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Geri McClymont is passionate about education. She holds an MEd and has taught English language learners for over ten years.
According to the National Education Association, English language learners represent the fastest growing student population group in the U.S. It is estimated that by 2025, 25% of our public school students will be ELLs.

With the increasing number of English learners entering our classrooms comes a pressing need for teachers to use strategies to support them academically.

Here are 15 ways help your English learners at all grade levels be successful in school. These approaches can be used in classes composed of only ELLs and in mainstream classes composed of ELLs and non-ELLs.

Strategies to Support ELLs in Class

1. Speak slowly and clearly.

2. Use fewer words.

3. Allow more wait time.

4. Model what you teach.

5. Use many visuals.

6. Use graphic organizers.

7. Teach vocabulary.

8. Build on background knowledge.

9. Implement cooperative learning activities.

10. Use student-friendly handouts.

11. Modify class material and assessments.

12. Allow ELLs to use language resources.

13. Pair your ELL with a buddy.

14. Provide routine and structure.

15. Create a welcoming classroom environment.

Speaking slowly and clearly is one of the most underrated yet most effective strategies teachers can use to help English language learners succeed in school.

- Author

1. Speak Slowly and Clearly

Because many of your English language learners are not exposed to spoken English in their homes, you are a primary model of the English language for them!

Take full advantage of this opportunity to model appropriate grammar and pronunciation in the classroom.

Just as important is that you not speak too fast. Since English isn't their first language, ELLs need more time to process what they hear in English in order to make sense of it. The faster you talk, the harder it is for them to process and make sense of what you say.

Make sure you enunciate clearly and if you're a fast talker, slow down!

Examples of How to Use Fewer Words

"Today you're going to work on your advertisement posters so we need our class helpers to please hand out everybody's posters." (word count: 21)

"Today you'll work on your advertisement posters. Class helpers: please hand out the posters." (word count: 14)

"What do you think is a good way to get your readers' attention when you begin your story so that they want to keep reading your story?" (word count: 27)

"What is a good way to get your readers' attention when you begin your story?" (word count: 15)

"There are three different kinds of sentences we're going to talk about today. We have statements, we have questions, and we have exclamations." (word count: 23)

"Today we'll look at three kinds of sentences: statements, questions, and exclamations." (word count: 12)

2. Use Fewer Words

Along with speaking more slowly and clearly, just as important is that you not over-saturate your English learners with auditory input.

Say what you need to say as concisely as possible, using just the words necessary to convey your message. Leave out the "fluff"-words that are superfluous and don't add any value to your message.

Less is more, so speak in chunks. If you have a lot to say, use several short sentences with pauses in between, rather than one long, drawn out sentence.

Speaking concisely and in chunks facilitates comprehension and decreases stress for your ELLs because they have fewer words to process at a time.

As their English proficiency increases, you can begin to gradually incorporate more words as well as richer vocabulary into your speech.

3. Allow More Wait Time

Not only do English learners need more time to process what they hear in English, they also need more time to formulate a response in English when asked a question.

This means you need to allow sufficient wait time after you pose a question.

Be patient. Pose the question to the whole class. Pause. Glance around the classroom at all of your students so you're not singling anybody out. Then call on a specific student to answer the question.

When your ELLs know you're offering everybody in the class extended wait time, they'll feel more at ease raising their hand to volunteer a verbal response.

4. Model What You Teach

Show your English language learners what you want them to do.

Use actions and gestures to accompany your words as much as possible, such as when you explain the process for class routines.

Physically walk around the room and demonstrate exactly what they should do each step of the way.

Use your hands, facial expressions, and your whole body to make your words meaningful to your ELLs.

When teaching a concept, model several examples of the application of the concept, and gradually involve your students in the process before you ask them to apply the concept independently.

This "I do it, we do it, you do it" approach gives students confidence as it enables them to really grasp the concept you're teaching.

5. Use Many Visuals

The value of visual aides in helping English learners comprehend subject matter cannot be overstated. Be sure to use visuals as a regular part of your lessons to help your students understand the concepts you teach.

Your lessons will make significantly more sense to them when they see images connected to what you say.

Some images you might use in your lessons:

posters

photographs

illustrations

tangible items

short video clips (the internet is loaded with short, educational videos)

charts

tables

graphs

maps

Maximize your classroom wall space by hanging posters of concepts you are teaching, and by creating word walls of key vocabulary you are focusing on.

6. Use Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are excellent visual tools for organizing information to facilitate students' understanding of content.
Some examples of graphic organizers:

Concept maps: diagrams that shows the relationship between concepts

Flow chart: diagrams that shows the sequence between actions or functions involved in an activity

Venn diagrams: diagrams that display the similarities and differences between two or more concepts

Display graphic organizers on your large screen with a document camera or simply draw them on the board. As you fill them in, allow your students to fill in their own copies to help them make sense of what they're learning.

Visual organizers also serve as excellent study guides for English learners. Because the information on them is laid out so clearly, your students can make sense of them independently after they leave your classroom. They can use them to review and study for upcoming quizzes and tests.

7. Teach Vocabulary

Lack of academic vocabulary is one of the greatest barriers ELLs come up against in school. For this reason, it's critical that teachers be intentional about teaching vocabulary to their English learners.

Because many non-ELL students also lack vocabulary skills, they too can benefit from classroom vocabulary instruction!

Suggestions:

Pre-teach key vocabulary: A significant way to help your ELLs understand content is to make it a habit to pre-teach key vocabulary before reading new text. Create word presentations on PowerPoint slides, on Word documents, or on posters to include the word, an image, a concise definition, and a sentence containing the word. (see example above)

Word Journals and Word Maps: Encourage your students to keep a journal of word maps for all new vocabulary they learn. This gives them something tangible to study during the school year, and something to take home at the end of the year.

Word walls: Exhibit words you are learning on your wall, along with a visual for each one. Use it as a reminder of all the vocabulary you've covered so far!

Word sorts: Ask students to categorize words based on common features and characteristics.

Quick Sketches: Keep dry erase markers handy at all times for sketching on the board on the spur of the moment to help clarify unfamiliar words you come across in text. Your students will love your drawings and your efforts to help them grasp new concepts.

8. Build on Background Knowledge

When you make connections between what your students already know and new concepts you present, lessons are more relevant and meaningful to them.

Your English language learners will experience a boost of confidence when they realize what they already know in connection with new concepts you teach. This will pump them up to learn new material!

On the other hand, because of their diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, many ELLs lack background knowledge in some subject areas.

Before presenting new material, review background knowledge with your entire class to lay the foundation for the new content. This will refresh your non-ELLs' memories while at the same time help fill in the gaps for your English learners.

Use realia, videos and images to help build background knowledge for your ELLs and to help them understand new content.

9. Implement Cooperative Learning Activities

Including pair-share and small group activities as a regular part of your lessons allows your ELLs many opportunities to practice English in ways that are fun and natural.

Pair each of your less proficient ELLs with a native English speaker or a fluent ELL. This allows ELLs to hear correct English modeled to them and to practice their English in a less intimidating setting within the classroom.

Decide which partner will be "A" and which will be "B".

After you pose a question, allow sufficient wait time for your ELLs to process the question and to formulate a response.

Ask partner "A" to tell his partner his answer, allow sufficient time, and then ask partner "B" to do the same. You may want to have your more proficient students respond first, so that they can model correct English grammar to your less proficient students.

When students have finished pair-sharing after each question, call on volunteers to share their responses with the whole class.

Small Groups

Placing your ELLs in small groups enables them to interact with students they may normally not have a chance to interact with. It also helps them learn important social skills such as getting along with students who may be very different from them.

Cooperative learning activities have proven to be highly successful for engaging all students in the classroom!

Dr. Spencer Kagan's book, Kagan Cooperative Learning, is an excellent resource for implement a variety of cooperative learning activities. The book also offers ways to designate specific roles to students to help ensure that they all participate equally within groups.

10. Use Student-Friendly Handouts

ELLs are often overwhelmed by the amount of print on school handouts they're given. It's no wonder, as many school papers are over-saturated with visual input. In modern terms, they're "too busy."

It's very important to ensure that all handouts (including worksheets) we give our English language learners are student-friendly.

What does a student-friendly handout look like?

The layout makes sense and facilitates understanding of the content.

The print is legible and large enough for students to read.

Sections of the handout are spread out with sufficient space in between.

There isn't an excessive amount of print on the page.

If there's a word bank, the words are enclosed in a box.

All information on the page, including directions, is clear and concise.

When it comes to any kind of handout, less is more for ELLs because it helps them focus on the essential information on the page without unnecessary distractions.

The Five Stages of Language Acquisition

11. Modify Material and Assessments

It's not just handouts that need to be presented to ELLs in a simple format-other class material and assessments often do, too.

Textbooks

Textbooks in elementary school tend to be very student-friendly so they often work fine for ELLs. They're written at a lower reading level and often have key concepts and vocabulary highlighted or color coded.

However, middle and high school textbooks are likely to be too difficult for ELLs so modifications will need to be made.

Suggestions:

Highlighted text: Set aside some of your class textbooks just for your ELLs. Highlight the key concepts and vocabulary in the text to facilitate your students' ability to focus on the most essential information without being overwhelmed. Teach your ELLs to read only the highlighted sections.

Audiobooks: Find out if there is an audio version of your class textbook online or on CD so that your ELLs can listen as they read along. If there isn't, consider recording the key, highlighted points of the text for your students so they can listen as they follow along in the book.

Supplemental material: Look for easier books or articles with many visuals that cover the same content that is in the textbook. You can also create written summaries of the content for your ELLs with plenty of visuals to aid their understanding. Readworks.org is an excellent website that offers free reading material across a wide range of topics (both fiction and nonfiction) at various reading levels for each specific topic. BrainPop, a popular educational website, offers videos of subject matter in all content areas in both English and Spanish.

Classwork and Assessments

It's vital to know the language acquisition stage of each of your ELLs so that your academic expectations of them are realistic (see chart above). You don't want your ELLs to shut down because your expectations are beyond what they're yet capable of producing.

Ensure that the layout for all classwork and assessments is straighforward so that your ELLs can focus on showing you what they've learned rather than on trying to make sense of what they're being asked to do.

Consider reducing classwork:

Ask students to complete only a portion of worksheets you assign. For example, only the front side or only the first section. As their English skills develop, you can gradually ask them to complete more sections on the worksheets.

For writing assignments, ask students to produce one sentence instead of one paragraph, or one paragraph rather than three. Don't place too much emphasis on grammar and spelling at first-remember that writing is usually the last of the language domains to develop (after listening, speaking, and reading).

Modify assessments:

Graphic Organizers: Ask your ELLs to complete a concept map, a flow chart or another graphic organizer they've used in class to show you their understanding of concepts you've taught.

Categories and Lists: Have your ELLs create word lists or to sort words into categories based on common features and characteristics.

Read Assessments Aloud: Read assessment directions, questions and multiple response options aloud to your students. Allow sufficient time for them to process what they hear and to respond.

Oral or Picture Responses: Allow your ELLs to respond to assessment questions verbally or by drawing pictures.

Native Language Assessments: If your ELLs are literate in their native language, offer them the assessment translated into their native language. Google translate usually produces very accurate translations and is free. BrainPop offers Spanish quizzes on a wide range of topics across all content areas.

When you modify material and assessments for your English learners, it's important to not single them out, as this may embarrass them. Instead, quietly communicate your expectations to them before or during class. Nobody else needs to know.

12. Allow ELLs to Use Resources

Introducing your ELLs to language resources will help reduce their anxiety as they learn English and try to catch up academically with their grade level peers. Be sure to have these resources available for them in your classroom.

If you need copies, talk to your school ESL department and school library, as they should have some available for classroom use. Show your students how to use these materials to help them with classwork and assessments.

Some resources to introduce to your ELLs:

Picture Dictionaries: These books are rich in colorful images to help ELLs learn new vocabulary. Words in these dictionaries are arranged thematically, such as Places in the City, Outdoor Activities, and Types of Vehicles. Some of these dictionaries are bilingual while others are only in English.

Bilingual Dictionaries: These books provide students with the translation of words from English into their home language. Bilingual dictionaries are available in all of the most commonly spoken languages and enable students to quickly reference unfamiliar words they come across in text.

Glossaries: These resources contain key vocabulary specific to a subject, such as Science, Math, or Social Studies. Some are bilingual, while others are only in English. Glossaries can be very instrumental in helping ELLs succeed in mainstream content area classes.

13. Assign Buddies

Imagine how some of your English language learners feel when they suddenly find themselves in a new school, while at the same time adapting to a new culture which includes, among many other things, learning a new language.

Many ELLs are also survivors of trauma which they experienced in their home country prior to immigrating or in the process of coming to the U.S. This adds a whole new dimension to the stress they're experiencing.

A significant way you can help alleviate some of that stress is by assigning each of your newer or less proficient ELLs a buddy.

How to select a buddy:

When possible, choose a student who speaks the same first language as your new ELL.

Select a student with a higher English proficiency level than your new ELL.

Patience and kindness are important attributes to look for in a buddy.

Seat your newer ELL beside his buddy in your classroom so that the students can work together during class projects and assignments.

This support will give your newer student a sense of reassurance and belonging in your classroom. He will also gradually feel more confident as his new friend assists him in learning English.

14. Provide Routine and Structure

Most teachers are well aware that classroom routines and structure benefit all students. However, routine and structure in the classroom especially help English learners because of the many changes they are already going through in their personal lives.

Establishing a regular routine and structure in the classroom helps reduce their anxiety as it provides them with a predictable and consistent environment.

Some ways to implement routine and structure in the classroom:

Have a regular morning process for attendance, lunch count, morning announcements, and other daily items.

Keep classroom materials and supplies such as pencils, paper, and glue in the same location, such as on a table in the corner of the room.

Have a clear process for transitions, such as when going to the library or to lunch. For example, all students push their chairs in, line up by the door and wait for you to lead them.

Ensure that class rules and expectations are clear and enforced from the beginning of the school year.

15. Create a Welcoming Environment

Creating a welcoming classroom environment is invaluable in helping your ELLs succeed academically. After all, if they don't enjoy coming to your class, they are unlikely to pay attention, participate or put forth much effort in learning or completing any work you give them.

Suggestions:

Learn about their culture: Read up a little on their country of origin so you can better understand them. Learn about their native foods and customs and use this information to engage in conversation with them and their families when you have a chance.

Accept mistakes with grace: A classroom where students feel comfortable making mistakes is one in which they are sure to grow not only academically but also to grow into more compassionate and empathetic human beings. Teach your students that making mistakes is a natural part of learning. This will build your ELLs' confidence in your classroom.

Read about people of different cultures: Reading about minorities who have suffered many hardships, yet made significant contributions to society is a meaningful way to help your non-ELLs have a greater awareness of some of the challenges English learners face. It's also a great way for your class to learn about other cultures.

Praise students for showing kindness: When you catch one of your students treating a classmate kindly, point it out so they know it's important. Show them how to encourage each other and to lend a helping hand to one another when needed. Share personal stories of how people in your life have stepped in to help you when you most needed it, and of the difference that made for you.

Keep in Mind

Whether you teach a class composed of all English language learners or a mainstream class in which you have a mix of ELLs and non-ELLs, keep in mind that many of these strategies will assist not just your English learners, but your other students as well, including slower processors and special needs students.

By practicing these strategies, you're sure to see a gradual, notable improvement in your ELLs' level of involvement and academic success in your classroom.

Be patient with your English learners but also with yourself as you become accustomed to applying some of these tips.

Be consistent in using them. Your ELLs will appreciate your efforts to help them succeed and to show you what they are capable of!
© 2016 Geri McClymont
Geri McClymont (author) on August 07, 2016:

Thanks for your feedback, Paul. It's encouraging to see positive results in our students when we apply strategies that work. Educational games are great too!

Paul Richard Kuehn from Udorn City, Thailand on August 06, 2016:

I used your five strategies for ELL when I was teaching EFL in Thailand. The use of visuals and cooperative learning activities are especially important. My students also did very well learning by playing an educational game. Thanks for sharing an excellent article!

Geri McClymont (author) on August 06, 2016:

Thanks for your comments, Ann. It is always so rewarding to see our students progress academically and to see their self-confidence in the classroom increase as well!

Ann Carr from SW England on August 06, 2016:

Presumably some of these students have extra English lessons anyway, outside the classroom. This will obviously boost their learning potential. Your advice is excellent; it's always good to use any of your points whatever the student as all these things promote further learning and self-confidence.

Well written and informative.

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15 Strategies to Help English Learners Succeed in the Classroom

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Geri McClymont is passionate about education. She holds an MEd and has taught English language learners for over ten years. According to the National Education Association, English language learners represent the fastest growing student population group in the U.S. It is estimated that by 2025, 25% of our public school students will be ELLs.

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Study.com for Differentiated Instruction and English Language Learners

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The GO-TO Strategies: Scaffolding Options for Teachers of ELL K-12 

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The GO-TO Strategies: Scaffolding Options for Teachers of ELL K-12 

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https://www.cal.org/what-we-do/projects/project-excell/the-go-to-strategies

The PDF at the bottom shares a series of principles with primary and additional strategies for scaffolding instruction for EL students.

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Station Rotation: Differentiating Instruction to Reach All Students

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Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners

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Each student comes to school, not only with unique academic needs, but also with unique background experiences, culture, language, personality, interests, and attitudes toward learning. Effective teachers recognize that all of these factors affect how students learn in the classroom, and they adjust, or differentiate, their instruction to meet students' needs.

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Wonders for English Learners: A K-6 ELL Program 

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Wonders for English Learners: A K-6 ELL Program 

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https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/MKTSP-BGA07M0/wonders-for-english-learners.html
Through Wonders, ELL students can also get ahead in literacy. Teachers should really consider these resources which are mostly free and accessible. I have done a presentation on this resource before :)

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Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, every student has an individual learning style. Chances are, not all of your students grasp a subject in the same way or share the same level of ability. So how can you better deliver your lessons to reach everyone in class? Consider differentiated instruction-a method you may have heard about but haven't explored, which is why you're here. In this article, learn exactly what it means, how it works, and the pros and cons.

Definition of differentiated instruction

Carol Ann Tomlinson is a leader in the area of differentiated learning and professor of educational leadership, foundations, and policy at the University of Virginia. Tomlinson describes differentiated instruction as factoring students' individual learning styles and levels of readiness first before designing a lesson plan. Research on the effectiveness of differentiation shows this method benefits a wide range of students, from those with learning disabilities to those who are considered high ability.

Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each student.

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

Design lessons based on students' learning styles.

Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.

Assess students' learning using formative assessment.

Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.

Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students' needs.

History of differentiated instruction

The roots of differentiated instruction go all the way back to the days of the one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher had students of all ages in one classroom. As the educational system transitioned to grading schools, it was assumed that children of the same age learned similarly. However in 1912, achievement tests were introduced, and the scores revealed the gaps in student's abilities within grade levels.

In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ensuring that children with disabilities had equal access to public education. To reach this student population, many educators used differentiated instruction strategies. Then came the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2000, which further encouraged differentiated and skill-based instruction-and that's because it works. Research by educator Leslie Owen Wilson supports differentiating instruction within the classroom, finding that lecture is the least effective instructional strategy, with only 5 to 10 percent retention after 24 hours. Engaging in a discussion, practicing after exposure to content, and teaching others are much more effective ways to ensure learning retention.

Four ways to differentiate instruction

According to Tomlinson, teachers can differentiate instruction through four ways: 1) content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment.

1. Content

As you already know, fundamental lesson content should cover the standards of learning set by the school district or state educational standards. But some students in your class may be completely unfamiliar with the concepts in a lesson, some students may have partial mastery, and some students may already be familiar with the content before the lesson begins.

What you could do is differentiate the content by designing activities for groups of students that cover various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (a classification of levels of intellectual behavior going from lower-order thinking skills to higher-order thinking skills). The six levels are: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Students who are unfamiliar with a lesson could be required to complete tasks on the lower levels: remembering and understanding. Students with some mastery could be asked to apply and analyze the content, and students who have high levels of mastery could be asked to complete tasks in the areas of evaluating and creating.

Examples of differentiating activities:

Match vocabulary words to definitions.

Read a passage of text and answer related questions.

Think of a situation that happened to a character in the story and a different outcome.

Differentiate fact from opinion in the story.

Identify an author's position and provide evidence to support this viewpoint.

Create a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the lesson.

2. Process

Each student has a preferred learning style, and successful differentiation includes delivering the material to each style: visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and through words. This process-related method also addresses the fact that not all students require the same amount of support from the teacher, and students could choose to work in pairs, small groups, or individually. And while some students may benefit from one-on-one interaction with you or the classroom aide, others may be able to progress by themselves. Teachers can enhance student learning by offering support based on individual needs.

Examples of differentiating the process:

Provide textbooks for visual and word learners.

Allow auditory learners to listen to audio books.

Give kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an interactive assignment online.

3. Product

The product is what the student creates at the end of the lesson to demonstrate the mastery of the content. This can be in the form of tests, projects, reports, or other activities. You could assign students to complete activities that show mastery of an educational concept in a way the student prefers, based on learning style.

Examples of differentiating the end product:

Read and write learners write a book report.

Visual learners create a graphic organizer of the story.

Auditory learners give an oral report.

Kinesthetic learners build a diorama illustrating the story.

4. Learning environment

The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and psychological elements. A flexible classroom layout is key, incorporating various types of furniture and arrangements to support both individual and group work. Psychologically speaking, teachers should use classroom management techniques that support a safe and supportive learning environment.

Examples of differentiating the environment:

Break some students into reading groups to discuss the assignment.

Allow students to read individually if preferred.

Create quiet spaces where there are no distractions.

Pros and cons of differentiated instruction

The benefits of differentiation in the classroom are often accompanied by the drawback of an ever-increasing workload. Here are a few factors to keep in mind:

Pros

Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities.

When students are given more options on how they can learn material, they take on more responsibility for their own learning.

Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers provide differentiated lessons.

Cons

Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson planning, and many teachers struggle to find the extra time in their schedule.

The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack professional development resources.

Critics argue there isn't enough research to support the benefits of differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep time.

Differentiated instruction strategies

What differentiated instructional strategies can you use in your classroom? There are a set of methods that can be tailored and used across the different subjects. According to Kathy Perez (2019) and the Access Center those strategies are tiered assignments, choice boards, compacting, interest centers/groups, flexible grouping, and learning contracts. Tiered assignments are designed to teach the same skill but have the students create a different product to display their knowledge based on their comprehension skills. Choice boards allow students to choose what activity they would like to work on for a skill that the teacher chooses. On the board are usually options for the different learning styles; kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and tactile. Compacting allows the teacher to help students reach the next level in their learning when they have already mastered what is being taught to the class. To compact the teacher assesses the student's level of knowledge, creates a plan for what they need to learn, excuses them from studying what they already know, and creates free time for them to practice an accelerated skill.

Interest centers or groups are a way to provide autonomy in student learning. Flexible grouping allows the groups to be more fluid based on the activity or topic. Finally, learning contracts are made between a student and teacher, laying out the teacher's expectations for the necessary skills to be demonstrated and the assignments required components with the student putting down the methods they would like to use to complete the assignment. These contracts can allow students to use their preferred learning style, work at an ideal pace and encourages independence and planning skills. The following are strategies for some of the core subject based on these methods.

Differentiated instruction strategies for math

Provide students with a choice board. They could have the options to learn about probability by playing a game with a peer, watching a video, reading the textbook, or working out problems on a worksheet.

Teach mini lessons to individuals or groups of students who didn't grasp the concept you were teaching during the large group lesson. This also lends time for compacting activities for those who have mastered the subject.

Use manipulatives, especially with students that have more difficulty grasping a concept.

Have students that have already mastered the subject matter create notes for students that are still learning.

For students that have mastered the lesson being taught, require them to give in-depth, step-by-step explanation of their solution process, while not being rigid about the process with students who are still learning the basics of a concept if they arrive at the correct answer.

Differentiated instruction strategies for science

Emma McCrea (2019) suggests setting up "Help Stations," where peers assist each other. Those that have more knowledge of the subject will be able to teach those that are struggling as an extension activity and those that are struggling will receive.

Set up a "question and answer" session during which learners can ask the teacher or their peers questions, in order to fill in knowledge gaps before attempting the experiment.

Create a visual word wall. Use pictures and corresponding labels to help students remember terms.

Set up interest centers. When learning about dinosaurs you might have an "excavation" center, a reading center, a dinosaur art project that focuses on their anatomy, and a video center.

Provide content learning in various formats such as showing a video about dinosaurs, handing out a worksheet with pictures of dinosaurs and labels, and providing a fill-in-the-blank work sheet with interesting dinosaur facts.

Differentiated instruction strategies for ELL

ASCD (2012) writes that all teachers need to become language teachers so that the content they are teaching the classroom can be conveyed to the students whose first language is not English.

Start by providing the information in the language that the student speaks then pairing it with a limited amount of the corresponding vocabulary in English.

Although ELL need a limited amount of new vocabulary to memorize, they need to be exposed to as much of the English language as possible. This means that when teaching, the teacher needs to focus on verbs and adjectives related to the topic as well.

Group work is important. This way they are exposed to more of the language. They should, however, be grouped with other ELL if possible as well as given tasks within the group that are within their reach such as drawing or researching.

Differentiated instruction strategies for reading

Tiered assignments can be used in reading to allow the students to show what they have learned at a level that suites them. One student might create a visual story board while another student might write a book report.

Reading groups can pick a book based on interest or be assigned based on reading level

Erin Lynch (2020) suggest that teachers scaffold instruction by giving clear explicit explanations with visuals. Verbally and visually explain the topic. Use anchor charts, drawings, diagrams, and reference guides to foster a clearer understanding. If applicable, provide a video clip for students to watch.

Utilize flexible grouping. Students might be in one group for phonics based on their assessed level but choose to be in another group for reading because they are more interested in that book.

Differentiated instruction strategies for writing

Hold writing conferences with your students either individually or in small groups. Talk with them throughout the writing process starting with their topic and moving through grammar, composition, and editing.

Allow students to choose their writing topics. When the topic is of interest, they will likely put more effort into the assignment and therefore learn more.

Keep track of and assess student's writing progress continually throughout the year. You can do this using a journal or a checklist. This will allow you to give individualized instruction.

Hand out graphic organizers to help students outline their writing. Try fill-in-the-blank notes that guide the students through each step of the writing process for those who need additional assistance.

For primary grades give out lined paper instead of a journal. You can also give out differing amounts of lines based on ability level. For those who are excelling at writing give them more lines or pages to encourage them to write more. For those that are still in the beginning stages of writing, give them less lines so that they do not feel overwhelmed.

Differentiated instruction strategies for special education

Use a multi-sensory approach. Get all five senses involved in your lessons, including taste and smell!

Use flexible grouping to create partnerships and teach students how to work collaboratively on tasks. Create partnerships where the students are of equal ability, partnerships where once the student will be challenged by their partner and another time they will be pushing and challenging their partner.

Assistive technology is often an important component of differential instruction in special education. Provide the students that need them with screen readers, personal tablets for communication, and voice recognition software.

The article Differentiation & LR Information for SAS Teachers suggests teachers be flexible when giving assessments "Posters, models, performances, and drawings can show what they have learned in a way that reflects their personal strengths". You can test for knowledge using rubrics instead of multiple-choice questions, or even build a portfolio of student work. You could also have them answer questions orally.

Utilize explicit modeling. Whether its notetaking, problem solving in math, or making a sandwich in home living, special needs students often require a step-by-step guide to make connections.

References and resources

Books & Videos about differentiated instruction by Carol Ann Tomlinson and others

The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, 2nd Edition

Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom - Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau

The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning - Carol Ann Tomlinson, Kay Brimijoin, and Lane Narvaez

Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design: Connecting Content and Kids - Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe

Differentiation in Practice Grades K-5: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum - Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson

Differentiation in Practice Grades 5-9: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum - Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson

Differentiation in Practice Grades 9-12: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum - Carol Ann Tomlinson and Cindy A. Strickland

Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom: Strategies and Tools for Responsive Teaching - Carol Ann Tomlinson

Leadership for Differentiating Schools and Classrooms - Carol Ann Tomlinson and Susan Demirsky Allan

How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms, 3rd Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson

Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Tonya R. Moon

How To Differentiate Instruction In Mixed Ability Classrooms 2nd Edition - Carol Ann Tomlinson

How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms 3rd Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson

Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom Paperback - Carol Ann Tomlinson, Tonya R. Moon

Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom (Professional Development) 1st Edition - Carol Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau

The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning 1st Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson, Kay Brimijoin, Lane Narvaez

Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom - David A. Sousa, Carol Ann Tomlinson

Leading for Differentiation: Growing Teachers Who Grow Kids - Carol Ann Tomlinson, Michael Murphy

An Educator's Guide to Differentiating Instruction. 10th Edition - Carol Ann Tomlinson, James M. Cooper

A Differentiated Approach to the Common Core: How do I help a broad range of learners succeed with a challenging curriculum? - Carol Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau

Managing a Differentiated Classroom: A Practical Guide - Carol Tomlinson, Marcia Imbeau

Differentiating Instruction for Mixed-Ability Classrooms: An ASCD Professional Inquiry Kit Pck Edition - Carol Ann Tomlinson

Using Differentiated Classroom Assessment to Enhance Student Learning (Student Assessment for Educators) 1st Edition - Tonya R. Moon, Catherine M. Brighton, Carol A. Tomlinson

The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners 1st Edition - Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Differentiated Instruction: Examples & Classroom Strategies | Resilient Educator

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Differentiated instruction benefits a wide range of students, from those with learning disabilities to those who are considered high ability. Read about classroom tips and strategies for implementation.

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Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

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English Language Learners: Sheltered Instruction

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ESOL Teacher Sheila Majdi: Using Sentence Frames with ELLs

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ESL Student Support Strategies (ELL, LEP   & Bilingual)

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Accommodations for ELL Students: Tips and Strategies-Ep. 17

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CECE Early Childhood Videos at Eastern CT State U.

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Supporting English Language Learners in the Preschool Classroom

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What do educators of middle and high school English language learners (ELLs) need to know to support their students' success? Take a look at these strategies and recommendations for some ideas to help you get started.

For additional ideas, see the other articles in this series:

Educational experience

Middle and high school students who come to the United States as teenagers may have attended school in their native country. If so, educators can tap into their experience and skills. When teachers show students that they can use the skills they already possess, students gain valuable confidence.

At the same time, some students may have interrupted or limited schooling. These students also possess valuable personal experiences and perspectives that are an important resource in the classroom. Help students to make connections to content by tapping into their background knowledge and look for opportunities to make associations between things that students have experienced in their own lives, as well as ways to make your instruction more culturally responsive.

In addition, identify the skills that students with interrupted education need so you can explicitly teach the skills they need to access grade-level content. For many helpful tips on how to navigate these questions, see the following:

Using students' languages as a resource

Students' home languages are a valuable resource. Even if you don't speak those languages and are not working in a bilingual setting, there are way to tap into them to support instruction.

For example, ELL exeprt Dr. Diane August recommends a number of research-based strategies that draw upon the home language such as the following:

using bilingual glossaries

providing background information in students' home languages

peer work in students' home languages

explicit instruction in how to use cognates (words that are related across languages such as English and Spanish) or build on their own skills in their home language.

In addition, older students will be able to discuss similarities and differences in the their first language and English. For example, they will recognize similarities and differences in alphabet, cognates, or root words. For the more advanced learner, you can explore sentence structure: "In English, we build sentences using Subject-Verb-Object." Does your student's language follow the same sentence structure? Ask them and guide them to help reveal and compare. See more ideas in Students' Home Languages as a Resource.

ELL instruction

Lesson planning

There are many ways to make grade-level content more accessible to ELLs. As part of your planning, it's important to:

identify background knowledge needed to understand the lesson

connect content to students' experience

identify content and language objectives

identify key vocabulary and academic language needed for the lesson

scaffold and differentiate instruction

incorporate peer learning into your instruction.

Learn how to use these strategies in the following articles:

Literacy and language skills

One of the biggest differences between elementary ELLs and middle and high school ELLs is that everyone is learning literacy in the primary grades. By the time students reach middle and high school, they are expected to be literate. For ELLs who are not, they need explicit instruction in how language works in areas such as:

Phonics

Phonemic awareness

Word families

Vocabulary

Reading

Grammatical structures and their uses

In addition, students may need instruction in how to:

read and write sight words

form a complete sentence

develop a paragraph

access grade-level text in different content areas.

Collaboration between classroom teachers, ELL specialists, and reading specialists can make a big difference in supporting older students' literacy development since each colleague brings an important perspective. Consider asking administrators for more collaboration time and professional development to address these areas of instruction.

For additional ideas, see the following articles from Colorín Colorado:

Age-appropriate materials and strategies

Teaching basic language skills is essential, but it's important not to make students feel like they are doing elementary work. Beginning level materials geared for teenagers and adults can be difficult to come by; however, learning basic reading and writing skills such as phonemic awareness and phonics is essential to the development of comprehension. Give rationales for the teaching of such basic skills as well as the procurement of materials targeted to older students if needed.

Learn how to engage ELLs as readers through strategies such as frequent comprehension checks and higher level thinking activities.

Learn about pre-reading strategies that will lay the groundwork for ELLs to tackle new texts. Watch as these strategies are put into action to help ELLs learn "A Christmas Carol".

Writing instruction

It's also imperative to explicitly teach writing styles as well. It's okay to make writing formulaic because this gives students a handle on where to start. ELLs need to know the rules of the game.

Use rubrics for writing assessment so that students know ahead of time how they will be graded. Rubrics allow you to grade specific parts of an assignment: content, grammar and usage, presentation, spelling, mechanics, etc.

See how Michelle helps her high school ELL students turn their brainstorm into a paragraph.

Learn how Michelle guides her ELLs through the brainstorming process as they prepare to write a journal.

Video: Using sentence frames with ELLs

Collaboration in your school community

Look for opportunities to draw on your colleagues' knowledge and expertise. You may be able to build on the helpful experience of:

ELL teachers

Library staff

Reading teachers

Content-area teachers

Speech pathologist

Bilingual staff

Share your collaborative successes with colleagues and administrators - that way you can advocate for more collaboration time together. It takes a school village to teach a child, and each member of the community as an important part to play in ELLs' success!

Classroom Videos

To see additional strategies in action, take a look at the following classroom videos featuring middle and high school classrooms:

In this lesson, middle school students read an excerpt from the novel Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck about a man who takes a road trip with his dog. ( Related resources available)

In this lesson for high school ELLs, students discuss the language used in Nelson Mandela's 1964 Court Speech "An Ideal for Which I am Prepared to Die." ( Related resources available)

In this standards-aligned lesson, students read a letter that Captain John Smith of the English Army wrote to Queen Anne in 1616. ( Related resources available)

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Tips for Teaching Middle and High School ELLs

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What do educators of middle and high school English language learners (ELLs) need to know to support their students' success? Take a look at these strategies and recommendations for some ideas to help you get started.

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Over 10 percent of students in the United States-more than 4.8 million kids-are English language learners (ELLs), and the number is on the rise. Though these students do not learn differently than their native-English-speaking peers, they do have particular educational needs.

To learn about these needs-and best practices for addressing them-I interviewed a range of educators and observers, including Larry Ferlazzo, an educator and author of The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide; longtime teachers of English as a second language (ESL) Emily Francis and Tan Huynh; and the journalist Helen Thorpe, who spent a year observing a teacher who works with ELLs.

The group emphasized that the strategies listed here, which include both big-picture mindsets and nitty-gritty teaching tactics, can be incorporated into all classrooms, benefiting both native English speakers and ELLs.

1. Cultivate Relationships and Be Culturally Responsive

No surprise here. A successful classroom, our educators agreed, is one in which students feel known, appreciated, and comfortable taking emotional and intellectual risks. That requires intentional planning and consistent messaging by the teacher.

Emily Francis, an ESL teacher in Concord, North Carolina, makes clear that she wants her students to "embrace their culture and their language as a foundation of who they are" and to consider their acquisition of a new culture and language "not as subtractive, but as additive." To help support students who may never have attended school before or may be coping with migration-based trauma, Francis emphasizes that little things make a big difference. "The first thing that I need to think about is, how is my student feeling in my classroom?" she says. "Are they sitting next to a buddy they can ask a question in their home language? Do they feel comfortable tapping me on the shoulder if they have to go to the bathroom?"

But creating a supportive environment is also about cultivating an appreciation of diversity-it's critical that both the curriculum and the classroom environment honor and reflect the lives of the students. For instance, Francis makes certain that her classroom library is reflective of her students' diverse backgrounds and identities.

ESL teacher Katie Toppel, who teaches near Portland, Oregon, champions the value of home visits to get to know students' families and takes care to incorporate the particulars of students' lives, such as pets' names and favorite sports, into lessons. Students are most engaged when they feel a personal connection to a lesson or unit, a connection that's created in part by a teacher's investment in culturally competent relationships.

2. Teach Language Skills Across the Curriculum

English language learners should not be learning the fundamentals of English in isolation; they should be applying their developing language skills to rich academic content in all subjects.

"It is key that in mainstream classrooms, teachers understand their role as language teachers," says Valentina Gonzalez, a district leader in Katy, Texas, suggesting that all teachers should be aware of the specialized idiom they work within. "If we teach math, then we teach the language of mathematics. If we teach science, then we teach the language of science." Math teachers, in other words, should take the time to teach the unfamiliar vocabulary of mathematics- add, subtract, calculator, solve -concurrently with the teaching of math skills.

3. Emphasize Productive Language

The educators I interviewed agreed that productive language skills-hard-to-master dimensions of language fluency like speaking and writing-should be front and center from day one, even if students feel hesitant about them.

Beginning ELLs often develop receptive language skills like listening and reading first. Educators who are unaware of the typical path to fluency may believe that students who can follow verbal or written directions will be able to produce oral or written language, but that's usually not the case.

To support reluctant speakers, Tan Huynh, an educator who blogs at Empowering ELLs, suggests using sentence frames. "For example, when a science teacher wants ELLs to produce a hypothesis, they might offer the sentence, 'If _____ was added, then _____ because _____.' This sentence frame provides clues that empower ELLs to sound and think like scientists," Huynh says.

Andrea Honigsfeld, a professor of education at Molloy College in Rockville, New York, suggests that all lessons touch on every letter of the acronym SWIRL, which stands for Speak, Write, Interact, Read, Listen. The approach intentionally privileges productive language skills "from the beginning," she says.

4. Speak Slowly-and Increase Your Wait Time

Easier said than done. Still, many of the teachers I spoke to said this simple change is vital. You can record yourself speaking in class to measure your cadence, and adjust.

"Adding in an extra three to five seconds after we pose a question offers all students time to think," explains Gonzalez. "However, for English learners, it also gives time to translate, process their thinking, translate back into English, and develop the courage to answer. If we call on students too quickly, many of our students will stop thinking about the answers-or trying to answer at all."

That means undoing some of our own habits, according to Larry Ferlazzo, a high school ESL teacher in Sacramento, California. "Researchers have found that typically most teachers give one to two seconds between asking a question and expecting a student response," he says. "The same researchers have shown that if you wait three to five seconds, the quality of responses is astronomically greater."

5. Differentiate-and Use Multiple Modalities

All kids learn better when they engage with material in multiple ways: Lessons that involve writing, speaking, drawing, and listening, for example, give students four opportunities to deepen their understanding of the work. For ELLs, those additional engagements also provide a little breathing room so they can work through the language barrier.

Helen Thorpe, a journalist who spent a year observing Eddie Williams's classroom in Denver in order to write a book about immigrants called The Newcomers, marveled at Williams's method of differentiation. "Eddie would enunciate very clearly in English multiple times, he would write it on the board, and he would go to the projector to give a visual. And, finally, he'd be asking the kids to verbalize aspects of the lesson themselves," she says, tracing Williams's efforts to move his students from receptive to productive language fluency.

Toppel uses a strategy called QSSSA to scaffold classroom discussions with ELLs. The letters stand for Question (the teacher poses a question, then gives ample think time); Signal (a designated motion like a thumbs-up, a finger on the nose-something that lets students indicate that they're ready to answer); Stem (the teacher provides a sentence starter for the question-for example, for "What is your favorite place to read a book?" the stem might be, "My favorite place to read a book is _____"); Share; and Assess.

6. Incorporate Students' Native Languages-and Don't Be Afraid of Technology

Bilingualism is the goal, of course, not replacement.

Ferlazzo uses a strategy called "preview, view, review," which leverages a student's native language skills as a foundation for learning the new language. He introduces a topic and encourages students to preview it in materials in their home language (often using multilingual videos and other online resources); he then teaches the topic in English, and then has students review the information in their home language.

Ferlazzo also encourages teachers to embrace technologies that students find helpful, like Google Translate. He stresses that the app can be a useful way for students to translate words quickly-but warns that it can quickly "become a dependency" if it's used as more than a handy dictionary.

Thorpe agrees that Translate can take pressure off teachers, who sometimes find that they "just stand at the front of the room and say things over and over. And if the kids didn't know what those words are, they're out of luck." Translation technology means you can say it once (or twice) and let the students use the technology to translate key words and phrases.

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6 Essential Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

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We interviewed educators with decades of experience in teaching ELLs and tapped a network of experts and observers to find the strategies that work.

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You Are Welcome Here: Supporting the Social and Emotional Health of Newcomer Immigrant Students

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Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Teaching English-Language Learners

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
A note on terminology: The acronym ESL is used less often now in schools than it used to be, because we recognize that many students who are learning English already speak several other languages, so English would not be a "second" language. I use it several times in the post because schools sometimes refer to the teachers as ESL teachers, and the term is still widely used as a search term for this topic. My intent in using the acronym is to make this post easier to find online.

You have a new student, and he speaks no English. His family has just moved to your town from Japan, and though he receives English as a Second Language (ESL) support, he will also be sitting in your room every day to give him more exposure to his new language. How can you be a good teacher to someone who barely understands you?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an average of 9 percent of students in U.S. public schools are English Language Learners (ELLs); that number is closer to 14 percent in cities. Although many of these students start off in high-intensity, whole-day English programs, most are integrated into mainstream classrooms within a year, well before their English language skills would be considered proficient.

How prepared are you to teach these students? If you're like most classroom teachers, you have little to no training in the most effective methods for working with English language learners (Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). So that means we have a problem here: Lots of ELL kids in regular classrooms, and no teacher training to ensure the success of that placement.

Below, three ESL teachers tell us what they know about the things regular classroom teachers can do to improve instruction for ELL students. These 12 strategies are simple, they are not very time consuming, and best of all, they will help everyone in your class learn better:

1. Make it Visual

"Avoid giving instructions in the air," says Melissa Eddington, an Ohio-based ESL teacher. "ELL kids have a harder time processing spoken language." So instructions - even basic directions for classroom procedures - should be written on the board whenever possible. Challenging concepts should be diagrammed or supported with pictures. And modeling the steps of a process or showing students what a finished product should look like can go a long way toward helping students understand. "Sometimes showing our students what to do is all they need in order to do it," Eddington says. Not only will this kind of nonlinguistic representation improve comprehension for ELL students, it will help all of your students grasp concepts better.

2. Build in more group work.

"Kids aren't just empty glasses that we pour stuff into and then at the end of the day they dump it back onto a test," says Kim, an ESL teacher who was the subject of my very first podcast interview. "If you really want the kids to learn, they've got to be engaged." That means less teacher-led, whole-class instruction, and more small groups, where students can practice language with their peers in a more personal, lower-risk setting. And if ELL students attend your class with a resource teacher, make use of that person: In most cases the resource teacher doesn't have to work exclusively with the ESL students; they can work with smaller groups that happen to contain these students, helping to improve the teacher-student ratio and give kids more time to practice.

3. Communicate with the ESL teacher.

Mary Yurkosky, a former ESL teacher in Massachusetts, credits much of her students' success to the strong relationship she had with the regular classroom teachers. "The classroom teachers were always talking to me about what they were doing in their classes," she says. "They made it so easy for me to support them: If a teacher was going to be doing a unit on plants, I could make sure we used some of that same vocabulary in the ESL class."

Ideally, this could be systematized, where ESL teachers could regularly get copies of lesson plans or collaborate with regular classroom teachers to build solid back-and-forth support, but "it doesn't have to be that much work," Yurkosky insists. "Just talk to each other. Talk about what's going on in your classrooms, invite each other to special presentations, share what your students are learning, and the words will naturally find their way into the ESL class."

4. Honor the "silent period."

Many new language learners go through a silent period, during which they will speak very little, if at all. "Don't force them to talk if they don't want to," says Eddington, "A lot of students who come from cultures outside of America want to be perfect when they speak, so they will not share until they feel they are at a point where they're perfect." Just knowing that this is a normal stage in second language acquisition should help relieve any pressure you feel to move them toward talking too quickly.

5. Allow some scaffolding with the native language.

Although it has been a hotly debated topic in the language-learning community, allowing students some use of their first language (L1) in second-language (L2) classrooms is gaining acceptance. When a student is still very new to a language, it's okay to pair him with other students who speak his native language. "Some students are afraid to open their mouths at all for fear of sounding stupid or just not knowing the words to use," Yurkosky says. "Letting them explain things or ask questions in their first language gets them to relax and feel like a part of the class."

And this doesn't only apply to spoken language. If you give students a written assignment, but the ELL student doesn't yet have the proficiency to handle writing his response in English, "Don't make them just sit there and do nothing," Eddington says. "Allow them to write in their first language if they're able. This allows them to still participate in journal writing or a math extended response, even if you can't read what they write." There has even been some evidence that allowing second-language learners to pre-write and brainstorm in L1 results in higher-quality writing in L2 in later stages of the writing process (Yigzaw, 2012).

6. Look out for culturally unique vocabulary.

"For most of these kids, their background knowledge is lacking, especially with things that are unique to American or westernized culture," says Eddington. It's important to directly teach certain vocabulary words: "Show them videos of what it looks like to toss pizza dough, show pictures of a juke box or a clothing rack - things that are not common in their own language."

One way to differentiate for ELL students is to consider the whole list of terms you're going to teach for a unit, and if you think an ELL student may be overwhelmed by such a long list, omit those that are not essential to understanding the larger topic at hand.

7. Use sentence frames to give students practice with academic language.

All students, not just English language learners, need practice with academic conversations. Sentence frames - partially completed sentences like "I disagree with what _________ said because..." - show students how to structure language in a formal way. Keep these posted in a highly visible spot in your classroom and require students to refer to them during discussions and while they write.

For this kind of language to really sink in, though, Kim says it has to become a regular part of class. "They won't do it if it's not the norm in the class, because they'll be embarrassed to use it among their peers," she says. "But if they can put it off on the teacher and say, Oh, well, you know, Miss Kim makes me talk like this, then they don't look as hoity-toity as they would otherwise."

8. Pre-teach whenever possible.

If you're going to be reading a certain article next week, give ESL students a copy of it now. If you plan to show a YouTube video tomorrow, send a link to your ESL students today. Any chance you can give these students to preview material will increase the odds that they'll understand it on the day you present it to everyone else. "That kind of thing is wonderful," Yurkosky says. "The kids feel so empowered if they've had a chance to look at the material ahead of time."

9. Learn about the cultural background of your students...

Our second-language populations grow more diverse every year. Taking the time to learn the basics of where a child comes from - exactly, not 'somewhere in the Middle East/South America/Asia/Africa' - tells the student that you respect her enough to bother. Kim remembers one time when she had to set the record straight about the diverse South American population at her school: "I was listening to the teachers talking about the 'Mexican' kids in our building," she says, "and I was like, 'We don't have any Mexicans.'" Not taking the time to at least correctly identify a child's country of origin, much like not bothering to pronounce their name correctly, is a kind of microaggression, a small, subtle insult that communicates hostility toward people of color. Make a commitment to be someone who bothers to get it right.

Once you have the country straight, take things up a notch by learning about students' religious and cultural practices. If he is a practicing Muslim, he should be told if one of the pizzas you ordered for the class party has sausage on it. If she comes from a culture where eye contact with adults is viewed as disrespectful, you'll know not to force her to look you in the eye when she's talking.

10. ...but don't make a child speak for his entire culture.

In her podcast interview, Kim shared a story about watching a teacher ask a new Iraqi student how he felt about the war in his country, right in the middle of class. "That's not cultural inclusiveness," she explains. "I've seen teachers do this and then pat themselves on the back. The students' English is limited so they can't express themselves very well, and they don't want to 'represent'; they just want to be there." If you anticipate a theme coming up in your class that's going to be relevant to one of your students, have a conversation with them in advance, or check with your ESL teacher to see if they think it's appropriate for in-class discussion.

11. Show them how to take themselves less seriously...

By modeling the risk-taking that's required to learn a new language, you help students develop the courage to take their own risks, and to have a sense of humor about it. "I tried to say the word 'paint' ( pinta) in Portuguese and instead I said the word for 'penis' ( pinto). They all roared with laughter while I stood there with a What?? look on my face," Yurkosky says. "When they explained what I'd said, I laughed so hard! I told them that laughing was fine because sometimes mistakes are really funny, but ridicule is never okay."

12. ...but always take them seriously.

One of Kim's pet peeves about how teachers interact with English language learners is the way they often see students' efforts as 'cute,' missing the whole point of what the student is trying to say. "A student will be desperate to communicate, and the teacher will get distracted by the delivery and miss the message," she says. "That's painful for me to watch." It bothers her when teachers mistake a lack of language for a lack of intelligence or maturity. When a child can't express themselves as well as they would in their native language, it's far too easy to assume the concepts just aren't in their heads.

"It breaks my heart when I hear teachers say (ELL kids) don't know anything," says Eddington. "These are brilliant kids and they know a lot. They just can't tell us in English yet." Make a conscious effort to see past the accent and the mispronunciations and treat every interaction - every student - with the respect they deserve.

"They're doing twice the job of everybody else in the class," Kim adds, "even though the result looks like half as much." ♦

Further Reading

The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide is one of the highest-rated books on teaching English-language learners available. In addition to offering an overview of the research on second-language learners and best practices in teaching ESL, it also includes a whole section on teaching ESL in the content areas and another specifically geared toward teaching ELL students in mainstream classrooms.
References:
Walker, A., Shafer, J., & Iiams, M. (2004). "Not in my classroom": Teacher attitudes towards English language learners in the mainstream classroom. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 130-160.

Yigzaw, A. (2012). Impact of L1 use in L2 English writing classes. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 8(1), 11-27.

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12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

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Advice from three ESL teachers on the things regular classroom teachers can do to help English language learners thrive in mainstream classrooms.

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Differentiated Instruction Strategies:  Flexible Grouping

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ELL Students and Assessments | Effective Accommodations

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As English Language Learners are fast growing in today's schools across the United States, teachers need strategies that can assist English Language Learners in making gains in English and in content areas. ELLs face the dual task of learning both English and academic content knowledge simultaneously. As teachers support ELLs in their language acquisition, they must also make content comprehensible for students.

These effective strategies can be used by all teachers to support English learners:

1. Affirm students' cultural identities. English learners represent a diverse student population, each with his or her own individual language strengths, prior educational experiences and background knowledge. Teachers have the opportunity to leverage this wealth of experience and knowledge by encouraging students to share their cultures with the class-for example, by bringing in fables from their native countries. These stories can spark new conversations and create a learning environment where all students feel valued.

2. Read aloud to students. The academic language students need to succeed is not present in everyday speech, but in text (Cummins, 2011). In order to build a vocabulary base and reading comprehension skills, students need to interact with a large body of engaging content. Cummins suggests that "from the day students walk into Kindergarten, they should be given daily opportunities to listen and discuss stories." These opportunities are particularly important for English learners, as read-alouds provide students time to increase vocabulary and improve speaking and listening skills.

3. Build on students' prior knowledge. Building on students' prior knowledge and background can empower them to make connections to new concepts, to build new mental schemas and to reflect on their own ideas and language use. Asking students about their knowledge and perception of a topic is an effective way to build bridges between prior knowledge and new concepts. Encouraging students to talk about and share experiences related to new content topics can be done with words, phrases, images and more. For example, when starting a new unit on fables, you may ask students to fill in a K-W-L chart, asking them what they already know about fables. This can include fables in students' home language or culture.

4. Offer language supports and scaffolds. Sentence starters and frames are great ways to boost ELLs' confidence as they practice vocabulary in context, use academic words, stretch language production and learn how to frame a response, comment, or question. These supports allow English learners to show what they know, especially in content classrooms. Displaying sentence starters or frames allow students to prepare responses and provide language so students can more fully participate in writing or speaking activities. For example:
One interesting fact or detail I learned about the Ancient Mayan Civilization was _____________________. ____________ and __________ were both sources of food for the Maya.

Cloze sentences are another great scaffold for ELLs: The way ____________ and ____________ are alike is that they both are/have ______, but what's different is that _____ are/have ________________________.

These strategies can be used across content areas to support ELLs at all proficiency levels.

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Four strategies for classroom teachers to support English Language Learners

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As English Language Learners are fast growing in today's schools across the United States, teachers need strategies that can assist English Language Learners in making gains in English and in content areas. ELLs face the dual task of learning both English and academic content knowledge simultaneously.

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What do educators of middle and high school English language learners (ELLs) need to know to support their students' success? Take a look at these strategies and recommendations for some ideas to help you get started.

For additional ideas, see the other articles in this series:

Educational experience

Middle and high school students who come to the United States as teenagers may have attended school in their native country. If so, educators can tap into their experience and skills. When teachers show students that they can use the skills they already possess, students gain valuable confidence.

At the same time, some students may have interrupted or limited schooling. These students also possess valuable personal experiences and perspectives that are an important resource in the classroom. Help students to make connections to content by tapping into their background knowledge and look for opportunities to make associations between things that students have experienced in their own lives, as well as ways to make your instruction more culturally responsive.

In addition, identify the skills that students with interrupted education need so you can explicitly teach the skills they need to access grade-level content. For many helpful tips on how to navigate these questions, see the following:

Using students' languages as a resource

Students' home languages are a valuable resource. Even if you don't speak those languages and are not working in a bilingual setting, there are way to tap into them to support instruction.

For example, ELL exeprt Dr. Diane August recommends a number of research-based strategies that draw upon the home language such as the following:

using bilingual glossaries

providing background information in students' home languages

peer work in students' home languages

explicit instruction in how to use cognates (words that are related across languages such as English and Spanish) or build on their own skills in their home language.

In addition, older students will be able to discuss similarities and differences in the their first language and English. For example, they will recognize similarities and differences in alphabet, cognates, or root words. For the more advanced learner, you can explore sentence structure: "In English, we build sentences using Subject-Verb-Object." Does your student's language follow the same sentence structure? Ask them and guide them to help reveal and compare. See more ideas in Students' Home Languages as a Resource.

ELL instruction

Lesson planning

There are many ways to make grade-level content more accessible to ELLs. As part of your planning, it's important to:

identify background knowledge needed to understand the lesson

connect content to students' experience

identify content and language objectives

identify key vocabulary and academic language needed for the lesson

scaffold and differentiate instruction

incorporate peer learning into your instruction.

Learn how to use these strategies in the following articles:

Literacy and language skills

One of the biggest differences between elementary ELLs and middle and high school ELLs is that everyone is learning literacy in the primary grades. By the time students reach middle and high school, they are expected to be literate. For ELLs who are not, they need explicit instruction in how language works in areas such as:

Phonics

Phonemic awareness

Word families

Vocabulary

Reading

Grammatical structures and their uses

In addition, students may need instruction in how to:

read and write sight words

form a complete sentence

develop a paragraph

access grade-level text in different content areas.

Collaboration between classroom teachers, ELL specialists, and reading specialists can make a big difference in supporting older students' literacy development since each colleague brings an important perspective. Consider asking administrators for more collaboration time and professional development to address these areas of instruction.

For additional ideas, see the following articles from Colorín Colorado:

Age-appropriate materials and strategies

Teaching basic language skills is essential, but it's important not to make students feel like they are doing elementary work. Beginning level materials geared for teenagers and adults can be difficult to come by; however, learning basic reading and writing skills such as phonemic awareness and phonics is essential to the development of comprehension. Give rationales for the teaching of such basic skills as well as the procurement of materials targeted to older students if needed.

Learn how to engage ELLs as readers through strategies such as frequent comprehension checks and higher level thinking activities.

Learn about pre-reading strategies that will lay the groundwork for ELLs to tackle new texts. Watch as these strategies are put into action to help ELLs learn "A Christmas Carol".

Writing instruction

It's also imperative to explicitly teach writing styles as well. It's okay to make writing formulaic because this gives students a handle on where to start. ELLs need to know the rules of the game.

Use rubrics for writing assessment so that students know ahead of time how they will be graded. Rubrics allow you to grade specific parts of an assignment: content, grammar and usage, presentation, spelling, mechanics, etc.

See how Michelle helps her high school ELL students turn their brainstorm into a paragraph.

Learn how Michelle guides her ELLs through the brainstorming process as they prepare to write a journal.

Video: Using sentence frames with ELLs

Collaboration in your school community

Look for opportunities to draw on your colleagues' knowledge and expertise. You may be able to build on the helpful experience of:

ELL teachers

Library staff

Reading teachers

Content-area teachers

Speech pathologist

Bilingual staff

Share your collaborative successes with colleagues and administrators - that way you can advocate for more collaboration time together. It takes a school village to teach a child, and each member of the community as an important part to play in ELLs' success!

Classroom Videos

To see additional strategies in action, take a look at the following classroom videos featuring middle and high school classrooms:

In this lesson, middle school students read an excerpt from the novel Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck about a man who takes a road trip with his dog. ( Related resources available)

In this lesson for high school ELLs, students discuss the language used in Nelson Mandela's 1964 Court Speech "An Ideal for Which I am Prepared to Die." ( Related resources available)

In this standards-aligned lesson, students read a letter that Captain John Smith of the English Army wrote to Queen Anne in 1616. ( Related resources available)

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Tips for Teaching Middle and High School ELLs

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What do educators of middle and high school English language learners (ELLs) need to know to support their students' success? Take a look at these strategies and recommendations for some ideas to help you get started.

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4 Simple Ways to Support English Learners’ Comprehension

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Simple strategies—like providing visual cues—that teachers can use to help English learners improve their understanding in any class.

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ESL Student Support Strategies (ELL, LEP   & Bilingual)

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Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Teaching English-Language Learners

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Educating ELL, ESL Students: Avella's PD (Ep 6)