English Language Learners UNO Student Teacher Presentation Welcome Work: *Complete the brain activator. *Take a guess if the statements are True or False.

Who are English Language Learners? Each school district conducts a home language survey when a new student registers in the district. – Is a language other than English spoken in the home? – Does your child speak a language other than English? – What language?

Who are English Language Learners? If yes to either of these questions, a English Language Proficiency Test is administered. Parent consent is not needed for the test. Scale scores are used to determine the English Proficiency Level. If the score qualifies, the student can be recommended for the ESL or ELL program. Parent must sign consent to participate in the program.

Omaha ELL Population 100 different languages 25% of the OPS students are current or former ELLs = 3,425 ELLs = 14,644 ELLs – 797 more kindergarten ELLs (82 are refugees) Many refugees are from Somali, southern Sudan, Burma, Nepal, & Bhutan *State ELL Population is less than 7%

Students with Interrupted Formal Education Limited Formal Schooling – Pre- or Semi-literacy in native language – Minimal understanding of the function of literacy – Performance is significantly below grade level – Lack of awareness of the organization and culture of school – Enroll with no school records or gaps in records

What Teachers Should Know 5 Principles 1. ELLs move through different stages as they acquire English proficiency and, at all stages, need comprehensible input. – Teachers should Scaffold their instruction and assignments and provide multiple representations of topics Promote student interaction that is structures and supported

What Teachers Should Know 5 Principles 2. There is a difference between conversational and academic language, fluency in everyday conversation is not sufficient to ensure access to academic texts and tasks. – Teachers should Provide explicit instruction in the use of academic language Provide multi-faceted and intensive vocabulary instruction with a focus on academically useful words

What Teachers Should Know 5 Principles 3. ELLs need instruction that will allow them to meet state content standards. – Permit and promote primary language supports 4. ELLs have background knowledge and a home culture that sometimes differ from the U.S. mainstream – Use culturally compatible instruction to build a bridge between home and school 5. Assessments measure language proficiency as well as actual content knowledge.

Six Stages of Language Acquisition Pre-Production – “Silent Period” (6 weeks or more) Early Production – short phrases, many errors Speech Emergent– words and sentences Beginning Fluency– social language, gaps in vocabulary Intermediate Fluency– socially fluent (BICS) and seems fluent in academic areas but gaps in vocabulary or expressions Advanced Fluency—fluent in BICS & CALP

Stages of Culture Shock 1.Excitement 2.Withdrawal 3.Adjustment 4.Enthusiasm

What does that mean for my ELL students? It depends on the individual!! One of the major contributors to accelerated second language development is the strength of the first language. – 5-7 years to achieve advance fluency – 7-10 years without first language literacy – 1-3 years to master social language (BICS)

What can I do as a teacher? Be Patient Be Supportive Be Aware Be Intentional Be Inclusive

Recommendations Build Relationships/ Find Commonalities Orient the Students to the School Set up a Class Buddy Recognize and Respect Family Culture Do not Isolate / Ignore Build Classroom Community

Teaching Suggestions Linguistic Modifications – Speak slowly and clearly (not turtle-like) – Repetition is essential – Use short concise sentences – Avoid jargon and idiomatic expressions – Use of cognates (Spanish) – Don’t baby talk or use low level words

Teaching Suggestions Gestures and Body Language Scaffold Instruction – Make the instruction meaningful – Comprehensible input Visuals Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

Teaching Suggestions Hands-on Activities Modeling and Rephrasing Native Language Supports Seek out the Experts Encourage Parent Involvement Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking in EVERY Lesson

Top 3 Recommendations from OPS ELL Coordinator, Susan Mayberger 1.Make the student feel welcome *Newcomers read body language 2.Give a tour of the school 3.Connect the students with a buddy (same language or helpful, kind student)

Resources Nebraska Department of Education –

Revisit the Brian Activator ________ 1. English Language Learners (ELLs) include any student who has a home language other than English. _______ 2. Teachers should recommend to parents of ELLs to only speak English at home. _______ 3. It can take a newcomer ELL student between 1-3 years to develop social language. _______ 4. ELLs will just pick up the English Language. _______ 5. ESL / ELL Instruction is different from Reading Intervention.

Revisit the Brian Activator False 1. English Language Learners (ELLs) include any student who has a home language other than English. _______ 2. Teachers should recommend to parents of ELLs to only speak English at home. _______ 3. It can take a newcomer ELL student between 1-3 years to develop social language. _______ 4. ELLs will just pick up the English Language. _______ 5. ESL / ELL Instruction is different from Reading Intervention.

Revisit the Brian Activator False 1. English Language Learners (ELLs) include any student who has a home language other than English. False 2. Teachers should recommend to parents of ELLs to only speak English at home. _______ 3. It can take a newcomer ELL student between 1-3 years to develop social language. _______ 4. ELLs will just pick up the English Language. _______ 5. ESL / ELL Instruction is different from Reading Intervention.

Revisit the Brian Activator False 1. English Language Learners (ELLs) include any student who has a home language other than English. False 2. Teachers should recommend to parents of ELLs to only speak English at home. True 3. It can take a newcomer ELL student between 1-3 years to develop social language. _______ 4. ELLs will just pick up the English Language. _______ 5. ESL / ELL Instruction is different from Reading Intervention.

Revisit the Brian Activator False 1. English Language Learners (ELLs) include any student who has a home language other than English. False 2. Teachers should recommend to parents of ELLs to only speak English at home. True 3. It can take a newcomer ELL student between 1-3 years to develop social language. False 4. ELLs will just pick up the English Language. _______ 5. ESL / ELL Instruction is different from Reading Intervention.

Revisit the Brian Activator False 1. English Language Learners (ELLs) include any student who has a home language other than English. False 2. Teachers should recommend to parents of ELLs to only speak English at home. True 3. It can take a newcomer ELL student between 1-3 years to develop social language. False 4. ELLs will just pick up the English Language. True 5. ESL / ELL Instruction is different from Reading Intervention.

Case Study – ELL Joanna is a shy 2nd grade English Language Learner who can decode up to long vowels but lacks the vocabulary for full comprehension. Her guided reading level is I. She is in the Beginning Fluency Stage. She does not like to ask for help or tell the teacher when she does not understand. Her parents speak only Spanish and have limited education in their home country of Guatemala.

Case Study ELL Jorge is a quiet 2 nd grade student who needs time to process in order to communicate orally in English. He can decode up to long vowels and can flip the vowel sound to find a better word. He is in the Beginning Fluency stage and at a guided reading level J. Jorge can answer higher level questions if he understands the vocabulary. Jorge’s is a 2 nd generation ELL student. His parents speak both English and Spanish and attended American schools.