Working with International Students in Mainstream Classes
Allison Rainville
Today’s Plan
 How do we define language proficiency?
 Academic vs. Social Language
 Modifying language
 Learning strategies for international students
 Strategies for teachers
TESOL Levels of Language Proficiency
Level 1 - Starting
Students initially have limited or no understanding of English. They rarely use English for
communication. They respond nonverbally to simple commands, statements, and questions. As their
oral comprehension increases, they begin to imitate the verbalizations of others by using single
words or simple phrases, and they begin to use English spontaneously. At the earliest stage, these
learners construct meaning from text primarily through illustrations, graphs, maps, and tables.
Level 2 - Emerging
Students can understand phrases and short sentences. They can communicate limited information in
simple everyday and routine situations by using memorized phrases, groups of words, and formulae.
They can use selected simple structures correctly but still systematically produce basic errors.
Students begin to use general academic vocabulary and familiar everyday expressions. Errors in
writing are present that often hinder communication.
Level 3 - Developing
Students understand more complex speech but still may require some repetition. They use English
spontaneously but may have difficulty expressing all their thoughts due to a restricted vocabulary
and a limited command of language structure. Students at this level speak in simple sentences, which
are comprehensible and appropriate, but which are frequently marked by grammatical errors.
Proficiency in reading may vary considerably. Students are most successful constructing meaning
from texts for which they have background knowledge upon which to build.
Level 4 - Expanding
Students’ language skills are adequate for most day-to-day communication needs. They communicate
in English in new or unfamiliar settings but have occasional difficulty with complex structures and
abstract academic concepts. Students at this level may read with considerable fluency and are able to
locate and identify the specific facts within the text. However, they may not understand texts in
which the concepts are presented in a decontextualized manner, the sentence structure is complex,
or the vocabulary is abstract or has multiple meanings. They can read independently but may have
occasional comprehension problems, especially when processing grade-level information.
Level 5 - Bridging
Students can express themselves fluently and spontaneously on a wide range of personal, general,
academic, or social topics in a variety of contexts. They are poised to function in an environment
with native speaking peers with minimal language support or guidance. Students have a good
command of technical and academic vocabulary as well of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms.
They can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured texts of differing lengths and degrees of
linguistic complexity. Errors are minimal, difficult to spot, and generally corrected when they occur.
Second Language Acquisition
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• i+1
• Input (i) needs to be __________________, with a little information that is
_______________ the student’s level (+1)
• i + 1 input will help students acquire language more quickly AND will help students
understand the input
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• The order in which grammar concepts are acquired
BICS/CALP
 BICS = __________________________________________________________
 BICS is the language that is used in ____________________
 _____________________________________
 _____________________________________
Acquired in ________
years
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 CALP = __________________________________________________________
 CALP is the language that is used in __________________
 _____________________________________
 _____________________________________
Acquired in ________
years
 _____________________________________
 _____________________________________
BICS/CALP Exercise 2:
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Academic Language
Content-specific language:
General academic language
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Modifying Academic Language
Look at language use in your classroom:
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 ___________________________
 ______________________________________________________________
 ________________________
 ___________________________
 ___________________________
 ______________________________________________________
 ___________________________
What kinds of language are “difficult?”
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Now you try…
Directions: Rewrite the following questions to make them easier for lower-level students to
understand:
English/Literature
1. What impression do you get of Jean from her relationship with her mother and brothers?
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2. This story is told from the point of view of a ten-year-old. a. How does the author convince
you that Bennie’s perceptions are those of a child? b. What aspects of the adult world are
beyond Bennie’s grasp?
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Science
1. Why do we say that surface water is both a creator and destroyer of sediments and sedimentary
rocks?
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2. If a single disturbance some unknown distance away sends out both transverse and longitudinal
waves that travel with distinctly different speeds in the medium, such as in the ground during
earthquakes, how could the origin of the disturbance be located?
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Math
1. A space probe leaves the Earth at the rate of 3 km/s. After 100 days, a radio signal is sent to the
probe. Radio signals travel at the speed of light, about 3 X 105 km/s. About how long does the
signal take to reach the probe?
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2. A tortoise crawling at the rate of 0.1 mi/h passes a resting hare. The hare wants to rest another
30 min before chasing the tortoise at the rate of 5 mi/h. How many feet must the hare run to
catch the tortoise?
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History
1. Compare the leadership of Philip II of Spain and Henry IV of France. (a) What were the
objectives of each? (b) How well did each succeed? (c) What legacy did each leave to his
kingdom?
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2. What part did each of the following play in imperialism? (a) markets (b) raw materials (c)
national pride
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Specific learning strategies that are relevant to my students (and that I can teach them):
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Teaching strategies that I feel I can use, or that I am intrigued enough to try:
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Additional Notes
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