1. Common Core State Standards: Considerations for English Language Learners

2. General Considerations for Implementation
Specific—based on individual students
Follow program requirements
Evidenced-based, best practices
Ongoing monitoring

3. ELLs and CCSS
ELLs must be provided access to core content and instruction in English language development.
Districts determine how they will provide instruction for ELLs.

4. Oral Language Development
Language learning:
is social learning.
is most effective when the environment is supportive and adapting.
must be meaningful, purposeful, authentic, and cognitively appropriate to the learner.
requires comprehensible input and opportunities for language output.

5. Principles of Instruction for ELLs
Focus on academic language, literacy, and vocabulary.
Link background knowledge and culture to learning.
Increase comprehensible input and language output.
Promote classroom interaction.
Stimulate higher order thinking skills and the use of learning strategies.
ELL students need explicit instruction in order to meet the challenging CCSS.
Provide for meaningful practice of academic language, having students repeat the word, draw a picture of the meaning of the word and require the students to use the in oral and written work, will assist the student in “learning” academic language. For example, having the student repeat math vocabulary (product – the answer to a multiplication problem, draw and label the product and use the word product orally).
ELL students benefit from oral practice, having the students have think time and partner time to discuss their learning provides students with a greater access to content, while at the same time providing oral language practice.
ELL students may need additional models and practice for learning strategies.

6. Listening Comprehension
Hearing:
Physical process (perceiving sounds with our ears)
Being able to hear individual sounds in language is dependent upon prior experience with the sounds of that language
Unintentional
Can be prevented by physical disability
What does it mean to listen? How do you know if a student is listening? Or is the student merely hearing you speak?
Think back to “Charlie Brown” cartoons and his teacher’s voice “ wah wah wah wah wah wah” For some ELL students this is how English sounds, they may appear to be listening, when in fact they are merely hearing.
Having students have the opportunity to discuss their learning with others will assist them in learning content.

7. Listening Comprehension continued…
Mental process (perceiving content with our minds)
Enhanced by knowledge of the topic and the structure of the language
Dependent on the active construction of meaning
Intentional
Cannot be prevented by physical disability

8. Listening Comprehension continued…
One-Way Listening:
Listener is not required to respond orally to the input
Typical of school learning experiences
More difficult than two-way listening opportunities
More demanding because of the nature of the input
Listening to one-way communication is a skill that needs to be cultivated, students need to understand how to listen to a presentation and internalize the information. This can be accomplished by providing direct instruction with taking notes and providing time for students to discuss what they heard.

9. Listening Comprehension continued…
Two-Way Listening:
Listener responds as a speaker to the input
Children learn quickly how to negotiate face- to-face conversations
Gestures and context provide help in comprehension
Topics are typically not complex
Classroom Implications: Language learners may need instruction in how to learn in one-way listening environments. Teachers can also increase two-way interaction in the classroom.

10. Common Core Anchor Standard for English Language Arts
1. Comprehension and Collaboration
Students are able to:
prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively;
integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, qualitatively, and orally; and
evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
For ELL students, being able to effectively converse and collaborate with others may be difficult. ELL students are frequently timid talking about content knowledge. They may feel they don’t understand the content, therefore they have nothing to share or they may feel their English is not “good enough” to participate.
Structured oral language activities (Jigsaw, Lines of Communication, Small group, etc.) where everyone participates are excellent ways for ELLs to be able to meet this common core anchor standard.

11. Common Core Anchor Standard for English Language Arts
2. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Students are able to:
present information, findings, and supporting evidence that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and make sure the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience;
make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations; and
adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
ELL students may have great interpersonal oral language skills but may not have the formal language skills to present information aloud.
Providing strategies to practice presenting information to a group (30 second speech – content based topic) as well as scaffolding the presentation with displays is key for ELL student success.
ELL students need to examples provided of when to use interpersonal communication (slang words, talking with friends) and when to speak more formal (adults, doctors, teachers, principals, etc).

12. Scaffolding Techniques to Assist ELLs Achieve the CCSS for Oral Language
Social Scaffolds:
Small group learning
Interactive structures that encourage discussion and active participation
Cooperative learning structures
Study buddies/Learning Partners
Study groups
How could these scaffolding techniques help English language learners achieve the CCSS for oral language Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas?
Some scaffolds that can help ELLs with common core include.

13. Visual and Graphic Scaffolds:
Scaffolding Techniques to Assist ELLs Achieve the CCSS for Oral Language
Visual and Graphic Scaffolds:
Gestures, chalkboard, pictures, props
Graphic organizers
Tables, charts, graphs, diagrams
Demonstrations and role-plays
Advance organizers, outlines, structured notes, T-lists, sentence frames
Picture dictionaries, learner dictionaries, translation dictionaries, word source software
Alternative and modified texts
Some scaffolds that can help ELLs with common core include.

14. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Processes, proficiencies, and varieties of expertise that should be developed in students
Conceptual understanding in addition to procedural skills
Language demands are required in Math as well as English. ELL students may require instruction in how to describe a sequence of steps for a logical progression.
One strategy is to have students make a chart: Avid has a tutorial skill where students share a POC (Point of Confusion), review notes, and write the steps to resolve the confusion. One student shares their POC and a group of students ask questions to assist that student understand and resolve the issue.

15. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics continued…
Language skills:
Produce language to explain and analyze problems.
Manipulate abstract symbols and decontextualized mathematics language to create a coherent representation of a problem.
Demonstrate an understanding of stated assumptions and established results in an argument.
Build a logical progression of statements to justify conclusions.
Communicate precisely to others about problems and findings
Language demands are required in Math as well as English. ELL students may require instruction in how to describe a sequence of steps for a logical progression.
One strategy is to have students make a chart: Avid has a tutorial skill where students share a POC (Point of Confusion), review notes, and write the steps to resolve the confusion. One student shares their POC and a group of students ask questions to assist that student understand and resolve the issue.

16. Higher Order Thinking Skills
Must be explicitly taught.
ELL students may need instruction on the meaning of the word:
some words are polysemous
some words are used as a noun and verb
Teachers need to model the skill as well as expect students to use the skill.
Polysemous words are words that have multiple meanings.
Table (could mean a piece of furniture or a chart). If an ELL only knows that a table is a piece of furniture they could become confused when a math problem asks them to “make a table”.
Social Studies books could have a reading passage about a person kindling a fire, but today we have Kindle readers. Kindle is now both a noun and verb.

17. Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Math and Science (Blooms)
Some of the higher order words that students need to understand.

18. Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Math and Science (Blooms)
Some of the higher order words that students need to understand.

19. Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Math and Science (Blooms)
Some of the higher order words that students need to understand.

20. Webpage and Title III Contacts
CCSS and ELL webpage
Kim Miller, Education Specialist