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The Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences reviewed a number of instructional strategies for English language learners and provided a summary of their recommendations. This article focuses on their findings about academic language and ELLs.

The Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences reviewed the research to formulate specific evidence-based recommendations for use by educators addressing a multifaceted challenge of providing effecting reading instruction to English language learners.

There are not enough studies that show consistent and generalizable evidence that teaching academic English to ELL students results in a better outcome. So the evidence affirming this practice is rated "low" by IES.

However, despite the lack of experimental research, the strong consensus of expert opinion is that English learners require considerable explicit and deliberate instruction to learn the features of the type of formal English used in the schools and in academic discourse. For this reason, IES included the recommendation that developing academic English is important for effective literacy instruction for ELLs.

Recommendation

Ensure that the development of formal or academic English is a key instructional goal for English learners, beginning in the primary grades. Provide curricula and supplemental curricula to accompany core reading and mathematics series to support this goal. Accompany with relevant training and professional development.

Level of evidence: low (primarily expert opinion)

Because there is little empirical research on the topic and primarily just expert opinion, the level of evidence is low. Two studies reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse ¹ demonstrate that focused interventions in two relatively narrow areas of academic English (quality of oral narrative and syntax) are potentially effective. ² That is, evidence suggests that they lead to better outcomes in highly specific areas of formal, academic English. But because the studies address very selective aspects of academic English and only indirectly address classroom instruction, we cannot conclude that the studies affirm the effectiveness of instruction of academic English at this time.

Brief summary of evidence to support this recommendation

Despite the paucity of experimental research, the strong consensus of expert opinion ³ is that English learners require considerable explicit and deliberate instruction to learn the features of the type of formal English used in the schools and in academic discourse. ⁴ This consensus applies to the importance of teaching academic English from the earliest grades. ⁵

How to carry out the recommendation

Adopt a plan that focuses on ways and means to help teachers understand that instruction to English learners must include time devoted to development of academic English. Daily academic English instruction should also be integrated into the core curriculum.

Academic English is the language of the classroom, of academic disciplines (science, history, literary analysis) of texts and literature, and of extended, reasoned discourse. It is more abstract and decontextualized than conversational English. Those who are knowledgeable about academic English know, for example, that some words used in everyday conversation, such as fault, power, or force, take on special meanings when used in science.

Most scholars believe that instruction in academic English-done early, consistently, and simultaneously across content areas-can make a difference in English learners' ability to understand the core curriculum and that its importance increases as children enter the upper grades. ⁶ But even in the primary grades, instructional time should focus on the explicit instruction of academic English. ⁷ Recent correlational research supports this position. ⁸

English learners do not need to master conversational oral English before they are taught the features of academic English. ⁹ In reading, knowledge of academic English helps students gain perspective on what they read, understand relationships, and follow logical lines of thought. In writing, knowledge of academic English helps students develop topic sentences, provide smooth transitions between ideas, and edit their writing effectively. Reading, discussing, and writing about texts needs to be a central part of the English language development instruction dispersed throughout the day. ¹⁰

Many teachers may be unaware of the features of academic English ¹¹ and thus do not instruct students in the features required to succeed in school. ¹² The Panel feels that the best way to promote the development of academic English is to use a curriculum with a scope and sequence aimed at building academic English. Unfortunately, the Panel knows of no existing curricular materials that have solid empirical support for this purpose. That is why it is important to select published materials carefully and to devote considerable thought and planning to how these materials will be used effectively in the classroom.

It is also unfortunate that few resources provide guidance to districts in teaching academic English to English learners. Some preliminary frameworks and guidelines-developed by Feldman and Kinsella, ¹³ Girard, ¹⁴ Dutro and Moran, ¹⁵ Snow and Fillmore, ¹⁶ Diaz-Rico and Weed, ¹⁷ and Scarcella ¹⁸ -list topics to address when focusing on academic English, such as adverbial forms, conditional sentences, prepositions, words that express relationships. But these are not designed for regular use by teachers in the classroom or as an instructional manual.

Teachers will need extensive professional development and support in using curriculum materials effectively to teach academic English. ¹⁹

Teach academic English in the earliest grades.

Instruction focused on academic English should not wait until students are able to read and write in English. Before English learners are reading, the development of age-appropriate academic English-morphology, syntax, vocabulary-can be accelerated orally through planned and deliberate daily instruction. ²⁰

Focused instruction in academic English can also build on students' work with text. For example, when English learners read expository text that includes academic language, teachers should discuss the text and the language in structured ways. ²¹ Instruction should also focus on teaching English learners to use specific features of academic language related to tense agreement, plurals, and proper use of adjectives and adverbs. ²² Students need practice in using these features in the context of meaningful communication (both oral and written). ²³ They also must learn to use language accurately in a range of situations-to tell stories, describe events, define words and concepts, explain problems, retell actions, summarize content, and question intentions. ²⁴

Note: For students entering school, attention in the first year of instruction must also be devoted to informal, social language. For example, newcomers (English learners who have recently arrived in the United States) benefit greatly from immediate instruction in social language (Hi! What's up?) and survival language (Help! Fire!). ²⁵

Provide teachers with appropriate professional development to help them learn how to teach academic English. In the opinion of the Panel, professional development needs to be ongoing and to entail a specific and manageable number of key features and principles. Basic features of English morphology, syntax, and discourse need to be addressed carefully and gradually so as not to overwhelm teachers.

Professional development should also include extensive practical activities, such as analyzing texts used by students for academic English instruction, determining features of language that students need to complete specific oral and written assignments, and designing "student-friendly" explanations. Professional development should also give teachers opportunities to practice teaching academic language with feedback.

Consider asking teachers to devote a specific block (or blocks) of time each day to building English learners' academic English.

Experts agree that English learners require time each day when the primary instructional goal is developing academic English (as opposed to mastering the academic content). ²⁶ A recent observational research study found that students' growth in English language proficiency was much higher in classrooms where a separate block of time was devoted to ESL or English language development. ²⁷ So, in addition to the better integration of teaching academic English in the context of academic content such as reading or mathematics, the Panel also suggests that there be specific times during the day when the primary instructional focus is on English language development and that some of the time be devoted to academic English. We are aware that this recommendation extrapolates from only one study and that this study looked at all English language development instruction, not only academic English instruction. So, this should be considered as merely a recommendation based on our opinion.

We believe that devoting specific blocks of time to academic English has three distinct advantages. First, it increases the time English learners have to learn the language. Second, instruction spaced throughout the day provides better opportunities for deep processing and retention. Third, during English language development time, the focus is clearly on language. When teachers try to merge English language development with academics, it becomes easy to lose track of the dual objectives and focus more on teaching reading or mathematics or science than on teaching academic English. The obvious exception is writing instruction, a natural fit with teaching academic English.

It is easy to overlook academic English and to allow teachers and students to communicate in informal English. For this reason, it might be a good idea for administrators to structure specific blocks of time each day to ensure its instruction. For example, in kindergarten, the instruction of academic English can be routinely incorporated into the instruction of storytelling and vocabulary development at specific times each day. As Saunders, Foorman, and Carlson ²⁸ have shown, providing specific blocks of instruction in English language development leads to gains in measures of oral language proficiency. In later grades, specific blocks of time dedicated to the development of academic English can be scheduled, for example, in reading and writing instruction and in the instruction of vocabulary in all subject matter. Scheduling regular blocks of time for the instruction of academic English should not only guarantee an increased focus on academic English in the classroom. It should also make teachers more diligent in structuring instructional activities that require the use of academic English and in monitoring their students' development of academic English.

Possible roadblocks and solutions

Some educators may want to cushion their English learners, believing that academic English is too hard for them to develop or that the expectations are too demanding.

Many teaching approaches still advocate giving English learners highly simplified, informal texts that are easy to read but not challenging. The problem with regularly giving English learners a diet of familiar reading material is that the academic texts of assessments and most content areas remain unfamiliar. Informal, narrative texts tend to be familiar, but reading these texts does not lead to proficiency in academic English. In academic writing crammed with facts, the content is often unfamiliar to English learners.

The focus on developing academic English can come after a challenging text has been read and discussed, so that the vocabulary and meaning are clear. Then the teacher can come back to the story and focus on the aspects of language that may be problematic for English learners (sentence construction, word usage, prepositions) in the familiar text. Language-focused activities will have more meaning for English learners if they already have a general understanding of the material in the text.

There may not be enough time in the instructional day to provide English learners with sufficient instruction on the features of academic English.

This problem is particularly relevant when English learners enter the upper grades with little knowledge of academic English, limited reading ability, and large educational gaps. Teachers need to be aware that many features of academic English can and should be included during the block of time devoted to reading instruction. Virtually all students would benefit from activities that teach them how to build complex sentences through sentence combining-and how to use words such as however and but to build an argument. Thus, a partial solution to the time problem is to include daily academic English instruction as part of the core reading instruction delivered to all students, including English learners and native English speakers.

Many teachers fail to link vocabulary instruction to instruction on proper language usage.

Even when English learners know word meanings, they may be uncertain about how to use new words appropriately. As knowledge deepens, words have to be used with the appropriate number (goose, geese), tense (is, are, was), and word form (fun, funnier, funny). Systematic instruction in usage and language conventions needs to be a core feature of English language development, and many of the words used should be the same words students are working with during their reading lesson. Teachers should model appropriate syntax, word order, and tense agreement and have students practice these skills with new vocabulary words. Teachers should be careful and explicit about pointing out or modeling appropriate use, as students use new vocabulary in the context of sentences that should, over time, become more complex and grammatically correct.

Note that instruction in the proper usage of words is very different from correction of any and all errors a student makes in word usage. In the Panel's view, error correction needs to be focused on the instructional target of the lesson. If the instructional focus of the vocabulary lesson is on word forms such as success, successful, and succeed, teachers should correct errors in word forms but ignore other errors. For instance, in the learner's sentence, "The boy is very succeed on mathematics," teachers should point out that the correct word is successful but should not focus on the incorrect use of the word on. In restating the sentence, the teacher might emphasize correct usage by saying "Yes, the boy is very successful at mathematics."

Gersten, R., Baker, S.K., Shanahan, T., Linan-Thompson, S., Collins, P., & Scarcella, R. (2007). Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades: A Practice Guide (NCEE 2007-4011). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/20074011.pdf.

August, D., & Hakuta, K. (1997). Improving schooling for language-minority children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Bailey, A. (Ed.). (2006). The language demands of school: Putting academic English to the test. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Callahan, R. (2005). Tracking and high school English language learners: Limiting opportunity to learn. American Educational Research Journal, 42, 305-328.

Celce-Murcia, M. (2002). On the use of selected grammatical features in academic writing. In M. C. Colombi & M. J. Schleppegrell (Eds.), Developing advanced literacy in first and second languages (pp. 143-158). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Diaz-Rico, L. T., & Weed, K. Z. (2002). The crosscultural, language, and academic development handbook: A complete K-12 reference guide. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Dutro, S., & Moran, C. (2002), Rethinking English language instruction: An architectural approach. In G. Garcia (Ed.), English learners reading at the highest level of English literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. A., & Short, D. J. (2004). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Feldman, K., & Kinsella, K. (2005). Create an active participation classroom. The CORE Reading Expert. Retrieved from http://www.corelearn.com/pdfs/Newsletters/CORE%202005%20Spring%20Newsletter.pdf.

Fillmore, L. W. (2004). The role of language in academic development. In Excerpts from a presentation by Lily Wong Fillmore at the Closing the Achievement Gap for EL Students conference. Santa Rosa: CA: Sonoma County Office of Education. Retreived from http://www.scoe.k12.ca.us/aiming_high/docs/AH_language.pdf.

Fillmore, L. W., & Snow, C. E. (2002). What teachers need to know about language. In C. T. Adger, C. E. Snow, & D. Christian (Eds.), What teachers need to know about language (pp. 7-54). Washington, DC, and McHenry, IL: Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems Co., Inc.

Francis, D. J., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N., Kieffer, M., & Rivera, H. (2006). Practical guidelines for the education of English language learners: Research-based recommendations for instruction and academic interventions. Retrieved from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-Interventions.pdf.

Genesee, F., Lindholm-Leary, K., Saunders, W., & Christian, D. (2006). Educating English language learners. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Gersten, R., & Baker, S. (2000). What we know about effective instructional practices for English-language learners. Exceptional Children, 66, 454-470.

Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Girard, V. (2005). English learners and the language arts. In V. Girard (Ed.), Schools moving up: A WestEd initiative. Retrieved November 8, 2006, from http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/140.

Goldenberg, C. (2006). Improving achievement for English learners: Conclusions from 2 research reviews. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/12918.

Meltzer, J., & Haman, E. T. (2005). Meeting the literacy development needs of adolescent English language learners through content-area learning, part two: Focus on classroom teaching and learning strategies. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/adlit/adell_litdv2.pdf

Michaels, S., & Cook-Gumperz, J. (1979). A study of sharing time with first grade students: Discourse narratives in the classroom. In Proceedings of the fifth annual meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (pp. 647-680). Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Linguistics Society.

Proctor, C. P., Carlo, M., August, D., & Snow, C. (2005). Native Spanish-speaking children reading in English: Toward a model of comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 246-256.

Saunders, W. M., Foorman, B. P., & Carlson, C. D. (2006). Do we need a separate block of time for oral English language development in programs for English learners? The Elementary School Journal, 107, 181-198.

Scarcella, R. (2003). Accelerating academic English: A focus on the English learner. Oakland, CA: Regents of the University of California.

Schleppegrell, M. J. (2001). Linguistic features of the language of schooling. Linguistics and Education, 12, 431-459.

Schleppegrell, M. J. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Scientific Learning Corporation. (2004). Improved language skills by children with low reading performance who used FastForWord language: Maps for Learning. MAPS for Learning, 3, 1-13.

Snow, C. E., & Fillmore, L. W. (2000). Clearinghouse on languages and linguistics. Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/ericcll/teachers/teacher.pdf.

Snow, C. E., & Fillmore, L. W. (2000). What teachers need to know about language. Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/resources/teachers/teachers.pdf.

Uchikoshi, Y. (2005). Narrative development in bilingual kindergarteners: Can Arthur help? Developmental Psychology, 41, 464-478.

1. See www.whatworks.ed.gov.

2. Scientific Learning Corporation (2004); Uchikoshi (2005).

3. August & Hakuta (1997); August & Shanahan (2006); Bailey (2006); Callahan (2005); Francis, Rivera et al. (2006); Gennesee et al. (2006); Goldenberg (2006); Meltzer & Haman (2005); Scarcella (2003); Schleppegrell (2001, 2004); Snow & Fillmore (2000).

4. At this stage, the reader may be a bit confused. In Recommendation 1 ( Best Practice for ELLs: Screening), we noted that studies consistently find that oral English language proficiency is a weak predictor of how quickly a child will learn to read in English. Yet, in this article, we argue for the importance of intensive work on the development of academic English, including oral language proficiency, beginning in kindergarten.

A subtle but important distinction needs to be made to explain the seeming contradiction. The fact that oral English language proficiency is not a valid predictor of who needs extra support in learning to read in the early grades in no way indicates that oral English language proficiency is not important for the development of reading in the long term. In fact, experts consistently consider building oral proficiency in the features of academic English to be critical. In Recommendation 1, we were addressing screening measures for learning how to read (the act of reading and understanding the relatively straightforward books suitable for students in the early grades).

5. Echevarria, Vogt, & Short (2004); Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006).

6. August & Hakuta (1997); Bailey (2006); Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Genesee, Lindholm-Leary, Saunders, & Christian (2006); Goldenberg (2006); Scarcella (2003); Schleppegrell (2001, 2004); Snow & Fillmore (2000).

7. August & Hakuta (1997); Bailey (2006); Callahan (2005); Diaz-Rico & Weed (2002); Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Genesee et al. (2006); Goldenberg (2006); Meltzer & Haman (2005); Scarcella (2003); Schleppegrell (2001, 2004); Snow & Fillmore (2000).

8. Proctor et al. (2005).

9. Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006).

10. August & Hakuta (1997); Callahan (2005) Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Genesee et al. (2006); Goldenberg (2006); Meltzer & Haman (2005); Scarcella (2003); Snow & Fillmore (2000).

11. Fillmore & Snow (2002).

12. Michaels & Cook-Gumperz (1979); Saunders et al. (2006); Schleppegrell (2004).

13. Feldman & Kinsella (2005).

14. Girard (2005).

15. Dutro & Moran (2002).

16. Snow & Fillmore (2000).

17. Diaz-Rico & Weed (2002).

18. Scarcella (2003).

19. August & Hakuta (1997); Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Meltzer & Haman (2005); Scarcella (2003); Snow & Fillmore (2000).

20. Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Saunders, Foorman, & Carlson (2006); Schleppegrell (2004); Fillmore (2004); Scarcella (2003).

21. Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Gibbons (2002).

22. Goldenberg (2006).

23. Celce-Murcia (2002); Fillmore & Snow (2000).

24. Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Fillmore & Snow (2000).

25. Bailey (2006); Gibbons (2002); Schleppegrell (2004). Note that English learners who enter school in the primary grades without the ability to use English in such ways can learn grade-appropriate academic English as well as their English-speaking peers if they are given access to the same rigorous curriculum early and appropriate instructional support and interventions, delivered daily in blocks of time dedicated to the development of academic language. When students receive high-quality instruction in academic English early in their education, we see gains in their test scores later.

26. Francis, Rivera, et al. (2006); Gersten & Baker (2000); Fillmore & Snow (2000).

27. Saunders et al. (2006).

28. Saunders et al. (2006).

For any reprint requests, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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The Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences reviewed a number of instructional strategies for English language learners and provided a summary of their recommendations. This article focuses on their findings about academic language and ELLs.

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Fluency in reading is like fluency in public speaking. Fluent speakers and readers embed in their voices accuracy in speech as well as appropriate speed, phrasing, and expression. When the speaker uses these elements, it makes it easier for the listener to understand. Speaking in appropriate phrases, emphasizing certain words, raising and lowering volume, and varying intonation all help the listener.

Fluent readers decode words accurately and automatically. At the automatic level, readers are able to decode words with minimal attention to decoding because they recognize the words instantly. They also make sense of the text as they read. When they use volume, tone, emphasis, phrasing, and other elements of oral expression, it means that they are interpreting and constructing meaning from the passage.

How fluency relates to ELLs

With the No Child Left Behind Act, it is both important and mandatory to assess English language learners' (ELLs) level of English language proficiency to determine their growth from year to year.

With ELLs, it is especially important to check not just for fluency, but for comprehension as well. Many ELLs can be deceptively fast and accurate in their reading because they are good readers in their primary language. Yet, they may demonstrate little understanding of the text. For ELLs, try not to provide instruction in fluency that focuses primarily on developing students' reading rates at the expense of reading with expression, meaning, and comprehension. Students may read fast, but with insufficient comprehension. Fluency without comprehension will require instructional intervention in vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Since fluency is multidimensional, it is important to teach and monitor the following skills:

1. Accuracy in word decoding

2. Rate (automatic recognition of words in connected text)

3. Expressive and meaningful interpretation of text

The three dimensions of fluency can be assessed with the strategies below.

Assessing accuracy and rate in English

Accuracy can be assessed by the percentage of words a reader can read correctly. Informal reading inventories can use levels of performance charts such as:

Independent level: 98-100%

Instructional level: 90-97%

Frustration level: below 90%

Readers who score in the 97-100% range are able to read without assistance. Readers who score within the 90-96% range are able to read with some assistance by teachers. Readers who score below 90% in word accuracy find texts too challenging to read, even with assistance. They either need more vocabulary instruction and/or decoding skills, and, of course, comprehension skills once decoding and vocabulary are acquired.

Here is a quick way to measure both accuracy and rate. Accuracy refers to how well students use decoding skills. Rate is how many words they can accurately decode in one minute.

1. Find a passage of approximately 250 words written at the student's grade placement level.

2. Ask the student to read the passage for one minute. Tape-record the reading. Emphasize that the text should be read aloud in a normal way.

3. Mark any uncorrected errors made by the student such as: mispronunciations, substitutions, reversals, omissions, or words pronounced by the examiner after a wait of two to three seconds without an attempt or response from the student. Mark the end point in the text after one minute of reading.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 with two different passages. Use the median or middle score for analysis.

5. Divide the number of words read correctly per minute by the total number of words read. This number will be a percentage. Compare the student's performance against the following norms:

Assessing expressive reading

Expressive reading is more directly related to comprehension. Fluent readers read with stress, pitch variations, intonation, phrasing, and pausing in their voices. Rubrics are usually used to assess expression. You can listen to a student read for about sixty seconds and assess his or her overall reading proficiency and fluency through a scale such as the following:

4

Reads primarily in larger, meaningful phrase groups. Some regressions, repetitions, and deviations from the text. Most of the story is read with expressive interpretation. Reads at an appropriate rate.

3

Reads primarily in three and four word phrase groups. The majority of phrasing seems appropriate and preserves the syntax of the author. Little or no expressive interpretation is present. Generally reads at an appropriate rate.

2

Reads primarily in two-word phrase groups. Some word-by-word reading may be present. Word groupings may seem awkward and unrelated to the larger context of the sentence or passage. Reads significant sections of the text excessively slowly or fast.

1

Reads primarily word-by-word. Lacks expressive interpretation. Reads text excessively slowly or with excessive speed, ignoring punctuation and other phrase boundaries. Reads with little or no expression.

To help improve your students' expressive reading, model proper expressive reading yourself. Begin by reading a line from a story: "Now remember," Mother said, "your father and I are bringing guests by after the opera, so please keep the house neat."

Then discuss with your students: Did you hear how I grouped the words "Now remember"? That's because they go together. And then I paused a little before I read the words Mother said. This comma (pointing to the comma) told me to do that. Did you hear how my voice got louder and sounded like a mother's warning? Now, you read this again with me like I did.

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Fluency in reading is like fluency in public speaking. Fluent speakers and readers embed in their voices accuracy in speech as well as appropriate speed, phrasing, and expression. When the speaker uses these elements, it makes it easier for the listener to understand.

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Common Core - Sample Lesson Plans and Instructional Videos

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Common Core - Sample Lesson Plans and Instructional Videos

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These classroom video modules and lesson plan offer a model of Common Core-aligned instruction with English language learners in elementary, middle, and high school. Additional lesson plans and curriculum guidelines are featured below.

Acknowledgements

These videos from our Common Core and ELLs project feature teachers from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Poughkeepsie, New York working in collaboration with Dr. Diane August. This project was made possible by the generous support of the American Federation of Teachers Innovation Fund.

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These classroom video modules and lesson plan offer a model of Common Core-aligned instruction with English language learners in elementary, middle, and high school. Additional lesson plans and curriculum guidelines are featured below. Acknowledgements These videos from our Common Core and ELLs project feature teachers from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Poughkeepsie, New York working in collaboration with Dr. Diane August.

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Do's & Don'ts for Error Correction with ELL

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Do's & Don'ts for Error Correction with ELL

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BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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If you've taught or tutored English (or any language), you've probably asked yourself on more than one occasion when, how, and even if, you should correct your students' mistakes. While error correction in teaching English mainly depends on whether your lesson objective is fluency or accuracy (more on this below), in any case, there are certain key things to know when it comes to effectively - and sensitively - correcting your students' mistakes in class.
If you're new to teaching, you'll want to get initial training and qualification with a TEFL certificate. You can explore our online TEFL courses to get started!
What is the difference between an error and a mistake?

You might be surprised to learn there's a difference! Yet in teaching English, a distinction is made.

Mistakes

A mistake is an accident or a lapse, something that your EFL/ESL students actually know and that they can most likely self-correct if given the chance. This can be a typo, using the wrong word, or a small grammatical mistake.

Errors

An error, on the other hand, is something that your students don't know because they haven't learned it yet or they've forgotten it. This is where your students need you the most, in order to effectively correct their errors and help them develop their language skills.

What kind of errors do EFL/ESL students make in class?

Students make many mistakes during the long endeavor of learning a new language. This is a natural and necessary part of the learning process! As a teacher, it helps to identify the type of error in order to correct it effectively and smoothly.

Productive skills errors

Errors in spoken or written skills include vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical errors, as well as errors in producing intelligible language that can be understood globally.

Receptive skills errors

Errors in listening and reading skills include misinterpretation of content, misunderstanding of words, or simply the inability to comprehend someone's speech in total.
You'll learn more about other types of errors students make, such as global and local, in the Micro-credential course: Error Correction in the EFL Classroom.
When should I correct my students?

The timing of correcting students' errors in teaching English is crucial to your lesson being a success or a fail. Error correction in EFL/ESL has a big impact on your students' learning process and the right timing will help them retain new information effectively.

When to correct errors in fluency-based lessons

If you're teaching a class or activity where fluency is the goal, try to monitor your students and take notes of major or repeating mistakes. Don't interrupt your students' speech. This might discourage them or make them lose the motivation to speak freely. Save the error correction for the end of the class.

At that time, you can give individual feedback or discuss the most important errors with the whole class if your students are okay with that. You could also prepare a quiz for the next lesson, touching on the major errors that you noted down while monitoring your students.

When to correct errors in accuracy-based lessons

If you're teaching a class or activity that aims for accuracy, for example applying a new grammar rule during a conversation, you can correct immediately after the mistake has been made, assuming that it is a mistake about said rule. Since you just taught the content, you can encourage your students to self-correct their error first, or you can ask other classmates to help. Sometimes a gesture is enough to indicate the type of error. You don't need to focus too much on mistakes students make that aren't related to the current lesson, since this can again disrupt their efforts to use the newly learned grammar.

If you notice during the activity that your students are making the same errors over and over again, you might want to stop the activity, review the lesson content and resume the practice after making sure that all your students have understood the new rule.

Dos and Don'ts of error correction

Here are some useful ground rules for error correction in the English classroom, whether you're teaching online lessons or in a live classroom. For more detailed tips and tricks, check out the Bridge Micro-credential course: Error Correction in the EFL Classroom!

Dos

Be sensitive to your students' needs and preferences. Ask your students at the beginning of your course which kind of error correction they prefer. (Many students like being corrected immediately because they can still remember their mistake and learn from it, while others only want to focus on fluency.

Be kind and patient in the way you correct. Always encourage your students to keep trying new language they've learned and assure them that making mistakes is okay. You want to encourage your students to speak and to experiment with what they've learned so far.

Give your students a chance to self-correct, or apply peer-correction in your classroom. Some students learn better when they're corrected by their classmates instead of the teacher.

Use visual cues. Sometimes, simply raising your eyebrow can help your students realize that they've made a mistake and it gives them a chance to correct themselves. Establish your own gestures for common mistakes in tense, vocabulary, or sentence structure, such as pointing behind you to indicate a student needs to use past tense.

Dont's

Don't over-correct every single mistake your students make. Keep error correction relevant and make sure that your students benefit and learn from it.

Avoid interrupting your students when they're making an effort to speak fluently. This can be very counter-productive and your students might lose their motivation or become hesitant to use the new language they've learned.

Never scold your students, become loud, or show your impatience with angry facial expressions. There are no silly mistakes in the EFL/ESL classroom! This is especially important if you're teaching young learners, who easily pick up on moods and emotions.

The importance of error correction in the EFL/ESL classroom

We learn by making mistakes. As children, we learn how to walk by falling over hundreds of times. As adults, we learn a new language by making uncountable mistakes in the use of words, grammar, sentence structure, pronunciation, and register. The most important thing for you as an English teacher is to correct your students' errors effectively and sensitively. Only then can you help them grow and develop their newly acquired language skills at their own pace and in a comfortable and safe environment.

Learn more about correcting students' errors effectively

If you're a new teacher and want to level-up your teaching skills as well as learn more about error correction techniques in the classroom, start with the comprehensive Bridge Master Certificate TEFL/TESOL course.

If you're an experienced teacher, sign up for the Bridge Micro-credential course: Error Correction in the ESL Classroom to develop additional skills, and you'll have the option to earn a digital badge to show off your credentials on your TEFL resume and social networks!

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The Dos & Don'ts of Error Correction When Teaching English - BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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While when and how to correct errors when teaching English mainly depends on whether your lesson objective is fluency or accuracy, there are some key factors to consider when it comes to effectively - and sensitively - addressing your students' mistakes.

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Error Correction - Do you prefer immediate or delayed error correction? Check out these 7 ways techniques to error correct in your classroom.

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Writing Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

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Writing Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

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3.2 - How to Write Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

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English Language Development Standards - Resources (CA Dept of Education)

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The English language development (ELD) standards, ELD video series, information, and resources to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) design, implement, and enhance integrated and designated ELD instruction for English learner students.

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History-Social Science Standards for California

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History-Social Science Standards for California

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History-Social Science Framework - History-Social Science Framework (CA Dept of Education)

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The State Board of Education adopted the History-Social Science Framework on July 14, 2016. This is the final digital version of the Framework.

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Three Tiers of Vocabulary and Education 

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Three Tiers of Vocabulary and Education 

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Academic language is one of the more confusing elements of edTPA, because it applies unfamiliar and vague terminology to basic elements of grammar and language instruction.

One way to manage Academic Language in edTPA is to sort it into three elements, and then define each element and show how it can be incorporated into the learning target.

Definitions

1. Language function means the verb used in the learning target, such as identify, analyze, summarize, define, explain, conclude, justify, compare, sort, and so on.

2. Language demand means the assignment or product the student makes, such as essay, paragraph, sentence, speech, lab report, reflection, play, poem, comic strip, magazine article. poster, and the like.

3. Vocabulary, which includes any words the student should be able to define in order to comprehend the content of the lesson. These words may be specific to the discipline (artifact in social studies) or just general words used in school (list, characteristics, infer, analyze).

Academic language includes two additional parts, discourse and syntax. Discourse means talking. Student teachers completing edTPA don't conduct class discussions, they conduct class discourse. Syntax is defined as grammar conventions, symbols, tables, and graphs (traditionally, most people define syntax simply as the way words are organized in sentences). Using the word syntax only matters if your students are using symbols or making tables and graphs to represent information (e.g. in science and math).

One of the most efficient ways for including Academic Language elements is to incorporate them into your Learning Targets.

For example, consider the following Learning Target for secondary social studies:
Students define artifact and list three characteristics of an artifact.
The Language Function is to define. The Language Demand is to list (on a piece of paper). Vocabulary includes artifact (social studies specific) and characteristics (general). Adding adjectives such as three enable efficient assessment of whether students have achieved the learning target.

Writing Learning Targets with 1) a verb to show language function, 2) a product to show language demand, and 3) with a few vocabulary words is an efficient way to show inclusion of Academic Language.

EdTPA emphasizes speaking and writing over other forms of communication. This emphasis means that student teachers endorsing in elective disciplines (visual arts, physical education, music) will need lesson activities, assessments, and work samples that include written or spoken elements.

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Academic language is one of the more confusing elements of edTPA, because it applies unfamiliar and vague terminology to basic elements of grammar and language instruction. One way to manage Academic Language in edTPA is to sort it into three elements, and then define each element and show how it can be incorporated into the learning target.

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How to Write Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

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How to Write Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

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3.2 - How to Write Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

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Listenwise | Listening Comprehension Matters

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Listening comprehension matters | Listenwise

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Explore the best podcast lessons for grade-level rigor. Curriculum aligned lessons with literacy & language supports, great for English Learners. Free sign up!

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

Erin Blakemore

Get Smithsonian Educational Resources

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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Professional Development / Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

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Level 2 - is about using a skill or a concept, i.e. Paraphrase. Conceptual understanding generally refers to the integration and application of concepts and other ideas within a content area. Procedural understanding denotes knowledge about skills and sequence of steps, when and how these should be used appropriately, and their efficient and accurate applications.

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A word map is a strategy to help learners learn new vocabulary word. There are many different variations of how to use this strategy. One way is to use the four-corner vocabulary chart, and with this method students write the definition, use it in a sentence, they draw picture of the word, and write the word in the corner. Other methods to use this strategy is to add antonyms, synonyms, dictionary definitions, part of speech and more. This strategy can be adjusted to meet the needs of all learners. Throughout this strategy students are making personal connections, because they are drawing their own picture, writing their own sentence and the definition in their own words. By doing this, it gives more meaning to learning the vocabulary word, and this would help struggling readers tremendously. Graphic organizers are helpful for all learners because it really helps them organize their thoughts. According to Echevarria, Vogt & Short (2014), "These charts provide more context and "clues" than typical word walls, because they include an illustration, definition, and sentence for each vocabulary word" (p.81). According to Robert Marzano (2009), an educational researcher, he mentions that in order for students to effectively learn vocabulary they need to follow a six-step process. The steps are as followed:

(Marzano, 2009).
The first three steps are in a word map. The following three steps can be done after the word map has been completed.

The image above is an example of a very common word map. In this word map, students write the vocabulary word in the center, they define the word, provide synonyms, use it in a sentence, and draw a picture of it.

In this example above students go into more detail with the word. They find the synonym, antonym, dictionary definition, sentence from the text and other forms of the word.

The image to the left is similar to the other two word maps above. Students write the word, use it in a sentence, write the definition, find a synonym for the word, illustrate it and determine it's part of speech.

Math- For a math lesson, a word map can be easily adapted just like in the photo to the left. In one corner the student can write the word, in another corner the student can write the definition. In the other two corners students can write an example and then some facts to go along with the math vocabulary word. By providing examples it brings meaning to the word, just like a picture does when learning reading vocabulary words.

History- For a history lesson, one way to adapt this strategy is to change the headings slightly. On this graphic organizer it could include: the vocabulary word, time period, definition, and picture. By adding the time period it gives an understanding of when the word was used, and it give more meaning to the word. For example if a student is learning about what a Red Coat is, they could write Revolutionary War (1775-1783) in the time period section.

Science- For a science lesson, the template would not change very much. However, a teacher could ask the student what area of science the word falls under. This might help students categorize what vocabulary words belong where. For example, if the vocabulary word is cumulus, the area of science might be meteorology.

Physical Education- For a physical education lesson, a student could still write the word, draw picture, define the word, and maybe list games they can play relating to the topic. For example, if students are learning about basketball students can list lightning, 3 vs. 3, and others for possible games they could play.

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Information Processing Theory - Classroom Applications

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Video 1. Lesson Elements, Grades K-5Video 2. Elements of Instruction, Grades 1, 3, and 5Video 3. Teacher Clarity

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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ClassDojo helps teachers, parents, and students build amazing classroom communities.

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ABCya! • ABCya! • Learning Games and Apps for Kids

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Educational games for grades PreK through 6 that will keep kids engaged and having fun. Topics include math, reading, typing, just-for-fun logic games… and more!

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Balanced Assessment: Combining Multiple Measures to Drive Learning

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Balanced Assessment: Combining Multiple Measures to Drive Learning

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SLD-Cognitive Abilities Assoc Concep ExpDefinition Accommodations 20(3)(2) (1)

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Recorded webinar on the Universal Design for Learning from the California Department of Education on April 24, 2020.

This video is 33 minutes and 35 seconds in length.

Additional Information

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

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Universal Design for Learning, April 24, 2020

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Recorded webinar on the Universal Design for Learning from the California Department of Education on April 24, 2020. This video is 33 minutes and 35 seconds in length. Last Reviewed: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

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The Orange County Department of Education explains Multi-Tiered System of Supports, or MTSS

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Strategies to Promote Listening and Talk in the Classroom

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Strategies to Promote Listening and Talk in the Classroom

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Oracy in the Classroom: Strategies for Effective Talk

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Have students facilitate a discussion in order to work together toward a shared understanding of a text.

Advisory

Civics & Citizenship

English & Language Arts

History

Social Studies

The resources I'm getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Have students facilitate a discussion in order to work together toward a shared understanding of a text. Advisory Civics & Citizenship English & Language Arts History Social Studies The resources I'm getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable. - Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

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The handwriting worksheets below include practice letters on ruled lines in the D'Nealian style. You'll notice that the letters include "tails". Some school districts use this style because it can make it easier to transition to cursive handwriting. However, others use the standard "block" letters, often referred to as the Zaner Bloser letter style.

The first worksheet shown includes all 26 letters. Below that, you'll find one sheet for each letter. Each worksheet starts off showing how to form each letter, and then provides space for children to trace and then practice writing independently.

You'll need to make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in order to view and print each worksheet. Have fun!

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Handwriting Practice Worksheets - D'Nealian Style Print - Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

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The handwriting worksheets below include practice letters on ruled lines in the D'Nealian style. You'll notice that the letters include "tails". Some school districts use this style because it can make it easier to transition to cursive handwriting. However, others use the standard "block" letters, often referred to as the Zaner Bloser letter style.

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What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

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Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)

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5 Examples of Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching aimed at meeting the needs of every student in a classroom. It can be helpful for all kids, including kids with learning and attention issues. But UDL takes careful planning by teachers. Here are just a few examples of how UDL can work in a classroom.

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Objectives: the A.B.C.D. Method: Building Learning Objectives

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Mini Lesson #1_ Format - Grammar , spelling, vocab, lesson

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Rosa Parks' Early Life

Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913. She moved with her parents, James and Leona McCauley, to Pine Level, Alabama, at age 2 to reside with Leona's parents. Her brother, Sylvester, was born in 1915, and shortly after that her parents separated.

Did you know? When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in 1955, it wasn't the first time she'd clashed with driver James Blake. Parks stepped onto his very crowded bus on a chilly day 12 years earlier, paid her fare at the front, then resisted the rule in place for Black people to disembark and re-enter through the back door. She stood her ground until Blake pulled her coat sleeve, enraged, to demand her cooperation. Parks left the bus rather than give in.

Rosa's mother was a teacher, and the family valued education. Rosa moved to Montgomery, Alabama, at age 11 and eventually attended high school there, a laboratory school at the Alabama State Teachers' College for Negroes. She left at 16, early in 11th grade, because she needed to care for her dying grandmother and, shortly thereafter, her chronically ill mother. In 1932, at 19, she married Raymond Parks, a self-educated man 10 years her senior who worked as a barber and was a long-time member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP). He supported Rosa in her efforts to earn her high-school diploma, which she ultimately did the following year.

Rosa Parks: Roots of Activism

Raymond and Rosa, who worked as a seamstress, became respected members of Montgomery's large African American community. Co-existing with white people in a city governed by " Jim Crow " (segregation) laws, however, was fraught with daily frustrations: Black people could attend only certain (inferior) schools, could drink only from specified water fountains and could borrow books only from the "Black" library, among other restrictions.

Although Raymond had previously discouraged her out of fear for her safety, in December 1943, Rosa also joined the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and became chapter secretary. She worked closely with chapter president Edgar Daniel (E.D.) Nixon. Nixon was a railroad porter known in the city as an advocate for Black people who wanted to register to vote, and also as president of the local branch of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union.

December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks Is Arrested

On Thursday, December 1, 1955, the 42-year-old Rosa Parks was commuting home from a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair department store by bus. Black residents of Montgomery often avoided municipal buses if possible because they found the Negroes-in-back policy so demeaning. Nonetheless, 70 percent or more riders on a typical day were Black, and on this day Rosa Parks was one of them.

Segregation was written into law; the front of a Montgomery bus was reserved for white citizens, and the seats behind them for Black citizens. However, it was only by custom that bus drivers had the authority to ask a Black person to give up a seat for a white rider. There were contradictory Montgomery laws on the books: One said segregation must be enforced, but another, largely ignored, said no person (white or Black) could be asked to give up a seat even if there were no other seat on the bus available.

Nonetheless, at one point on the route, a white man had no seat because all the seats in the designated "white" section were taken. So the driver told the riders in the four seats of the first row of the "colored" section to stand, in effect adding another row to the "white" section. The three others obeyed. Parks did not.

"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired," wrote Parks in her autobiography, "but that isn't true. I was not tired physically... No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

Eventually, two police officers approached the stopped bus, assessed the situation and placed Parks in custody.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Although Parks used her one phone call to contact her husband, word of her arrest had spread quickly and E.D. Nixon was there when Parks was released on bail later that evening. Nixon had hoped for years to find a courageous Black person of unquestioned honesty and integrity to become the plaintiff in a case that might become the test of the validity of segregation laws. Sitting in Parks' home, Nixon convinced Parks-and her husband and mother-that Parks was that plaintiff. Another idea arose as well: The Black population of Montgomery would boycott the buses on the day of Parks' trial, Monday, December 5. By midnight, 35,000 flyers were being mimeographed to be sent home with Black schoolchildren, informing their parents of the planned boycott.

On December 5, Parks was found guilty of violating segregation laws, given a suspended sentence and fined $10 plus $4 in court costs. Meanwhile, Black participation in the boycott was much larger than even optimists in the community had anticipated. Nixon and some ministers decided to take advantage of the momentum, forming the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to manage the boycott, and they elected Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-new to Montgomery and just 26 years old-as the MIA's president.

As appeals and related lawsuits wended their way through the courts, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Montgomery Bus Boycott engendered anger in much of Montgomery's white population as well as some violence, and Nixon's and Dr. King's homes were bombed. The violence didn't deter the boycotters or their leaders, however, and the drama in Montgomery continued to gain attention from the national and international press.

On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional; the boycott ended December 20, a day after the Court's written order arrived in Montgomery. Parks-who had lost her job and experienced harassment all year-became known as "the mother of the civil rights movement."

Rosa Parks's Life After the Boycott

Facing continued harassment and threats in the wake of the boycott, Parks, along with her husband and mother, eventually decided to move to Detroit, where Parks' brother resided. Parks became an administrative aide in the Detroit office of Congressman John Conyers Jr. in 1965, a post she held until her 1988 retirement. Her husband, brother and mother all died of cancer between 1977 and 1979. In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, to serve Detroit's youth.

In the years following her retirement, she traveled to lend her support to civil-rights events and causes and wrote an autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story. In 1999, Parks was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor the United States bestows on a civilian. (Other recipients have included George Washington, Thomas Edison, Betty Ford and Mother Teresa.) When she died at age 92 on October 24, 2005, she became the first woman in the nation's history to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol.

HISTORY Vault: Black History

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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Rosa Parks: Bus Boycott, Civil Rights & Facts | HISTORY

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Rosa Parks (1913-2005) helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. Her actions inspired the leaders of the local Black community to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

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Rosa Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement who was best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. With her boycott that was considered as an important symbol of the civil movement, she became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She even got a chance to organize and collaborate with civil rights leaders, including Edgar Nixon and Martin Luther King Jr.

She even served as secretary and receptionist to John Conyers, an African-American US Representative, and was also active in the Black Power movement and the support of political prisoners in the US. Upon her death in 2005, she became the first woman and the 31st person to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda.

Also, Parks was named "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement" by the United States Congress. Throughout her lifetime, Parks received more than forty-three honorary doctorate degrees and was awarded several honorable awards including Medal of Freedom, the highest award given to a citizen. She was also honored with Mrs. Rosa Parks' Day that the state of Michigan followed, becoming the first living person to be honored with a holiday.

What was Rosa Parks Famous for?

Famous for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott.

Known for her honored name "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".

Source: @achievement.org

Rosa Parks Early Life

Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. Her birth name was Rosa Louise McCauley. Her nationality was American. Parks belonged to African-American ethnicity while Aquarius was her zodiac sign.

Rosa was born in a middle-class family as the daughter of Leona(mother) and James McCauley(father). Her father, James was a carpenter while her mother, Leona was a teacher. However, her parents separated soon and Rose began living with her mother in Pine Level. She grew up on a farm with her maternal grandparents, mother, and a younger brother named Sylvester McCauley(born August 20, 1915).

One of Parks' great-grandfathers was Scots-Irish and one of her great-grandmothers a part-Native American slave. All of her family were members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church(AME), a black denomination founded in the early 19th century.

Rosa attended rural school until she was 11, after which she joined the Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery, and began taking academic and vocational courses. She then went on to a laboratory school run by the Alabama State Teachers College for Negroes, but she dropped out in order to care for her grandmother and later her mother after they became ill.

Rosa faced several problems growing up as she along with other black students had to walk to reach school while the white ones were given the facility of transportation. Parks was repeatedly bullied by white children in her neighborhood and even had to fight physically. Besides, she even suffered poor health with chronic tonsillitis at a young age.

Rosa Parks Death and Life Story

Rosa Parks died of natural causes on October 24, 2005, at the age of 92, in her apartment on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, United States. She was survived by her sister-in-law(Raymond's sister), 13 nieces and nephews and their families, and several cousins. In her honor, City officials in Montgomery and Detroit announced that the front seats of their city buses would be reserved with black ribbons until her funeral on October 27, 2005.

Parks' coffin was flown to Montgomery and taken in a horse-drawn hearse to the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal(AME) church, she was dressed in the uniform of a church deaconess. Parks was the 31st person and the second private person to be honored in this way, the first woman and the second black person to lie in honor in the Capitol.

An estimated 50,000 people viewed the casket there, and the event was broadcast on television on October 31, 2005. Her funeral service was seven hours long and was held on November 2, 2005, at the Greater Grace Temple Church in Detroit. Parks was interred between her husband and mother at Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery in the chapel's mausoleum, which was then renamed the Rosa L. Parks Freedom Chapel in her honor.

What did Rosa Parks Do?

Rosa Parks became active in the civil rights movement, and then joined the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP in 1943. She was even elected as secretary for the local NAACP leader Edgar Nixon at the time, which she continued till 1957.

During her time as a secretary, she investigated the gang-rape of Recy Taylor(black women), and along with other civil rights activists they organized "The Committee for Equal Justice for Mrs. Recy Taylor". It was also called the strongest campaign for equal justice to be seen in a decade.

She then held a brief job at Maxwell Air Force Base, during which she got inspired by the owner as she even had mentioned that Maxwell opened her eyes.

Parks also worked as a housekeeper and seamstress for Clifford and Virginia Durr, a white couple.

Parks began invigorating the struggle for racial equality when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. After her act of refusing to get off the seat, she was arrested on December 1, 1955, eventually, that triggered a wave of protest and launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott by 17,000 black citizens on December 5, 1955, that lasted 381 days.

Her quiet courageous act changed America, its view of black people and redirected the course of history.

Parks also got a chance to work along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was appointed the spokesperson for the Bus Boycott at the time.

Source: @roadsideamerica

In 1964, she became a deaconess in the African Methodist Episcopal Church(AME). Following year, she was appointed by Congressman John Conyers, First Congressional District of Michigan in 1965, which she continued for 23 years till 1988.

In February 1987, she co-founded the "Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development" along with Elaine Eason Steele in honor of her husband, Raymond Parks(1903-1977).

She was voted by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Parks became one of the few major people to have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 1999 along with the American Red Cross.

She also received the NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in the Television series, Touched by an Angel, "Black like Monica".

A film made on Parks titled "The Rosa Parks Story", filmed in Montgomery, Alabama May 2001, was aired on February 24, 2002, on the CBS television network.

Parks earned several awards including the very first Lifetime Achievement Award ever given by The Institute for Research on Women & Gender, Stanford University, Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award for peace, and she even became an International Institute Heritage Hall of fame honoree on October 29, 2003.

On February 6, 2005, Parks received the first annual Cardinal Dearden Peace Award at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Detroit, MI.

Parks had written altogether four books, "Rosa Parks: My Story: by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins", "Quiet Strength by Rosa Parks with Gregory J. Reed", "Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth by Rosa Parks with Gregory J, Reed", this book even received the NAACP's Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work(Children's) in 1996 and "I AM ROSA PARKS by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins".

Source: @sutori

Rosa Parks Family and Personal Life

Rosa Parks got married to Raymond Parks in 1932. Raymond was a barber from Montgomery and was also a member of the NAACP. After getting married at 19, Rosa Parks was urged by her husband to finish her high school, during the time when less than 7% of African Americans had a high-school diploma. She completed her education graduating from Highlander Research and Education Center, Alabama State University.

Along with her husband, she became a member of the League of Women Voters. In 1945, despite the Jim Crow laws and discrimination by registrars, she succeeded in registering to vote on her third try. However, the couple never had children so they outlived their siblings. Her husband died way too earlier in 1977.

Besides, on December 21, 2004, the 49th Anniversary of the Parks' arrest was commemorated with a Civil Rights and Hip-Hop Forum at the Franklin Settlement in Detroit, Michigan. Parks even received more than forty-three honorary doctorate degrees throughout her lifetime.

What was the Net Worth of Rosa Parks?

Rosa Parks had a difficult childhood however, after getting married to her supportive husband, she had managed to earn a few dollars working as a secretary and dressmaking. Parks even received an eviction notice from her $1,800 per month apartment for non-payment of rent at the time in 2002. Her net worth isn't estimated yet however, it could have been in million dollars according to the time.

How Tall was Rosa Parks?

Rosa Parks was a beautiful black lady in her early 90s at the time of her death. Parks had a well maintained slim body physique with her beautiful black skin tone, black hair, and brown eyes. She had a height of 5ft. 3inches(1.60 m). With her struggle for racial equality, Parks earned several hearts and respect all over the world.

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Know more about Rosa Parks's Bio, Famous For, History, Career, Activist, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Civil Rights Movement, Accomplishments, Awards, Husband, Children, Family, Death, Death Date, Death Date, Age, Facts, Wiki, Net Worth, Early Life, Birth Date, Parents, Siblings, Education and more

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Biography Graphic Organizer (Rosa Parks)

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Biography Graphic Organizer (Rosa Parks)

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Benjamin Franklin for Kids – Ben Franklin Kite Experiment – Electricity for Kids

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Exit Ticket - Lesson Response Journal Entry

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Exit Ticket - Lesson Response Journal Entry

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Exit Ticket - lesson reflection journal entry

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Academic Vocabulary Spelling and Handwriting Practice

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Academic Vocabulary Spelling and Handwriting Practice

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EDU 512 Reading Notes Assignment - Chapter 2

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EDU 512 Reading Notes Assignment - Chapter 3

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EDU 512 Reading Notes Assignment - Chapter 4

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EDU 512 Reading Notes Assignment - Chapter 6

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Mini Lesson #2_ Listening and Talking Lesson

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I'm thrilled to start a new series of printable poems for kids here on Woo! Jr. Our kids mad libs are seriously popular, and teachers have been asking for poems, so I'm so happy to be able to bring these to you! My daughter brings home poems nearly every night to read for homework, which really has helped her reading skills. She is more of an auditory kid - not visual - so she needed a lot of extra help to bring her skills up to grade level. Poems were extremely helpful because the rhyme and rhythm made the words easier to say and understand.

Our kids poems are written just for us, so you won't find these anywhere else! Look for more seasonal and holiday poems for kids throughout the year!

We also have a whole classroom unit for Black History Month with worksheets, classroom activities, and profiles of 6 amazing African American trailblazers!

Instantly download all 200+ poems as a bundled PDF right here!

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Kids Poems for Black History Month | Woo! Jr. Kids Activities

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I'm thrilled to start a new series of printable poems for kids here on Woo! Jr. Our kids mad libs are seriously popular, and teachers have been asking for poems, so I'm so happy to be able to bring these to you!

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Fieldwork Activities and TPE Tracking Sheet 21_Complete

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Example of Student Group Created Poem (Martin Luther King)

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Example of Student Group Created Poem (Martin Luther King)