December 16, 2015

Reflect on the questions about your first language and foreign language learning experiences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In what order did you acquire your first language?
How was foreign language taught when you were in high school or college?
Was it an effective way of learning a new
language?
What language domain/skill was the hardest to
learn?
Which language domain/skill was retained
over the years?

Learning Acquisition
(case of first language)
Subconscious process
Unaware of grammatical rules
“Feel” for what is and isn’t correct
Emphasis on function, not form
Conscious process
Result of direct instruction of rules
Language production is not emphasized
More emphasis on form
(grammar)
Judie Haynes, everthingESL.net

Factors that Affect
Second Language Acquisition
Motivation and attitude
Anxiety level
Access to the language (e.g. immersion, EFL)
Personality and learning style
Age and 1 st language development
Quality of instruction (meaningful and authentic?)
Cognitive ability
Cultural background
Acculturation to the new culture

Island Park: 48 students
(19 new / 29 continuing)
West Mercer: 29 students
(21 new / 8 continuing)
Lakeridge: 9 students
(3 new / 6 continuing)
17 languages spoken
(Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Cantonese,
Russian, Spanish, French, German, Dutch,
Portuguese, Hebrew, Vietnamese,
Tegulu, Tamil, Malayalam, Icelandic, Urdu)

To develop ELL student’s proficiency in English so he/she can participate more fully in the regular classroom setting
Help new students adjust to the new school environment
(academically, emotionally, socially)

Students are in mainstream classrooms most of the day
ELL teachers provide supplemental English language support (push-in or pull-out)
Use of specific strategies to foster English language development and making gradelevel content meaningfully accessible
ELL teachers collaborate with classroom teachers

Amount of service and delivery of support are determined by:
Student proficiency level
Grade level
Classroom teacher observations/assessments
ELL teacher observations/assessments
Self assessment by the students

o o o o o o
Many words in English are borrowed from other languages.
Can you guess the origin of these words?
Algebra, spinach, cotton, coffee, magazine, sherbet
Essay, table, opinion, family, quarter, bacon, waste
Alphabet, cinnamon, apron, cider, sapphire, aloe
Coconut, zebra, cougar, breeze, junk, embarrass
Canoe, chocolate, tomato, plaza, canyon, patio, coyote
Snack, wagon, bundle, sketch, roster, waffle, dollar

ELLs must simultaneously learn how to acquire enough of a second language to participate in an academic setting while gaining an understanding of the knowledge and skills in multiple disciplines through that second language.
from Framework for ELP Standards Summary

Speech appropriate for proficiency level
Enunciate clearly
Slow your speech
Take frequent pauses
Simplify sentence structure

Gestures , body language
Visuals , graphics, realia
Model processes and tasks
Demonstrations
Hands-on activities
Multimedia/ technology
Chunk information into smaller bits
Graphic organizers

Clear explanations of academic tasks
Step-by-step instructions
Provide a model or example
Think-alouds
Oral (and written) directions
Check for comprehension ( re-phrasing )

Use of multiple modes of communication
Verbal (give instructions)
Visual (show what you mean)
Vocal (let students process/talk about it)
Color coding to make concepts/directions clear
Create flow charts or graphic organizers to conceptualize thinking

Requires active processing of the sounds, stresses, intonations, grammar, and meaning of the message being conveyed
One of the more difficult demands of learning a new language
Listening is used nearly twice as much as speaking , 4-5 times as much as reading and writing
Listening is exhausting for newcomers
Difficult to listen while trying to copy from the board when words are just symbols, not meaningful

Point out purpose for listening (e.g. listen for main idea, listen for the character’s feeling)
Seating arrangement (student facing the front
of room)
Demonstrate rather than explain (show, not tell)
Total Physical Response (TPR) - demo
Give a copy of the notes afterward so students can focus on listening rather than copying from the board

On-demand production of language
Sentence structure
Limited vocabulary
Pronunciation
Translation in the head first

Spoken language and literacy are inextricably linked
You cannot write if you don’t have the language to express
Oral rehearsal should precede writing on paper
Instruction must be interactive and the focus must be on listening and speaking (e.g. turn and talk for processing)
Many opportunities to test the rules of language with scaffolding provided by supportive adults from Mondo’s Let’s Talk About It! and
Ballard Tighe’s Strategic Oral Language Instruction in ELD

Use pair or small group work to increase student talk time (10/2 rule)
Consistently give sufficient wait time
Provide explicit oral language practice
Respect the silent period and know they are taking in language
Create a relaxed, non-threatening environment where risk taking is encouraged
Teach functional/content language
Use sentence frames/starters
Don’t overcorrect in speaking and give students the chance to correct themselves
Model correct grammar ; provide correct input in response

GLAD chants (Google “pasco chants”) http://www.psd1.org/site/Default.as
px?PageID=253

Vocabulary deficit
Phonics vs. sight words
Multiple meanings
Fluency vs. comprehension
Complex sentence structure
Too many new words make the text impossible

How well do you know a word?
Thumbs up – I know the meaning and can use it in a sentence
Thumbs on the side – I have seen the word but not sure of its meaning
Thumbs down – I don’t know the meaning sophomoric petulance urbane

Illustrated vocabulary cards
Vary the way you explain words
Search images on the internet
Build background knowledge
Chunk reading into smaller sections
Have students record reading passages and listen afterwards
Have students listen to audiobooks
Translator apps (e.g. Google Translate, Speak and
Translate)

Spelling
Writing process (prewriting, draft, revising, editing, and final)
Generating own ideas for writing
“Writing in your words” or paraphrasing is difficult
Show, not tell
Different types of writing : narrative, expository
(informational), persuasive (opinion), how-to
May come from cultures where plagiarism is somewhat acceptable (individual ownership of words or ideas is not well understood, especially info on the internet)

Mix up pronoun s (e.g. he/she, him/her)
Omit articles
Omit word endings (-ing, -s, -es, -ly)
Mix up word order
Conjugation
Prepositions
Consistent tense use
Negative statements and questions
Plural nouns (regular ad irregular)
Apostrophes (possessives)

Sentence frames/starters
Word bank
Oral rehearsal
Graphic organizer /mind map
Signal words
Interactive writing (cooperative paragraph)
Sentence halves to build sentences
Cloze sentences/passages
Reading aloud of own writing for editing
Color-coded sentence structure

Math
Organize key info through drawing
Act out math story problems
Illustrated math vocabulary
Science
Create charts with labels
Provide pictures for academic vocabulary
Provide copies of teacher’s notes
Social Studies
Provide pictures for academic vocabulary
Paraphrase key points
Graphic organizers/flow charts

Perceived Negative Behavior
Avoids eye contact when interacting with teacher
Calls the teacher “teacher” rather than by last name
Doesn’t collaborate readily with peers on assignments
Doesn’t ask for help when he/she doesn’t understand directions or instruction
Doesn’t use quotations to cite sources
Overly competitive

Monthly workshops focused on different ELL topics
K-5 ELL website with students resources and teacher resources
Collaboration: planning units of study with grade level teachers iPad apps/support materials
Translated books – give two week notice to search and order (if available)
Easier non-fiction books in content areas

Scenario: During independent writing, my
ELL student doesn’t do anything or just copies instead of producing original work.
*What strategies can you use in your class that would support your ELL writer?
Use the post-its at your table to record some strategies.
Post the notes on the chart.

Start with drawing with details to get ideas rolling
Write in native language
Provide a picture and a word bank
Use a sentence starter
Spin off of patterned picture books
Use cloze writing activity
Provide prompt or topic
Explicitly model writing

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L8JCJ
Thank you!