1. Supporting English Language Learners in the Elementary Classroom
Anne Yeager
April 16, 2016
UC Irvine

2. Agenda Introduction Personal Findings Practical Strategies
Classroom Examples
English Language Learner Information
Discussion / Questions

3. Introduction
UCI Multiple Subject Teaching Credential / MAT program in 2014
Student taught at 2 schools in NMUSD
Currently teach Kindergarten at Pomona Elementary

4. Challenges Speaking and Listening Vocabulary Academic Language
Parent Support

5. Model, Model, model!
When teaching ELL’s it is important to model all facets of language development:
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing

6. Speaking & Listening Strategies
Involve students in as many speaking activities as possible
Train students to listen and respond to their peers
Correcting students:
“Let’s try saying it this way”
Examples:
Having students sit in a circle and share out about their weekend.
Requires students to speak in complete sentences.
Having students say sentences they are going to write out loud, prior to writing.
Author’s chair.
Having students participate in a play with assigned roles.
Sentence frames can be oral and visual.

7. Speaking & Listening Strategies
Echo Me!
Choral Response
Sentence Frames
Visual
Oral
Use questioning
Wait/Think Time
Examples:
Having students sit in a circle and share out about their weekend.
Requires students to speak in complete sentences.
Having students say sentences they are going to write out loud, prior to writing.
Author’s chair.
Having students participate in a play with assigned roles.
Sentence frames can be oral and visual.

8. Speaking & Listening Strategies
Creating a “safe” learning environment
Focus more on communicating the content and meaning, rather than on language forms
Examples:
Having students sit in a circle and share out about their weekend.
Requires students to speak in complete sentences.
Having students say sentences they are going to write out loud, prior to writing.
Author’s chair.
Having students participate in a play with assigned roles.
Sentence frames can be oral and visual.

9. Vocabulary Strategies
Use opportunities throughout the day to support vocabulary instruction
Visual supports
Pictures / Symbols
Movement
Songs, dance, YouTube
Support vocab. instruction during math, language arts, social studies, science, etc.
Use anchor charts, with pictures and symbols to help students make a connection between the new word they are learning.
Use movement to help students remember and understand the meaning of words.
Have students practice using new words in a sentence – this can be a simple think-pair-share, or opportunity to use class equity sticks to check for student understanding
Take the time during teacher read aloud to define words in stories or a text that students may not understand
Text types – non-fiction (Scholastic Readers), fiction, biographies
Have students relate the term to their own life

10. Vocabulary Strategies
Student application and use
“Let’s try using this word in a sentence”
What does this word remind you of?
Teacher Read Aloud
Incorporate a variety of literary genres and text types
Support vocab. instruction during math, language arts, social studies, science, etc.
Use anchor charts, with pictures and symbols to help students make a connection between the new word they are learning.
Use movement to help students remember and understand the meaning of words.
Have students practice using new words in a sentence – this can be a simple think-pair-share, or opportunity to use class equity sticks to check for student understanding
Take the time during teacher read aloud to define words in stories or a text that students may not understand
Text types – non-fiction (Scholastic Readers), fiction, biographies
Have students relate the term to their own life

11. Vocabulary Support

12. Vocabulary Support

13. Academic Language Strategies
Incorporate academic language into the lesson’s objective
Echo / Choral response
Movement & Songs
Pictures and symbols
Graphic organizers
Sentence Frames
By having students state academic terms when saying the day’s objective, they become familiar with it and more comfortable using it
Echo me as I say “…”
YouTube for songs
Graphic organizers, such as Thinking Maps to help students understand academic terms such as compare and contrast

14. Academic Language Strategies

15. Academic Language Strategies

16. Academic Language Strategies
Check for comprehension and understanding by asking questions
“How do you know?”
“Can you explain it to me another way?”
Partner talk / interaction
Give students opportunity to demonstrate understanding in a variety of ways:
Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing
By having students state academic terms when saying the day’s objective, they become familiar with it and more comfortable using it
Echo me as I say “…”
YouTube for songs
Graphic organizers, such as Thinking Maps to help students understand academic terms such as compare and contrast

17. Sample lesson

18. Parent / Home Support Parenting class Weekly Communication
Find ways to communicate with parents
Translators
Have child communicate to their parent
Help parents feel more involved
Once a week, in the morning to help keep parents informed about what is going on in the classroom, and strategies they can do to help their child at home
Translate notes
Reading at home – encourage parents to develop child’s oral language and reading skills by reading to them in the language they know.

19. Working at a Predominately ELL School Site
Collaboration with colleagues
Understanding the ELD Standards
CELDT Testing
Work to learn the culture of the community you work with!
Identify ways to best support students – example in NMUSD language arts units oftentimes require additional scaffolding on our part to help our students become successful
Site coordinator

20. Anne Yeager Pomona Elementary ayeager@nmusd.us
Thank you!
Anne Yeager Pomona Elementary