How Can We Better Serve ELL students?
- 1. How Can We Better Serve ELL Students? By Ginger Hewitt
- 2. There are 5 steps to Second-Language Acquisition 1. Starting a. Just beginning to acquire a receptive vocabulary b. A buddy is immensely helpful 2. Emerging a. Speaks words/phrases b. Categorizing information is very helpful i. Graphic organizers 3. Developing a. Speaks in short phrases b. May begin social interactions 4. Expanding a. Fluency begins but still many errors b. Some advanced thinking in English i. analyzing, predicting, creating 5. Bridging a. Fine-tuning, No longer receiving formal services
- 3. 3 Core Elements are Essential for Learning a Second Language 1. A comfortable learning environment with a low threshold for anxiety 2. Meaningful tasks that purposely engage students to learn how to speak, listen, read, and write in this new language 3. Engagement in tasks that are just a bit beyond the student’s current ability
- 4. ELL students will learn best when teachers help to make connections to all backgrounds: ● Personal ● Cultural ● Linguistic ● Social ● Academic ^ Notice the differences ^
- 5. Visuals are Important ● Picture Dictionaries can be helpful ● Flashcards are best ○ Student-created ○ Sortable ○ Affordable ○ Portable ○ Can be shared ○ Individualized ○ Helpful for family members ○ Also available for purchase, as shown here --------> from ESL printables:
- 6. Graphic Organizers are Very Helpful for ELLs ● These are just a few examples, there are many more ● They help students identify important parts of text ● Very helpful for text-to-text comparisons ● Very helpful as students learn the writing process ● Actually helpful for all students: ELL, special needs, tiered intervention, & regular
- 7. Text Connections for Reading Success ● Activate students’ background knowledge ● Important to help connect reading material to prior experience ○ Schema: prior knowledge that students bring to the classroom ● 3 distinct types of connections ○ Text to self ○ Text to text ○ Text to world
- 8. Six Comprehension Strategies of Reading Important for ELLs at all grade levels 1. Visualizing what is happening in the story 2. Activating background knowledge by making connections 3. Asking mental questions to self-check comprehension 4. Learning how to make inferences about what is read 5. Determining the importance of information in a text 6. Synthesizing information that is learned
- 9. Writing Suggestions for ELLs Calkins’ 4 Stages of the Writing Process 1. Prewriting 2. Writing 3. Editing 4. Revising Don’t forget about helpful graphic organizers! Learning to write in English requires students to be able to do these 4 things well: 1. Communicate meaningfully through writing 2. Write for a range of purposes 3. Cuse culturally appropriate terms 4. Use correct form and grammar
- 10. Facilitating Small Groups with Role Assignments ● Cooperative learning is helpful to all learners ○ Especially helpful to ELL learners ● Everyone is valuable ● Everyone is a rich resource ● All ideas are worthy of consideration ● Roles will probably include: ○ Social Facilitator (important!) ■ Ensures equal participation and equity of leadership ○ Scribe ○ Researcher ○ Artist ○ Time-keeper ○ Errand runner ○ Additional roles can and should be assigned as needed
- 11. Strategies for Engaging Students in Group Work ● Showdown ● Round Table ● 3-Minute Review ● Think-Pair-Share ● Talking Chips ● Fan & Pick ● Numbered Heads Together ● Jigsaw (shown here)
- 12. Homework & Assessments ● When considering appropriate homework and assessments for ELLs, teachers need to determine first the English proficiency levels of their ELLs. ● Types of assessments ○ In-the-moment assessments (observations and anecdotal evidence) ○ Routine assessments (quizzes, homework) ○ Summative assessments (evaluation of student work) ● Recommended steps ○ Identify the English proficiency levels of their students ○ Review the curriculum standards ○ Select appropriate performance indicators ○ Design rubrics that reflect students' English proficiency levels ○ Share and provide direct instruction with students ● How to assign homework ○ Introduce the day's lesson by reviewing the unit, day's content & language objectives ○ Model the day's activities ○ Have students engage in the same types of activities that they will do as homework ○ Review the day's content and language objectives ○ Assign homework ONLY after all these have been done
- 13. WIDA T E S T I N GACCESS: Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to- State for English Language Learners WIDA DIBELS
- 14. Parental Involvement Tips ● Communicate frequently ● Schedule meetings when convenient for them ● Invite them to events ● Make them feel welcome ● Make them feel needed & create opportunities
- 15. References Bilingua. (2017, May 17). How to say hello in 100 languages. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://bilingua.io/how-to-say-hello-in-100-languages Brame, C. (2020, March 26). Group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages ESL Printables. (2011, April 4). Food flashcards for beginners. Retrieved May 26, 2020, from www.eslprintables.com/previews/526654_1- FOOD_FLASHCARDS_FOR_BEGINNERS_I_B_W.jpg Graphic organizer examples. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2020, from www.ncpedia.org/media/graphic-organizer-examples Haynes, J., & Zacarian, D. (2010). Teaching English language learners across the content areas. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Increase Text Connections With Sentence Frames. (2019, December 06). Retrieved May 31, 2020, from www.litinfocus.com/increase-text-connections-sentence-frames/ LaRock, H. (2019, January 10). What Is a Benchmark Test in Education? https://www.theclassroom.com/benchmark-test-education-6038119.html. Raine. (2014, August 27). Differentiating instruction for English language learners. Retrieved May 26, 2020, from PPT - Differentiating Instruction for English Language Learners PowerPoint Presentation - ID:3602203