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Beginning of the Year Questions for ML Students

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Beginning of the Year Questions for ML Students

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By asking ESL students the right questions we can quickly learn more about them. This article has 11 questions that work well for ESL learners age 14 and older, however the questions can be adapted for younger students. Students can form their response by drawing their answer and/or using their available vocabulary, no matter how limited that might be. These questions can help give you insight into student’s emotions, knowledge, experiences, creativity, ambition, role models, imagination, passion, lifestyle, opinion and life lessons.

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Get to Know Your Students: 11 Essential Questions To Ask

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You can quickly learn more about your ESL students by asking them the right questions. Unsurprisingly, your vocabulary matters mo

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This website has lesson examples for learning and incorporating technical English vocabulary affiliated with Physical Education (PE). It is from Spain for first year students that are learning English as an additional language. There’s a lot of helpful vocab and expressions such as injury, locker rooms, bleachers, row of seats, center of the court, skills, etc. that we can incorporate into our U.S. ML PE lessons. The PE teacher uses gestures to identify the motor actions with English words. For example: the teacher will act as a model, stressing the English expression to describe the action. Pre and post assessments are “Individual Speaking Tests” where students answer questions such as: “What’s the warmup for? Why is it positive to do physical exercise? What’s a sedentary lifestyle?” In English or their primary language. The teacher encouragesstudents to speak in English, giving positive feedback to reward the effort of every student.

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Teaching aids for bilingual Physical Education lessons

Materiales didácticos para aulas bilingües de Educación Física

Licenciada en Educación Física

Profesora CLIL de Educación Física en secundaria

(España)

Susana Rodríguez Cougil
guscougil@edu.xunta.es

Resumen

Aquí aparecen las líneas generales de una propuesta de sección bilingüe en inglés y una propuesta didáctica para E.F. dentro del programa PALE enfoque AICL. Este programa supone cursar la EF (u otra área no lingüística) en una lengua oficial y otra extranjera (inglés)).

Palabras clave: Educación física. Programa de apoyo a lenguas extranjeras. Programación didáctica. Materiales didácticos. Evaluación.

Abstract

Here we have the general guidelines of a bilingual section in English and a teaching unit of P.E., in the PALE program focusing on CLIL. This programme's aims are to study P.E. (or a non-linguistic subject/area) in an official language and a foreign language (English).

Keywords: P.E. PALE. CLIL. AICLE Syllabus. Teaching aids. Assessment.

EFDeportes.com, Revista Digital. Buenos Aires, Año 16, Nº 162, Noviembre de 2011. http://www.efdeportes.com/

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Introduction

The job market demands the solid presence in school of foreign languages. We`re aware of the importance of being able of communicate in, at least, one foreign language. The bilingual classes are an opportunity to improve the English level of our students through Physical Education lessons.

General objectives of the bilingual program

The head teacher of the English department has to coordinate the program and give supporting lessons to the students every week.

The P.E. teacher will use a combination of Galician/Spanish and English with special emphasis on English, in at least, 50% of the time.

The students

Methodology and strategies

We will use gestures to identify the motor actions with English words. For example: the teacher will act as a model, stressing the English expression to describe the action.

The teacher will encourage the students to speak English, giving positive feedback to reward the effort of every student.

The pupils will have to actively participate in the process.

The teacher will try to create a confident and natural atmosphere, in order to adopt English as the main language during the lessons.

The P.E. and the English teachers will work together in order to combine and reinforce relative vocabulary, so that during the weekly supplementary English lessons, students will have the opportunity to revise said vocabulary.

At the beginning of the period, parents and students will be informed of the objectives, to motivate and not be afraid to participate in a special program. We will try to focus that initial curiosity and encourage their desire to learn.

With regards to the other aspects of P.E, they will follow the syllabus of the 1st year.

Guidelines to assesment

To assess the bilingual P.E. students, we should use the assessment criteria that appear in our P.E. syllabus. Under no circumstances the use of English will have an adverse effect on their P.E. marks or the contents proposed in P.E.

To determine their level of English, we will undertake an initial assessment.

The assessment will be continuous. For every teaching unit the teacher will collect data of the individual development, to share with the planning coordinator, to readjust and improve the process, to report and to motivate the students.

The teacher, who coordinates the program, has to evaluate the progression in the use of English.

The teaching unit: improve your skills; health and warm up

Objectives

Movement, jumping, throwing, catching, spinning, running, skipping...

The effects of physical exercise against a sedentary lifestyle

General warm-up, functions and applications.

The elements of each session.

Procedures

The practice of all types of games and exercises to develop and reinforce their basic skills

Use of all types of equipment to improve their basic skills in ball control, rope work, bats, sticks...

Reading: "the physical exercise and the health"" and "the warm-up".

Practical use of general warm-up exercises.

Appreciation and respect for their own skills and those of their fellow students.

To make an effort in order to improve.

Value and respect for their own body.

Methodology and strategies

In this teaching unit, we have modified the rules of some games and tasks to improve the communication in English.

So, playing "brilé" ( similar to dodge ball, in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls) the hit is only effective if the player says, in English, the part of the body where the ball hit.

Also, they must say a word, a expression, a sentence before starting a game, etc.

We will try to use vocabulary of English origin that often appears in some sports.

We have bought a blackboard with wheels in order to be able to write anywhere in the sports centre (to begin with we were writing on the floor with chalk)

The organization of the sessions should allow communication to be fluent; we will assist this by arranging students in a group circle during warm up.

Assessment criteria

To participate, in a proactive way, in the practice of different games and tasks, following rules and being responsible of the materials and the sports facilities.

Make an effort during the practical aspects of the lesson.

The assessment must be continuous. The student will choose the language of the exams (Spanish or English) whilst being encouraged to do so in English.

Assessment tools

We will use instruments outlined in the teacher's notebook: initial/final skills test, speaking exam, daily effort and general attitude.

We will also use subjective judgement and observation to readjust the process.

Qualifying criteria suggested: skills test 30% (evaluate progression) speaking exam 30%, effort and attitude (including behavior, proper clothing) 40%. It will be compulsory to achieve 5 points of each in order to pass.

Measures to promote diversity

The information that we obtain in the initial assessment will inform us of each student's different levels, rhythm of learning, etc. So that we will be able to adopt different methodologies and activities, modify work groups, adapt the tools and materials required, progress at a pace that every student is able to, etc.

The assessment should be criterial, taking into account the individual progression in a global way (concepts, procedures and attitude) and knowing that the effort is more important than the performance. If it is deemed necessary, we will provide additional support.

The P.E. classes/sessions

Mostly in English, with a few short explanations in Spanish, theyfollow the traditional class format: warm up, main activity and cool down (12):

Objectives: Improve our skills with modified baseball. To revise various aspects of warm up.

Vocabulary and expressions: Flexibility, play catch, I caught you, bat, mirror.Revise: injury/ies, warm up, cool down, to throw, to catch, to hit, to pass, to move, to keep balance

Material: foam balls and security bats

Remember: what is warm up for? Write the answer on the blackboard: 1.To prevent injuries 2.To be more efficient. Revise the concept injury.

Students suggest some warm up exercises. Differentiate the 3 parts of the warm up. Write on the blackboard warm up sections and do :

1. general exercises

2. flexibility exercises

3. Specific exercises (sport, main activity): work in pairs, throw and catch a foam ball.

(The teacher writes I caught you on the floor or the blackboard)

Play catch to improve our skills: A pair of volunteers has to catch the rest of the team by touching them with a ball (don't throw the ball!) saying: I caught you.

Those who are caught then join the catchers until nobody else is left. (Los tocados se convierten en perseguidores hasta que no quede nadie).

Sitting in a circle, stretching our legs: which is the last part of a session? Compare warm up and cool-down.

You are my mirror: Everybody with a ball. Work in pairs: do the same relaxing movements as your partner, keeping the ball in balance, holding the ball, moving ...

Go to the changing room and get washed and changed!

References

Another articles in English

EFDeportes.com, Revista Digital · Año 16 · N° 162 | Buenos Aires, Noviembre de 2011
© 1997-2011 Derechos reservados

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educación física educacion fisica educación física programa de apoyo a lenguas extranjeras programación didáctica materiales didácticos rvaluación pe pale clil aicle syllabus teaching aids assessment

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Teaching aids for bilingual Physical Education lessons

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Teaching aids for bilingual Physical Education lessons Materiales didácticos para aulas bilingües de Educación Física Licenciada en Educación Física Profesora CLIL de Educación Física en secundaria (España) Susana Rodríguez Cougil guscougil@edu.xunta.es Resumen Aquí aparecen las líneas generales de una propuesta de sección bilingüe en inglés y una propuesta didáctica para E.F.

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The linked Google Doc highlights the toolkit provided by the authors of the article English Language Learners, Academic Language, & Physical Education. This resource provides specific strategies that can be used in the K-12 physical education setting for all levels of ML students.

Constantinou, P., & Wuest, D. (2015, March 1). English language learners (ELLs), academic language, & physical education. Physical & Health Education America. http://www.pelinks4u.org/files/English_Language_Learners_Toolkit_2_4_15.pdf

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The second article titled, Strategies from Secondary PE Teachers Teaching English Language Learners at Urban Schools, highlights 10 strategies to use when teaching secondary ML students at urban schools.

Sato, T., Miller, R. T., & Delk, D. W. (2022). Secondary physical educators’ positioning of teaching english language learners at urban schools. Urban Education, 57(5), 814-841. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085918789747

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Instructional Strategies for Teaching Multilingual Learners in Physical Education

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Linked is a Google Doc that was created based off an article titled, "Preparing and Engaging Social Studies Lessons for English Language Learners" as well as my own previous knowledge. This document lists several challenges faced and strategies that can be used when teaching multi-language learners. There is a focus on social studies content with examples of how to use some of these strategies.

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Preparing an Engaging Social Studies Lesson for English Language Learners

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Library Media Program (K-12) supporting ML students in the Media Center and in the classroom

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Library Media Program (K-12) supporting ML students in the Media Center and in the classroom

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We are a group of media specialists in MN that work with various grade levels. We compiled this resource for educators to help inspire and provide resources to best support their multilingual students in their school community. Below, you’ll find information on instructional strategies on the best practices to engage with student interest, make content relevant and accessible, include language instruction in lessons, rehearse new knowledge, and assess student understanding, along with multiple resources for more information.  Thank you for all that you do!

Beth Kuettner: Elementary

Kim Loconto: Middle School

Jody Eskro: High School

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How a Community School Helps ELLs Succeed

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How a Community School Helps ELLs Succeed

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This video provides a look at Wolfe Street Academy in Baltimore, MD. This video gives a look at a school that has a large number of ML students. The strategy they use is building relationships through the entire family to build a community focused on learning.

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How a Community School Helps ELLs Succeed

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Edutopia covers many aspects of education. This article focuses on integrating ELL students into general education classes. The article provides strategies and presents an example of how getting to know your students' abilities can drive lesson planning.

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Conducting ongoing formal and informal pre-tests is crucial for customizing lessons and ultimately making learning fun. These assessments should give an overview of who can read, speak, and write, and to what degree. When teachers can identify key areas of need, they can use that knowledge to plan engaging lessons consisting of language-based tasks.

Use Pre-Test Results to Plan Lessons and Drive Instruction

Pre-test results determine what areas to teach and review. English language learners typically need practice in decoding, vocabulary, and early reading skills. With younger ELLs, oral instruction is the perfect method for creating and sustaining interest -- teachers can use their body language and voice in addition to songs, poems, jazz chants, role-plays, and dialogues.

One way to effectively cater to the ranges of struggling ELLs is to actually find out what students know and can do. If you are under time and curriculum constraints, try to use mini oral assessments (ten minutes) where ELLs read a targeted list of words to test their decoding skills. For deeper recognition, you can also assess their ability to match the word to the picture. Complete ongoing assessments that help you acquire a class profile. Doing this consistently will help you custom design differentiated lessons for those struggling ELLs in mixed-ability classes.

"Get to Know You" Activities

Pre-assessing students with "get to know you" activities helps assess what they actually know, which determines instruction. One type of pre-assessment activity includes five- or ten-minute oral, reading, and writing questionnaires. Teachers might also consider distributing a questionnaire on learning styles and preferences to acquire a more well-rounded class profile. Classroom observations are one form of pre-assessment. By using these results, teachers can also decide which skills are critical for supporting the language-learning needs of ELL students.

Use Results of Pre-Tests to Engage ELLs

Start by deciding on a variety of language-learning tasks that motivate, challenge, and engage students. Expand on some of the textbook activities that may not be so interesting.

Decide what students will need to accomplish the tasks successfully. For example, if the teaching goal is to have students understand a short text on ladybugs, start by pre-teaching some of the targeted vocabulary. If the targeted learning goal is for ELLs to research information on endangered animals, they need to know how to effectively summarize research articles.

Decide also how to engage lower-, middle-, and higher-performing groups using one or more of the differentiated teaching techniques (such as group work, pair work, or individualization) for each of the skills that is applicable to the curriculum and for meeting the needs of students. "In our experience, our teachers have found that coupling ESL and ELL teaching with private, individualized tutoring benefits not only the students' foundational knowledge but also their confidence," says Nathan Arora of SchoolTutoring.com.

A Sample Reading Lesson

The problems the teacher faces when teaching differentiated classes (ranging from mixed ability to ELLs) include how to plan lessons that can meet the needs of all the students, preventing the higher-performing students from getting bored and the lower-performing students from feeling lost.

Reading Tasks for Lower-Performing Students

1. ELLs extract and list all names of people/places/numbers. Classify them into groups.

2. ELLs work only with a specific paragraph, looking for specific information.

3. ELLs underline all the words that they know. Ask them to look up the difficult words. These students become the experts.

4. True/false type questions

Reading Tasks for Middle-Performing ELLs

1. ELLs answer questions that relate to general ideas.

2. Multiple choice type questions.

3. True/false questions where ELLs correct the false questions and/or give evidence from the text.

Reading Tasks for Higher-Performing ELLs

1. Oral reports on a text.

2. Questions for reading between the lines.

3. Answer detailed questions about the text. Make up questions and swap with a partner.

In a differentiated reading lesson, the teacher can adapt the task to two or three different levels, thereby enabling the student to choose the level at which he or she can function. Teachers can provide students with main input before assigning different tasks.

Since many ELLs are still not achieving proficiency in general education classes and across content areas, teachers need to find ways of integrating these students to help them catch up with their native English-speaking peers. By building on the knowledge of what ELLs can do successfully, either individually or in small groups, teachers will have a much easier time customizing instruction so that ELLs can reach their learning potential.

How do you integrate ELLs in your general education class?

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Integrating ELL Students in General Education Classes

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Conducting ongoing formal and informal pre-tests is crucial for customizing lessons and ultimately making learning fun. These assessments should give an overview of who can read, speak, and write, and to what degree. When teachers can identify key areas of need, they can use that knowledge to plan engaging lessons consisting of language-based tasks.

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1) Each person add and annotate at least one new external resource for best practices or curriculum supports for multilingual learners. NOTE: You can NOT use any for-profit resources including Teachers Paying Teachers. Look for research-based aggregated findings (e.g. a univeristy center) or non-profit advocacy groups at the national or international level.

2) Each of you create your own post (go to the plus sign bottom right hand corner to add) in which you share instructions explicit to your domain of practice. For instance, if I teach PE I would look for a PE advocacy group that has materials that will be useful for a teacher adapting curriculum to be more inclusive of her ML students.

3) Title your post the discipline and the level your suggestions are targeting. Since there are several of you with K-12 licenses and the same discipline, and there are four levels of ML students, you could divide this up by grade or ML level. For instance, PE Level I ML students, PE Level II and III PE students. Or PE grades 3-6 ML strategies, PE grades 7-12 ML strategies.

Please collaborate with the person in your discipline to figure out how you want to do this so it can be relatively consistent across this resource page.

4) Within your suggestions aim for the following:
--suggestions for each basic element of the instructional process to ensure ML students succeed e.g. engaging student interest, making content relevant and accessible, rehearsing the new knowledge, assessing student understanding.

--within your post, link to an excellent resource for teachers in that domain, for instance, in PE I might find a YouTube channel that has bilingual video descriptions in English/Spanish of different PE activities. Or I could link to a great database of PE visuals to insert in lesson instructions to clarify the meaning of the words.

--provide ideas related to the needs of different levels of English skills and/or different grade level supports
NOTE: For K-2 learners the ML kids can basically just absorb the new language. These grades are already so visual and kids brains are so receptive to language at this age. Focus on grades 3 and up where reading and more in-depth content has to be conveyed at the same time as language skills are being taught.

5) Content needs to be grammatically correct, accurate, and appropriately cited.

6) Each of you contribute to a list of resources to learn about the home culture of students from different parts of the world. Culturally relevant pedagogy requires that we know things about our ML students so we can ensure they can see/hear their identities in the classroom.

Any of the resource sharing you do can be from sources I have shared with you previously. You do not have to find new things, but if you do that is cool too.

Think of this as a resource you would like to be able to share with the teachers with whom you collaborate to facilitate their success with ML students.

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How to incorporate home languages: Two-dozen students. Eighteen English learners. Seven countries. Six different home languages.

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How to incorporate home languages: Two-dozen students. Eighteen English learners. Seven countries. Six different home languages.

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https://www.weareteachers.com/many-different-home-languages/

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It’s Not Uncommon for Schools to Have Dozens of Home Languages—And Our Classrooms Should Reflect That

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Here’s what we’ve learned teaching in a classroom with 6 different home languages.

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Connecting with Students and Families in the middle years

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Connecting with Students and Families in the middle years

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https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/how-use-technology-engage-multilingual

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have had success in using technology to communicate with families of English language learners (ELLs).

Benefits of this outreach include the following:

families can receive information in their own language

families can attend school events from home (or another location) without having to arrange transportation, child care, or different work schedules

archives of school events can be posted for later viewing.

Strengthening Partnerships with ELL Families: 15 Strategies for Success

The following article offers some ideas for using technology to support ELL family engagement and examples of success stories and lessons learned from educators. See additional ideas in our related article, Strengthening Partnerships with ELL Families: 15 Strategies for Success.

Increasing Language Access for Multilingual Families

Before jumping into the nuts and bolts of the tools schools are using, it's important to remember the broader goals of increasing language access for all families. Keep the following in mind:

Families are legally entitled to information in their home language from their children's schools.

As schools must continually adjust to new developments in the pandemic, it is critical for families to have updated, accurate information in real time from schools in their home languages.

Providing information from an official interpreter or presentations from a speaker who is fluent in the home language is the best way to ensure that families get accurate information, even when using technology to get the message out. (See our note on translation tools at the bottom of the article.)

As you review different tools, here are some additional tips to keep in mind:

Start small! This will take some trial and error; you can try new platforms with small groups of families before rolling something out more broadly to see what works best.

Find out what tools and platforms the families are already using and how they want to receive their information. Engaging families in this process will increase your chances for success.

You can learn more about the ways to expand families' language access through our related article, Equity Through Language Access: Best Practices for Collaborating with Interpreters.

A note on privacy

Families may have questions and concerns about privacy when using technology. Please take a look at these privacy and security considerations for ELLs and immigrant families if you are considering using any of the following platforms.

Related videos

Partnering with families in the service industry

Juliana Urtubey, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, talks about the importance of flexibility and good communication when partnering with families in the service industry, such as her students' families in Las Vegas.

Language access for multilingual families

What does appropriate language access mean for multilingual families? This interview features Dr. Jennifer Love, the Supervisor of Language Access and Engagement in Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland.

Using Facebook for Community Outreach

Roseville, MN Area Schools ISD 623 is a school district in the greater Twin Cities area serving many diverse communities. The district has developed a series of Facebook pages for its families, including immigrant communities, African American families, and American Indian families. The pages serving ELL families include translated messages and posts from family liaisons and educators. These pages have been critical outreach platforms during COVID-19.

How it started

Kristina Robertson, English Learner Program Administrator at Roseville Public Schools, realized early in the pandemic that families were getting inundated with bilingual robo-calls, often multiple messages in a day. It wasn't an efficient way to communicate. In consultation with the district cultural liaisons, the EL team created a series of cultural Facebook pages as many families use this social network platform. Facebook posts allowed families to view and respond to messages at their convenience if they had questions or comments.

It's important to note that many of the Roseville Public Schools multilingual communities are refugees who did not have an opportunity to develop literacy skills in their first language or English. It was critical to have visual and audio messages for the families as an alternative to written translations. The cultural Facebook pages became a source not only of posts and updates but of video sharing through Facebook Live sessions on important topics.

The data shows that videos are viewed by hundreds of people after the events, showing how easy it is to share the information with others. For example, one of their first Karen Facebook Live videos was seen by 3,000 people. Kristina notes that it was so rare that the community could find information presented in their own language that they just kept sharing it with others. She says, "We only have about 350 Karen students in our district so it definitely went beyond our district boundaries. I call that a win if it helps others! Families and community members can receive the information and don't really need to navigate much or register."

Creating community Facebook pages

The most important things to consider when developing cultural Facebook pages are:

Audience: What communities will these pages serve?

Name: The name should be inclusive, consistent, and specific to your particular school and location. For example, there are many Roseville Schools in the U.S., so all of the district's Facebook group names include ISD 623.

Content: Will this include school events, information updates, cultural events, and external resources? Can different departments post on it?

How information will be translated: Who will post the content and how will you provide it in families' languages? It's important to have frequent content posted to keep families aware of the site and information. Information translated by an official translator or interpreter, or presented by someone fluent in families' home languages, is best.

Page administrator: Who will be the administrators of the Facebook page? Who can post content or change settings? In Roseville, the schools communications director set up the FB pages and gave Kristina administrative access so she could add cultural liaisons and leaders from other departments to post directly.

Security settings: You want your page to be secure from trolls, but not so secure it prevents families from accessing information. Monitor the pages to ensure there is no malicious activity. In a year of managing cultural Facebook pages, Roseville schools has not had any troll incidents.

Finally, bring in guests to provide interesting content. It's best if video presentations are short (15 minutes or less). If you can do the presentation in the native language rather than having an interpreter, that is best, but don't hesitate to use interpreters. The families will appreciate the information in their languages

Roseville's Facebook pages

To see what this outreach looks like, take a look at the pages below. On the Spanish page (Familias Latinas), you will see numerous presentations from middle school ELL teacher Alonso Jaque-Pino on topics ranging from hand-washing to hybrid schedules. Alonso is just one of the many staff members working actively to share information on these pages.

You can also learn more from our Share My Lesson webinar that features these resources!

Town hall meetings on Zoom

In addition, the district has used Zoom more for school-based town hall meetings. Kristina notes that it can be challenging for families to navigate Zoom. It takes a lot of staff time on the ground to provide direct support for families who want to attend. The other issue is getting Zoom info and log-in information to families. Most people register for events through email and receive a link. That won't work for many of the district's multilingual families who aren't regularly using e-mail, so the district needs to rely on staff to connect with those who express an interest in attending.

One benefit, however, is that Zoom allows for simultaneous interpreters(secured by the district) through a language channel, and so the district has used that feature when possible.

In short, with practice and support, families can get familiar with Zoom and the district can take advantage of the simultaneous interpretation features. More broadly, though, Roseville has found that the Facebook Live events are more public and easily accessible, so the meetings focus on community or district-wide information that families can share with others. As noted above, however, the events will need to include interpretation if bilingual speakers aren't available to present.

Creating Grade-Level Groups on Facebook

Dr. Karen Woodson is the former principal of Mother Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, MD, a school with a large number of ELLs. In this excerpt from her Colorin Colorado article on creating equitable access for ELL families during COVID-19, she shared the following lessons learned from her experience.

"Working to our advantage was our new Facebook page, established one week after the closing of schools. Through our interactions with families, we were aware that many of them were already using Facebook on their cell phones...It was gratifying to see the families interacting with their teachers and counselors by sharing pictures and stories about their experiences living in our new normal."

Teachers and counselors used private grade-level groups to:

communicate with families around instructional expectations

post videos showing families how to log into various portals used for instruction

provide encouraging communication related to self-care and social-emotional health

offer schoolwide activities, such as a spirit week and a dress up day.

In addition, the school used the Facebook channel to broadcast back-to-school nights and parent workshops. Critical lessons learned from their bilingual virtual town follow below:

Use the Facebook chat window and the Q&A window on Zoom, WebEx, or other online meeting platforms, to interact with families and address their questions in real time.

Communicate to families the dates and language to be used for the presentation. Explain that the other language will still be used on both dates, but in a closed caption format. This give families the flexibility to choose the linguistic environment that best suits their learning preference.

Streaming live to Facebook or Youtube creates a recorded archive on your school's page. Families and community members can revisit the information, in the language of their choice, as their schedules permit and as many times as they wish.

Use a platform that enables the presentation to be streamed live to the school's Facebook page (or the school's Youtube page) as it is being presented by school staff.

In addition, Dr. Woodson shared their approach on presenting bilingual information. It's important to take time to figure out what will work best for your families given your staff and technology available. Here are the steps they used:

Their team developed a slide presentation containing the information to be shared in English and Spanish (or any target language) on the same slide. They planned to do the presentation twice, once in English and again in Spanish (or any target language).

When they delivered the presentation in one language, they had it translated to another language via closed caption.

Texting Apps

Finally, it's worth mentioning that many schools are using texting apps to communicate with families. In some cases, this might be WhatsApp, which is popular among many immigrant communities.

It might also include translation apps like Talking Points, which translates messages between teachers and families in many different languages.

Here's how Talking Points works:

Parents receive the messages as a text message and do not need to download an app.

It's free for individuals and can be purchased for broader use by districts.

Translations are done automatically but human interpreters are available if needed.

You can send mass texts as well and teachers' numbers are protected.

Illinois multilingual education administrator Sarah Said notes, "It's an application that works as a text message on parents' phones. It enables two-way translation communication with families. You can send mass texts for free! It has been a LIFELINE."

The Talking Points app (or other similar apps) can help give individual teachers more options in reaching out to families directly rather than relying on an intermediary.

When to use what method of contact

Keep in mind that some information may be more suitable for texts (shorter messages, reminders, and check-ins) than lengthy or sensitive information, or information that is legally required to be translated. Please take a look at these privacy and security considerations for ELLs and immigrant families if you are considering using any translation app and review the product carefully before recommending it.

A note on translation

Keep in mind that translation tools such as those in Talking Points, Google Translate, or Facebook's translation tool are not fool-proof; they should not be considered a wholesale substitute for professional, knowledgeable translators and trained language staff who are familiar with:

the language and culture of the families

technical school terms, especially for special education

strategies that can help build trust and community among ELLs and their families.

Building on Successes

The ability to reach more multilingual families through tools that schools are using more widely is a valuable opportunity. That outreach will continue to be critical as schools adapt and adjust to realities on the ground. Families will appreciate the efforts to communicate with them in their languages, even if there are some bumps along the way, and they will let you know what's working. By keeping your eyes on those broader goals of reaching more families, you will chart the course that works for your school community. Bon voyage!

Recommended Resources

For more tips on how to communicate effectively with multilingual families and help them keep their contact information up to date, please see the following:

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How to Use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families | NEA

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have had success in using technology to communicate with families of English language learners (ELLs). Benefits of this outreach include the following: families can receive information in their own language families can attend school events from home (or another location) without having to arrange transportation, child care, or different work schedules archives of school events can be posted for later viewing.

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Dual Classified learners: Considerations for multilingual and exceptional (students with special needs) and strategies to support them. 

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Dual Classified learners: Considerations for multilingual and exceptional (students with special needs) and strategies to support them. 

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When considering student who may have exceptionalities, and are a multilingual there are several factors to consider.

My scope is that of a special education educator, and more specifically autism spectrum disorder. These suggestions could be used K-12, but keep in mind your students level of communication as well as cognition.

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Building Relationships with ELL Students

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Building Relationships with ELL Students

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This article provides teachers with information about the importance of building relationships with students, including about how to treat ELL students as well as how not to treat them as well. This article highlights importance of advocating for ELL students and to embrace students as who they are.

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High expectations, relationships key to improving ELL student experiences

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A Rhode Island superintendent told ASCD conference attendees that teachers must think of ELLs as having a learning asset rather than a deficit.

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Resources for ML Instruction: Physical Education Classroom

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Resources for ML Instruction: Physical Education Classroom

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This website includes information pertaining to assisting ELL students, providing informational videos, a variety of strategies, additional resources, and activities to help teachers successfully support ELL students. There are links/tabs that provide different instructional information and resources for teachers to use. This website can be beneficial for all teachers and subjects.

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The Danger of a Single Story: "Novelist Chimamanda Adichie ... warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding." In addition to our biases and misunderstandings, it is also important to recognize how we can send hidden messages to our students by the content we select, what and who we use as examples, language we use or don't use, etc.

A Class Divided: "The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. This is the story of that lesson, its lasting impact on the children, and its enduring power 30 years later ( original clips along with supplemental resources).​"
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english language learners teaching strategies

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Effective teaching strategies for English Language Learners in K-12 classes.

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K-12 Special Education Building Relationships with your students (Social Emotional Focus) 

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K-12 Special Education Building Relationships with your students (Social Emotional Focus) 

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This article has an amazing selection of short but effective ways to connect with students in your classroom. I specifically want to highlight learning your students name and embedding social emotional learning into curriculum.

In special education, depending on what programming you're working in you will have nonverbal students. Something as simple as knowing how to say that students name, can make such a deep impact on that student, as well as their family. It's also important to know how to say your students name because you will be in contact with their family often, for IEPs, conferences ie.

A large part of what special education teachers do is work on self-regulation. So by adding social emotional learning into your lessons, you are helping your multilingual learner in several ways. You are assisting them in a time where they may be navigating not only lagging skills due to an exceptionality but also their language development. Which could be causing a lot of emotional distress.

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One of the biggest topics that educators are thinking about this year is the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL). Building relationships with students is a key aspect of SEL for students of all ages.

The good news is that there are a lot of ideas educators can try now and throughout the year. You might think of it as "going slow to go fast" - a process that not only builds confidence and community but increases engagement and supports students' later academic success.

What's in this article

We have compiled some of these ideas and resources for building relationships with English language learners (ELLs) and their classmates below in the following strategies:

Before getting started

As you read, keep in mind that many of the following activities can be differentiated for varying language proficiency levels. These strategies offer opportunities for:

And we encourage you to keep in mind Kristina Robertson's popular piece of advice: try just one new thing at a time!

Note: This article was originally written for online and hybrid settings. For tips on using these strategies in distance learning, see our recommendations at the end of the article.

Essential Question

As you read this article, consider the following essential question:
In what ways can I build strong relationships with multilingual students this year?
Strategies: Getting to Know Students

Share your stories!

If you try any ideas from this article, we'd love to hear how it went! Post your story on social media here:

Show respect for your students by taking time to learn how to pronounce and spell their names correctly. Ensure that students' names are written correctly in student databases, especially as schools move to more online systems. A misspelled name can impact the services and instruction a student receives.

When you ask students to say their name, listen carefully and repeat it until you get it right.

Ask students to record their names for you so that you can hear their pronunciation. (You can ask them to send you a voice recording or use an online platform like NameCoach.) Share recordings with colleagues who work with the students so that they also pronounce the students' names correctly.

Model the correct pronunciation of students' names to the class so that all students can say it correctly.

Use students' names when greeting them each day.

Consider asking students to share examples of how people mispronounce their name and how that makes them feel.

Learn more about different naming conventions in your students' cultures and languages.

Refrain from coming up with a nickname or a version of the name that's easier for you to say.

Project ideas:

Assign a multimedia or written project in which students share:

If your students are using technology, this is a good way to introduce online platforms they will be using this year.

You might also read aloud books from our booklists on names for children and young adults. After listening, students can record, write, or draw stories about their own names.

Using tech: SeeSaw can be used with primary grades. SeeSaw has related activities already prepared in their "Activity Bank," such as " Your Name is Everything You Are."

For older students, consider using:

What are your students' experiences, interests, hobbies, talents, goals, and strengths? Tapping into these " funds of knowledge" can:

foster relationships, friendships, and student confidence

make students' strengths more visible to peers and educators

engage students across the curriculum.

For example, the children of migrant farmworkers might have a wealth of knowledge about agriculture, seasonal harvest, and different regions of the country. (You can learn more about " funds of knowledge" from this helpful guide.)

Bring these topics into the class by:

giving students a chance to share their interests or strengths in surveys, peer interviews, writing prompts, and art projects

encouraging students to express themselves by decorating a virtual locker or bringing in something they can hang on the wall of the classroom

talking with family members about their child's interests and talents

talking with members of the students' communities about their insights

providing time for students to discuss current events of interest

learning more about culturally responsive practice (and what it looks like during a pandemic).

Note: See some great strategies from Judie Haynes and Carol Salva that incorporate these ideas into activities to start this coming new school year.

Project ideas:

Ask students to share a photo or drawing of themselves that is important to them and to explain why. (You can learn more about this strategy that ELD Team Lead Cindy Close in Douglas County, CO shared with us from Education Week.)

For a more in-depth assignment, ask students to create a project focused on one of their hobbies, interests, or talents that they can share with the class. Some examples might include a collage, a short presentation, poem, or a short video.

Using tech: The platforms mentioned under strategy one will work well for these ideas. You might also consider:

a digital photo album site, such as Google photos

a digital collage site, like PicCollage

a photo finding mission app, like Plum's Photo Hunt

Flipgrid, where students can post their digital picture while they talk about why that picture or object is important to them.

You can welcome students' languages by learning a few words or phrases, such as a greeting or how to say "thank you," or asking them to teach you and their peers some words. They will appreciate the gesture and enjoy being the teacher (and the expert) for a change!

This not only highlights the language skills that your student has, it celebrates the gift of multilingualism and gives other student a chance to think about what it is like to go through the day learning in a different language. (Learn more in our section on what it feels like to be a language learner.)

You might also look for places where you can display flags from students' countries or other photos that are meaningful for students.

Project ideas:

Create a classroom bulletin board, either online or on the wall, where students and families can add homemade signs to a world map with important words such as "hello," "friend," and "thank you." (Thank you to Amanda Goman for sharing this idea on Twitter!)

Tech ideas: Look for ways to create and decorate a shared virtual space or virtual bulletin boards with tools such as Padlet, Corkulous, or Bitmoji. (Note that some of Bitmoji's avatars are not appropriate for students, especially of younger ages.) Various Google Classroom tools include places to save images as well.

Provide opportunities for students to share important traditions throughout the year. You may wish to ask students early in the year what their favorite holidays are and then plan a lesson on that holiday with their family. Look for these opportunities throughout the year and across the curriculum, as well as including them as a part of family outreach events.

Project ideas:

Invite students and families to prepare a presentation or respond to a writing prompt about:

a family story, folktale, or local legend

a favorite saying, poem, or song from their native language

a recipe

a family or holiday tradition.

Tech ideas: Any of the creation tools mentioned above could be used for these projects.

The demands on teachers of ELLs this year will be many; however, making time for regular personal interaction with students will strengthen your ability to deliver effective, meaningful instruction and keep in touch with them during a fluid situation. To help carve out this time:

talk with colleagues and administrators about ways to fit that interaction into instruction, office hours, or family engagement

look for opportunities to co-teach or collaborate with colleagues or paraprofessionals to use time efficiently

consider using phone calls, blogs, messaging, or other forms of written communication with students as a way to check in

collect examples of success and share them with administrators to advocate for more time if needed.

Project ideas:

Ask students to prepare 3-5 (appropriate!) questions they would like to ask you in an interview, such as your favorite food, a favorite toy from childhood, or a book you enjoyed reading. After reviewing and approving their questions, schedule time for them to interview you, in person or online, which they can share with the class through a written summary, video, or presentation. If time allows, you may wish to interview them as well!

Tech ideas: Brainstorming questions would work well in small groups on Jamboard, a digital whiteboard that is a Google extension. Interviews could be done orally asynchronously via Flipgrid or Voxer, a voice messaging app for phone or desktop. Final video could be posted on any of the creation apps listed above (Seesaw, Nearpod, Peardeck, Buncee, etc.)

Strategies: Connecting Experiences to Learning

Once you get a better sense of your students' life experiences, you can connect them to learning by:

looking for ways to connect these interests to the curriculum

asking students to brainstorm ideas on what they would like to study

using an inquiry-based or project-based learning approach that allows students to take the lead in identifying a question or problem to solve/research

assigning students research projects that focus on issues or concepts that apply to their own community

identifying community assets, guest speakers, or local organizations that can support this learning

offering students opportunities to present their work in public, whether to classmates, parents, or community members.

Project ideas:

Consider taking on a classwide project (or group projects) that students help plan and design to address a topic or concern of interest.

Tech ideas: Use Jamboard to brainstorm questions students want to answer in their project or inquiry. Once the questions are posted on Jamboard, they can sort and categorize the questions. Jamboard allows students to post a sticky note and see what others are posting in real time. This can be used in break out groups and/or asynchronously.

Sharing personal stories can be powerful experiences for students and their classmates as well. Provide opportunities for students to share their stories both privately and publicly, whether through artwork, in writing, or in conversation. If a student shares some difficult experiences, consider whether more support is needed through follow-up conversations with families or counseling.
Notes of caution
If you do invite students to share personal stories:

Attend to student cues on whether they wish to share their personal experiences with classmates: Many students have endured traumatic experiences that they may not wish to share. Explain at the beginning of any storytelling activity that it is voluntary and provide alternative assignments as needed. Some students may be willing to share their experiences with their peers or in a more public format such as school assemblies, the school newspaper, or self-published books.

Be aware of the "dangers of a single story": Be mindful of what Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls "the danger of a single story" in her 2009 TED talk; in other words, when learning about a student's life story, remember that your own experiences and assumptions, as well as the stories of other individuals, may not reflect your student's life. In addition, students who have the same racial background, speak the same language, or who hail from the same country may not have much in common, and in fact may experience some tension if they come from different groups with histories of conflict.

Don't single students out because of their identity: Never put students on the spot as a "representative" of their race, gender, ethnic group, gender identity, country of origin, experience, or other aspect of their identity. Honor students' experiences and perspectives for what they are, especially if those experiences and perspectives challenge your assumptions.

Project ideas:

Work with students to present a brief personal story they want to share in writing, artwork, video, or audio. This small project may grow into a larger, longer project, such as an autobiography project or yearbook project (which could work well online!).
Tech ideas:

Storybird is an easy to use digital storytelling platform that allows students to create stories with characters and elements provided by dragging, dropping, and writing in your story.

Make Beliefs Comics is a comic strip storytelling platform.

Book Creator is an iPad app that can be used with young students.

There is a lot of attention on social-emotional learning right now for good reason. All students have experienced disruption to some level in their social and academic lives, and many students have also experienced hardship, loss, illness, trauma, and deep levels of stress and anxiety. As district leader Nathaniel Provencio notes in the video below, creating a supportive, nurturing environment for your students, regardless of setting, is a critical step in helping them navigate the uncertainty of the coming year.

Some ideas include:

keeping a calm and predictable environment

creating calm corners

preparing students for transitions

giving students sensory and stretch breaks

teaching tools for mindfulness and stress relief, such as breathing exercises or visualizations

sharing resources such as this "virtual calming room"

encouraging students to show kindness, develop empathy, and share appreciation for each other

encouraging your students to identify and focus on their strengths and resilience, as discussed above

In addition, keep an eye out for situations in which students may need additional support from counselors. Learn more about the impacts of COVID-19 on immigrant families and these trauma-informed school strategies during COVID-19 from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Project ideas:

Ask students to share an experience through writing or discussion about a time that they overcame a difficulty or reached a goal. Ask them to reflect on what made that achievement possible.

Tech ideas: Use one of the storytelling platforms above so that students can share this experience as a story or their own superhero comic.

Many educators use circle time as a chance to check in and learn more about how students are doing. We have also heard from middle and high school educators that advisory periods offer powerful opportunities to connect with students. One ELL educator shared that her colleagues at the high school level were reluctant take on advisory periods. However, in a survey at the end of the year, the overwhelming majority favored keeping the advisory periods as a way of getting to know students better throughout the year.

In addition, other educators use private mailboxes, student mood charts, journal entries, and other personal ways for students to let teachers know how they are doing.

As you work with ELLs, make sure that all students have opportunities to participate in these activities and scaffold their participating with strategies such as offering sentence frames for discussion to help scaffold students' participation.

Project ideas:

Think about different topics and questions to use during circle time or advisory, perhaps alternating between general updates and focused activities. You also wish to invite students to come up with topics and themes.

Another teacher, Jorge Bermudez, shares his alternative high school's experience with rethinking their advisory periods in the video below.

Offering students opportunities to reflect about own identity can help create an " identity-safe classroom " and also lay important groundwork for later discussions. It can also challenge the notion of "color blindness," a perspective which ignores important aspects of students' identity and experiences. When discussing identity:

Honor students' experiences and perspectives for what they are.

Avoid assumptions. Dr. Ayanna Cooper speaks more about this in her interview clips below about Black immigrant students.

Never put students on the spot as a "representative" of any aspect of their identity or experience.

Become familiar with some of the myths related to ELLs and immigrant students. If needed, share these with colleagues.

Keep in mind that students may be masking some part of their identity. For example, some Indigenous students from Latin America may not share their Indigenous culture or language with the school, or the fact that Spanish is not their first language.

Project ideas:

Look for ideas that fit your classroom in the following collection of resources:
Elementary School Middle and High School Professional development and collaboration
Closing Thoughts

There will be a lot of trial and error in the coming year. As Kristina Roberston says below, if something doesn't work, go back to the drawing board and try again! Don't let those bumps discourage you from continuing to build the critical connections that you, your students, and your families need this year. They may just be what helps everyone get through a school year like no other!

Discussion/Reflection Questions

What is one takeaway that resonates with you from this article?

What is one activity you might try?

What strategies have you used in the past to build strong relationships with students? How might you adapt them this year?

What will be hardest about building relationships this year with students and families?

What are you feeling nervous about year?

What are you looking forward to this year?

More Recommended Resources

Social-emotional resources

Interactive strategies for building relationships & distance learning

Recommended blogs

Getting to know your ELLs and their families

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Kristina Robertson, Becky Corr, Susan Lafond, Areli Schermerhorn, and Beth Skelton for their contributions to this article.

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10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs

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One of the biggest topics that educators are thinking about this year is the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL). Building relationships with students is a key aspect of SEL for students of all ages. The good news is that there are a lot of ideas educators can try now and throughout the year.

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Dual Learners (K-5 Special Education): Exceptional and Multilingual 

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Dual Learners (K-5 Special Education): Exceptional and Multilingual 

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This article written by Wendy Farr a developer of Problem-Based Enhanced Language Learning (PBELL). Outlines PBELL model. As well as the basic structure (4 concepts) and three strategies to use for dual classified learners.

The article is simply laid out and easy for any educator to implement, even if you are not specifically a special education teacher. Some of the strategies are ones you will be familiar with already like KWL charts.

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Many students in special education struggle with language. Those diagnosed with special needs who are also English language learners (ELLs) have specific, unique needs. These dually classified learners are identified with a disability and are eligible for both special education and English as a second language or bilingual services. As teachers, we are often underprepared to work with this population in our classrooms.

The U.S. Department of Education estimated in 2015 that 184,000 of the nation's 2.9 million students enrolled in programs for ELLs had disabilities. Only 63 percent of ELLs graduate from high school, compared to the national rate of 82 percent. The discrepancy is most likely even larger for students who are dually classified, though getting exact numbers is difficult. Providing these students with the support they may need in our classrooms is a real challenge for teachers.

Problem-Based Enhanced Language Learning

To help support these learners, a new instructional model called Problem-Based Enhanced Language Learning (PBELL) was developed by the iTeachELLs team at Arizona State University. I'm the project director of iTeachELLs, and we had heard from graduating teachers that they needed help-we were not fully preparing them to work with this population.

The PBELL model we developed combines elements of problem-based learning with the key principles of English language learning methods. PBELL is designed to raise student achievement through integration of instructional approaches in lessons that support acquisition of both content and language skills.

In PBELL experiences, a student utilizes language collaboratively in order to access prior knowledge, research new topics, brainstorm and discuss potential solutions, and present new findings to an audience. In a classroom using PBELL, all language is considered an asset in supporting rigorous learning opportunities.

A PBELL lesson has four basic components:

Meaningful problem development: Students work collaboratively to solve a meaningful problem.

Language and content in tandem: To help students master both instructional content and language, we must be intentional.

Assessment of content and language: We need to assess both the instructional content and the acquisition and use of language.

Specific support and strategies: Our lessons must include scaffolds and strategies that provide access to both the language and the content.

These lessons should be fun and student driven-involving students is key. There are plenty of free example lessons from experts in the field as well as teacher-created lessons available for use and adaptation on the iTeachELLs website. For a deeper look at these elements, take a look at the suite of short modules, complete with classroom footage.

Strategies for Working With Dually Classified Learners

Within PBELL lessons, teachers implement specific strategies to allow further access to content and provide strategic support on an individual basis.

Collaboration: Students are placed together in the inquiry process to support one another's learning. This can include small groups, pairs, or partners intentionally grouped together based on their primary language. Students may read and gather information together or pair up after the inquiry process to share the new learning they have discovered.

Graphic organization of learning: Charts, tables, or graphic organizers are used to help students understand new ideas and organize their new learning.

During the inquiry phase, for example, students may use a KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learn) graphic organizer to help process their new learning. They can brainstorm what they already know about a topic related to the meaningful problem, and then as a class they may form questions to represent what they want to know. These questions then drive the inquiry experience, and students complete the graphic organizer by noting the new learning they discover related to those questions.

Sensory strategies: Manipulatives, visuals, video, and real-world objects are used throughout the inquiry process to ensure that all students have access to new learning. Teachers can bring in real-world items to support student learning and understanding.

We know that teachers have heavy workloads and that adding new approaches is often time-consuming and challenging. If you don't have time to undertake a large PBELL project right now, it is possible to start small. We've found two basic components of lesson planning that can have immediate impact on student success: Ground learning in real-life, relevant experiences of the students, and recognize that language is a tool that needs to be specifically taught and modeled in all learning.

Starting with these small steps, we can help our dually classified learners make progress.

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Many students in special education struggle with language. Those diagnosed with special needs who are also English language learners (ELLs) have specific, unique needs. These dually classified learners are identified with a disability and are eligible for both special education and English as a second language or bilingual services.

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Learn About Your Students: 5 Ways We Can Build Relationships with ELLs

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Learn About Your Students: 5 Ways We Can Build Relationships with ELLs

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This blog post provides a great list of five habits educators can form that will help foster relationships between themselves and their English language learning students. The article gives practical advice on how educators can better understand their students through greetings, learning names, community-building, conferences and reading body language. This post is geared towards middle school educators, but the advice can be adapted for all ages.

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5 Habits to Build Relationships with ELLs and ALL Students!

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How can teachers build relationships with English language learners to help them feel safe and ready to learn? Valentina Gonzalez shares 5 proven techniques.

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Expert Resource: Guide for Serving ELL Students and Families

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Expert Resource: Guide for Serving ELL Students and Families

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This guide was created by the Learning for Justice organization to inform and help educators unify their efforts to best serve English language learners and their families. The guide includes information on best practices for instruction, classroom culture, family engagement and policy making. Appendix A includes a great list of ELL-friendly strategies that can be easily integrated into or combined with previously created lessons (mostly for grades K-5).

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About This Guide

For many educators, helping children learn English is a joy and a privilege. But classroom educators may not always know their administration's approach to serving English language learners. Similarly, school leaders may not know how educators are approaching ELL instruction in the classroom. Reviewing a few key practices as a staff can help move the entire school toward a comprehensive and culturally responsive approach to serving English language learners and their families. This guide can help get the process started.

The recommendations in this guide were largely adapted from Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education, a professional development publication from Learning for Justice. The guide also leans heavily on tasks and strategies found on this site and on material developed by our legal colleagues at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In addition to best practices that can be applied throughout the school building, the guide includes at least one Teacher Leadership Spotlight in every section. These spotlights draw attention to ways in which teachers can take action outside the classroom to ensure ELL students and their families enjoy welcoming, equitable experiences at school.

Appendix A: Suggested Anti-bias Strategies for Use With ELL Students
Appendix B: Monitoring the Language Program Graphic Organizer
Appendix C: Planning for District-wide Language Access Services

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For many educators, helping children learn English is a joy and a privilege. But classroom educators may not always know their administration's approach to serving English language learners. Similarly, school leaders may not know how educators are approaching ELL instruction in the classroom.

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https://www.edutopia.org/article/supporting-multilingual-students-early-grades

This site talks about the assets of multilingualism and provides five strategies that can help teachers celebrate and extend multilingual children’s existing linguistic expertise as well as their participation in learning activities both in person and virtually. A great resource for library media specialists with practical ideas for including all students in connecting and supporting one another!

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Early Childhood Education

Five ways teachers can celebrate and extend the linguistic expertise of young students who speak two or more languages.

Many children in the U.S. live their lives in two or more languages: A child of Guatemalan descent may read bedtime stories in Spanish with their parents and learn in English at school-and perhaps speak K'iche' with their grandparents. Research has shown that these multilingual children may have strong math skills, conflict resolution skills, and executive function skills.

By welcoming the whole multilingual child, including their linguistic practices, we send a powerful message that children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds contribute to the vibrancy of our early childhood programs.

Multilingualism is an asset to be nurtured in our classrooms, and the following five strategies can help teachers strategically and intentionally celebrate and extend multilingual children's existing linguistic expertise as well as their participation in learning activities both in person and virtually.

Incorporate Children's Home Languages

All multilingual children are experts in their home language practices and come with a wealth of knowledge that should be respected. Provide space and time for multilingual children to use all of their languages to think and express themselves.

For example, during partner work, invite children to use their home languages to share what they know. All multilingual learners, whether they're new to English or completely fluent, will benefit from talking with a partner who speaks the same home language. Thinking and sharing in both of their languages solidifies their learning.

In addition, encouraging multilingual learners to make connections between new English terms and words or concepts they already know will support language acquisition. You can invite children to share their linguistic expertise by sharing how to say a new word in their home language. If your class is studying nourishing foods, you might show a pineapple and invite children to share the words they know for it in their home languages, if they feel comfortable doing so.

Teach Anchor Words

Keep in mind that anxiety and self-doubt greatly interfere with the process of acquiring a second language. These negative feelings become a barrier between the speaker and the listener that reduces the amount of language the listener is able to understand. This is called the "affective filter." It's important to keep the affective filter low so that language learners can be successful.

One way to reduce anxiety for multilingual learners is to preview some foundational concepts so that, at a minimum, they have an idea of what is being discussed and, at best, they are confident about what is being taught. Anchor words are vocabulary words such as "farm" or "eat" that activate children's background knowledge from their home language and give them a context for learning a new language.

Most children who speak English at home will not need direct instruction to learn these terms, but for children who are very new to the English language, these words will be absolutely essential. Make a list of relevant thematic words and preteach them to your multilingual learners.

Provide Sentence Stems

"I like..." and "I learned..." are two examples of sentence stems or sentence starters that expand new English learners' comprehension skills as well as oral language development. They provide a framework for children's oral responses when listening to stories or having group discussions.

Sentence stems provide an effective language model and help children to respond in the form of a complete sentence. Stems also provide scaffolding for children to focus on what they want to say rather than thinking about how to formulate their response. Teach a few stems and use them consistently.

Because of the other barriers that exist in the virtual classroom (e.g., kids needing to unmute themselves, feeling nervous sharing with the whole group, being camera shy), this strategy is particularly useful during the pandemic.

Incorporate Visuals

New English learners find themselves in a sea of language that can be tough to navigate. Visuals are a terrific tool for supporting comprehension. Use realia (concrete objects) if you are teaching in person or pictures if teaching virtually so children can "see" the terms you are using.

Try acting out new vocabulary words. If you're teaching children the difference between "washing" and "scrubbing," dramatize it by modeling the actions and then invite children to join you. Another way to incorporate visuals is to point or gesture at what you are referring to: If you're reading a book and referring to an illustration of a horse, point to the horse; when you're describing your thinking, point to your temple.

Use Layered Questioning

When you interact with children, how can you ensure that they all understand and participate, regardless of their stage of language development? One way is to use a strategy called "layered questioning," which means varying the type of questions you ask children based on their language proficiency.

You can ask a question that requires children to gesture in response ("Will you point to the pineapple?"). You can ask a question that requires a child to respond with either a "yes" or a "no" (Do you like to eat pineapples?"). You can ask a question that gives children an either/or choice ("Do you like to eat pineapples for breakfast or for lunch?"). You can also ask open-ended questions so children can share their thinking ("How would you describe this pineapple?").

When you vary your questions based on what you know about your children, it empowers them to express their thinking, extend their content knowledge, and be active members of the classroom community.

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Supporting Multilingual Students in the Early Grades

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Five ways teachers can celebrate and extend the linguistic expertise of young students who speak two or more languages.

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https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/supporting-esl-students-mainstream-classroom/

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Make it Visual

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

2. Build in more group work.

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

3. Communicate with the ESL teacher.

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

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

4. Honor the "silent period."

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

5. Allow some scaffolding with the native language.

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

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

6. Look out for culturally unique vocabulary.

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

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

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

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

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

8. Pre-teach whenever possible.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12. ...but always take them seriously.

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

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

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

Further Reading

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

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

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12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

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

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This video offers methods to support ESL, ELL, and ML.  These methods will help facilitate a warm and inviting classroom for instruction. Avella states, that no child should be left on an island. Teachers need to make conscious efforts to support ML.

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ESL Student Support Strategies (ELL, LEP   & Bilingual)

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Vicki Nishioka writes this article offering five ways for teachers to build connections with students from diverse backgrounds. In particular, Nishioka focuses on doing this through the use of perspective.

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By Vicki Nishioka | May 11, 2018

In the classroom and elsewhere, we interpret what others say and do through our own experiences, values, and beliefs-as well as our knowledge of the other person or people.

For educators, communicating and having a shared understanding of social and behavioral expectations with students from cultural backgrounds similar to our own is pretty straightforward.

However, if we don't know students well, cultural differences can contribute to misunderstandings that lead to feelings of disrespect, which ultimately weaken relationships.

I've found that building connections with students whose racial, cultural, and/or life experiences differ from ours can challenge us in various ways. For some educators, it can create feelings of uncertainty. Others may need to re-examine their attitudes. For most of us, it requires learning new skills.

Perspective-taking skills can help us understand what students are thinking and feeling in a given situation. If you are working to improve relationships with students from cultural backgrounds different from your own, here are five perspective-taking strategies to consider:

1. Build a relationship with every student. When students feel as if their teacher cares about them, it can make a big difference. The evidence is not just anecdotal; research shows that teachers who build positive relationships with all their students make a significant contribution to their success in and out of school. Teachers can show they care by:

Demonstrating interest in students' welfare

Respecting students' perspectives

Telling students they can succeed

Knowing students' academic and social needs

Recognizing students' academic and social achievements

2. Know your own perspectives. Be aware of how your attitudes, values, and experiences influence your opinions and actions. Self-awareness will help you more accurately interpret what students are communicating verbally or through their behavior.

3. Make an intentional effort to learn about students' beliefs, attitudes, and personality; how they react in different situations; and their communication style. Let students know that getting to know each of them as an individual is important to you. Show genuine interest in learning about their opinions, interests, and backgrounds. This is a key component of perspective-taking.

4. Remember: Perspective-taking is a two-way street. When teachers share stories about themselves, it helps students learn about their perspectives. It also helps students better understand the similarities and differences in your background and theirs.

5. Use empathy to provide emotional support to students. Empathy is identifying with the point of view and feelings of another person. Compassion is actively reaching out to help. Both require knowing a student's perspectives and understanding how they are feeling. Anyone who is upset or frustrated-including students-may need support to engage in the classroom routine.

Positive relationships between teachers and students are the bedrock for success in school and beyond. Using perspective-taking skills and related strategies, such as those outlined above, can help educators make them a reality.

For more on this topic, REL Northwest has developed a video that features two high school teachers from Salem, Oregon, who are skilled at using perspective-taking and empathy to develop positive relationships with students.

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educational improvement; excellence in education; educational research; statistics; statistical data; statistical surveys; national center for education evaluation and regional assistance.

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Building Connections with Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds Through Perspective-taking

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By Vicki Nishioka | May 11, 2018 In the classroom and elsewhere, we interpret what others say and do through our own experiences, values, and beliefs-as well as our knowledge of the other person or people. For educators, communicating and having a shared understanding of social and behavioral expectations with students from cultural backgrounds similar to our own is pretty straightforward.

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We have learned that building relationships with students is essential to a learner's success in the classroom. This article puts together many strategies of how to build partnerships with ELL families to facilitate outreach and communication.

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Engaging with the parents of ELL students, also known as English Language Learners, is vital to helping these pupils succeed.

Parental involvement is the backbone of a child's education, and this is especially true of ELL students who are challenged by language barriers. These five suggestions should smooth the process:

1. Connect with ELL students' families

One important key to success with ELL programs is actively connecting with families. Waiting around for them to connect with your program will not work. Put in the time to learn about parents' cultural traditions and educational characteristics. Work on developing a personal, one-on-one approach with each family.

You'll need creativity and ingenuity to strengthen the relationship between the school and home environments of ELL students. Work on building a partnership based on mutual respect that empowers parents to contribute their talents and experience to their children's education.

If you become involved in ELL students' neighborhood activities, you may meet unexpected contacts like community leaders who can then put you in touch with more parents of ELL students.

2. Ensure the effective communication of important school information

Make certain that ELL families receive all of the school's scheduling and other important information in their native language-not just in English-to ensure they "get the message."

Some people mistakenly believe that using the family's native language does them a disservice because they really need to learn English. But studies confirm that strong native-language skills actually contribute to the academic success of an ELL student.

When parents understand the school's information, they can more effectively support their children's understanding of it.

3. Tailor your approach to the family's cultural traditions

Use what you learned when you established contact with the family to embrace their cultural norms. For instance, people of Hispanic heritage might have a slightly different interpretation of the role of school.

For example, at teacher conferences, Hispanic parents might seem more interested in their child's behavior than in his or her grades. Don't worry, they are not being insensitive to the child's needs; they are simply expressing their social customs- that education is more about teaching moral and behavioral controls than it is about achieving academic milestone requirements.

The key is seeing that this is a two-way street where both viewpoints are valid. Do whatever it takes to empower them to participate in their child's education.

4. Get parents involved in school activities

For starters, all parents can monitor the completion of their children's homework. But they can also be encouraged to visit the classroom and perhaps even to speak to the class.

They also can volunteer in the lunchroom, the office, the library or wherever there is a need. Involving a child's parents in the school's activities is the clearest message of all that parents are expected to have a large role in their children's education.

5. Formulate a plan to encourage parental engagement

Think about alternative scheduling. Sometimes families of ELL students (and the students for that matter) are subject to scheduling limitations that are not immediately apparent or common to other populations. Students may be working jobs for several hours after class. Parents may be working multiple jobs. Guidelines to keep in mind:

Meet the people. Learn their heritage, their problems, and their strengths.

Schedule conferences and meetings according to the family's available time.

Solicit the ideas of the ELL community.

While you are at it, don't forget to ask the students what their parents need most to become more involved.

Research your community for translation possibilities and input from community leaders.

Formulate your plan around identified strengths as well as needs.

Education is everyone's business, not just that of educators. Encouraging the contributions of ELL families is one more way to help schools work for the betterment of the entire community.
Want to learn more ways to have a successful ELL program? Our ESOL MEd degree concentration gives you the knowledge and best practices to develop helpful instructional strategies for ELL students.

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Five Ways to Engage Parents of ELL Students | Resilient Educator

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Engaging with the parents of ELL students, also known as English Language Learners, is vital to helping these pupils succeed. Parental involvement is the backbone of a child's education, and this is especially true of ELL students who are challenged by language barriers.

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Improving Health Education for ELL Students in the Mainstream Classroom - Middle School

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Improving Health Education for ELL Students in the Mainstream Classroom - Middle School

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The linked Google doc I created, is a condensed version and compilation of an article from the American Journal of Health Education. The article offers many ways to improve instructional strategies for ML students. These strategies not only would work well in a health education classroom but would be very useful for other educational settings.

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Edutopia is a resource for many aspects of education. In this article, Emily Kaplan suggests six activities for the general educator to do in their classroom to aid multilingual learners.

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

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

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

1. Cultivate Relationships and Be Culturally Responsive

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

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

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

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

2. Teach Language Skills Across the Curriculum

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

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

3. Emphasize Productive Language

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

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

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

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

4. Speak Slowly-and Increase Your Wait Time

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

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

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

5. Differentiate-and Use Multiple Modalities

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

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

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

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

Bilingualism is the goal, of course, not replacement.

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

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

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

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6 Essential Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

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

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Communicating Arts and Literature (5-12)

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Communicating Arts and Literature (5-12)

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Read Write Think is a website created by the National Council of Teachers of English, which provides free resources for educators such as classroom strategies and professional development options.

This article in particular references research that supports utilizing prior knowledge for ML students in a reading context, as it assists "questioning, clarifying, predicting, and evaluating during their reading" (Hogan, 2022). Hogan (2022) also provides strategies to help ML students access prior knowledge for reading with the examples of graphic organizers and think-aloud practices.

These strategies can be useful for a wide range of levels of ML students, as the graphic organizers could be translated to their native language or based on using symbols and pictures. One of the lesson ideas within this article utilizes short films without dialogue to diminish language barriers for students to familiarize themselves with the practice.

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https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/getting-know-your-ells-six-steps-success

This article offers ideas for getting to know your English language learners. There are additional expert resources linked throughout the article.

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It sounds so simple, but if we as teachers put more effort into who we are teaching, more of the what would take care of itself.

- Katie, Elementary Teacher (Freeman & Freeman, 6)

When asking veteran teachers of English language learners (ELLs) to share the secret of their success, I usually hear the same answer. It is not the name of a particular language instruction model, learning strategy, or new district-wide curriculum. It is, instead, this: getting to know their students. As Katie observes in the quote above, it sounds so simple - and yet it is a necessary step that is often overlooked by teachers and schools at the beginning of the school year and as ELLs arrive throughout the year, leading to misplaced students and missed opportunities.

When these experienced teachers refer to "getting to know their students," it is true that they are referring in part to a student's English language proficiency, as well as strategizing the best way to assess the student's language and literacy skills with valid, reliable measures in order to place student in the appropriate classrooms. But they are also talking about much more than a number or language level - they are talking about prior academic experiences (or lack thereof), cultural and religious traditions, hobbies, personality, family circumstances, and background about the student's home community or native country that can inform their instructional decisions in the classroom.

This related excerpt from ASCD's February 2016 edition of Educational Leadership, which focuses on ELLs, offers more ideas for building productive relationships with diverse ELL families. While the full digital edition is only available to subscribers, a hard copy of this issue can be purchased from ASCD.

Gathering this information not only opens the doors to more fully meeting the student's needs and addressing challenges that may arise, but it also provides an opportunity to create a welcoming classroom environment, engage the student and family, increase the student's confidence, and create opportunities for classmates to learn from each other.

It allows teachers to build upon the student's strengths and successes, which is particularly important as students are acclimating to a new classroom and potentially a new country and culture. And it has the potential to improve classroom management and teacher interactions with the student as certain behaviors are explained and understood (such as not looking a teacher in the eye out of deference and respect).

This article provides some guidance on what information will be helpful to gather about your students, ideas on how to gather what you need and who will be able to help, and recommendations for useful resources. You will also find the video clips below useful as they contain valuable ideas from veteran teachers.

When you are done reading the article, scroll down to the comments section where we welcome you to share your own ideas on how you get to know your students!

Whom to ask?

Students

While it may seem challenging to gather the information you need from students who are still learning English, a little bit of effort can go a long way. Students' actions, body language, drawings, and behavior in the classroom can tell you volumes, even if they aren't speaking English yet. As their English improves, they will be able to share more through speaking and writing. Here are some ideas for ways to learn more from students (with special thanks to Becky Corr and Susan Lafond for their input!):

Start with "get to know" you games and icebreakers at the beginning of the year but don't stop there - keep looking for opportunities to allow students to share information about themselves throughout the year.

Ask a lot of questions to continue building that relationship. Ask about family members, pets, academics, sports, what they do outside of their school day, how they spend their weekends, after-school jobs and prom dresses!

Look for ways to build your student's trust. Share (appropriate) stories of your own about topics such as your family, pets, or favorite activities.

Listen to your students and let them know you're listening by the questions you ask. Tune in to what they are saying.

Take notice of changes and talk to your students about what you are observing.

You can also find ways to incorporate these topics into standards-based classroom assignments and discussions and continue learning about your students through their academic work. For example, you can give students the chance to write about their experiences through journals and autobiographical assignments, even if they start out with very basic information about themselves. (See Christine Rowland's video clip below about her autobiography assignment for her high school ELLs.)
In their 2011 book, Between Worlds: Access to Second Language Acquisition (3rd Edition), David E. Freeman and Yvonne S. Freeman share additional relevant ideas that teachers use when getting to know students:

Provide students with questionnaires that ask them how they feel about reading and writing in English, as well as about their individual strengths and challenges.

Have students interview each other about past schooling experiences and report to the group.

Ask students to submit writing samples and discuss them with students (p. 29)

Families

In addition to building a relationship with your students, meeting with parents, guardians, or family members (referred to as parents in the rest of the article) can provide you with a rich pool of information. If the parents don't speak English, be sure to have an interpreter available when you meet with them in order to make your time together as productive as possible; you may wish to meet without the child present in case the parents want to share any sensitive information.

Colleagues

Another important source can be found within your building - your colleagues. ESL teachers, bilingual teachers, guidance counselors, previous classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, parent liaisons, or other bilingual staff members might have helpful information about the student or about the larger community to which the student belongs. These individuals are often an underutilized resource within their building, so don't hesitate to ask for their input!

Community

Finally, you may also be able to find valuable information about a particular family or group of families from community members, staff from community organizations, or other parents whose children attend your school. These individuals are likely to have insights on language, religion, culture, or background information on a particular country or conflict. Building relationships with the community at large can also lead to other opportunities throughout the year for your students, and while you may be unsure of how to start the conversation, most people appreciate being given the chance to help their community.

Guidelines for Meeting with Families

In addition to making sure an interpreter is available, there are some important considerations that can help your communication with families go more smoothly.

Start by talking with ESL teachers, bilingual teachers, or family liaisons. Ask them for guidance on partnering with families to learn more about their students' experiences.

Once you have a little context, you may wish to set up a conversation with the family to learn more about the student's educational background. Explain that knowing a little bit more about the students' past experiences can help the school provide the right kind of instruction.

Take some time to get to know the family a little bit rather than jumping in with a lot of questions. Keep the questions focused on your student's schooling, unless the families wish to discuss other issues.

Some families will welcome the chance to share information about their child's experiences. If families are reluctant to answer many questions, however, don't push. Look for clues and continue working on building relationships that will create trust.

Keep in mind that some families may not be comfortable talking about certain aspects of their experience, such as their immigration journey, past traumatic events, or even their cultural identity and home language, as in the case many Indigenous families from Latin America.

While each family's situation is unique and it's important not to make assumptions, families from the same country or region may also share some experiences in common that can inform your work. Noting these trends can help the school partner more effectively with students as they get to know students' better.

Never ask questions related to immigration experiences. All K-12 students have the legal right to attend public schools regardless of immigration status.

What do I need to know about my ELLs?

Learning to Pronounce Students' Names

Taking the time to learn to say students' names correctly can make a world of difference. Read more about why it matters and strategies for learning to pronounce names that are new for you in our related resource section.

Focusing on the following questions will help guide your research as you begin.

1. Where is my student from?

This question may be easy to answer, but you may also find that it isn't as easy as it first seemed! Your students may have:

Recently immigrated from their country of origin

Recently arrived from a different country than their country of origin (as in the case of a refugee camp)

Been born in the U.S.

Moved frequently between multiple countries, such as the U.S. and Mexico

Moved around the U.S., as in the case of migrant farmworkers

Finding out this single detail will also provide your first clues as to the student's prior experiences with schooling, the family's socio-economic situation, and any previous traumas (see below for more information). To learn more about the dangerous conditions that children may experience on their journy from Latin America to the U.S., see this report from Buzzfeed.

Sources of Information: You may be able to learn about the student's background from students themselves, parents, siblings, the home language survey, or student records.

Once you know more, it may be helpful to learn more about:

Country of origin

Cultural and religious traditions

Political or historic situations that may be affecting patterns of immigration

"DOs" and DON'Ts" of social behavior and communication (Cary, 34).

It is easy to get overwhelmed, but focus your research on information that seems most relevant to your student and the family situation.

Recommended Resource: One useful tool is a set of books written by Jeffra JoAnn Flaitz about international students and immigrant/refugee students. Both books include profiles of the most common countries of origin for ELLs in the U.S. with information about culture, language, education, teaching styles, and classroom behavior. A sample chapter about El Salvador is available online.

Note: Since the books were written in 2003 and 2006, they may not have recent information about ongoing global conflicts or trends that are affecting your current students, although they will provide useful background information to more recent developments.

Classroom Ideas: You may wish to have students share information about their background with classmates through use of a globe, world map or class projects. You can also look for related materials such as children's books to share with the class and ways to integrate information about other countries throughout the curriculum so that students can continue to share information about their background as their language skills progress during the year. This is also an important step in helping students develop pride in their heritage.

Keep in Mind: Be mindful of what Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls "the danger of a single story" in her 2009 TED talk; in other words, when learning about another country, remember that what you learn may not reflect your student's experiences in that country. In addition, remember that students who speak the same language or who hail from the same country may not have all that much in common, and in fact may experience some tension if they come from different ethnic backgrounds or groups with histories of conflict.

For example, it is important to recognize the diversity within the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. Spanish speakers may hail from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Spain, or another part of the world! Students are likely to identify more with their nationality ("Salvadoran" or "Colombian") as opposed to the broader term "Latinos."

In addition, Spanish may be the student's second (or third) language if the student grew up speaking an indigenous language, such as Quechua, a language spoken in the Andes. Remember that cultural traditions and language vary not only across countries but within countries, just as in the U.S.

Vignette #1: Teacher Amber Prentice Jimenez learned this lesson when she discovered that two of her Somali students came from different ethnic groups that had been directly linked to the violence that led them each to come here as refugees, and she was very careful about managing their work together as the students became more comfortable with each other. Learning more about each student's background and the history of the conflict that had affected each of them helped her address these challenges.

Vignette #2: ELL education professor Stephen Cary shares the story of Lenny, a teacher who received a new boy, Ka, in his classroom. Ka told the class that he was from Laos and was "Mung" (as Lenny understood it). Lenny's first search on information about the "Mung" people was fruitless, until he looked for information on Laos and discovered information about the Hmong people. Then the floodgates of information opened and he spent hours online, reading about the Thai refugee camps where many Hmong families waited to receive permission to come to the U.S., as well as learning about the Hmong language and traditional Hmong beliefs.

Lenny's efforts were quite admirable, but he became so absorbed with what he learned about the traditional Hmong beliefs about sickness (as documented in the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down) that he when he heard from an uncle that Ka was sick and would miss school, he envisioned an "evil spirit, animal sacrifice, and shaman scenario."

As it turned out, Ka had strep throat, and the uncle reported that they "went to the hospital and got antibiotics." It was a wake-up call for Lenny, who was reminded that adjusting to life in a new country takes place on a continuum and may not be an all or nothing proposition. (Cary, 22-32)

2. What brought my student and/or my student's family here?

People move to a different country for all kinds of reasons. Those might include a new job, a chance to reunite with relatives, cultural exchange, political asylum, or escape from a war zone. For students who were born in the U.S., their parents or grandparents may also have come to this country for the same reasons. When getting to know a student, it's important to ascertain the situation that brought the family to this country to the extent possible.

You may learn that the family is in a very comfortable position and is enjoying the benefits of a new position or scholarship. You may also learn that the family has recently experienced significant trauma, that a parent or sibling is still living in a different country, or that the parents are working multiple jobs here in the U.S. and are not able to provide much supervision to their children.

You may also find, however, that students are afraid to talk about what brought their family here or where they came from. If questions about the student's past provoke anxiety, don't pressure students to respond. You may find the answer from another source or from the student in time.

Sources of Information: Some students or families may be reluctant to share too much information about their personal lives at first, particularly if they are unable to discuss it in English. With time, they may feel more comfortable sharing information with the help of an interpreter when they understand that your primary aim is to support their child.

You may also be able to learn more from community members or organizations who have ties to the family's country of origin. Did a refugee placement bring the family here? Is a new food processing plant opening up in town that is hiring workers? Is the family attending a religious institution where they are receiving support? Look for answers in your community, and keep your eyes and ears open in the classroom as well may to look for clues through the student's conversation, artwork, writing, or play.

3. What should I know about my student's family?

Some questions that may be helpful to answer about the student's family include the following:

With whom does the student live?

Is there a family member at home who speaks English and can serve as a primary point of contact?

Does the student have family members who are living far away?

Does the student have responsibilities such as caring for younger siblings or relatives?

Does the student have a job?

Are there any other stressors that may be affecting the student, such as financial difficulties, immigration status, pressure from parents, difficulty fitting in, or an unstable home life?

Sources of information: If the student is in a fluid situation (such as in a family of migrant farmworkers or in a family where the parents are separating), it might be difficult to determine where the student lives and with whom. Even if the basics can be learned, however, it may not tell the complete story. Nevertheless, it is important to know who the adults are in the student's life with whom you can begin to build a relationship, such as a grandparent or an aunt or uncle.

Some ways to get to know your student's family include:

organizing home visits at the beginning of the year

holding parent meetings in the communities where ELLs live so that it makes it easier for families to attend

looking for ways that parents can help out or volunteer in the classroom.

Keep in Mind: Even young students may have big responsibilities in their family; being aware of those responsibilities and establishing a line of contact with the families may provide an opportunity to find solutions together if those responsibilities conflict with the student's schooling or extra-curricular activities (think Ana's after-school job at her father's restaurant in Stand and Deliver!).

4. What language(s) does my student speak?

Learning about your student's home language or languages can be useful because you can:

Determine if the language is closely related to English (such as Spanish) and if so, build on those similarities with cognates

Find clues to the student's syntax, pronunciation, or communication style in English (called "language transfer")

Look for materials such as books or other educational resources in that language to have available in the classroom

Discover that an otherwise quiet student with "limited" English is in fact fluent in 2, 3, or 4 other languages! Such was the case of one of Michelle Lawrence's students from Buffalo, NY featured in the beginning of our Watch and Learn Story Set-up clip. She was very shy, but we soon learned that she spoke 4 languages, and we finally convinced her to list them on camera!

Sources of Information: You might find information about the student's home language on the home language survey, although it is important to take that information with a grain of salt in case the family is reluctant to have a child placed in ESL or bilingual classes. Speaking with the student and family in person is likely to give you a better picture of their language background; however, they may need more information about the kind of language instruction and its goals available at the school first before they disclose much detail about their language background.

Keep in Mind: Students who have been living in the U.S. may have moved between different kinds of language programs and classrooms even within the same school, and there may be significant gaps in both their home language and their English skills. As you learn more about their language proficiency levels, look for signs of both social and academic language in both languages in order to inform your instruction. Remember, too, that even if students can read in English, they might not be literate in their home language if all or most of their prior schooling was in the U.S.

Classroom activities: Once you know what languages your student speak, give them opportunities to teach their classmates and teachers words or phrases from their language.

Vignette: Stephen Cary describes the approach in Dolores Espinosa's K-1 class, in which students take turns being the "language teacher" for one week at a time. Students teach informal phrases to the class, which the students naturally incorporate into their interactions with each other over time. Native English speakers also have the opportunity to teach a heritage language of an earlier generation. Phrases are posted around the room, and a parent or relative will come in to do an activity with the class in the language of the week, such as a game or song. (132-133)

Not only does Dolores' approach provide a rich, multilingual experience for all students, it validates the student's background and identity, creating an opportunity to be an "expert" - a welcome break from being the one learning (and learning in) a different language all day long!

Recommended Resources: Jeffra Flaitz's books on understanding international, refugee, and immigrant students, mentioned above, include a guide to the linguistic systems of the featured languages as well as information about nonverbal behavior.

Additional information about language transfer for particular languages can be found in these tip sheets from Cengage Learning and MacMillan.

5. What kind of schooling has my student had?

This question may be fairly straightforward if a student arrives with a transcript or summary from previous schools, or if the student can demonstrate proficiency in other academic subjects such as math (even without advanced English skills). However, the picture may also be incomplete; records may not be available or the lack of information may reflect inconsistent, interrupted or limited schooling experiences, as in the case of refugee or migrant students.

Sources of Information: The student might be able to tell you about prior schooling experiences, but the input of a parent would probably yield more information. In addition, having another adult from the child's home country, such as an interpreter, school aide, or community member present may offer more context on a likely schooling scenario.

For students who have been in the U.S. at least a year, you may also be able to glean useful information from prior student records, portfolios, or teacher notes, particularly if the student attended your school the previous year.

What to look for: Useful information to determine includes:

Years of schooling

Types of school attended

Literacy background

Academic record

Prior English instruction

Any learning disabilities or special needs

Areas of giftedness

Favorite subjects

If possible, it may also be useful to find out about the student's school experiences; did the student like independent work or group activities? Did the student struggle with any subjects in particular? What was the student's behavior like?

Learn more: To learn more about other countries' educational systems, take a look at Jeffra JoAnn Flaitz's books mentioned above, which include detailed information on educational approaches, classroom behavior, teacher and student interactions, and how schools operate in the profiled countries.

6. What are my student's interests?

Last but not least, don't forget to find out about the fun things! What are some favorite hobbies, sports, and activities? In some cases, those activities may be a hook to student engagement, speaking more English or to making new friends - although there are no guarantees!

Vignette: In chapter 4 of his book (also available online through the Heinemann website), Stephen Cary shares the story of Cathy, a second-grade teacher who tried using her students' personal interests to engage them in the classroom. In the case of Erica, who loved music, some encouragement to look through the class CD box and write music reviews brought her out of her shell and provided a foundation for what soon became rapid language development; however, in the case of Gustavo, an avid soccer player, all of Cathy's soccer-themed activities fell short. Then over winter break, Gustavo made a friend who was also a soccer player, and his English took off (Cary, 53-55).

Even if your efforts don't yield big dividends in the classroom, though, knowing what those favorite activities are and talking about them with your students will show your student that you care about him or her as a person and that you see the student as more than an English language learner.

Sources of information: Look for signs of student interests in book selections, writing assignments, conversations, and artwork. Even if your student can't communicate very much about those interests at first, the signs may still be there. Parents are also an important source of information and will likely be happy to talk about the activities that their child enjoys when given a chance, such as in the case of Clara's parent letters mentioned above.

Concluding Thoughts

There is never enough time to do as much as you would like, and at first you may feel discouraged at all the information that you won't be able to learn. Nevertheless, taking some small steps may yield big results in your classroom and you will learn information that will serve you well when teaching other students in the future as well. Just remember Katie's message - if you focus on the who, the what will start to care of itself!

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Getting to Know Your ELLs: Six Steps for Success

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It sounds so simple, but if we as teachers put more effort into who we are teaching, more of the what would take care of itself. - Katie, Elementary Teacher (Freeman & Freeman, 6) When asking veteran teachers of English language learners (ELLs) to share the secret of their success, I usually hear the same answer.

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https://www.elsuccessforum.org/educators

English Learners Success Forum provides evidence-based resources for educators so that they can adapt instructional materials to best support multilingual learners.

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Below are free resources to support school administrators, state/ district leaders and educators in understanding what makes high-quality instructional materials. As laid out in ELSF's Guidelines, these resources should be employed as part of a comprehensive approach to EL instruction within a cohesive curriculum that progressively builds student content skills and knowledge over the course of a unit or a year, and not in isolation.

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For Educators | English Learners Success Forum

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Below are free resources to support school administrators, state/ district leaders and educators in understanding what makes high-quality instructional materials. As laid out in ELSF's Guidelines, these resources should be employed as part of a comprehensive approach to EL instruction within a cohesive curriculum that progressively builds student content skills and knowledge over the course of a unit or a year, and not in isolation.

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This toolkit includes vetted resources for supporting multilingual learners in grades PreK-3.

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The Multilingual Learning Toolkit is an online hub for research-based key principles, instructional strategies, and associated, free, practical, and easy-to-use resources that are geared towards educators who teach PreK-3rd Multilingual Learners. As the resource library continues to grow, make sure you stay connected for the latest updates by filling out the short sign-up form at the bottom of the page.
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Multilingual Learning Toolkit * Dual Language * Multilingualism

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Promoting the benefits of multilingualism and providing resources supporting Pre-K through 3rd grade multilingual children and teachers.

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Positives/Negatives creates and aggregates animations and comics that teach about topics of importance to global human experiences. Aimed more at middle and secondary students, the resources can provide perspective for all on the lived realities our students may not understand. https://positivenegatives.org/comics-animations/

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Drugs & (dis)order A collaborative international research project exploring drugs and conflict in Myanmar, Colombia and Afghanistan PositiveNegatives are currently working in a 4-year interdisciplinary research consortium led by SOAS,...

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The Center for Applied Linguistics provides brief video introductions into strategies that facilitate the success of multilingual learners. https://www.youtube.com/c/CenterforAppliedLinguistics/videos

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The Center for Applied Linguistics is a nonprofit organization promoting access, equity and mutual understanding for linguistically and culturally diverse people around the world. #LanguageApplied