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The Six Most Effective Instructional Strategies for ELLs - According to Teachers

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The Six Most Effective Instructional Strategies for ELLs - According to Teachers

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1. Picture Word Inductive Model
2. Sentence Frames
3. Comprehensible Input
4. Collaborative Summarizing
5.

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The new question-of-the-week is:
What is the single most effective instructional strategy you have used to teach English-language learners?
This series is part of a longer series of questions and answers inviting educators from various disciplines to share their "single most effective instructional strategy."

There are many more to come!

Today, Valentina Gonzalez, Denita Harris, Cindy Garcia, and Deedy Camarena offer their responses.

Before we get to today's guest, I'd like to share my own answer.

Two that contributors to this series don't mention and are ones I like to use often are the Language Experience Approach (LEA) and Total Physical Response (TPR).

Two particularly useful posts that have not yet made it into that summary collection (I update them every summer) are Thirteen Instructional Strategies for Supporting ELL Newcomers and Ten Strategies for Teaching English-Language Learners Online.

Now, to responses from today's guests:

Picture Word Inductive Model
Valentina Gonzalez is a former classroom teacher with over 20 years in education serving also as a district facilitator for English-learners, a professional-development specialist for ELs, and as an educational consultant. Valentina delivers professional development and coaches teachers on sheltered instruction strategies. Her work can be found on Seidlitz Education and on MiddleWeb. You can reach her through her website or on Twitter @ValentinaESL:
Shifting the way we approach teaching English-learners can have a positive effect on their success in our schools. When we see our English-learners' assets first, we recognize everything they come with and value not only their culture but also the content and literacy they bring to the table.

I've found the Picture Word Inductive Model (Calhoun, 1998) to be one of the most effective instructional techniques in my experience teaching ELs. The benefits of using PWIM with English-learners are many. This literacy technique is quite flexible and can be used cross-curricularly no matter the grade level, language level, or content. PWIM leverages students' funds of knowledge and builds upon them. Through the PWIM, ELs are engaged in thinking and in all language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing with scaffolds and supports such as visuals and sentence stems or frames. This method can be used in all grade levels and cross-curricularly.

These are the steps I use to implement an adapted version of PWIM with English-learners and how each step benefits ELs:

This engaging instructional strategy helps to lower students' anxiety levels, which increases participation. After using the PWIM with numerous student groups, these are some tips I can offer to educators who haven't tried it before:

Carefully select images that are compelling to your age group of students.

Try color coding or chunking labeled words (ex.: all verbs in orange, adjectives in blue, etc.).

Keep in mind students' language-proficiency levels when creating sentence stems and frames. Students with advanced English proficiency will benefit from more sophisticated sentence structures.

Don't stress about doing it all in one day. Gage your students and make adjustments as needed.

On a subsequent day, use the generated words as a sorting activity. Ask students to work with a partner to put the words in groups and label the groups.

Co-create a sentence-patterning chart with the class. Some groups of students may need this level of support during Step 7.

Below is an example of a PWIM and sentence-patterning chart mash up. Combining these two techniques enhances ELs' listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.

Sentence Frames
Denita Harris is a curriculum coordinator for the MSD of Wayne Township, Indianapolis. She has over 20 years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and district-level administrator. Harris is the recipient of the 2019 INTESOL (Indiana Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Best of the Best in K-12 Education, and the 2017 and 2020 African American Excellence in Education Award. Find her on Twitter @HarrisLeads:
The single most effective strategy I have used and would highly recommend when teaching English-language learners is the use of sentence frames for writing and speaking, the productive skills, accompanied with a word bank, word phrases, and/or pictures.

English-languagelearners possess a wealth of knowledge, and it is our obligation, as educators, to tap into their knowledge and continue to build upon what our students already know and can do. We must remember our students are in the process of learning a new language and are not in the process of learning a language; therefore, we can provide the words and the grammatical structures of the new language to help guide them in speaking and writing.

Here is an analogy to consider. English-language learners have the tools (vocabulary in their native language). They come to us with these tools; however, while learning English, they may not yet know the names of all the tools or how to use them properly to accomplish a task completely (speaking or writing in English). Our responsibility is to provide our students with the names of each tool (vocabulary in English) and demonstrate to them, through sentence frames, how they might utilize these tools to accomplish a complete task (express a complete thought or sentence in English). A sentence frame can be made up of only one sentence or several sentences to assist students in structuring paragraphs.

The use of sentence frames for writing and speaking not only give English-language learners a framework to communicate through both oral and written language, sentence frames also help build students' self-efficacy. When students have the language to contribute to classroom discussions and are able to express their thoughts on paper, they begin to feel a part of the classroom community, and that makes all the difference.

Comprehensible Input
Cindy Garcia has been a bilingual educator for 14 years and is currently a district instructional specialist for PK-6 bilingual/ESL mathematics. She is active onTwitter @CindyGarciaTX and on her blog:
The single most effective strategy that I used to teach English-language learners is comprehensible input. Comprehensible input means that the teacher speaks in such a way that students are able to understand what is being said even when they do not know or understand all of the words being stated. Below are some strategies to make input comprehensible:

Slow down rate of speech and enunciate clearly. As students are listening, they are also working to process what is being said and how that fits with what they already know. At the same time, ELLs are translanguaging and making sense of teachers' academic language. ELLs are developing their English language, and it is very important that they hear those initial and ending sounds of words in order to add them to their vocabulary. Sometimes when we speak too quickly, we drop important sounds such as "ing".

Avoid figurative language and idioms. While these phrases might make sense to you and emphasize a point, to ELLs they might break down their comprehension. Students will probably end up with a literal translation that makes no sense. For example, saying it was a piece of cake will be translated to it was a portion of a dessert, not it was easy! Not only that, but ELLs might stop listening as they try to figure what that idiom means.

Use gestures and total physical response (TPR). Language can sometimes be abstract and not precise. There can also be words that exist in English that do not exist in other languages. For example, toes do not have a Spanish equivalent. In Spanish, we have hand fingers and feet fingers. Using exaggerated gestures can help make the meaning of new vocabulary more clear to students. Using TPR, students also learn to associate a movement with a word, and that will make it more likely that they internalize that new vocabulary.

Collaborative Summarizing
Deedy Camarena is the coordinator for English-language development (ELD), dual and world languages, at the Santa Clara County Office of Education in California:
Second, students find one partner to dialogue with and " create a negotiated list that reflects their combined agreement on the three to six most important ideas." Once students have discussed the most important ideas, they turn them into one, collaborative 15-word summary. Teachers can strategically pair up students, or students can choose. Students must first determine the negotiating rules they will follow. For example, act respectively, cite evidence to prove your opinion, or use academic-language sentence frames, such as Kate Kinsella's, for discussing and collaboration. Students use these sentence frames to support the function of negotiating and intentionally use academically language correctly. The purpose of negotiating with their partner is to "identify who or what is the most important in the section, [and] identify what the subject is doing,"( English Learner Toolkit of Strategies).

Third, have each pair meet with another pair. One student from each pair reads their summary. Then, they dive in and renegotiate a common summary for their new group of four and add it to their graphic organizer.

Fourth, each group of four chooses another group of four to repeat the renegotiating process. Once again, the group will add this new summary to their graphic organizer.

Fifth, ask groups to edit their summaries for meaning, language, and word choice. As the focus of Collaborative Summarizing is utilizing purposeful dialogue to practice oracy, this could be an optional step.

Sixth, chose one student from the group to present the summary to the class. As ELLs have varying comfort levels of reading in front of a class, give the students time to practice in their group. Once a sufficient amount of time has passed, bring the class together to listen to the summaries.

Thanks to Valentina, Denita, Cindy, and Deedy for their contributions!

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

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The Six Most Effective Instructional Strategies for ELLs-According to Teachers (Opinion)

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Teachers share their "go-to" strategies for teaching English-language learners, including sentence starters and Total Physical Response.

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11 Essential Strategies for Teaching ELLs (for any teacher)

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11 Essential Strategies for Teaching ELLs (for any teacher)

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University of San Diego - Professional & Continuing Education

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Imagine trying to learn a classroom lesson when you don't understand the language in which it is being presented. Teaching English language learners requires specialized strategies; and at the most basic level, one of those strategies is to "put yourself in their shoes."

More than 5 million children in U.S. schools are classified as English language learners (ELLs), according to the Department of Education. These students face the dual challenge of learning the material while also learning the language, as their teachers face the added challenge of using the right educational strategies to help them succeed.

Some of the most effective English language learner strategies start with common sense and respect for cultural differences. Simply getting to know the students is considered to be an essential part of the process.

For educators who teach English language learners, developing a deeper understanding of their unique needs and the best practices for teaching them has many benefits. These include:

Better and easier lesson planning

Improved ability to monitor student goals and achievements

The satisfaction of making a difference in the lives of young people learning to communicate in what can be a pretty confusing language

Here, we will review a range of time-tested English language teaching strategies that benefit students and educators alike.

How Can ELL Strategies Help Me as an Educator?

In addition to achieving better learning outcomes for students, embracing best practices and strategies for working with English language learners offers some fundamental, organizational benefits for educators as well.

For example, when you have a well-thought-out plan for engaging and teaching your ELLs, you are able to more effectively manage your lesson planning and monitor the progress of your students. You will also waste less time on strategies that don't work for your students.

Ultimately, an organized and focused approach to teaching non-native speakers is also the most effective way to create a solid foundation for them to become autonomous learners in English.

What About Using 'Scaffolding' for English Language Learners?

Scaffolding can mean a number of things when it comes to language development. First, it can refer to allowing students to continue limited use of their first language while learning English. Though the point is to train students to become independently proficient readers, writers and speakers of English, allowing native speech can help students figure things out, rather than go silent if they don't understand or know an answer.

According to CollaborativeClassroom.org, "A scaffold is a temporary framework that is put up for support and access to meaning and is taken away when the student feels success and masters tasks, concepts, and, in this case, language acquisition."

The use of sentence frames - partial sentences that include blank spaces where students fill in missing words or information - is another example of scaffolding-type techniques that can help students learn language. In a broader context, scaffolding refers to giving students the support, context and tools they need to learn new materials, ideas or skills.

11 Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners
1. Cultivate relationships
This one is a "no-brainer" no matter what language you speak. As a teacher, getting to know each student helps you understand who they are, where they come from and, perhaps, gain some insight into what teaching and learning styles are most effective for them.

For the students, knowing that your teacher cares enough to make the effort to get to know you as a person can have a motivating effect. It contributes to an atmosphere in which each student feels known and appreciated, and is therefore more likely to fully open themselves to the learning process rather than succumb to feelings of reticence or shyness that can often accompany a lack of language skills.
2. Be culturally aware
Since many English language learners come from outside the U.S., part of creating the ideal learning atmosphere may include cultivating an appreciation of diversity. Developing an awareness of each student's background, religious and cultural practices may also provide insights that affect how you interact with a particular student (for example, if they come from a cultural tradition where eye contact with adults is viewed as disrespectful).

At a very basic level, engaging in discussions about the different cultural backgrounds of students helps everyone get to know each other and reinforces the idea that different cultures include many similarities and differences - an important concept when some students are in the process of acquiring a new culture and language. Some educational advocates also suggest home visits as an effective "extracurricular" way for educators to invest in building rapport.
3. Teach language skills across all curriculum topics
In many cases, your English language learners may also be receiving specific English as a Second Language instruction from an ESL specialist. However, it is helpful for teachers of all curriculum topics in mainstream classrooms to understand and embrace the role of language teacher as well.
4. Speak slowly and be patient
You have a lot of material to cover, but there is no need to rush. In fact, teachers of ELLs are encouraged to consciously slow things down. This can mean:

Speaking in a slower, measured cadence

Being a bit more aware of your enunciation

Allowing extra time (an additional 3 to 5+ seconds) for students to respond

The extra seconds give all students a little extra time to think and formulate a response. "Researchers have found that typically most teachers give 1 to 2 seconds between asking a question and expecting a student response," Larry Ferlazzo, a teacher, education blogger and co-author of "The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide," told Edutopia. "The same researchers have shown that if you wait 3 to 5 seconds, the quality of responses is astronomically greater."
5. Prioritize "productive language"
Speaking and writing are sometimes characterized as "productive language" because they both literally require students to "produce" language output, in contrast with reading and listening, which are described as "receptive" skills.

Teachers who are not language specialists may not be aware that English language learners are likely to develop those receptive skills first. It is important to emphasize the fact that evidence that students are reading, listening or understanding does not necessarily equate to progress in expressing themselves through fluency in speaking or writing.
6. Use a variety of methods to engage learning
The idea here is to provide students with multiple options for taking in information, processing and making sense of ideas, and sharing what they are learning. This is often referred to as "differentiated instruction" - an educational practice that involves recognizing that "students each have their own unique gifts and challenges; interests, aptitudes and learning styles" and tailoring instruction to meet students' individual needs.

According to Edutopia, "All kids learn better when they engage with material in multiple ways: Lessons that involve writing, speaking, drawing and listening, for example, give students four opportunities to deepen their understanding of the work. For ELLs, those additional engagements also provide a little breathing room so they can work through the language barrier."
7. Utilize visual aids
The strategy of using visual aids also connects to the idea of differentiated instruction, which is considered central to teaching English language learners. In this case, it is understood that some students are "visual learners" whose ability to digest and process new concepts and material is enhanced by the use of pictures, diagrams, charts and other visual tools.

The belief is that combining "nonlinguistic representation" along with the linguistic component of each lesson benefits all students and not just English language learners - the operative strategy here is to "show" as well as "tell." In addition to pictures, diagrams, etc., teachers are encouraged to write everything on the board so students can see as well as hear the information.
8. Coordinate with the ESL teacher
Since ELLs are often receiving specific English as a Second Language instruction from an ESL specialist, it can be very helpful to check in with their ESL instructors. Doing so can help the educators involved develop a fuller understanding of how regular classroom work can support ESL instruction, and vice versa.

Such discussions can yield insights into individual students and their learning styles or challenges; they can also be helpful for sharing information about curriculum topics, potentially providing ESL teachers with ideas for highly relevant vocabulary words that can reinforce academic lessons.
9. Pre-teach new vocabulary words
When you have a challenging reading assignment coming up, some experts encourage you to preview or "pre-teach" new vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to ELLs, or even to give them a copy of the article or link to the material ahead of time.
10. Build in some group work
Instructor-led, whole-class activities may make up most of your class period but it can also be very helpful to build in time for group work as well. This is because it affords additional opportunities for ELLs to practice their language skills with peers in a less formal, lower-risk setting.
11. Respect moments of silence
Many new language learners tend to be a little reticent and quiet, opting for silence over speaking up and saying something "wrong" in a language that is still unfamiliar. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to be mindful of this and not be too aggressive in forcing students to open up at the outset. Ongoing support and patience is preferable to pressure, since such initial silence is considered to be a normal stage in learning a second language.

Academic Support for Teaching English Language Learners

Teachers whose work involves supporting the language development of non-native speakers also have the opportunity to take courses that are focused on skills, techniques and best practices for teaching English language learners.

For example, the University of San Diego offers an online course titled "Teaching Strategies for ELLs" that is ideal for K-12 teachers. Participants earn 2 graduate-level extension credit units while focusing on:

Ways to integrate language acquisition and academic content learning

Assessment approaches that measure student achievement within a linguistically diverse classroom

Research-based strategies for differentiating instruction to promote student learning

To learn more about the curriculum, expected learner outcomes and cost, contact us today or review the "Teaching Strategies for ELLs" course page.

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University of San Diego - Professional & Continuing Education

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11 Essential Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners [For Any Teacher] - University of San Diego - Professional & Continuing Education

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11 Essential Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners [For Any Teacher]. Advance your career with professional and continuing education from the University of San Diego.

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Supporting Adolescent ELs in Distance Learning

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Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education Through Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education Through Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Andrea DeCapua

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Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education Through Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Immigrant and Undocumented Students: Crisis in Our Classrooms

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Immigrant and Undocumented Students: Crisis in Our Classrooms

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California Teachers Association

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Frightened, anxious immigrant students try to focus on education
Editor's note: All year we've on how educators are handling students with trauma stemming from natural disasters, poverty and more. The COVID-19 pandemic has added an additional traumatic layer to students' lives, particularly for immigrant and undocumented children and youth (see sidebar below). Click for ways to connect with and teach all students during this challenging time.
By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin
Photos by Kim Sanford
"Every day when my parents go work, I'm afraid they won't come back," says a girl, her voice shaky. "It's scary to know they could take your parents away from you. My parents have sacrificed so much to give us a better life." ""My father was detained by ICE, and they put him in jail," says a boy on the verge of tears. "After a year he couldn't tolerate jail anymore and said he'd rather be deported, and he was. My family is afraid. When police and immigration officers come to our door, the adults hide, and the kids talk. We are just kids and we're dealing with legal issues, and we have no idea of what to do." My neighbors always had big smiles on their faces," recalls a boy. "But after the dad was deported, everybody was very sad, and they seldom went outside. Our community has changed."
It's 8 a.m. at Hoover High School in San Diego, and Mario Valladolid, a resource counselor for the Restorative Justice Practices Department, is holding a community circle in a classroom for some 30 students to share their anxiety about immigration issues and draw strength from one another. They are also learning about their rights so they'll know what to do if immigration officers come to the door. (See sidebar below.) Some students are undocumented. Others have undocumented relatives.

It's clear many are traumatized. One girl is weeping. The Educator has agreed not to use students' real names or show their faces in this story because it might target them or relatives for deportation.

The teens express a strong desire to do something to help their families and communities, but they feel helpless. They try to distract themselves with social media and activities with friends and family. But there's no escape from the constant worry.

"I'm trying very hard to cherish the things I now have," says the girl who was crying. "You never know when everything might be taken away from you."

"You can't treat trauma with discipline. Instead, you have to create a culture where every student feels welcome and safe."

- Mario Valladolid, San Diego Education Association

Students are losing hope

The trauma experienced at Hoover High reflects what is happening nationwide under the Trump administration's escalating crackdown on immigrants. (In February, news outlets reported that elite tactical agents were being deployed to various sanctuary cities to bolster Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations; ICE says operations have been scaled back during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many question that claim.) Students are traumatized, and it has negatively impacted their emotions, academic performance, attendance and behavior, say educators. Valladolid calls it a classroom crisis that is hurting an entire generation of students.

"I want my students to come to school and learn and not worry about things beyond their control," says Valladolid, a member of San Diego Education Association (SDEA). "You can't treat trauma with discipline. Instead, you have to create a culture where every student feels welcome and safe."

In 2018, the UCLA Civil Rights Project surveyed staff in 730 U.S. public schools and found that 64 percent of employees said the stepped-up home raids, deportations and family separations hurt students. Ninety percent of administrators noted increased behavioral and emotional problems among immigrant students; 70 percent reported an academic decline and increased absenteeism. A decreased desire to go to college was reported among older immigrant students. They are giving up hope. Many think it no longer matters to do well in school.

"Some kids are catatonic. Some kids won't eat. Some kids have given up trying. The horror that's raining down on these kids is stunning," says the study's lead author, UCLA professor Patricia Gándara.

Paul McCarthy, a teacher at San Francisco International High School, can relate to the study's findings regarding student motivation since the 2016 election.

"There's definitely a change in immigrant students," says the United Educators of San Francisco member. "Before the election, it was easier to convince them of the value of getting good grades and going to college. Now that's a harder sell. We try to bring back alumni who have succeeded, so they will see success is possible."

While California is a sanctuary state and schools have declared themselves safe havens, many students are too frightened to trust school employees due to fear of being reported to authorities, the study reports.

Shane Parmely, an English and art teacher at Bell Middle School in San Diego, became acutely aware of how immigration issues can affect students a few years ago when one of her students burst into tears and confided that her mother had been deported, leaving the girl and three siblings in the care of an 18-year-old sister. "That really put the issue on the radar for me," says the SDEA member, who took the family shopping for food and immediately became an activist on behalf of immigrants. "That's when I first became aware that kids could be left alone to fend for themselves."

Parmely, a 2019 CTA Human Rights Award recipient, works with nonprofits that provide food, shelter, transportation and medical care for immigrants as they await their appeals to be processed. She has opened her home to families needing shelter.

"The reality is that families are being ripped apart and children are traumatized and coming to school that way," Parmely says. "Some display extreme behaviors, and then you find out one of their parents has been deported or their family is in chaos. How can you expect them to be focused on school, get along with others and have good social-emotional skills when they are so on edge?"

Her students are traumatized, but at least they're not in cages like youths in detention centers. "We'll see even higher levels of trauma when those students finally arrive in our schools," she predicts.

California schools: Ground zero for trauma

Approximately 250,000 undocumented children ages 3-17 are enrolled in California public schools. They are promised a free K-12 education by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe. California has approximately 750,000 K-12 students with undocumented parents. Many families have mixed status because some family members are U.S. citizens and some aren't. Of the more than 2 million undocumented residents living in California, 69 percent are from Mexico and 11 percent are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

More than 28,000 children who crossed the border without their parents live in California. If a minor turns themself in or is detained by immigration authorities, they are processed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and sent to live with relatives or friends, or put in a detention center pending their court date.

Students who experience immigration-related trauma live in constant fear that they or family members will be locked up or deported. Trump initially promised to target "criminals," but the majority of those in detention - nearly 70 percent - have no criminal record, reports the Washington Post.

Immigration anxiety compounds existing stress among Latino students. Research shows 80 percent live in poverty and one-third are English learners. They are bullied in school and lack access to health care. Only 12 percent attain a four-year degree, and undocumented students lack access to federal financial aid, making college less attainable.

"Social justice and immigration issues are closely intertwined and really affecting our students," says Valladolid. "It's so sad to see this happening in the 21st century in the richest country in the world."

New DACA dilemmas

Jose, born in Mexico, moved to California when he was 1. The U.S. is the only home he knows. Now he fears deportation to a country he doesn't remember. He worries he won't be able to work or attend college.

Jasmin was also brought to the U.S. as a young child from Mexico. She is determined to go to college and has received a scholarship for undocumented students. She is trying to stay optimistic and wants a medical career.

These 11th graders at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento consider themselves to be Dreamers - from the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, a proposed federal bill that would grant residency status to qualifying immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors. But they cannot apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a policy established by a 2012 executive order from President Obama allowing undocumented youths who arrived in the U.S. before age 16 to enroll in school and hold jobs. Students had to be 15 to apply, and today DACA is closed to new applicants, including these youngsters who missed out. The Supreme Court is expected to decide by June whether President Trump can end the program.

For students like Jose, who grew up expecting to enroll in DACA, the federal government's backpedaling has been devastating.

"I feel like I don't have a voice here," he says. "I feel like I don't matter."

Elizabeth Villanueva, a member of Sacramento City Teachers Association, tries to keep Dreamers focused on success at Burbank High School.

Burbank High Spanish teacher Elizabeth Villanueva, a member of Sacramento City Teachers Association, tries to keep Dreamers focused on success and helps them navigate the system. She takes them to visit colleges. She explains about AB 540, which allows undocumented students access to in-state tuition rates for California's public colleges and universities, and the California DREAM Act, which allows AB 540 students to apply for state-funded Cal Grants and non-state-funded scholarships. She also encourages students already in DACA to re-enroll early as a precaution. To help students remain calm, she teaches them meditation and breathing exercises, and encourages them to "live in the moment."

"I tell them to achieve the best academic record possible," says Villanueva, a CTA Human Rights Award winner. She meets with Dreamers and holds parent information meetings and "Know Your Rights" workshops where guest speakers discuss immigration law and college planning. "I understand students' frustration and lack of hope, but I tell them they are not hopeless. It's important to focus on positive aspects to build their confidence."

Anxiety over DACA has also traumatized teachers. Valladolid, for examples, anguishes that he did the wrong thing by encouraging students to come "out of the shadows" and enroll in DACA, because now the government has their information on file and may deport them.

DACA-enrolled teachers like Angélica Reyes, a world history teacher in a Los Angeles high school she does not want identified, are fearful of what could happen.

"I'm scared that one day my son will be waiting for me at school, not knowing why I didn't pick him up. The thought of being detained and separated from my family is horrifying," Reyes says.

Her parents brought her here from Mexico at age 1 and made a living as street vendors. "Today I'm a role model for my students. I hope that when they see me, they know they can achieve their dreams, too."

Reyes is an activist for Dreamers and is involved with nonprofits including MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), which seeks to promote Chicano unity and empowerment through political action.

"My activism feels like I am contributing to my community, fighting back and resisting," says Reyes, a member of United Teachers Los Angeles. "I'm doing it for myself - and my students."

Yolanda Gooch, SDEA member and restorative justice teacher at Hoover High, says, "The immigration issue impacts me greatly. I feel frustrated at the constant conflict my students are experiencing within the system. I see beautiful families, made up of law-abiding citizens, being torn apart. I had a student who got into UC San Diego and then her parents were deported. Now she is the caretaker for her younger siblings."

Gooch, whose classroom was used for Valladolid's community circle, is a staunch advocate for these students. "My goal as your teacher is to help you have access to everything you need and help you achieve your dreams."

"I've had students whose family members were kidnapped or killed in front of them. You can see the symptoms of their anxiety. They shut down. They have short tempers. But I am inspired by them every day. They are so resilient and persistent."

- Paul McCarthy, United Educators of San Francisco

Newcomers are often traumatized from experiences in their homeland, so they have very real fears about what could happen to them or relatives if they are deported.

"I've had students whose family members were kidnapped or killed in front of them," says McCarthy. "You can see the symptoms of their anxiety. Their head is down. They shut down. They won't talk. They're a puddle on the table. They have short tempers. But I am inspired by my students every day. Despite the trauma they have experienced, they are so resilient and persistent."

One of his male students says, "In Honduras, I had problems. Gangsters almost killed my brother. They shot him two times. I hid under the bed. I felt my life was threatened. So I came here. And when I walk around here, I feel safe. At first, I was nervous at school because I didn't know English and it's hard to learn. But the teachers are helping me to get better."

"You can't imagine some of the horror these students have experienced," says Patricia Segura, a teacher on special assignment at Fremont High School in Oakland, who coordinated the school's newcomer program for years, mostly serving students from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. "Ask why they left and they say things like, 'So-and-so got killed and I knew I was next.'"

Oakland Education Association member Patricia Segura hears the story of a student at Fremont High School who fled Guatemala to escape gang violence and fear of being killed.

Martin, 16, tells his story in Spanish through tears. Since the age of 5, he worked to support his mother and four younger siblings in Guatemala instead of attending school. His father was a gang member and drug dealer. Gang members poisoned and killed him. Gangs were threatening to kill Martin unless he joined. To escape, Martin and his mother crossed into Mexico and then illegally entered the United States. They are seeking asylum and living with a relative. Meanwhile, he works as a dishwasher.

Adjusting to Fremont High School has been difficult. He is depressed about leaving his siblings and began cutting himself with sharp objects.

"I took out the pain that was inside me with these wounds," he explains. "And I got very nervous and angry and wanted to be left alone. I didn't want to harm anyone."

Eventually a sympathetic teacher helped him find better ways of coping, including sports. Recently classmates cried and hugged him when he shared his story with them. He tries to stay hopeful about the future, but worries he will be deported and end up like his father.

When newcomers first enroll in Oakland, says Segura, staff try to meet their basic needs, connecting them to services like an immigration lawyer (asylum seekers must prove that it is unsafe for them to return to their own country), health care and mental health services. Unfortunately, it's not unusual for newcomers to refuse mental health services. In their culture, therapy may be seen as a weakness instead of a way to work through problems.

Segura says that if students are closed off and refuse counseling, staff try to involve them in activities they enjoy, such as the Soccer Without Borders Program or school leadership roles. "We find places where they can shine and help them create new and better memories."

Sadly, immigrant youths - especially unaccompanied minors - are susceptible to becoming gang members here, despite the irony of fleeing their homelands to escape gang violence.

"They get bullied and don't have a community, so if that's the community that reaches out to them, they may see no other option," says Segura, a member of Oakland Education Association. "They perpetuate the cycle."

"It's a huge problem," says McCarthy. "We try very hard to give them other options and connections to keep them out of gangs. If they can find respect on the soccer fields, respect in student government, are engaged in their classes and see a future that is possible, that's the best gang prevention tool we have."

Luis, 17, is a senior at Redwood High School in Visalia. He grew up in Mexico with his parents and brother. One day he came to the U.S. to visit family members; he thought he was on vacation. After a few days, his parents called him from Mexico and gave him the choice of staying. He said yes, despite being 15 and unable to speak English.

"It was very hard," he recalls. "When I said yes, my mother was crying."

Luis moved in with an uncle he barely knew. After graduation, he is expected to work and send money home to support his family.

"It's a lot of responsibility for an unaccompanied minor," says Ana Romo, Luis' English language development teacher. "Their parents send them here to have a better life, and then ask them to return the favor. That is the mindset."

One of her female students from El Salvador crossed the border because her mother feared she could be raped and kidnapped. Now she attends College of the Sequoias. Another named Michelle came as an unaccompanied minor because attending high school and college is a luxury few can afford in Mexico. Now Michelle attends UC Davis.

"Miss Romo helped me, because she didn't feel sorry for me," says Michelle. "She told me that crying wouldn't fix anything. She looked at me as a normal student and not just an immigrant. She helped me apply for college and scholarships. Being an unaccompanied minor is hard, but I'm going after the American Dream."

Last year was difficult for Luis, says Romo, a member of Visalia Unified Teachers Association (VUTA). He became rebellious. Romo talked to Luis at length about focusing on school and making his parents proud. His uncle told her, "So you're the one he complains is picking on him. Please keep doing it. He listens to you."

"These children desperately need our help to receive an education, which is the right of any child. It is important not only to help them for their sake, but also for the sake of our country. These children are our future."

-Raul Gonzalez, Visalia Unified Teachers Association

The lines have blurred as to what an unaccompanied minor is today, says Raul Gonzalez, who teaches kindergarten at Crestwood School in Visalia and has undocumented family and friends. While most people think of teens running across the border alone as being the only type of unaccompanied minors, the same result happens when parents return to their homeland - voluntarily or through deportation - and teens are left in the U.S. alone.

Teachers say unaccompanied minors in their classrooms usually live with relatives or friends and are expected to work. Some teachers have had students cross the border into the U.S. alone and reunite with a parent they haven't seen in years - who may have started a new family in America. The reunions are often disappointing and unhappy because students have anger issues over being separated in the first place. This can cause behavior problems.

"No matter how they arrived here, we need to help these children," says Gonzalez, a VUTA member. "They have fled war-torn countries where there is violence and no law enforcement. We cannot send them back to dangerous situations. Some have requested asylum, and their cases may not be heard for years. Meanwhile, they desperately need our help to receive an education, which is the right of any child. It is important not only to help them for their sake, but also for the sake of our country. These children are our future."

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"Crisis in Our Classrooms" is part of our special report on Teaching Through Trauma. Other stories and resources in the series:

Stories

Resources

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Immigrant and Undocumented Students: Crisis in Our Classrooms - California Teachers Association

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Frightened, anxious immigrant students try to focus on education Editor's note: All year we've reported on how educators are handling students with trauma stemming from natural disasters, poverty and more. The COVID-19 pandemic has added an additional traumatic layer to students' lives, particularly for immigrant and undocumented children and youth (see sidebar below).

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Supporting Students from Immigrant Families

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Supporting Students from Immigrant Families

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Teaching Tolerance

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Immigration has been a polarizing topic for years, but the current administration's stated goals to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and end DACA have elevated the issue. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already increased its activity in many parts of the country. As a result, many immigrant students and their families (documented and not) are experiencing anxiety and fear about their futures.

Educators who work with immigrant communities want to know how to best support students and their families. We created this web package to supply the types of resources educators have told us they need. We'll continue to make updates, knowing that immigration policies and practices in the United States-and the corresponding needs in schools-are changing swiftly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supporting Students From Immigrant Families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Immigration has been a polarizing topic for years, but the current administration's stated goals to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and end DACA have elevated the issue. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already increased its activity in many parts of the country.