1 Understanding English Language Learners Sit with people you do not know well. Ask questions – listen to the answers.

2 Stages of Language Acquisition

3 Pre-production and “Silent period”- Sometimes, newcomers may go through a stage in which they are unable or unwilling to communicate orally. (This can last days or up to a year) Do NOT force student to talk; he/she is absorbing his/her environment and speaking patterns

4 BICS: Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills- This is the conversational or social language of everyday life. Students may seem proficient in English, but they are just communicating on a very basic, repetitive nature. (This takes 1-3 years to develop)

5 CALP: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Proficiency- This is the academic language of instruction, often the language of expository texts. CALP is a major milestone that helps achieve success in school and standardized tests (takes 5 to 7 years to develop)

6 Who are our ELL students?

7 Refugee/ Asylee Newcomer Students Refugee students are defined as children under the age of 18, who are foreign born or have at least one foreign-born parent who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of national origin because of persecution or a well- founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, or subscription to a particular social group or political opinion.

8 IMMIGRANT NEWCOMER STUDENTS 5 key words Individuals who are 3-21 years of age Were born outside the United States Have not attended school in the US for the past three years

9 Migrant Students Students are given Migrant status if they have traveled with their families at least once in the past three years to obtain employment in the agriculture or fishing industries causing problems in academic achievement.

10 Types of Students 5,751 6,034 Source: PEIMS, Chancery

11 Top Languages in HISD Source: PEIMS, Chancery

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13 General ELL Needs

14 Affective filter Psychological term meaning feeling or emotion Optimal language acquisition comes in states of low anxiety and stress and high motivation and self-confidence Remember 70% of communication is body language!

15 Affective issues new immigrants face as they come to our schools Adaptation issues: oLanguage oNew Rules oClash of Cultures oIntergenerational conflict and role reversal Concept of “home” forever changes Post Traumatic Stress-from immigrant experience of violence, terrorism, poverty, abuse, war, losses Political issues- fear of legal status and outlook for future

16 Comprehensible input ELLs acquire language by hearing and understanding messages that are slightly above their current English language level Teachers should modify language so that instruction is challenging but not unattainable

17 Teach to the ESL instructional level Group by proficiency level for guided reading fluency development targeted vocabulary instruction Choose materials for developmental appropriateness by language level

18 General ESL Teacher Accommodations Use a slower rate of speech Avoid/reduce idiomatic expressions Shorten your directions Use gestures, pictures, and real objects to convey information Provide a same-language partner for Preliterate, Beginning and Intermediate ESL students as needed

19 The HISD ESL Approach Home language Survey upon student enrollment Assessment of language proficiency (Oral and Written) LPAC determines placement and classroom setting Upon meeting criteria, student is exited from ESL program Student’s progress is monitored for 2 years

20 The Role of ELPS in Instruction

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22 Five E.L.P.S. Strands ELPS Learning Strategies ListeningWriting SpeakingReading Source: TEA ESC 2 prototype

23 ELPS in the HAPG 23 How does the ELPS objective align with the content objective above it?