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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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Google’s service, offered free of charge, instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages.

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Listenwise | Listening Comprehension Matters

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Listening comprehension matters | Listenwise

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Explore the best podcast lessons for grade-level rigor. Curriculum aligned lessons with literacy & language supports, great for English Learners. Free sign up!

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Teaching students to speak, read and write English has always been challenging. But the challenges are worthwhile when it is clear that students are learning and succeeding. Toward this goal, authors Katharine Davies Samway and Dorothy Taylor offer several strategies at grades 6 to 12 and grades K to 5 that will help you tackle the day-to-day job of bringing comprehension to students who are struggling to master a second language.
Here are four suggestions based on teacher questions for grades K to 5 ELL students. My ELL student doesn't pay attention when I'm giving directions.
ELL students often become accustomed to tuning out of classroom
conversations, especially when they are not actively engaged in learning.
The best way to get them to tune back in is to actively involve them.
Most of the strategies for understanding directions require some kind
of action on the part of the student. In the following strategies, students are actively involved.

Targeted Strategy 1: Assess background knowledge.
Elicit from students what they already know about the activity before
beginning to give directions. If the ELL student has a general idea of what
he or she is supposed to be doing, it will be easier to follow directions or
instructions. For example, if students are expected to read information or
watch a video about Martin Luther King, Jr., and make a timeline about his
life, hold up a picture of him, and ask students if they know who he is. Write
his name and other facts contributed by the students on the board.

Targeted Strategy 2: Model steps and the final product.
Show students what you expect them to do and what a finished product, or
similar finished product, should look like. In the example of the Martin
Luther King, Jr., timeline mentioned above, after eliciting information about
him, add dates to some of the facts. Draw a timeline on the board, and
demonstrate how dates and facts can be added to it. Then ask a couple of
students to come to the board and add more dates and facts.

Targeted Strategy 3: Introduce jigsaw listening.
Jigsaw listening is an activity in which each student has only one part of a
set of directions and must work with a group to construct the complete set
(Gibbons, 2002). The directions can be provided through pictures, in writing,
by the teacher, or on audiotape. For example, if students are conducting an
experiment with Queen Anne's lace to investigate how flowers store water,
each student can be given one of the following directions on a slip of paper:

Take a flower from the vase on the table.
Take a container from the table and fill it with water
Take a bottle of food coloring from the table.
Put four drops of food coloring in the container.
Put the flower in the container.
Write your group's name on the container with a marker.

Each student then reads his or her direction as the others listen.
Then students discuss the best way to put the directions in order. The activity
can only be completed through a combination of listening and following each
student's directions
.
Targeted Strategy 4: Craft activities.
Craft activities, such as making corn husk dolls when studying colonial life,
or tissue paper fish for Chinese New Year, provide a here-and-now focus for
listening, and the finished product provides a strong motivation for listening
carefully to instructions.

Here are five suggestion based on a question from an ELL teacher with students at grades 6 and above:
My ELL students understand me when I talk about things that they are familiar with, but they look totally lost when I teach abstract ideas or unfamiliar content.
Targeted Strategy 1: Preteach or provide background information.
Bring in pictures or objects to help students understand key vocabulary and
concepts prior to beginning a unit. For example, an ESL teacher we know
did the following with her ELL students prior to beginning a unit on the
Jamestown colony:

Showed the students a map of the world.
Helped students locate England and Virginia, and wrote these place
names on chart paper.
On the map of the world, moved pictures of ships from England to
Jamestown, while talking about events surrounding this movement.
Showed pictures of the English settlers-again, writing important words
on the chart paper (John Smith, John Rolfe, James River, settlement, settlers)
Had a conversation with students about how they had come to
North America.
Asked students to compare their arrival to the arrival of the English settlers.

Targeted Strategy 2: Use pictorial input charts.
The teacher introduces a topic (for example, volcanoes, photosynthesis,
westward movement) through talking while drawing a picture in front of the
students (a pictorial input chart). In this way, students have access to both
auditory and visual input.

Targeted Strategy 3: Introduce hands-on activities.
Hands-on activities help ELL students acquire knowledge and vocabulary,
and can help enormously in the development of reading and writing skills.
Hands-on learning can also be used for assessment purposes by enabling
teachers to measure both factual knowledge and comprehension. See Figure
2.3 for hands-on subject-area projects and activities that have proven to be
particularly helpful in supporting ELLs.

Targeted Strategy 4: Allow time for pair shares and table talks.
It is very important to provide time for students to talk with a partner or in
small groups about what they have just learned. For a lesson on the Amazon,
for example, the teacher might begin by holding up a picture of the Amazon
jungle and asking, What do you see here? Subsequent pair-share questions or
table discussions could focus on Which animals are you familiar with? What
kind of place is this? Where might we see a jungle like this? Why are there so many
plants in the jungle?

Targeted Strategy 5: Use charts and graphic organizers.
Charts and graphic organizers, such as KWLH (What I Know, What I Want
to Learn, What I Learned, and How I Learned What I Learned), Venn diagrams,
and timelines help students focus their listening. For example, students
watching a video about the Amazon jungle can complete a KWLH chart
prior to watching the video, and then complete a Venn diagram after they have watched it.

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Teaching English Language Learners: Strategies that Work | Scholastic

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Teaching students to speak, read and write English has always been challenging. But the challenges are worthwhile when it is clear that students are learning and succeeding. Toward this goal, authors Katharine Davies Samway and Dorothy Taylor offer several strategies at grades 6 to 12 and grades K to 5 that will help you tackle the day-to-day job of bringing comprehension to students who are struggling to master a second language.

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(This is the fourth post in a multipart series. You can see Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.)
The new question of the week is:
How can we best support students when we teach online?
In Part One, David Sherrin, Lorie Barber, Janelle Henderson, and Cathleen Beachboard contributed their experiences.

In Part Three, Matthew Johnson, Joseph Jones, T.J. Vari, Deb Blaz, and Cindi Rigsbee offered their ideas.

In today's post, we'll be exploring answers to an even more focused question:
What works-and what doesn't work-when teaching English-language learners online during school closures?
In response, Nick Fotopoulos, Helen Vassiliou, Cornelia Okraski, and Sam Olbes talk about what they're doing with their ELL classes.
Top 10 ways to handle ELL E-Learning Nick Fotopoulos is the lead EL teacher at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Ill. He has taught at Sandburg for the past eight years:
Over the course of the last week, we have embarked on the E-learning journey. Much like many of you, it has been a week of twists, turns, questions, and uncertainness. However, our school community has come together and supplied valuable learning opportunities for our students. In a school of over 3,000 kids, our EL population consists of 120 students in which we service 60 students daily in our fully sheltered EL program. Our students mostly speak Arabic and Spanish and have similar cultural backgrounds. In our classes, their English abilities range from level 0 to fully proficient. This can be both challenging and awesome at the same time. We are extremely lucky to have students who are driven and want to master the English language. The use of technology is nothing new and is a vital part to our successes as teachers and for our students. With that being said, I wanted to give you a "Top 10" list of items that I have found beneficial in our EL E-learning journey. Take a look!

Top 10 ways we are handling EL E-learning:

1. Use your team - I am lucky to be surrounded by such great teachers and teacher aides. We constantly text, email, call, and video chat to discuss the best way to meet our students' needs. It's so important to stay connected.

2. Use online tools to help assist students and their language needs - YouTube videos, recordings of you explaining directions, videos of you teaching a difficult math problem, using various online resources to help teach material. Translations are essential in all languages-directions for sure! All are so important in keeping students engaged.

3. Making work easily accessible - We use the online course-management software Canvas as a district. It has been awesome in posting resources, lectures, notes, readings, quizzes, etc., for students to access. We also use Skyward to get information to students. Google Classroom is free for districts that do not have something in place.

4. Let the students guide the instruction - Have them record, video, explain, and teach a vocab word, a topic, a story, etc. By letting students have a voice in their learning (especially in a time when it truly is on them), it allows them to still feel connected to class and their classmates.

5. Don't overwhelm your students - Remember, in a typical high school day, they have 5-7 different classes. Remember, English-learners are still learning the language, and sometimes these "new" systems will impact them in a negative way.

6. Be patient - In the educational field, we want things to move at our pace. I have learned over the course of the last few days that less is more. I was trying to build these great engaging lessons all while online, but in reality, I needed to give short, pointed assignments that clearly taught the concept at hand. This is so important for English-learners.

7. Be flexible - Just like in the EL classroom, you need to be flexible in the online space. Make sure the students have what they need to succeed. You may even have to reach out to them personally to make sure they know what to do!

8. Use your aides - Our EL aides are the best. They have been available via Google Hangouts (chat and video) to help our students with translations, questions, and clarifications. They have been so important!

9. Try something new - Maybe there is something that you wanted to do but didn't have the chance. Online learning is a perfect way to do this! Maybe create a Quizlet, Flipgrid, Kahoot, Discussion post, Tik-Tok, Twitter Account, Instagram, etc. Once you get back to the classroom, these will be great tools to use as you continue on with your semester.

10. Breathe, have fun, and don't worry about getting to a certain spot. It's OK to put yourself out there. We are all going through the same thing, and kids need to know that. At this point, school should be an escape from what is going on around us. Allow your kids to have a solid educational experience and have some fun!

Teaching ELLs in the time of corona closure Helen Vassiliou is an immigrant herself and ESL specialist in West Chester, Ohio, currently serving the most fantastic elementary students and families at Adena Elementary:
It has always been integral to provide ELs with the same educational opportunities as their peers, if not more. I have made it my goal to demonstrate how ELs in Ohio can benefit from personalized learning using tech tools and online platforms. I have pushed the asset-based mindset "YES THEY CAN" so that our ELs are viewed as creators and innovators and not just consumers of information. As their biggest advocate I have implemented new building procedures that give all students access to learning content and English with technology. My students have created videos using WEvideo, they have created New Family Welcome Guides using GoogleDocs, and they have demonstrated that they can use the tools effectively if they have the experience, exposure, and opportunities to do so at school. My ELs are change agents.

Last week, after hearing about the school closures and the need for remote learning, I began to panic. How will my students learn without me? How will they engage in content if they do not have access to technology or Wi-Fi at home? In the lists of distance education resources we are frantically creating and sharing as teachers, I need to address the fact that 83 percent of Ohio's ELs are economically disadvantaged and may have limited access to reliable internet-connected devices during this school closure. Knowing this, I had to get creative. The first step was using Flipgrid to record a video of myself outside, telling kids to go play outdoors and observe nature and its beauty, to let them see me and know that it's going to be OK. I sent the video to families using the Talking Points App, which I often use. After students and their families responded back to my video, I knew I had one platform I could use to communicate with kids and parents. Many of my students do not have technology at home. Their apartment complex has a clubhouse with a few to use, but due to the social distancing, they cannot use them at all.

Next week, I will be returning to work virtually. I have only taught online college classes to adults. I'm not so sure how I am going to navigate this new challenge that faces me. I am expected to use the Canvas platform to instruct 3rd-6th grade students during the day. Canvas is a great and all-encompassing tool for remote learning. I can upload videos, give assessments, and upload documents. I am privileged to have it as a district resource available to me, but it may not be the solution for all of my students. Knowing that many of our ELs will not have access to Canvas or technology at all, I decided to make lessons using Nearpod. I make interesting and fun interactive lessons and share the codes with parents via text or Talking Points. I have created two lessons during my break this week, one about bats and one about Anne Frank, and pushed them out as a trial.

What has happened in the last two days is that the parents are learning alongside their children. I can collect data and check for understanding. Students are engaged in learning, even if they have to use a Smartphone or an X-Box instead of a tablet or computer. The uneasy feeling of inequity still exists. Will this kind of learning be enough? No, it will not. Will it be comparable to what their peers receive? No, but this is a plan that I have to try and build and improve, keeping in mind that access to anything is better than no access at all.

I will continue to push out videos using Flipgrid. My students need to see me. We are much more than just a class, we are more like a family. I need to see them, too. When they respond to videos or send messages, I know that they are still thinking about school. I haven't lost them to fear of the unknown.

Our district is currently working on a plan to get technology and connectivity to each and every student to use and continue to learn from home. District leaders are working on solutions to include all students, including ELs and homeless students in using Canvas as a learning platform. Until those issues get resolved, I will continue to make my daily videos of what I am cooking, the measurements I need for ingredients, quick stories about family traditions and share those with my students. I am thankful for all of the open educational resources I have access to and the free versions that have now become available to use with students and families. As I build the Canvas course to maintain student learning of all language domains, I will make sure that these students have opportunities to create, write books, visit museums, conduct research, collaborate, make up their own songs, and most importantly grow as learners of English. Because I taught them how to use technology for learning, they now will have to use it to continue to learn with me, but not next to me. We may fail, we may prevail, but we will be together again accessing learning.

This is teaching ELs in the time of corona closure.

Personal communication Cornelia Okraski is an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teacher at a high school in South Carolina. She is currently a doctoral candidate in curriculum & instruction at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who writes about edTPA and the seal of biliteracy:
Exactly one week ago, I finished a busy school day at my South Carolina high school, doing exactly what I do every day. I taught ESL to a class of newcomers; I provided support to dozens of English-learners (ELs) who needed help with assignments, quizzes, and tests before co-teaching biology during the last period of the day. I spent time interacting with my mostly Latino students during two lunch periods, as I usually do. Over the weekend, the governor of the state of South Carolina announced that, as of Monday, March 16, all schools would be closed for two weeks.

On Monday morning, teachers came to school to plan for at least two weeks of online teaching and/or learning. Our school uses Google Classroom, but teachers are not required to use it. My English-language support is typically very personalized and differentiated, not something that lends itself well to Google Classroom.

The school had planned to survey students on Monday about their access to computers, tablets, smartphones, and the internet during a possible school closure. However, since there was no school on Monday, this survey was sent out via email to parents. Asking about internet access via email may sound a bit odd, but there were no other ways to find out this information! If parents responded that there was no or little internet access, teachers were asked to prepare a "paper packet" for pickup later in the week. One EL student wrote in an email from her phone, "did i need yo pick up my class work for all my classes at school o I have to do it all in online for the work for ESL i have to do it in online." After reading her email, I imagined that others had similar concerns.

On Day 1 of the school closure, I made my very first Google Classroom site. I posted a welcome message, inviting students to join. I recorded an online presentation, mimicking my usual morning routine of conversation and speaking practice. Thanks to Twitter friends and several Facebook groups of ESL teachers, I spent hours perusing websites with free listening and reading activities for English-learners. The creative process would have been more enjoyable if I had not been so pressed for time. I experienced an urgency to create content online in order to have two weeks' worth of activities ready for students by the end of the day.

The school recommended providing a no-tech option, a choice board of activities for ESL students. I immediately created writing activities ranging from "write 10 questions that your ESL teacher should ask you to learn more about you" to "write about five new things that you have learned in 2020," and "write a list of five things that you miss about being in school."

I am expected to spend six hours per school day actively involved in school-related tasks: two hours of planning, two hours of grading, and two office hours (when I must be available via Google Meet and/or email). To be honest, I have been at my computer for much more than six hours per day. One EL student emailed me asking for help with comprehension of a video that a teacher recorded. The student wrote in an email that this particular teacher "is giving us so many videos that we have to watch and complete some work and I can't understand basically nothing of [the] videos." The student's accommodations require English subtitles and guided notes; I was able to provide both after obtaining access to the teacher's recordings, watching the videos, and sharing my notes with all the EL students who are in this particular class.

If there had been one day to prepare for all of this, I would have shown students how to use my Google Classroom. I would have explained how the listening or reading activities work and how to adjust the levels of difficulty when necessary. I would have signed up the entire class for English-learner apps for smartphones and I would have practiced these apps with them.

My students are not a homogenous Latino group; they come from a variety of Central and South American countries and have very different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Until now, I did not realize how the extent of differentiation impacts the way I teach every day. My knowledge of students, their English proficiency, and their preferred way of learning are what determine my particular form of differentiation for each student. Teaching online is teaching for and to the average kid in your class, without focusing on what I feel is the most important part of teaching ESL: personalized instruction. In my experience, there really is no "average" English-learner student.

Communicating with students every day is important during school closures, whether that is via email, Google Classroom, video recording, or phone. Teachers of ELs may choose one over the other, depending on their students' needs. Google Classroom and recorded lessons may not be ideal for smartphones. Instead, personal communication may be the best way to offer students English language and emotional support during school closures.

Steps for online instruction Sam Olbes supports students, parents, and educators to communicate better as she teaches newcomer ELLs in English and math at Manassas Park High School in Manassas Park, Va.
Distance learning may be new as we navigate our ever-changing normal. During my first week with continued, online learning, I made adjustments to my teaching every day to best accommodate my learners. After reflecting and polling my students, I offer you my experience about what works and doesn't work for my newcomer, high school ELL students.
WHAT WORKS Personal Connection
One of the most important things with ELLs is to maintain the high level of personal connection. Every morning, I send out a daily message to the students in my class with a greeting and their agenda for the day. I make a point to personally message two students each day to check in with them, be it a written or video message.

Office Hours. I offer office hours, an hour in the morning and one in the afternoon, to answer questions. We interact through Canvas, my district's learning-management system. At Manassas Park City schools, we are a 1:1 district, meaning that each student in grades 8-12 has a laptop and K-7, a Chromebook. On Canvas, students can send me a message or request an online conference to video chat. I can also set up a conference meeting for whole-group discussions.

Many of my students message me daily to check in or to say they've completed each assignment. I also encourage them to contact their classmates to engender social fortitude. I want them to know that I am here for them, and we are still a community.
Model, Model, Model
When working with ELLs, remember to "model, model, model." When you think you're done, model it again. Give them multiple ways to learn the same thing. A couple of days before our school closure, we practiced our distance learning together.

Videos & Visuals. This evolved into me making videos for them using WeVideo or Screencastify. I posted my videos to my district YouTube channel with closed captions and subtitles in English. In Canvas, each day has an agenda page. I make a video that captures my movement on my computer screen as I explain what they will do and share their content and language objectives.

For my assignments, I made lecture videos to introduce the material and demonstration videos to explain how I want them to complete their assignments. I often use visuals to help solidify concepts. I found success with these as I checked my students' comprehension with their work.

Transitions. Another thing that supports my students' comprehension is the use of transitions to alert them to what's coming. At the end of a lecture video, I put a slide up to signal them to return to Canvas to do a practice assignment on the topic we just covered.

Formatting. I also found success in keeping the same formatting as before. With their increased anxiety about our current situation, I didn't want to change too many things. This gives my ELLs a sense of normalcy when they see their routines built into their online learning. When I finish teaching a specific topic ("chunking"), I put up a slide that says, "Ask me a question." This gives them time to process the information and ask questions.

Be User-Friendly. Additionally, I aim to make things user-friendly. I give them options to access the same material-a link that opens up an extra tab, a link for them to copy and paste, an embedded video or picture, an embedded document, etc. I utilize bullet points and indentations to organize my material. If there are extra steps involved, they may not have success.

Repetition. My students shared that this was critical to their success. Our students are learning in a different environment. There could be many distractions at home, so constantly hearing or seeing concepts can assist with them mastering skills.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK
Vague vs. Too Much Instruction. When you aren't specific, things don't get done or they get done incorrectly. ELLs can feel overwhelmed when given too much free range; however, this doesn't mean overloading them with text as that can produce the same feeling. This means be purposeful in the words you use. Be specific and take out the fluff.

Inconsistency. Moving classes completely online involved a learning curve. I know that I was inconsistent with what I published to Canvas and I felt that each day got better. Because my students told me that Canvas can be difficult to follow or understand, I focused on being consistent with my formatting and transitions. I'll ask them again next week for feedback.

While information is constantly changing as we practice social distancing, I work hard to offer my ELLs the best that I have from afar. That involves self-reflection and continuing to learn so I can do what is correct for them.

Thanks to Cornelia, Nick, Helen, and Sam for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.
Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first eight years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. Look for Part Five in a day or two ...

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Ten Strategies for Teaching English-Language Learners Online (Opinion)

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(This is the fourth post in a multipart series. You can see Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.) The new question of the week is: How can we best support students when we teach online? In Part One, David Sherrin, Lorie Barber, Janelle Henderson, and Cathleen Beachboard contributed their experiences.

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Achievement gaps between English language learners (ELLs) and non-ELL students are deeply rooted, pervasive, complex, and challenging for National Education Association affiliates and members.

The good news is that NEA is actively addressing the complex issues by engaging in research and advocacy and proposing strategies that we can pursue individually and collectively to help eliminate those gaps.

What do schools need to effectively address ELL students. Schools need the following to effectively address ELL students?

Schools need to promote:

A research-based process for the effective teaching of ELLs

Curriculum design and lesson planning based on sound pedagogical principles, practices, and high standards

Strategic methods for making grade-level materials and resources comprehensible for ELLs

Research-based training on theory, culture, diversity, social status, and policy of language acquisition

Training, technical assistance, and/or funding for programs and services for ELL students

Advocacy that will increase awareness as to the coalitions that support educators who work with ELLs

Resources that will help educators learn more about effective, differentiated teaching strategies specifically addressing ELLs.

How can I effectively partner with ELL families and communities?

All families want the best education for their children, and ELL families are no different. English Language Learners of all ethnicities cite education as a priority for their children, and for the majority of Hispanics-the largest group of ELLs in the nation-education outranked every other issue on national surveys.

Families are your most valuable allies for advocating for the rights of ELL students. Use the following advocacy strategies as helpful starting points for partnering with ELL families and communities.

Be open to different forms of parental engagement. Families are involved in their childrens' education in a variety of ways. Offer them a variety of opportunities for being involved.

Don't forget about extended families. Extended families and community members often play a significant role in the lives of English language learners. Welcome them into the classroom and at school events.

Increase families' comfort levels being at school. Provide programs that directly benefit them (e.g., free English classes, information about immigrant rights or community services).

Recognize and eliminate barriers to family involvement. Identify ways the school can support families participating in school activities and events by providing services like childcare, transportation to and from events, interpreters, dinner, flexible meeting times, and dual language resources.

Build relationships with family and community. Developing trusting and respectful relationships with parents will go a long way toward helping ELL students succeed in school. Many districts have launched home visit programs as a way to enhance parent-teacher communication, help teachers learn more about their students, bridge cultural gaps, and show parents and students how much teachers care. Participating in local community events also helps show you are invested in the life of the community and helps inspire trust.

Immigration status matters. Recognize that families of ELLs may be dealing with various factors associated with their immigration status. They may have feelings of dislocation and unfamiliarity with cultural and institutional norms. Take care in the type of information you request, and contact the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights for guidance in navigating this issue.

Use multiple ways of communication. Ask families what form of communication works best for them: email, notes home, phone calls, face-to-face school drop-off or pick-up. Communicate in families' preferred language if possible. If this is not possible, find a trusted, bilingual interpreter who can accompany you to a meeting and whom you feel would be comfortable around parents.

Learn about your ELLs' families. Allow your students to do projects that help you gain insights into their family and cultural backgrounds. Encourage families to come to the classroom and share one aspect of their culture. Let the family member and the student be the experts.

Share resources and your expectations for students with families. Give all parents information about opportunities that will help ensure their children don't make harmful decisions or fall behind academically. Start sharing information early (e.g., talk about college planning in junior high so families know the type of coursework required).

Make sure parents know their rights. Rights for parents of ELLs are often an amalgamation of district, state, and federal requirements. Identify and share resources that will help parents understand and exercise their rights in proactive ways, not just when faced with an issue.

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English Language Learners: What you need to know | NEA

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Achievement gaps between English language learners (ELLs) and non-ELL students are deeply rooted, pervasive, complex, and challenging for National Education Association affiliates and members. The good news is that NEA is actively addressing the complex issues by engaging in research and advocacy and proposing strategies that we can pursue individually and collectively to help eliminate those gaps.

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Kern County Superintendent of Schools - Office of Mary C. Barlow

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In recent days we have witnessed protest and civil unrest across our nation, including demonstrations here in Kern County. As an educator and public servant, I am compelled to offer my thoughts on the role we must play in modeling responsible...

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Bakersfield City School District's Mission is to ensure a safe and nurturing learning environment in which all students receive an effective, state of the art, comprehensive curriculum that utilizes research-based strategies and data-driven decisions, and where all parents and community members are welcomed and engaged in the learning process.

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Framework

2014 English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework (ELA/ELD Framework) (Dated Jul-2015)
The 2014 ELA/ELD Framework has been developed to support and incorporate the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy) and the California English Language Development Standards (CA ELD Standards). The SBE (California State Board of Education) adopted the ELA/ELD Framework on July 9, 2014. This is the final digital version of the ELA/ELD Framework.

Executive Summary: English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework (Dated Oct-2015).
The executive summary provides a glimpse into the ELA/ELD Framework and the guidance it provides for educators, including descriptive snapshots and vignettes of grade-level instruction.

Contact the CDE Press at 1-800-995-4099 or visitCDE Press web page.

Video: Overview of the ELA/ELD Framework (Video; 10:40) (Dated 24-Feb-2015)
This video provides an overview of the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework for California Public Schools, which provides guidance to teachers, administrators, and other educators for implementing the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards.

Implementation Support

Circles of Implementation

The Circles of Implementation figure and corresponding narrative description (which appears in the State Board of Education-Adopted ELA/ELD Framework, Chapter 2, on Page 4) have been translated into Spanish to support the implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework. The English version is provided for reference.
Circles of Implementation (PDF; Posted Jan-2016)
Los Círculos de la Implementación (PDF; Mar-2016)

Implementation Support for the ELA/ELD Framework

Implementation Support for the ELA/ELD Framework (20 Jan-2017)
This select collection of resources connects the content in the ELA/ELD Framework with other resources from the California Department of Education, as well as other reputable sources that address the five key instructional themes: meaning making, effective expression, language development, content knowledge, and foundational skills. The intent of this collection is to provide educators additional resources they can use to expand the scope of the guidance in the ELA/ELD Framework and to inform professional development and instructional decisions at all schools and districts.

Guides for Supporting English Learners and the Five Key Themes in the ELA/ELD Framework

Resources with an English Learner Emphasis

Resources Tracing the Five Key Themes

Additional Resources Supporting the Implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework

Chart of ELA/ELD Framework Snapshots and Vignettes | PDF; Posted Jul-2015)
Brief snapshots and longer vignettes are included throughout the ELA/ELD Framework to provide examples of instruction. This chart lists all the snapshots and vignettes, by chapter, and includes the grade level, page number(s), and indicates the different content areas each snapshot and vignette addresses. (Note: In the items column, "S" stands for a snapshot, and "V" represents vignettes.)

Chart of ELA/ELD Framework Figures (PDF; Jul-2015)
A variety of figures (including charts, definitions, descriptions, explanations) are included throughout the ELA/ELD Framework to provide more detailed support for implementation and instruction. This chart lists all the figures, by chapter, with figure titles and page number (s).

ELA/ELD Figures: Introduction - Chapter 2 (PDF; 8MB; Posted Jul-2015)
All figures (includes charts, diagrams, definitions, descriptions, explanations) for the introduction and chapters 1 and 2 are compiled into this document

ELA/ELD Figures: Chapter 3-7 (PDF; 5MB; Posted Jul-2015)
All figures (includes charts, diagrams, definitions, descriptions, explanations) for the grade-level chapters 3-7 are compiled, by chapter, into this document.

ELA/ELD Figures: Chapters 8-11 (PDF; 11MB; Posted Jul-2015)
All figures (includes charts, diagrams, definitions, descriptions, explanations) for systems of support, such as assessment, access and equity, and 21st century learning are compiled, by chapter, into this document.

California State ELA/ELD Resources for Local Planning (Video; 6:31) In this video, Tom Adams, Deputy Superintendent from the California Department of Education, shares selected State resources that can assist in local planning efforts regarding the implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework.

Highlighting the Needs of English Leaners in the Framework Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) has developed two web pages to provide easy access to resources within the ELA/ELD Framework that specifically highlight practices, programs, and structures that address the needs of English learners. Links connect to Framework Snapshots and Vignettes andFramework Figures .

Secondary Literacy Partnership Webinar Series: ELA/ELD Implementation: Teachers Lead the Way!
Presenters Nancy Brynelson and Jo Ann Isken, lead developers of the ELA/ELD Framework, gave an orientation to the Framework via the new Executive Summary and guided participants in activities exploring the Framework's vignettes, figures, and snapshots. They also shared strategies for collaboration and professional learning. (Presented on October 14, 2015.)

Secondary Literacy Partnership Webinar Series: A Close Encounter, Through the Writers' Eyes, of the New ELA/ELD Framework
The lead writers of the ELA/ELD Framework - Pam Spycher, Hallie Yopp Slowik, and Nancy Brynelson - share important understandings in the framework, including instructional strategies that support the goals of the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards. (Presented on September 17, 2014.)

California's Recently Adopted English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework: Translating the Common Core State Standards to a Coherent and Sequenced Curriculum for All Students (PDF)
Article by Jo Ann Isken, Chair, and Bill Honig, Vice Chair, of the California Instructional Quality Commission and Carol Jago, contributing writer to the ELA/ELD Framework and Associate Director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA.

CCSS English Language Arts Resources
Resources to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts (ELA).

CCSS and CA ELD Standards Resources
Resources to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with the California English Language Development Standards (CA ELD Standards).

CCSS Literary Resources
Resources to support the teaching of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.

Integrating the CA ELD Standards into K-12 Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning (DOC)
State Board of Education approved Correspondence Study Report that demonstrates a strong correspondence between the California ELD Standards and the California standards for mathematics and science.

Content Standards
Links to downloads of all Content Standards.

All Curriculum Frameworks
Links to downloads of all Curriculum Frameworks.

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The State Board of Education adopted the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework (ELA/ELD Framework) on July 9, 2014. Curriculum frameworks provide guidance to educators, parents, and publishers, to support implementing California content standards.

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Listenwise is a great tool for English learns.  They get practice listening to people read articles and they can follow along or just listen.  This tool helps the EL students hear the language, pronunciation and flow of a proficient reader.  

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Listenwise is a great tool for English learns.  They get practice listening to people read articles and they can follow along or just listen.  This tool helps the EL students hear the language, pronunciation and flow of a proficient reader.  

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This site has a great list of strategies that work with EL's in the classroom.  Since I teach English and History, these are great ideas for any student that is struggling a little with the language.

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This site has a great list of strategies that work with EL's in the classroom.  Since I teach English and History, these are great ideas for any student that is struggling a little with the language.

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This is a great tool to use because you can adjust the lextile of the article for students, higher or lower.  This allows students to read a at level they understand, while still reading the same material as the rest of the classroom.

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This is a great tool to use because you can adjust the lextile of the article for students, higher or lower.  This allows students to read a at level they understand, while still reading the same material as the rest of the classroom.

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This site has great ideas for how to support English Language Learners.  It has links within the article so you can research further into particular ideas.  This would be beneficial in an English classroom.  

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This site has great ideas for how to support English Language Learners.  It has links within the article so you can research further into particular ideas.  This would be beneficial in an English classroom.  

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Google translate is a great tool to use if you can not explain an idea to a student or a parent.  I have students that use this when they do not understand a concept or idea in English. 

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Google translate is a great tool to use if you can not explain an idea to a student or a parent.  I have students that use this when they do not understand a concept or idea in English. 

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This blog has great ideas and is up to date on the current trends for English Learners in the classroom.  

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This blog has great ideas and is up to date on the current trends for English Learners in the classroom.  

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The National Education Association has great strategies for teachers that have EL's in the classroom.  These ideas are perfect for an English class and can be crossed over to a History class as well since both read and write a lot.

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The National Education Association has great strategies for teachers that have EL's in the classroom.  These ideas are perfect for an English class and can be crossed over to a History class as well since both read and write a lot.

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This is a great local site with so many resources, training's and links to additional sites that can help in the classroom.  Most of the resources can be applied to an ELA classroom.

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This is a great local site with so many resources, training's and links to additional sites that can help in the classroom.  Most of the resources can be applied to an ELA classroom.

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This site is great for all teachers, not just ones in the Bakersfield City District.  There is a ton of resources for EL's as well as lessons and tests ready to go for the students.  These tools are used in my classroom weekly. 

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This site is great for all teachers, not just ones in the Bakersfield City District.  There is a ton of resources for EL's as well as lessons and tests ready to go for the students.  These tools are used in my classroom weekly. 

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The Department of Education is a great resource for the framework for EL's.  This can be a great starting point for teachers navigating the  world of EL's in the classroom.  

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The Department of Education is a great resource for the framework for EL's.  This can be a great starting point for teachers navigating the  world of EL's in the classroom.  

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These books are a bible for anyone with EL's in the classroom.  The standards help guide you with students as well as EL students.  The framework helps you work through the ins and outs of teaching the EL students.  There are specific standards for grade level.  

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These books are a bible for anyone with EL's in the classroom.  The standards help guide you with students as well as EL students.  The framework helps you work through the ins and outs of teaching the EL students.  There are specific standards for grade level.  