Seyyed Ahmad Fatemi-Samir Fatemi- سمیر فاطمی - سید احمد فاطمی

 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  million are English language learners  73% of ELLs are native Spanish speakers  2 in 5 Latino students aged were enrolled below grade level (Source: U.S. Department of Education)

 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

 Different children may enter school at different stages

 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

 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”

 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

 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.

 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.

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.

 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

 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

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.

 Skills, ideas, & concepts learned in first language will be transferred to second language

 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.

 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.)

 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?”

 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

 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

 Smile & speak in a calm, reassuring manner  Show patience through facial expressions & body language  Make every effort to understand ELLs’ attempts to communicate

 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

 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

 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

 If you have important information, speak to newcomer individually  Don’t insist student make eye contact; this is considered rude in many cultures

 Let students know which question you are going to ask in advance  This will give students time to prepare a response

 Use choral reading  Be sure ELLs understand what they are reading chorally

 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

 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

 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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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