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Enhancing Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers and ELL Specialists

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Enhancing Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers and ELL Specialists

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Enhancing Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers and ELL Specialists

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English language learners really benefit when teachers establish effective teamwork to support them.

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EDU WEEK | How the 'Science of Reading' Supports ELLs"

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EDU WEEK | How the 'Science of Reading' Supports ELLs"

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How the 'Science of Reading' Can Support English Learners

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Pre-teaching gives students an entry point when learning new content or new vocabulary words. Rather than "starting from scratch" during a new lesson, they will already have some familiarity with the target information and language - a foundation on which to build. This can also improve their engagement and confidence when participating in class discussions.

Pre-teaching can be embedded in the beginning of the lesson. It can also be introduced during small group work, in collaboration with another teacher or specialist, as part of an intervention, or during another part of the day.

For example, ESOL specialist Katy Padilla created a " Super Secret Science Club" at lunch and used the time to preview the science lessons that the students would be seeing in the afternoon with images on slides and videos. She has found success with pre-teaching, which she says makes kids "experts" in the new content before they see it in the larger classroom setting.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before the lesson

1. Identify some key vocabulary words and/or concepts that you wish to highlight, with a special focus on the main objectives of the lesson or what the students may not be familiar with. (If another teacher will be teaching the lesson, get their input on key objectives and vocabulary for the lesson and then be sure to share what you have previewed with students.)

2. Look for different ways to present the new content and vocabulary, such as the use of images, videos, student glossaries, realia, and short text summaries.

3. Give students lots of chances to practice hearing, reading, speaking, and saying new words, as well as discussing new content, so that they feel comfortable with what they are learning. If possible, preview some examples of what students might see in the lesson.

During the lesson

1. If you are teaching or co-teaching the lesson, get students to "show what they know" during the class period through their participation, discussion, and classwork. Pay close attention to how comfortable students feel with the content and their new vocabulary words.

2. If you aren't in the room during the lesson, ask the teacher who is delivering the lesson to pay attention to how students are engaging with the content and share their observations with you.

After the lesson

1. Make note of how much students participated, whether they used their new target words, and what impact the pre-teaching had on their engagement.

2. Reflect on what worked or what didn't work so that you can continue to make the most of your pre-teaching time.

Differentiation

Use scaffolds such as visuals, video/audio transcripts, graphic organizers, resources in students' home languages, and realia.

Give students an opportunity to discuss content with partners before sharing with the whole group, including with peers who speak the same home language.

Lessons Learned

Select 3-5 essential concepts and terms for pre-teaching. Give students confidence with a few items rather than overwhelming them with pre-teaching the entire lesson.

Always teach the new vocabulary words in connection with the content students will be learning, rather than as a list of words. Use the visuals, videos, experiments, etc. to connect the words to the content.

Explicitly connect the new content and concepts with the students' existing background knowledge. Build on what they already know.

As you figure out how to make the most of your pre-teaching time, shared your lessons learned with colleagues so that they can try this strategy too.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Identify key concepts and vocabulary words for your lesson.

2. Look for resources that present and highlight this content that can be used for teaching and previewing.

English Language Development Teacher

1. If needed, collaborate with your co-teacher to select vocabulary and main ideas that will support understanding of the lesson.

2. Identify some different ways to introduce the new content and words to students, as well as to practice using the new language.

Example

Science (Gr. 3-5)

Why Daylight Changes in the Seasons

Lesson Plan: Changing Daylight in Summer and Winter is an upper elementary science lesson from PBS Learning Media.

Here are some different ways you could pre-teach this content before the lesson.

Activate prior knowledge
Look for ways to make connections to students' prior experience and background knowledge. See the lesson plan's Teaching Tips for prompts.

Video
Sunny Summer Nights (Molly of Denali)

This short video from the PBS Kids series Molly of Denali features two Iñupiaq young people in Utqiagvik, Alaska, a town above the Arctic Circle. The young people describe the phenomenon of the sun never setting in the summer and never rising in the winter. The clip also includes some words in Iñupiaq (available in the captions).

Vocabulary + images
Show students "Illuminating Earth in June and December," an image included in the lesson plan materials. Use the image to teach students the following vocabulary words, providing student-friendly definitions:

Northern

axis

hemisphere

revolve

tip away from the sun

tip towards from the sun

Then ask students to describe the image with a partner using their new vocabulary words. How does the image relate to the video of the young people in Utqiagvik?

Home language support
This lesson plan is available in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking students who need additional scaffolding, you may wish to have them look at the materials or view the videos in Spanish first.

Students can also discuss the content in their home language and then report what they learned in English.

Lesson plan materials
The lesson plan includes a number of materials that you can use before viewing the videos, including:

background reading

ideas for using globes or student-made models

discussion questions

transcripts of the videos

Teaching the lesson

Once you dig into the lesson plan's videos and other related materials, look for the connections students are making to what they learned in the preview.

Throughout the lesson or unit, refer back to these new vocabulary words and concepts to help reinforce what students have learned along the way.

Take note of how pre-teaching impacts students' engagement, confidence, and mastery of content and share your findings with other colleagues!

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentPre-teaching gives students an entry point when learning new content or new vocabulary words. Rather than "starting from scratch" during a new lesson, they will already have some familiarity with the target information and language - a foundation on which to build.

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EDU WEEK | How the 'Science of Reading' Supports ELLs"

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EDU WEEK | How the 'Science of Reading' Supports ELLs"

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How the 'Science of Reading' Can Support English Learners

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5 Ways Teachers Can Collaborate to Support English Learners

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5 Ways Teachers Can Collaborate to Support English Learners

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5 Ways Teachers Can Collaborate to Support English Learners

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How to Use English Learners' Primary Language in the Classroom

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How to Use English Learners' Primary Language in the Classroom

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English Language Learners

It's important for multilingual students to feel that their first language is valuable, seen as an asset, and a welcome part of their identity.

Someone who can communicate in many languages has mental flexibility, an expansive vocabulary, and more. Students in our classrooms with languages other than English in their linguistic repertoires have advantages. The question for us educators is how we tap into that linguistic capital-especially if we do not speak or understand the languages that our students know. How and why do other languages fit into the mainstream classroom?

First, let's explore four common myths and misconceptions about using students' primary languages in the classroom.

Myth/misconception: Everything needs to be translated for newcomers in the early stages of English proficiency.

Reality: Translation is a tool that is best used and taught with caution. Not all texts and lessons require full translation. In many cases, translating new content poses challenges for English learners because they haven't been exposed to the academic vocabulary in their primary language yet. The words and concepts are new in both languages! Two effective strategies that lean on students' funds of knowledge while building language and content are the Picture Word Inductive Model and the Language Experience Approach.

Myth/misconception: We must focus only on English to learn English.

Reality: Second-language acquisition is built on the foundation of the first language. Students acquiring English as an additional language should continue to speak and practice their first or other languages at school. When possible, pair students with peers of the same language for interaction. You can also offer them books in their first language.

Another routine that supports the use of a first language is Preview/Review. Students preview the lesson in their first language with a peer, parent, or volunteer; then they engage in the lesson in English with the class; and finally, they review the lesson in their first language again with a peer, parent, or volunteer.

Myth/misconception: English learners have to learn basic English before they can learn academic content.

Reality: A child who is developmentally and cognitively capable of learning should not be held back from thinking at their ability level due to language differences. Teaching that is infused with sheltered instruction methods such as visuals, gestures, pointing, cooperative learning, multimedia, frequent checks for understanding, and more increases comprehensible input for all learners. Fluency in a language does not indicate intelligence.

Myth/misconception: Children who speak a language other than English at home are at a disadvantage and may be confused in the classroom.

Reality: Languages are assets-we can view the home language as a way that students build new vocabulary, family ties, traditions, and culture. Homes that are filled with these things in any language are advantages.

This type of culturally inclusive pedagogy positions educators to embrace students and families as they are rather than ignoring central parts of their identities.

4 Ways to Encourage Primary Language Use In the Classroom

You can implement the following methods to suit your lesson plans at any grade level with students of all ages, and with English learners who speak a variety of languages.

1. Provide access to resources in students' first languages. Be intentional about inviting and welcoming all languages into classrooms by including books and materials in languages that students speak. Begin by identifying the most common languages in the classroom, and collect resources in those languages.

When students see their first language in a book at school, they feel valued and appreciated. This practice also helps all of your students to build empathy for their classmates and appreciation of all languages.

2. Invite different languages throughout lessons. For instance, while reading a book about sea mammals, you can make a chart with different ways to name the sea mammals in the languages spoken by the students. Draw students' attention to cognates (words that are spelled similarly in two languages and mean the same thing). Pair students up with same-language peers, and provide them time to discuss learning topics in their primary language.

A video from Atlanta Speech School, called , shows how the teacher uses students' languages to help them feel valued and seen as well as to help them learn new information and acquire English.

3. Display the languages that your students speak on the walls. Label different items on the classroom walls in English and the other languages that your students speak. Eliciting the help of the students in your classroom to create the labels can be part of the learning and community building. This can be a flexible and ongoing task.

Students can read the words as a class, read them with partners, and play games with them. A word of caution about the use of classroom walls and cluttering them- too much decoration can be a distraction for learners.

4. Encourage families to speak the language they're most comfortable with at home. Parents may think that they should speak to their children and read to them in English at home in order for them to learn it more quickly. On the contrary, families should use the language they are most comfortable with at home.

A strong foundation in the first language supports second language acquisition. Some families may find this counterintuitive, thinking that more English will produce more English. Remind them of the value of bilingual/multilingualism by modeling its worth during interactions with families, sharing success stories of prominent bilinguals, and showcasing bilingual brain power.

How to Assess Learners

When teachers don't understand their student's primary language, they can still find ways to formatively and summatively assess knowledge and understanding. Teachers who recognize the value and importance of tapping into a child's full language repertoire are one step closer to helping a child learn content and acquire a new language.

You can ask students to point to, draw, answer yes/no questions, and categorize pictures. With advancements in technology, we also have the ability to translate students' verbal responses. Though Google Translate is one of the most popular tools for live translation, use it cautiously, since direct translations are not always effective.

Effective assessment of English learners (ELs) at various levels of English proficiency will begin with a deep understanding of students' strengths, what they can do, and will position students toward further linguistic growth. Teachers of ELs should rely on their state's English Language Proficiency Standards and align instruction and assessments to them.

It's amazing to see how students react when they find their primary language in the classroom in a book or on the wall. Their faces light up and their posture changes. They seem to become more confident. They gain a new sense of belonging that they didn't find before. This feeling lets them know they don't have to change who they are to be seen in this space-the gifts they bring are valued.

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How to Use English Learners' Primary Language in the Classroom

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English Language Learners It's important for multilingual students to feel that their first language is valuable, seen as an asset, and a welcome part of their identity. Someone who can communicate in many languages has mental flexibility, an expansive vocabulary, and more. Students in our classrooms with languages other than English in their linguistic repertoires have advantages.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Pre-teaching gives students an entry point when learning new content or new vocabulary words. Rather than "starting from scratch" during a new lesson, they will already have some familiarity with the target information and language - a foundation on which to build. This can also improve their engagement and confidence when participating in class discussions.

Pre-teaching can be embedded in the beginning of the lesson. It can also be introduced during small group work, in collaboration with another teacher or specialist, as part of an intervention, or during another part of the day.

For example, ESOL specialist Katy Padilla created a " Super Secret Science Club" at lunch and used the time to preview the science lessons that the students would be seeing in the afternoon with images on slides and videos. She has found success with pre-teaching, which she says makes kids "experts" in the new content before they see it in the larger classroom setting.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before the lesson

1. Identify some key vocabulary words and/or concepts that you wish to highlight, with a special focus on the main objectives of the lesson or what the students may not be familiar with. (If another teacher will be teaching the lesson, get their input on key objectives and vocabulary for the lesson and then be sure to share what you have previewed with students.)

2. Look for different ways to present the new content and vocabulary, such as the use of images, videos, student glossaries, realia, and short text summaries.

3. Give students lots of chances to practice hearing, reading, speaking, and saying new words, as well as discussing new content, so that they feel comfortable with what they are learning. If possible, preview some examples of what students might see in the lesson.

During the lesson

1. If you are teaching or co-teaching the lesson, get students to "show what they know" during the class period through their participation, discussion, and classwork. Pay close attention to how comfortable students feel with the content and their new vocabulary words.

2. If you aren't in the room during the lesson, ask the teacher who is delivering the lesson to pay attention to how students are engaging with the content and share their observations with you.

After the lesson

1. Make note of how much students participated, whether they used their new target words, and what impact the pre-teaching had on their engagement.

2. Reflect on what worked or what didn't work so that you can continue to make the most of your pre-teaching time.

Differentiation

Use scaffolds such as visuals, video/audio transcripts, graphic organizers, resources in students' home languages, and realia.

Give students an opportunity to discuss content with partners before sharing with the whole group, including with peers who speak the same home language.

Lessons Learned

Select 3-5 essential concepts and terms for pre-teaching. Give students confidence with a few items rather than overwhelming them with pre-teaching the entire lesson.

Always teach the new vocabulary words in connection with the content students will be learning, rather than as a list of words. Use the visuals, videos, experiments, etc. to connect the words to the content.

Explicitly connect the new content and concepts with the students' existing background knowledge. Build on what they already know.

As you figure out how to make the most of your pre-teaching time, shared your lessons learned with colleagues so that they can try this strategy too.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Identify key concepts and vocabulary words for your lesson.

2. Look for resources that present and highlight this content that can be used for teaching and previewing.

English Language Development Teacher

1. If needed, collaborate with your co-teacher to select vocabulary and main ideas that will support understanding of the lesson.

2. Identify some different ways to introduce the new content and words to students, as well as to practice using the new language.

Example

Science (Gr. 3-5)

Why Daylight Changes in the Seasons

Lesson Plan: Changing Daylight in Summer and Winter is an upper elementary science lesson from PBS Learning Media.

Here are some different ways you could pre-teach this content before the lesson.

Activate prior knowledge
Look for ways to make connections to students' prior experience and background knowledge. See the lesson plan's Teaching Tips for prompts.

Video
Sunny Summer Nights (Molly of Denali)

This short video from the PBS Kids series Molly of Denali features two Iñupiaq young people in Utqiagvik, Alaska, a town above the Arctic Circle. The young people describe the phenomenon of the sun never setting in the summer and never rising in the winter. The clip also includes some words in Iñupiaq (available in the captions).

Vocabulary + images
Show students "Illuminating Earth in June and December," an image included in the lesson plan materials. Use the image to teach students the following vocabulary words, providing student-friendly definitions:

Northern

axis

hemisphere

revolve

tip away from the sun

tip towards from the sun

Then ask students to describe the image with a partner using their new vocabulary words. How does the image relate to the video of the young people in Utqiagvik?

Home language support
This lesson plan is available in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking students who need additional scaffolding, you may wish to have them look at the materials or view the videos in Spanish first.

Students can also discuss the content in their home language and then report what they learned in English.

Lesson plan materials
The lesson plan includes a number of materials that you can use before viewing the videos, including:

background reading

ideas for using globes or student-made models

discussion questions

transcripts of the videos

Teaching the lesson

Once you dig into the lesson plan's videos and other related materials, look for the connections students are making to what they learned in the preview.

Throughout the lesson or unit, refer back to these new vocabulary words and concepts to help reinforce what students have learned along the way.

Take note of how pre-teaching impacts students' engagement, confidence, and mastery of content and share your findings with other colleagues!

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentPre-teaching gives students an entry point when learning new content or new vocabulary words. Rather than "starting from scratch" during a new lesson, they will already have some familiarity with the target information and language - a foundation on which to build.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Pre-teaching gives students an entry point when learning new content or new vocabulary words. Rather than "starting from scratch" during a new lesson, they will already have some familiarity with the target information and language - a foundation on which to build. This can also improve their engagement and confidence when participating in class discussions.

Pre-teaching can be embedded in the beginning of the lesson. It can also be introduced during small group work, in collaboration with another teacher or specialist, as part of an intervention, or during another part of the day.

For example, ESOL specialist Katy Padilla created a " Super Secret Science Club" at lunch and used the time to preview the science lessons that the students would be seeing in the afternoon with images on slides and videos. She has found success with pre-teaching, which she says makes kids "experts" in the new content before they see it in the larger classroom setting.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before the lesson

1. Identify some key vocabulary words and/or concepts that you wish to highlight, with a special focus on the main objectives of the lesson or what the students may not be familiar with. (If another teacher will be teaching the lesson, get their input on key objectives and vocabulary for the lesson and then be sure to share what you have previewed with students.)

2. Look for different ways to present the new content and vocabulary, such as the use of images, videos, student glossaries, realia, and short text summaries.

3. Give students lots of chances to practice hearing, reading, speaking, and saying new words, as well as discussing new content, so that they feel comfortable with what they are learning. If possible, preview some examples of what students might see in the lesson.

During the lesson

1. If you are teaching or co-teaching the lesson, get students to "show what they know" during the class period through their participation, discussion, and classwork. Pay close attention to how comfortable students feel with the content and their new vocabulary words.

2. If you aren't in the room during the lesson, ask the teacher who is delivering the lesson to pay attention to how students are engaging with the content and share their observations with you.

After the lesson

1. Make note of how much students participated, whether they used their new target words, and what impact the pre-teaching had on their engagement.

2. Reflect on what worked or what didn't work so that you can continue to make the most of your pre-teaching time.

Differentiation

Use scaffolds such as visuals, video/audio transcripts, graphic organizers, resources in students' home languages, and realia.

Give students an opportunity to discuss content with partners before sharing with the whole group, including with peers who speak the same home language.

Lessons Learned

Select 3-5 essential concepts and terms for pre-teaching. Give students confidence with a few items rather than overwhelming them with pre-teaching the entire lesson.

Always teach the new vocabulary words in connection with the content students will be learning, rather than as a list of words. Use the visuals, videos, experiments, etc. to connect the words to the content.

Explicitly connect the new content and concepts with the students' existing background knowledge. Build on what they already know.

As you figure out how to make the most of your pre-teaching time, shared your lessons learned with colleagues so that they can try this strategy too.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Identify key concepts and vocabulary words for your lesson.

2. Look for resources that present and highlight this content that can be used for teaching and previewing.

English Language Development Teacher

1. If needed, collaborate with your co-teacher to select vocabulary and main ideas that will support understanding of the lesson.

2. Identify some different ways to introduce the new content and words to students, as well as to practice using the new language.

Example

Science (Gr. 3-5)

Why Daylight Changes in the Seasons

Lesson Plan: Changing Daylight in Summer and Winter is an upper elementary science lesson from PBS Learning Media.

Here are some different ways you could pre-teach this content before the lesson.

Activate prior knowledge
Look for ways to make connections to students' prior experience and background knowledge. See the lesson plan's Teaching Tips for prompts.

Video
Sunny Summer Nights (Molly of Denali)

This short video from the PBS Kids series Molly of Denali features two Iñupiaq young people in Utqiagvik, Alaska, a town above the Arctic Circle. The young people describe the phenomenon of the sun never setting in the summer and never rising in the winter. The clip also includes some words in Iñupiaq (available in the captions).

Vocabulary + images
Show students "Illuminating Earth in June and December," an image included in the lesson plan materials. Use the image to teach students the following vocabulary words, providing student-friendly definitions:

Northern

axis

hemisphere

revolve

tip away from the sun

tip towards from the sun

Then ask students to describe the image with a partner using their new vocabulary words. How does the image relate to the video of the young people in Utqiagvik?

Home language support
This lesson plan is available in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking students who need additional scaffolding, you may wish to have them look at the materials or view the videos in Spanish first.

Students can also discuss the content in their home language and then report what they learned in English.

Lesson plan materials
The lesson plan includes a number of materials that you can use before viewing the videos, including:

background reading

ideas for using globes or student-made models

discussion questions

transcripts of the videos

Teaching the lesson

Once you dig into the lesson plan's videos and other related materials, look for the connections students are making to what they learned in the preview.

Throughout the lesson or unit, refer back to these new vocabulary words and concepts to help reinforce what students have learned along the way.

Take note of how pre-teaching impacts students' engagement, confidence, and mastery of content and share your findings with other colleagues!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentPre-teaching gives students an entry point when learning new content or new vocabulary words. Rather than "starting from scratch" during a new lesson, they will already have some familiarity with the target information and language - a foundation on which to build.

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6 Strategies to Help ELLs Succeed in Peer Learning and Collaboration

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6 Strategies to Help ELLs Succeed in Peer Learning and Collaboration

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6 Strategies to Help ELLs Succeed in Peer Learning and Collaboration

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Peer learning can be a powerful tool in the classroom, particularly for English language learners (ELLs). Encouraging peer interaction and collaboration not only provides opportunities for language use and practice — it builds community in the classroom! ELLs also benefit from observing how their peers learn and solve problems.However, most students, especially ELLs, will need guidance and lots of practice with group work. This article offers some ideas you can use to get started.Reflection Questions: What benefits have you seen from peer learning with students?How are some important considerations when planning peer activities for ELLs?1. Give students lots of practiceRelated researchLearn more about peer learning in Dr. Diane August’s article “Educating English Language Learners” in American Educator.Whenever you introduce new strategies that involve pair or group work, assign ELLs’ roles carefully. Use modeling, clear directions, and comprehension checks to ensure students understand:how the activity workstheir role in group workthe objective of the activityany key vocabulary or phrases they should be using.Here are additional other tips on group work for ELLs that Judie Haynes and Debbie Zacarian share in their book Teaching English Language Learners Across the Content Areas:Assign students group roles that match their language ability (37).Promote students to new roles as their language skills improve (42).Make sure that all students understand that they will be working in diverse groups and that everyone’s contributions are important (41).Keep an eye on the balance of student participation; if some students are speaking more than others, ask them to think of some ways to even participation out (42).Ask students to reflect on their group work after they have finished an activity. Haynes and Zacarian include a chart in their book with some guiding statements for student reflection (48).Increasing ELLs’ comfort with group workGive students lots of opportunities to express themselves and practice discussion in smalls group and the larger group. Small groups may be especially beneficial for ELLs.Keep in mind that some ELLs may be apprehensive about speaking out in a group and afraid to make mistakes in front of their peers.In addition, keep in mind that ELLs may be trying to use English with their English-speaking peers but their peers may not be engaging with them. This was a common occurence that Dr. Diane August noticed in her research into ELLs’ peer learning.Stay positive and patient with your ELLs, and remind other students to do the same.If needed, use some activities to build empathy and respect for ELLs, such as talking about the benefits of being bilingual, asking students to teach their peers a few words in their language, or asking a bilingual teacher to teach a lesson in another language to the class for a few minutes.If you decide to assign each student in a team a role (such as reporter, recorder, time keeper, and materials manager), you might want to rotate roles each week or by activity. This prevents what typically happens if students select their own roles — the same students wind up performing the same tasks. By rotating, students develop the skills they most need to practice.Using group work early and oftenLearn more about cooperative learning strategies and Total Physical Response activities to use with ELLs.Use group work through hands-on activities, project-based learning, and lesson plans across the curriculum all year round.Consider ways to make group work more successful in virtual settings or hybrid settings, such as trying the station rotation model or pairing in-person students with students learning remotely for group work.Look for ways to increase students’ opportunities for speaking in online environments.Video: A success story from virtual learningELL teacher Omar Salem shares an unexpected success story of peer collaboration from a group of his students on an asynchronous learning day. 2. Encourage use of students’ home languagesUsing students’ home languages in the classroom can:help build comprehensiondeepen understandingbuild confidencegive students the chance to express themselves.Some activities that may be appropriate for using home language include:brainstorming background knowledge about a topicdiscussing a particularly rich topic first with peers.Educators can set parameters, such as time limits, and put scaffolds in place for reporting out in English. Allowing students to work in their native languageTeachers often worry that students will be off-task if they are working in their native language. In my experience, students are more focused because they can engage naturally with the content and delve deeper into the activity together. I set parameters and put scaffolds in place for reporting out in English. When students are “off-task” or misbehaving a teacher can tell more from body language and noise level than actual words.— Kristina Robertson, EL Administrator, Roseville, MN3. Be intentional with your grouping Be mindful of how you group students. Give ELLs opportunities to work both with peers who speak their language as well as native English speakers.Consider situations when using the home language might be beneficial, as noted above. On the other hand, there will be times when you want students to have more direct time to practice their English skills. If students are practicing some new vocabulary words or specific language structures, putting students in mixed groups might make more sense.Look for partners who will be patient and supportive of ELLs when pairing them with native English speakers.Video: How I group ELLs for peer learningHigh school ELL teacher Michelle Lawrence Biggar describes the way she uses peer learning groups with her ELLs. 4. Look for ways to increase oral academic languageAsk students to show work and explain their processes to others in order to practice academic language.Use sentence frames that students can practice with lighter topics related to their daily routines, likes and dislikes, etc. Continue using these on a regular basis, including them as part of academic conversations. If the time comes that you need to address a difficult topic or event, your students will have a familiar activity to use.Try structuring student conversations with tips such as these from Tan Huynh’s Empowering ELLs blog or Valentina Gonzalez’s description of the QSSSA method (Question-Signal-Stem-Share-Assess).Keep in mind Kristina Robertson’s helpful formula: When introducing new language, use old content. When introducing new content, use old language.See more ideas in the following resources:Video Series: Engaging ELLs in Academic ConversationsUsing Pair and Group Work to Develop ELLs’ Oral Language SkillsSocratic Circles and the Common Core: Activity Ideas for ELLs (Part III)Video: Writing a cooperative paragraphAlbuquerque teacher Ali Nava walks her students through a cooperative paragraph summarizing the beginning, middle, and end the children’s book Burro’s Tortillas and uses the exercise as an opportunity to practice their writing skills. 5. Remember the ‘silent period’It is very common for students who are learning a new language to be ‘silent’ for a period of time, when they are listening to the language around them without speaking yet. This is considered the first stage of language acquisition. Be patient, and give the student opportunities for small successes in speaking with you and individual peers before speaking in front of larger groups.6. Don’t forget cultureCulture can play a big role in how students collaborate and interact with peers. For example, students who come from a more “collectivist” culture (one that is oriented more towards the group than the individual) maybe be particularly successful in group work. They may be used to working cooperatively on assigned tasks — so much so that they may need to learn what your expectations are for independent work. Use this to your advantage with group work and projects, and share guidance on when independent work is appropriate and expected.In addition, keep in mind that students may have specific cultural norms around interacting with peers, and ELLs who have the same racial background, speak the same language, or hail from the same country may not have all that much in common. In some cases, they may actually come from groups with histories of conflict. Consult with family liaisons if you have questions about what is appropriate in your classroom.Collective vs. individual orientationA teacher struggled over whether to use a student star chart to show mastery of multiplication tables because she didn’t want any student to feel excluded. When she asked the class for their input, the students, who were mostly Latino, decided that it would be a great accomplishment for the whole chart to be filled in with stars. This would mean that everyone in the class had learned their times tables.The students took the challenge upon themselves and created a buddy system to tutor classmates who were struggling. The results were so successful that the students learned even more sets of multiplication tables than the teacher had originally planned.This vignette is included in Managing Diverse Classrooms: How to Build on Students’ Cultural Strengths by Dr. Carrie Rothstein-Fisch and Dr. Elise Trumbull.Closing ThoughtsLike anything new, peer learning takes trial and error. However, once you figure out what works for your students, the benefits to your ELLs (and their peers) will be well worth it. You may even find some ideas that your colleagues can use!So grab a graphic organizer or sentence frame — and pretty soon you will be on your way to making peer learning an integral part of your work with English language learners.Video: Building a cereal dispenser with ELLs4th-grade teacher Michelle Iadevaia tells the story of her students’ efforts to build a cereal dispenser through the Rube Goldberg project.

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Ensuring That ELLs Feel Comfortable Learning a New Language

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Ensuring That ELLs Feel Comfortable Learning a New Language

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English Language Learners

These strategies for supporting English language learners, especially older students, can help reduce any embarrassment they may feel.

The process of learning a language requires risk-taking, perseverance, and feeling uncomfortable. This is especially true for English language learners (ELLs) studying in the United States, where peers who are native speakers of English may not have the experience of learning a language outside of their home country. The process of language acquisition can last for years, even a lifetime. Embarrassment is a common feeling, but there are ways that educators can help reduce this to encourage language growth.

Doing some of the following strategies on a regular basis one-on-one or in classroom settings can encourage language learners and remind them that language learning can be a struggle for everyone and it comes with an array of challenges and feelings. It is also important to use these methods as you feel appropriate (in moderation) in order to create a welcoming learning environment that is free of criticism and full of encouragement and positive reinforcement.

Helping ELLs to be comfortable learning a new language

Acknowledge effort. This may include something as simple as coming to school on a regular basis. Some students, especially older teenagers in high school, may have a difficult time maintaining good attendance. So anytime they come to school, show them how proud you are to see them and how you recognize that they are working hard at school or, in some cases, making an effort to attend classes even when they work at jobs outside of school in the evenings and on weekends.

Recognize growth. Remind students of the progress they have made since first arriving in the United States or in your school or classroom. Use specific examples of their growth that may encourage them (show them a sample of their writing from previous months or years).

Show sincere and frequent interest in talking with them. Make small talk with ELLs as they are comfortable. Ask them about their interests and their home country and culture. In addition, encourage classmates to talk with ELLs. Create opportunities for one-on-one and small group communication. Ensure that all classmates have a translator on their phone so they can use it in their interactions with ELLs as needed. Also encourage ELLs to share words in their native language with native speakers of English during their informal chats. This can help build their confidence to engage with others in the classroom and is a way to encourage their assets.

Make an effort to learn words and phrases in their home language. If you know their language, that's great. Use it. Integrating the learner's native language is a scaffold to help students learn English. Encourage classmates to learn some words in the ELL's home language, as well.

If you don't know their language, ask them to teach you words and phrases. Greet them with "Hello" in their language when they arrive to class and "Goodbye" when they leave so that you're showing them how you are also in the process of language learning. Have fun with it and smile when you make mistakes. Model this language exchange for the native speakers in the classroom, and encourage them to also learn words in the native languages of their ELL classmates.

Compliment language skills. Praise anything you feel warrants a good word about a particular language skill-pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, handwriting, reading, writing, even risk-taking with language production. A study published in Harvard Business Reviewfound that in business, "top performing teams give each other more than five positive comments for every criticism." Consider this when supporting language learners.

Focus less on pronunciation and more on comprehension. When I first started teaching the English language, I worked primarily with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese students who were studying abroad in the United States. They placed much focus on improving their pronunciation-so much that this impeded their opportunity to socialize extensively with native speakers of English. They frequently expressed insecurities with their pronunciation and asked to be corrected.

Although identifying pronunciation mistakes may be welcome to some language learners, this may discourage others from trying more or cause them to feel less confident. As a language learner myself, I remember feeling hopeless when I was told by an older native speaker of the language (through a translator) that I wouldn't be able to have a conversation with her until I perfected my pronunciation.

The above methods can equally be applied in the world language classroom, where students may feel embarrassment, which can inhibit their proclivity to speak or use the language creatively and take risks in their writing. As both a learner and a teacher of languages, I hope that the process of acquiring language is a joyful one for all those who experience it. Anyone who engages with a nonnative speaker- whether a teacher, administrator, or classmate- plays an important role in this.

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Ensuring That ELLs Feel Comfortable Learning a New Language

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These strategies for supporting English language learners, especially older students, can help reduce any embarrassment they may feel.

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Leveraging multilingual students home language

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Leveraging multilingual students home language

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Leveraging multilingual students home language

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Leveraging multilingual students home language

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Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and Families

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Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and Families

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Key Strategies

1. Help families keep their emergency contact information updated. This step can make the difference in whether a child goes home with a known caregiver if a family member is detained. Remind all families to update their contact information regularly.

2. Ensure all staff understand immigrant students' rights. All K-12 staff have an obligation to protect students' privacy and civil rights, as well as their access to an education, regardless of immigration status. This is critical for staff working in the front office and on enrollment.

3. Let all students and families know that they are welcome. A welcoming environment that celebrates students' cultures and encourages family leadership creates a strong foundation for relationships, as well as for identifying and addressing challenges.

4. Create different channels for communication in families' languages. Schools must communicate in families' preferred language. Identifying families' preferred means of contact can also help schools communicate more effectively and efficiently.

5. Become familiar with relevant immigration policies so that you can answer questions. This may include "sensitive locations guidance" (which directs immigration enforcement to avoid activity in certain public spaces like schools and early childhood centers), district policies on immigration enforcement, discipline policies, and other related program/local/state policies. Ideally, all staff should understand these policies and protocols.

6. Connect families with resources and provide opportunities for them to ask questions. It is critical to hear from your families about their questions and concerns before determining what kind of support will be most useful. At that point, educators, schools, and/or districts can identify which resources will be appropriate to share in ways that follow district guidelines.

7. Reach out to community organizations that represent and serve your families. Community partners can provide valuable support and insight regarding immigrant families - as well as volunteers! They can be especially helpful on issues related to meeting students' basic needs and connecting families to legal resources.

8. Learn how stress, anxiety, and trauma impact students of all ages. The impacts of these stressors will vary based on students' ages. Learn how different kinds of stressors affect students in your age group; become familiar with age-appropriate forms of self-expression and social-emotional support; and take steps to prevent and address bullying.

9. Learn more about the ways immigration issues impact students. Immigration policies affect students in complex ways that students may not discuss openly. Learn more about the immigration issues that may impact your students and families, and how to extend that conversation to your school, program, or community.

10. Provide opportunities for staff to collaborate, debrief, and recharge. Collaboration gives staff the chance to draw upon different perspectives and expertise - which leads to more effective support for students and families. In addition, providing social-emotional support for staff working on challenging issues (or who are impacted by those issues themselves) can help the team sustain their work throughout the year.

You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Colorín Colorado and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact [email protected] .

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Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and Families

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Help families keep their emergency contact information updated. This step can make the difference in whether a child goes home with a known caregiver if a family member is detained. Remind all families to update their contact information regularly. Ensure all staff understand immigrant students' rights.

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Repositioning English Learners Funds of Knowledge for Scientific Practices RazfarNasir 2019

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Repositioning English Learners Funds of Knowledge for Scientific Practices RazfarNasir 2019

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Jennifer Mann outlines the enormous community cultural wealth possessed by minoritized groups, and says “it is imperative that we recognize these assets and work towards incorporating students’ experiences into our content and curriculum.”

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Preface: Why Is Assessment in Multiple Languages Necessary?

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Preface: Why Is Assessment in Multiple Languages Necessary?

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Fluency in multiple languages can increase opportunities and lead to remarkable achievements. As US education secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona shared, “My bilingualism and biculturalism would someday be my superpower.” Recent data from California demonstrates that K–12 students who are fluent in English and another language outperform their monolingual counterparts across all grades and content areas.1 There is a chasm, however, between what we know and what we have incorporated into classroom practices, education policies, and popular opinion about children who are multilingual. Persistent myths, misconceptions, and overt bigotry underlie many of the significant instructional obstacles faced by multilingual learners. One

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Response: Building Relationships With Families of ELLs (Opinion)

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Response: Building Relationships With Families of ELLs (Opinion)

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This week's question is:
What are some of the ways teachers can actively involve & connect with English Language Learners' parents?
Parent engagement can be a challenge to teachers, as contributors to this blog discussed in last week's two-part series: Seeing Families as 'Co-Creators' of our Schools and 'Successful Schools Solicit' Family Engagement. Engaging parents of English Language Learners can offer some unique challenges, as well as opportunities.

Rusul Alrubail is the guest writer/editor of today's post focusing on this topic. In addition to her own written commentary, she has collected contributions from educators Anna Bartosik, Jordan Lanfair, Anabel Gonzalez, Karen Nemeth, and Judie Haynes. You can listen to a ten-minute conversation I had with Rusul, Anna and Jordan on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.
Response From Rusul Alrubail
Rusul Alrubailis an Educator-in-Residence at Design Cofounders, where she helps with the development and facilitation of Education pathways in Design, Education & Entrepreneurship communities in Toronto. She also teaches composition, literature, and ELL to college students. Follow her on Twitter at @RusulAlrubail:
One of the hardest thing to go through as a parent is to watch your child struggle to learn a new language, as well as try to fit in socially at school. Building a relationship with parents and guardians of English language learners can help to alleviate some aspects of those stressors. What does building a relationship exactly mean when it comes to ELL parents? How does a teacher go about doing this? There are several strategies that teachers can practice and implement in their English Language learners parental outreach that can help to actively involve and connect with the parents. Answer their FAQs: Many ELL parents have questions that need to be answered when their sons/daughters first join the new school. Some of these questions might relate to the child's language level, making friends or doing homework. Invite them to ask these questions early on, as many of them might not feel comfortable to ask questions. In many cultures, asking questions might be inappropriate, or can seem to be challenging the authority of the teacher. It's best if the teacher specifically invites them to chat and share their concerns. A face to face chat can make a difference. Communicating questions and concerns through letters, or email might also be a good idea. Some parents might need help with the language themselves, seek out your school's resources and see if an translator can help out with communicating. Also, Google Translate is a fantastic resource to help with communicating and translating to parents some of the letters/emails/memos. Share Student Progress: Every parent is interested in knowing about the progress of their child in the classroom. Many parents of English language learners worry about progress as well as other aspects of school that may be challenging to ELLs. Making friends, learning the second language, and even the students' progress compared to others in the classroom are some of the concerns that parents have. Sharing the students' progress frequently helps to build a strong relationship with the parents and the student pedagogically. By sharing the student's' progress, the parent and the student will most likely start to have conversations about their progress, which will impact the student's' growth and learning in and out of the classroom. Have parents help the students with their homework. In the case that the parents don't understand the homework assignment (assignment should have clear & simple instructions), suggest to the parent to ask the student to explain the assignment. In this way, the parent will be able to see whether the student has a good grasp on the assignment themselves. Connect through Culture: Connecting ELL parents through a cultural understanding is the best way to build a strong relationship to ensure the student's success in school. Educating oneself about the race, culture and ethnicity by doing research will help to build a culturally competent foundation to communicating and connecting with the parents. It's important to be mindful, respectful, and understanding when it comes to different cultural practices, events and holidays. Create a class calendar where students can add their cultural holidays and traditions. In this way, the class can celebrate together by learning about the event. Inviting parents to such events helps them to feel welcome, and creates a safe environment for them. Connecting with ELL parents can be challenging due to cultural and language barriers, however, with a positive mindset, consistent communication and cultural understanding, a teacher can work together with the parent to ensure the best learning environment for the students.

Response From Anna Bartosik
Anna Bartosik, a Sheridan College ESL professor in Canada, is a teacher/facilitator with an extensive background in ESL/ELT education. Her current interests include instructional design, assessment and rubrics, program evaluation, story telling, motivation's role in learning, and incorporating educational technology in reading/writing classes for purposes of collaboration:
"Hello, my name is Mrs. Winters. I am your son's teacher. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" I clearly recall my first parent/teacher interview. I remember the look of confusion that passed across the teacher's face when she heard me speak accent-less English. My son began school as a second language learner because I thought it was important for him to learn the language of my family's heritage. He had the ESL label on his file, and his teacher was expecting an uncomfortable exchange between parent and teacher. She got it, but not the one she was expecting. "But you're a native speaker. Why aren't you speaking English to your son?" Families shouldn't be discouraged from speaking their first language at home, whether they immigrate or are born in the country but speak another language at home. As our classrooms reflect a language and cultural melange, the tendency is to address the language and ignore how culture can play a role in parental involvement. Children are not the only ones learning; parents are learning the language but are also challenged with meeting the educational needs of their children in an unfamiliar system. Instead of simply focusing on the challenges of second language teaching, perhaps we should consider an alternative approach and think about creating a culturally responsive classroom that invites parents to interact and react. Here are some suggestions to reach out and connect with the parents of ESL learners. OPEN HOUSE Express the value of communication and volunteerism in the classroom when meeting parents. They will appreciate the invitation to get involved. This is also your opportunity to ask a parent back for a more intimate meeting and get to know them better. While you have them in a room, try and talk to parents in a group and invite them into the classroom together to help. It is easier to say yes when you have someone else to work with. FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS Prepare a short summary in bullet form of what you would like to talk about in a meeting and send it home beforehand. Benefit: the parent has some advance notice to prepare for the conversation If a translator is not available for a meeting, remember that the interview is with the parent, not the child. It's unfair to expect the child to take on the adult role of translator. Express your thoughts simply. Perhaps write them down so the parent can take the paper home and go over it with someone later on. BEYOND FACE-TO-FACE Approach your monthly newsletters with the goal of interaction in mind, not just information-sharing. Include your contact information and communicate with parents your vision of their role in and outside of the classroom. Give them ideas for participating in their child's learning and reiterate your openness to interaction. Make yourself available to parents on social media. Post a video of yourself walking through the classroom before a school day begins, talking about the different things students will be doing. Watching a video about your plans is another way for parents to see how they can connect with their child's learning. Parents acquiring a language perceive cultural as well as linguistic obstructions to communication. Removing those barriers for parents allows them to grasp possibilities for meaningful exchanges with you and their children. Response From Jordan Lanfair
Jordan Lanfair is currently a middle school ELA teacher on the west side of Chicago, IL. His background includes positions in the Middle East, Navajo Reservation and rural Illinois. His belief in social justice and curriculum reform leads to continued work and innovation for all students:
During the 2012-2013 school year, an estimated 9.2 million students were classified as English Language Learners. That number amounts to roughly 9.2 percent of the current public school population. ( USDOE, 2015). This represents a growing number of our schooling population and while schools are adjusting as best they can, for the average teacher, the question of how to actively connect and communicate with ELL parents takes center stage. While there are no quick fix solutions, the list begins and ends with a key recommendation: be open to learning from their experience. For willing parents, inviting them in to share their experiences can be a building block to a relationship of substance. Whether discussing immigration, adapting to the United States, or demonstrating cultural heritage for students, it can prove a remarkable source of first hand narrative and illuminate voices that are often silences in mainstream curriculum. Resources available to teachers interested in bridging the gap with parents of ELL students continue to grow with popular sites such as Class Dojo translating their parent communication handouts into multiple languages. The flipped classroom offers incredible opportunities and resources, ranging from translators to articles on different cultures. These resources are critical in communicating with parents as they not only demonstrate a willingness to learn and be moved by the opportunity afforded, but for the sake of practicality allow teachers to navigate possible cultural blind spots. Teachers truly interested in communicating with English Language Learners' parents must be willing to make it an active part of their instruction and classroom. Authentic communication and respect will yield the same, while calling your diverse parents whenever added diversity is needed will create hostile relationships and continue the diminished role of varied cultural backgrounds. Projects that emphasize different cultural aspects such as cooking, dress or language allow all students to explore parts of their heritage that they might not have been in contact with and provide safe spaces to question and learn. The American identity is built from the history, stories and backgrounds of immigrants. This understanding can be a lynchpin of a teachers approach towards parents of ELLs. They are helping to define the current American identity, and our interactions via curriculum, outreach and support must seek to help all students and all families move forward. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). The Condition of Education 2015 (NCES 2015-144), English Language Learners.

Response From Anabel Gonzalez
Anabel Gonzalez is a Secondary ESL Teacher with the Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina. She teaches students in grades 7-12 of various backgrounds, languages, and English proficiency levels. She has been a member of the Center for Teaching Quality Collaboratory since 2014. Follow her on Twitter @amgonza. She has previously written Tips for Connecting With Non-English-Speaking Parents for Ed Week Teacher:
Using Technology to Engage Parents of ELLs With the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in America's classrooms, communicating with some parents can be a daunting task. If you're fortunate to be fluent and/or literate in your students' home language, you have an advantage. Yet, even though I'm fluent in Spanish, it does me no good when I need to communicate with families who speak Vietnamese. While we can sometimes hire professional human translators, they are not always available at a moment's notice and then their fees might exceed our budget. Thankfully, we are in the 21st century and technology is here to the rescue. There are a number of tools that can help you bridge that communication gap. Here are a few of my favorites.

Google Translate. This tool can be a real lifesaver. Simply enter an English message and it will translate it into any of dozens of languages. For those families who may not be literate, click on the sound clip to have the message read in their preferred language. Install the app on a smartphone or tablet, and it allows users to use a stylus or finger to write words, to speak into the device or to simply hover over text for instant translation. And if you receive a parent note but have no idea what language it's written in, the nifty auto detection feature will detect the language you are entering.

While a trained human translator is always preferable to a website or app, we don't always have the luxury of hiring one. These tools aren't perfect, but they work fairly well. If used consistently, they will generate much needed-support, which should eventually "translate" to an improved school experience. For more tips on connecting with non-English speaking parents, please check out my recent article.
Response From Karen Nemeth I work primarily with preschool programs and early childhood educators. They have the unique responsibility of getting each family started on their path of engaging in their child's educational career. Those first family engagement experiences can set the stage for many years to come. To begin good relationships with families of ELLs/DLLs, I always start the discussion by suggesting three strategies: 1. Start with pictures. Emailing or texting a parent with a photo of their child having a good day is a positive step toward building rapport that is practically irresistible in any language. At the beginning of the school year, communications should always be warm and welcoming. 2. Create a diversity committee. Involve experienced bilingual family members in school decisions and activities so they are well-prepared to serve as ambassadors to newcomer families. They can call new families to invite them to school events and they can help them understand policies and procedures. 3. Explain things. Be explicit about how families can help the school in general, and their child in particular. It is important to realize that many of the things we ask and expect of family members here are unique to American schools. We can't assume that newcomers understand what "back to school night" is, why they should come in to volunteer in their child's classroom. Administrators often say they host several events for families each year, but they are not well attended despite the many notices, newsletters, and text messages they send out to families. One principal explained that she saw a real change when her school changed its focus. They asked families how they wanted to receive communications from school and they cut way down on flooding everyone with too many words. They also asked families what would make them take the time from their demanding schedules to come to school and get involved. Then, they flipped their activities from large group entertainment/information events to individual opportunities for each family to help make the school better. When families felt heard and needed and valued, they were much more likely to find a time in their schedule to participate. This kind of participation breeds true engagement in the four key focus areas: * Engaging families in their child's learning. * Engaging families as active participants in the school community. * Engaging families to improve two-way communication * Engaging families to make sure they receive the support they need to ensure their child's school success. Strategies include hosting a classroom re-design day, inviting families to build a school garden, asking family members to share their talents and interests with the children or in the school office, and holding a toy-making workshop for parents. Families that are hardest to connect with are often the families that need our help the most. True parent engagement can not be about getting parents to go along with what the school wants. True parent engagement has to be about finding a way to build a relationship with each individual family on their own terms with all four of the key focus areas in mind. Response From Judie Haynes

Remind. This is a free and simple way to send notifications as a text message right to someone's mobile phone without giving out our personal phone number. It also has a private chat feature that enables one-to-one communication. Best of all, by only the tap of a button, it instantly translates an English message into any of 90+ languages. If you have a predominant language represented in your student body, for example Spanish or Russian, you can set up a group in the target language so you can communicate with those parents, even if you aren't literate in their language.

To successfully connect with parents of English learners, schools make a whole-school effort to establish a welcoming environment and build bridges that go both ways. This can not usually be accomplished by individual teachers working on their own. One of the key techniques for schools to connect with and engage parents of English language learners is to plan a meeting at the beginning of the school year. Schools needs to help parents understand how U.S. schools work. For example, a school may want to explain their policy for reporting an absence or talk about after-school programs. They also need to listen to parents' concerns about the education of their children. Letters of invitation for all meetings should be sent to the parents of ELLs in their first language,. It is also helpful to send a reminder letter the day before the meeting or have a native speaker call parents on the phone to remind them. Keep in mind that many parents do not come to meetings because they don't have transportation or they lack childcare for younger children. They also don't know what is expected of them at a school meeting. Schools need to keep this in mind and provide transportation and childcare for parents. They need to have translators explain the purpose of the meeting. Some ideas to present are to ask the community liaison from the police to explain traffic and other safety issues. Have the school nurse to talk with parents about health issues and how to get health care. Ask an administrator to explain some of the school policies. Parents always want to know about report cards, homework and testing. All of these presentations should be translated for parents. Encourage parents to come into the school and classroom by involving them in school projects that include their children. Encourage parents to come in to talk to their child's class about their home culture. Make sure parents know about the school's art show, science fair, bake sales and concerts. Ask parents of ELLs to chaperon a field trip. Explain to parents how important it is for them to come to school events.. Many school districts are making a concerted attempt to advance student learning through programs to engage parents in their child's education. This initiative could great effect the education of English learners in the schools where it is being implemented. Some of the strategies used to build these programs include:

Professional development programs to build teacher knowledge of how to collaborate with parents including those from diverse language and cultural backgrounds.

Building time into teacher's schedule to support parent engagement on the part of teachers.

Identify community leaders who can enhance communication with the parents of ELs. i.e. local church and business leaders who are from the same language and cultural background.

Support translation services for families who do not speak English.

Find local services that support the health needs of the families of ELLs.

Zacarian D. & Haynes, J. (2012) The Essential Guide For Educating Beginning English Learners, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Class Dojo. Developed as a behavior management tool, Class Dojo is a communication platform that engages parents by sending text and/or email notifications. In recent months, they added Class Story. With Class Story, teachers can share moments like projects, field trips, and other celebrations with parents. For non-English speaking families, stories can be translated into 30 different languages.

Judie Haynes is a former K-6 ESL: teacher, professional development provider and author with 32 years of experience working with English language learners, their parents and their general education teachers. She has authored and co-authored six books including The Essential Guide for Educating Beginning English Learners (with Debbie Zacarian)(Corwin, 2012). Judie writes a bi-monthly blog for TESOL and is co-moderator of #ELLCHAT.a Twitter chat for teachers of ELLs:

Thanks to Rusul, Anna, Jordan, Anabel, Karen, and Judie for their contributions, and a special second thanks to Rusul for guest-editing today's post!
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Response: Building Relationships With Families of ELLs (Opinion)

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Rusul Alrubail, Anna Bartosik, Jordan Lanfair, Anabel Gonzalez, Karen Nemeth, and Judie Haynes offer suggestions on how to engage with parents of English Language Learners.

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Beyond the Classroom: How Can Parents Support Learning at Home for ELLs?

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Beyond the Classroom: How Can Parents Support Learning at Home for ELLs?

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Beyond the Classroom: How Can Parents Support Learning at Home for ELLs? | Continental Educational Publisher

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How can parents support learning at home for ELLs if they don’t understand English? Discover practical ways to support ELLs at home.

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How the 'Science of Reading' Can Support English Learners

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How the 'Science of Reading' Can Support English Learners

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How the 'Science of Reading' Can Support English Learners

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Seven Essential Components for Successful Dual Language Programs (Opinion)

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Seven Essential Components for Successful Dual Language Programs (Opinion)

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Seven Essential Components for Successful Dual Language Programs (Opinion)

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A Fulbright Distinguished teacher shares her thoughts on the key factors of a successful dual language program.

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Enhancing Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers and ELL Specialists

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Enhancing Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers and ELL Specialists

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Enhancing Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers and ELL Specialists

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English language learners really benefit when teachers establish effective teamwork to support them.

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Jennifer Mann outlines the enormous community cultural wealth possessed by minoritized groups, and says “it is imperative that we recognize these assets and work towards incorporating students’ experiences into our content and curriculum.”

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Perspective | Recognizing community cultural wealth in classrooms

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Jennifer Mann outlines the enormous community cultural wealth possessed by minoritized groups, and says “it is imperative that we recognize these assets and work towards incorporating students’ experiences into our content and curriculum.”

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ELLs are Everyone’s Kids: The Role of Collaboration in the CCSS

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ELLs are Everyone’s Kids: The Role of Collaboration in the CCSS

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ELLs are Everyone’s Kids: The Role of Collaboration in the CCSS

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One crucial aspect to consider is how collaboration will need to change to be effective with implementing the CCSS for ELLs. To that end, I’ll take a closer look here at teacher collaboration as one way to share the responsibility (and joy) of teaching ELLs the CCSS.

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Repositioning English Learners Funds of Knowledge for Scientific Practices Razfar Nasir 2019

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Repositioning English Learners Funds of Knowledge for Scientific Practices Razfar Nasir 2019

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SEL for English Language Learners: What Educators Need to Know | NEA

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SEL for English Language Learners: What Educators Need to Know | NEA

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SEL for English Language Learners: What Educators Need to Know | NEA

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Learn more about social and emotional learning (SEL) and how to engage English learners in SEL activities and routines in the classroom.

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Note: This piece is co-written by Jennifer Mann, a North Carolina educator, and one of her former students, Mary Thuma. Mary wrote the first section on her story, and Jennifer wrote the remaining sections.

The story

I grew up watching my mother sew; she made clothes for my family and for others in my village. Just as my grandfather taught her to sew, my mother taught me to sew, and I learned how to stitch a straight line when I was just 5 years old. Though life has not been a straight line, sewing has been my constant.

I grew up in Burma in the time of military corruption and much violence. My father was arrested in the middle of the night. When the military let him go the next morning, he had no choice but to flee, and my family did not see him for a year. When he came back for us, he did so undercover, paying someone to take my family to another village.

It was 2003, and I was just 6 years old as my father, mother, brother, sister, and I set out on a multi-month, dangerous, and physically and emotionally difficult journey to the Karenni Refugee Camp in Thailand. With just the clothes on our back and a few spare sets we carried, we only had each other.

My family lived in refugee camps for seven years. Negotiating with those who controlled the Thai refugee camps and trying to figure out immigratio n policies was hard on my father. But he persisted, and in 2010, we were approved to come to the United States.

When I first arrived here, I did not speak any English, but I was a teenager, so the school system placed me in the ninth grade. I started school and all I could say was, "Hi. My name is Mary. I don't speak English."

Now, 10 years later, I am working on my bachelor's degree in fashion design, and I dream of owning a fabric company and providing jobs for women in Asia. There are many woman being sold into human trafficking. Because they are poor, they are desperate and vulnerable.

I want to provide a safe workplace for them to do meaningful work. I dream of helping hundreds of other women. I want to give them an opportunity for success, like the opportunity for success that was given to me. My life has not been stitched in a straight line, but it has been a beautiful fabric of experience.

The power of storytelling

Many cultures believe storytelling is important for community kinship, cultural preservation, and instilling values. Mary's Karenni culture esteems sharing stories for all those reasons. Storytelling is deemed especially significant within critical race theory, as is the powerful use of counter-storytelling, which is best understood as a method for telling the stories of those who are often not given an opportunity to be heard. Each day I enter my classroom, I am granted the chance to amplify counter-stories and empower and be inspired by young people like Mary.

I view my classroom as a community of collective strength and experience. As a North Carolina public school educator for the past 12 years, I have had the opportunity to create an environment which invites everyone to participate in the metaphorical writing of our classroom narrative.

America's dominant narrative has not given enough space to immigrants and refugees, instead choosing to push them to the margins. Only when everyone can have a voice in writing this nation's narrative can the true story be heard. Counternarratives like Mary's need to be told.

The beauty of difference

For more than a century, people have touted America as the melting pot where a multitude of cultures all liquify into one united and uniform culture. The melting pot metaphor is ideal for explaining the concept of a dominant narrative.

New immigrants and refugees are expected to arrive and assimilate, conforming to what they see around themselves. If they attempt to maintain their identity, they are often seen as resistant. If they continue to retain their form and refuse to be melded, they are cast as "other." Lack of uniformity is not problematic - Mary's story reveals the beauty and power of difference.

As an educator, the way I view my students is critical and is ultimately reflected in my actions. I seek to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn from each other's lives and benefit from each other's assets. My students' lived experiences are valuable and worth being heard.

Community cultural wealth

I have always sought to amplify the voices of my marginalized students so that my classroom could function as a community of collective strength and experience. Immigrants and refugees in America possess incredible community cultural wealth.

Community cultural wealth (CCW) is an idea that comes from Dr. Tara Yosso in which she seeks to dismantle the concept that some communities are culturally wealthy, while others are culturally impoverished. CCW is an umbrella term, encompassing at least six forms of capital - aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital. CCW requires the rejection of deficit-based perspectives of marginalized students and instead views them through an asset-based lens, which acknowledges their multiple forms of capital.

Mary's community is culturally wealthy, and there is much to be learned from her and her story. As educators, we need only to step aside and let our students tell the stories of their lives, which have been stitched by threads of strength and experience.

Jennifer C. Mann

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Note: This piece is co-written by Jennifer Mann, a North Carolina educator, and one of her former students, Mary Thuma. Mary wrote the first section on her story, and Jennifer wrote the remaining sections. I grew up watching my mother sew; she made clothes for my family and for others in my village.

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Note: This piece is co-written by Jennifer Mann, a North Carolina educator, and one of her former students, Mary Thuma. Mary wrote the first section on her story, and Jennifer wrote the remaining sections.

The story

I grew up watching my mother sew; she made clothes for my family and for others in my village. Just as my grandfather taught her to sew, my mother taught me to sew, and I learned how to stitch a straight line when I was just 5 years old. Though life has not been a straight line, sewing has been my constant.

I grew up in Burma in the time of military corruption and much violence. My father was arrested in the middle of the night. When the military let him go the next morning, he had no choice but to flee, and my family did not see him for a year. When he came back for us, he did so undercover, paying someone to take my family to another village.

It was 2003, and I was just 6 years old as my father, mother, brother, sister, and I set out on a multi-month, dangerous, and physically and emotionally difficult journey to the Karenni Refugee Camp in Thailand. With just the clothes on our back and a few spare sets we carried, we only had each other.

My family lived in refugee camps for seven years. Negotiating with those who controlled the Thai refugee camps and trying to figure out immigratio n policies was hard on my father. But he persisted, and in 2010, we were approved to come to the United States.

When I first arrived here, I did not speak any English, but I was a teenager, so the school system placed me in the ninth grade. I started school and all I could say was, "Hi. My name is Mary. I don't speak English."

Now, 10 years later, I am working on my bachelor's degree in fashion design, and I dream of owning a fabric company and providing jobs for women in Asia. There are many woman being sold into human trafficking. Because they are poor, they are desperate and vulnerable.

I want to provide a safe workplace for them to do meaningful work. I dream of helping hundreds of other women. I want to give them an opportunity for success, like the opportunity for success that was given to me. My life has not been stitched in a straight line, but it has been a beautiful fabric of experience.

The power of storytelling

Many cultures believe storytelling is important for community kinship, cultural preservation, and instilling values. Mary's Karenni culture esteems sharing stories for all those reasons. Storytelling is deemed especially significant within critical race theory, as is the powerful use of counter-storytelling, which is best understood as a method for telling the stories of those who are often not given an opportunity to be heard. Each day I enter my classroom, I am granted the chance to amplify counter-stories and empower and be inspired by young people like Mary.

I view my classroom as a community of collective strength and experience. As a North Carolina public school educator for the past 12 years, I have had the opportunity to create an environment which invites everyone to participate in the metaphorical writing of our classroom narrative.

America's dominant narrative has not given enough space to immigrants and refugees, instead choosing to push them to the margins. Only when everyone can have a voice in writing this nation's narrative can the true story be heard. Counternarratives like Mary's need to be told.

The beauty of difference

For more than a century, people have touted America as the melting pot where a multitude of cultures all liquify into one united and uniform culture. The melting pot metaphor is ideal for explaining the concept of a dominant narrative.

New immigrants and refugees are expected to arrive and assimilate, conforming to what they see around themselves. If they attempt to maintain their identity, they are often seen as resistant. If they continue to retain their form and refuse to be melded, they are cast as "other." Lack of uniformity is not problematic - Mary's story reveals the beauty and power of difference.

As an educator, the way I view my students is critical and is ultimately reflected in my actions. I seek to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn from each other's lives and benefit from each other's assets. My students' lived experiences are valuable and worth being heard.

Community cultural wealth

I have always sought to amplify the voices of my marginalized students so that my classroom could function as a community of collective strength and experience. Immigrants and refugees in America possess incredible community cultural wealth.

Community cultural wealth (CCW) is an idea that comes from Dr. Tara Yosso in which she seeks to dismantle the concept that some communities are culturally wealthy, while others are culturally impoverished. CCW is an umbrella term, encompassing at least six forms of capital - aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital. CCW requires the rejection of deficit-based perspectives of marginalized students and instead views them through an asset-based lens, which acknowledges their multiple forms of capital.

Mary's community is culturally wealthy, and there is much to be learned from her and her story. As educators, we need only to step aside and let our students tell the stories of their lives, which have been stitched by threads of strength and experience.

Jennifer C. Mann

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Note: This piece is co-written by Jennifer Mann, a North Carolina educator, and one of her former students, Mary Thuma. Mary wrote the first section on her story, and Jennifer wrote the remaining sections. I grew up watching my mother sew; she made clothes for my family and for others in my village.

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Note: This piece is co-written by Jennifer Mann, a North Carolina educator, and one of her former students, Mary Thuma. Mary wrote the first section on her story, and Jennifer wrote the remaining sections.

The story

I grew up watching my mother sew; she made clothes for my family and for others in my village. Just as my grandfather taught her to sew, my mother taught me to sew, and I learned how to stitch a straight line when I was just 5 years old. Though life has not been a straight line, sewing has been my constant.

I grew up in Burma in the time of military corruption and much violence. My father was arrested in the middle of the night. When the military let him go the next morning, he had no choice but to flee, and my family did not see him for a year. When he came back for us, he did so undercover, paying someone to take my family to another village.

It was 2003, and I was just 6 years old as my father, mother, brother, sister, and I set out on a multi-month, dangerous, and physically and emotionally difficult journey to the Karenni Refugee Camp in Thailand. With just the clothes on our back and a few spare sets we carried, we only had each other.

My family lived in refugee camps for seven years. Negotiating with those who controlled the Thai refugee camps and trying to figure out immigratio n policies was hard on my father. But he persisted, and in 2010, we were approved to come to the United States.

When I first arrived here, I did not speak any English, but I was a teenager, so the school system placed me in the ninth grade. I started school and all I could say was, "Hi. My name is Mary. I don't speak English."

Now, 10 years later, I am working on my bachelor's degree in fashion design, and I dream of owning a fabric company and providing jobs for women in Asia. There are many woman being sold into human trafficking. Because they are poor, they are desperate and vulnerable.

I want to provide a safe workplace for them to do meaningful work. I dream of helping hundreds of other women. I want to give them an opportunity for success, like the opportunity for success that was given to me. My life has not been stitched in a straight line, but it has been a beautiful fabric of experience.

The power of storytelling

Many cultures believe storytelling is important for community kinship, cultural preservation, and instilling values. Mary's Karenni culture esteems sharing stories for all those reasons. Storytelling is deemed especially significant within critical race theory, as is the powerful use of counter-storytelling, which is best understood as a method for telling the stories of those who are often not given an opportunity to be heard. Each day I enter my classroom, I am granted the chance to amplify counter-stories and empower and be inspired by young people like Mary.

I view my classroom as a community of collective strength and experience. As a North Carolina public school educator for the past 12 years, I have had the opportunity to create an environment which invites everyone to participate in the metaphorical writing of our classroom narrative.

America's dominant narrative has not given enough space to immigrants and refugees, instead choosing to push them to the margins. Only when everyone can have a voice in writing this nation's narrative can the true story be heard. Counternarratives like Mary's need to be told.

The beauty of difference

For more than a century, people have touted America as the melting pot where a multitude of cultures all liquify into one united and uniform culture. The melting pot metaphor is ideal for explaining the concept of a dominant narrative.

New immigrants and refugees are expected to arrive and assimilate, conforming to what they see around themselves. If they attempt to maintain their identity, they are often seen as resistant. If they continue to retain their form and refuse to be melded, they are cast as "other." Lack of uniformity is not problematic - Mary's story reveals the beauty and power of difference.

As an educator, the way I view my students is critical and is ultimately reflected in my actions. I seek to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn from each other's lives and benefit from each other's assets. My students' lived experiences are valuable and worth being heard.

Community cultural wealth

I have always sought to amplify the voices of my marginalized students so that my classroom could function as a community of collective strength and experience. Immigrants and refugees in America possess incredible community cultural wealth.

Community cultural wealth (CCW) is an idea that comes from Dr. Tara Yosso in which she seeks to dismantle the concept that some communities are culturally wealthy, while others are culturally impoverished. CCW is an umbrella term, encompassing at least six forms of capital - aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital. CCW requires the rejection of deficit-based perspectives of marginalized students and instead views them through an asset-based lens, which acknowledges their multiple forms of capital.

Mary's community is culturally wealthy, and there is much to be learned from her and her story. As educators, we need only to step aside and let our students tell the stories of their lives, which have been stitched by threads of strength and experience.

Jennifer C. Mann

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Perspective | The power of students' stories

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Note: This piece is co-written by Jennifer Mann, a North Carolina educator, and one of her former students, Mary Thuma. Mary wrote the first section on her story, and Jennifer wrote the remaining sections. I grew up watching my mother sew; she made clothes for my family and for others in my village.

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Fluency in multiple languages can increase opportunities and lead to remarkable achievements. As US education secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona shared, “My bilingualism and biculturalism would someday be my superpower.” Recent data from California demonstrates that K–12 students who are fluent in English and another language outperform their monolingual counterparts across all grades and content areas.1 There is a chasm, however, between what we know and what we have incorporated into classroom practices, education policies, and popular opinion about children who are multilingual. Persistent myths, misconceptions, and overt bigotry underlie many of the significant instructional obstacles faced by multilingual learners. One

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5 Ways to Utilize Assessment Data in the Classroom

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5 Ways to Utilize Assessment Data in the Classroom

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5 Ways to Utilize Assessment Data in the Classroom

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Assessment data is changing the way teachers are strategizing intervention for students. Learn how to utilize assessment data in the classroom.

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3 Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching Strategy

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3 Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching Strategy

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Blog | 3 Ways Student Data Can Improve Your Teaching Strategy

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Discover 3 ways student data can inform your teaching strategy and level-up your instruction in this practical guide for educators.

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Collaborating Across Departments to Serve Multilingual Learners

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Collaborating Across Departments to Serve Multilingual Learners

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by Valentina Gonzalez

I dare to say that working alongside colleagues had and still has the greatest effect on my professional growth and, therefore, my multilingual learners' success.

What Is collaboration?

Collaboration can be defined as working together toward a common, overarching goal. When staff collaborates to serve multilingual learners intentionally, they come together to form a vision for success and devise daily actions for reinforcement. They understand what learners need and find ways to achieve those goals. However, collaboration does not have to take place in the same room or at the same time. It also does not mean that staff must do the same things.

Teachers who collaborate across departments to serve MLs understand that the responsibility of educating MLs is shared. One third-grade teacher remembers a new student from Korea who joined her class mid-year. The teacher was mindful of introducing the new student to each stakeholder who would interact with this child, the front office, the cafeteria, the nurse, the counselor, and all the specials teachers (art, music, physical education). This was important because the staff needed to know that a) we have a new student who needs to feel welcomed and b) this new student is acquiring English and speaks Korean.

While this may seem like a simple way to collaborate, it is important. Without this collaboration, new multilingual learners can be left feeling scared and confused. Raising the affective filter with feelings of fear and anxiety decreases the chances that learning will occur. On the contrary, when the affective filter is low, the ability to acquire language and learn content increases.

A high school teacher describes how, after noticing that several multilingual learners in his history class were struggling with the concepts, he asked to meet with the ESL teacher on his campus. The history teacher inquired about the students' language proficiency levels and their backgrounds and asked questions about instructional practices for multilingual learners. This initial meeting led to future meetings (some face-to-face and others online and through emails). The two formed a mentorship and even began observing one another. They became comfortable enough that the history teacher observed the ESL teacher to gather new techniques he could incorporate into his own classroom, and the ESL teacher observed the history teacher to provide feedback on his implementation and instruction through the lens of multilingual learners and language acquisition techniques. Collaboration such as this comes at little to no cost, and it is a job-embedded method of personal development that reaps a myriad of benefits.

Collaboration Is Not Only Co-Teaching.

There are many ways to collaborate, especially in the interest of multilingual learners.

Coaching: Instructional coaching of peers is a powerful way to increase teacher capacity for serving multilingual learners. Educators with special training in language acquisition can work side-by-side with general education teachers as they plan instruction. The guidance that coaches offer can contribute to a teacher's instructional toolbox.

Mentoring: Teachers who pair up and offer support to one another reap many benefits. A mentor teacher, who has more experience and knows the way, can be a GPS for newer teachers. Mentors can answer questions, offer suggestions, and help their partners when they need a "reroute," all through the lens of a colleague who has traveled the same journey.

Planning: When grade-level teachers plan together with language specialists (or ESL teachers), content and language goals can be met and lessons are more likely to be accessible to a greater range of learners. This type of planning also builds teacher capacity. As teachers gather in a common area and bring their knowledge together, each benefits from the others. Dr. Katie Toppel, an ELD specialist in Oregon, writes about collaborating with multiple teams in chapter 5 of the book Portraits of Collaboration: Educators Working Together to Support Multilingual Learners.

Sharing: Sharing ideas and strategies with colleagues is a simple way to collaborate. When something works, share it! Creating a community of sharing with colleagues may increase the likelihood that they, too, will share.

Possible Collaboration Partnerships

Language specialists and:

mainstream teachers

special education teachers

GT teachers

art teachers

music teachers

P. E. teachers

librarians

counselors

instructional coaches

administrators

families

front office staff

nurses

cafeteria staff

bus drivers

Altagracia H. Delgado, executive director of multilingual services at Aldine ISD, says, "Equity for multilingual learners asks if we are really collaborating in synergy to ensure that all students thrive." It takes deliberately opening our minds, our classroom doors, and our lesson plans, but mostly our hearts, to share students, workload, responsibilities, successes, and all that comes between to serve multilingual learners on their paths toward greatness.

Published

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Collaborating Across Departments to Serve Multilingual Learners

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by Valentina Gonzalez I dare to say that working alongside colleagues had and still has the greatest effect on my professional growth and, therefore, my multilingual learners' success. What Is collaboration? Collaboration can be defined as working together toward a common, overarching goal. When staff collaborates to serve multilingual learners intentionally, they come together to...

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Using diagnostic assessments to improve data use - Kappan Online

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Using diagnostic assessments to improve data use - Kappan Online

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Using diagnostic assessments to improve data use - Kappan Online

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A clear understanding of student performance and progress, obtained through diagnostic assessments, helps improve literacy.

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Considerations as ELD & Classroom Teachers Begin to Align New Standards

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Considerations as ELD & Classroom Teachers Begin to Align New Standards

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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English Language Learners

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

Marmaduke St. John / Alamy Stock Photo

The most impactful plans for student growth engage not only the learner but also his or her family. In fact, research points to parents and caretakers as invaluable stakeholders in students' academic achievement. Unfortunately, parents who are new to English are often left out of family engagement at the school level to some degree. How can we do a better job of appealing to and including the parents of English language learners (ELLs) as valuable members of the school community?

Here are six keys to successfully engaging ELL parents and families.

1. Make It Reciprocal

Engagement is a partnership between the parents and the school to serve the best interests of students. The school is responsible for meeting certain expectations, some of which are legally mandated through the Every Student Succeeds Act, such as provisions for translation of vital school information into students' home languages.

Parents also have specific obligations, which aren't always clear, especially when there are cultural differences-we cannot assume that the American idea of doing school is shared by all families in our community. Teachers can help by explicitly communicating parents' key responsibilities, such as taking an active role in helping their child learn to organize his or her study time. Parents can also be encouraged to monitor engagement, limit distractions, build consistency, and celebrate periods of concentration.

Parents can also set aside a quiet place for their child to learn and read at home, and be available to answer questions. They should utilize school-based technological and translation resources, including bilingual dictionaries, home anchor charts, and web-based language translation applications, if needed. They should also take time to discuss school matters with their child, asking questions about the school day: friends, concepts learned, struggles and discomforts, successes and achievements.

2. Aim for Authenticity

Efforts to engage diverse parent groups must be authentic and meaningful. Begin with a deep dive of your school's unique demographics. What values, interests, and funds of knowledge are represented on campus? Is the school's interest in students' home lives perceived as genuine?

Support authenticity by intentionally fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where families see reflections of themselves. Work to engage firsthand resources to your school, including bilingual staff members. Champion relationship building through collaboration. Authenticity breeds connection.

3. Use a Culturally Responsive Approach

Where do families' deeply rooted cultural values show up in the school? How do parents' cultural perspectives drive expectations for parent engagement? Do we use these references to ignore, diminish, or empower our families as members of our school community?

To make the shift toward empowerment, be mindful of culturally relevant dates and holidays, and avoid scheduling important events on these days. Ensure that school-based activities, language, and school menus reflect cultural considerations. Be critical of trivial displays of culture. Openly communicate norms for parent engagement, and work to share this information in a variety of ways. Invite student and parent input, and make a point of reframing cultural or linguistic misconceptions as teachable moments.

4. Keep It Simple

Communication is essential to successful parent engagement efforts. We should aim for clarity in all of our exchanges with parents, especially those who are still new to English.

Explore your school's registration paperwork and parent communications from a fresh perspective. What can be streamlined, condensed, or eliminated? Be particularly mindful of acronyms, educational jargon, and terms that may be unfamiliar to parents, including ones related to mental health like trauma.

Look for ways to provide appropriate support for language learning parents. Many of the strategies we use to make content comprehensible for ELLs are also helpful in working with linguistically diverse parent populations. Think: visuals, graphic organizers, and translated or icon-based cheat sheets for potentially unfamiliar terminology (for example, immunizations, English language development services).

Actively facilitate advisory, advocacy, and mentorship roles that are inclusive of caretakers who are learning English.

Intentionally craft and promote volunteer opportunities and teacher aide positions that appeal to diverse parent groups.

Host a variety of parent-school partnership events.

Offer outreach partnerships and community liaison roles that require cross-cultural or multilingual expertise.

Create an accessible bank of relevant tools and resources based on parent interest.

Organize parent-created learning sessions.

Collect input via English-learner parent focus groups, advisory committees, suggestion boxes, surveys, and interviews.

Consistently utilize parent feedback to inform decision making at the classroom, school, and district levels.

5. Increase Capacity

Grow English learner caretakers as leaders in the school community by providing a range of low-risk opportunities for parent input, feedback, and cultural sharing. Here are some ideas:

6. Find Your Way Home

In building and nurturing relationships with ELL families, the value of teacher home visits cannot be understated: They provide essential insight into a student's home life and unique learning needs, and "support academic gains and positive social integration for ELLs." They are linked to improved academic progress and attendance rates. Perhaps most importantly, teacher home visits lay a foundation of trust as the frontrunner to school-based parent engagement.

In the vast majority of cases, our English learner parents have high hopes for their children's scholastic well-being and wish to contribute to that success. When parents feel that they are a part of an inclusive learning culture and have a clear awareness of their role in their child's learning, true partnerships can occur.

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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English Language Learners

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

Marmaduke St. John / Alamy Stock Photo

The most impactful plans for student growth engage not only the learner but also his or her family. In fact, research points to parents and caretakers as invaluable stakeholders in students' academic achievement. Unfortunately, parents who are new to English are often left out of family engagement at the school level to some degree. How can we do a better job of appealing to and including the parents of English language learners (ELLs) as valuable members of the school community?

Here are six keys to successfully engaging ELL parents and families.

1. Make It Reciprocal

Engagement is a partnership between the parents and the school to serve the best interests of students. The school is responsible for meeting certain expectations, some of which are legally mandated through the Every Student Succeeds Act, such as provisions for translation of vital school information into students' home languages.

Parents also have specific obligations, which aren't always clear, especially when there are cultural differences-we cannot assume that the American idea of doing school is shared by all families in our community. Teachers can help by explicitly communicating parents' key responsibilities, such as taking an active role in helping their child learn to organize his or her study time. Parents can also be encouraged to monitor engagement, limit distractions, build consistency, and celebrate periods of concentration.

Parents can also set aside a quiet place for their child to learn and read at home, and be available to answer questions. They should utilize school-based technological and translation resources, including bilingual dictionaries, home anchor charts, and web-based language translation applications, if needed. They should also take time to discuss school matters with their child, asking questions about the school day: friends, concepts learned, struggles and discomforts, successes and achievements.

2. Aim for Authenticity

Efforts to engage diverse parent groups must be authentic and meaningful. Begin with a deep dive of your school's unique demographics. What values, interests, and funds of knowledge are represented on campus? Is the school's interest in students' home lives perceived as genuine?

Support authenticity by intentionally fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where families see reflections of themselves. Work to engage firsthand resources to your school, including bilingual staff members. Champion relationship building through collaboration. Authenticity breeds connection.

3. Use a Culturally Responsive Approach

Where do families' deeply rooted cultural values show up in the school? How do parents' cultural perspectives drive expectations for parent engagement? Do we use these references to ignore, diminish, or empower our families as members of our school community?

To make the shift toward empowerment, be mindful of culturally relevant dates and holidays, and avoid scheduling important events on these days. Ensure that school-based activities, language, and school menus reflect cultural considerations. Be critical of trivial displays of culture. Openly communicate norms for parent engagement, and work to share this information in a variety of ways. Invite student and parent input, and make a point of reframing cultural or linguistic misconceptions as teachable moments.

4. Keep It Simple

Communication is essential to successful parent engagement efforts. We should aim for clarity in all of our exchanges with parents, especially those who are still new to English.

Explore your school's registration paperwork and parent communications from a fresh perspective. What can be streamlined, condensed, or eliminated? Be particularly mindful of acronyms, educational jargon, and terms that may be unfamiliar to parents, including ones related to mental health like trauma.

Look for ways to provide appropriate support for language learning parents. Many of the strategies we use to make content comprehensible for ELLs are also helpful in working with linguistically diverse parent populations. Think: visuals, graphic organizers, and translated or icon-based cheat sheets for potentially unfamiliar terminology (for example, immunizations, English language development services).

Actively facilitate advisory, advocacy, and mentorship roles that are inclusive of caretakers who are learning English.

Intentionally craft and promote volunteer opportunities and teacher aide positions that appeal to diverse parent groups.

Host a variety of parent-school partnership events.

Offer outreach partnerships and community liaison roles that require cross-cultural or multilingual expertise.

Create an accessible bank of relevant tools and resources based on parent interest.

Organize parent-created learning sessions.

Collect input via English-learner parent focus groups, advisory committees, suggestion boxes, surveys, and interviews.

Consistently utilize parent feedback to inform decision making at the classroom, school, and district levels.

5. Increase Capacity

Grow English learner caretakers as leaders in the school community by providing a range of low-risk opportunities for parent input, feedback, and cultural sharing. Here are some ideas:

6. Find Your Way Home

In building and nurturing relationships with ELL families, the value of teacher home visits cannot be understated: They provide essential insight into a student's home life and unique learning needs, and "support academic gains and positive social integration for ELLs." They are linked to improved academic progress and attendance rates. Perhaps most importantly, teacher home visits lay a foundation of trust as the frontrunner to school-based parent engagement.

In the vast majority of cases, our English learner parents have high hopes for their children's scholastic well-being and wish to contribute to that success. When parents feel that they are a part of an inclusive learning culture and have a clear awareness of their role in their child's learning, true partnerships can occur.

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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English Language Learners

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

Marmaduke St. John / Alamy Stock Photo

The most impactful plans for student growth engage not only the learner but also his or her family. In fact, research points to parents and caretakers as invaluable stakeholders in students' academic achievement. Unfortunately, parents who are new to English are often left out of family engagement at the school level to some degree. How can we do a better job of appealing to and including the parents of English language learners (ELLs) as valuable members of the school community?

Here are six keys to successfully engaging ELL parents and families.

1. Make It Reciprocal

Engagement is a partnership between the parents and the school to serve the best interests of students. The school is responsible for meeting certain expectations, some of which are legally mandated through the Every Student Succeeds Act, such as provisions for translation of vital school information into students' home languages.

Parents also have specific obligations, which aren't always clear, especially when there are cultural differences-we cannot assume that the American idea of doing school is shared by all families in our community. Teachers can help by explicitly communicating parents' key responsibilities, such as taking an active role in helping their child learn to organize his or her study time. Parents can also be encouraged to monitor engagement, limit distractions, build consistency, and celebrate periods of concentration.

Parents can also set aside a quiet place for their child to learn and read at home, and be available to answer questions. They should utilize school-based technological and translation resources, including bilingual dictionaries, home anchor charts, and web-based language translation applications, if needed. They should also take time to discuss school matters with their child, asking questions about the school day: friends, concepts learned, struggles and discomforts, successes and achievements.

2. Aim for Authenticity

Efforts to engage diverse parent groups must be authentic and meaningful. Begin with a deep dive of your school's unique demographics. What values, interests, and funds of knowledge are represented on campus? Is the school's interest in students' home lives perceived as genuine?

Support authenticity by intentionally fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where families see reflections of themselves. Work to engage firsthand resources to your school, including bilingual staff members. Champion relationship building through collaboration. Authenticity breeds connection.

3. Use a Culturally Responsive Approach

Where do families' deeply rooted cultural values show up in the school? How do parents' cultural perspectives drive expectations for parent engagement? Do we use these references to ignore, diminish, or empower our families as members of our school community?

To make the shift toward empowerment, be mindful of culturally relevant dates and holidays, and avoid scheduling important events on these days. Ensure that school-based activities, language, and school menus reflect cultural considerations. Be critical of trivial displays of culture. Openly communicate norms for parent engagement, and work to share this information in a variety of ways. Invite student and parent input, and make a point of reframing cultural or linguistic misconceptions as teachable moments.

4. Keep It Simple

Communication is essential to successful parent engagement efforts. We should aim for clarity in all of our exchanges with parents, especially those who are still new to English.

Explore your school's registration paperwork and parent communications from a fresh perspective. What can be streamlined, condensed, or eliminated? Be particularly mindful of acronyms, educational jargon, and terms that may be unfamiliar to parents, including ones related to mental health like trauma.

Look for ways to provide appropriate support for language learning parents. Many of the strategies we use to make content comprehensible for ELLs are also helpful in working with linguistically diverse parent populations. Think: visuals, graphic organizers, and translated or icon-based cheat sheets for potentially unfamiliar terminology (for example, immunizations, English language development services).

Actively facilitate advisory, advocacy, and mentorship roles that are inclusive of caretakers who are learning English.

Intentionally craft and promote volunteer opportunities and teacher aide positions that appeal to diverse parent groups.

Host a variety of parent-school partnership events.

Offer outreach partnerships and community liaison roles that require cross-cultural or multilingual expertise.

Create an accessible bank of relevant tools and resources based on parent interest.

Organize parent-created learning sessions.

Collect input via English-learner parent focus groups, advisory committees, suggestion boxes, surveys, and interviews.

Consistently utilize parent feedback to inform decision making at the classroom, school, and district levels.

5. Increase Capacity

Grow English learner caretakers as leaders in the school community by providing a range of low-risk opportunities for parent input, feedback, and cultural sharing. Here are some ideas:

6. Find Your Way Home

In building and nurturing relationships with ELL families, the value of teacher home visits cannot be understated: They provide essential insight into a student's home life and unique learning needs, and "support academic gains and positive social integration for ELLs." They are linked to improved academic progress and attendance rates. Perhaps most importantly, teacher home visits lay a foundation of trust as the frontrunner to school-based parent engagement.

In the vast majority of cases, our English learner parents have high hopes for their children's scholastic well-being and wish to contribute to that success. When parents feel that they are a part of an inclusive learning culture and have a clear awareness of their role in their child's learning, true partnerships can occur.

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6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

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

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Scaffolding for Experienced English Language Learners

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Scaffolding for Experienced English Language Learners

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English Language Learners

In higher grades, multilingual students need to develop a grasp of academic English. Here's how to help them acquire the skills they need.

Min Woo walks into his favorite class, math, sits down next to his partner, and reaches into his backpack for the folder with the papers for their current project. They are learning to think like city planners by using angles and lines to plan out the roads and buildings for a new city. Mr. Nguyen, the seventh-grade math teacher, greets each student by name at the door. When the bell rings, he gestures to the board where the next step for the project is posted.

To get the class started with the next step in their city planning project, he tells them to read the prompt with their partners, making sure to restate the directions in their own words or ask each other questions about the prompt. Min Woo reads aloud, " Draw at least two parallel streets and two transversal streets to form acute and obtuse angles." Puzzled, he asks his partner, "What does transversal mean?" His partner points up to the poster on the wall with labeled angles and lines. They study the poster and then start talking about how they want to draw the parallel and transversal lines for their city streets. When Mr. Nguyen calls the class back from their discussion, Min Woo and his partner are ready for the next step.

Mr. Nguyen knows that several of the students in his math class are still classified as English learners, even though they have been in the school district for many years. Because he wants all students to experience success in his math classes, he thoughtfully provides content instruction with scaffolds for academic language development.

Labeled visuals

Time for partner discussions

Step-by-step instructions for solving problems

Chunking the final performance assessment project into shorter daily tasks

In the lesson described in the previous paragraph, Mr. Nguyen used the following scaffolds:

None of these scaffolds "water down" the grade-level expectations of the lesson but rather provide the necessary support so that experienced multilinguals can meet these high expectations. In fact, providing the right scaffolds at the right time exemplifies equitable learning. In the hands of a skillful teacher, scaffolds stretch students' skills, proficiency, and confidence.

Since most of the experienced multilinguals in his class no longer receive any direct, specialized English instruction, Mr. Nguyen knows he not only has to teach the math curriculum but also the academic English skills required to process and communicate the math-specific ideas.

If teachers provide appropriate scaffolds, experienced multilinguals like Min Woo are capable of learning new content in English in grade-level content classes. As experienced multilinguals reach higher levels of English proficiency, their English development needs become less obvious, but the academic language demands continue to increase.

For many learners, these increasingly challenging academic language demands make them feel like they have finally reached an apparent summit on the mountain only to discover another higher peak ahead. Scaffolds give them support to reach the highest peak, even as the trail gets more difficult.

Some experienced multilingual students like Min Woo have greater proficiency in spoken English than in reading and writing in English. Therefore, when they answer questions and participate in class discussions, teachers may assume they will also be successful on the written exam. However, when these students do not perform as expected, some teachers may be tempted to label them as "lazy," "unmotivated," or "unfocused." We offer a different way of thinking about these responses and provide a framework that will address the academic language needs of these students in every content class.

We introduce the concept of academic language and advocate for teaching this type of language meaningfully within the context of the content classroom. Experienced multilinguals need high grade-level expectations coupled with high support to engage in content classes. In addition to teaching complex content and the academic language of each discipline, we suggest that experienced multilinguals benefit from explicit instruction in effective learning strategies. These strategies help students learn, transfer skills to other content areas, and become more independent learners. We share several of these learning strategies, which are anything a student does to boost their understanding of new content and use of academic language. Finally, we provide an overview of our framework for designing equitable content instruction that supports and stretches experienced multilinguals as they develop academic language proficiency across the curriculum. This framework serves as the outline for the rest of the book.

Academic language is more than just vocabulary words. It includes complex sentence structures, transition phrases, and organizational patterns used for different purposes like writing lab reports, arguing a claim, or analyzing a poem. Each of these purposes requires students to use academic language differently (WIDA, 2020). When students learn the language to justify their choices of lines and angles in math class, they can transfer that language to justify choices in science or language arts class. Teaching this cross-disciplinary academic language helps students succeed in the long-term.

Honigsfeld (2019) explains that academic language is "not something students have or do not have; it is something all students use daily to learn" (p. 49). While experienced multilinguals have generally acquired the ability to communicate clearly in most social situations, they are still developing the ability to use academic English. Developing this "academic language proficiency helps students achieve long-term success at school" (Dutro & Moran, 2002, p. 231).

Experienced multilinguals may also have different linguistic abilities in different fields and content areas (Walqui & van Lier, 2010). One experienced multilingual student may find the most success in a math class, while others triumph in social studies, sciences, or the arts.

The various dimensions of academic language are often described through an architectural metaphor (Dutro & Moran, 2002; Zwiers, 2008). The first dimension-vocabulary words and phrases-is like the bricks that form the foundation of the structure or text. Next, the sentence structures are like the mortar that connects the bricks to form the walls of that building or academic work. In the next dimension, the organizational features such as transition phrases and paragraphing conventions are like the roof, windows, doors, and interior design. As economics teacher David Carney says, "If students don't write with academic phrases and organization, their essays read like a pile of bricks; there is no cohesion" (D. Carney, personal communication, February 2022).
From Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals (pp. 36-42) by Tan K. Huynh and Beth Skelton, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. (Readers in the U.S. and Canada can save 20 percent when buying the book by using that link and the code SAVE20.)
Finally, the context for the written or spoken project is like the neighborhood or community, in which the structure is located. Students need explicit instruction in each dimension of discipline-specific language in order to succeed on classroom assignments and assessments.The bricks in Min Woo's math lesson are the words and phrases used to describe the angles and lines. The walls of this lesson are formed with the sentences that explain the relationships between the lines and angles. Finally, the entire house structure will be completed when he organizes his presentation. The purpose of the presentation will be to explain the location of each line. He will have to justify the layout of his street map to the audience. The context or audience for this project is the presentation to the town council. As apprentice city planners in the math class, Min Woo and his classmates will develop mathematical reasoning as well as the mathematical-specific language needed to share their developing understanding.

When Mr. Nguyen asks students to justify their choices for placing the lines and angles on the city map, the sentence structures and organization they use must justify their decisions, not just describe the lines and angles. As math teacher and author Molina (2012) writes, "the phrase 'the problem with math is English' applies to all students, not just those whose native language is not English" (p. 1). Therefore, all students in the class will benefit from explicit instruction in using math-specific academic language to be successful engaging with this project.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scaffolding for Experienced English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In higher grades, multilingual students need to develop a grasp of academic English. Here's how to help them acquire the skills they need.

# data[].attributes.headline
Scaffolding for Experienced English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Scaffolding for Experienced English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
English Language Learners

In higher grades, multilingual students need to develop a grasp of academic English. Here's how to help them acquire the skills they need.

Min Woo walks into his favorite class, math, sits down next to his partner, and reaches into his backpack for the folder with the papers for their current project. They are learning to think like city planners by using angles and lines to plan out the roads and buildings for a new city. Mr. Nguyen, the seventh-grade math teacher, greets each student by name at the door. When the bell rings, he gestures to the board where the next step for the project is posted.

To get the class started with the next step in their city planning project, he tells them to read the prompt with their partners, making sure to restate the directions in their own words or ask each other questions about the prompt. Min Woo reads aloud, " Draw at least two parallel streets and two transversal streets to form acute and obtuse angles." Puzzled, he asks his partner, "What does transversal mean?" His partner points up to the poster on the wall with labeled angles and lines. They study the poster and then start talking about how they want to draw the parallel and transversal lines for their city streets. When Mr. Nguyen calls the class back from their discussion, Min Woo and his partner are ready for the next step.

Mr. Nguyen knows that several of the students in his math class are still classified as English learners, even though they have been in the school district for many years. Because he wants all students to experience success in his math classes, he thoughtfully provides content instruction with scaffolds for academic language development.

Labeled visuals

Time for partner discussions

Step-by-step instructions for solving problems

Chunking the final performance assessment project into shorter daily tasks

In the lesson described in the previous paragraph, Mr. Nguyen used the following scaffolds:

None of these scaffolds "water down" the grade-level expectations of the lesson but rather provide the necessary support so that experienced multilinguals can meet these high expectations. In fact, providing the right scaffolds at the right time exemplifies equitable learning. In the hands of a skillful teacher, scaffolds stretch students' skills, proficiency, and confidence.

Since most of the experienced multilinguals in his class no longer receive any direct, specialized English instruction, Mr. Nguyen knows he not only has to teach the math curriculum but also the academic English skills required to process and communicate the math-specific ideas.

If teachers provide appropriate scaffolds, experienced multilinguals like Min Woo are capable of learning new content in English in grade-level content classes. As experienced multilinguals reach higher levels of English proficiency, their English development needs become less obvious, but the academic language demands continue to increase.

For many learners, these increasingly challenging academic language demands make them feel like they have finally reached an apparent summit on the mountain only to discover another higher peak ahead. Scaffolds give them support to reach the highest peak, even as the trail gets more difficult.

Some experienced multilingual students like Min Woo have greater proficiency in spoken English than in reading and writing in English. Therefore, when they answer questions and participate in class discussions, teachers may assume they will also be successful on the written exam. However, when these students do not perform as expected, some teachers may be tempted to label them as "lazy," "unmotivated," or "unfocused." We offer a different way of thinking about these responses and provide a framework that will address the academic language needs of these students in every content class.

We introduce the concept of academic language and advocate for teaching this type of language meaningfully within the context of the content classroom. Experienced multilinguals need high grade-level expectations coupled with high support to engage in content classes. In addition to teaching complex content and the academic language of each discipline, we suggest that experienced multilinguals benefit from explicit instruction in effective learning strategies. These strategies help students learn, transfer skills to other content areas, and become more independent learners. We share several of these learning strategies, which are anything a student does to boost their understanding of new content and use of academic language. Finally, we provide an overview of our framework for designing equitable content instruction that supports and stretches experienced multilinguals as they develop academic language proficiency across the curriculum. This framework serves as the outline for the rest of the book.

Academic language is more than just vocabulary words. It includes complex sentence structures, transition phrases, and organizational patterns used for different purposes like writing lab reports, arguing a claim, or analyzing a poem. Each of these purposes requires students to use academic language differently (WIDA, 2020). When students learn the language to justify their choices of lines and angles in math class, they can transfer that language to justify choices in science or language arts class. Teaching this cross-disciplinary academic language helps students succeed in the long-term.

Honigsfeld (2019) explains that academic language is "not something students have or do not have; it is something all students use daily to learn" (p. 49). While experienced multilinguals have generally acquired the ability to communicate clearly in most social situations, they are still developing the ability to use academic English. Developing this "academic language proficiency helps students achieve long-term success at school" (Dutro & Moran, 2002, p. 231).

Experienced multilinguals may also have different linguistic abilities in different fields and content areas (Walqui & van Lier, 2010). One experienced multilingual student may find the most success in a math class, while others triumph in social studies, sciences, or the arts.

The various dimensions of academic language are often described through an architectural metaphor (Dutro & Moran, 2002; Zwiers, 2008). The first dimension-vocabulary words and phrases-is like the bricks that form the foundation of the structure or text. Next, the sentence structures are like the mortar that connects the bricks to form the walls of that building or academic work. In the next dimension, the organizational features such as transition phrases and paragraphing conventions are like the roof, windows, doors, and interior design. As economics teacher David Carney says, "If students don't write with academic phrases and organization, their essays read like a pile of bricks; there is no cohesion" (D. Carney, personal communication, February 2022).
From Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals (pp. 36-42) by Tan K. Huynh and Beth Skelton, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. (Readers in the U.S. and Canada can save 20 percent when buying the book by using that link and the code SAVE20.)
Finally, the context for the written or spoken project is like the neighborhood or community, in which the structure is located. Students need explicit instruction in each dimension of discipline-specific language in order to succeed on classroom assignments and assessments.The bricks in Min Woo's math lesson are the words and phrases used to describe the angles and lines. The walls of this lesson are formed with the sentences that explain the relationships between the lines and angles. Finally, the entire house structure will be completed when he organizes his presentation. The purpose of the presentation will be to explain the location of each line. He will have to justify the layout of his street map to the audience. The context or audience for this project is the presentation to the town council. As apprentice city planners in the math class, Min Woo and his classmates will develop mathematical reasoning as well as the mathematical-specific language needed to share their developing understanding.

When Mr. Nguyen asks students to justify their choices for placing the lines and angles on the city map, the sentence structures and organization they use must justify their decisions, not just describe the lines and angles. As math teacher and author Molina (2012) writes, "the phrase 'the problem with math is English' applies to all students, not just those whose native language is not English" (p. 1). Therefore, all students in the class will benefit from explicit instruction in using math-specific academic language to be successful engaging with this project.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scaffolding for Experienced English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In higher grades, multilingual students need to develop a grasp of academic English. Here's how to help them acquire the skills they need.