ask students to repeat corrected response • Allow ELLs to use a bilingual dictionary or ask for help from same language buddy

33. Effective Communication Tips • If you have important information, speak to newcomer individually • Don’t insist student make eye contact; this is considered rude in many cultures

34. Effective Communication Tips • Let students know which question you are going to ask in advance • This will give students time to prepare a response

35. Effective Communication Tips • Use choral reading • Be sure ELLs understand what they are reading chorally

36. Effective Communication Tips • Write key words on board so students have visual as well as auditory input • Emphasize these key words • When writing notes home to parents, print your message or use a computer • Use black or blue ink; in some cultures red is the color of death

37. Effective Communication Tips • Questioning strategies • Ask ELLs to point to picture or word to demonstrate basic knowledge • Using visual cues, ask simple yes/no questions • Embed response in question using “either/or” • Break complex questions into several steps; simplify your vocabulary • Ask simple “how” and “where” questions that can be answered with a phrase or a short sentence; don’t expect ELLs to answer broad open-ended questions

38. Effective Communication Tips • There will be times when you will not be able to get an idea across • Ask ESL teacher in your school for list of students who speak newcomer’s language • You can call on these students to act as translators; remember K-2 students do not make good translators

39. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Developed by Echevarria, Short, and Vogt. Uses a research-based instructional approach. Theory is that language acquisition is enhanced through meaningful use and interaction. Combines good teaching practice and instruction specially designed for ELLs.

40. The SIOP Model

41. Features of SIOP Cooperative learning activities. Focus on academic language as well as key content vocabulary. Use of ELLs’ first language as a tool. Hands-on activities. Incorporates students’ background knowledge into classroom lessons. High level of student engagement and interaction leads to more discourse and critical thinking.

42. SIOP Components Lesson Preparation Building Background Comprehensible Input Strategies Interaction Practice/Application Lesson Delivery Review and Assessment

43. Lesson Preparation Content objectives – Clearly define what the students will be able to do; write them on the board. Language objectives – Clearly define the language objectives; write them on the board. Concepts should be appropriate for the age and educational background of students. Materials – What can you use to promote comprehension? Pictures? Multimedia? Demonstration? Find ways to integrate the content with language practice – Listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

44. Building Background New concepts should be linked to students’ background. Past learning and new concepts should be tied together. Emphasize key vocabulary Create a word wall; leaving it up during the lesson for students to see.

45. Comprehensible Input Teach the lesson Use appropriate speech at student’s proficiency level. Clearly explain academic tasks. Use a variety of techniques to make concepts clear.

46. Strategies The key is to teach students strategies so that they can be empowered to learn--make them independent learners. Scaffolding – break concept down into manageable pieces; guide students through process; help students move to higher levels of expertise. Use different question types.

47. Interaction Provide lots of interaction. Use group work that supports language & content objectives. Cooperative groups Buddies Pairs Large & small groups Give students time to respond. If possible, clarify using native language.

48. Practice/Application Hands-on activities, models, blocks, tools, etc. Activities that allow students to apply both content and language knowledge. Activities that integrate language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

49. Lesson Delivery Support content and language objectives. Engage students at least 90% of the time. Pace the lesson; gear it to the students’ ability levels.

50. Review and Assessment Review key vocabulary and other concepts. Students receive feedback and are assessed throughout the lesson.