Speech and Language Strategies for Students with more than One Language
Caitlin Panke, M.S., CCC-SLP
To gather more information about the speech and language use of a student with more than one
language, utilize the ESL and BRS staff at your school. If you have concerns about how a student is
speaking in English, a consultation with an ESL staff member may be helpful. Make the most of their
expertise on developing English as a Second Language to help you determine if your concerns are
differences based on the student’s ELL status or could possibly indicate a speech and language
disorder. BRS staff may also provide information regarding a student’s speech and language in their
home language. They may be able to act as cultural liaisons to determine if the differences you are
noticing are typical for their linguistic community. Data-keeping regarding these strategies and what
was successful or not successful with your student will be helpful if a referral is made.
Vocabulary (Functional & Academic)
These strategies are intended for students for whom you have concerns about their vocabulary.
Consider trying these strategies before making a referral. Data-keeping regarding these strategies and
what was successful or not successful with your student will be helpful IF a referral is made.
All Grade Levels
 Introduce vocabulary words in many formats (pair with a gesture, rhymes, songs, books, etc.)

Introduce a word many times (e.g. Reviewing vocabulary as a word of the day)
o Remember that students who are learning English have additional tasks when learning
new vocabulary. They must learn the meaning of a word, how to say the word in English
and possibly how to say the word in their home language.
o Give bilingual students extra time before they are asked to define a vocabulary word.
Tell them that they will be asked to define a specific word in 5 minutes or during the
next classroom activity. This gives the student time to recall the word meaning and/or
figure out how to say what they know about the word in English.

Provide vocabulary lists to all who work with students: parents, special education staff,
interventionists, ESL staff, etc.
o Provide vocabulary lists to parents in home language if at all possible

Invite students to share vocabulary words in their home language
o Fact check the student’s vocabulary words before they are presented to the class to
ensure the student is making the correct connection between their languages. BRS staff
who speak the same language are the best resource to check translations. Google
translate is fairly accurate for translating single words but is not recommended for
phrase or sentence level translation.

Activate background knowledge during vocabulary direct teaching
o Use semantic webs (word webs) to assess what students already know about a word’s
meaning
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
Use word-mapping (semantic webs) to expand on meaning. Offer many descriptive terms for
new vocabulary words.
o Research shows that increased referents for/details about words may speed-up word
retrieval.

Use visuals to increase understanding of word meaning
o Visual aids may have to become more individualized as a student advances and
vocabulary learning becomes more self-directed
o Establish a tool that can travel with the student to be used wherever it is needed
 Student dictionary of vocabulary words with visuals
 Word walls are good at the elementary level
 Older students may require less conspicuous aids
o Encourage the student to take responsibility for their own vocabulary-building tools and
to determine what works best for them

Draw attention to word structure
o Prefixes/Suffixes
 Works best with older students

Direct teach academic vocabulary
o Vocabulary relating to test-taking
 Examples: Describe, identify, define, infer, develop, compare and contrast,
justify, outline, summarize, interpret, analyze
 Song to teach test-taking vocabulary: http://www.flocabulary.com/test-takingvocabulary/
o Vocabulary specific to a certain subject
 Math vocabulary: theorem, common denominator, hypotenuse, etc.
 Science vocabulary: hypothesis, conclusion, scientific method, etc.

To gain more information about a student’s vocabulary use: assess vocabulary which the
student has had access to within the school environment (vocabulary from thematic units) or
shared experiences during school activities (field trips, recess activities, etc.). This will help
ensure that expectations are based on common experience and not experiences that might not
be shared by all students.
o Employ test-teach-retest strategies to gain information about the student’s vocabulary
learning skills rather than a base number of words.
 For example, before beginning a unit on the ocean, record the vocabulary a
student currently uses to talk about the ocean. Record the amount of direct
teaching and overall instructional effort required to support the student during
vocabulary-building activities for this unit of study. After the unit, retest the
student’s vocabulary knowledge on this theme. It may be helpful to compare
the student’s progress to other student’s with similar backgrounds (e.g. DPI
level, home language, reading level, etc.)

BRS staff or parents may be able to help you determine the student’s vocabulary skills in their
home language.
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Language Comprehension
These strategies are intended for students for whom you have concerns with their ability to
comprehend language. Consider implementation of these strategies before making a referral. Datakeeping regarding these strategies and what was successful or not successful with your student will
be helpful IF a referral is made.
All Grade Levels
 Establish a non-verbal symbol to gain student’s attention
o Use this symbol to ensure you have a student’s attention before giving directions

Provide visual support whenever possible
o This is especially important with tasks with multiple steps

Provide structure to tasks with multiple steps
o Invite students to complete the first step and then check in with a peer or the teacher
before the next step.
 Allows opportunities to clarify directions/expectations before moving on

Model question types and appropriate answers
o Modeling types of questions may help students self-advocate
o Provide an example of the type of response you are looking for (e.g. Go around the
room and have each student provide an answer)

Discuss synonyms that may impact a student’s understanding of a question
o For example: In math class, when talking about subtraction there are many ways to say
the same problem: 17-8=
 Subtract 8 from 17
 17 minus 8 equals
 If you have 17 and take away 8, how many are left?
 17 take away 8 equals
 Edwin had 17 silly band bracelets; he gave 8 to his sister. How many does Edwin
have left?
 Alexa has 17 necklaces. She has 8 more than her sister Angela. How many
necklaces does Angela have?

Allow for wait time
o This allows student to process the question, formulate an answer and possibly translate
their answer to the language of the classroom.
o Another strategy would be to tell a student that you will ask them a specific question
regarding a certain topic in 5 minutes, during the second half of the class or after
reading a passage. Allowing them processing time helps students feel prepared to
participate in class.
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Expressive Language
These strategies are intended for students for whom you have concerns with their expressive
language skills. Consider implementation of these strategies before making a referral. Data-keeping
regarding these strategies and what was successful with your student will be helpful IF a referral is
made.
All Grade Levels
 Provide various communication modalities
o If a student is unable to find the exact word for what they are trying to communicate
they may be able to describe the word/idea, draw a picture of it, act something out, etc.
 If one of these strategies helps the student communicate their message, model
the words they could use in the future.

To increase odds of communication success with students learning English as a second
language:
o Focus on the child’s experience rather than typical experiences for their age group
within the majority culture
 School experiences such as recess, activities with peers, field trips, etc.
o Talk about the present rather than past events
o Talk about concrete objects rather than abstract concepts
o Talk about real situations rather than hypothetical situations

Seek support from ESL staff. Make the most of their expertise in acquiring English as a
Second Language by noting the grammatical difficulties demonstrated by your students who
have a primary language that is different from their educational environment. Ask if these
difficulties are typical of second language learners or if they are considered not typical.

BRS staff may also provide useful information about the grammar and structure of the
student’s home language and whether certain errors in English are typical for students who
speak the same home language.
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