ESOL
English for Speakers
of Other Languages
Nancy Urnes- Coordinator
Jill Morey – ESOL Teacher, PNH
Terms
 ELL = English Language Learner
 ESOL = English for Speakers of Other
Languages
 LEP = Limited English Proficient/Proficiency
 LAS = Language Assessment Scales
(Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate,
Proficient, Above Proficient)
What do I already know?
 Note card Activity:
 1. What do I know about ESOL/ELLs?
 2. I want/need to learn more about….
 3. I hope you can help me to…..
Parkway’s ESOL
Population:
 K-12 700+ students
 K-1 stay at their “home” schools and receive services
from traveling teachers
 Center Schools: 4 Elementary (Carman Trails, Green
Trails, Craig and Ross)
 Middle (Central Middle, NEM 07-08)
 High School (Central High and North High starting in
2009 – Levels 0-3/4, then “Monitor 1 and 2”
 Our students come from over 50 countries and speak
more than 40 languages
Why do we have ESOL:
 2000: With “No Child Left Behind,” the
federal government mandated accountability
for various sub-groups.
 ELLs are one of these groups. Each district
must provide services for ELLs – districts
report to the state, and then the state reports to
the federal government. There is federal
money (Title III) available to help fund this
program.
A typical Parkway ELL:
 No such thing!
 Temporary resident/refugee and/or immigrant (privacy
laws).
 Employment / education of parents
 Educated background / background of extreme poverty
– education interrupted or never formally begun (Sanel)
 While proficiency can take time, younger students can
acquire language quite quickly
 Usually 7-9 years to reach fluency…we tend to get
them in the 2nd-5th year
Role of ESOL teacher at
Parkway North
 Many hats
 Flexible – push in/pull out/sheltered instruction
 Working with problem areas and scaffolding
student learning in each class in which they
need help.
 Parent liaison
 Teacher Resource for assistance with ELLs
Cultural Shift: from native
culture to Parkway….
 …and US public education!
 The US system is different than most other
countries…teacher/student interaction more formal in
other countries (examples?)
 Students stand when teacher comes in, sit when
teacher says sit. How can that confuse an ELL? How
can that confuse a teacher at North?
 Teacher last name v. “Teacher”
 Dress
 Passive v. active learning culture (teacher is center of
all knowledge in many cultures)
Reminders when speaking to
a family of non-native
speakers
 Speak more slowly, not more loudly 
 Tone and facial expression are very important to
consider (the student needs to read all of these signals
and understand what you are saying. It can be very
confusing)
 Limit slang (or be ready to explain it)
 Limit idioms (or be ready to explain them)
 Use simple language without being condescending
 Ask family if they have questions. They may not feel
comfortable initiating a question.
ELLs at Home
 Students play many roles for their families and are
sometimes under a lot of pressure outside of school to
care for family and take on a more parental role.
 It is important that students maintain their native
language at home – communicating on a deep level
with parents is absolutely essential.
 Current research (Dr. Patricia Kuhl at the University of
Washington) is proving that a multi-lingual upbringing is
an asset to the intelligence of the child, especially in
the area of mental dexterity.
ELLS in the US population
 As of 2000, ELLs were the fastest- growing
segment of the school-age population in the
US.
 1 in 4 students are LEP(ELL) in many areas
 95% of students are LEP(ELL) in some areas
 The ideal program supports SLA all day long
with a variety of methods – no relegating to
corner!

Law, Barbara and Mary Eckes. The More Than Just Surviving Handbook; ESL for Every
Classroom Teacher. 2000. Winnipeg. Portage and Main Press.
Strategies for teaching
ELLs
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Empathize
Foster a sense of belonging
Slow your rate of speech
Use visuals whenever possible
Honor a silent period
Teach (Pre-teach) key words (website
resources)
 Value bilingualism
Culture Shock
 Don’t forget about “culture shock” in its many
forms.
 Euphoria of something new (honeymoon)
 Exhaustion at having to figure things out all the
time (honeymoon is over)
 Withdrawal and silence (normal and necessary
for some)
 Frustration, depression, confusion
 Gradual acceptance, assimilation
 Reverse culture shock
Language Services – what
does that mean?
 Sometimes parents of ELLs mistake language services
for SSD, or students are placed in remedial classes
solely based on their English language ability. There
can be a stigma attached based on cultural values.
 Self-Esteem
 Bilingual resources can help students understand the
content of classes while providing a bridge to help
close the language barrier gap.
 ESOL teachers will assist students in improving their
reading and writing skills in English
 Language skills transfer from one language to another.
Second Language
Development or SLA
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Early Child Education Brief
10 Essential Findings
10-15 minutes in subject area groups
Each group will teach the rest of the
groups 2 of the Essential Findings – see
if you can think of specifics from your
experience to support the findings. Do
the findings raise other issues?
ESOL Levels
 TESOL has developed a standard of
ELL/ESOL levels
 They range from level 1 (beginning) to level 5
(Advanced)
 Handout – Placement issues for upcoming
year. Please be vocal about how ELLs are
doing in your classroom. We want to be sure
they are correctly placed with appropriate
support.
Diversity is the one true thing that we
have in common. Celebrate it
everyday. -anonymous
-Embrace and highlight the ethnic
diversity in your classroom with flags,
bulletin boards, guest-speakers ex.
Green Trails clocks, Thanksgiving
“Feast”, Spring International Festival
-Culturegrams Website
-Student initiated projects
CULTURE QUIZ….
http://www.eslcafe.com/quiz/world1.html
Top Ten Tips
 Here are some more tips (handout)
 What have you done that has worked for
your students in the past?
 Let’s share ideas! Butcher paper
reporters for each subject area
Scaffolding Writing
 Example of all of the resources out there
to help us. We are not alone!
Final thoughts about ELLs
 Foster an appreciation for cultural
diversity
 Be mindful of the difference in social
language and academic language
 Learn as much as you can about your
ELL’s first language
Additional Support
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ESOL Website for North
Subject Specific Website links
Strategies for working with ELLs
Updated Resources in library for
teachers and students
 Ongoing discussion and meetings all
year.
Questions???
 Contact Jill Morey or any of the
counselors in the guidance office.
 For a list of the names and extensions of
the ESOL teachers in Parkway, go to the
Curriculum and Development website
and click on the ESOL department
website
Thank you and have a great year!!!
Across Cultures
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMHJ
szvPmzs – Japanese Game Show
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMHJ
szvPmzs – James Blunt
 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/
vp/31403354#27200009 – El Salvadorian
family