HELPING YOUR ELL STUDENT: A TEACHERS REFERENCE

1
HELPING YOUR ELL STUDENTA TEACHERS REFERENCE

• Compiled by SARA RAINWATER
• ESL Coordinator
• GISD
• 810-591-4443
• srainwat_at_geneseeisd.org
• PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR
• ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE
• March 2006

2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Cover 2 Table of contents 3
3
ESL/ LEP/ ELL TERMINOLOGY

• ESL (English as a second language), LEP
  (limited-English proficient), and ELL (English
  language learner) are all references for students
  (in our case, in the United States), whose native
  or home language is not English.
• The term ELL is used throughout this manual. This
  term is currently utilized in most places across
  the United States.

4
COMPLIANCE

• Each school MUST use Title III funds to provide
  high-quality, language instruction, educational
  programs that are based on scientific research.
• This research much demonstrate effectiveness in
  increasing English proficiency and student
  academic achievement in the core academic
  subjects.
• Each school must select one or more methods of
  instruction to be used in the programs and
  activities for its ELL population.
• Each school must provide evidence that the
  programs chosen are based on scientific research
  in teaching ELL students. Each will be
  accountable for reporting its ELL students
  progress.

5
QUALIFICATIONS

• Any student who speaks a language other than
  English at home qualifies for language testing.
• Any student who speaks both English AND another
  language at home qualifies for language testing.
• The student DOES NOT have to be born in another
  country to qualify for language testing.
• Even if the child seems to speak well, it is
  better to recommend the child for testing. The
  testing will show if the childs academic
  language is equal to that of a fluent English
  speaker. Remember, conversational English is
  acquired much faster than academic language.

6
HIGH SCHOOL ELL PLACEMENT

• Class level placement is important. Grade level
  equivalent should be maintained if at all
  possible. It is important for the social
  interaction of the student though the language
  skills may be poor.
• Classroom support should be extended for a
  minimum of 2 years with steps built in for
  transition.
• Remember that it takes 4-7 years for academic
  vocabulary fluency.
• Classroom support means scheduling the most
  beneficial classes, putting the child with
  teacher who DESIRE to meet the needs of a
  non-English speaking student, providing tutorial
  support, providing an individualized education
  plan that will allow the student to be
  successful, etc.

7
HELP! I CANT COMMUNICATE

• By nature as a teacher, you want to help kids
  learn.
• Dont panic if you cant communicate
• Do look at this child as an asset. This child
  brings experiences to share that other students
  would never had been exposed to. You will be
  amazed by, over the course of a year, how much an
  ELL students ability to share these unique
  experiences improves.
• Dont worry that the ELL does not speak English
  right away. An infant does not speak hours after
  birth. As parents, we dont get angry that our 2
  year old doesnt speak with perfect grammar.
  Learning language is a process. It will happen
  with time. Additionally, be aware that a silent
  period is common with ELL children. This will
  pass in a matter of time, also.
• Do know that you have the opportunity to truly
  change this childs first memories of school in
  America- something he/she can either regret or
  treasure forever.
• DONT FORGET SMILING IS AN UNIVERSAL
  LANGUAGE! ?

8
THE VERY FIRST DAYS

• Help your ELL students transition by
• Showing a visual tour of the school including
  the
• bathroom (ensuring he/she understands which is
  for girls and which is for boys)
• Childs classroom
• Lunchroom
• Principals office
• Try to convey meaning for this figure since
  educational systems vary worldwide
• Giving the student a welcoming gift
• Ex. Notebook with the school name on it , pencils
• Using the buddy system
• The buddy works with the ELL child, goes to lunch
  and recess with this child for at least the first
  two weeks
• Give the buddy a thank you gift
• Ex. Certificate of kindness

9
CULTURE SHOCK

• Culture shock is a biochemical reaction a
  persons body has when he/she is faced with a
  disruption in what is his/her environment.
• All ELL students suffer different degrees of
  culture shock
• Often ELL children are devastated by the
  emotional upheaval to be in a new place where
  they have lost their ability to communicate.
• Common behavior during this time is crying,
  shyness, and depression not typical of the
  childs personality.
• The child may become aggressive or withdrawn or
  suffer physical ailments like stomach aches and
  headaches.
• Culture shock will wane with time and the childs
  true personality will come out.

10
KEY PREDICTORS FOR ELL STUDENTS (English
Language Learners) ACADEMIC SUCCESS

• Support of native language
• Encourage your student to develop their native
  language at home through reading and writing in
  addition to the speaking and listening they are
  most likely still using.
• If the child is not currently literate in his/her
  native language, do not try to simultaneously
  teach literacy in both languages. Establish a
  strong foundation in one language first and then
  promote literacy in the other.
• Allow opportunities for students to work in
  primary language to cluster and clarify ideas and
  concepts.
• Active, cognitively-complex instruction
• Do not level content down, simply the language
  that accompanies it
• Keep in mind that an ELL student puts up an
  affective filter if his/her anxiety level is
  high. In order to learn English in the quickest
  manner, an ELL student must have low affective
  filters. This can be done by using classroom
  strategies that aid in comprehension (in the
  following pages).
• Positive school climate with respect for all
  languages and cultures
• Allow students the opportunity to do projects
  based on their native language and culture.

11
MODELING BEHAVIOR

• Many English-speaking students may already have
  negative stereotypes of immigrants or non-English
  speakers.
• Model how to be helpful.
• Help the ELL student understand and adjust to the
  American school system through compassion.
• These expectations and procedures may be very
  different than what the child is accustomed to in
  his/her home country. Help the child understand
  not just the expectations, but also how caring
  the people in America can be.
• Model how to be interested rather than fearful
  about differences. Do not act colorblind in
  that everyone is the same. Instead, value the
  uniqueness that differences bring. Show that
  there is no right way to be nor a cultural
  norm from which others deviate.

12
TIPS TO REFLECT APPRECIATION FOR DIVERSITY IN
YOUR CLASSROOM

• Multiculturalism is full time, not limited to
  special events. Reflect many cultures in
  materials dont just do holidays, festivals and
  special months.
• Show a range of racial and ethnic groups, ages,
  literacy and artistic traditions in your books,
  posters, and classroom environment.
• Have flags from many nations including your
  students home country.
• Be cautious that you know the political
  situations that the flag may currently represent.
• Play recorded instrumental music from diverse
  cultures while the whole class reads (ex. -during
  Silent Sustained Reading SSR).
• Include some of the students first language when
  labeling environmental print and your word walls.
  English speakers will love to learn other
  languages if they see that it is valued.
• Greet hello in the childs native language.

13
WHAT TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR STUDENT AND HIS/HER
CULTURE

• Family/ life cycle
• Ex. Typical marriage age for girls
• Roles/ interpersonal relationships
• Ex. Boy/girl contact rules
• Discipline
• Ex. In many places, corporal punishment is
  common the U.S. is seen as too lenient
• Concept of time
• Lateness may not be late in many places
• Concept of proximity (space)
• Religion
• Check to see if your child is a religious
  minority- ex. Arabic speaking Christian
• Food
• Some cultures do not eat certain meats, etc.

14
BE AWARE OF YOUR ELL CHILDS CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS

• These include
• Eye contact
• Cooperation
• Fear of making mistakes
• Fear of being singled out for individual praise
• Motivation to achieve academically
• Parents school expectations
• Uneasiness with our American school systems
• Taboos about certain physical contact
• Beliefs about the appropriateness of styles of
  dress
• The role of play in education
• Differences in nonverbal language gestures,
  esp.

15
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LANGUAGE AS A SYSTEM

• There are structural and cultural components to
  language
• Language and culture are interrelated.
• Language reflects cultural norms, values, and
  beliefs
• For example, there are numerous words for snow in
  Alaskan Indigenous languages. However, there is
  not the same meaning of wet snow or dry snow
  in languages found near the Equator. The snow
  vocabulary is non-existent in locations where it
  has no affect on life.
• Language is experience-based and founded on
  authentic experiences.
• An ELL child may need to be given new experiences
  to give meanings to words he/she has never known
  in his/her first language.
• Keep this in mind when testing. Students may not
  have the conceptual, cultural schema equal to
  that of the students who have grown up in the
  United States.
• Structural components of language learning
  include
• Vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, spelling
• Reading, writing, speaking, listening,
  comprehension
• Different uses/ levels of spoken communication
• Purposes for establishing and maintaining
  relationships
• All of these systems develop simultaneously
  while the child acquires English.
• There are two separations of ELL language that
  educators must understand BICS CALP.
• Without comprehension of the differences
  between BICS CALP, misconceptions about the
  childs true ability to perform in the classroom
  are very probable.

16
BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)

• BICS
• These are the first language skills acquired when
  learning the new language. These are your social
  skills for everyday, face-to-face situation.
• An example would be childrens conversations on
  the playground.
• BICS fluency occurs before CALPS fluency
  (academic language).
• It may take a child a relatively short time to
  become fluent in BICS usually between one and
  three years.
• This language is very contextualized.
• Comprehension clues are built into the words
  themselves
• To help your student improve his / her BICS,
  practice greetings and what to say when someone
  leaves. Have him/her practice requesting
  information and/or assistance as well as giving
  information or assistance. Practice describing
  and expressing feelings

17
CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)

• CALP
• This is the language needed to successfully
  undertake academic tasks or cognitive tasks in
  the mainstream classroom.
• There are fewer context clues and the language is
  very specific to each content area.
• CALP usually takes about four to seven years for
  an ELL student to become fluent.
• To be able to develop CALP, the student must have
  a strong base in BICS.
• To help your student improve his/her CALPS, he/
  she will need the language to seek info, inform,
  compare, order, classify, analyze, infer,
  justify, persuade, problem-solve, synthesize, and
  evaluate. Try information gap activities,
  improvisation, radio broadcasts and debates as
  well as other authentic forms of language.

18
BICS CALP SUMMARY

• ELL students must use both BICS and CALP to
  succeed academically. Because BICS fluency occurs
  much faster, there is often the MIS-perception
  that the student no longer needs language support
  because he/she is fluent. However, it will take
  many additional years before this BICS fluency is
  matched for CALP fluency.
• Hence, DO NOT withdraw language support too soon
  or academic failure becomes more likely to occur.
  

19
LANGUAGE DEVLEOPMENT STAGES

• STAGE 1-Preproduction
• STAGE 2 Early production
• STAGE 3 Speech Emergence
• STAGE 4 Intermediate Fluency
• STAGE 5 Near Fluency
• STAGE 6 Fluency
• It is not until stage 5 that some ELL students
  will be able to do most content work in
  mainstream classrooms without assistance,
  accommodations or support at or near grade level
  expectations. The time frame needed to reach this
  stage, on average, is from 4-7 years in the
  United States school system.

20
ACQUISITION / PROFICIENCY
21
LEVELED ACTIVITIES
22
TEACHING TECHNIQUES DURING TEACHER SPEECH

• Give examples of what is expected (model)!!!!
• Repeat, repeat, repeat. Be redundant with
  concepts throughout multiple lessons.
• Try to use the exact same wording and expressions
  when repeating so not to further confuse the
  child.
• In the beginning, use caretaker speech slower
  rate, clearer enunciation, high frequency words,
  shorter sentences, less sentence complexity
• Use more pauses between phrases
• Use fewer pronouns
• Avoid idioms and slang
• Paraphrase use visual reviews (lists/charts/graph
  ic organizers), verbal reviews, summaries
• Use nonverbal cues acting out word meanings,
  facial expressions
• use caution with gestures because they can
  mean very different things in different cultures
• Announce the lessons objectives and activities
  in both oral and visual form.

23
NOTE-TAKING

• Since many ELL students are in mainstream
  classrooms, they are not only learning English
  but also grade-level content skills.
• The U.S. curriculum (MI) is linear in
  organization. It is assumed that students enter
  in kindergarten and build on their school
  experiences every year. Students from other
  countries may not have had any prior coursework
  in some content areas. assume that students know.
• Since note-taking is mainly dependent on a
  childs ability to pick out key words in
  lecture, provide an outline with specific
  vocabulary for the child to listen for.
• Many students first learning English cannot hear
  certain English phonemes that do not exist in
  their native language. Thus, without the key
  words written for him/her, the child will not be
  able to find these created spellings he/she has
  taken as notes in the dictionary after class.

24
OTHER TEACHING TECHNIQUES

• Develop and maintain routines.
• Assign buddies and peer tutors
• List and review instructions step-by-step
• Write legibly
• Make the ELL student a helper
• Handing out papers, posting lunch numbers, etc.
• Label your room and classroom objects
• Post schedules, objectives, rules, lunch menu,
  bus schedule
• Give word banks
• Give study guides

25
TEACH FUNCTIONAL CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE

• Use songs, rhymes, chants/raps, poems, stories,
  role play, dialogs
• Teach classroom survival expressions in context.
  Words and grammar taught in isolation are often
  forgotten.
• Ex. May I go to the bathroom.
• You might just start out by emphasizing
  bathroom each time the student walks to the
  bathroom door until there is meaning for this
  word.

Other survival phrases -I dont understand.
-Could I -Do you know -What is -What?
-Please say it again. -Excuse me.
-Sorry -Is that right? -Right. -Okay. -I
speak -My name is -I need a pencil. -May I
have a drink of water? -May I go to the office?
-Can you help me?
26
QUESTIONING

• At earlier stages, ask the student to point,
  gesture, or respond with single words or phrases.
• For students with more advanced proficiency, ask
  questions that require more use of English.
• Continue high level thinking questions- just
  match your leveling to required speech response.
• For a more guided questioning approach, follow
  the natural approach technique.

27
THE NATURAL APPROACH

• Through this approach, students learn new
  vocabulary through experience and context. The
  natural approach emphasizes giving the ELL
  students ample time to listen to English.
  Naturally, speech will follow.
• Steps in Natural Approach Questioning
• Pre-production stage questions are like
  commands
• Point to________ , Find the ____, Show me the
  ____
• Early Production stage one word responses
• Is this a _____ or a _____?
• Speech emergence
• Tell me about your ____. Why? How is the weather
  today?
• Intermediate Fluency
• What do you think about ___? Compare that with
  ____.

28
STUDENT RESPONSE TEACHER CORRECTION

• Dont force students to speak but still ask that
  they respond (pointing, etc.)
• Give extended wait time
• Reduce response materials
• Know that ELL students will make mistakes.
• Focus more on meaning than grammar.
• Model the correct grammar without correcting the
  student.
• For example the student says I eating
  hamburger
• Teacher you ate a hamburger?
• Student Yes, I ate a hamburger.

29
TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR)

• In this approach, students respond to teacher
  commands with physical activity. The student and
  teacher can switch roles as the student develops
  language.
• Teacher gives a command.
• Teacher models the behavior
• Use a lot of repetition with this part.
• Teacher gives the command and gives obvious clues
  to the meaning.
• Student responds with whole body actions, not
  words.
• Change the order of commands after students begin
  to master the language for interest.
• Teacher recombines commands for unpredictability.

30
USEFUL TPR VOCABULARY

• VERBS ADJ. / ADV. NOUNS
• Stand up fast body parts
• Sit down slow classroom objects
• Raise/lift ___(hand, etc.) ___ times parts of
  the room
• Lower (to the) colors
• Point to left numbers
• Lay/place right
• Take front
• Jump back
• Turn around high
• Clap low
• Open backwards
• Shut forwards
• Wave side-ways
• Draw above/over
• Write below/under
• in
• on
• next to

31
THEMATIC CONTENT INSTRUCTION

• Remember there must be a base in BICS before
  intense content instruction can occur
• Identify the language and/ or academic
  difficulties and demands that particular subjects
  may present for ELL students.
• Examples of these might be reading textbooks,
  completing worksheets, writing reports, doing
  library research, solving mathematical and
  scientific word problems, and using rhetorical
  styles in essays (cause/effect, compare/contrast,
  argue, and persuade.)
• Select a theme for multiple lessons that can be
  used across the content areas. Set both language
  and content goals for the ELL child.
• Identify and utilize key terms and words
  throughout the lessons.
• Use authentic assessment.
• Ex. Project-based

32
TEACH STUDY SKILLS

• Show students how to develop and use graphic
  organizers.
• outlines-summary/ prediction
• time lines organize/ sequence, compare
• flow charts outcome progression and influence,
  cause/effect
• mapping movement and spatial relations
  examination
• graphs charts organize and compare
• Venn diagrams compare/ contrast
• Show students how to use texts and other written
  materials
• text as a whole-
• parts of a book table of contents, index
• headings, subheadings, illustrations to help give
  context
• passages
• draw inferences, make judgments
• Practice academic tasks, such as research
  projects, problem-solving, and essay writing
• go through the process step-by-step with real
  examples
• have the student practice going through the steps
  with you

33
STRATEGIES TO MODEL

• COGNITIVE STRATEGIES TO MODEL
• analyze
• outline
• take notes
• METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES TO MODEL
• identify learning preferences
• arrange study skills
• MEMORY-RELATED STRATEGIES TO MODEL
• acronyms
• Mnemonic devices
• rhyming
• Imagery
• COMPENSATORY STRATEGIES TO MODEL
• synonyms, guessing from context
• guessing from context

34
COMPREHENSION

• Break tasks down
• Simplify directions
• Try not to use negatives these are very
  confusing
• Ask questions with language that is leveled
  down
• Allow translating time
• Help students with think-aloud sessions
• Check periodically to see if he/she is confused-
  use nonverbal responses nodding of heads,
  raising hands, signaling, actions, drawing
• Use caution many ELL students want to please
  the teacher and may say yes or nod their head
  yes without truly understanding what is being
  asked
• Double-check in different ways

35
ELL STUDENT SPEAKING LISTENING

• It is normal for an ELL to go through a silent
  period. This is usually when the child is
  experiencing culture shock upon initial arrival.
  During this stage, the child may not speak at
  all. However, he/she is absorbing everything.
  Thus, continue to use ELL teaching techniques.
  Soon, the silent stage will pass and your student
  may surprise you with what they have learned.
• Teach vocabulary in context as often as possible.
  Try not to isolate words.
• Use puppets, drama, dialogues, small group
  discussions, games, songs, finger-plays, poems,
  show and tell, skits
• If you can not understand what your student says
• Repeat what you think the student said with
  question intonation to check your comprehension.
• Tell the student Sorry, I dont understand.
  Please say it again.
• Read aloud to your student- at every age and
  level.
• Do frequent comprehension checks

36
ELL STUDENT READING

• The reading process is the same for all languages
  with the Roman alphabet. Once a student reads in
  one language, he/she can transfer those skills to
  a second language.
• With lowered oral language proficiency, even good
  readers (in their native language) often revert
  to poor reader strategies.
• Help your students maintain / produce good
  reader strategies in English
• In the second language, the child does not have
  the background knowledge and educational
  experiences to support content or give contextual
  meaning to print.
• Previewing and building background knowledge must
  be a starter at all times.

37
READING ELEMENTS TO INCORPORATE INTO YOUR ELL
STUDENTS ROAD TO READING ENGLISH

• PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
• Rhymes
• Alliteration
• Syllable counting
• PRINT AWARENESS
• Shared books
• Environmental print
• Concept of a word
• ALPHABETIC AWARENESS
• Recognition of upper and lower-case alphabet
• Letter/sound mapping
• Alphabetical order

ORTHOGRAPHIC AWARENESS Spelling
patterns Identifying word families Decoding
skills COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Story
discussion Prediction/Foreshadowing Main
idea READING PRACTICE Guided Reading Sustained
Silent Reading Paired reading
38
TIPS FOR ELL WRITING

• An ELL student must have a foundation
  speaking English before he/she can truly write
  for meaning
• If the student is orally communicating well,
  write for real communication and purpose. ex.
  Teacher-student journal
• Emphasize the process over the pieces
• Use supports like group composing, graphic
  organizers, drawing-based texts

39
ASSESSMENT

• Understand the fear and limits of testing
• Use authentic assessment, not traditional
  multiple-choice tests (these have no context for
  linguistic support)
• Choose key/main ideas for assessment
• Give extended time
• Simplify directions
• Include word banks

40
EXAMPLES OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT FOR ELL STUDENTS

• Authentic assessment is vital to your ELL
  students ability to demonstrate what he/she can
  do and knows. Use
• Checklists during observation
• Oral interviews / questionnaires
• Story/ text retellings
• Projects/ exhibitions
• Experiments/ demonstrations
• Informal conferencing between the student and
  yourself
• Dialogue journals
• Portfolios these are SUPER with language
  learners. Portfolios will allow both the
  students and yourself to see the tremendous gains
  the child has made in English.

41
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

• All students must meet graduation requirements to
  receive a diploma.
• However, you can use alternative methods for
  grading.
• NO ONE supports giving away grades.
• Looking for quality and growth over quantity in
  an individualized plan will allow the student to
  be successful.
• Examples of alternative grading
• EX. S/U counted for credit
• S/U non-credit
• Teacher discretion to evaluate the goals and
  objectives of the class and assign graded for the
  work expected of each individual student
• Audit option with no credit.
• This requires a letter signed by the parent,
  student, teacher and counselor indicating
  acceptance of this option. Make sure the parent
  and child truly understand the implications of
  this option.

42
WEBSITES FOR TEACHERS WORKING WITH ELL STUDENTS
43
WEBSITES, CONTD.
44
LETS FACE IT- ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE

• We take English for granted. However, if we
  explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can
  work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a
  guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig
• There is not egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger
• English muffins werent from England nor French
  fries from France
• Why is it that a writer can write but fingers
  dont fing, grocers dont groce and hammers dont
  ham
• If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isnt the
  plural of booth beeth?
• If teachers taught, why didnt preachers praught?
• How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the
  same while a wise man and a wise guy are
  opposites.
• You have the marvel at the unique lunacy of a
  language in which your house can burn up as it
  burns down, in which you fill in a form by
  filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by
  going on
• That is why, when the stars are out, they are
  visible, but when the lights are out, they are
  invisible.
• Remember that you, as the teacher, have the
  ability to help English Language Learners sort
  all of the ins and outs out by taking them in,
  helping them out, and giving them a hand (not
  literally, of course) ? Thank you for treating
  these children as youd want your own to be
  treated.
• Thank you for caring. Thank you for making a
  difference!
• Please contact me if I can be of any additional
  help
• Sara Rainwater
• ESL Coordinator
• 810-591-4443
• srainwat_at_geneseeisd.org