English Language Learners (ESL/ELL) Challenges & Classroom Strategies

English Language Proficiency Main Challenges EL’S ARE LEARNING TO SPEAK ENGLISH AT THE SAME TIME THEY’RE LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE * * * English Language Proficiency Background Knowledge Vocabulary Reading Writing

Oral Language Acquisition & Literacy Development EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION—teach literacy strategies & skills & unfamiliar academic vocab ORAL LANGUAGE—opportunities to practice speaking English informally SMALL GROUP WORK—opportunities to practice speaking English formally READ ALOUD—use variety of texts, build familiarity, & model proper English BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE—thematic units build knowledge AUTHENTIC ACTIVITIES—daily opportunities to apply strategies & skills as read & write for real-life purposes

Phonemic Awareness “Phonemic awareness is a common underlying linguistic ability that transfers from one language to another” (Riches & Genesee, 2006)” (Tompkins, 150) Draw attention to pronouncing English sounds & how oral language sounds are represented by letters in written words Chinese ie: uses syllable length characters instead of letters; phonologically /l/ and /r/ sound alike; is a tonal language (pitch, not spelling differences, is used to distinguish between words); prefixes & suffixes not used Spelling development EMERGENT STAGE: letters, sounds, words, LR, up & down, spaces between words LETTER NAME-ALPHABETIC STAGE: letters represent sounds, long & short vowel sounds, consonant sounds, consonant blends WITHIN-WORD PATTERN STAGE: spelling patterns (CVCe & CVVC & exceptions to rules) SYLLABLES & AFFIXES STAGE: spelling & grammar concepts (verb forms, change adjectives to adverbs, add inflectional endings, comparatives & superlatives), pronounce accented & unaccented lables differently, & learn to spell homophones DERIVATIONAL RELATIONS STAGE: Latin & Greek root works, vowel alternation (cat-dog game)

Expanding Academic Vocab TIER 1: BASIC WORDS Translate OR use pictures, pantomime, objects & demonstration TIER 2: ACADEMIC VOCABULARY Preteach unfamiliar vocab & new meanings for familiar words TIER 3: SPECIALIZED TERMS Translate directly, briefly explain, or do word-study activities (posters, word sorts, semantic feature analyses)

Developing Fluent Readers & Writers TEACHERS CAN: Build automaticity, speed, & expressiveness Monitor ability to write quickly, easily, & comfortably Assess ability to apply writing genres, develop topics, organize presentation of ideas, & use sophisticated vocab & variety of sentence structures Check control of Standard English grammar & usage, correct spelling, & use of proper capitalization/punctuation

Promoting Comprehension TAKE NOTE IF AN EL: Lacks background knowledge or culturally-based knowledge Is unfamiliar with a genre or can’t understand the figurative language Chooses books higher than their reading level TEACHERS CAN: Help EL choose appropriately leveled books Build world & literary knowledge Introduce key vocab in advance Model how, why, & when to apply comprehension strategies in think- alouds Implement “I do, we do, you do”

Assessing Literacy Development ORAL LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT Comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar Commercial tests: Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM) http://www.cal.org/twi/evaltoolkit/appendix/solom.pdf READING ASSESSMENT Identify reading level, monitor growth, document learning Assess background knowledge before instruction (KWL) EL self assessment WRITING ASSESSMENT Fluency Single focus & form  Organization of ideas & correctness Rubrics, conferences, mini lessons, revision groups, author’s chair, portfolios ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS: oral performances, story retellings, oral interviews, writing samples, illustrations, diagrams, posters, projects

In review, what can teachers do? Learn about students’ home languages & understand how they differ from English Embed students’ languages & cultures into instruction Use explicit instruction, authentic learning activities, manipulatives, visuals, audials, & preteaching activities Vary learning environments: group discussions, small groups, partner activities, individual Provide daily opportunities to practice oral language, reading & writing Make clear links between topics & students’ past experiences Practice note-taking to build writing and reading comprehension Simplify language, when necessary Review key concepts & vocab Use alternative assessment tools

Activity #1 Each student chooses a letter from the box Each then picks a word beginning with that letter (extra points if you can choose a challenging word you think no one will know the definition of!) Write it’s dictionary meaning down on an index card On the back of the index card, draw a picture to illustrate the meaning In your group, share words, meanings, & illustrations in a “Tea Party” In whole group discussion, the students then teach the class their words Teacher posts words on a word wall

Activity #2 Multiple Meaning Words are words that have several meanings depending upon how they are used in a sentence Provide students with words that have multiple meanings Each student comes up with 3 (or more, if possible!) meanings for the word (as a noun/verb/adjective/etc) and, on an index card, draws a different picture for each meaning On the back of the index card, students then provide a sentence for each different meaning of the word Teacher displays work on a multiple meanings bulletin board

Can be used as vocab lesson or as preface to new topic/book/etc. Activity #3 Can be used as vocab lesson or as preface to new topic/book/etc. The group/teacher chooses one student to dress in costume with provided props & provided key vocab word (for today, we will just be laying the provided props to display); this one student is the ONLY individual who can see the provided key word at this time Other students guess what word you’re trying to represent (if need help, can play Hangman) Once word is guessed: create a word cluster graphic organizer—with key word in middle, then discuss related words & meanings for branches; compare nouns/verbs/adjectives/etc. Additional activities: Provide sentence examples w/ key word & related branch words Make KWL charts on key word Vocab parade—dress up as representation of key words & teach class