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This guide accompanies the PL video on our YouTube page:

https://youtu.be/GCXs21in-ZI?feature=shared

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Startup Guide for Teachers of MLs Handbook

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How Every Teacher Can Be a Language Teacher - Tan Huynh

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How Every Teacher Can Be a Language Teacher - Tan Huynh

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In her keynote presentation for the #VirtuEL18 Conference, Dr. Jana Echevarria very powerfully stated, "Our English learners are students who can least afford wasted instructional time" (Echevarria, 2018). In other words, instructional time that is not explicitly tied to developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening can be considered a lost opportunity for English learners (ELs) to further advance their proficiency in English.

ELs not only learn of the English language, but they also learn content through English, so their exposure to targeted language instruction throughout the entire school day is paramount. For this reason, all teachers serve an important role in supporting students who are learning English.

Let's take a look at a few compelling ways every teacher can support language development for English learners.

It is common for teachers to identify solely as content teachers because that is their area of expertise (TESOL, 2018) and many content teachers do not feel prepared to support ELs in meeting the Common Core State Standards in their particular content areas (Education Week, 2014).

TESOL (2018) indicates that successful schools for English learners have a shared sense of community and responsibility for ELs, which stresses the necessity of collaboration between content teachers and language teachers in order to meet students' linguistic needs in all aspects of their schooling.

When teachers come together with the shared goal of helping all students achieve at a high level, English learners will benefit. Also, investing time in ongoing professional development, in partnership with colleagues, is fundamental for better serving English learners. Collaboration, co-teaching, and participation in professional learning communities (PLCs) are all effective ways for teachers to share and increase knowledge around best practices for English learners.
Where to start:

Create Community: Connect with colleagues outside of your specialty area and learn a little about what they teach. Ask questions, observe, and/or take a look at the standards in their discipline area. Try to see the bigger picture of what students experience as they go through their school day and look for ways you can support colleagues by sharing what you know and your strengths. Don't hesitate to ask for help in areas where you may need support. Form Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) or take some time in existing PLCs to talk about language development and language instruction.

Collaborate: If you are a teacher who does not feel confident supporting English learners, utilize your colleagues who have specialized training and knowledge around language development and acquisition. Ask for suggestions around what language forms and functions support your content. Language specialists can share information and strategies. They may even be able to model a lesson or team teach with you in order to support your learning.

Find Mentors: Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter also offer multiple avenues to pursue convenient and free professional development through groups and chats specifically geared toward improving instruction for ELs. These groups and chats are led by experts in the field of language development and involve educators who are both passionate about ELs and more than happy to support other teachers. Advocating for ELLs and Leading ELLs are two helpful groups on Facebook. Additionally, Twitter offers many chats where teachers can share information and ask questions. A few popular chats are: #EllChat, #EllChat_BkClub, #BoostingAchievement, and #CoTeachat.

When language is taught as decontextualized skills, students may achieve proficiency on those particular skills, yet they may not understand or be able to use those skills in the context of connected language. They also may not understand how to leverage their language skills for content learning and demonstrating what they have learned in content classes. If language instruction is embedded within all content areas, the target language is essential and consequently, used, and practiced.
Where to start:

Use Language Objectives: The direct correlation between the content being learned (content objectives) and the language required to demonstrate an understanding of that content (language objectives) not only provides ELs access to the core curriculum, but it also supports them in acquiring more language and provides them more opportunities to practice English. Language practice that aligns with content instruction provides students with a context and a purpose for their language use.

SWIRL: SWIRL is an acronym that stands for speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening. The idea behind SWIRLing is to incorporate a connective thread between the language domains and to make sure students utilize all language domains during content area lessons. This will help students improve their skills in those language domains, while also helping them obtain new knowledge and proficiency around the target content.

Design for Language Use, and Provide Appropriate Supports

Too often, English learners remain quiet for the majority of their school day due to a myriad of factors such as confusion around expectations, anxiety/nervousness about speaking in front of peers, or lack of confidence in their language abilities. In many cases, expectations for language production, particularly speaking and writing, are lowered simply because of students' status as language learners.
Where to start:

Provide Time to Talk: Talking about content is a vital strategy to process new learning. ELs need to practice speaking, but they also need additional time to think and process. Additionally, make sure that the grouping configurations allow them to feel comfortable to share their ideas. Partner practice, small groups, and recording functions on technology can all be used to help ELs feel safety and comfort so they are willing to talk in class. Teachers should also make it a habit to build in wait time before asking English learners to respond to ensure they have had time to think and prepare before sharing. English learners also benefit from opportunities to use their native language to process what they are learning.

Provide Clear Expectations/Directions: Provide both verbal and written directions so students can hear and see what they are expected to do. Use visuals to support instruction and directions to help make concepts and expectations comprehensible.

Model: Before asking students to produce verbal or written language, provide a model of what it should look and sound like. This can include modeling expectations for talking with a partner such as making eye contact, leaning in, and using academic language or showing students a sample of a writing piece.

Scaffold: Use sentence starters or sentence frames to support students in their language production. Make sure keywords and sentence starters/frames are posted so students can use them as they speak or write.

Teachers worry that requiring and expecting English learners to produce language in class will heighten their stress and further impede their success, therefore ELs are permitted to remain quiet with the expectation that they will participate when they are ready. It is important to clarify that simply having ELs in content or mainstream classrooms does not ensure that they will develop the academic language needed to engage in rigorous academic tasks.

The success of English learners is dependent upon many factors. Of utmost significance is that all teachers embrace the importance of supporting language development in conjunction with content instruction so that English learners have meaningful and continuous language instruction and practice. Helping ELs succeed is the responsibility of all teachers. All teachers are language teachers because no matter what we are teaching, we rely on language as the medium help students develop content knowledge.

Dr. Katie Toppel is a K-5 English Language Development Specialist in Oregon. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University in the area of ESOL. Dr. Toppel's instructional background includes experience teaching Kindergarten and First Grade in addition to being a K-12 Support Services Teacher at the Franconian International School in Germany. She is also the co-founder of #EllChat_BkClub on Twitter, which is a virtual book club aimed at improving instructional practices for English Learners.

References

Echevarria, J. [Jana Echevarria]. (2018, May 13). How much should we "push" English learners? [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R49oVkd4MJg&feature=youtu.be

Education Week. (2014). From Adoption to Practice: Teacher Perspectives on the Common Core. [PDF file]. Bethesda, MD: Education Week Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.edweek.org/media/ewrc_teacherscommoncore_2014.pdf

TESOL. (2018). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners. Alexandria, VA: TESOL International Association.

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93. How Every Teacher Can Be a Teacher of Language | Serving students I will never meet.

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In her keynote presentation for the #VirtuEL18 Conference, Dr. Jana Echevarria very powerfully stated, "Our English learners are students who can least afford wasted instructional time" (Echevarria, 2018). In other words, instructional time that is not explicitly tied to developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening can be considered a lost opportunity for English learners (ELs) to further advance their proficiency in English.

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Reflections on Teaching Multilingual Learners

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Many content teachers have made a significant investment in preparing to teach a specific subject area such as science, math, social studies, music, and so forth. It's natural that their focus is on teaching the content topics in their area of expertise. Elementary teachers also teach a variety of subjects and tend to focus on the topic at hand whether it is teaching a science lesson or poetry. Few would disagree that language permeates all topics and subject areas.

In this time of remote learning, teachers are experiencing the reality that many students, English learners and English-speaking students alike, are challenged by the rigorous content and skills associated with high academic standards. Meeting standards is challenging when teaching face-to-face but is even more so in a remote environment.

It's important to keep in mind that English learners are learning the same content as other students, but they are reading, writing, listening and speaking a language in which they are not yet completely proficient. What a difficult job they have!

At the same time, these students are developing a level of English language that English-speaking students and teachers typically take for granted, such as stating an opinion, asking for permission, clarifying a statement, and reading written instructions. Also, they're learning lots of high level of academic vocabulary.

It's easy to see that English learners might disengage from remote lessons when the lesson's content and instruction are well beyond their level of English proficiency.

In planning and teaching lessons, attention to the linguistic needs of English learners is critical for them to be able to participate fully in lessons and learn academic content. Effective teachers, those whose English learner students thrive, intentionally teach language and content simultaneously.

In reality, all teachers are language teachers. Teachers with English learners in their classes need to think about ways to integrate language into content lessons. Every content area - math, science, language, arts, history - requires students to use language in a particular way. For example, texts in social studies tend to use more expository writing which differs from a narrative story in English language arts that uses metaphor.

The academic language used in school is particularly challenging for English learners because it differs from the everyday language students "pick up" in day-to-day life. It is more grammatically dense and formal than the kind of language found in conversations at home and with peers. It includes more sophisticated and technical vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and rhetorical forms that are used almost exclusively in academic settings. It's unlikely that English learners are exposed to this type of language outside of school.

Integrating language into content lessons begins with lesson planning. In designing lessons, focus on the purpose of the lesson and its associated language by writing both content objectives (What students will learn, based on standards) and language objectives (The language students need to be successful in the lesson). Ask yourself:

What vocabulary do students need in order to understand the content?

What kinds of language functions do I need to teach, e.g., compare and contrast, use of superlatives, or making predictions?

The answers to these questions become your language objectives. Then think about meeting those objectives and ask:

When in the lesson will I explicitly teach the language needed?

What activities will I plan that provide opportunities for students to use language and meet the objectives?

What scaffolds will I use to make the lesson more comprehensible, e.g., visuals or a partially completed outline?

When teachers post and review objectives with students, students internalize the idea that both content and language are the focus of learning. By way of demonstrating the power of making students aware of the lesson's objectives, let's look at what happened in a second-grade class. The class had been reading "How To" books and the assignment was: Think of something you can do. Write a "How To" book of your own. One English learner surprised her teacher with the following beginning to her book:

It's evident that Angelica learned that both content and language are important. In fact, her objectives are actually quite good! She even listed the materials needed: popcorn, microwave and bowl.

Routinely posting and reviewing content and language objectives helps teachers think about the language demands of the content lesson they are planning. And, it lets students in on what they are learning and why. Potent stuff.

Since language is an integral part of learning content, English learners benefit when teachers think through the language demands of lessons and teach students what they need in order to learn the lesson's content information and skills. Indeed, all teachers are language teachers.

Based on: Echevarria, J., Vogt, M.E, Short, D. & Toppel, K. (2024). Making content comprehensible for Multilingual learners: The SIOP Model, Sixth Edition. Boston: Pearson.

Short, D. & Echevarria, J. (2016). Developing Academic Language Using the SIOP Model. Boston: Pearson.

(A version of this post was published on February 22, 2016)

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Many content teachers have made a significant investment in preparing to teach a specific subject area such as science, math, social studies, music, and so forth. It's natural that their focus is o...

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The five, research-based principles in this resource are "big ideas" or concepts about second-language acquisition and the academic challenges English learners face. Taken together, the principles can help teachers adapt their instruction and better support academic success for the English learner students in their classrooms.

These five principles apply to all teachers, regardless of what grade or subject area they teach.

Principle 1

English learners move through different stages as they acquire English proficiency and, at all stages, need comprehensible input

Beginning English learners typically understand a little but may not speak very much. These students face different challenges than those with intermediate level skills, who may be able to communicate interpersonally but lack specific vocabulary. Regardless of students' proficiency levels, they need "comprehensible input" or information that is conveyed in a manner that ensures they can understand, even if they do not know every word. For example, for some students, that might mean communication through gestures or pictures; for other students, it might mean conveying new ideas with reference to terms already learned.

Teachers should do the following

Scaffold their instruction and assignments and provide multiple representations of concepts

Promote student interaction that is structured and supported

Consult their state's language proficiency standards; proficiency descriptors are helpful tools to describe how students are using language for particular audiences, tasks, and purposes.

Principle 2

There is a difference between conversational and academic language; fluency in everyday conversation is not sufficient to ensure access to academic texts and tasks

The language used in everyday communication is distinct from the language used in classroom discourse. It is all too easy to misinterpret a student's ability to communicate with classmates on the playground or in the lunchroom-that is, a student's facility with conversational English-as an ability to understand English in any setting, whether in chemistry labs or historical debates.

Teachers should do the following

Provide explicit instruction in the use of academic language

Provide multi‐faceted and intensive vocabulary instruction with a focus on academically useful words

Principle 3

English learners need instruction that will allow them to meet state content standards

It takes multiple years (perhaps as many as five to seven) for English learners to learn English to a level of proficiency high enough to perform on par with their native English‐speaking peers. English learners therefore cannot wait until they are fluent in English to learn grade‐level content. Instead, they must continue to develop their math and reading skills as well as their knowledge of social studies and science, even while learning English. This can happen through a variety of program models.

Teachers should do the following

Provide bilingual instruction when feasible, which leads to better reading and content area outcomes

In English‐language instructional settings, permit and promote primary language supports

In English‐language instructional settings, use sheltered instruction* strategies to combine content area learning with academic language acquisition

In sheltered instruction, English learners learn the mainstream curriculum but often work with modified materials and extra supports to accommodate their linguistic needs. The term "sheltered" is used to indicate that this creates a more learner‐friendly environment for the students.

Principle 4

English learners have background knowledge and home cultures that sometimes differ from the U.S. mainstream

It is all too easy for educators to see the "gaps" in the knowledge of new immigrant children who have never heard of Abraham Lincoln or old‐growth forests. In fact, English learners bring just as much background knowledge as any other student, but it is often knowledge of different histories, cultures, and places and not the background knowledge expected by schools and texts in the U.S.

Teachers should do the following

Use culturally compatible instruction to build a bridge between home and school

Make the norms and expectations of the classroom clear and explicit

Activate existing background knowledge and build new background knowledge to increase comprehension

Principle 5

Assessments measure language proficiency as well as actual content knowledge

Oral or written assessments inevitably measure English learners' English skills as well as, or even more than, the content being tested. It is easy for English‐language difficulties to obscure what students actually know.

Teachers should do the following

Use testing accommodations as appropriate
Check out the original report on which this updated resource was based. To learn more about the services we provide to states, districts, and schools to better support English learner students, contact Kelli Scardina.

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What All Teachers Should Know About Instruction For English Language Learners

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Learn about the five key principles that all teachers should know about second-language acquisition and the academic challenges English learners face.

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Support in Specialty Subjects - Art, Music, PE

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Support in Specialty Subjects - Art, Music, PE

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by Valentina Gonzalez

Many children count the minutes until their art, music, or physical education (PE) class period begins. This could be their time to shine, where they find inspiration or feel the safest. On the other hand, some students dread going to these same classes. They might feel insecure about their skills, shrink in the environment because they don't understand, or feel as if they aren't seen or valued.

Dr. Brené Brown says, "Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect." Students need to know that it's okay to make mistakes. Those mistakes are part of the process, both in language and in learning art, music, and PE. In fact, creating environments that immerse students in engaging conversations can promote a sense of belonging in art, music, and PE classrooms while building language and skills to succeed.

Two ingredients are essential for acquiring language: comprehensible input (Krashen, 2017) and multiple opportunities for low-stress output (Loewen & Sato, 2018). This means that students must understand what they hear or read and have opportunities to express themselves verbally or in writing in safe, risk-free environments. Art, music, and PE can be great places to provide these opportunities for students. The four ideas below bring comprehensible input and low-stress output into art, music, or PE. They will enhance language acquisition for English learners, but they are effective for all students too.

1. Bring in Books

Consider the unit of study, and grab all the books available on that concept. Bring them into the classroom, and make them available to students. Try sharing one as a read-aloud at the beginning or the end of the class period. If it's a long book, read an excerpt. Do a book talk on a given day. For example, on "Book Talk Tuesday," select a book to tell students about. These techniques encourage reading and get students excited about the topic, too. The campus library media specialist is a great resource for books. Some teachers regularly collaborate with the campus library media specialist on finding books to complement the units of study.

2. Incorporate Group or Partner Talk

Make peer-to-peer interaction a priority. Intentionally plan opportunities for students to put their heads together and discuss a question, image, song, or topic. In this article, Nancy Motley shares how to "Target the Talk." A good tip Motley offers for effective group or partner talk is setting clear criteria and modeling them before students begin. For instance, be sure students know who their group or partners are and what the speaking expectations are. Some teachers number students off and ask students to share numerically in groups. Another effective technique for structuring peer talk is QSSSA, which is similar to turn and talk but incorporates wait time, sentence stems, accountability, and more to deepen the conversational routine.

3. Provide Sentence Stems

A sentence stem (also known as a sentence starter) is merely the beginning of an answer, provided to help students express a thought in a complete sentence. Sentence stems capitalize on what is known about the importance of verbalizing to internalize. When asking students to talk with partners in a group or answer a question verbally, sentence stems provide inertia to communicate the thought effectively.

The artist wanted to convey...
The image makes me think...
I think the mood is...
One message I see in this painting is...
A detail I notice in the artwork is...
This artwork makes me think...
The art I like most is...

The musician wants to convey...
The piece makes me think...
I think the mood is...
One message I hear in this piece is...
The instrument that is most significant to me is...because...
This music makes me think...
In my home, we listen to...

One important sport in my family is...
To be healthy, the body needs...
A healthy body needs...
In my home, we eat...
One way to stay active is...
An example of a team sport is...
Being a good team member means...

Encourage students to add "because," "however," "furthermore," or "in addition" to elaborate on their thoughts.

Put Up a Thematic, Interactive Word Wall

Interactive word walls that are unit-based, thematic, and visual help to link knowledge and make instruction more comprehensible. Word walls are not limited to reading, writing, math, and science classrooms. They are actually very powerful in any classroom.

Image a gym where second-grade students are learning about the elements of movement. PE teachers have designated a section of the wall for a word wall titled "Movement with a Purpose." Under the title are five columns: Balancing, Throwing, Skipping, Running, and Jumping. During the unit, students and teachers add pictures and words to the columns on the word wall. They also include sentence stems, such as, "Five types of movement are...", "___ is a movement that helps me..." and "When I ___, I move my...."

An overarching goal in education is to help students think and communicate effectively. Art, music, and PE classrooms that offer opportunities to develop language allow students to negotiate for meaning, talk to peers, and dig deep into ideas. Cultivating language in art, music, and PE classrooms helps all students build effective communication skills that they can apply in content classrooms and everyday life.

Art, music, or PE teachers who would like to learn more about engaging instructional methods that increase participation while cultivating a language-rich classroom, can inquire about the 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom book and professional learning opportunities.

References

​​Krashen, S. (2017). The case for comprehensible input. Language Magazine. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.languagemagazine.com/2017/07/17/case-for-comprehension/.&nbsp;

Loewen, S. & Sato, M. (2018). Interaction and instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching. 51. 285-329. 10.1017/S0261444818000125.

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Four Ways Art, Music, and PE Teachers Can Make Language Flourish

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by Valentina Gonzalez Many children count the minutes until their art, music, or physical education (PE) class period begins. This could be their time to shine, where they find inspiration or feel the safest. On the other hand, some students dread going to these same classes.

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Use First Language to Support English Development

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Use First Language to Support English Development

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by Valentina Gonzalez

Primary language support (PLS) is the use of students' first languages to build on the development of their target language. For example, if a child first learned Italian at home and then begins school in America, the primary language of Italian would be used as a leverage to build the English language.

Primary language support is not the same as bilingual instruction. Bilingual instruction differs from PLS because in bilingual instruction, content is taught in the student's primary language. On the other hand, PLS is used in English instruction to make content comprehensible and to lower the linguistic load. Students' primary languages are used as a leverage to support the acquisition of English.

For many decades in the United States, primary language support has been a highly controversial topic in education. Some argue that the use of primary language may delay ELs' English language development. However, Claude Goldenberg states in a 2013 article for American Educator that, "there is an inherent advantage of knowing and being literate in two languages."

Primary language support benefits English learners because it promotes an assets-based stance. PLS views students from a strengths-based lens and makes us ask, "What literacy do students come to us already having? How can we use their primary literacy in order to grow literacy in a new language?"

PLS also lives under the premise that language is tied to a student's identity. And if we believe that, then we honor students' identities by making room for all of their native languages. We make connections to their linguistic repertoire and teach them how to do the same.

Primary language support is easily given when a teacher or paraprofessional speaks the same language as the student. However, it can still be provided if you don't speak the languages your students speak. As an ESL teacher, I had students who spoke various languages including Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu, Telugu, Egyptian, Japanese, and many others. There's a common misconception that, when you have many students that speak a variety of languages, it's too difficult to use primary language support. Here are some ways to use PLS even when you don't speak your students' primary language.

1. Bilingual Dictionaries: Bilingual dictionaries can be an excellent resource for students who are literate in their primary language and are able to use them effectively in mainstream classrooms. However, for students who have difficulty reading in their primary language, they are of little use. It's important to find out how well your students listens, speaks, reads, and writes in their primary languages. You can find out by asking the children, asking parents, and making observations. If you have access to a book in the child's primary language, ask him or her to read to you. Even if you can't understand the language yourself, you can make observations about the student's reading and speaking. Does the student sound fluent or are they reading word for word? Are they sounding out words and getting stuck? Are they pointing to the words? Do they seem to be exhausted by the text? If they selected the text, does it look age appropriate? All of these observations will help you determine if a bilingual dictionary will be an appropriate PLS for your student.

2. Label the Classroom: Label the room in English and in the students' primary languages. Students can help with this. The labels are a great source for reading materials during transition times of the day, such as lining up for lunch or recess or at the end of class. Teachers point to the labels and students chorally read or echo read the words in English. Some teachers play reading games with the labels, such as asking students to find the object in the room that ends with "ER." The primary language support provided by the labels in students' primary language helps make the new vocabulary comprehensible.

3. Encourage Primary Language Use: Encourage students to continue reading, writing, speaking, and listening in their primary language at home. , Goldenberg asserts that many experimental studies show that "learning to read in their home language helps ELs boost reading skills in English." Sometimes parents will ask if they should speak English at home with their children, and it is recommended that parents communicate with their children in the language they feel most comfortable with. According to Wayne Wright , "reading or being read to at home in the home language promotes literacy development and allows parents to participate in their child's education." One way to support students with primary language literature is to begin purchasing it for your classroom or school library. Many popular books come translated in various languages. When you have extra funds, start buying books that reflect your students. They will love seeing their language represented.

4. Preview-Review: In its essence, Preview-Review is done with a teacher or paraprofessional who speaks the same language that the student speaks. You begin by previewing a lesson with the student in his/her primary language. Then the lesson is taught in English. Finally it is reviewed in the primary language. So what if you don't speak the students' languages? You can modify Preview-Review by offering students an avenue to explore the content ahead of time in their primary language. Then teach in English. And finally express themselves (orally or in writing) in their primary language for the review. Some teachers share upcoming units of study with parents and recommend that parents talk to their kids about the topics in their primary language before they are taught in class. This is another way to modify Preview-Review.

5. Cognates are words that are related in two languages. For example, (English) and (Serbian). Whenever possible, explicitly teach cognates. Even though cognates may seem obvious to us, for some students they are not obvious. As students begin to see the relationship between the two languages, they will become attuned to cognates.

It is not uncommon to hear teachers say that they want students to only speak in English during their class period. Often they are well intentioned. They want students to learn English. They want them to practice English. They want them to be successful not only in their class but in their future, too. However, if we acknowledge that language is central to our identities but we tell someone they can't use their native language, then what message are we conveying? Keeping in mind that learning happens when we feel that we belong - that we are safe, that we are valued - how can we convey a message that creates a safe, comfortable, accepting environment?

There is no way to turn off a language that is already within someone. If you were a second language learner in a classroom, your primary language would be there whether your teacher allowed you to use it or not. By inhibiting students, we are blocking their cognitive ability to grow as learners and thinkers in the content area. This also breeds assimilation rather than acculturation. Assimilation is the process of becoming like everyone else, similar, and erasing one's identity. Assimilation a subtractive approach, while acculturation honors both cultures and represents bicultural living, an additive approach.

As you move forward from here, think of where you are in using PLS with students. Perhaps you were on the fence about it before. Maybe you used to think that it wasn't an option in an ESL setting, or you didn't think it was important. Think about what your next steps will be from here. How will you support English learners as they continue to acquire language and content without losing their own native language and culture?

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Primary Language Support in General Education Classrooms

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by Valentina Gonzalez What is Primary Language Support? Primary language support (PLS) is the use of students' first languages to build on the development of their target language. For example, if a child first learned Italian at home and then begins school in America, the primary language of Italian would be used as a leverage...

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by Valentina Gonzalez

The quality and quantity of preservice instruction in teaching multilingual learners vary, leaving many teachers feeling inadequately prepared. And even those who did receive some training may have never had practical experience applying what they learned.

Well-intentioned teachers with their hearts in the right place are often left feeling overwhelmed as they think about how to best give newly arrived multilingual learners all they need to succeed.

This step-by-step guide offers tips for teachers preparing to welcome newly arrived multilingual learners in all grade levels.

The Days Before a New Multilingual Learner Arrives

1. Learn as much as possible about the new student, including everything from academic information to language and family background. This investment is useful in creating culturally inclusive instruction.

2. Prepare a space for the new student. Knowing ahead of time that a new student is joining the class provides time for thoughtful consideration about where the child should sit and who might be a good buddy to sit near. If the rest of the class has nameplates on their desks, prepare one for your new student (but don't write the name on it just yet...save this for the first day, when you ask the student what they prefer to be called). This step also includes letting the class know about the upcoming arrival of the new classmate.

3. Gather resources that the new student will need. Aside from common textbooks for core classes, ensure that the child also has access to a bilingual dictionary and other linguistic supports they may need. Some teachers also provide newly arrived students with a few school T-shirts and other essential supplies.

The Newly Arrived Multilingual Learner's First Day

1. The first day can be intimidating for a new student, especially one who may not speak the language of instruction. Smile. Just smile. Body language speaks volumes even when we can't communicate using the same spoken language.

2. Ask the student (or caregivers) what they prefer to be called. Learn how to pronounce the student's name. Names are special to us, yet some students may go for hours or days without hearing their names. We can demonstrate honor and respect by using a student's name and by making an effort to pronounce their name correctly.

3. Cultivate a welcoming classroom environment. Reflect on environments that make you feel welcome (especially in circumstances that are new to you). What elements can be applied in the classroom? Keep in mind that each newly arrived multilingual learner joins your classroom, school, community, etc., for a different reason. Some may go through stages of culture shock.

The Newly Arrived ML's First Week & Beyond

1. Sit next to the student and learn. Sitting next to a child as they talk, read, or write allows us to gather information. This information is useful to form next steps for instruction. If the student reads in their native language, listen to them. We can learn a lot about a child's literacy by hearing them read in their L1 (first language).

2. Learn a few words in the student's native language. The simple gesture of learning a few words, such as hello, thank you, good-bye, etc., can send positive and affirming messages to the new student. This act also communicates to every student that all languages are valued and welcome.

3. Label the classroom. Adding word labels to the classroom helps newly arrived students begin to attach vocabulary to the things in their surroundings. Labeling the classroom is not limited to English words-we can also invite students create labels using their native languages. We can chorally read and play games with the words as we label. For example, you might say, "I'm thinking of a word with the letter 'A' in it," or point to a word that has the sound "ch."

4. Encourage choral reading as often as possible. We can promote the rapid acquisition of language and literacy by providing multiple opportunities for students to participate in choral reading or echo reading even in secondary classrooms. Newly arrived multilingual learners will join classrooms with various levels of English proficiency and varied levels of native language proficiency. Choral or echo reading provides multilingual learners chances to listen and participate in grade-level reading with peers.

5. Include all stakeholders. Our students are our students, and the more we collaborate to support one another in their success, the more successful they will be. Introduce the new student to key staff members (librarians, cafeteria staff, nurses, specialty teachers, etc.) and work together to create a place and space for the child to feel welcomed and included.

Additional Advice for Mainstream Teachers Supporting MLs

1. Keep an assets-based mindset. Remember that neither limited English proficiency nor limited educational opportunity equate to limited intelligence. Holding an assets-based mindset means we see students from the perspective of what they can do and what they bring to the table rather than what they lack. Knowledge and intelligence are two different things, and providing opportunities for students to learn and explore allows multilingual learners to show us what assets they bring and where their strengths lie.

2. It's common to hear that there is too much content and curriculum to cover and not enough time. Educators frequently express concerns about feeling overwhelmed and under supported. Many describe themselves as left with the urgency of just delivering instruction and needing more time to provide extra support for multilingual learners. Yet Dr. Carol Salva reminds us, "Language acquisition strategies are not one more thing. They are the thing." This helps us understand that slowing down and providing access to multilingual learners will benefit all learners.

3. Language acquisition is complex and takes time. It is not linear. They will all make progress, but with the right conditions, students can make excellent progress. We can make content comprehensible and develop language simultaneously by delivering grade-level content to multilingual learners in accessible ways that amplify language.

4. "Keep content and amplify language." I heard Dr. Okhee Lee say this once during a virtual conference for NY State TESOL. Rather than the old way of thinking about serving multilingual learners, which included watering down and simplifying the curriculum, Lee emphasizes the advancement of the curriculum. Acquiring a new language is not a deficit; it is an acceleration. We can scaffold up by increasing listening, speaking, reading, and writing in all content areas every day.

In the end, we should remember the importance of high-quality first instruction and the power we have to make students feel valued and successful-and never forget that every day students are making gains.

Published

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I Have a New Multilingual Learner. What Do I Do? A Step-By-Step Guide

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by Valentina Gonzalez The quality and quantity of preservice instruction in teaching multilingual learners vary, leaving many teachers feeling inadequately prepared. And even those who did receive some training may have never had practical experience applying what they learned. Well-intentioned teachers with their hearts in the right place are often left feeling overwhelmed as they...

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Welcoming Tips from a Middle School Teacher

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Welcoming Tips from a Middle School Teacher

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This is the second in a series on my typical classroom days.

The first one was What Happens In A Typical Day During My ELL U.S. History Class.

Today, it's time to talk about my ELL Newcomers class!

Newcomers classes can be challenging, not least of all because of the constant influx of new students throughout the entire school year. However, this year has been tons better than previous years because now there's an Intermediate English class I can send students to (well, I could, at least, until recently when it became full). I have had to teach combined large classes of Newcomers and Intermediates simultaneously for many years, but it's so much calmer now (though it might still look like organized chaos to the outside observer).

Here's how my typical class goes:

1.Peer tutors (see THE BEST RESOURCES ON PEER TUTORS) distribute folders, notebooks and, sometimes, the National Geographic Edge grammar book or "Inside The USA" textbook to students. As students get their folders, most take them and go into leveled peer tutor led groups (between two-and-four students in each group) using "True Stories" books (see THE "TRUE STORIES" BOOK SERIES IS AN EXTRAORDINARY MATCH FOR MY ELL NEWCOMERS CLASSROOM - DO YOU KNOW OF OTHER SIMILAR TITLES?). They work in their groups for ten-to-twelve minutes. Mid-way through that time, I remind tutors to start using mini-whiteboards so that they can dictate some of the text they've been using for students to write down for practice. While these small groups are going on, another peer tutor is distributing the whiteboards, markers and erasers, as well as texting to all tutors an image of a slide describing the classroom plans for that day.

2. All students return to learn about the next activity. Two-or-three times a week, I just announce that it's time for Oral Practice. In their notebooks, they have glued hundreds of conversational starters and "fill-in-the-blank" frames for responses. On those days, students work in peer tutor groups practicing ones of their choice for eight-to-ten minutes.

On the days we do this Oral Practice, I'll call students back after a few minutes to introduce the next activity. When we don't do Oral Practice, I introduce the next activity immediately after the "True Stories" groups are done.

Generally, I briefly introduce an activity that the peer tutors will lead for about fifteen-or-twenty minutes, and they are focused on the theme we are studying during that week or during that two week period (see Here's The Thematic Schedule I'm Using In My ELL Beginner's Class). It might be the Picture Word Inductive Model, a sequencing activity, an activity from the Inside The USA book, or doing some writing using a frame. About once a week students spend a longer time period practicing and performing short humorous dialogues (related to the theme) that they will perform to another small group and then some do it in front of the entire class with a mike.

3. Next, the class comes back together and I'll give a brief grammar lesson. Generally, it's connected to the Edge grammar book. They'll then go back into their peer tutor-led groups for ten minutes or so to complete the exercises in the book connected to the lesson.

4. We finish up the class with some games from Quizizz, Kahoot or Blooket that are either related to the theme or grammar topic we're studying.
There are some exceptions to this routine:

During the week, a peer tutor periodically pulls students outside for a minute so they can do a recording of something they wrote or drew. The tutor uses the Adobe Spark app on my phone (now called Adobe Express), and I usually play them to the class every Friday.

Every Friday, students immediately take a test instead of going to their "True Stories" groups. After going over the answers, we'll then typically spend the rest of the day with students doing Quill on their laptops while I have individual meetings with them, playing games and show their Adobe Spark videos. So the four-"chapter" routine I shared only applies to Monday-through-Thursday.

Once-a-week, students work on Dialogue Journals. Students work on them during their Support classes taught by other teachers, but I provide the weekly prompts ("What are things that teachers do that help you learn the best?") and they correspond with a "pen pal" from the twelfth-grade ELL English class.

Like in my ELL US History class, this routine seems to work well, and receives high-marks from students in weekly anonymous check-ins. Our district is supposed to be doing an evaluation on how well our peer tutor system is doing (in this class and in the US History class), similar to the evaluation process we used to measure the success of our efforts to support Long-Term English Language Learners. I hope they will actually do it...

You might also be interested in Here's A Slide Deck I Used To Talk About ELLs & Accelerated Learning.

I'm adding this post to THE BEST RESOURCES TO HELP EDUCATORS TEACH ELL NEWCOMERS.

Next up in this series will be "What Happens In A Typical Day During My IB Theory of Knowledge Class."

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What Happens In A Typical Day During My ELL Newcomers Class

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This is the second in a series on my typical classroom days. The first one was What Happens In A Typical Day During My ELL U.S. History Class. Today, it's time to talk about my ELL Newcomers class! Newcomers classes can be challenging, not least of all because of the constant influx of new students throughout the entire school year.

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I know I have been focused on newcomers and beginning English learners for a while now. There is so much to consider. So many conversations we need to have. So little time. Teaching English learners is HUGE. This week, I stay with the theme and I promise next week I will get back to best practices with something you can do with vocabulary (word level) at any age level.

Last week I wrote about grading and the idea that students with beginning English proficiency can only reasonably access a portion of the lesson content with supports. I know, it's interesting in theory, but what does it look like in a classroom? Today I will share one example of what I would do on any given day and my thinking behind it. I don't claim that my way is the best or only way, because honestly it's a day to day dance of how much students can handle based on many factors such as time, background knowledge, the complexity of the content, and....well....the patience of their awesome teacher. :-)

**Disclaimer: The example below is an example of supports in action in the content classroom. This is NOT the entirety of the ESL program for these students. I also understand that not all content classrooms have a second teacher (very few actually), so I hope the example gives all adults some empowerment to make adjustments.

The first thing to remember is that anything you ask a student with beginning English proficiency to do is going to generally take twice as long as the rest of the class. It just is, so let's plan for it. Our students at overall level 1 & 2 proficiency levels are still doing a LOT of translating in their heads. They still need to process the content in their dominant language before shifting their thoughts into English. This takes time. And energy. Lots of energy.

Think about the lesson content as this delicious layer cake. An English proficient student can consume all of the layers (content) with a reasonable amount of effort. Some may even get to the bonus parts, such as the fruit on top.

Our beginners, in the same amount of time, can handle about the first layer or two of the content. So what do we want that to be?

Example 1: A high school English class is reading an essay about the contribution of immigrants in U.S. history. Perfect topic! We can do this! The students I have in mind are approaching a level 2 in reading depending on the content. The essay is 3 pages long. The whole class listens to the essay read aloud through an online recording. This is helpful, thought the reader reads fairly quickly. In a perfect world, I would have played the recording more than once and stopped to summarize and clarify along the way, but time is always a factor.

So here's the big question. What's most important? Understanding the details of the text in depth or analysis? We'd love to have it all, but what are truly the first two layers of the cake. On this day, we decided it was exposure and practice in everything rather than depth.

I prepared a two paragraph summary in simple English to read and discuss with my students after listening. Do they get all of the details and nuances of the text? No. Thinking a layer or two, they get the main idea and a few key supporting details. They can follow the discussions in class because they see how one text is connecting to the next in message.

Proficient English speaking students in the class answer 5 comprehension questions. I select two for my students - one that is more concrete about main idea and one that is making a personal connection to the text. The students talk about their thoughts in Spanish together. I'm not participating, just listening. This is not what I can give them about the text, but if they are truly thinking at an age appropriate level about text. We have access to Google Translate so the students put their thoughts together in Spanish and translate to English to help them write a response.

Ok. I know. The pros and cons of Google translate. Here are my thoughts. If we had time, I would work through productive struggle with the students to create an English response. I'd use all my supports and tricks and strategies to help them produce a response. But in reality, class time is ticking and we still have another activity to do before it ends. I want my students to have a plan for when I'm not with them. They know we expect them to try. To think. To have thoughts and opinions in any language. This is one tool they have access to that makes the process faster and helps them get their ideas on paper for the teacher. What I don't want is for the teacher to translate the materials (the payoff is not worth the time invested IMHO) or excuse them from thinking. I want reasonable chunks.

Anyway, back to class. The class practices with looking for examples of various types of language in the text such as contrasting or conflicting ideas, the use of stats and numbers, quoting experts, and word gaps (vocabulary). Honestly, at first, I wanted to cry. How do we analyze a text that's way over our heads? But, being a "newcomers can" believer, we are making it work. Again, not at 100%.

We can do stats and numbers. My students can find numbers in the text and consider why the author included this information. They can figure out if it suggests, for example, a lot of people or a few. We look at one sentence at a time and consider the big ideas. We are now trying to find words such as many, few, a lot, and most. These are high value words to know. We can also handle word gap. They can ALWAYS find new words they want to know. They are great at finding cognates now, so I push to get curious about other words. We work on the expert quotes. Some we can handle, some are so complex that it takes waaaaayyyy too long to explain to be worth the time. As for conflicting and contrasting information, we tackle those if they are comprehensible. They tend, though, to be more figurative which is very time consuming to break down. Overall, if we find three examples in total, we did well.

So, what do you think? In this one class period, were they exposed to grade level text? Did they think at an age appropriate level? Did they attempt to meet a grade level ELA standard or two? Did I spoon feed anything? Did they use their own resources and creative problem solving to make an effort so they know what to do when there isn't someone sitting next to them?

All that talk about cake. Now I'm hungry.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! [email protected]

Blog author, Kelly Reider, is the founder of English Learner Portal. She currently works with high school newcomers and provides professional learning workshops both online and across the country.
Want more professional learning around developing language and content in your classroom? Take a look at our online course, "A Content Teacher's Guide to English Learner Success". This course is perfect for those just getting started with English learners and is open for enrollment. https://www.englishlearnerportal.com/online-courses
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Teaching Newcomers in Content Classes - So What's It Look Like?

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Kelly shares how she breaks down a high school English language arts class period for beginning English learners as they read and analyze text. Differentiation, scaffold, support

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The following collection of videos highlights advice from educators and administrators who have extensive experience working with English language learners (ELLs).

For more ideas, see our New to Teaching ELLs? tips on our free web app, Colorín on the Go.

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Advice for New Teachers of ELLs: Tips from ELL Experts

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The following collection of videos highlights advice from educators and administrators who have extensive experience working with English language learners (ELLs).For more ideas, see our New to Teaching ELLs? tips on our free web app, Colorín on the Go.

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Microsoft Translator live is a free translation and transcription service that lets you have translated conversations across multiple devices on iOS, Android, Windows, PowerPoint and web for 1:1 conversations or larger group interactions.

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How To Translate Your Design Into Another Language - Canva AI

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Unite for Literacy provides free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages. Literacy is at the core of a healthy community, so we unite with partners to enable all families to read with their young children.

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ICDL - International Children’s Digital Library

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Boost reading and writing confidence across all types of content and devices, in class, at work, and at home.

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Rewordify.com | Understand what you read

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Rewordify.com helps you read more, understand better, learn new words, and teach more effectively.

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Improving Outcomes for Emergent Bilingual Students: Scaffolding Up

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by Valentina Gonzalez Imagine you have been prescribed medication with a daily dosage to help control your blood pressure. Let’s say 50 mL in the morning and 50 at night. However, you decide the pi…

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The new question-of-the-week is:
What are effective teaching strategies for newcomers?
Newcomers to the United States often have low-proficiency in English but, depending upon their age, might have had considerable education in their home language.

What are the most effective teaching strategies educators can use with this population, which is certain to grow under President Biden's immigration policies?

Several experienced educators are contributing responses to this question: Michelle Shory, Irina McGrath, Luisa Palacio, Sean McWherter Ed.D., and Ciera Walker. Michelle, Irina, and Luisa were also guests on my 10-minute BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

Before we get to today's guest contributors, I'd like to share a few of my favorite strategies:
1. Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM)
In the PWIM, students and teachers first label an image with words, then categorize them, followed by using the words to write sentences about the picture. They next categorize the sentences, turn them into paragraphs, and finally, write a title.

You can learn more about the PWIM here and here.
2. Games
You can't go wrong with games. In the classroom, zillions of different ones can be played with mini-whiteboards, and they can be modified for online use by using a tool like Whiteboard.fi. Quizizz is also great for online use, and it has countless games already premade for just about any topic you want to teach!
3. Dialogues 4.Freire's Learning Sequence 5. Language Experience Approach (LEA)
Promoting Interaction
Michelle Shory and Irina McGrath are Google Certified trainers and co-creators of ELL 2.0, a website that offers tools and resources for teachers of English-learners. Irina V. McGrath, Ph.D., works for the Kentucky education department as an education recovery specialist. She is also a co-director of the Louisville Writing Project (LWP) and the University of Louisville and Indiana University Southeast adjunct who teaches ESL/ENL instruction as well as assessment, literature, and cultural- and linguistic-diversity courses. Michelle Shory, Ed.S., is a district ESL instructional coach in the Jefferson County public schools, Louisville, Ky. She is passionate about literacy and helped establish Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Louisville.
Teaching students who are newcomers (students in their first year of enrollment in a U.S school) is a privilege-it changes an educator's outlook, practice, and heart forever; however, working with newcomers requires a lot of cognitive, physical, and emotional energy. But we challenge you to find a more rewarding experience in all of education. Where else do you get to see such incredible growth and change? And you will probably keep relationships with these students long after they leave your classroom.
Research
In order to support newcomers in the most effective way, teachers should do their homework on students-research their cultures, history, language, and education systems. You can find resources here and here.

Learning about newcomers will help you connect with your students and their families, give you ideas on how to make your curriculum culturally relevant, and help you address your own assumptions and misconceptions.
Relationships, Self-Advocacy, and Routines
Before starting with the first "real" lesson, begin with relationships, self-advocacy, and routines.

When focusing on relationships, start with names. Teachers should know how to pronounce student names-and students should know how to pronounce each other's names. Also, students need to be fully seen. Educators must take time to learn about their students' interests, families, and topics they love to study. Teachers should also share about themselves-share hobbies, family pictures, etc. Classrooms (especially newcomer classrooms) need to feel safe because we are encouraging students to be vulnerable each day when they are using a new language.

Dr. Stephen Krashen instructs educators to "lower the affective filter" as a way to increase comprehension. Lowering the affective filter includes helping kids feel comfortable by speaking more slowly, using gestures, and including high-interest materials. All of this is most effective when classrooms are warm and comfortable.

Educators will want to begin by teaching independence on day one. Show students how to use technology like Microsoft's Immersive Reader, Google Translate, or Socratic from Google. Demonstrate planning and organization skills (like using a digital calendar or Google Keep). It is also a good idea to make sure that students know how to ask for help from a teacher when they don't know the answer to a question.
Instructional Supports and Considerations
One last addition is to set up strategies to support interaction. WIDA researchers found that ELs spend on average less than 10 minutes per day speaking in class. This is unacceptable from a social-emotional and academic lens-ELs need to engage frequently in classroom conversations. When thinking about structures, consider Kagan structures or QSSSA from Seidlitz.

When facilitating lessons, always remember to include visuals, gestures, and repetition. ESL consultant and teacher Carol Salva's students report these strategies as the most helpful.

It is also important to consider teaching themes. Krashen's research demonstrates the power of "deep reading" on a topic and how it supports ELs in acquiring language. Themes boost engagement and confidence because students are continually building their expertise about a topic. Additional research (highlighted in Natalie Wexler's work) has proven that reading comprehension is largely based on background knowledge. So, whenever teachers build students' knowledge of the world, they are also supporting comprehension.

Finally, when teaching newcomers, educators should not discount the expertise in the room. Be sure to tap into students' "funds of knowledge," a term coined by Dr. Luis Moll that represents cultural resources and knowledge that students bring to the classroom. Always include at least one entry point for newcomers to bring in their cultural and linguistic expertise. One example might be a unit on religions, holidays, or education systems around the globe.

In conclusion, teachers play an important role in ensuring social, emotional, and academic success of newcomer students. The more effort teachers put into getting to know their students, teaching them self-advocacy skills, and building on their funds of knowledge, the greater chance their students will have of reaching their highest potential and succeeding personally and professionally.

ELLs 'Need to Feel Safe'
Luisa Palacio is an ESL and Spanish teacher from Colombia with 19 years of teaching experience. Luisa holds a bachelor's degree in modern languages: English and French, and an M.A. in TESOL from Greensboro College. Currently, she teaches K-12 at Northampton County schools in North Carolina and Spanish with South Carolina Virtual Education:
We always consider content relevancy, the use of visuals, vocalization, facial expression, among others. However, what ELs need at first is to feel safe, comfortable, and confident in their new environment.

The school system works in a completely different way in every country. I believe one of the first things we need to do with newcomers is to show them how school works, classroom routines, how to sign in and out of school, how to move around campus, how to get their meals, how to login on their technological devices, explain schedules, share possible extracurricular activities in which newcomers could participate, etc. Newcomers need modeling, not only for the language but also for the culture. Newcomers need to be shown what to do and how to do it, what to say and how to say it. As teachers, we need to be aware of the cultural shock newcomers go through so that we can help the process to run a bit smoother.

Every newcomer should have a mentor to shadow him/her during the first days of school, someone who can introduce them to their teachers, who makes teachers aware that this EL is in their class and will need some extra attention. In my opinion, cultural awareness should be the first teaching strategy. Newcomers are facing a new culture, and they also need to feel their own culture is valued. Thus, it is important to generate activities that allow students to share their culture, so they make comparisons and connections by sharing about a subject they master and a subject that is relevant.

'Language-Learning Goals'

Sean McWherter, Ed.D., is the director of restart programs for the Guilford County schools in North Carolina. He is the author of A Road Map to PLC Success published by Routledge Eye on Education, 2017, and Unpacking your Learning Targets: Aligning Student Learning to Standards, published by Routledge Eye on Education, 2020:

With the rapidly increasing population of English-language-learners in many schools across the U.S., it is becoming ever more important for regular education teachers and administrators to know how to support these students and their families.

I feel that oftentimes educators mistakenly believe that ELLs have trouble learning or that they learn differently from native English speakers and that their education is best left to the English as a second language or ELL teacher. This could not be further from the truth; the educational barriers ELL students face are accentuated by language and cultural barriers, not an inability to learn.
Utilize Language-Learning Goals
Many educators are aware that the use of learning targets in the classroom is an instructional best practice and that students learn better when teachers utilize clear daily learning goals (Marzano, 2009; Reeves, 2010; Kareva & Echevarria, 2013). For ELL students, it is especially important to include both lesson and language-learning goals.

The lesson objectives should be focused on the grade-level content while the language objective should align to one of the four domains of English-language development (ELD), which are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. A teacher's experience with creating and using language objectives in their instruction is important to ensure that ELLs have equal access to the curriculum (Hudson, Miller, & Butler, 2006; Short, Echevarría, & Richards-Tutor, 2011; Marcos and Himmel 2016). When planning a lesson, everything should intentionally lead students to mastery of the learning targets while providing students with a variety of meaningful activities and high-quality instruction.
Increase Student Engagement and Interactions
To support student engagement, as well as the lesson and language objectives, liberally employ the use of visuals to reinforce both spoken and written words. Capitalize on the use of gestures, often exaggerated, for added emphasis, speak slower and be sure to enunciate your words, repeat important words or phrases, and be sure to use fewer idioms. Many ELL students have not attended schools in their new county and may be unfamiliar with cultural references. Take the time to thoroughly review texts to identify potentially confusing language and concepts so that you can build the background knowledge of your ELL students prior to exposing them to potentially confusing material (Kareva & Echevarria, 2013).

Incorporate high-frequency vocabulary words throughout all content areas and be sure to provide instructions and other important information in multiple formats. Don't just tell the students what you want them to do, write it, provide an example/exemplar, and act it out or model the activity if possible.

Provide multiple opportunities for ELL students to interact with their peers in small groups where they can practice speaking and listening in low-risk settings that will produce language-learning outcomes (Saunders & Goldenberg, 2010).
Build Positive Relationships and Cultural Connections
Building relationships with your students is the foundational component of successful teaching and learning, and there is a multitude of research that supports this idea. According to a review of 46 research studies, students that feel valued and appreciated are more likely to demonstrate both short- and long-term improvements in academic engagement, attendance, grades, and behavior, while also having a reduced dropout rate (Sparks, 2019).

Begin forming relationships with your ELL students by learning about their individual culture, traditions, religion, hobbies, family dynamic, and background. Stay respectful of their personal boundaries and understand that they may need time to settle into their new environment before opening up. (National Clearing House for English Language Acquisition, n.d.). Having a positive relationship with a student's family can also help support their education.

Remember some of the families may only have very little or even no formal schooling experience in this country, so taking the time to show them what school is like and how they can get involved are critical first steps to forming a parent partnership. (Short & Boyson, 2012)

Stations
Ciera Walker is a sixth-year systemwide ELL teacher in east Tennessee:
Newcomers that might have the same level of English do not necessarily grow and learn at the same rate. This is due to many factors, such as previous schooling experience and the background of the student and their family. I use stations as a strategy to meet the needs of all of my newcomers.

What? Stations provide students with an opportunity to work with a partner on specific skills to boost their language learning and language acquisition.

When? We do stations most Thursdays and every Friday.

How? Students eventually work their way up to a goal of 12-15 minutes per station. The teacher starts a timer, and students rotate through the stations with their partner.

Who? I generally group my students by ability in English (homogeneous groups), but occasionally, if they have a great ,I will let them choose their partners (in more heterogeneous groups).

Why? The purpose of stations is to provide students with practice in skills they are learning in the ESL classroom and the general education classroom. Students have opportunities to practice skills during stations while the teacher provides individualized mini-lessons to help with the language-learning process. Stations are practical and provide teachers with opportunities to use best practices in teaching students a new language. It is extremely important to be purposeful, organized, and use a system to make stations go smoothly! It takes a lot of planning to teach students the stations so they can work independently. I take a lot of time to "front-load" the expectations and provide students time to practice. Students generally start stations independently after fall break.

Each year, I change up my stations depending on my students' needs or new ideas I find. Below are some of my favorites that are easy to maintain and enjoyed by the students. I recommend teachers keep stations simple and choose one activity per station, especially in the beginning. As students become more familiar, you can add on to the complexity of each station.

Teacher: Students meet with the teacher and work on individualized needs (letter work, word work, reading stories, fluency, comprehension, etc.). I like to use Reading A-Z or ReadWorks to help structure this station.

Listening: Students work on EPIC books, Unite for Literacy, or listen to books on tape/cd. You can get a headphone splitter from Amazon for pretty cheap if you have limited devices so students can listen together.

Library: Students read a book and complete a simple graphic organizer about what they read.

Computer Station: Choose a safe website for students to play on. I like starfall.com for my primary students and I am hoping to implement typing websites for my older students next year.

Speaking: I use Vocaroo or Flipgrid. For Vocaroo, I usually have picture cards with vocabulary words students might need; students retell the story. For Flipgrid, I usually have a video for students to watch or I ask them a question and they must respond.

Writing: This station is the one that evolves the most throughout the year. Using picture prompts, sentence stems/frames, and word banks is crucial for the writing station.

Word Work Games: This station has many games that work on foundational reading skills. Eventually, students have different boxes/baggies they pull from (depending on their level).

1. Bang: Have different sets of 10-12 words (letters, sight words, vocabulary words, etc.). Label 1-2 cards "Bang." Students pour cards out of baggies into a box. They reach in the box and grab a word, say the meaning or read the word. If they pull "bang," then all their cards must go back in the box.

2. Roll, read, write: Create a 7x6 table. Type in the target words that correspond with a number on a die. Put the sheet in a pocket protector and have students write the word with an Expo marker when they roll the die.

3. Oodlu.org: Create vocabulary sets. Students answer questions and get to play premade video games. Easy to use and create-a class favorite!

Stations are a versatile and practical way to provide students with practice on new skills they are learning and to differentiate instruction for newcomers with varying levels of language acquisition.

Thanks to Michelle, Irina, Luisa, Sean, and Ciera for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.
Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email (The RSS feed for this blog, and for all Ed Week articles, has been changed by the new redesign-new ones won't be available until February). And if you missed any of the highlights from the first nine years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column.

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Thirteen Instructional Strategies for Supporting ELL Newcomers (Opinion)

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Five educators share effective instructional strategies to use with English-language-learner newcomers, including using images and games.

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Help newcomer ELLs during their first few weeks at school with this set of survival phrases and illustrated words.

Each phrase comes on a sheet of paper with words and pictures to complete the sentence. You can also cut apart the boxes, punch a hole, and put the phrases onto a ring so that students can carry it around with them.

This set includes a link to an editable version in Google slides. This allows you to add in additional languages to further support your students.

Find more materials to support newcomer students in the Newcomer Vocabulary Bundle and Newcomer Phonics Bundle.

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Newcomer Survival Phrases | ESL Picture Sentences | Editable

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Help newcomer ELLs during their first few weeks at school with this set of survival phrases and illustrated words. Each phrase comes on a sheet of paper with words and pictures to complete the sentence. You can also cut apart the boxes, punch a hole, and put the phrases onto a ring so that students ...

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Have you ever had a Newcomer ELL student show up in the middle of the year and they can barely communicate in English? This document was created as a means of easing this transition for newcomer students in the classroom. The visuals and translations will help facilitate communication in your class and diminish students' frustration in the first couple of months of school. I hope you enjoy this product as much as I do! I am an ELL Newcomer teacher and use these cards very often with my own students. Enjoy!

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Have you ever had a Newcomer ELL student show up in the middle of the year and they can barely communicate in English? This document was created as a means of easing this transition for newcomer students in the classroom. The visuals and translations will help facilitate communication in your class ...

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48 labels to post around your classroom to help organize, make your classroom cute, and best of all... help students begin reading and writing environmental print!

Help students read the words and point out which objects they spell.

Have students use a clipboard, paper, and pencil to walk around and copy the words around the room to "write the room."

By A Teachable Heart
Sarah Hawk
© 2016

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FREEBIE! 48 Classroom Environmental Print Labels

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48 labels to post around your classroom to help organize, make your classroom cute, and best of all... help students begin reading and writing environmental print! Help students read the words and point out which objects they spell. Have students use a clipboard, paper, and pencil to walk around and...

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This is a set of daily schedule cards. I tried to add a variety of activities to hopefully suit your classroom needs.

This size fits very well into the smaller pocket charts. I hope these are helpful and save you some time :)

Thanks!

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This is a set of daily schedule cards. I tried to add a variety of activities to hopefully suit your classroom needs. This size fits very well into the smaller pocket charts. I hope these are helpful and save you some time :) Thanks!

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Create Your Own Comic Strips Online with MakeBeliefsComix

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MAKEBELIEFSCOMIX FILL-INS FOR ESOL TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

FILL-ins are short writing prompts for ESOL students to complete by typing directly from their computer into the interactive PDFs orprinting out the prompt and writing in their responses by hand. The prompts can also be used by teachers to encourage verbal responses from students, as an exercise to encourage conversation. The FILL-ins found in this section are taken from our free e-books -- MakeBeliefsComix FILL-ins; Make Beliefs to Spark Your Writing, and Hummingbird Joy: A Book of All the Things That Make You Happy. You can download the e-books at: https://makebeliefscomix.com/e-books-apps/

If you find these prompts useful, please share with your colleagues and professional groups. And, please send us your feedback at: billz@makebeliefscomix.com.

*Note: Some browsers do not support typing into PDF files. If you can, try to use Google's Chrome or a later version of Internet Explorer. If you get a message that typing is not supported in your browser you can switch browsers or print out the FILL-ins.

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MakeBeliefsComix.com fill-ins for ESOL Teachers and Students

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FILL-ins are short writing prompts for ESOL students to complete by typing directly from their computer into the interactive PDFs orprinting out the prompt and writing in their responses by hand. The prompts can also be used by teachers to encourage verbal responses from students, as an exercise to encourage conversation.

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This is where our EAL tutors will learn skills, strategies and activities to best serve their 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.

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Empowering Newcomers: Essential Lessons for the First 3 Weeks

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Your host, Beth Vaucher, is the founder of Inspiring Young Learners. She is an ESL certified homeroom teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching in the US and internationally. Her background of M.Ed in ESL and Curriculum and Instruction combined with her experience has led her to develop a bestselling newcomer curriculum that has sold in over 90 countries around the globe.