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English Language Proficiency Standards - these are important to include in the language objectives when lesson planning and for determining which language domains are begin addressed with the lesson.

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Proficiency Level Descriptors - these are important to refer to when monitoring the progress of the English learners. They also serve as reminders of what students can do at each level of proficiency within each domain of language.

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Engaging ELL Families Through Community Partnerships

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The following strategies offer tips for thinking creatively about how to work with community partners and identify the most effective partnerships for your school community.Supporting immigrant familiesFor related ideas, see the following:Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and FamiliesHow to Support Immigrant Students and Families: Strategies for Schools and Early Childhood Programs17. Build partnerships with the local communityDownload PDF versions:This article >Full guide >A. What you need to knowCommunity organizations are a valuable ally in engaging ELL families, whether it’s by providing key services such as interpreters and medical care or educational opportunities such as GED, ESL, and citizenship classes.These partnerships can benefit your family and your partners alike, and they may lead to great opportunities for your students as well!B. ReflectionHave you built any relationships with organizations in the community? If so, what are the successes and challenges you’ve experienced? Which social services do your families need most?C. StrategiesConsider offering local organizations free space in your school as a way to encourage them to bring their services closer to your families (Houk, 70).Ask your families which organizations they think would make good partners for the school community and which issues are of concern to them.Find out if your district has a community education department that might be able to support a partnership with a local organization.Invite members from the community to inform parents about their services, such as a local librarian, a nurse, or a firefighter.Note: When inviting guests from the community to the school, assure parents that identification will not be checked and explain that they do not need to show proof of legal residency to sign up for a library card.D. ExamplesChristine Pearsall from New York shares the following on the National Education Association’s website: “Our school hosts monthly Latino Family meetings - hosted and conducted entirely in Spanish by Spanish-speaking staff. The turnout is incredible every time. We discuss issues of concern to the parents and community, as well as periodically bringing in outside speakers (i.e. reps. from the library, Census bureau, etc.).” She also recommends using students from local adult ESL programs as translators in these informal settings as “it helps them practice English, get extra credit for themselves” and support their fellow country people (Flannery, NEA.org).Highland Elementary School in Montgomery County, Maryland was chosen as a Blue Ribbon turnaround school by the Maryland State Department of Education in 2008. Part of its success, according to school principal, was its increased inclusion of the families. According to The Washington Post, “The school positioned itself as the center of its community, offering weekend soccer tournaments, English and computer classes for parents, and an array of other community services, from housing assistance to mental health counseling (de Vise, 2008).“Resources: Immigration topicsCreate partnerships with community organizations related to immigration issuesConnecting Immigrant Families with Legal Support and AdviceHow Community Schools Can Support ELLsCommunity schools are neighborhood schools that work closely with local partners to serve students and families at the school. These partnerships might focus on a wide range of services and supports that the families and school have identified as priorities.Learn more about community schools and how they can support ELL/immigrant families from the following:Video Project: How a Community School Helps ELLs Succeed See bonus interviews, clips, and more from this project!Video: What each community needs Video: How partnerships benefit community partners Video: Some partners aren’t a good fit 18. Get to know your neighborsA. What you need to knowChanging demographics can lead to tensions in the local neighborhood. (Think Clint Eastwood’s character in the movie Gran Torino.) You may find it very productive to build a stronger relationship with your school’s local neighbors, for your sake and theirs as well!B. ReflectionWhat is your school’s relationship like with the local community? If your local demographics are changing, what is the community’s response to that change? What are some of the needs of your local community? What are the social/emotional/health issues your students face that community agencies might be able to help with?C. StrategiesLook for ways that students can contribute to their neighbors (especially those who have young children or the elderly) by doing neighborhood clean-ups and volunteer work.Inform local neighbors about the opportunity to tutor, volunteer, or donate used goods to the school and ELL families.Look for places where interests and activities overlap. Consider posting a community board where everyone can post what they need or can offer.Look for fundraising opportunities, such as a local yard sale that raises money for a new parent center.Tell the community about the challenges your ELL families are facing. For example, if you have a new group of refugees arriving, collaborate with their placement agency to collect household items, furniture, and winter clothing.D. ExamplesWhen the Extreme MakeoverTM show came to Buffalo, NY, the students at Kevin Eberle’s school took on an “extreme” neighborhood clean-up and food drive, raking leaves for the neighbors and collecting a record-breaking 85 tons of food. Their efforts did far more to change the attitude that local residents had about the school than any meeting could have done, and they attracted great publicity for the school’s students.Following the 2010 Haitian earthquake, the phones at Evans High in Orlando, FL began ringing off the hook and the office was filled with visitors as concerned neighbors asked how they could help the school’s more than 600+ Haitian students and families.Video: How we partner with our neighborhood association < Parents as LeadersCreating an Action Plan >

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Embrace the future by ensuring English Learners have a voice in school.

English Learners (ELs) are the fastest-growing segment of the K-12 population. But ELs and their families-who are in the process of learning English and navigating an often-unfamiliar education system-may not have a powerful enough voice to articulate their needs. Consequently, all teachers and administrators must advocate for this all-important diverse group of students who will become tomorrow's workforce. This book demystifies the techniques of advocacy for ELs, including:

A shared sense of responsibility for EL success -Providing tools that every educator can use to ensure that ELs are effectively served.

An overview for administrators -Influencing policy and fostering a culture that meets EL needs

Advocacy for ELs' success beyond Grade 12 -Equipping ELs for life after graduation, from higher education to career decisions

ELs will continue to grow in number, and leaving them and their families voiceless is simply not an option. No educator can miss this essential book.

"In many ways, the history of American Education is the history of a quest for equality. Dr. Staehr Fenner lends a human face to the experience of English Learners and encourages us to think in terms of what attributes ELs bring to their learning experience and how others can benefit from their presence in the classroom. This book is a promising, uplifting, and much-needed call for action!"
- Rosa Aronson, Former Executive Director
TESOL International Association, Alexandria, VA

"This book is a major contribution to the field in that it offers concrete actions administrators, teachers and parents can take to ensure best practices in schools for ELs. Diane Staehr Fenner demonstrates her extensive school-based experience by providing a highly practical handbook filled with useful models, tools, and professional development activities, all of which are well grounded in an assets-based and shared responsibility theoretical framework. This volume will meaningfully advance program quality, assessment and instructional practices, and family engagement through well-formulated advocacy initiatives as demanded by current EL teacher education standards. A welcome addition to all who care about the education of ELs PreK-12 and beyond!"
- Nancy Cloud, Director, M.Ed. in TESL Program
Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, Rhode Island College

"This book makes a very important contribution to the field by highlighting the importance of advocacy and, through its numerous examples of advocacy in action, showing how to achieve equitable and excellent education for ELs."
- Diane August, Principal
D. August and Associates

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Advocating for English Learners - SupportEd

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Embrace the future by ensuring English Learners have a voice in school. English Learners (ELs) are the fastest-growing segment of the K-12 population. But ELs and their families-who are in the process of learning English and navigating an often-unfamiliar education system-may not have a powerful enough voice to articulate their needs.

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All In! How Educators Can Advocate for English Language Learners

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Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). Colorín Colorado is an educational service of WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, and receives major funding from the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association. © Copyright 2023 WETA Public Broadcasting.

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I chose both of these links because I feel like they both had good books that I want to get before I go into the classroom so I can learn more about advocating for EBs/ELs, and help them succeed like any other student.

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Role of Educators in Technology-Enhanced Language Learning

ACTFL strongly recommends that a language educator be responsible for the planning, instruction, assessment, and facilitation of any language course, leveraging technology to support language learning. Language instruction is best guided by language educators rather than solely delivered via a computer program or by a non-content specialist:

Research does not support the isolated use of technology for acquiring a language.

Interaction with a language educator is critical to building spontaneous interpersonal skills needed for real-world communication.

Intercultural competence is best acquired through human interactions and meaningful experiences facilitated through a language educator.

Educators use content knowledge, research-informed teaching strategies, and effective technology applications to support language learning.

Role of Technology for Learners

Technology can and should be used by language educators to enhance language instruction, practice, and assessment, as articulated in the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Through the purposeful use of technology:

Students read, listen to, and view authentic, engaging, and timely materials from the target culture.

Students practice interpersonal skills as they interact via video, audio, or text in real-time with other speakers of the target language.

Students collaborate on presentational tasks with their peers or teacher, anytime, anywhere.

Students work at their own pace as they access online content and/or utilize computer adaptive programs managed by their teacher.

Students practice discrete skills with engaging online games and applications.

Students benefit from differentiated instruction where multiple applications can be used to assess students, assign varied tasks, track data, give real-time feedback, and manage classrooms and lessons.

The use of technology is not a goal in and of itself; rather technology is one tool that supports language learners as they use the target language in culturally appropriate ways to accomplish authentic tasks. Further, all language learning opportunities whether facilitated through technology or in a classroom setting, should be standards-based, instructor-designed, learner-centered, and aimed at developing proficiency in the target language through interactive, meaningful, and cognitively engaging learning experiences. ACTFL acknowledges a role for hybrid, online and distance learning instructional models aligned with state and national standards and facilitated by language educators. The development of technology is best driven by the needs of the language learner, supporting the kinds of interactions our students need to become college, career, life, and world-ready.

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world language teaching; language assessment; foreign language teaching

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ACTFL | The Role of Technology in Language Learning

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ACTFL strongly recommends that a language educator be responsible for the planning, instruction, assessment, and facilitation of any language course,...

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Language Tech Lab - The University of Iowa

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FluentKey contains a library of language learning videos (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish) filled with authentic movies, music, news, commercials, and more. You can use these videos to do live comprehension checks with your students using the phone app.

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I chose these because I felt they had good information of different technology websites or materials to use when helping language learners learn with technology.

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I chose this website because I feel like it had good information for me to be able to look back on in the future on how to help my students parents and community get involved with what we are doing in the classroom and just at the school. I chose this graph because I feel like it did a good job of explaining 4 of the principles for family engagement that I can look back to, to help me remember.

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Identifying Special Education Needs in English Language Learners | Continental Educational Publisher

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In this blog, we’ll discuss how teachers can improve upon identifying special education needs in English language learners.

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I chose both of these articles because I felt they really good information to help me as an educator see signs that my students may have that could indicate a disability and to then better be able to help them and help them succeed in my classroom or get them the proper help they will need to succeed if I am the wrong person to do so.

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Engaging ELL Families Through Community Partnerships

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The following strategies offer tips for thinking creatively about how to work with community partners and identify the most effective partnerships for your school community.Supporting immigrant familiesFor related ideas, see the following:Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and FamiliesHow to Support Immigrant Students and Families: Strategies for Schools and Early Childhood Programs17. Build partnerships with the local communityDownload PDF versions:This article >Full guide >A. What you need to knowCommunity organizations are a valuable ally in engaging ELL families, whether it’s by providing key services such as interpreters and medical care or educational opportunities such as GED, ESL, and citizenship classes.These partnerships can benefit your family and your partners alike, and they may lead to great opportunities for your students as well!B. ReflectionHave you built any relationships with organizations in the community? If so, what are the successes and challenges you’ve experienced? Which social services do your families need most?C. StrategiesConsider offering local organizations free space in your school as a way to encourage them to bring their services closer to your families (Houk, 70).Ask your families which organizations they think would make good partners for the school community and which issues are of concern to them.Find out if your district has a community education department that might be able to support a partnership with a local organization.Invite members from the community to inform parents about their services, such as a local librarian, a nurse, or a firefighter.Note: When inviting guests from the community to the school, assure parents that identification will not be checked and explain that they do not need to show proof of legal residency to sign up for a library card.D. ExamplesChristine Pearsall from New York shares the following on the National Education Association’s website: “Our school hosts monthly Latino Family meetings - hosted and conducted entirely in Spanish by Spanish-speaking staff. The turnout is incredible every time. We discuss issues of concern to the parents and community, as well as periodically bringing in outside speakers (i.e. reps. from the library, Census bureau, etc.).” She also recommends using students from local adult ESL programs as translators in these informal settings as “it helps them practice English, get extra credit for themselves” and support their fellow country people (Flannery, NEA.org).Highland Elementary School in Montgomery County, Maryland was chosen as a Blue Ribbon turnaround school by the Maryland State Department of Education in 2008. Part of its success, according to school principal, was its increased inclusion of the families. According to The Washington Post, “The school positioned itself as the center of its community, offering weekend soccer tournaments, English and computer classes for parents, and an array of other community services, from housing assistance to mental health counseling (de Vise, 2008).“Resources: Immigration topicsCreate partnerships with community organizations related to immigration issuesConnecting Immigrant Families with Legal Support and AdviceHow Community Schools Can Support ELLsCommunity schools are neighborhood schools that work closely with local partners to serve students and families at the school. These partnerships might focus on a wide range of services and supports that the families and school have identified as priorities.Learn more about community schools and how they can support ELL/immigrant families from the following:Video Project: How a Community School Helps ELLs Succeed See bonus interviews, clips, and more from this project!Video: What each community needs Video: How partnerships benefit community partners Video: Some partners aren’t a good fit 18. Get to know your neighborsA. What you need to knowChanging demographics can lead to tensions in the local neighborhood. (Think Clint Eastwood’s character in the movie Gran Torino.) You may find it very productive to build a stronger relationship with your school’s local neighbors, for your sake and theirs as well!B. ReflectionWhat is your school’s relationship like with the local community? If your local demographics are changing, what is the community’s response to that change? What are some of the needs of your local community? What are the social/emotional/health issues your students face that community agencies might be able to help with?C. StrategiesLook for ways that students can contribute to their neighbors (especially those who have young children or the elderly) by doing neighborhood clean-ups and volunteer work.Inform local neighbors about the opportunity to tutor, volunteer, or donate used goods to the school and ELL families.Look for places where interests and activities overlap. Consider posting a community board where everyone can post what they need or can offer.Look for fundraising opportunities, such as a local yard sale that raises money for a new parent center.Tell the community about the challenges your ELL families are facing. For example, if you have a new group of refugees arriving, collaborate with their placement agency to collect household items, furniture, and winter clothing.D. ExamplesWhen the Extreme MakeoverTM show came to Buffalo, NY, the students at Kevin Eberle’s school took on an “extreme” neighborhood clean-up and food drive, raking leaves for the neighbors and collecting a record-breaking 85 tons of food. Their efforts did far more to change the attitude that local residents had about the school than any meeting could have done, and they attracted great publicity for the school’s students.Following the 2010 Haitian earthquake, the phones at Evans High in Orlando, FL began ringing off the hook and the office was filled with visitors as concerned neighbors asked how they could help the school’s more than 600+ Haitian students and families.Video: How we partner with our neighborhood association < Parents as LeadersCreating an Action Plan >

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Ellevation: ML Program Management Tools for K-12

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Identifying and Supporting Gifted and Talented ELs

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English learners (ELs) are largely underrepresented in gifted and talented programs. We know many multilingual students qualify, so to a large extent, the issue is rooted in poor identification, deficit-based thinking, and other barriers that stand in their way. We had a conversation with Marcy Voss, Educational Consultant and ELL Coach with 36 years of experience in public education, to discuss what teachers need to know to better identify gifted and talented ELs and how to create learning environments that both support and challenge these and all students. 1.

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The underrepresentation of English language learners in programs for gifted and talented students shows schools' lack of ability to identify these students adequately. Some of the reasons for the lack of representation include: (a) the presence of systematic bias in the standardization process, as instruments and approaches follow a middle-class mainstream basis of measurement; (b) the pervasive lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity on the part of teachers and appraisers due to inadequate training; and (c) the common practice of identifying gifted and talented students on the basis of a single test administration.

Population forecasts indicate that, while the total number of public school students is decreasing across the nation, the number of Hispanic students is growing. Schools with high minority student enrollment are also growing. Despite these demographic trends, few gifted and talented English language learners benefit from special services. Therefore, developing relevant identification procedures and instructional practices for these students is an urgent need in education.

Identifying Gifted and Talented English Language Learners

It is common knowledge that language minority students are left out of the identification process because the initial screening step consists of a standardized measure that does not reflect the linguistic and cultural characteristics of some student populations. No single solution can achieve this complex goal. But, multiple identifying sources are effective, including nominations from teachers, students and parents; translations of standardized tests; teacher and parent observations of creative behaviors and exceptional abilities; and information gained through value-derived scales representing salient characteristics appreciated within the subculture.

However, these instruments are not free from bias. Parents do not seem to be able to objectively assess their children as they view them either as "run-of-the-mill" or "top of the heap" with little understanding of the many ramifications of their judgment. In addition, teachers tend to be influenced by grades and standardized scores or by transcultural comparisons that cloud their decisions (i.e., "comparing apples and oranges"). Finally, self assessment by students seems to be affected by what others (e.g., peers, parents, teachers) think of the student. Therefore, it seems necessary to avoid relying on a single information source and to clarify giftedness for school personnel as well as for parents, so that gifted and talented English language learners can be properly identified.

Strategies for Planning Adequate Identification Practices

Parting from the premise that all children have the potential for giftedness, ensuring opportunities for these gifts to develop should be an educational priority. Teachers must generate a multiple source assessment record for each student with formal and informal data, including work samples. The following steps can be useful in gathering information.

Collect background data and work samples for each student. Determine the language proficiency of the student, cultural and socio-economic background, home environment, parental education level and school involvement. Important inferences that can facilitate the interpretation of additional data included in the assessment records can be drawn from this information. If the educator is unfamiliar with the implications of the background data of the student, it will be helpful to request assistance from members of the child's cultural enclave. Additionally, work samples from home and school could be enlightening in assessing language development and creativity.

Observe the child's language and social behaviors. Make use of a gifted and talented English language learner's behavioral profile to determine if any of these behaviors show potential for giftedness. Add to the profile by requesting parental input on how the child is perceived and how he or she acts at home. A community member can also serve as a source of input if parents are unavailable.

Examine cultural and linguistic behaviors of the child and determine if they can be obscuring the child's potential giftedness. For example, student A is quiet, retiring and hardly asks questions. The initial teacher reaction is to pronounce him or her as not bright, not curious or not interested. However, these behaviors may be a result of the child's language fluency level or of inhibition resulting from particular cultural canons (e.g., "Don't speak unless spoken to").

Consider all nominations. If nominations have been offered, consider them as part of the student identification records. Note characteristics that reappear in these instruments and in the behavioral and linguistic inventories.

Examine standardized test scores in light of the demographic data collected on the student. Determine if these scores are consistent with the rest of the information collected. If bias is evident, use these scores as a teaching tool as they are indicative of what the student must learn.

Draw a profile of the student and determine placement based on the traits emerging from the previous information compared with profiles offered in the research literature on culturally and linguistically diverse students. This information enables educators to determine whether the student should be recommended for a talent pool to be monitored for later entry into a gifted and talented program or if he or she should be recommended for participation at the present time.

Existing biases and lack of awareness regarding gifted and talented English language learners have hindered the process of determining the most appropriate identification, placement and instruction procedures and have led to identification procedures that only spotlight students who most apparently fit the norm used by the schools. These factors, coupled with escalating school dropout rates, particularly for Hispanic youth, are indicators that schools have failed to adequately serve these students.

Gifted and talented English language learners have joined the ranks of the population at-risk of dropping out of school as, more often than not, they are victims of unchallenging strategies and materials that do not entice them to stay in school. The suggestions offered in this article are not to be conceived as an effort to standardize the process of identifying and instructing gifted and talented English language learners. They are a set of guidelines to assist teachers and other school personnel in better serving this population.
Andrea Bermúdez, Ph.D., and Judith Márquez, Ph.D., are professors of multicultural studies in the school of education, University of Houston at Clear Lake.
[©1998, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the June - July 1998 IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]

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Insights into Gifted and Talented English Language Learners - IDRA

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by Andrea B. Bermudez Ph.D. and Judith A. Marquez, Ph.D. * IDRA Newsletter * June - July 1998 * The underrepresentation ... read more

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I chose these two websites because it explains why ELs are overlooked for GT programs and why they are still capable of being in them even with them being English Language learners. I hope to be able to look back on them in the future and show my colleagues that they are capable of being in the GT programs no matter what if they can qualify.

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By Sarah Ottow
The Latin root word for "assessment" is assidere which means to sit beside. In my work as an English Language Learner (ELL) specialist, I advocate for educators to intentionally sit beside their students to more deeply understand and support their learning trajectory at the classroom level. That is to say, I strongly advocate for an intentional formative assessment approach for ELLs.
Schools can go beyond traditional summative and interim measures to ensure a more balanced assessment approach that brings to light the nuanced and complex process of academic language development. By implementing formative assessments for ELLs, educators can develop a "language lens" that uncovers and showcases the growth of this culturally and linguistically diverse population.

Where do we start?

First, we can examine what comprises our current assessment systems in place. We have large-scale, "big data" summative assessments that give us "big data" once a year on student proficiency. We also have interim assessments that measure growth against benchmarks periodically throughout the year, often with the audience largely being district and school-level stakeholders.
These summative and interim assessments provide "snapshots" of ELL performance and are not always reliable or valid on the ELL population. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves if we have systemic, systematic formative measures in place that provide feedback on teaching and learning specifically for our ELLs? Do we have a "photo album" approach of ELL development? If not, we can add specific formative practices into our assessment system that celebrate student growth and provide next steps for instruction at the classroom level.

What are some effective formative assessment practices for ELLs?

What's important to remember is that formative assessment is flexible and intended to focus on feedback for both the teacher and the student. As an initial step, I highly recommend that teachers keep portfolios of student writing samples to show individual student growth over time. Through portfolios like journals and learning logs, student work can be the centerpiece in conferences and school data meetings.
Next, I suggest that teachers work with students to co-create appropriate goals for using more sophisticated academic language. It's critical to promote student ownership of the assessment process through goal setting, self-assessment as well as peer assessment opportunities.

How can collaboration strengthen formative assessment?

A critical step in strengthening ELL formative assessments is to create and sustain collaborative time to analyze student work. Evidence-based conversations between educators about what students are producing can directly lead to ideas for effective student feedback and instruction. Professional learning communities are also opportunities for collaboration with ELL specialists to deepen content teachers' understanding of language and literacy. One final tip is to consider building data walls of multiple measures of ELL data quarterly to facilitate data-driven coaching cycles and team planning. In these ways, we can offer a "photo album" approach to show progress over time, celebrating students' journey of academic language development.

We know that ELLs are a diverse group of students with unique assets and varying factors affecting academic performance. Many educators need support in reaching ELLs and teaching academic language yet they often don't know where to start. By implementing more formative assessments for ELLs with the appropriate language supports, teachers can better understand their students and become stronger teachers of academic language. After all, all teachers are indeed language teachers!

Formative Assessment Ideas

Journals or learning logs to show growth over time in a portfolio

Academic conversations to explain new learning

Cornell notes or graphic organizers to structure note-taking

Student-teacher conference or small group discussions to recount learning

Exit slips to show "I think..", "I wonder...", "I still want to know..."

Fill-in-the-blank or "cloze" activity using sentence frames

Reciprocal teaching

Recording student language through technology

Drawing or role playing

Gallery walk of student work where students give each other feedback on stickies

Word or concept sorts based on unit themes or student-created categories

One word or one phrase response using whiteboards

Self-checklist or peer-checklist

Label or sequence visuals like pictures, photos or realia (real life objects)

Student-generated questions for peers

This blog is part of the Supporting English Language Learners Series with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more, stay tuned for the culminating podcast, infographic and publication.
For more, see:
Sarah Ottow is the founder, director and lead coach at Confianza: Educating for ELL Equity. Follow Confianza on Twitter: @ELL_Confianza Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update. This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures please see our Partner page.

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Supporting English Language Learners with Formative Assessments

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By Sarah Ottow - By implementing formative assessments for ELLs, educators can develop a "language lens" that uncovers and showcases their growth.

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Formative assessment is a critical key to improving learning and can be used effectively with English learners who come to the classroom with different strengths and assets. What is formative assessment? How and why does it work?

Formative assessment refers to a range of practices used to obtain evidence of learning to inform ongoing instruction and to provide English learners opportunities to develop language competencies and learn academic content simultaneously. These practices help teachers and students determine the next steps to keep content and language learning moving forward.

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ELSF | Resource: Formative Assessment: A Key to Improving Learning for English Learners

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Formative assessment is a critical key to improving learning and can be used effectively with English learners who come to the classroom with different strengths and assets. What is formative assessment? How and why does it work?

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I chose these two because I thought they both had good information on how to properly do a formative assessment for ELs and EBs. I thought it also gave good examples of what those assessments could be.

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LinguaFolio® Training Resources
Training modules to show how to implement LinguaFolio®
6.4 Summative Assessments

A summative assessment is a check of what has been learned at a specific point in time, such as at the end of a lesson, unit, or course. It is based on cumulative learning experiences, tests for achievement, and mastery of specific performance objectives. The teacher's role is to evaluate student performance. The assessment is rigorous and the focus is on the result or product. Depending on age and level, summative assessments may include performance tasks, oral interviews, written reports, projects, and external examinations.
The following are some examples of summative assessments:

Benchmark tests

End-of-course exams

Performance tasks

ELP: English Language Proficiency tests

ACCESS for ELLs: English Language Proficiency test

STAMP: Standard-based Measurement of Proficiency

IPA: Integrated Performance Assessment

SOPA: Student Oral Proficiency Assessment

ELLOPA: Early Language Listening and Oral Proficiency Assessment

NOELLA: National Online Early Language Learning Assessment

OPI: Oral Proficiency Interview by ACTFL

WPT: Written Proficiency Test by ACTFL

National Language Examinations

AP: Advanced Placement Language exams

LinguaFolio includes formative and summative assessment samples, self-assessment of language competencies and intercultural experiences, as well as work samples that complete the "photo album" of a student's performance.
Some school districts and entire states are using some of these formal assessments and recording them on LinguaFolio as overall evidence of learners' language performance.

In this video, students learning English as a second language talk about ways that using LinguaFolio has helped them in other subject areas as well as with end-of-grade assessments. What reasons do they give and in what subject areas have they improved?

Watch video here
Video transcript: "Summative Assessments: How Using LinguaFolio Helps With Other Assessments" (pdf)

Next:6.5) Performance assessments versus traditional assessments

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Training modules to show how to implement LinguaFolio® A summative assessment is a check of what has been learned at a specific point in time, such as at the end of a lesson, unit, or course. It is based on cumulative learning experiences, tests for achievement, and mastery of specific performance objectives.

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In most educational contexts, summative assessment - to evaluate student learning by comparing it against course objectives at the end of a period of study - is firmly entrenched.

In elementary and high schools, very few argue with the concept that grading students with summative assessment is important and necessary. Academic accomplishment is the primary method through which society determines a student's future potential.

This continues in tertiary education, where you need to achieve passing grades in a course in order to get your certificate, diploma or degree to be considered for employment.

But English language schools often don't have the same expectations around summative assessment.

One key reason why is because they have non-standardised curriculums, course objectives and testing. Unlike the educational institutions mentioned above, each school can do things their own way - they deliver 'non-accredited courses.'

This has led to the development of a school of thought amongst some English Language Teaching professionals who work in English language schools that summative assessment isn't that important when it comes to ESL students.

'If a course isn't accredited, why go to the trouble of giving tests and exams?' is the argument given. 'It's just a lot of unnecessary work for the teacher and unnecessary stress for the students.'

However, I believe this view to be severely flawed. There are several compelling reasons why summative assessment is important for ESL students.

Reasons Why Summative Assessment is Important

1. Students need to know where they stand

It's a good thing when students receive feedback through summative assessment on their achievement and rate of progress.

Feedback empowers them - after seeing where they currently are when it comes to learning English, they are able to make an informed decision (or their parents can, in the case of children) about how they want to respond.

2. Teaching Life Skills

An ESL course that includes summative assessment doesn't just teach English. It also teaches important life skills. When students know they will be graded, they are more likely to try harder in the classroom, thereby developing the following skills:

Decision making: choosing an answer or how to explain an opinion.

Problem solving: how to improve in a particular area of study

Time management: finding time to complete homework and studying outside the classroom.

Working as a team: in pair or small group exercises and activities.

3. Better job prospects

Even if a potential employer knows that a promising job candidate has completed an ESL course that isn't accredited, they are still likely to be interested in seeing a certificate or transcript that shows the candidate's current level of English if one's available.

How to Record Summative Assessment

It's important for a teacher to provide a clear and comprehensive record of a student's summative assessment when they complete their studies. This should be done in the form of a transcript. It can be added to a certificate or given as a stand-alone document.

Below, I've added a transcript template that includes all of the important elements. Student test scores (or an average of scores) are recorded on the transcript, along with a participation grade, attendance percentage and comments from the teacher.

The level descriptors on the second page of the transcript are linked to Common European Framework of Reference Global Scale Common Reference Levels ( Council of Europe English Language Portfolio, 2011).

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Importance of Summative Assessment For ESL Students | Templates

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Summative assessment is important in any course. BUT...this view is not universally held in the ESL community, but this view is severely flawed.

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I picked these two because the first one gives good examples as to what a summative assessment is and how to use it and the second one talks about the importance of the summative assessment for ESL students.

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This guest blog post was written by my friend Becca over at Science Rocks! She is a terrific teacher with a lot of experience working with ELL students in her science classroom and I collaborated with her in writing this post. I think her ideas are full of fantastic tips for teachers who teach English Language Learners.
If you've been teaching for a while, chances are you have had some ELL (English language learner) students in your classroom. I've known many teachers that have panicked and asked me "how can I teach them science if they don't speak English?" I think many teachers tend to think they need to dumb down the content for these students. They aren't dumb! Your job is to make the content accessible. It's been my experience that ELL students are amazingly hard workers and are a blast to work with. My friend Bethany Lau over at Science with Mrs. Lau and I have created a list of best-practice tips for working with ELL students. We also have some helpful resources to share with you!

Tip #1: Get them talking! A quiet classroom is not conducive to learning a new language. Many students are scared to speak out loud in English, especially in front of the entire class. To help build their confidence, try small group discussions first. To ensure that every student has spoken to his or her group, give each student something color-coded (I use colored popsicle sticks from the dollar store). When a student speaks, they place their popsicle stick in the center of the table. It is easy as a teacher to walk around and monitor who is speaking and who isn't. Make it a requirement that each student has to speak at least twice during group discussions.

Tip #2: SLOW down when you are talking, and use nonverbal cues. This is much easier to do when you have all your ELL students together in one class, but when they are mixed with native English speakers we often don't realize how fast we are talking. It is really difficult for ELL students to process when you are speaking a mile a minute. So take a deep breath, slow down, and use your hands and other nonverbal gestures. Don't be afraid to act things out! Yes they will giggle, and yes they will love it.

Tip #3: Build vocabulary. When you teach new words, always make your students repeat the word out loud after you say it. And if they aren't loud, make them do it again. If you have a word wall in your classroom, go down the list frequently and make your students say them with you. To help students remember the definitions, discuss prefixes and suffixes to help them decode meanings.

Find fun ways for students to practice those new words. Instead of doing vocabulary worksheets, do vocabulary games instead! Bingo is an awesome way to review vocabulary words before a test. Create a bingo card from a free online bingo-card maker such as http://osric.com/bingo-card-generator/. Type in the words you want your students to learn and print a class set. Instead of calling out the words, say the definition and the students need to cover up the correct word. If they get a bingo, they need to say the words out loud in order to win a prize.

Tip #4: Utilize pictures. I used to try and translate parts of my power points into Spanish before the lesson thinking I was doing my students a favor.

I quickly realized that:

1. Google translate is frequently wrong

2. Many of my students could speak fluent Spanish but couldn't read it.

3. Even if they could read most of it, they didn't know the content specific terms in Spanish. Why would I want my students to learn the word "homeostasis" in Spanish AND English? Let's just stick with English.

Instead of translating, stick with visual pictures. Pictures are understood in all languages. Include them as much as possible in your lessons and power points. Make students draw pictures in their notes. Include pictures in all your articles you want students to read. A great pre-reading activity is to have students look at the pictures and captions in an article before they read the body paragraphs. Have them guess what the article is about based on the pictures and discuss with their neighbors (get those popsicle sticks back out). If you have a word wall in your classroom, make sure it includes pictures too! The more they see a picture associated with a new word, the more likely they will remember what it means.

Tip #5: Learn about their language and culture, and include it in your lessons when applicable. Students will have more buy-in to your lessons when they feel like their language and culture is valued. If you can connect their language to the content, chances are they will remember it better. For example, students use the term "liga" in Spanish to mean rubber band or hair elastic. When teaching "ligaments," discuss how they are stretchy unlike tendons. Students won't forget!

Tip #6: Use Manipulatives! Sometimes students need help learning how to structure their writing into logical paragraphs (even native English speakers need this too!) If you have sample paragraphs for them to learn from, you can print separate sentences out on separate lines, and cut them into strips. Then you can mix the sentences up and have students order them in how they should logically appear in a sentence! You can also do this for other parts of a lab report, like the procedure section or even the proper labels for a graph!

You could create your own writing structure manipulatives, or you can check out Bethany Lau's Lab Report Writing Activity Bundle found here. She has a set of activities with manipulative for each and every part of the lab report with a lot of examples for students to learn from.

Tip #7: Get them writing as much as possible. Data shows that when students take the state language proficiency tests, they struggle the most with writing. Find ways to get students writing on a daily basis. This could work in many different formats- just find one that works for you. Daily bellwork is a great place to start, as well as having students keep writing journals.

What should you have them write about? Check out these writing prompts from Science Rocks' store!

These were designed to be used before new concepts are taught, and allows the teacher to assess prior knowledge and check for misconceptions. When students are first learning English, allow them to write in their native language if they are able to and plug in English words that they know. Throughout the year as their language improves, you will see their writing transform from fragmented to fluid sentences.

Another great writing strategy for ELL students are sentence frames. For students still learning how to write a complete sentence, give them half the sentence first and have them fill in the blanks. For example, a hypothesis on a lab report for an ELL student could look like this: "If I change ___________, then I think ___________ will happen, because __________.

Tip #8: Model. And then model some more. As science teachers we tend to think of "modeling" as meaning "I'll show them how to do a lab before it's their turn." Modeling applies to so much more than labs.

1. Model reading strategies. As you read through articles out loud, stop and discuss. What was the main idea? What did you highlight and why?

2. Model writing strategies. When you assign those writing prompts, work through one with them first. Show them what a quality answer would look like.

3. Model behaviors. Many students will enter your classroom from different backgrounds. Behaviors that may have been acceptable where they grew up may not be acceptable in your classroom. If you want them to give a verbal presentation with eye contact, show them what a good presentation looks like first.

4. Model word pronunciation. Sometimes if students are nervous to say things in English, I have them teach me how to say the phrase in their native language first. Once they have giggled at my horrible pronunciation, they aren't so embarrassed to pronounce things in English.

Tip #9: Modify. Yes, one more thing to add to your to-do list. But it can honestly be as simple as cutting down the number of questions for them to complete, or adding pictures to an assessment. One of my favorite websites to find nonfiction science articles on is newsela.com. Not only is it free to use, but once you find an article you can change the lexile! That means all your students can be reading the same article but at a reading level that is assessable to them.

Tip #10: Use formative assessment frequently, and celebrate gains. It's important to check in with ELL students often. Many of them will take notes, smile, and nod during class, but only understood 20% of what was discussed. Exit tickets and note summaries are great ways to check in and see where they need help and what they have mastered. Make your exit tickets specific. Don't just say, "One thing I still need help with is..." but instead ask them to answer a specific question related to the lesson. This will help you group them by mastery and focus on the students that really need your help. Once they have mastered a new concept or learned new vocabulary, don't forget to celebrate! Let them know you are proud of them, and they will work harder in the future. If students feel like their hard work is recognized and celebrated, they will continue to work hard!

We'd love to hear stories from you about what helps your ELL students! Let us know in the comments!

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Ten Tips for Teaching ELL Science - Science and Math with Mrs. Lau

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This guest blog post was written by my friend Becca over at Science Rocks! She is a terrific teacher with a lot of experience working with ELL students in her science classroom and I collaborated with her in writing this post. I think her ideas are full of fantastic tips for teachers who teach English Language [...]

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How science teachers can use ELL strategies to help students have a better grasp of the vocabulary of science.

Middle school science students filter into the classroom, gradually transitioning to speaking English as they finish conversations in their first language, Korean or Chinese. One of a series of slides is up on the board, each cuing an activity to get them talking about the subject in the target language, preparing them for the challenge of the vocabulary-dense content area of science.

The volume of science terms discourages many students early on, especially students who don't often see themselves reflected in the content, particularly girls and students of color. To address the needs of the large language learner population at our school, the two of us-English language learner teacher Kent and science teacher Gina-teamed up to create resources to support students as they grow as both scientists and English speakers.

While these resources were designed with language learners in mind, the activities have proven highly effective in increasing confidence with science vocabulary for native English speakers as well.

Teachers can easily modify each of the resources below to fit different science units or even different content areas and support learners as they transition away from figuring out what to do and instead focus on content, skills, and vocabulary, reducing the amount of time needed for instructions. For example, when students see a vocabulary puzzle in class, they discuss with a partner or small group (in English or their first language) the multiple ways to approach it and then immediately get to work.

Supporting English Language Learners in Science Classes

Interactive student-to-student talk: Using the target language for frequent student vocalizations and student-to-student interactions is a primary goal and the main area we focused on when we developed these resources. Each class starts with an opportunity for students to warm up their science vocabulary, activate schema relevant to the day's lesson, or retrieve previously learned content, all while practicing their academic interpersonal English skills. We have slides and activities to engage students in partner talk using unit vocabulary, and teachers can easily adapt them for a range of content.

Vocabulary puzzles: Vocabulary puzzles tap visual, kinesthetic, and interpersonal modalities and can be differentiated with little difficulty. Teachers can scaffold the puzzles for different linguistic levels by cutting them into fewer larger pieces before tackling all the pieces separately. Students can also lay pieces on top of the completed puzzle, using it as a key. Once students are confident with the vocabulary, they can use the cards in a dominoes-style game where students make connections between different terms to build an interconnecting board.

Student roles in jigsaw discussions: Dividing up content using a jigsaw strategy gives students the chance to dig in more deeply with a smaller amount of information and offers all learners the opportunity to feel more like an expert about specific content material. This also allows for the leveling of source material to give every student an entry point into the topic. Clear student roles in the discussion ensure that every student is contributing and is engaged during the interactive portion of the jigsaw.

These tools also support effective collaborative talk as students are tasked with asking questions, summarizing main ideas, and using a recording tool to offer a window into their conversations. The teacher can easily change the roles to meet the needs of the students, content, or task.

Fishbowl discussions: Once students feel comfortable with the content vocabulary, it's important that they get an opportunity to apply it. Fishbowl discussions consist of a small group of students conversing about a unit-related topic while another group of students observes the discussion. Topics are designed to prompt debate, deep thinking, and connections to student experiences, as well as promote the application of unit content and vocabulary.

Tailoring both the student preparation sheet and the observation sheet gives the teacher the opportunity to guide students toward the right content and discussion norms. For example, after noticing that girls were often excluded from discussions involving groups that had a majority of boys, we added an "invites quieter member to share" section to the observations sheet.

The fishbowl format facilitates high-level discussions in the target language and supports students in developing academic and collaborative discussion skills. In classroom reflections, students often point to fishbowl discussions as the activity that really pushes them and helps them learn.

Students thrive in learning spaces where they can be engaged and successful-where they can feel themselves learning. Integrating activities like those above into a science or other content class gives every student entry points for success and the tools to support them in making progress. We encourage teachers to give these strategies a try, measure how classroom interactions shift, and plan their next steps in supporting all learners in communicating about scientific topics.

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Using ELL Strategies in the Science Classroom

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How science teachers can use ELL strategies to help students have a better grasp of the vocabulary of science.

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I picked the first website because I liked how it gave different tips for teaching science to ELLs. I chose the second one because I felt like it gave the educators good strategies to use when teaching science.

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Why is writing so hard? This is a question that teachers hear on a daily basis from students. There is no denying that writing is difficult. However, for English Language Learners (ELLs), writing is made even harder because they are doing a task outside of their native language.

We have compiled a list of the best activities and writing strategies for ELL students that are designed to alleviate your ESL students' struggles.

Before You Begin

To determine which strategies will work best for your students, ask these four questions before they start writing:

1. Do they already know how to read in their first language?

2. How similar is the student's home language to the English alphabet and syntax?

3. How often does the student have the opportunity to practice reading and writing in English?

4. How much background knowledge does the student have about the writing topic?

The Importance of Scaffolding Writing for ELLs

In education, scaffolding is a teaching method where teachers help students complete tasks just beyond the point that they could achieve by themselves. It was developed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who theorized that children learn best when an adult helps them expand upon what they already know and can do.

His theory birthed the concept of a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)-the area between what is known and unknown where students can achieve a task with guidance from a knowledgeable teacher. Over time, teachers gradually reduce support until the students can do the task themselves.

There are many benefits to scaffolding instruction for students:

Tasks are simplified to make them more manageable.

Student frustration is reduced.

Students are better able to focus on learning objectives.

Students build confidence in their abilities.

Scaffolding your instruction is key to the success of all students-especially ELLs. When you make connections to what students already know, learning becomes more meaningful. Determining where and when scaffolding techniques are to be used (and later removed) is crucial in helping students reach their learning goals.

ELL Writing Strategies for Scaffolding

ELLs benefit from scaffolding throughout the writing process. Below are a few types of scaffolding writing strategies for ELL students that can be used at any grade or language level.

1. Model Texts
All ELL students need to see plenty of examples of the kind of writing you want them to produce. Model texts could be selected from high-quality literature, teacher-generated, or student-authored pieces. Whatever text you select, make sure that it clearly demonstrates your learning objective.

2. Sentence Frames
Sentence frames are sentences with strategically placed blanks for students to fill in. These are helpful for newcomers who are in the earlier stages of language proficiency, or for introducing a new type of sentence structure.

3. Sentence Stems
Similar to sentence frames, sentence stems provide a prompt for students to begin writing. Sentence stems are more open-ended than sentence frames, but still offer structure and guidance for the writing activity.

4. Word Walls
Word walls are an excellent scaffolding technique, as they can be customized to your language objectives. You may utilize a word wall for academic vocabulary terms or other important writing elements like signal words. You can make your word wall a more powerful teaching tool by making it interactive.

5. Graphic Organizers
Beginning a writing task can be daunting for ELLs. Graphic organizers are effective teaching tools that help students visually organize information and break down writing into more manageable steps. Consider pre-filling parts of graphic organizers to scaffold for your ELLs.

Writing Activities for ELL Students

When teaching writing to English language learners, it's important to use authentic writing activities that allow them to write about their experiences. We've compiled a list of engaging writing activities along with scaffolding techniques to help each of your ELLs build their writing skills.

Journaling
How to Journal with ELLs

Student journaling can be an effective activity to help ELL students build confidence and develop writing skills. There are many different ways that teachers can use journaling in the classroom. Personal journals, dialogue journals, and content-specific journals such as science or math notebooks are all helpful teaching tools. For a more in-depth look at how journaling can benefit ELL students, read our article here.
Benefits for ELLs

Journals can be used by ELLs of any proficiency level.

Students have the opportunity to write in their native language.

When used intentionally, journals can expand students' vocabulary and higher-order thinking skills.

Strategies for ELLs

For newcomers or those who have limited proficiency, consider allowing them to draw in their journals and label their pictures.

Use picture dictionaries or other visuals to help students bridge their understanding between words that they know in their native language and English words.

Provide sentence starters or writing prompts to help students get started with their writing.

Sequential Writing
How to do Sequential Writing with ELLs

Have the students write the steps to do a familiar task like getting ready for school or making breakfast. Students can practice using new and unfamiliar words along with a routine activity.
Benefits for ELLs

Sequencing is an important skill for reading comprehension and scientific inquiry.

By selecting a familiar activity, you will ensure that ELL students have the background knowledge necessary for the activity.

Students' home cultures can be incorporated by including the activity as homework for ESL students-have students ask their parents to tell them the steps for making their favorite meal.

Strategies for ELLs

Provide pictures for students to put in the correct order for a familiar activity. Have students practice labeling or matching words with the pictures. Reinforce keywords like "first," "next," "then," etc.

For students with progressing language skills, divide a paper into four sections. Have the students draw and label pictures for each step.

Provide a sequence graphic organizer for ELL students to write the steps to the activity.

Creative Writing
How to Use Creative Writing with ELLs

Short, creative writing activities can provide ELLs with engaging written expression examples and ideas.

Have students write a social media post, like a tweet, about a current event or even as a book review.

As part of a social studies unit, give ELL students an assignment to write a postcard from a country that they have been learning about in class or their native country.

For students with more advanced language skills, have them create a fictional ad to introduce and practice persuasive writing.

Benefits for ELLs

Incorporating social media activities can enhance ESL students' digital literacy.

Short, engaging activities reduce the cognitive load for ELL students while increasing their motivation.

Strategies for ELLs

Use model texts so that students are familiar with the type of writing you assign.

Create a word bank or personal word wall for students to reference relevant vocabulary words.

Poetry
How to Use Poetry with ELLs

Begin by discussing the difference between stories and poems. Read many different types of poetry to familiarize students with the genre, and include poetry across the curriculum where relevant. Consider the best type of poem for your instructional needs:
Benefits for ELLs

The text in poetry is both purposeful and brief, so ELL students can understand the main point without becoming overwhelmed.

Poetry offers opportunities for students to engage with language in a playful way.

Poems are an excellent way to incorporate your students' native cultures into your classroom.

Strategies for ELLs

To scaffold, first create a poem as a group, then have students work in smaller groups or pairs to write independently.

Have students create word maps to help them generate relevant vocabulary or varying adjectives to make their poetry more interesting.

Writing Programs for ELLs from Continental

Continental understands there are many different writing programs to choose from when teaching writing to English language learners. Our ELL writing programs are developed with the latest research and teacher-backed activities and feature the best writing strategies to support language development.

My Language Journal

My Language Journal is a series of personal journals that provides ELLs with opportunities to practice their writing skills and develop their vocabulary through visual learning activities. My Language Journal can be used for grades K-12.

Uses personal writing prompts to engage ELLs

Customizable word logs help make learning meaningful

Topics for social-emotional learning (SEL) and content areas

Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary support

The Write Track for English Learners

The Write Track for English Learners focuses on writing development to help ELLs develop their written communication skills. It also helps students gain confidence with classroom writing assignments and state testing requirements. It's designed for grades K-12 and English language proficiency levels 2-5.

Provides complete instruction for a variety of writing areas

Step-by-step instruction with guided practice and peer review

Correlated to English language development (ELD) standards

Interactive eBooks with online answering, instant scoring for immediate feedback, and performance reports

Writing can be difficult even for native English speakers. Thankfully there are many ways to help ESL students not feel overwhelmed and discouraged. By using these writing strategies, you can help your students begin to feel more confident in their English language skills.

Looking for more writing or teaching strategies to support your ELL students? Visit Continental's ESL Resource Center for ideas and free downloads.
Thank you to Ellen Richardson, our ELL contributor, for consulting on this blog post.

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Writing Strategies for ELL Students | Continental Educational Publisher

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We have created a list of the best activities & writing strategies for ELL students that are designed to alleviate their writing struggles.

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The website I added included really good strategies and topics to teach my students when it comes time to teach them about reading and writing. The picture I put so I can go look back on it and print it out for my classroom to hang in my classroom.

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Abstract

The new mainstream classroom is both multilingual and multicultural. How prepared are teachers to work with English language learners and students with interrupted or informal education? This study aimed to determine if teacher growth mindset and cultural competency significantly predicted teacher's use of responsive teaching practices with English language learners. Utilizing a multiple regression model, growth mindset and cultural competency did not predict teacher's use of responsive teaching practices. However, by conducting an itemized analysis of the cultural competency survey, certain items stood out as potential predictors of responsive teaching practices. Results from this study suggest that the cultural competency survey and scenarios from the responsive teaching practices survey may be adapted to support school districts in providing quality professional development with their teachers and support staff.

Recommended Citation

Thiry, B., & Concannon, J. P. (2021). Multilingual and Multicultural Education: The Intersectionality of Culture Mindset and Instructional Practices. Journal of English Learner Education. (12) 1.

Retrieved from https://stars.library.ucf.edu/jele/vol12/iss1/4

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Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons

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Multilingual and Multicultural Education: The Intersectionality of Culture Mindset and Instructional Practices

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The new mainstream classroom is both multilingual and multicultural. How prepared are teachers to work with English language learners and students with interrupted or informal education? This study aimed to determine if teacher growth mindset and cultural competency significantly predicted teacher's use of responsive teaching practices with English language learners.

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I thought the first article gave a good explanation as to what multilingual and multicultural are in a classroom setting and how to help ELs with it. The picture I chose I just thought was really cute, I remember in elementary school I loved learning about different cultures and we have flags from every country there was hanging up, my favorite day was called "international day" and there were different booths with foods,crafts, etc from that country so we got to learn about a variety of cultures.

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Ellevation: ML Program Management Tools for K-12

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The introduction of new standards for English Language Learners has resulted in an increase in rigor and a focus on academic language. With this shift, language service models that isolate language objectives from content, such as pull-out or ESL classes, are becoming less common as school districts refocus on language instruction that is embedded within high-quality, well-scaffolded content instruction.

When creating content-based language instruction, educators must develop unit and lesson content that allows ELs to access the same rigorous, standards-based, grade-level content. In particular, educators need to develop content-based language objectives, which clarify how students will develop language within content instruction.

Alison Balter, an EL leader from Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts, worked with Jordan Meranus to share effective strategies that she uses to develop language objectives and integrate them into lessons and units. Below we have outlined some of these key strategies.

What are language objectives?

Language objectives clarify how language instruction is integrated with content, and specifically identify:

1. The way ELL students will use language objectives to engage with the content of the lesson and accomplish the content objectives

2. The specific components of academic language (vocabulary, language structures, etc.) that students will need to learn to accomplish the language objectives

With advanced planning, language objectives help to identify the scaffolds that teachers must have ready to support differentiated instruction for their ELs.

How do I create language objectives?

When creating language objectives you should begin by clarifying and identifying the following:

Content objective - identify the content objective that you plan to supplement with language objectives. While you may not create a language objective for every content objective, Alison recommends that you identify the "power objectives", or essential objectives, within a broader unit and use those to create language objectives.

Knowledge of ELL Student Levels - build an understanding of students' language proficiency levels so that you know how to adjust the language objectives, differentiate instruction, and apply accommodations for multilingual learners.

Domain - identify the domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) that you plan to focus on. It often helps to think about what you are asking students to do (e.g., a debate-focused content objective would lend itself to a Speaking language objective).

Next, you will use this key information to craft a language objective composed of the following three components:

1. Language function - the purpose of the language or linguistic processes required in conveying a message, which includes a verb or action that describes what a student should do (e.g., identify, interpret, evaluate, describe)

2. Support - identifies the supports and scaffolds (sensory, graphic, interactive) that the students will need (e.g., vocabulary sheets, visuals, etc.)

3. Link to Content - the link to the content topic

Within this structure you will be able to adjust the language function and supports to match students' different language proficiency levels.

Content Objectives

SWBAT solve word problems involving unit rates

SWBAT justify their decisions based on unit rates in real-life scenarios (e.g., choosing which car to buy based on gas mileage in miles/gallon)

Language Objective -Levels 4-5
Create multiple paragraphs analyzing the effect of figurative language in a poem.

* Support was not provided, as most of the advanced students in this group were working at grade level.

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Crafting Language Objectives for English Language Learners (ELLs)

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The introduction of new standards for English Language Learners has resulted in an increase in rigor and a focus on academic language. With this shift, language service models that isolate language objectives from content, such as pull-out or ESL classes, are becoming less common as school districts refocus on language instruction that is embedded within high-quality, well-scaffolded content instruction.

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How to Write Objectives for Lesson Plans with Embedded Language Support - The All-Access Classroom

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Want some tips on how to write objectives for lesson plans? This guide (and easy-to-use template!) will make this a fun part of the process!

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I thought both of these do a good job of explaining what writing language objectives is and how to incorporate them in a class setting and help your students succeed with it.

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English Language Learners (ELLs, ELs ELDs) face a variety of challenges in the mainstream classroom. Along with social and cultural differences, ELLs may also struggle with the language used in the classroom. This academic language can be difficult for ELLs to grasp and can pose a stumbling block when it comes to classroom success.

"Mastery of academic language is arguably the single most important determinant of academic success for individual students," says David Francis in Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations For Instruction and Academic Interventions. "Unfortunately, ELLs often lack the academic language necessary for success in school. This lack of proficiency in academic language affects ELLs' ability to comprehend and analyze texts in middle and high school, limits their ability to write and express themselves effectively, and can hinder their acquisition of academic content in all academic areas."

So what can mainstream teachers do to help ELLs master academic language? First, it's important to understand the key components of academic language. Linguist Jim Cummins distinguished between two different types of language: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).

Recognizing the differences between these elements of second language acquisition will help you develop effective strategies for teaching academic language to ELLs.

Understanding BICS

Cummins classifies Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) as the language system that a person uses in everyday, informal types of communication. The language used for BICS is typically cognitively undemanding and developed largely through social interactions.

This type of language is typically developed well before students become proficient in academic language; English learners can become proficient in BICS as quickly as a year. BICS is predominantly oral and uses Tier 1 vocabulary.

For this reason, it is important not to judge students' language proficiency on their speaking abilities alone. Students with a high level of BICS might be able to hold a conversation about a familiar topic or converse well in high-context situations. However, they may not have the linguistic sophistication to engage in academic discussions without the intentional development of academic language.

Understanding CALP

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) measures mastery of the rigorous, intellectual vocabulary of content areas, which Cummins states is a key distinction from BICS. Academic language refers to the language needed by students to conquer classroom tasks, from understanding basic content vocabulary and directions to navigating advanced textbooks.

"To me, academic language is when teachers use keywords and important content area concepts when working with ELs," says Dara Schmick, an ESL teacher at Rutherford Elementary School and the Elementary ESL Department Chair for the Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg, PA. "It is important for teachers to speak to students in a way that promotes language in every aspect of their school day."

Mastering academic language is critical to the academic success of ELLs. Cummins theorized that the development of CALP can take from four to seven years, independent of other factors such as language proficiency level, age and time of arrival in a school setting, degree of academic language proficiency in the student's first language, and the level of in-school language support.

How Can You Help Students Achieve Academic Language Mastery?

Successful understanding of academic language requires a partnership between mainstream teachers and ESL teachers, Schmick says, noting, "Teachers need to all be on the same page so that the academic language is comprehensive."

Working together, mainstream and ESL teachers can help ensure English Language Learners have success when it comes to conquering academic language.

"Some mainstream teachers have the skills and strategies to work with ELs and can use these with all of their students," Schmick says. "However, there are times when teachers are unsure of how to work with these students."

If you're teaching ELLs in your classroom, consider these tips for teaching academic language:

Introduce and reinforce academic language regularly.

It's important to preview text and identify words that might be new to students, says ELLs specialist Kristina Robertson on Colorin Colorado!, a bilingual site for educators and families of English Language Learners. She suggests writing words and phrases on the board and having students write them on index cards. She also recommends using visuals, acting, or synonyms to help students understand the meaning of a word. "Reinforce the newly learned language by asking the students to draw it, act it out, or use it in an appropriate sentence," she says.

Provide opportunities for review.

Consider creating a "word wall" of academic language terms so that students can refer to what they've learned throughout the year. Students can also use journals or word logs to reference academic vocabulary that they've learned throughout the year

Use academic language throughout all content areas.

"As the classroom teacher, it's important to integrate academic language into your daily classroom practice," says teacher Marine Freibrun on Minds-in-bloom.com. "Use the words in your objectives for other lessons, use the words in classroom discussions, and ask students to use them in their writing across disciplines. I also use academic language tickets to have students practice their words after lessons have been taught. I use them for tickets out, as morning work, or as independent practice. Just because you teach the lesson, doesn't mean you or your students are done with the word. It's important to continue the practice throughout the year."

Use resources for support.

Mainstream teachers should feel comfortable relying on other teachers or resources to help ELLs in their classrooms.

"It is imperative that mainstream teachers continue to use professional development opportunities in order to enhance the necessary skills needed to work with ELs," Schmick says. "If this is not possible for them, they can also use their ESL teacher as a resource for their own classroom. ESL teachers are there to not only help ELs succeed but to help classroom teachers with the challenges of educating ELs."

Resources such as Continental's TEAM Toolkits: Teaching ELs for Academic Language Mastery can be useful go-to supports when it comes to academic language and ELLs. The kits feature structured activities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking to help English learners develop grade-level academic language skills.

Academic language is an essential component of education and is critical for success in school-and it poses unique challenges for English language learners. By intentionally developing academic language for your ELLs, you will support their academic success.

Looking for more ESL/ELD/ELL resources for your classroom? Check out Continental's wide variety of instructional materials for K-12 students.
This blog was originally published on September 13, 2017. It was updated on October 19, 2022.

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Strategies for Teaching Academic Language to ELLs | Continental

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It's important for mainstream teachers to know the basics of academic language and develop strategies for teaching academic language to ELLs.

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1/17/2017

A common misconception among teachers is that if a student can speak English fluently, he or she does not need extra accommodations in order to grasp the curriculum. In reality, many students struggle with academic language because their exposure to language outside of school does not include advanced words and phrases. The transition to "school talk" poses a particular challenge for English Learners (ELs) as they must simultaneously develop everyday language already familiar to their monolingual peers, along with academic language skills ( O'Brien and Leighton, 2015).

Without exposure to advanced English language skills at home, ELs face double the demands of language learning. Increasing numbers of EL students attending schools across the country have made it an educational imperative that instruction and assessment directly promote students' academic language proficiency.

What is academic language?

In the lexicon of English language verbiage, there are three tiers of words classified by frequency, complexity, and specificity. Academic language is made up of mainly Tier 3 words, due in large part to its sophistication and association with a specific domain.

According to William Saunders and Claude Goldenberg, "Academic language refers to the specialized vocabulary, grammar, discourse/textual, and functional skills associated with academic instruction and mastery of academic materials and tasks." (Saunders, Goldenberg, C. 2010) In other words, it is a combination of subject-specific terminology (think: photosynthesis, onomatopoeia) and formal language used in an academic or professional setting that is devoid of colloquialisms. Students have limited exposure to such words and, as a result, rarely use them in conversation. This is the main reason academic language is the hardest terminology and discourse for ELs to grasp, as well as the hardest to teach.

Experts suggest taking a four-pronged approach when teaching academic language to ELs by providing opportunities for these students to learn the terminology through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This is best practice with all students, but especially students who are not native English speakers.

Below are three strategies that take a four-pronged approach to teaching academic language. Each strategy provides good exposure to the words and opportunities that will help learners develop an understanding based on usage. Two of the strategies utilize visuals, and all three could be transformed into graphic organizers. These strategies are most effective if taught prior to readings that include vocabulary words.

Strategy 1: 7-Step Process

Step 1: Teacher says the word. Student repeats.

Step 2: Teacher states the word in context from the text.

The United States imposed an embargo on Cuba on October 19, 1960

Step 3: Teacher provides the dictionary definition(s).

noun. an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country.

Step 4: Teacher explains meaning with student-friendly definitions.

An embargo is when one country blocks goods from being sold to or purchased from another country in an effort to pressure that country politically.

Step 5: Teacher highlights features of the word: polysemous, cognate, tense, prefixes, etc.

"Em" is a prefix that means "in." Derived from the Spanish word "embargar," meaning to bar.

Step 6: Teacher engages students in activities to develop word/concept knowledge.

Example: Work with a partner and come up with a list of goods or services a country may impose an embargo on.

Step 7: Teacher assigns peer reading with oral and written summarization activities and explains how new words will be used

Strategy 2: Lexical Array

1. Preview word by identifying it, having students repeat it, and reading it in the context of the upcoming reading assignment.

Say, "The word we are going to preview is 'weep.' Please repeat the word." Read the passage: "Weeping is not the same thing as crying. It takes your whole body to weep, and when it's over, you feel like you don't have any bones left to hold you up." -Twenty Boy Summer

2. Teacher provides three or four words similar to the target word and asks student groups to stretch them out according to least intense/charged to most intense/charged. Relationships tend to go: Weak ? Strong; Mild ? Intense; Slow ? Fast.

Example: Teacher provides sob, wail, and cry in addition to target word "weep." See below for example of a filled out graphic organizer.

3. Student groups will then be asked to explain the order of their words and why they made the decisions they made.

Example: "Sob indicates more emotion than cry, but weep is a more outward expression of that emotion. Wail is the most intense of the words because it suggests the person is inconsolable and cannot help but express his pain loudly."

1. Teacher states word and asks students to repeat it.

2. Teacher asks students to fill in the graphic organizer in small groups. In the boxes provided, students will answer: What is it?; What is it like?; What are some examples?

How do you address the academic language assessment and instructional needs of English Learners at your school? Connect with Lexia on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and let us know your thoughts and experiences on this topic.

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3 Strategies for Teaching English Learners Academic Language | Lexia

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1/17/2017 A common misconception among teachers is that if a student can speak English fluently, he or she does not need extra accommodations in order to grasp the curriculum. In reality, many students struggle with academic language because their exposure to language outside of school does not include advanced words and phrases.

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I really thought both of these websites had informational things for teaching academic langauge to ELLs, it seemed to be very helpful.

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Oral Language Development

The development of infants' oral language begins as caregivers socially interact with them (Honig, 2007). Oral language includes speaking and listening. Young children learn about their world as they communicate with others. Oral language skills are an important predictor of later language and literacy development (NELP, 2010).

Children begin to develop language as they babble and coo. Soon they are repeating sounds such as da da and then they speak their first word. One-word utterances lead to multiple words, followed by more complex sentences. Oral language is a process that is developed by using spoken language.

Language greatly increases during the preschool years. Starting at the age of 3 years old, children should be learning at least 2,500 new words each year (Roskos, Tabors, & Lenhart, 2004). Therefore, they need to be exposed to new words everyday.

Oral language is used for many purposes. Children use language as they engage in social exchanges and playful encounters. Language is used to make requests, share information, and ask and answer questions. Thus, children's comprehension of language increases during daily interactions.

Children's vocabulary expands as they share their experiences. One powerful way for children to increase their oral language is through hearing the spoken word through meaningful conversations. The more words children hear and comprehend, the faster their language develops (Honig, 2007).

Ways to Promote Language Development

Infants and toddlers learn language as adults talk, recite nursery rhymes, tell stories and sing songs. Adults should imitate the sounds infants say and engage in two-way conversations by taking turns listening and speaking (Morrow, 2012).

Infants and toddlers benefit when caregivers describe feeding, toileting and napping routines. "It is time for lunch. I see that you are telling me that you are hungry. I am going to carry you over to your high chair. Then I am going to bring you some bread, cheese, and a banana to eat."

As teachers and parents playfully and purposefully interact with children throughout the day, they promote language development. For example, caregivers can use communication props such as toy telephones and puppets to expand conversations. They can read frequently and expressively. These activities will facilitate infants and toddlers language development.

Give children opportunities to talk. Ask open-ended questions to promote discussion. Actively listen to children and then clarify and extend the conversation.

Promote speaking and listening throughout the day. As children arrive, model greetings and appropriate social exchanges. During play, scaffold children's language by asking purposeful questions, embedding new words into conversations, and defining new and challenging words.

Read often, even to very young children. Children develop comprehension skills during read aloud, especially if they are involved in exploring and discussing the story and illustrations.

Be a language model and describe children's actions. During outside time, give children opportunities to learn rules and problem-solve as they play new games.

Promote peer-to-peer conversations and make home-school connections during meals and snacks. Encourage children to take an active role in conversations by sharing their thoughts and ideas with others.

Sing songs together. Children enjoy music. As they listen and sing the words in songs they are developing their receptive and expressive language skills.

Use show-and-tell to build oral language skills. With small groups of children, teach them how to share the "who, what, where, when and why" of their object. Children can learn to point and describe the main features of their item. This will promote a more focused showing and telling and build oral language skills.

Retell stories. Storytelling can teach children many language skills, including oral language comprehension. Hearing a story requires children to be active listeners. Teachers can ask children to make predictions and answer meaningful questions. After telling a story, encourage children to retell the story.

Children develop expressive language as they retell a story. As they recount the details of a story, the complexity of their vocabulary and spoken word increases. Retelling stories also helps improve a child's comprehension of a story.

Children can retell stories in many different ways. They can act out a story or use props, flannel boards or sequence cards to tell the tale.

Select books that have topics of high interest.

Use props. Have the children help create the props for stories' retell.

Work with small groups of children.

Retell the story multiple times.

Support and demonstrate as needed.

References

Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education, Inc. (2012). Sounds Beginnings: A workshop on early literacy. Instructors guide. Berkeley, CA.: CORE.

Honig, A. S. (2007). Oral language development. Early Child Development and Care, 177(6-7), 581-613.

Morrow, L. M. (2012). Literacy development in the early years. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, DHHS. (2010). Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Roskos, K. A., Tabors, P. O., & Lenhart, L. A. (2004). Oral language and early literacy in preschool. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

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Oral Language Development | Extension | University of Nevada, Reno

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The development of infants' oral language begins as caregivers socially interact with them. Oral language includes speaking and listening. Young children learn about their world as they communicate with others.

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Building Oral Language Skills through Classroom Instruction: Six High-Yield Strategies to Borrow from the Clinic

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By Mary Ann Schouten and Taylor Bardell A child's oral language ability provides the foundation for learning at school. This is most apparent in the early years when children entering kindergarten demonstrate a wide range of typical and later developing oral language skills.

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Looking at both of these they both give really great strategies to help teach oral language skills in a classroom. I hope to be able to take some of these strategies when I am in my own classroom and help my students using some of these.

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I chose both of these because they give me information to go back on when it comes time to use new methods when teaching the ELLs in my classroom. I like seeing the historical methods and the new ones next to each other to see the difference in them.

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Different Varieties of the English Language | English Dialects

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There are many different varieties of the English language spoken and practiced around the world. We will take a look at a few key types of the language.

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I think it is very interesting how there are different varieties of English because everyone learns it differently from the next person. So, I thought this website is interesting explaining some of it and this image as well.