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Establishing Inclusivity for ELL students

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Establishing Inclusivity for ELL students

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- Integrate culture into lesson plans
- Celebrate culture in the classroom
- Advocate for a diversity and equality in school displays and classroom bulletin boards
- Allow students to speak in their first language

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Provide opportunities for Social Interaction

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Provide opportunities for Social Interaction

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Use adequate wait time to help ELL students to formulate a response in a large group context.

Use a think, pair, share strategy.

Provide time for reading buddies.

Use learning centers for literacy, math, science, or social studies investigations.

Use cooperative learning projects.

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Some might question the need to create an entire handbook specifically to guide general elementary teachers through issues relevant to English language learners (ELLs), thinking that perhaps the school ESL specialist can take care of any special needs these students have. However, I believe this is an area of significant importance for all elementary teachers and will increasingly become so over time as the United States population continues to grow in diversity. According to the year 2000 U.S. census, approximately 18% of Americans age 5 and over now speak a language other than English at home. Some would argue that most of those Americans live in states like California, Texas, or New Mexico and ask why this census data would matter to the predominantly mono-cultural northeast. However, the 2000 census indicates that ELLs are definitely not confined to southwestern states. The following figures identify the percentage of people over age 5 who speak languages other than English at home in several surrounding states here in the northeast:

Delaware - 9.48%

Maryland - 12.58%

New Jersey - 25.48%

New York - 27.95%

Pennsylvania - 8.42%

Virginia - 11.11%

Clearly there are large numbers of speakers of languages other than English, many of which lie in the school-age population. Based on these demographics, the purpose of this handbook is twofold:

1. To more clearly establish the need for general elementary teachers to take an active role in the education of ELLs;

2. To equip elementary teachers with some initial strategies for modifying instruction and assessment for ELLs.

This handbook should in no way be interpreted as all-inclusive, but rather as an introduction to the policies, instructional models, strategies, and political issues related to elementary ELLs.

English language learners (ELLs) are a diverse population of students who are learning English in school. They come from numerous cultural and economic backgrounds, and they live in all 50 states. They may be:

Immigrants from countries all over the world seeking educational or economic opportunity

Refugees from war-torn countries

Native Americans or other native born Americans

Children with well developed literacy skills in a first language

Teenagers with little prior formal schooling

Migrants

Children of university students

ELLs come from a variety of linguistic backgrounds. After English, the most common languages in the United States are Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Tagolog, Vietnamese, Italian, Korean, Russian, Polish, and Arabic, followed by numerous other languages.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first piece of federal legislation to address the needs and rights of speakers of other languages in public education, asserting that school districts are responsible for providing equal educational opportunities to national origin minority students with limited English proficiency (LEP). Since then there has been additional legislation to further clarify the distribution of funding and the responsibilities of educators in addressing the education of LEP students, the most recent being the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (NCLB). The overall stated purpose of NCLB is "To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so
that no child is left behind."

Challenging Standards for English and Content Area Instruction

NCLB requires states to establish challenging academic content standards for all students, and Title III of this act indicates that ELLs are not exempt from meeting these high expectations. It asserts that English learners must develop English proficiency and skills for high academic achievement in English WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY MEETING the same challenging State standards that all students are required to meet.

There are numerous resources on the web for learning more about these standards.

Each state creates its own standards documents for all content areas, including English language instruction. Pennsylvania's standards can be downloaded by clicking on Academic Standards on the PDE website: http://www.pde.state.pa.us.

TESOL, the professional organization for English language teachers, has outlined standards for ESL instruction that are also available online at http://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/standards.

In accordance with the requirements of Title III, Pennsylvania is currently creating a document, the English Language Proficiency Standards for English Language Learners, to complement the existing PA Academic Standards. This document does not replace the Academic Standards, but will help all ESL specialists and general classroom teachers ensure that ELLs have full access to the content curricula during all stages of English language development. It will be available in January 2005 on the PDE website: http://www.pde.state.pa.us.

Accountability through Assessment

CLB also calls for accountability in meeting State standards through high quality assessments. Schools must not only demonstrate improvements in students' English proficiency each school year, but also demonstrate that English learners are making the same "adequate yearly progress" as other students. As a result, ELLs must participate in annual State assessments:

See Appendix 1 for further details on what parents of ELLs should expect from schools under No Child Left Behind.

What kind of Bilingual Education:

The discussion of bilingual education can come from two different perspectives. Additive bilingualism focuses on learning English while preserving use of the mother tongue while subtractive bilingualism focuses on teaching English to replace the mother tongue. Research has shown significant benefits in supporting additive bilingualism.

Social advantages: Bilingual children mature earlier, are more comfortable with diversity, exhibit social adaptability, and identify more with their ethnic group.

Cognitive advantages: Bilingual individuals show higher divergent thinking and increased social sensitivity in situations requiring verbal communication. They also demonstrate clearer thinking and analytical functioning.

Research also indicates that language development in the first language lays an important foundation for second language learning. Students with a high level of proficiency in both languages are likely to have an intellectual advantage in all subject areas when compared with monolingual classmates. For this reason children benefit from instruction in their first language during the early years, and additive bilingual programs are most effective if they provide long term support in both languages. In spite of these research findings, current educational policy tends towards transitioning ELLs to the use of English in school as quickly as possible.

Though elsewhere in the world bilingualism is expected of everyone, current thought in the U.S. often associates bilingualism with poor minority populations. Subtractive bilingualism or immersing students in English only environments is often educational practice. Some states have even passed English only legislation for schools or symbolically declared English as the official language of the state. Legislative attempts in support of both sides of this issue are frequently brought before the United States Congress. See Appendix 2 for samples of recently proposed bills. Turn to Appendix 3 for a look at the continuum of language policies worldwide.

Attitudes Towards English Language Learners:

Mirroring the two sides of public policy, educators may view ELLs through two contrasting lenses. First they may perceive ELLs as language deprived and in need of compensatory education. They see English as the linguistic capital needed to survive and thrive in American society. In a sense this is true; words are central to the activity of schools and a gateway to higher education. Vocabulary is a part of every content area and a major component of standardized tests such as the SAT or GRE. However, this language deficiency view was historically more discriminatory. Prior to the 1960s many researchers set out to prove that bilingualism had negative impacts, actually handicapping students' language growth and intelligence. Though research has since disproved these notions, examination of current educational practice often uncovers an over-referral of ELLs to special education classes, revealing that they are often still viewed as deficient.

A contrasting lens looks more positively. ELLs enter school already having a rich linguistic background. ESL programs provide enrichment in that they help students gain another language. From an even more positive angle, ELLs can provide enrichment for the whole school with the diverse cultures and knowledge they bring to the classroom.

It is beneficial for all educators to examine their own attitudes towards ELLs and work towards a school policy that celebrates the benefits ELLs bring to the classroom.

English language development is a process that occurs over a long period of time. Think about it. Even those who were born into English speaking families continue to acquire new language skills throughout the course of life. English language development occurs at a different rate for every student, and it is easy to misjudge a child's language capabilities because of the seeming variance from week to week or even day to day. There are numerous factors contributing to this variance: the context for language use, the classroom environment, stages of culture shock, age, level of proficiency in the home language, motivation, parent attitudes towards English, and many others. However,
English language development does follow a few predictable patterns.

Beginning ELLs:

Intermediate ELLs:

Intermediate ELLs can understand and speak in face to face interactions with minimal hesitation and few misunderstandings. They are developing skills in reading and writing.

To support intermediate ELLs focus on encouraging communication rather than grammar, spelling, and pronunciation, provide support for academic vocabulary, and teach strategies for processing information.

Another important distinction to make in English language development is between BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). Research shows that it takes students about two years to develop BICS, the oral skills needed to communicate effectively at a social level with teachers and peers. On the other hand, it can take five to seven years or longer for students to develop more advanced academic language skills at a level comparable to the ESL student's native English speaking peers. For this reason, it is important that general elementary classroom teachers provide support to ELLs even after they have formally exited ESL programs.

Although there are numerous ways to describe English language development, often a system of five levels is used. In many cases numbers are used, 1 to indicate the most basic English proficiency and 5 indicating the most advanced. The state of Pennsylvania uses the following terms to designate the same five levels: Entering, Beginning, Developing, Expanding, and Bridging.

Pull Out Model

As with other special services, such as Title I, Speech, or Special Education, ESL programs are often designed as a pull out program where the students leave the classroom to meet with the ESL specialist. Although it is difficult to coordinate schedules around specials and lunch times, this type of model may allow the ESL specialist to group students across classrooms or grade levels who are at a similar level of English proficiency for ESL support. This program model is especially effective for beginning ELLs who need to develop "survival" English skills. As students advance in their English language proficiency the ESL specialist may take responsibility for teaching a specific subject area, providing background information for upcoming lessons, or reviewing difficult content. However, grouping intermediate ELLs across grade levels or even across several classrooms from the same grade level for instruction bring challenges in effectively supporting students in content area learning.

Inclusion or "Pull IN" Model

Rather than pulling students out of their grade level classroom, this program model brings the ESL specialist into classrooms. The specialist may work with students individually at their seats or as a group someplace in the classroom. The specialist may assist ELLs with the same lesson that the rest of the class is doing or modify the lesson or assignment in some way. The ESL specialist could also assist while the classroom teacher instructs the whole class by displaying pictures, keywords, or providing other aids to comprehension. In this type of model the ESL specialist can sometimes even provide an extra set of hands in a way that is useful for the entire class.

Team Teaching Model

They ESL specialist may spend several hours a day in an elementary classroom when this model is implemented. As the name implies, when team teaching approaches are used the ESL specialist and grade level teacher work as a team both to plan and deliver instruction to all students in the class, the classroom teacher as the content expert, and the ESL specialist as the expert on effective strategies for ELLs. Though they could work together to teach the entire class at once or break up the class into two flexible groups, in this model all students receive the same high quality instruction. It is important that the team teaching occur in the curriculum areas in which ELLs would need the most language support. Because this model involves so much time in one classroom, it is most often used in schools with large populations of ELLs.

Other Program Models for Language Instruction

Transitional bilingual education: ELLs may receive instruction in both English and their home language for one to three years, but the goal is to develop English language proficiency as soon as possible.

Maintenance bilingual education: ELLs receive instruction in both English and their home language throughout elementary school and into the upper grades. The goal is to develop full bilingualism and biliteracy for English learners.

Structured English immersion: ELLs learn English through content area instruction in English. The goal is full English language proficiency.

As ESL specialists or schools consider which program model to employ, there are four essential factors for them to consider.

Regardless of the program model chosen, the ESL specialist is not the only individual in the school responsible for the language development and academic achievement of ELLs. The sections that follow will provide some beginning strategies that general elementary teachers can use to modify their instruction and assessment to support ELLs in their classrooms. But, in addition to modifying their own instructional practices, elementary content teachers can work collaboratively with the ESL specialist to optimize student learning both in the grade level classroom and in the ESL program.

Communication is one of the most important elements of this collaboration. Communication is most easily facilitated in a team teaching model and most difficult with a pull out model, but it is always important. The ESL specialist cannot align instruction to support content areas without knowledge of what content the grade level classroom is addressing. Providing support in the content areas does not mean that ESL specialists should take responsibility for explaining all assignments and correcting all misconceptions for ELLs, but they can help students make connections to prior experience, work to build background knowledge for students, support language development in the content areas, and review difficult concepts. General elementary teachers can facilitate this process by providing unit overviews, content-specific vocabulary, or any other information that the ESL specialists request so students receive the best support in both English language development and academic content learning.

Flexibility is another way to support the ESL specialist. Often there are many ELLs in a school at many different grade levels, and the ESL specialist wants to provide the fullest support for each one. The time ELLs are scheduled to leave your classroom may not be the best time for your schedule. Alternately, in an inclusion model the ESL specialist may not be able to schedule time in your classroom that matches your first preference. Ultimately flexibility in your schedule can ensure that the ESL specialist is not underutilized.

Provide a welcoming classroom environment

Creating a positive learning environment is important for supporting the growth of all students. Most elementary teachers try to establish a sense of community in their classrooms and provide structures such as predictable routines, procedures, and expectations. Because beginning ELLs may not initially understand verbal cues, predictable structures are even more significant in order to reduce anxiety, foster feelings of safety and comfort, and orient them to classroom expectations. Classroom patterns and predictable structures also aid language development. Here are a few examples:

In addition to helping a new student feel comfortable through pattern and predictability, it is important to help other students to welcome the ELL into the classroom. Talk to students about the challenges of learning a new language. Help them see that mistakes in English will not mean that the new student is unintelligent. After all, the new student already speaks another language very well. Help the class to look for
ways to include the new student in classroom and playground activities.

Know and include the student

It is beneficial for elementary teachers to get to know all the students in their classes as much as possible, but there may be extra factors to explore for an ELL or student from other cultural backgrounds. Get to know as much of the students' cultures as possible through reading about their culture, speaking with the ESL specialist or parents, and from observation of the students themselves. Though definitely not an exhaustive list, here are a few initial questions to consider:

Though it would be inappropriate to draw unnecessary attention a beginning ELL in front of the entire class, it is equally inappropriate to ignore the child just assuming he or she will naturally catch on to classroom expectations. Seating the student near the front of the classroom or near the teacher's desk can help incorporate the child into the classroom community. Additionally, frequent eye contact with the student can communicate care and inclusiveness. Encourage the student to participate in any way that child feels comfortable, but do not force verbal participation. Assigning the student a buddy, especially a buddy from the same home language, can help an ELL adjust to a new school environment. Though learning and practicing English is beneficial, allowing the child to communicate with others in the home language can help clarify classroom expectations and content knowledge.

Modify your speech

Though it will not guarantee perfect communication, using appropriate speech will help ELLs to comprehend both directions and content.

Speak more slowly, enunciating carefully while still using a natural tone and rhythm.

Use gestures with your speech. Hold up one, two, and three fingers as you list three attributes or give three steps to follow. Use facial expressions to indicate emotion and other kinds of body language or miming.

Provide visual aids in the form of pictures or realia (concrete objects or models) or point to sections of text or materials to be used as you mention them.

Model directions or processes.

Adjust questioning techniques so that students can respond in a way that is appropriate for their stage of English proficiency. The following chart provides some sample question starters appropriate to various stages of English proficiency:

Stage

Appropriate Expectation

Question Starter

Preproduction

Nodding, pointing, demonstrating.

"Show me..."
"Which of these..."

Early production

One or two word responses; make a choice between given options.

"Is it the ____ one or the ____ one?"
Questions with answers of one or two words.

Emergent speech

Phrase or short sentence with likely grammatical errors.

"What happened next?"
"Where did you find the answer?"

Intermediate fluency

Longer sentences with fewer grammatical errors.

"How did you...?"
"What was this character trying to do?"

Provide opportunities for interaction

Children cannot learn to speak English without opportunities to practice speaking English. Providing students with opportunities to interact with other students will naturally enhance English language development while also providing the scaffolding needed to help ELLs achieve in the content areas. Here are a few suggestions:

Use adequate wait time to help an ELL formulate a response in a large group context.

Use a think, pair, share strategy where students first think about a question for themselves, then talk about the question with a partner, and finally share their thoughts with the larger group.

Try conversational role plays in pairs or small groups. Topics could include using polite language (please, thank you, excuse me...), interviewing someone, how to use I-messages, resolving conflict, and others.

Provide time for buddy reading of texts that are a little beyond the ELLs independent comprehension level.

Use learning centers for literacy, math, science, or social studies investigations.

Use cooperative learning projects. Have teams work together to create an artistic display of their names, create an "assembly-line" style craft project where each team member contributes to the final product, have groups work together to complete a puzzle or word search, or do a jigsaw reading activity where each member reads a different text and reports back important information to the group.

Support literacy development

Literacy instruction is one area in which knowledge of the individual student is especially helpful. Depending on culture and life history, an ELL may have solid literacy skills in a language similar to English, in a language that is completely different from English, or very little prior literacy skills at all. The more fully a child's literacy skills in the home language have developed, the better foundation there is for literacy skills in English; and the more similar the two languages, the easier it is to transfer literacy from one to another.

Good instruction in reading and writing looks the same whether you are teaching native-English speakers or ELLs. This section highlights a few areas of best practice that are especially important to keep in mind when working with ELLs.

Reading Instruction

Helping students learn to decode words is important, but helping them make meaning of text is essential. Instruction in phonics and high frequency words is best done in the context of meaningful text. Reading texts multiple times can build fluency in word recognition while concurrently providing an opportunity to focus on comprehension strategies, such as the following examples:

Previewing: Paging through a text ahead of time to look at pictures or headings can begin to activate prior knowledge that helps a reader to both decode words and make meaning of text. ELLs may not bring the same kinds of background knowledge to a text as other students. For example, they may not be familiar with the "once upon a time... and they lived happily ever after" story structure for a fairy tale. They may know a lot about tortillas, but nothing about crackers. Taking time to help students build background knowledge is essential.

Predicting: Making predictions during reading about what will come next is both an effective comprehension strategy and a motivator. It builds anticipation, motivating students to keep reading to check and see if predictions are correct.

Monitoring and Questioning: Help students learn to think about what they are reading to monitor their own comprehension. When a "red flag" pops up during reading, help students ask questions like, "What does this word mean?" "How could that have happened?" or "What are they talking about now?" It is helpful if the teacher models this strategy and then helps direct students to where to find answers: reread, keep reading to see if there is clarification provided in the text, or asking someone for help.

Making connections: Connecting text to personal experience, other texts, or prior knowledge aids comprehension and helps students to internalize a text. Phrases like, "this reminds me of..." are useful for helping students to make connections.

Summarizing and retelling: Putting text into more general words is a great strategy for monitoring comprehension. Summarizing can occur during reading with a technique like GIST (Generating Interaction between Schemata and Text). In this technique, students work in cooperative groups and read sections of text silently. After each section the members of the group work collaboratively to generate one sentence that summarizes the "gist" of the passage. Each member writes the sentence down so that by the end each member of the group has a summary of the text. Summarizing can also occur after reading an entire text. Students can retell a story in a beginning, middle, and end chart or dramatize it.

Text Structures: ELLs do not always bring the same prior knowledge of story or informational structures to reading since different cultures may commonly use different structures for texts. Using graphic organizers before or after reading to cue students in on these structures can be especially helpful.

Development of Writing Skills

There are three factors that help determine the ease with which beginning ELLs learn to write in English: (1) whether or not they already know how to read in their first language, (2) the extent to which the home language alphabet is similar to the English alphabet, and (3) the number of opportunities they are given to practice reading and writing in English from the beginning.

Supporting students in developing and communicating ideas first and worrying about correct grammar and spelling later is becoming more common as the writing process guides writing instruction in an increasing number of classrooms ( Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing). Process writing is commonly used in ESL classrooms as well. The interactive process of conferencing provides opportunity for authentic conversation practice in addition to helping to develop a piece of written work. However, full participation in the process may not be possible until an intermediate or advanced level of English proficiency is acquired.

Beginning writers may simply draw pictures and label things. Over time they may begin to write one or two short sentences, though there may be problems with word order and they are likely to write only in present tense. There are a few strategies that can help support beginning ELLs in writing:

Intermediate writers will be able to write a number of sentences in a fairly organized sequence. They may be able to express all their ideas comfortable, but still lack the diverse vocabulary needed for fine shades of meaning. They can usually use several tenses in their writing, but may often make minor grammatical errors, such as leaving off the -s for third person singular verbs. Here are a few strategies that may help support intermediate ELLs in writing:

Help students learn to combine two short sentences into one longer sentence to add sentence variety.

Do mini-lessons focused on using precise vocabulary. Have students create class books on color words, strong verbs, emotions, or other lists of synonyms that can be used as resources during writer's workshop.

Allow students to use computers for their writing. The spelling and grammar functions of word processing programs can help students identify and correct their own errors more autonomously.

Support ELLS in the content areas: Math, Social Studies, Science

According to current educational policy, ELLs must be given full access to all academic content and must prove they can achieve at high levels on state testing. This means that teachers must adapt their instruction to support the language development of ELLs without watering down the content in any way. To make sure that language needs are addressed, all lessons in the content areas should have both content and language objectives. To determine the language objective, teachers should think about what kind of language support ELLs need to successfully meet the content objective. Lessons can be adapted to develop vocabulary, build background knowledge, modify texts, or provide a framework for understanding so that ELLs can access content objectives.

Vocabulary Development

There are four major categories of language support that might be necessary in content areas. (1) All content areas have specialized technical vocabulary that is not a part of everyday spoken English that all students must learn, such as isosceles triangle. (2) There is also language in each content area that English proficient students have mastered, but beginning ELLs have not yet learned, for example, microscope, thermometer, or ruler. (3) Often common English words may be used in a different specialized way in a content area, for example, table as a way to represent data. (4) Students may need a scaffold for everyday language structures or frameworks for reporting their learning, for example "The ____ is __ inches long."

Vocabulary activities can build background knowledge by introducing new terms, review terms that have been introduced previously, or help to organize or classify terms in a conceptual framework.

Word Walls: Content vocabulary of the greatest importance is hung in relevant groupings on a wall of the classroom. Students can each add an illustration to one word for the class wall. This way the wall provides connections to meanings.

Word Sorts: Content vocabulary words are written on index cards and students are asked to sort the words by category. For example, Length: inches, feet, yards, centimeters, meters; Weight: ounces, pounds, grams, kilograms

Concept Definition Map:
What is it? What is it like? What are some examples?

Dramatization: Have students act out content words, either the word itself or a situation in which the word would be used.

Since the focus of content area instruction is learning the content, it is important to provide opportunities for the students to talk about the content in both English and their home language if there are other students who speak the same home language in the class. This will allow students to engage more deeply with the content, clarify any questions they have, and correct any misconceptions that might arise as a result of misunderstandings of English.

Build or Connect to Background Knowledge

Use visuals, realia, and manipulatives whenever possible so that abstract ideas can be made as concrete as possible.

Go on field trips to build background knowledge for a new topic.

Some videos, computer software, and websites are resources that can be used to build background knowledge through their visual or interactive nature.

Modify Texts

Supplemental resources: Find books that cover the same concepts at a lower reading level.

Highlighted text: Reserve a few copies of texts specifically for ELLs. Highlight the overriding ideas, key concepts, important vocabulary, and summary statements in these texts and encourage students to first read only the highlighted sections. This reduces the reading demands of the text while helping students pick out the most important ideas.

Taped text: Record entire texts or highlighted sections so that students can listen as they follow along in the book. Tapes can be available for both school and home use so that students can listen multiple times.

Adapted text: If there are no other resources or adaptations that can be made to give access to ELLs, then adapting a text is appropriate. The teacher rewrites important sections of text in short simple sentences in a step by step manner, defining relevant vocabulary to create an easier read. ("Electrons have negative electric charges and orbit around the core, nucleus, of an atom." Can be rewritten as, "Electrons have negative charges. They orbit around the center. The center of the atom is called the nucleus.") Rewritten paragraphs should include a topic sentence and a few details to provide ease in identifying important information.

Provide a Framework for Understanding

Many graphic organizers can serve as advance organizers to build background knowledge or provide a review of a key concept from a lesson. Creating this type of framework during a lesson can also be useful for helping students to develop connections and understandings in their heads.

Timeline: A timeline helps students to sequence events and see visually how events are related over time.

Venn Diagram: Two things or concepts are compared. Information about each one is written in the designated circle. Any similarities are written in the area of the two circles that overlaps.

Attribute Chart: This type of chart helps students to make comparisons across multiple examples. The students should be actively involved in creating the chart, using resources or prior experience to fill the needed information.

Build autonomy by teaching learning strategies

Students can learn in the content areas more effectively and independently if they know the kinds of learning strategies that can help. Some students may naturally use these strategies, while others will need to be explicitly taught to employ them. There are metacognitive strategies which help students to monitor themselves and their own thinking and understanding; cognitive strategies which help students to organize information; and social-affective strategies which help students interact with others or control emotions to enhance their own learning. Many of these strategies are similar to the types of reading comprehension strategies that good readers learn. A few examples of such strategies are:
Metacognitive Strategies Cognitive Strategies Social-affective Strategies

Questioning: Ask others for clarification, rephrasing, or more information.

Self-talk: Use mental techniques to boost one's confidence or reduce anxiety about a learning task.

Cooperation: Working with peers to solve problems or pool information.

Modify assessments

Creating quality assessments for ELLs can be challenging. Most traditional assessments are very language dependent, requiring students to read and understand both directions and test questions and sometimes to write lengthy responses. Though such tests may provide information about an ELL's reading comprehension and writing composition skills, they may not give an accurate picture of student progress towards attaining instructional objectives or provide feedback to the teacher about the level of success of instructional strategies. For this reason, it is necessary to adapt tests, use alternate forms of assessment, and use as many different forms of assessments as possible so that language will not be an obstacle to obtaining a clear sense of each student's
progress in the content areas.

Adapting Tests

There are a number of different modifications that can be used to create a more approachable testing situation for ELLs, depending on the level of English proficiency:

Have the test translated into the student's home language or allow them to use bilingual dictionaries.

Provide the student with extra time for taking the test because thinking and processing takes longer in a new language.

Read directions and test questions aloud to the student.

Allow oral or pictorial responses.

Simplify the language on the test: use short sentences and easy vocabulary.

Allow students to make lists instead of writing essays or complete sentences.

Provide students with word banks containing relevant vocabulary.

Ask students to fill in graphic organizers similar to those used during instruction.

Using Alternate Forms of Assessment

Alternate assessments may provide more useful information about student progress than traditional tests. Often these assessments are less language dependent, more skill based, or more relevant to real life contexts.

Observations: Keep anecdotal records or skills checklists about what you notice as students are working or participating in class.

Formal Performance Assessments: Have a child demonstrate the mastery of a particular skill. For example, how to solve a math problem or how to read a map.

Sorting activities: Ask students to sort objects or word cards to demonstrate ability to understand a concept. For example, sort objects by initial sound, sort number sentences by sum or difference, sort pictures of animal by classification, sequence pictures of the water cycle.

Models and visual displays: Students create a model to demonstrate understanding of the characteristics of something or an understanding of how something works. For example, use clay to create an insect and a spider to show their differences; create a shoe box model of a habitat with both plants and animals, create a diagram that shows how the digestive system works.

Graphic organizers: Completing a web, comparison chart, or some other type of graphic organizer can uncover student conceptual understanding, especially if the student is already familiar with the uses for the particular graphic organizer.

Self-assessments: Ask students to complete a learning log, circle a number on a continuum to show how well they worked with group members, use a rubric to give themselves a score based on specific criteria, complete a K-W-L chart, tell what strategy they used to solve a problem, or write what was easy or hard about a concept.

Rubrics: Create rubrics along with students highlighting the different components that will be graded and the criteria for attaining each score. A written rubric along with a visual sample or demonstration helps students to understand and meet expectations. This is especially effective for grading writing, oral presentations, or projects. For example, a rubric for a writing sample might look at correct use of past tense verbs, story idea, the amount of detail included, and sequencing.

Differentiated Scoring: When a teacher uses this type of grading, an assignment receives two scores: one that is based on demonstration of content area knowledge and skills and another that is based on demonstration of English language proficiency. In this way progress in both content and English language can be monitored.

Using Multiple Forms of Assessment

To collect the most accurate information about each student's progress, a variety of assessments are best. Different kinds of assessment give different information about student learning, and some types of assessment might match the purpose or objective better than others. Portfolios are one way to collect and organize multiple forms of data. Portfolios can be collections of work that a student chooses to demonstrate best work or areas that need improvement. They can also be a holding place for all pertinent classwork, tests, checklists, self-assessments, rubrics, and projects. Regardless of how portfolios are put together, their ultimate purpose is the same as that of any assessment: to highlight student achievement and to create goals for continued learning.

Sample Assessments for an Insect Unit:
Original Unit Test
1. Describe the life cycle of the following:

Mantis
Honeybee

2. How do you know an animal is an insect?
3. What foods do insects eat?
4. Why are insects important?
Unit Test Modified for ELLs: A partially completed graphic organizer

Insect Name

Life Cycle

What it eats

How it looks

Why it's important

Interesting facts

Monarch butterfly

Milkweed leaves (larva)
Nectar from flowers (adult)

Head -- eyes, antenna
Thorax -- legs and 4 wings
Abdomen

Help to pollinate flowers

They do not fly at night

Alternate Assessments for a Unit Portfolio

Keep an observation log of the life cycle of real monarch butterflies in the classroom. Given a diagram of the life cycle of another insect, create one drawing to show the four stages of the butterfly's life cycle.

Create a drawing or clay model of two adult insects including three body parts, legs, wings, eyes, and antenna. Verbally tell how the insects are the same or different.

Work with a strong English speaker in a cooperative learning jigsaw reading to learn and share interesting facts about insects and why they are important. Complete a self-assessment on learning, participation, and contribution to the group.

The information presented in this handbook gives evidence to support the need for all elementary teachers to gain awareness of the needs of ELLs and take an active role in supporting their learning. Though it can take five to seven years or longer for students to acquire a level of academic English proficiency equivalent to that of their peers, legislation requires that these students maintain the same adequate yearly progress toward the highly challenging academic standards as their peers. Most ESL program models include ELLs in the mainstream classroom for a majority of content instruction, so it is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to implement strategies that can support these high expectations. Through creating a welcoming environment, getting to know each student, attending to communication patterns, planning language objectives for content areas, and modifying assessments, elementary teachers can support, instruct, and monitor the progress of ELLs effectively.

Becker, H. (2001). Teaching ESL K-12: Views from the Classroom. Boston: Henle & Henle.

Corson, D. (1999). Language Policy in Schools: A Resource for Teachers and Administrators. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Diaz-Rico, L. & Weed, K. (2002). The Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Handbook. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Herrell, A. & Jordan, M. (2004). Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, Second Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

Maitland, K. (1997). Adding English: Helping ESL Learners Succeed. Torrence, CA: Good Apple.

O'Malley, J. & Valdez-Pierce, L. (1996). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for Teachers. Longman

Opitz, M.(ed.) (1998). Literacy Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Peregoy, S. & Boyle, O. (2001). Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL. New York: Addison-Wesley.

United States Congress (2002). Public Law 107-110 (No Child Left Behind Act). Retrieved April 22, 2004, from the United States Department of Education website, http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html.

Valdez-Pierce, L. (2003). Assessing English Language Learners. National Education Association.

Under No Child Left Behind, parents of English language learners can expect:

1. To have your child receive a quality education and be taught by a highly qualified teacher.
President Bush and Secretary of Education Rod Paige believe that the key to a quality education is a highly qualified teacher. The new education act requires that all teachers of the core academic subjects be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, including teachers of English language learners.

2. To have your child learn English and other subjects such as reading and other language arts and mathematics at the same academic level as all other students.
Schools must provide English language learners the same educational opportunities to meet the same high academic standards as their peers. The No Child Left Behind Act does not require schools to use a particular method for teaching English language acquisition nor does it prohibit a child from learning another language.

3. To know if your child has been identified and recommended for placement in an English language acquisition program, and to accept or refuse such placement.
A parent or guardian must be notified when his or her child is identified and recommended for placement in a program for English language instruction. Notification must include the reason for placement, the method of instruction and what is required for the child to exit the program, and it must be in a language or manner that the parents understand.

4. To choose a different English language acquisition program for your child, if one is available.
Parents may choose from among the various English language acquisition instructional programs in the school, if more than one is available. If the child is placed in a program that is not meeting his or her educational needs, the parent may have the child transferred to another available program in the district.

5. To transfer your child to another school if his or her school is identified as "in need of improvement."
Once a school has been identified as "in need of improvement," the public school choice provisions of the law provide parents with children in these schools the option of transferring them to another public school in the district, including a nearby charter school, if one is available, and the district will pay for or provide transportation.

6. To apply for supplemental services, such as tutoring, for your child if his or her school is identified as "in need of improvement" for two years.
A supplemental service is extra educational help provided to students, such as tutoring and other afterschool services. Students from low-income families who are enrolled in schools that are "in need of improvement" for two years are eligible to receive these services.

7. To have your child tested annually to assess his or her progress in English language acquisition.
Testing is used to assess how students are performing and what they have learned. The No Child Left Behind Act requires yearly assessment for English language proficiency (K-12). Schools must provide student assessment reports to parents that will, among other things, let them know how well their child is learning English.

8. To receive information regarding your child's performance on academic tests.
Under No Child Left Behind all children in grades 3-8 will be tested yearly, and those in grades 9-12 will be tested at least once in math and reading-language arts. No Child Left Behind requires that parents be notified of their child's academic progress in these subjects in a language or manner that they understand.

9. To have your child taught with programs that are scientifically proven to work.
English language learners can become fully proficient in English and master challenging content when enrolled in high-quality programs with a highly qualified teacher. No Child Left Behind requires that programs for English language learners funded under the act use curriculum and instructional methods that reflect scientifically based research.

10. To have the opportunity for your child to reach his or her greatest academic potential.
For the first time in the history of public education, there is a federal law that specifically addresses the educational achievement gap between minority children and their peers by implementing strong accountability measures. A quality K-12 education will assist every child who aspires to a college education so that he or she can be academically prepared to enter an institution of higher learning upon
graduation.

No Child Left Behind--a new era in public education.
www.ed.gov--1-800-USA-LEARN
Office of English Language Acquisition-January 2004
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela
(January 2004)

Legislation of the 108th Congress
Concerning Foreign Languages and International Education
Proposed 2003-2004
Retrieved from http://thomas.loc.gov/
H.Con.Res. 5 - English Plus Resolution
Introduced: January 1, 2003
Sponsor: Representative Jose E. Serrano (D-NY)
Co-Sponsors: None
Latest Action: February 21, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on Education Reform

Purpose: (CRS [Congressional Research Service] Summary)
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. Government should pursue policies that: (1) encourage all residents of this country to become fully proficient in English by expanding educational opportunities and access to information technologies; (2) conserve and develop the Nation's linguistic resources by encouraging all residents to learn or maintain skills in a language other than English; (3) assist Native Americans, Native Alaskans, Native Hawaiians, and other peoples indigenous to the United States in their efforts to prevent the extinction of their languages and cultures; (4) continue to provide services in languages other than English as needed to facilitate access to essential functions of government, promote public health and safety, ensure due process, promote equal educational opportunity, and protect fundamental rights; and (5) recognize the importance of multilingualism to vital national interests and individual rights, and oppose "English-only" measures and similar language restrictionist measures.

H.R. 931 - National Language Act of 2003
Introduced: February 26, 2003
Sponsor: Representative Peter King (R-NY)
Co-Sponsors: 51
Latest Action: March 17, 2003 Referred to House Subcommittee on Educational Reform

Purpose: (CRS Summary)
Makes English the official language of the U.S. Government. Requires the Governments to: (1) conduct its official business in English, including publications, income tax forms, and informational materials; and (2) preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States of America. Provides that no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the Government act, communicate, perform, or provide services or materials in any other language, unless specifically stated in applicable law.

Provides that this Act shall not apply to the use of a language other than English for religious purposes, for training in foreign languages for international communication, in school programs designed to encourage students to learn foreign languages, or by persons over age 62.

Repeals the Bilingual Education Act. Terminates the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs in the Department of Education.

Repeals provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 regarding bilingual election requirements and regarding congressional findings of voting discrimination against language minorities, prohibition of English-only elections, and other remedial measures.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that all public ceremonies in which the oath of allegiance is administered pursuant to such Act be conducted solely in English.

Specifies that this Act shall no preempt the law of any State.

In his book, Language Policy in Schools: A Resource for Teachers and Administrators, Corson identifies six different approaches or orientations that are exhibit in national or school language policies and notes that in the United States typical policy focuses on levels 1 or 2.

1. New language group lacks English and needs to rapidly transition into English usage.

2. The minority groups' need for English is linked to family status, so aids, tutors, social workers, and other helps are provided.

3. The need for English is linked to disparities in esteem between group culture and majority culture: multicultural curricula, eliminating racial stereotypes, and sensitizing teachers are added to English instruction.

4. There is a belief that the premature loss of the first language inhibits develop of majority language, so the first language is at least occasionally or in early years a medium of instruction.

5. The minority language is seen as threatened with extinction so the policy is to provide the minority language exclusively as the language of instruction in early years.

6. Minority and majority languages are seen as having equal rights or status in society, so the minority language may be recognized as an official language; separate school systems may be provided; all children may be given the opportunity to learn both languages; and language support exists beyond the school system.

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Resource Guide for Working With ESL Students | College of Education at Penn State

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Some might question the need to create an entire handbook specifically to guide general elementary teachers through issues relevant to English language learners (ELLs), thinking that perhaps the school ESL specialist can take care of any special needs these students have.

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1) Bridging the Gap
- Interpreters
- Cultural Liaisons
- Experts on historical and political background

2) Services and Support

After-school tutoring

Student internships

Medical services

Social services

Clothing/food drives

ESL classes for adults

Continuing education programs

Immigration information

Citizenship classes

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When building a support network for English language learners (ELLs), community organizations can play a valuable role and offer resources that schools may not have at their disposal in order to work with ELLs and their families. While the community schools model is one way that these partnerships can grow and thrive, a school need not be an official community school to have effective partnerships.

Bridging the gap

Organizations that work on behalf of specific immigrant communities, for example, can play an important part in helping schools bridge language and cultural gaps by providing:

Interpreters: Many school districts struggle to find interpreters for school events or conferences and to translate important documents for parents, especially for languages that have a lower incidence in the district. Community organizations may be able to provide intepreters, print translations, or recommendations of other translation services.

Cultural liaisons: It is important for schools to be sensitive to the diverse cultural backgrounds and customs of all of its students; the customs of ELL students may be very diverse when it comes to religious observances, dietary restrictions, and social expectations. Community organizations with a cultural/national affiliation can provide invaluable insight to teachers, administrators, and staff by offering trainings and workshops that focus on providing information about a specific culture or country. This may be particularly valuable when a new immigrant community begins to grow in an area that has not previously been settled by members of this community.

Experts on historical and political background: When welcoming students from a new immigrant community to the school, it may be helpful to learn more about the historical and political background of that community, particularly if that background has shaped immigration or resettlement patterns. For example, when refugees are resettled in a new community, understanding the conflict that displaced those refugees may go a long way in determining how to provide necessary support. This is also an important step in understanding potential traumas or hardship students may be experiencing.

Services and support

The leaders and staff of community organizations may also have many ideas about how schools, businesses, and other groups can work together to support ELL students and their families by offering:

After-school tutoring

Student internships

Medical services

Social services

Clothing/food drives

ESL classes for adults

Continuing education programs

Immigration information

Citizenship classes

Information on disaster relief

Note: Many undocumented immigrant families may forego services to which they are entitled due to fear of immigration enforcement, including food stamps, disaster relief, and medical care. In addition, they may not be eligible for other kids of benefits due to their immigration status. Being aware of these challenges can help schools meet students' most immediate needs discretely.

Getting started

If you are unsure of how to start a collaboration with your local community organizations, that's ok! Start by calling some of the organizations in your area and scheduling informal conversations to brainstorm ideas on ways that you can support each other. You may be surprised at how quickly the ideas start coming to you!

For more information, see the hotlinks section of this article, which includes a list of organizations working on behalf of different immigrant communities around the country, as well as organizations focused on the community schools model.
Coalition for Community Schools
The Coalition for Community Schools, housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership, is an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy as well as national, state and local community school networks.
American Educator, Fall 2015: Community Schools Edition
This edition of the American Federation of Teachers' Fall 2015 publication focuses on community schools, how they work, and how partnerships help schools, students, and families.
Latin American Youth Center
The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) is a multicultural community-based organization in the Washington, DC area that supports youth and their families in their determination to live, work, and study with dignity, hope, and joy. The LAYC Family of Organizations is a network of youth centers, schools and social enterprises with a shared commitment to helping youth become successful and happy young adults, with the skills they need to succeed educationally, professionally, and personally.
LSNA: A Model of Successful School-Community Partnership
The Logan Square Neighborhood Association is a nationally recognized model of successful collaboration between a community organization and public schools, creating a community-centered school that serves immigrant families.

Girls Inc. is a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. With roots dating to 1864, Girls Inc. has provided vital educational programs to millions of American girls, particularly those in high-risk, underserved areas. Today, innovative programs help girls confront subtle societal messages about their value and potential, and prepare them to lead successful, independent, and fulfilling lives.
Massachusetts DOE Resources for Family and Community Involvement
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education offers resources for family literacy and community involvement, providing information about program design and links to other useful Web sites.
Partnership for After School Education
The Partnership for After School Education (PASE), a New York City-focused organization, promotes and supports quality afterschool programs for youth, particularly those from underserved communities, enabling them to identify and reach their full potential.
Californians Together
Californians Together is a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children, specifically underserved English Language Learners.

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Working with Community Organizations to Support ELL Students

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When building a support network for English language learners (ELLs), community organizations can play a valuable role and offer resources that schools may not have at their disposal in order to work with ELLs and their families.

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Promote and Celebrate Classroom Diversity 

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Promote and Celebrate Classroom Diversity 

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- Classroom libraries should reflect on students' cultural backgrounds and languages
- Allow students to review classroom materials in their first language
- Play music from other cultures
- Celebrate global holidays
- Decorate classroom with diversity in mind
- Ask children to talk with their families about sayings or traditions
- Invite guest speakers into the classroom
- Accept linguistic/cultural hybridity

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These are all easy things you can do in the classroom to promote and support diversity.

I recently wrote an article where I included 10 ways to promote diversity in the classroom and I've been getting a lot of emails for more ideas.

Promoting diversity and multiculturalism in the classroom is good for everyone. Here are some more ideas for achieving this in the classroom.

Focus on understanding and communicating, not error correction" (Díaz-Rico & Weed, 2006). Value what your students say and not how they speak.

Emphasize geography in your classroom to broaden your students' perspectives. Teach geography. Decorate your room with maps and globes and get your students excited about their world. Daily exercises should include pinpointing the country, state, and town where the class is located.

Play music from other cultures. Music provides students with a fun way to learn new languages. While children are busy doing crafts, eating snacks or napping, play music with diverse cultural origins. Ask parents to lend you recordings of music that their family enjoys or if they have any instruments children could listen to or try. Talk with the children about how different music sounds, about rhythm and instruments and if it's loud, soft, fast, or slow. Listen to the different instruments.

Celebrate global holidays, not just those celebrated in your country or community. Children love parties, so give them an excuse to celebrate by introducing a wide variety of world holidays. Play games, eat food and sing songs typical of the holiday. Make sure you learn about the holidays and what their true significance is first (stay away from holidays like 5 de Mayo, most Hispanics do not celebrate it and it's significance is often misinterpreted). You can have an activity during the holidays where you explore how people celebrate Christmas around the world.

Promote and let children in the classroom speak in their home language to other children. Slavin (2005), suggested that grouping children who speak the same native language together so that they may use their native language to make a collective sense of English is more beneficial than forcing them to speak English only.

Cook a variety of foods from all over the world. Cooking ethnic cuisine is one way to get kids excited about new cultures. During snack time, why not experiment with culturally diverse foods? Children love to cook, and this is a hands-on way for them to appreciate a new culture's cuisine.

Explore different family structures. During a "family" theme week, have the children bring pictures of their families and display images of all the children and families in the classroom. Students will see that families come in all sorts: single moms, single dads, same-sex couples, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and foster and adoptive parents as well as coming from different cultures, ethnicities and geographical locations.

Experience different disabilities. A wheelchair ride can help children understand disabilities. Blindfold children and have them attempt to conduct a simple activity. Bring in a child-sized wheelchair and have them experience first-hand what it is like to not have use of their legs. Teach basic signs to orient them to the deaf experience.

Decorate your room with diversity in mind. Add toys and materials that reflect the cultures of the children and families in your group. Then expand to include materials that mirror the diversity in the world. Dolls and action figures should represent different races. Letters of the alphabet should have a corresponding American Sign Language version.

Give parents the tools to read to children in their native languages: Translate a book in each child's native language and send it home so that they can read it and discuss it with family in their home language. Then read the same book at school and discuss it. According to research, this will increase the rate of vocabulary acquisition. Additionally, the home-school partnership will be strengthened.

Remove materials and visuals that promote stereotypes.

Ask children to talk with their families about sayings or traditions that are common in their culture. Choose one broad topic, such as love, birthdays, holidays, or time. Chart the responses to see how different cultures express similar ideas. "Children might also be fascinated to compare the different names they use for their grandparents" (Williams, 1989). Listen and watch for children's comments that can lead to discoveries about each other.

Invite parents and other family members to come in and read a story in their home language to the whole classroom.Have children share family stories written by the children and parents about themselves as families. Have parents volunteer to come to school and tell their stories even if they are in another language. Adults can tell stories about their culture and its development, and about struggles to achieve respect in their community. Such stories should be related to children's interest, developmental level, and cultural context.

Organize a special day for each child in the classroom , or a special week. On their week each child can talk about themselves, their family and some element of their culture.

Do you have any suggestions for things you can do in the classroom that will promote and support diversity?

For more ideas be sure to check my article: 10 Great Ideas to Promote Diversity in the Classroom

You can also read: Having a Multicultural Classroom is Good for Everyone

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Easy Ways To Promote Diversity in the Classroom

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These are all easy things you can do in the classroom to promote and support diversity. I recently wrote an article where I included 10 ways to promote diversity in the classroom and I've been getting a lot of emails for more ideas. Promoting diversity and multiculturalism in the classroom is good for everyone.

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Parents and family engagement inside the classroom 

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Parents and family engagement inside the classroom 

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- Aim for authenticity
- Make it reciprocal
- Use a culturally responsive approach
- Keep it simple
- Increase capacity

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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Schools can better support students who are still learning English by working to involve their families in their education.

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1) FluentU
2) Google Translate
3) Duolingo
4) Speak English!
5) English Podcast
6) Fun English
7) Words with Friends

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As technology continues to get more and more popular, classroom attention spans are getting shorter and shorter.

Times are changing quickly and ESL teachers have to hop on board before the train leaves. Keeping the attention of a student while you're teaching may seem difficult at times, but fear not! Help is on the way!

By working with technology, using some of these apps will effectively help you add a new dimension to your teaching. It'll also give students a break from the traditional classroom, all while still reinforcing the skills they are learning. Many of these top apps are even free of cost!

There's no better time than the present to upgrade your teaching and try out some of the best apps for ESL teachers!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The Benefits of Using Apps in Your ESL Teaching

First let's take a closer look at how using these apps is beneficial to ESL teachers like yourself.

Helps Keep Students Engaged

Technology is always an exciting addition to any classroom. Students typically love working with technology and prefer it over reading and writing in a traditional way. Using apps in the classroom is one great way to spice up the students' learning and help keep them engaged in the material.

Adds a New Dimension to Learning

Using apps in the classroom adds a whole new dimension to students' learning. It's not news that repetition and review are essential to the success of learning a language. Apps reinforce the material and allow students to experience English in yet another form.

You can learn more about what apps and other technology can do for your students through ed2go's Integrating Technology in the Classroom. This online course is all about helping you learn what web and mobile technology is out there and how to use it, regardless of what your goals, needs or special considerations are. It also includes course material pertaining specifically to English language learners.

Easily Accessible

With the easy accessibility of apps, they can be used both inside and outside of the classroom. Apps are so easy to use for both students and teachers, and require absolutely no prep time!

ESL Teaching Supplement Apps

These types of apps are not only useful for teachers when writing curriculum, but they're also excellent for students to use during classroom activities or unstructured classroom time.

Site: www.fluentu.com iPhone: FluentU on the App Store Android: FluentU on Google Play Cost: Monthly subscription (free trial available)

FluentU is very unique among the apps on this list.

Unlike traditional apps, FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease your students into English language and culture over time. They'll learn English as it's spoken in real life.

How does this work? FluentU has a huge collection of authentic English videos that people in the English-speaking world actually watch on the regular. This is content that's known internationally for its quality and entertainment value. Students get extremely excited when they see their favorite videos pop up in their English classroom.

If you're looking for creative ways to teach English, then you'll love using FluentU in your classroom! FluentU takes real-world videos-like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks-and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

It's got a huge collection of authentic English videos that people in the English-speaking world actually watch regularly. There are tons of great choices there when you're looking for songs for in-class activities.

You'll find music videos, musical numbers from cinema and theater, kids' singalongs, commercial jingles and much, much more.

On FluentU, all the videos are sorted by skill level and are carefully annotated for students.

Words come with example sentences and definitions. Students will be able to add them to their own vocabulary lists, and even see how the words are used in other videos.

For example, if a student taps on the word "searching," they'll see this:

Plus, these great videos are all accompanied by interactive features and active learning tools for students, like multimedia flashcards and fun games like "fill in the blank."

It's perfect for in-class activities, group projects and solo homework assignments. Not to mention, it's guaranteed to get your students excited about learning English!

Sign up for a free trial and bring FluentU to your classroom today.

It's perfect for in-class activities, group projects and solo homework assignments. Not to mention, it's guaranteed to get your students excited about English!

FluentU is highly recommended for teachers who have a lot of audio-visual learners or want to teach English with fun content.

2. Google Translate

Site: www.translate.google.com
iPhone: Google Translate on the AppStore
Android: Google Translate on Google Play
Cost: $0.00

Google Translate is definitely an app that anyone learning or teaching English should have on their phone. This app can translate dozens of languages into English, and it can be used in all types of activities. Encourage your students to download the app for assistance when they are working on an independent project or when they are outside of the classroom.

*Note: This app mainly functions on a word-by-word translation configuration, so be careful when translating sentences that have more than just a few words.

3. Duolingo

Many people all over the world use Duolingo for independent language instruction, and you can definitely use it for ESL teaching as well. The English learning version of Duolingo has lessons that integrate conversation, vocabulary, speaking and listening skills. At the end of each section, the user is tested on their skills, and then the results show what parts the user is excelling in and where they could use more practice.

This app can be a resource to teachers as a fun additional method of testing students in the classroom. It also is exceptionally helpful in classrooms that may have multiple students at varying skill levels. When the more advanced students finish their work early, they can stay productive by working on making it to the next level in Duolingo.

Bonus: There's also a friendly little automated bird that hangs out with the user during all of the lessons. If that's not a reason to use this app, what is?

4. Grammar Up

Grammar can be hard to teach, but with Grammar Up, it doesn't have to be. Different sections of the app are devoted to different parts of speech, like adjectives, adverbs, causative verbs, conditionals and many more. Each section has the technical definition of the part of speech followed by a test for students to take in order to "Grammar Up" and reach the next level.

This is a great individual assessment that ESL teachers can use to determine which parts of speech their students understand, and which parts of speech they need to review.

5. Speak English Like an American

iPhone: Speak English Like an American on the AppStore
Android: Speak English Like an American on Google Play
Cost: $9.99

One of the hardest parts about learning English is getting to the point of sounding like a native speaker. The English language is filled with different idioms and expressions that often don't translate well from other languages. The Speak English Like an American app uses various methods to teach its users common figures of speech and expressions that Americans use in day-to-day language, often without even realizing.

Phrases like "break the news" and "costs an arm and a leg" can be hard to fully explain in a classroom setting, and this app acts as vital reinforcement. Speak English Like an American is perfect for getting students comfortable enough to have casual conversation with Americans outside of the classroom.

ESL Listening Apps

It's old news that listening to conversational English is an important part of the English learning process, but constantly creating interesting material to read aloud to students can get overwhelming. These ESL listening apps nearly eliminate the stress of finding new things for students to listen to every day.

6. English Podcasts

This app offers over 130 different podcasts for students to listen to. The app covers a variety of subject matter and even has a search filter to find podcasts with specific topics. The podcasts are played straight from the app so neither the teacher nor student has to worry about downloads taking up space in their phone or tablet.

There are so many different innovative structured activities that teachers can do with podcasts. After listening, one fun idea is to ask comprehension questions and then call on students to act out the podcast in front of the class. It's really helpful and a lot of fun too!

7. Speak English!

In this unique app, the user listens to recordings of English speakers talking about a span of topics - like job interviews or customer service. After listening to it as many times as they'd like, the user then records themselves repeating the phrase. Finally, the user then gets to audibly compare his or her voice to that of the recording. Speak English! is a really helpful app for getting students to learn and practice enunciation.<

ESL Game Apps for the Classroom

8. Words With Friends

This game is not only good for encouraging word formation, but it's also a wonderful way to introduce a cultural integration aspect into the classroom, since thousands of Americans play Words With Friends every day. In this automated scrabble-like game, students spell words for points.

A fun way to integrate this game into the classroom is by holding a Words With Friends championship. Have students play with each other in several rounds; the students with the highest score move on to the next round and eventually there will be one Words With Friends class champion! What a fun way to practice spelling and vocabulary usage!

9. Fun English

In this app there are over ten different English learning games that help young English learners with everything from pronunciation to spelling to vocabulary. This app helps kids retain the information they've learned in a fun way, and also works well as an incentive for young English learners to get their work done.

10. Head's Up!

Although this isn't exclusively an ESL app, it can be used effectively in your ESL classroom. In this game, one person has a word that they are trying to guess by listening to the other students describe it. This game helps students build speaking confidence and encourages them to use adjectives, synonyms and antonyms. It's guaranteed to get the giggles going while students are practicing their vocabulary.

Using any of these apps will surely provide a new, innovative dimension to student learning that will boost their language learning productivity. And while apps shouldn't be a replacement for an interactive and well-planned curriculum, you'll find that they're great supplements to any ESL course. Time to upgrade!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to teach English with real-world videos.
Bring English immersion to your classroom!

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10 Best, Shockingly Good Apps for ESL Teachers

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As technology continues to get more and more popular, classroom attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Times are changing quickly and ESL teachers have to hop on board before the train leaves. Keeping the attention of a student while you're teaching may seem difficult at times, but fear not!

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Providing Corrective Feedback that Build Confidence

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Providing Corrective Feedback that Build Confidence

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- Teach and practice how a vocabulary word is used in different situations.
- Provide word banks for a response frame.
- Ask students to explain their choices.
- Provide corrective feedback to all students.
- Model a growth mindset
- Create regular opportunities for students to improve their responses.

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English Language Learners

Using sentence frames and explicit feedback thoughtfully can provide the right balance of structure and scaffolding for English language learners.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

When I started teaching English language learners, I avoided addressing my students' language errors in class because I was just grateful that they volunteered to speak at all. I was also unsure how to provide feedback in the moment. On top of that, I thought that I simply lacked the time to address all the errors that students were making.

One day, I had the chance to explain to a student why he needed the article a before certain nouns. He told me this was an "aha" moment for him, and I was reminded of the value of corrective feedback.

Here are some ways to address students' language errors in class while also building their confidence with spoken and written academic language.

How to Give Corrective Feedback That Builds Confidence

Teach and practice how a vocabulary word is used in different situations: When introducing a new vocabulary word, I also teach the correct conjugations, prepositions, parts of speech, and collocations of the word when used in different contexts. (A collocation is a series of words that are often found together. For example, after defining the word indicate, I explain that it's typically paired with that, why, or how.)

If the word is a verb, we practice using it in different tenses and paired with different subjects. I include the correct prepositions alongside the vocabulary word on our class word wall. If students use the word with an incorrect preposition, I direct them to the word wall and ask them to choose one of the correct pairings.

Explicitly model how to correctly complete a response frame: Language teachers commonly use response frames to model the academic language their students need to practice. For example, to practice using the word persuade, we might use this frame: "Citizens can persuade political leaders to _____."

I improve the quality of students' shared responses when I demonstrate how to generate the correct language in the blank. In this example, first I clarify the meaning of the word citizens. Then I highlight the word to as a grammar clue in the sentence. When paired with persuade, the word to signals that next we need a base verb (an action word with no changed endings). I write improve public transportation in the blank as I think aloud, "People are late to work because the buses don't arrive on time. Many people want to persuade our mayor to improve public transportation."

I recite the completed sentence aloud, modeling the correct pronunciation and emphasis. I prompt students to repeat out loud together so they will be more comfortable sharing their own examples. With this added step, students build fluency.

Provide word banks for a response frame: A word bank is a list of possible words or phrases that correctly complete a sentence frame. For the example above, I post additional base verbs (like repair, build, and fund) and define each one. I also invite suggestions from the class, helping students phrase their choices as base verbs.

When students share completed sentences aloud that do not use base verbs, I either ask them to choose a base verb from the word bank or remind them how to change their word into a base verb.

Use response frames with the same grammatical structures over several lessons: To reinforce the grammatical structures I teach, I review additional frames with the same structure both throughout one lesson and across several days. I do this until students demonstrate more independence with the structure.

Ask students to explain their choices: When I provide explicit guidance on how to complete a particular response frame, my students become more prepared to justify their own language choices. While explaining, they often self-correct or ask for assistance.

Provide corrective feedback to all students: Since I don't have time to check each student's response to every frame, I have them share their examples with a partner or group. I circulate while listening for mistakes and strong examples. When I notice common errors, I redirect students' attention to the front and provide corrective feedback to everyone at once, often drawing their attention back to the grammar clue embedded in the response frame. I might also share a strong example from a student and ask them to explain why it works.

Create regular opportunities for students to improve their responses: I often ask students to review their written examples after receiving feedback. Students can then edit their sentences. If they used the target language correctly, I invite them to improve the rest of the sentence with more precise language. When students regularly improve their work, they come to see the value of receiving corrective feedback.

Model a growth mindset: As teachers, we can model how to learn from our mistakes. Maybe we had no backup plan when our technology failed, or we didn't catch the typos on a handout. I invite students to correct my mistakes using the same respectful tone that I use when giving them feedback. I acknowledge the error, thank them for the feedback, and commit to fixing it.

Our learning environments are stronger when our students are empowered to participate, make mistakes, and use feedback to improve. English language learners are working to understand how to use a language fluently, which means learning the nuances of how the language works at the sentence level. With a classroom culture of targeted instruction with corrective feedback, not only will our students learn English-they'll learn how to learn.

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A Strategy for Giving Corrective Feedback to ELLs

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English Language Learners Using sentence frames and explicit feedback thoughtfully can provide the right balance of structure and scaffolding for English language learners. monkeybusinessimages / iStock When I started teaching English language learners, I avoided addressing my students' language errors in class because I was just grateful that they volunteered to speak at all.

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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- Invite their culture into the classroom
- Label classroom objects in both languages
- Use materials related to your ELLs' cultures
- Involve ELLs in cooperative learning
- Offer one-on-one assistance when possible

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An important first step in helping English language learners (ELLs) succeed is making them feel welcome in the classroom.

This will:

increase their confidence

make them feel more comfortable in the class

build a foundation for positive relationships with you and their peers.

Here's how you can get started!

The ELL student population includes students who were born in the U.S. and students who have immigrated from another country. For ELLs who have recently arrived in the U.S., they will face the challenge of learning a new language in addition to adjusting to an unfamiliar cultural setting and school system.

On a daily basis, ELLs are adjusting to new ways of saying and doing things. As their teacher, you are an important bridge to this unknown culture and school system.

In the same way that ELLs go through stages of English language learning, they may also pass through stages of cultural accommodation. These stages, however, may be less defined and more difficult to notice. Being aware of these stages may help you to better understand "unusual" actions and reactions that may just be part of adjusting to a new culture.

Euphoria: ELLs may experience an initial period of excitement about their new surroundings.

Culture shock: ELLs may then experience anger, hostility, frustration, homesickness, or resentment towards the new culture.

Acceptance: ELLs may gradually accept their different surroundings.

Assimilation/adaptation: ELLs may embrace and adapt to their surroundings and their "new" culture.

It is also common for students who are learning a new language to be 'silent' for a period of time, when they are listening to the language around them without speaking yet (much as a young child listens to language first before learning to talk). This is considered the first stage of language acquisition.

Patience and creating opportunities for small successes in speaking with you and peers can help build students' confidence. In addition, keep in mind that students' silence could also be a sign of respect for you as an authority - and not a sign of their inability or refusal to participate.

Students may also have experienced trauma or face different kinds of hardship in the U.S. You can better prepare yourself for this possibility by:

Learn more from the following:

This award-winning documentary highlights how the Dearborn, MI public school district is helping its immigrant students succeed. Learn more about this project and see related videos.

Getting to Know Students

Learn how to pronounce students' names correctly

Don't forget to smile and use positive body language!

A lot of communication happens through expressions, body language, and tone. Smiling and using positive body language can go a long way in making students feel welcome and comfortable, particularly if they are newcomers, as seen in the vignette shared by a teacher below.

Build relationships with students

Veteran teachers of ELLs always point to building relationships as the most important step in their work with ELLs. Not only does it increase engagement and support students' later academic success, it also provides invaluable information that can inform your instruction and family engagement.

In addition, it can help build bridges with students who may have particularly unique experiences, such as children in migrant farmwork families or Indigenous students.

See more ideas on how to build these relationships from the following:

Video: Showing students you care

Corpus Christi teacher Christine Price talks about the importance of showing students you care early on.

Identify students' strengths and interests

It's important to remember that ELLs bring lots of strengths, talents, and rich experiences to the classroom. Getting to know students' interests can help:

build rapport

engage students in learning

find connections with new friends.

Families are also an important source of information and are often happy to talk about the activities that their child enjoys. They may also appreciate the fact that their child's teacher is taking an interest in the child's strengths and talents. (This is especially true in special education settings.)

Teacher Omar Salem describes a student who not only sings and dances but manages her own YouTube channel and edits all of the video she posts of her performances.

Video: Using parent letters to get to know my students

Albuquerque teacher Clara Gonzales-Espinoza asks her parents to write her a letter at the beginning of each school year telling her about the child's personality, interests, strengths, and anything else they think she should know. In this interview, Clara speaks more about this strategy and its impact on her relationships with parents and students.

Ensure that students have information about activities and clubs

Make sure that students have information about extra-curricular activities, sports, and clubs related to their interests. You can also encourage them to start their own club within the school.

ELL educator Christine Rowland notes, "Many students find involvement in school clubs and teams to be extremely helpful, as they are often experts in these areas, and they can provide a space where they more easily feel they belong."

Welcoming Students' Language and Culture

Invite students' cultures into the classroom

Encourage ELLs and their families to share their culture with you and your class. Show-and-tell is a good opportunity for ELLs to bring in something representative of their culture, if they wish.

Invite students and families to:

share photographs, visuals, or meaningful artifacts such as flags or mementos

tell a popular story or folktale using words, pictures, gestures, and movements

share information about important holidays or celebrations.

Looking beyond the classroom

Imagine that you are walking into your school for the first time as a parent.

What do you see on the walls?

If your first language weren't English, would you see signs in your language?

Would you see flags, maps, or books representing your home country?

Would you see your child's work on display in the hallway?

If you think more could be done to make families feel welcome, consider:

sharing some ideas with colleagues or administrators and taking small steps that you can point to as successes

looking for opportunities to celebrate all families and their languages, customs, and cultures, whether in the classroom or at a school-wide event

keeping a lookout for a special part of their lives that other families might appreciate getting to know.

See more ideas in the following:

Video: What happened when the students realized the Yemeni flag wasn't on stage

ELD Specialist Diana Alqadhi tells the story of some students who realized that the Yemeni flag was not featured prominently enough on stage before a school show.

Invite students' languages into the classroom

Label classroom objects to allow ELLs to better understand their immediate surroundings. These labels will also assist you when explaining or giving directions, and it gives peers an additional opportunity to learn some words in their classmates' language.

Start with everyday items, such as "door/puerta," "book/libro," and "chair/silla."

You may wish to ask students who can write in their first language or family members to help you with this project.

You can also invite students to teach the class some words from their home language.

Learn more about the resources available in students' home languages

Students benefit from support in their home language - what Dr. Fred Genesee calls their " most valuable resource." You have may have access to learning material in students' languages, or you may be able to find resources that support those languages.

Language access for multilingual families

In addition, it's critical to understand what language access resources you have available through your school and district, particularly for communication with families. Keep in mind that all families have a legal right to information in their home language. Family liaisons, interpreters, ESL teachers, or administrators may have more information about what language access resources are available in your district.

Video: What Do School Districts Need to Know About Language Access?

This helpful overview about what language access means for school districts is a great introduction to the requirements, best practices, and funding streams related to language access in public education. This interview features Dr. Jennifer Love, the Supervisor of Language Access and Engagement in Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland.

Video: Language Access for Multilingual Families

What does appropriate language access mean for multilingual families? This interview also features Dr. Jennifer Love.

Ensure your students see themselves reflected in the classroom

Ask yourself if students can see representations of their culture, race, gender, and other aspects of identity reflected in your:

classroom materials and library

lesson plans and activities

classroom visuals (both in-person and virtual).

In addition:

Success in the Classroom

Encourage your students

Some ELLs may not answer voluntarily in class or ask for your help even if they need it. ELLs may smile and nod, but this does not necessarily mean that they understand. Offer one-on-one support and encouragement as much as possible. For convenience, it may be helpful to seat ELLs near your desk.

Assign a buddy

Identify a classmate who will make a good buddy for new students - someone who is friendly, patient, and a good communicator to be a buddy. This student can make sure that the new student understands what he or she is supposed to do during class activities. It is helpful if the peer partner knows the ELL's first language, but not necessary. However, remember to never use another student as an interpreter in any situation.

Learn more about ways to increase peer interaction and collaboration in these related strategies.

Ask the class how they can help welcome new students

Ask students to brainstorm ways to help ELLs in particular. You may wish to make a list of ideas on how to welcome new students at the beginning of the year so that students have these strategies in mind if a student comes with little advance notice.

Be vigilant about health issues, dietary concerns, and allergies

Students may have specific health issues or dietary restrictions due to health, cultural, or religious reasons. Be sure that you learn all essential information you need to know about student health and diet from parents or guardians. For ELLs, be sure to confirm and clarify this information with the help of interpreters.

If you learn information about a student that would be helpful for other staff to know, particularly regarding health or food allergies, talk with administrators about how to keep the child safe. In addition, be sensitive to cultural or religious norms, such as fasting for religious reasons.

Keep an eye out for signs of culture shock

Moving to a new country and leaving a familiar life, relatives, friends, and language behind can be traumatic for children in the best of circumstances. Those challenges are compounded if children have experienced trauma, violence, or upheaval. Learn more about how culture shock can impact students in the classroom and affect student behavior so that you recognize signs if newcomers act out.

Encourage students to take ownership of the classroom culture

Ask students to answer the following questions through drawings or written responses.

How can I be a good classmate to others?

What are examples of unkind or disrespectful behavior in the classroom?

To support ELLs in their discussions of these questions:

Encourage students who speak the same language to discuss their ideas in groups.

Provide scaffolded materials such as graphic organizers, sentence stems, and sentence frames.

Use a picture book to talk about different kinds of behavior with students.

Create a shared set of classroom expectations together

Return to your earlier discussion of what a respectful classroom looks like.

Brainstorm ideas on possible class rules based on that discussion.

Streamline the list of class guidelines or rules.

Add any rules or guidelines that are missing.

In order to establish appropriate consequences for disrespectful behavior, you may wish to come up with ideas with the class or determine those consequences yourself.

Post the final list classroom rules in the classroom.

Translate the rules into ELLs' native languages so that they can keep the list handy and share it at home.

To see an example of this proces in action, take a look at ELL expert Carol Salva's process for developing a community contract each year.

Help your ELLs understand expectations for the classroom

ELLs may need some extra support in understanding expectations for classroom behavior. Helping them understand these expectations can avoid misunderstandings, discipline problems, and feelings of low self-esteem.

At the same time, it's important to remember that students bridging two cultures may need guidance which behaviors are appropriate in which setting (such as eye contact, physical proximity, etc.). If you have questions, talk with a cultural liaison in the school to learn more about appropriate responses and ideas for helping students navigate a new culture. You can also learn more about cultural norms of your students, particularly related to schooling, to help inform your approach.

Here are a few strategies that you can use in class:

Use visuals like pictures, symbols, and reward systems to communicate your expectations in a positive and direct manner.

Physically model language to ELLs in classroom routines and instructional activities. ELLs will need to see you or their peers model behavior when you want them to sit down, walk to the bulletin board, work with a partner, copy a word, etc.

Be consistent and fair with all students. Once ELLs clearly understand what is expected, hold them equally accountable for their behavior.

Post a daily schedule. Even if ELLs do not yet understand all of the words that you speak, it is possible for them to understand the structure of each day. Whether through chalkboard art or images on Velcro, you can post the daily schedule each morning. By writing down times and having pictures next to words like lunch, wash hands, math, and field trip, ELLs can have a general sense of the upcoming day.

Finally, remember ELLs can make unintentional "mistakes" as they are trying hard to adjust to a new cultural setting. They are constantly transferring what they know as acceptable behaviors from their own culture to the U.S. classroom and school. Be patient as ELLs learn English and adjust - and remember that you will learn a lot from this experience too!

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How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs

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An important first step in helping English language learners (ELLs) succeed is making them feel welcome in the classroom. This will: increase their confidence make them feel more comfortable in the class build a foundation for positive relationships with you and their peers. Here's how you can get started!