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Indiana belongs to the WIDA Consortium. We measure our students' English language proficiency using WIDA's assessments and leveling systems. These slides manage to be both concise and comprehensive on the topic of EL instruction.

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Combining UDL and SIOP for Enhanced Multilingual Education

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In our increasingly diverse educational landscape, educators are continuously seeking effective strategies to accommodate the varied needs of all students, especially those acquiring English as an …

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by Valentina Gonzalez

Many children count the minutes until their art, music, or physical education (PE) class period begins. This could be their time to shine, where they find inspiration or feel the safest. On the other hand, some students dread going to these same classes. They might feel insecure about their skills, shrink in the environment because they don't understand, or feel as if they aren't seen or valued.

Dr. Brené Brown says, "Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect." Students need to know that it's okay to make mistakes. Those mistakes are part of the process, both in language and in learning art, music, and PE. In fact, creating environments that immerse students in engaging conversations can promote a sense of belonging in art, music, and PE classrooms while building language and skills to succeed.

Two ingredients are essential for acquiring language: comprehensible input (Krashen, 2017) and multiple opportunities for low-stress output (Loewen & Sato, 2018). This means that students must understand what they hear or read and have opportunities to express themselves verbally or in writing in safe, risk-free environments. Art, music, and PE can be great places to provide these opportunities for students. The four ideas below bring comprehensible input and low-stress output into art, music, or PE. They will enhance language acquisition for English learners, but they are effective for all students too.

1. Bring in Books

Consider the unit of study, and grab all the books available on that concept. Bring them into the classroom, and make them available to students. Try sharing one as a read-aloud at the beginning or the end of the class period. If it's a long book, read an excerpt. Do a book talk on a given day. For example, on "Book Talk Tuesday," select a book to tell students about. These techniques encourage reading and get students excited about the topic, too. The campus library media specialist is a great resource for books. Some teachers regularly collaborate with the campus library media specialist on finding books to complement the units of study.

2. Incorporate Group or Partner Talk

Make peer-to-peer interaction a priority. Intentionally plan opportunities for students to put their heads together and discuss a question, image, song, or topic. In this article, Nancy Motley shares how to "Target the Talk." A good tip Motley offers for effective group or partner talk is setting clear criteria and modeling them before students begin. For instance, be sure students know who their group or partners are and what the speaking expectations are. Some teachers number students off and ask students to share numerically in groups. Another effective technique for structuring peer talk is QSSSA, which is similar to turn and talk but incorporates wait time, sentence stems, accountability, and more to deepen the conversational routine.

3. Provide Sentence Stems

A sentence stem (also known as a sentence starter) is merely the beginning of an answer, provided to help students express a thought in a complete sentence. Sentence stems capitalize on what is known about the importance of verbalizing to internalize. When asking students to talk with partners in a group or answer a question verbally, sentence stems provide inertia to communicate the thought effectively.

The artist wanted to convey...
The image makes me think...
I think the mood is...
One message I see in this painting is...
A detail I notice in the artwork is...
This artwork makes me think...
The art I like most is...

The musician wants to convey...
The piece makes me think...
I think the mood is...
One message I hear in this piece is...
The instrument that is most significant to me is...because...
This music makes me think...
In my home, we listen to...

One important sport in my family is...
To be healthy, the body needs...
A healthy body needs...
In my home, we eat...
One way to stay active is...
An example of a team sport is...
Being a good team member means...

Encourage students to add "because," "however," "furthermore," or "in addition" to elaborate on their thoughts.

Put Up a Thematic, Interactive Word Wall

Interactive word walls that are unit-based, thematic, and visual help to link knowledge and make instruction more comprehensible. Word walls are not limited to reading, writing, math, and science classrooms. They are actually very powerful in any classroom.

Image a gym where second-grade students are learning about the elements of movement. PE teachers have designated a section of the wall for a word wall titled "Movement with a Purpose." Under the title are five columns: Balancing, Throwing, Skipping, Running, and Jumping. During the unit, students and teachers add pictures and words to the columns on the word wall. They also include sentence stems, such as, "Five types of movement are...", "___ is a movement that helps me..." and "When I ___, I move my...."

An overarching goal in education is to help students think and communicate effectively. Art, music, and PE classrooms that offer opportunities to develop language allow students to negotiate for meaning, talk to peers, and dig deep into ideas. Cultivating language in art, music, and PE classrooms helps all students build effective communication skills that they can apply in content classrooms and everyday life.

Art, music, or PE teachers who would like to learn more about engaging instructional methods that increase participation while cultivating a language-rich classroom, can inquire about the 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom book and professional learning opportunities.

References

​​Krashen, S. (2017). The case for comprehensible input. Language Magazine. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.languagemagazine.com/2017/07/17/case-for-comprehension/.&nbsp;

Loewen, S. & Sato, M. (2018). Interaction and instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching. 51. 285-329. 10.1017/S0261444818000125.

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Four Ways Art, Music, and PE Teachers Can Make Language Flourish

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by Valentina Gonzalez Many children count the minutes until their art, music, or physical education (PE) class period begins. This could be their time to shine, where they find inspiration or feel the safest. On the other hand, some students dread going to these same classes.

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We have a subscription to the Visual Nonglossary which makes robust use of this technique.

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by Valentina Gonzalez Do you feel like there is just so much curriculum to teach that you don’t have time to ask students to stop and talk? Let’s think about that. Why don’t we allow students to di…

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Reading Universe | How to Pronounce the English Phonemes: An…

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Click through this interactive to hear all the sounds in the English language and learn about their features, including how to say and spell them.

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This is a terrific site with bite-sized advice on a variety of teaching topics, EL and not. It's worth a look!

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The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER), within the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin, is a collaboration of researchers from multiple disciplines and sites. Our work has reached more than 2 million students.

How We Help

MCPER is dedicated to conducting research and disseminating information on educational practices with the strongest evidence of impact. We do this work to improve the academic, behavioral, and social outcomes of all students.

Our Partners

We collaborate with a distinguished, interdisciplinary group of experts from a range of fields in our research and technical support efforts.

Learn More

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The Meadows Center For Preventing Educational Risk - MCPER

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The Meadows Center help educators, researchers, and families enact evidence-based practices that lead to student success. See our work, research & projects.

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Companion document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kap3d14J9WnvwCPv9heB_F2DahUWCEFq/view?usp=drive_link

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This is an endlessly customizable activity for all levels in all languages.

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Frankton-Lapel: The Heart of EL - News You Can Use About Teaching English Learners by Michele Grossman | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

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This is a situation that relies on your professional judgment. Here is some guidance.

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Reading Universe | When students mispronounce a word, when and how…

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Watch Reading Expert Antonio Fierro answer a question on how and when to address mispronunciation of a word.

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Supporting Multilingual Learners Identified as Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

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Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) is an overarching term used to describe a diverse subset of learners among the larger multilingual learner population. Knowing and understanding multilingual learners identified as SLIFE is essential for ensuring their success in your teaching and learning context and their new communities at large. This Focus Bulletin explains how multilingual learners identified as SLIFE are showing up in our classrooms and what can educators do to support their unique needs.

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Explore resources and approaches designed to help educators create learning that is inclusive, strength-based, and rooted in collaboration — so every learner can thrive.Multilingual learners with disabilities are students who are developing more than one language and have an identified disability. This group includes students with a wide range of needs, from learning differences to sensory, physical or developmental disabilities. Some students may have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans, while others may not require either. Their strengths, perspectives and goals vary, and recognizing these assets is key to creating meaningful learning opportunities.

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Along with 42 other states, Indiana is part of the WIDA consortium. WIDA helps set standards for teaching ELs, provides PD for educators, and delivers annual assessments that help us understand where our students stand. If you would like to see what kinds of questions are asked on the test, click the link above.

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Increasing Student Engagement & Accountable Talk

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Increasing Student Engagement & Accountable Talk

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Slide presentation

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Great supports for encouraging academic talk in the classroom.

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Teacher Toolkit for Increasing Student Engagement and Accountable Talk

English learners benefit from high-quality, meaningful opportunities to use and practice the language(s) they are learning during literacy and content instruction. Project ELITE2 designed and collaboratively developed this toolkit and implementation guide with teachers with the goal of enhancing instruction to advance students' academic language development through low-risk response, feedback, and assessment techniques. It was designed to guide teachers' use of the various tools presented as part of the "Increasing Student Engagement and Accountable Talk" teacher training. This resource offers practical guidance for implementing the tools systematically. Download the guide here.

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Multitiered Systems of Support for English Learners

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Research-based practices, guides, and tools for Response to Intervention (RTI) with English Learners, the U.S. Department of Education funds model development of MTSS with ELs.

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This site also has good information on Tier 1 approaches.

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In September of 2016, OSEP funded three projects focusing on tiered approaches to improving reading and language outcomes for English Learners (ELs). These projects are developing and implementing culturally and linguistically responsive models for multitiered system of supports for ELs, including those with or at risk of having a disability.

Features of these models include:

Appropriate research-based reading instruction and intervention for ELs

Culturally responsive teaching strategies and principles

Professional development and strategic coaching for teachers

Linguistically aligned progress monitoring and screening measures

Data-based educational decision making

Please click on each project to learn more about each model and to access additional resources.

Project ELITE2 is a model demonstration project sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The project operates within the Language for Learning Institute of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin.

The goal of the Project ELITE2 is to develop, implement, and evaluate a multitiered instructional model for English learners in the elementary grades that focuses on language and literacy development. We are one of three model demonstration sites collaborating to optimize educational outcomes for English learners, specifically those with or at risk for having a learning disability.

Through this newly funded cooperative agreement, Project ELITE2 is working with a school district in Central Texas to extend our previous work from ELs in the primary grades to ELs in grades three through five.

Project ELLIPSES is a model demonstration project sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the project is to assess the implementation of multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) focused on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT) to meet the needs of English learners and English learners with disabilities in the area of literacy and language development. Project ELLIPSES will provide training and technical assistance to build staff capacity to support MTSSCLRT implementation and high-quality literacy instruction for English learners and English learners with disabilities in grades third through fifth.

Project Lectura para Excelencia y Éxito (Project LEE) is a model demonstration project at Portland State University, sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of Project LEE is to improve literacy and language outcomes for ELs in grades 3-5 with or at-risk for being identified with a disability. Within this context, we intend to support schools to use a framework, PLUSS (Sanford, Brown & Turner, 2012), to adapt existing evidence-based interventions for the unique linguistic and cultural needs of ELs. The PLUSS Model provides a replicable model of literacy instruction and intervention through embedding culturally and linguistically appropriate instruction into existing multi-tiered system of supports.

PLUSS stands for:

P: Preteaching language and vocabulary and priming background knowledge
L: Language use and modeling
U: Using visuals and graphic organizers
S: Systematic and explicit instruction
S: Strategic use of native language and culture

As one of three model demonstration sites, Project LEE is collaborating with other projects and the outcomes of this project will be disseminated nationally. Specifically, the goals of our project are to: (1) improve the literacy outcomes for ELs with or at-risk for being identified with a disability, and (2) create a replicable and sustainable model of culturally and linguistically responsive instruction that can be overlaid across all tiers of instructional support within a multi-tiered system of supports.

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Multitiered System of Supports for English Learners

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Research-based practices, guides, and tools for Response to Intervention (RTI) with English Learners, the U.S. Department of Education funds model development of MTSS with ELs.

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Homework for Beginning ESL Students | Continental

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Check out our tips on how to find success with homework for beginning ESL students, from creating a routine to parental involvement.

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The Stages of Language Acquisition for ELLs | Continental

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Take a deeper look at how the stages of language acquisition for ELLs differ from the stages of first language acquisition.

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I've written a lot about the value of scaffolded writing frames for students - English Language Learners and those who are proficient in English - to use when they are responding to prompts. As my colleague Lara Hoekstra says, "As long as we're clear that these are some ways to write, not THE ways to write, they can be helpful."

Some of the teachers at our school met today, and shared the different writing frames we use. They've given me permission to share them here, and I'm also including links to previous posts where I've shared different related ideas (you can lot of other resources at The Best Posts On Writing Instruction). Please share your own in the comments section:
"Point, Quote, Connect" Helping Students Respond To Writing Prompts "They Say, I Say" Is A Great Writing Resource Exploratree Here Are Some Examples Of Using "Concept Attainment" In Writing Instruction "RACE" Looks Like A Useful Writing Strategy
The Text-Evidence Strategy That Changed My Classroom is from Scholastic and is also about RACE.

I've previously shared an example of how I scaffolded an ABC writing prompt (Answer the question, Back it up with a quotation, make a Comment & Connection). Based on the conversation we had today, I made some minor, but important changes. I have a picture of the revised version here, and you can download both the old and new versions here (the new version is the second one in the file).

This next one is from my talented colleague Nichole Scrivner - the well-known PEE frame is simple and effective:

Here's a short excerpt from "They Say, I Say" (see a link earlier in this post) that Lara Hoekstra gives to students so they can use it as the "Back it Up With A Quotation" part of the ABC writing frame (or as the "Q" in the "PQC" - Make a Point, use a Quotation to back it up, and make a Comment):

Nicole Simsonsen shared a strategy called T-BEAR:
T- Topic Sentence B- Brief Explanation/Bridge to Examples E- Examples\Evidence R- Recall/Reflect/Relate
You can find lots of examples and graphic organizers illustrating T-BEAR online. Here's an image of one she uses:

You can download the next three examples here.

Jen Adkins shared her own version of an ABC response:

Jen also adapted an excellent strategy from our colleague Chris Coey to help students develop an "analytical paragraph." Also note the strategic way they have students highlight different parts of their paragraph to help them self-analyze if they are placing a higher priority on the "commentary and context":

Mary Osteen shared a sheet her students use to provide peer feedback. However, she gives it to them as they are writing, so it functions as a writing frame scaffold, too:

Antoine Germany, another very talented colleague at Luther Burbank High School and the head of our English Department, shared three very helpful documents he developed about writing frames. He's given me permission to share them on this blog.

The first two are on PQC (Point, Quote, Comment) and on PEE (Point, Evidence, Explain). You can download them here.

The third document is on ABC (Answer the question, Back it up with evidence, Comment with an explanation). You can download that document here.

Turning Misinformation, Misunderstandings and Misconceptions into Questions That Drive Us... https://t.co/fwVnQWaleS pic.twitter.com/CLynYoZbaW

- Jess (@Jess5th) February 5, 2017

Stoked to better guide students beyond a literal understanding of our class novel this week, after training with @Doug_Lemov. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/f9IxoSHulZ

- Kelsey Uribe (@KelseyUribe) February 12, 2017

Robert Peal shares a nice writing scaffold at Planning a knowledge-based scheme of work. Part 2: Writing.

Comprehending Non-Fiction: Setting Kids Up for Success is by Russ Walsh. I'm adding it here because of his discussion of an after-reading writing activity called RAFT.

ON SCAFFOLDED DESCRIPTIVE WRITING OPENINGS is from The Learning Profession.

Mary Osteen, one of my many talented colleagues, shared this one today at an English Department meeting. She calls it "AREE!" with an explanation point so she can sound like a pirate 🙂

It stands for Assertion, Reason, Evidence, Explanation:

I think it's a helpful frame.

However, what I believe really makes it stand out from some of the other frames on that "Best" list is this sheet that she's developed to teach the frame:

She has students fill in the blank squares as a way to scaffold learning the writing frame progression. For International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge teachers, this kind of form will look familiar because that's how IB encourages us to teach the concept of Knowledge Questions.

You can download both of the documents pictured in this post here (Mary has given me permission to share). By the way, I've recently given up the use of my regular document scanner and instead use an amazing iPhone app called Genius Scan, which works great!

Here's another one in the form of a tweet:

Using WHAT-HOW-WHY rather than PEE has been life-changing! Thanks to teachers on here for sharing. So useful for prompting deeper thought. pic.twitter.com/pvpSorNGHo

- Erin Miller (@Miss_E_Miller) April 2, 2017

Here are some links to resources and research on these kinds of frames:
The Impact of Sentence Frames on Readers Workshop Responses
This newsletter contains a nice paragraph frame for science writing (you'll have to scroll a couple of pages down).
Geography Writing Frames For ELLs (They Can Be Used In Other Subjects, Too)
Tips for Teaching RACE Constructed Response Strategy is from Teaching To Inspire.

The Teaching Channel has a nice video on Scaffolding Text Structure for ELLs, though it's useful for everybody.

Yes! The CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) text structure is super-helpful as a language scaffold for our students *and* for adults when engaging in critical thinking! 🌟 Thank you @ENLACE_Lawrence for continuously inspiring educators and for leading by example. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/RPlYACj7Jp

- Sarah B. Ottow (@SarahOttow) July 21, 2018

TWO "WRITING FRAMES" FOR ELLS & EVERYBODY ELSE
Awaken English has some Arabic translations that can help with student Writing Frames.

'Writing Frames Help Students Organize Their Thinking' is the headline of one of my Education Week Teacher columns. In it, Matthew Perini, David Campos, Kathleen Fad, Jocelyn A. Chadwick and Diane Mora finish up a three-part series on writing frames.

Sentence Stems or Sentence Frames is by Valentina Gonzalez.

#VirtuEL19 How to support #ELLs in social studies class. FANTASTIC strategies include:
1.TEA writing scaffold
2.1-point rubric w/ COLO
3. Intro paragraph
4. TPRS (narrative + images) https://t.co/jKnXmSaK7p @DiGENLTech https://t.co/kyWBK9rY0h #esl #eal #eld #esol pic.twitter.com/8A2Jvpq0C0

- Tan Huynh (@TanELLclassroom) June 16, 2019

Note to Self: Don't Fear Structured Writing Prompts comes via The National Writing Project.

This is the writing practice I'm talking about! They used those boxes the ENTIRE semester! Practice. Persistence. Patience. Eventually as moved from the boxes and went straight to writing in test format. The scaffold was no longer needed! #WritingMatters #ellchat_bkclub pic.twitter.com/wqhZ9fedRB

- Carlota Holder (@carlota_holder) December 14, 2019

Trail of Bread Crumbs has tons of great graphic organizer writing structures.

Just in case anyone else gets sentence frames and sentence stems confused. I used to use the terms interchangeably, but I found it really helpful to think about the different purposes they serve. pic.twitter.com/CZszbozjvq

- John @ Kid-Inspired Classroom (@kid_inspired) November 25, 2022

The second study cited in this article highlights the value of the kind of paragraph frames that I use in my classroom.

📝 Need help getting ELLs to organize a well-structured, clear response to academic questions?
Try the R.A.C.E.S. formula. Here's a full explanation and download of the process. https://t.co/2VQBJT47cy https://t.co/2VQBJT47cy

- John @ Kid-Inspired Classroom (@kid_inspired) February 21, 2023

THIS IS THE "GUIDE" I GAVE MY THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE STUDENTS TO HELP THEM WRITE THEIR ESSAYS

Proof that sentence frames are an effective instructional routine for supporting language development #ell #mll @SIOPModel https://t.co/255bm17rui

- Stephanie Dodyk (@l2lconnections) June 30, 2023

Really like this graphic organiser which shows a visual plan when teaching extended writing. @XpatEducator mentions that 'the maps optimise intrinsic load by freeing up working memory so students can revisit, refine & enhance ideas'.From 'Organise Ideas' @MrGoodwin23 @olicav 🧠💥 pic.twitter.com/9z374zsP1I

- Miriam Hussain (@MiriamHussain_) October 15, 2023

They are complicated in their entirety. But you'd never present them to students like this. You'd reveal each element one step at a time, supplementing with lots of checking for understanding.

- David Goodwin (@MrGoodwin23) October 15, 2023

Getting started with CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) in your science class this year? Explore this roundup of CER resources. https://t.co/YRSaGIYL2L @tceajmg#science #scichat #teachersoftwitter pic.twitter.com/kYdK8qOsSQ

- 𝗧𝗖𝗘𝗔 (@TCEA) October 18, 2023

I've been using the TEEL paragraph structure to give students a framework for writing paragraphs:
T- topic sentence
E - explain the topic w/o an example
E - use an example to explain the topic sentence
L - link the example back to the TS. pic.twitter.com/pBWNbW5PXt

- Tan K Huynh (he/his) 🇱🇦🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈 (@TanKHuynh) October 21, 2023

As you can see, I'm pretty lucky to be able to work with such talented and generous educators!

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The Best Scaffolded Writing Frames For Students

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I've written a lot about the value of scaffolded writing frames for students - English Language Learners and those who are proficient in English - to use when they are responding ...

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Math Instruction for English Language Learners

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Several years ago, I met a high school math teacher named Hillary Hansen who had just taught her first Basic Math course for English language learners (ELLs). She wanted so much to provide the students with the good foundation they needed, but she felt unable to engage them in her lessons. By the end of the year, she was exhausted and frustrated.That summer she had an opportunity to join a district Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) cohort to receive professional development and support the needs of ELLs in content classes. She learned about the importance of language acquisition, building background knowledge, increasing student language production, and explicitly teaching academic language. She began the following school year with a new set of tools and a deeper understanding of the instructional scaffolding ELLs need in order to learn the content while also learning English.While Hillary still felt challenged and was working hard, the second year was much more successful for her and her students. She felt she was providing them with the foundation they needed not only to understand the mathematical concepts, but also to successfully interact within a math classroom in order to learn more advanced concepts.As a result of more effective instruction, her students:Understood the content better and were working together to find creative ways to learnIncreased their participation in discussions and learned how to use instructional supports in the classFelt more comfortable with math and asking questions to get the help they neededYou can learn more about some strategies that Hillary and other teachers recommend for teaching ELLs math in the information below, along with reflection tips and ideas for getting to know your students’ math backgrounds.ELL Math Resource CollectionThis resource collection features several ideas for teaching math to ELLs.Reflection QuestionsHow much math instruction have your ELLs received in their prior schooling?How much do their levels of math background vary?What are some of their strengths related to math?What are some of their challenges?What are some practical ways your ELLs are using math in their daily lives?What kinds of strategies have supported their success or engagement in other areas?What are some ways that collaboration or co-teaching might support your ELLs?What are some leadership opportunities you might give ELLs in pair work or small group work?Learn About Students’ Math BackgroundsTeaching ELLs: Tips for Math TeachersPrint PDF >It’s important to remember that ELLs’ math backgrounds may vary significantly. Some students may have had consistent schooling where they developed strong math skills. Others may have limited or no formal schooling, but may have practical skills related to time, money, or other daily topics. If possible, find out whether students have attended school regularly and what kind of experience they have had with math instruction and with math in general. Look for ways to tie instruction to student interests (like sports) and responsibilities at home that involve math, such as helping with family finances, working in family businesses, and holding other jobs. For example, students from migrant farmworker families may be using math related to agriculture, such as weighing or selling produce. Also keep in mind that students may use other numeric and measurement systems students, such as metric system, Celsius, military time, etc.In addition, Pennsylvania educators Sally Lopez and Erin Minick also encourage educators to:Look for leadership opportunities for all students in math classProvide students with opportunities to “teach” others, work together, and demonstrate what they know in multiple waysGroup students intentionally and with sensitivity, avoiding the designation of specific students as “needing more help” in their grouping, partner assignments, or placement in the classroom(Ms. Lopez and Ms. Minick conducted a book study focused on Teaching Math to Multilingual Students, which you can learn more about from their website.)Keep in mind that veteran educators of ELLs also stress the importance of getting to know students as a key part of supporting student success. For example, in this NCELA webinar, Dr. Haiwen Chu, a national expert on mathematics education for English Learners at WestEd, recalls that visiting his high school students’ neighborhoods provided valuable insights on their experiences and familiar topics.See additional ideas for getting to you know your ELLs in 10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs.The Language of MathAlthough it is easy to assume that many ELLs will excel in math class because math is a “universal language” and students may have had prior educational experience that included mathematical instruction, that assumption can lead educators astray. While computational skills may transfer, ELLs may still need support with language-focused tasks, such as solving word problems, learning (and using) math vocabulary, and writing explanations. All of these skills require a language proficiency that sometimes exceeds our expectations. We tend to think of mathematics as a subject that does not require a strong command of language. In reality, however, mathematical reasoning and problem solving are closely linked to language and rely upon a firm understanding of basic math vocabulary (Dale & Cuevas, 1992; Jarret, 1999), especially when considered along with the demands of college- and career-ready standards.Co-Teaching and CollaborationFor many educators, the challenge of bringing language and math instruction together is a relatively new one. ELL teachers who hadn’t taught content areas previously are now being asked to lead or support instruction in the math classroom, and many math teachers who don’t see themselves as language instructors are now responsible for providing effective math instruction to ELLs. When educators collaborate, however, they can better understand each other’s expertise and combine their expertise for the benefit of students.For example, when planning a lesson, a math teacher and an ELL teacher could collaborate to identify both the target content, such as key standards, concepts, or specific topics, as well as key vocabulary, academic language, and the language-focused tasks students will need to complete the lesson. These tasks might include writing out a proof, reading a math problem, explaining how to solve a problem, or writing out numbers as words. The ELL specialist could walk the math teacher through this process several times so that it becomes a more integrated part of the math teacher’s planning over time. After the lesson, the teachers could identify other areas of focus or clarification needed and share these insights with their colleagues.Another tool content teachers can use is language objectives, which help target the language demands of the lesson. You can learn more about them in the videos featuring Mr. Jesus Ortiz below.Teaching Academic VocabularyVocabulary instruction is essential for effective math instruction. Not only does it include teaching math-specific terms such as “percent” or “decimal,” but it also includes understanding the difference between the mathematical definition of a word and other definitions of that word, as well as understanding the concept a vocabulary word describes.The following example, used in a presentation by Dr. Judit Moschkovich of the University of California at Santa Cruz, underscores why vocabulary must be introduced within the context of the content (Moschkovich, 2008): In this problem, the student is instructed to “find x.” The student obviously knew the meaning of the word “find” because they “found” it on the page and circled it. The student even put a note on the page to help the teacher in locating the lost “x”. The student understood the meaning of “find” in one context, but not in the appropriate mathematical context.I recently helped a math teacher create a sheltered lesson, and I was surprised to find that there were some vocabulary words that I didn’t understand. My lack of familiarity with the words hindered my ability to do the math problem and gave me a deeper empathy for ELLs who struggle in the same way with vocabulary and comprehending math assignments.Following is a list of tips for explicitly teaching mathematical academic vocabulary.Teach key academic vocabularyAfter you identify your target content, identify the academic vocabulary words that students will need to understand that content. Some of these key phrases or new vocabulary words may also be helpful to pre-teach in small groups or mini lessons. Think about:Academic vocabulary (equilateral)Words and phrases needed to solve a problem (less than, given, arrange)Common words needed to solve word problems (train station, dolphin, favorite)Homophones (eight/ate, plane/plain, one/won, two/to/too, four/for, some/sum)Words that students are likely to encounter in other settings (formula, prove)Words that represent a numerical value necessary for solving the problem, such as measurement words (foot, feet, meter, pounds, kilometers)After you identify the vocabulary you wish to teach, use scaffolds for academic vocabulary, such as: Visuals: These can include visual representations of concepts, photos, and illustrations of key vocabulary words, posters, and number lines.Realia (real objects) and manipulatives: These might include hands-on objects related to a topic or small items, such as coins or small blocks for counting, sorting, weighing, etc.Graphic organizers: Graphic organizers are tools that allow students to organize information in a visual or hands-on way.Anchor charts: Anchor charts are posters that students and teachers co-create to highlight key concepts and vocabulary that students will need for reference.Offer students the chance to work with objects and images in order to master vocabulary. If there aren’t enough items for each student, use manipulatives on the overhead or posted throughout the classroom, and demonstrate the vocabulary in front of the students. For example, Hillary created a Math Word Wall that has three parts: key vocabulary, “in your own words” definitions, and a variety of ways to portray a function. For example, multiplication is portrayed by the following symbols: x, *, and ( ).In addition, it can be helpful to ask students which strategies support their learning. Students often can provide valuable information on what is working for them!For examples of how vocabulary can impact students’ understanding of math problems, see the related video with ESL teacher Anne Formato below.Teach words with multiple meaningsDemonstrate that vocabulary can have multiple meanings. Help students understand the different meanings of words, as well as how to use them correctly in a mathematical context. This is also a good opportunity for using visuals and realia. Examples include:YardPlotTableProofAreaEvenPlanePlaceTimesBillQuarterChangeDraw on students’ home languagesUse cognates, which are related words in two languages. English and Spanish have many cognates within academic terms, like fraction/fracción.Use translated words or phrases strategically. For example, New York University has published bilingual glossaries for several topics.Allow (and encourage!) students to use their languages in group work to solve problems, brainstorm, and review material. Students will understand material better if they explain it to another student, and the new student will benefit from hearing the explanation in their first language.Increasing Student Language ProductionThe language demands of math are complex. Working with an ELL specialist can be a good starting point for identifying some of the math demands of the lessons you are teaching, as well as for planning how to teach and scaffold those language demands.As I’ve worked with content area teachers in my district to develop Sheltered Instruction lessons and activities to enhance ELL learning, I’ve told them, “If a student doesn’t say it in your class, they’re never going to say it.” This is a bit dramatic, but it’s true to some extent. When students learn new vocabulary, the opportunity to use it must be presented in class, because students are unlikely to try it out on their own — especially academic words like “parallelogram” or “function”!Here are some tips to increase student-to-student interaction with academic language in the math classroom:Have students translate symbols into words, and write the sentence out. Hillary used this strategy to check students’ comprehension of problems before they solved them. For example, 3x + 4 = 16 would be written out, “Three times X plus four equals sixteen.” This helps students process the operations involved in the question and gives them an opportunity to think through how to solve it. It also gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with important vocabulary words. Writing out the answer to a problem is a very important skill to develop because many state math tests require a constructed response to questions.Create a “sentence frame” and post it on the board. Write the format of the sentence you would like students to use in discussion and then hold them accountable for using it. For example, “The answer is _______ degrees because it is a _________ triangle. (Learn more in our sentence frame and sentence stems strategy.)Have students share problem-solving strategies. This involves asking a simple question, such as, “Did anyone else get the answer in a different way?” Then allow enough wait time so students can think through how their problem-solving process was similar or different to the one offered.Allow students to discuss how they are thinking about math. This is a way of redirecting the lesson from teacher-to-student to student-to-student. For example a student might ask a question, “How do you know what kind of triangle it is?” Instead of the teacher answering and going to the board and pointing out the names and different triangles, the teacher can simply ask, “Does someone have an answer? Or “Would someone like to offer help to Mario?” Allow students to share how they think about the math concept and any tips they have for remembering the information.Incorporate writing activities, such as entrance/exit tickets or math journals. This is an excellent way for students to process what they’ve learned and what questions they still have. The journal or exit/entrance ticket prompt could start with simple prompts such as, “One thing I learned today...” “One thing I still don’t understand…” “One way I can get the help I need…” “The answer to this problem is…” “Something that helped me was...“Challenge students to create their own math problems. This can be a fun activity if students create a problem similar to the ones you have used in class and they exchange problems with a partner. By creating the problem and checking the answer they are reinforcing their own learning.Teach students how to read, interpret, and summarize data. Provide students with explicit, step-by-step instructions in how to read charts, graphs, tables, and infographics, as well as how to describe what they observe in visual representations of data.Model the kinds of writing students are expected to complete (e.g., written explanations). Students need to see and understand what they are expected to do and produce, such as explaining how they solved a math problem. This is a great opportunity for the “gradual release” strategy -- I do, we do, you do.Try AI tools. Consider using AI tools to rewrite math problems for students at early levels of proficiency or to generate math problems with familiar vocabulary that achieve your target objective. Bilingual Glossaries in Content AreasNew York University has published several bilingual glossaries in multiple languages that cover different content areas, including elementary math, middle school math, Algebra 1 and 2, Calculus, and related math terms.Reading and Understanding Written Math ProblemsWritten word problems present a unique challenge to ELL students and teachers alike. In Reading and Understanding Written Math Problems, Brenda Krick-Morales writes, “Word problems in mathematics often pose a challenge because they require that students read and comprehend the text of the problem, identify the question that needs to be answered, and finally create and solve a numerical equation — ELLs who have had formal education in their home countries generally do not have mathematical difficulties; hence, their struggles begin when they encounter word problems in a second language that they have not yet mastered” (Bernardo, 2005).Teacher Xiao-lin Yin-Croft has encountered this pattern in her classroom of bilingual Chinese students in San Francisco. She has developed a very creative way to use her students’ background knowledge of math as a stepping stone for other language learning. She does this by accelerating math instruction at the beginning of the school year and then building on what students have learned in math in reading and other content areas. In Building Bridges for the Future, Xiao-lin explains her strategy:First, we read math word problems; I demonstrate the logical thinking process while translating words into pictures and, finally, into number sentences. Soon, they start to explain their own thinking after reading complicated word problems that involve several steps. They correct each other and argue about which number sentences they should use to arrive at the correct final results. As they sharpen their math skills, I capitalize on their enthusiasm to teach them how to extract the most important information from texts, and move them toward the oral and reading fluency they need to understand and discuss more challenging texts.Even if you aren’t accelerating math instruction, however, there are a number of ways to help students master word problems. Krick-Morales offers suggestions in the previously mentioned article, such as explicit instruction of key vocabulary, daily practice of problem solving, repeated readings of the word problem together as a class, and hands-on activities such as movement, experiments, or drawing to help students comprehend the problem. As students become more familiar with math vocabulary, they will be able to solve problems more easily.Identify key background knowledge in math problemsIt’s important to identify what kinds of background knowledge students will need to understand a math problem. For example, Ms. Lopez and Ms. Minick used this activity with a conference session: Ms. Lopez chose four math problems from her son’s math textbook and asked session attendees to brainstorm the kinds of background knowledge students might have questions about, some of which were relevant to solving the problem and some of which weren’t. Here are some things that attendees came up with:A math problem about a coupon and sales tax at a dog groomer: What is a dog groomer? Why do people take their dogs to get groomed? What is sales tax? What is a coupon? What is “deluxe”? What is an estimate and a discount?A math problem about people receiving a voucher for a free water bottle at a football game: Is football different from soccer? What is a voucher? Does the water bottle come with water inside it?A math problem about a fishing pole on sale: What is “percent off”? What is a sale? What is “regularly priced”? What steps have to be followed to solve this problem?A math problem about calculating a tip in a restaurant: What does “leave a tip” mean? What is a tip? Does the fact that there are four sisters (Emilia and three sisters) impact the outcome of the problem? Why aren’t they using an app like Venmo?As seen from the example above, this can be a powerful area in which math teachers and ELL teachers can collaborate.The Role of Background KnowledgeWhen it comes to background knowledge that impacts students’ understanding of new concepts, students may have relevant experiences to what you are teaching that just need to be drawn out (as in the vignette below). In other cases, students may not have the needed background knowledge. My colleague Hillary found that sometimes her students would get “lost” in a problem simply because they didn’t understand the context. Following are some tips to help in tapping into and building background knowledge of students.Identify connections to your students’ experiences. When planning the lesson, consider whether they might have relevant experiences, and as you introduce the lesson, find out what they know, giving them an opportunity to make connections. They may come up with connections you never had imagined!Modify the linguistic complexity of language and rephrase math problems. Students will understand the problem better if it is stated in shorter sentences and in language they understand. This may be an area in which you wish to experiment with AI tools that can rewrite problems.Guide students to cross out the unnecessary vocabulary in word problems. Doing so allows students to focus on the math function required. For example, one problem Hillary’s students came across referred to a “school assembly.” Even though the meaning of that phrase wasn’t important in the solving of the math problem, students didn’t know it wasn’t important, and the lack of understanding contributed to their confusion.Build knowledge from real world examples. Try to reinforce concepts with examples that students can picture and talk students through the situation. For example, if you need to paint a room, you need to know how much area will be covered so that you know how much paint to buy. Look for familiar ideas or props that can be used to engage students such as recipes, news stories about the economy, or discussion of personal spending habits.Use manipulatives purposefully. This is important at all grade levels. Hillary has found math cubes to be very useful in having students represent the numbers in the problems and then manipulate the cubes to get the answer. She used the cubes and the terms “hot” and “cold” numbers when teaching with the concept of negative numbers. Students would use the red cubes as “hot” or positive numbers and the blue cubes as “cold” or negative numbers. As students laid out the number of hot cubes and cold cubes represented, they could easily see if the answer would be a positive or negative number by which color had the most cubes. A problem such as -2 + 1 = -1 would look like this: The student then removed pairs of cubes — one red, one blue — until they could no longer remove any blocks. The remaining blocks represent the answer. Classroom vignette: A moment of humilityA middle school math teacher was trying to teach points on a grid and vertical/horizontal axis to her ESL students, three boys from Vietnam. She tried many approaches, including visuals, games, simulations, and manipulatives, and was just about to give up after very little progress. Suddenly, a student said, “Oh, I know — same same you drive a boat!” (“The same as you drive a boat!”) It turns out the child had helped his uncle use the stars to navigate a raft when they were fleeing Vietnam and trying to reach refugee camps in Thailand. He explained the concept to the other boys in Vietnamese with gestures and drawings on the board, who knew exactly what he was talking about. The teacher reflected, “I felt so humble. These boys knew a lot more about math than I had given them credit for. I had failed to activate their prior knowledge, and in the process had almost given up.“Source: This vignette is presented in Chapter 4 of Special Education Considerations for English Learners: Delivering a Continuum of Services. Using TechnologyTechnology can also be a powerful tool in math instruction for ELLs. Here are some ways you can play with technology in a math lesson:Look for educational resources that accompany your school’s technology tools and programs. There may be online or software programs available for teachers. For teachers who have an electronic whiteboard in the classroom, there are many resources available on links that can be easily accessed and brought into the classroom.Find out what’s available online. Both PBS Learning Media and Vital NY (Video Teaching and Learning for NYS Educators) on Teachers’ Domain offers an online library of free public media resources. Teachers’ Domain resources include video and audio segments, Flash interactives, images, documents, lesson plans for teachers, and student-oriented activities. (Free registration required.)If students are using a calculator or other device, ensure that they learn how to use it. Based on background and prior educational experience, students might not be familiar with how to use a calculator, graphing calculator, or math apps on devices such as phones or tablets. Give students a chance to practice solving problems with their calculators once you have reviewed different functions. Texas Instruments offers numerous activities and product tutorials in their educational materials.Learn more about how to use AI tools in math. AI tools can be used to generate, differentiate, or rewrite a math problem; create a summary of a lesson plan; and many other tasks. Keep in mind that AI-generated content always need a careful review and edit. (See more in Using AI in Math from Edutopia.)Look for interactive games that offer students a chance to practice their mathematical skills. Nintendo DS has an educational game called Brain Age, which is not language specific. The game provides excellent mathematical training for numbers and tracks results, showing student improvement over time.Books About Math and MathematiciansIn addition, there are lots of books about math and mathematicians that you can incorporate into your classroom and classroom library. You can see a wide range of titles for different ages in our Math Resource Collection.Closing ThoughtsEven if it doesn’t come easily at first, there are ways to get ELLs excited about math. By keeping their language skills and needs in mind when planning mathematical instruction (and by helping your colleagues do the same), you will be taking important steps in helping students master mathematical concepts and skills. You never know — your students may be the next generation of economists, rocket scientists, and math teachers just waiting for the tools they need! Note: I’d like to thank my Minnesota colleagues, Hillary Hansen at Burnsville Senior High School and Kim Olson at Hidden Valley Elementary, as well as Xiao-lin Yin-Croft from San Francisco, for providing many of the helpful math teaching tips in this article. It is inspiring to know that there are talented, creative teachers who are always finding better ways to teach and are willing to share the knowledge.Related VideosHow vocabulary can get in the way of solving a word problemELL Specialist Anne Formato talks about the trouble a student had in understanding a written math problem based on a vocabulary word. Teacher Alejandra Rojas: Why cognates are your “best friend” in math classElementary teacher Alejandra Rojas, who teaches in a dual-immersion program, explains why cognates support vocabulary development in her Spanish-language math class. Teacher Alejandra Rojas: When bilingual students translate for their parentsAlejandra Rojas, a teacher at a dual-immersion school in Arlington, VA, shares some of her experiences as a child and teenager translating for her mother. How to Write Language Objectives: Tips for ELL EducatorsIn this video from Syracuse, NY, Jesus Ortiz, a bilingual teacher, learns how to write a language objective from Areli Schermerhorn, a peer evaluator with expertise in ELL and bilingual education. Teacher Observation Cycle: A Math Lesson on PictographsThis video highlights Mr. Ortiz’s math lesson on pictographs. While the main topic of the video is teacher evaluation, numerous best practices and strategies related to math instruction for ELLs are mentioned in the video. Recommended ResourcesNCELA Teaching Practice Brief: Math (A related podcast is available as well)Supporting English Learners in Math and Science: Effective Instructional Practices and Examples from NCELA’s Teaching Briefs PBS Learning Media: Math LessonsEngageNY: Common Core and MathCommon Core Math and ELLs: Blog PostsDiscovery Education: PuzzlemakerCatherine Snow: Word Generation SMART Notebook Lesson ActivitiesTranslating Word ProblemsColorín Colorado Webcast: English Language Learners in Middle and High School

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Colorin Colorado is an all-around great resource for how to teach ELs.

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Learning to read is a complicated process. If you teach English language learners (ELLs), however, there are a number of ways you can support their literacy and language development through targeted instruction.

This article highlights ELL instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as outlined in Teaching Children to Read by the National Reading Panel (2000). This report is a study of research-based best practices in reading instruction and it focuses on the following five instructional areas: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension. In addition, the article includes information related to two additional important areas of instruction for ELLs, oral language and the role of the home language.

Each of these topics is explored below, and each section includes:

a definition

an explanation of why the component is important when learning to read

challenges that ELLs may face

strategies for ELL instruction

You will find references to more in-depth information about ELLs and effective reading instruction from recommended resources below.

Note: Since this article includes in-depth information on a number of topics, we encourage you to use it in professional learning communities, jigsaw activities, and other collaborative settings!

What does the research say?

Before jumping in, it's important to note that, in general, what we know about effective literacy instruction for English speakers holds true for ELLs, but modifications and adjustments may be needed (Goldenberg, 2008). Since the original National Reading Panel did not include ELLs' literacy development as part of its research review, a subsequent panel reviewed the research related to language learners and released a report authored by principal investigator Dr. Diane August and panel chair Dr. Timothy Shanahan titled Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth.

Within the executive summary of that report, the authors note that, "Instruction that provides substantial coverage in the key components of reading - identified by the National Reading Panel (NICHD, 2000) as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension - has clear benefits for language-minority students." They continue, "However, while approaches that are similar to those used with native-language populations are effective, the research suggests that adjustments to these approaches are needed to have maximum benefit with language-minority students." (p. 3)

For example, many practices may need modifications or scaffolds which may not be reflected in different reading programs or materials (August, 2018; Goldenberg, 2008), and in some cases, certain strategies may not be appropriate even with adjustments. In addition, the authors note the important role of two areas that were not addressed in the original National Reading Panel: students' home language and oral language.

Many examples of specific modifications are outlined in the strategies below, along with discussion of home language and oral language. You can find additional research resources at the end of the article, including a recent working paper published by Pivot Learning, Narrowing Down to Find Common Ground: Shared Agreements for Effective Literacy Instruction in California.

An in-depth video book study highlighting Literacy Foundations for English Learners by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is also publicly available on YouTube.

When working with ELLs, students' home languages are a powerful tool that educators can use - even if they don't speak those languages or are working in a classroom with students who speak many languages. Drs. August and Shanahan write, "Oral proficiency and literacy in the first language can be used to facilitate literacy development in English" (2006, p. 5). And in hisColorín Colorado article about the value of students' home language, Dr. Fred Genesee writes:

Extensive research, again from around the world, has found that children who are learning to read in a second language are able to transfer many skills and knowledge from their first language to facilitate their acquisition of reading skills in the second language. The best evidence of this comes from studies showing that students with strong reading skills in the home language also have strong reading skills in their second language. Much of this work has been done on ELLs in the U.S. (August & Shanahan, 2006; Riches & Genesee, 2006).

Tapping into students' home languages (also referred to as a first or native language) as a resource can take different forms:

Helping students make connections between their language and English in order to identify similarities and differences, such as English/Spanish cognates

Providing opportunities to use the home language in the classroom for reading, writing, and discussion

Encouraging students to draw on all of their language skills across languages, which is called translanguaging

Promoting biliteracy through bilingual or dual-language instruction, which can support students' future opportunities and family ties (not to mention brain health!), with initiatives such as the Seal of Biliteracy, which has been adopted in many states

It is important to keep in mind that the extent to which a student's literacy skills from their first language transfer depends on many factors, such as how similar the alphabetic systems between the two languages are and whether they share any connection in their origins, such as two languages that both derive from Latin (Nieser & Cárdenas-Hagan, 2020, p. 65). The students' levels of literacy in their home language will also have an impact on their literacy development in their new language. Learning more about the languages students speak can help educators target instruction, notice patterns among speakers of the same language, and help students understand the relationship between their language and English

You can also provide students and families with access to bilingual books and texts and encourage families to continue using and developing the home language through activities such as rhymes, storytelling, and conversation at home. You will also find specific strategies related to home language throughout the key components below.

Recommended resources

In addition, as you will see below, oral language has a role to play across all reading skills, yet it often does not receive much attention as a critical part of ELLs' language and literacy development. Drs. August and Shanahan write, "Instruction in the key components of reading is necessary - but not sufficient - for teaching language-minority students to read and write proficiently in English. Oral proficiency in English is critical as well - but student performance suggests that it is often overlooked in instruction." (2006, p. 5)

Oral language supports students' literacy skills in different ways. For example, students need to be familiar not only with the sounds and letters they are learning but also the words in which they appear in order to support their word recognition and comprehension. Other more global oral language skills, such as facility with English syntax and grammar, and the ability to navigate specific language functions like describing, predicting, and comparing, also contribute to both reading and writing development for ELLs.

In addition, strengthening oral language supports students' ability to participate in peer groups and their proficiency in speaking and writing using academic language. Students need opportunities to practice applying their emerging oral language skills through partner talk and peer work (scaffolded with supports such as sentence frames), activities such as partner reading, and responding to comprehension questions using academic language.

Dr. Carrie Simkin, the director of our sister site AdLit.org, offers the following suggestions related to oral language:

Make it a learning target for lesson planning (e.g. be intentional about planning for it).

Consider how much of the learning time in your classroom is text based vs. discussion. Do students have opportunities to discuss ideas or do they mostly respond in written formats? We want to engage students in lively discussions!

Consider if students have opportunities to work in pairs as well as small groups and not just respond to teacher-generated questions.

Have you modeled how to orally respond to questions using the question as a sentence starter? Do you have sentence starters visible for share-outs?

Our strategies related to oral language are also woven throughout the components below.

Recommended resources

Note: You can read more about the role of oral language in the foreword of Comprehension and English Language Learners.

Phonemic Awareness and ELLs

Keeping the areas of home language and oral language in mind, let's dive into the five key skill areas, starting with phonemic awareness.

Phonemic awareness is an important indicator of how well children will learn to read. Sometimes it is difficult, however, for speakers of a second language to "hear" and say sounds in the language they are learning. If you have had a student who could not master a particular sound in English, the sound may not have been a part of the student's native language.

In her chapter of Literacy Foundations for English Learners, Dr. Virginia Lovelace-Gonzalez notes that, "Phonological awareness skills can transfer across languages when students have opportunities to build these skills in their native language and English" (2020, p. 53).

For example, there are multiple sounds in English and Spanish that will directly transfer between languages, even if the sounds are associated with different letters (p. 50). Dr. Lovelace-Gonzalez writes, "For ELs, phonemic activities in English can be complicated by having to recognize sounds in English that do not exist in their native language...Instructionally, it is important for teachers to determine some of the similarities and differences between English and the student's native language to ensure the opportunity to learn" (p. 53).

Phonemic Awareness: Considerations and Strategies

What: The ability to hear and manipulate the different sounds in our language.

Why it matters: Phonemic awareness is the foundation for spelling and word recognition skills.

Considerations for ELLs

Learn more about the students' home languages.

Start by visiting a resource such as MyLanguages.org or Omniglot.com, which shares an overview of many different global languages.

Ask bilingual colleagues about how their languages are similar or different from English and common areas that need attention when learning English. For example, a group of Ukrainian teachers shared some of the questions that Ukrainian speakers have when learning English in this Colorín Colorado article.

Identify whether there are any sounds that your students' languages share with English. Use these as a starting point in your instruction. In addition, find out which sounds might be new to your students and be sure to include explicit practice of those sounds.

Help students think about the connection between their language and English.

Ask students how their language is the same or different than English in terms of how the language is written, the sounds that letters or symbols make, and words that might be related.

Help students become familiar with sounds, letters, and symbols that are shared between languages, as well as those that are not shared between the languages. (Some examples across different languages are included in Literacy Foundations for English Learners.)

Ask students if they have words that begin with a particular sound, or if there are any words related to a particular word in English. This can work with students who have limited literacy skills in their first language too.

Help beginning readers learn to identify sounds in short words.

Have students practice identifying the sounds in the beginning, middle, and end of these words. You may wish to use words that begin with a consonant, have a short vowel, and end in a consonant (CVC words) such as mat, top, and bus.

One very effective method is having students match pictures of words that have the same beginning, middle, or ending sound.

Use words that students already know in English.

Videos

Learn how to pronounce the 44 phonemes in English.

Phonics and ELLs

Phonics instruction aims to help new readers understand that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Students benefit from learning and practicing sounds and symbols, including blended combinations. ELLs often show many strengths in mastering early phonics skills but it's important to remember that decoding while reading and correctly spelling words does not ensure good comprehension.

That's why it's important to ensure that ELLs are familiar with the words they are learning to decode in order to support their comprehension. The authors of Words Their Way with English Learners write, "English learners need structured opportunities to learn many new words to add to their repertoires so that these words can become the material of their literacy learning" (2011, p. 79).

Phonics: Considerations and Strategies

Considerations for ELLs

Use a word study approach.

Word study is a powerful approach that connects letters, sound, meaning, word parts, and usage so that students are learning explicit foundational skills within a meaningful context. For example, ELLs need lots of opportunities to connect the sounds, letters, and words they are learning.

The authors of Words Their Way with English Learners write, "What is key to literacy development for English learners in the emergent stage is that they use language with teachers and peers and see oral language they understand captured in print" (Helman et al, 2011).

Look for opportunities to reinforce phonics in context.

Using literature and content material, you can introduce and reinforce:

letter recognition

beginning and ending sounds

blends

rhyming words

silent letters

homonyms

Vocabulary and ELLs

Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read, as well as in understanding what is read.

As students learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the meaning of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary. For ELLs, vocabulary development is especially important as students' develop academic language - in all subjects and activities! There are numerous ways to support explicit vocabulary instruction, which is essential for developing students' vocabulary knowledge. Dr. Coleen D. Carlson writes,

For EL students, drawing attention to unknown words during the initial presentation of the text, providing appropriate levels of definitions (e.g., providing English labels for words for which concepts and labels in one's native language are understood, quick definitions or demonstrations for simple words) and tying to background knowledge is critical. No amount of simply reading and rereading words will produce knowledge of unknown vocabulary. (2020, p. 97)

Vocabulary: Considerations and Strategies

Considerations for ELLs

Draw upon students' home languages.

You can draw upon students' home languages to build vocabulary by:

It is important to give students as much exposure and experience with new vocabulary words as possible before asking students to use them in a lesson or activity.

Select words that will support the reader's understanding of the story or text, as well as for other phrases and connectors that affect comprehension (even though, except, etc.). You can pre-teach vocabulary by using English as a second language (ESL) methods such as:

Role playing or pantomiming

Using gestures

Showing real objects

Pointing to pictures

Doing quick drawings on the board

Using the equivalent in students' languages and then asking students to say the word in English

Providing a student-friendly definition

Using graphic organizers

Cognates are words in different languages that are derived from the same original word or root. About 40% of all English words have cognates in Spanish (such as the English/Spanish cognate "family/familia"). This is an obvious bridge to the English language for Spanish speakers if the student is made aware of how to use this resource.

Teach students to recognize and use cognates, or words that are related across languages, and encourage students to be on the lookout for cognates from other languages as well.

Give students an opportunity to practice using new words.

As the teacher, you can explicitly teach word meanings to improve comprehension. However, to know a word means knowing it in all of the following dimensions:

The ability to define a word

The ability to recognize when to use that word

Knowledge of its multiple meanings

The ability to decode and spell that word

The ability to use different definitions word accurately in different contexts

Ensure students understand a new word by asking them to produce it themselves either orally or in writing.

I taught a summer school unit on habitats and healthy environments, and every student had to learn the phrase, "Reduce, reuse, recycle." Over the course of four weeks I gave students many opportunities to use those words to describe what we were doing: "We are reusing the grocery bag," or "We reused the scratch paper."

Build students' academic vocabulary.

You can increase students' academic vocabulary by teaching common structures and terms used in a specific content area. For example, sentence frames are a great way to get students familiar with these structures and can be used in writing and speaking:

You can learn more strategies in this related article.

The _____ is ______ than the _____.

I can conclude ______ because _______.

Videos

ESOL Specialist Sheila Majdi: Using sentence frames with ELLs

ESOL specialist Sheila Majdi from Arlington, VA explains what a sentence frame is and how she might use this strategy with ELLs.

Interactive reading of a story

In this classroom clip, first-grade teacher Albuquerque teacher Ali Nava leads her students through an interactive reading of Burro's Tortillas, a Southwestern adaptation of "The Little Red Hen."

Focusing on language in literacy instruction

In this classroom clip, fifth-grade teacher Clara Gonzales-Espinoza helps her students expand their understanding of the way language is used in a picture book version of Cinderella.

Instruction of key academic vocabulary with high school ELLs

In this lesson, students read a letter that Captain John Smith of the English Army wrote to Queen Anne in 1616. You can see lesson materials and reflection interviews from ELL teacher Anne Formato in our related classroom module.

Fluency and ELLs

Fluency is a tricky area when it comes to ELL reading instruction. For native English speakers, fluency and reading comprehension often share a strong correlation because fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. This is not always the case for ELLs.

Many ELLs can be deceptively fast and accurate in their reading because they are good readers in their primary language and have strong decoding skills. Yet they may demonstrate little understanding of the text, and hearing the text out loud may not necessarily provide a step towards comprehension as it is likely to do for native speakers. One important factor in the connection between fluency and comprehension is ELLs' oral language skills, which Dr. Carlson describes as "an important foundation that supports the role of fluency as a bridge to comprehension" (p. 93).

Fluency: Considerations and Strategies

Inaccurate indicator of ELLs' comprehension

It is not unusual for an ELL student to read a passage beautifully and then not be able answer more than a couple of comprehension questions correctly. Decoding skills (sounding out words) and comprehending the text are two different skills.

Limited benefit from hearing texts read aloud

Native speakers who are not strong decoders can often comprehend text that is read to them better than text that they read themselves. That's because when someone else is doing the reading, they can focus on meaning without having to struggle to get the words off the page.

With ELLs, however, comprehension problems tend to be associated with limited vocabulary and limited background knowledge. Thus, listening to text read by someone else won't enhance comprehension.

Comprehension and ELLs

Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to accurately understand written material, children need to be able to 1) decode what they read; 2) make connections between what they read and what they already know; and 3) think deeply about what they have read. Comprehension can be the most difficult skill to master, however, and can elude students who have mastered word-level skills. According to the executive summary of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth,

An important finding that emerges from the research is that word-level skills in literacy - such as decoding, word recognition and spelling - are often taught well enough to allow language-minority students to attain levels of performance equal to those of native English speakers. However, this is not the case for text-level skills - reading comprehension and writing. (p. 4)

ELLs at all levels of English proficiency, and literacy development, will benefit from explicit instruction in comprehension skills along with other skills because improved comprehension will not only help them in language arts and ESL classes - it will help them in content-area classes and in daily activities. It will also improve the chances of their interest in reading for pleasure.

Learn more from the following articles:

Comprehension: Considerations and Strategies

Considerations for ELLs

ELLs who struggle with comprehension may read more slowly, have a hard time following a text or story, have a hard time picking out important events, and feel frustrated. They may also have problems mastering new concepts in their content-area classes or completing assignments and assessments because they cannot comprehend the texts and tests for these subjects.

Check comprehension frequently.

As students read, ask them open-ended questions about what they are reading, and informally test students' ability to sequence material from sentences or a story by printing sentences from a section of the story on paper strips, mixing the strips or word order, and having students put them in order.

Use questions after reading.

After the ELLs and/or whole class have completed the reading, you can test their comprehension with carefully crafted questions, taking care to use simple sentences and key vocabulary from the text they just read.

These questions can be at the:

Videos

This video showcases a 5 th-grade team planning a science lesson about the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants. ESOL specialist Katy Padilla plays a key role in advocating for ELLs throughout the lesson planning process and sharing her strategies for engaging and supporting students.

Making Dual-Language Immersion Work

This video provides an introduction to Claremont Immersion School's dual language model and shows how teachers collaborating to develop a language arts language in English and Spanish.

Assessment for ELLs

Learn how third-grade teacher Samantha Kirch uses informal assessment in her classroom to better evaluate ELLs and their progress.

Story setup: Pre-reading strategies for comprehension

Learn about pre-reading strategies that will lay the groundwork before high school newcomer ELLs tackle a new text.

Teaching ELLs in upper elementary, middle school, and high school

Older ELLs bring a lot of valuable experience and interests to the classroom. At the same time, they face the double challenge of needing to learn content and a new language at the same time, which is further complicated if their literacy skills are limited. While they may still need foundational skills work, it can be hard to find materials that are age-appropriate. You can learn more about specific tips for supporting this diverse population from the following resources:

For great classroom videos at the secondary level, see our classroom video library!

Concluding Thoughts

This is a lot of information, but we hope that these resources and recommendations can inform your work with students as well as the conversations about literacy in your setting. The more familiar your team is with best practices for ELLs, the more effectively you can determine which practices and resources will best support your students in their ongoing literacy development - and future successes!

Recommend Resources

This new working paper released by Pivot Learning reflects collective consensus among literacy experts on key topics concerning (1) literacy and multilingual and English learner students; (2) early screening and assessment; and (3) foundational skills.

To learn more about the paper and how it was developed, see Can common ground be found on teaching reading in California? (EdSource)

Research articles and chapters

Books

Literacy Foundations for English Learners by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan (You can see the related book study on YouTube.)

Words Their Way with English Learners: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling (2nd Ed.) by Dr. Lori Helman, Dr. Donald R. Bear, Dr. Shane Templeton, Dr. Marcia Invernizzi, and Dr. Francine Johnston

Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners by Dr. Nancy Cloud, Dr. Fred Genesee, and Dr. Else Hamayan

Dual Language Instruction from A to Z: Practical Guidance for Teachers and Administrators by Dr. Else Hamayan, Dr. Fred Genesee, and Dr. Nancy Cloud

Webcasts

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Reading 101 for English Language Learners

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Learning to read is a complicated process. If you teach English language learners (ELLs), however, there are a number of ways you can support their literacy and language development through targeted instruction. This article highlights ELL instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as outlined in Teaching Children to Read by the National Reading Panel (2000).

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Frankton-Lapel: The Heart of EL - News You Can Use About Teaching English Learners by Michele Grossman | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

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Contact mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us for access to the materials in this resource.

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This is a well-executed resource for Social Studies, Math, and Science. Its smallest useful component are the visual "explainers" for topics, terms, and processes. But there are also whole lesson plans embedded in each with conversation starters and academic discussion routines. Contact mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us for access to this resource.

To see a video of this: https://youtu.be/ghWhT8WB6_o?si=VlTsv4h3gBKNiZq2

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The Visual Non-Glossary is very organized. I can pull up any topic and use it immediately. I can use this resource, quickly and it is very impactful.

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This has text to speech, translation, and questions to answer related to the stories.

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Bring research-backed methods to your ELA curriculum with award-winning, multilingual program for K-2 literacy.

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If you want access to something on this site, get in touch: mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us

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Access Kids Discover’s award-winning library of Science, Social Studies, and High-Interest Nonfiction on any device, for one low price. Perfect for Grades 3-8. Educator, School, and District Options. Single Sign-on with Google and Clever. Interactive Content. Assessments and Lesson-Planing Tools.

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Science of Reading for English Learners Companion Guide

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All kinds of options for accommodations! You are not limited to the ones on your students' ILPs!

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Testing progress and some notes on oral vocabulary

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Companion document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11ywjeO2HVxT_qpR7to0DkE3SVvckbdLG/view?usp=sharing

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Companion document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WlJeEUZLd2Jo3UvH3mcmmYqb9ei9bDFw/view?usp=sharing

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Upcoming WIDA test dates

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The prep is done for you with this resource! We have a subscription to this. They provide visuals that align with vocabulary used in math, social studies, and science. Contact mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us if you'd like to try it out.

To see a video, click here.

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The Visual Non-Glossary is very organized. I can pull up any topic and use it immediately. I can use this resource, quickly and it is very impactful.

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Options for adapting Pictionary for elementary and secondary students to increase opportunities to interact with vocabulary.

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Alternate Access is the version of the English language proficiency test that is appropriate for dually identified students (EL and SpEd) who have significant accommodations and/or modifications on their IEPs. Click the above link to see Alternate Access sample items.

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Get familiar with test content

Give students a chance to practice answering the type of questions they'll experience on the test.

Before using the sample items, test administrators should review the user guide below to get familiar with administering Alternate ACCESS test items.

When using the sample items, it is important to provide materials to students in paper format to reflect an authentic testing experience. For example, sample item files may contain blank pages. This is to simulate actual test items when they are printed, and to enhance the authenticity of the student's experience of the materials.

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Get familiar with test contentGive students a chance to practice answering the type of questions they'll experience on the test.Before using the sample items, test administrators should review the user guide below to get familiar with administering Alternate ACCESS test items.

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Companion document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wFGvLQ2EjHDltqNL2mg5sYajqmXz93_J/view?usp=sharing

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Companion document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n3nl6a-YV2ZOwjtS8hHd3FmpWwjW1x4A/view?usp=sharing

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Companion document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I4Y6JcJJVTo37nc09BxEkcOarVD3QB7V/view?usp=sharing

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Here are the WIDA Can Do Descriptors for 3.5-4.5 year olds who are new to English.

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Classroom Rules Presentation in Pink and Yellow Retro Style

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Session 1: Language Acquisition Overview 

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Session 1: Language Acquisition Overview 

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Companion document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lr-41tltn3raJPqRL46qY_UG_9ZunQE58zU476rUeuY/edit?tab=t.0/copy

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Fall Multilingual Learner Conference Info!

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Dr. Trevino's Quick Take on EL Instruction

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Dr. Trevino's Quick Take on EL Instruction

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This is a quick, accessible video that explains the why and how of teaching English Learners using best practices.

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Help a Spanish-speaking family use ParentSquare?

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Help a Spanish-speaking family use ParentSquare?

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Here are directions in Spanish!

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This page includes some downloadable tools to support your instruction.

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Building on the strengths of multilingual learners with expansive reading instruction

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Kandi Martin, Social Studies teacher at LEMS, conducts a class project that I've been wanting to share. One of my 8th grade students was talking about it, not for the purposes of needing help...but just because it was interesting to her! The class creates its own constitution, following the rules and approximating the process that any constitution would undergo. This project involves all of the English language domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students get to work in small groups and address the larger group. There is plenty of participation because students know that their decisions become the law of the classroom. Authentic learning at its best!

One of the things that caught my attention was Kandi's willingness to be open in this process. Every year new students have new ideas, making the project both challenging and interesting. While the process becomes more familiar for the teacher, it doesn't get stale or rote.

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Frankton-Lapel: The Heart of EL - News You Can Use About Teaching English Learners by Michele Grossman | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

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Frankton-Lapel: The Heart of EL - News You Can Use About Teaching English Learners by Michele Grossman | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

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As we close out Hispanic Heritage month and the first 9 weeks, I wanted to share some resources and some EL news. The newsletter was weekly last year, until it wasn't thanks to technical difficulties. Hopefully we are past that and can resume regular delivery.
SIOP What?
FLCS is on a mission to prepare classroom teachers to deliver English language development in the content classroom. Most of our students are at the intermediate level and benefit from remaining in class rather than being pulled out. However, there are some things for teachers to consider when preparing, delivering, assessing and reflecting on their lessons. To that end, we are training a small cohort of teachers at a time in these practices. The best part is that these practices are helpful for all students, not just English Language learners!

The model we are following is called SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol). It consists of the best practices that teachers use when teaching English Learners in a segregated, EL-only setting. But the components and features of SIOP are readily transferable to the general ed setting.

To learn more about SIOP, see last year's newsletters in smore: https://www.smore.com/bw0q6

I prepared a series of explanations and examples, meant to be easily digestible.

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Frankton-Lapel: The Heart of EL - News You Can Use About Teaching English Learners by Michele Grossman | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

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English Language Learners

These techniques for creating a positive learning environment help students adapt to a new culture and acquire a new language.

Each year, teachers across the country open their doors to new students at the start of the new academic year. Being a new student is overwhelming when it's your first year, but can you imagine the added fear and anxiety that goes with being an English language (ELL) or multilingual learner (MLL)? On top of designing interactive bulletin boards and planning lessons, teachers who are new to working with ELLs/MLLs also wrestle with the concern of how to appropriately support their newcomer students both linguistically and culturally while also delivering content that's meaningful.

Over the years, I've turned to simple strategies to encourage my students and help them to become better acclimated with our new school culture. For me, the best way to do this was to begin by acknowledging theirs first.

1. Make a Good First Impression

Introductions matter. Learn students' names and nicknames. Learning how to pronounce your students' names or using their preferred names shows them that you value their identity. Using icebreakers or name games is a fun way to learn students' names. Be sure to model the instructions for the class before you begin. When I did this, I could visibly see my students becoming more comfortable with one another by making eye contact and smiling when they spoke and giving a thumbs-up or high five to encourage their peers.

A friendly greeting and a smile is a simple way to acknowledge newcomer students. Smiling is a universal language, which directly sends a message that you're there for your students. It's one way to give a warm welcome and invite them to feel relaxed and ready to learn.

2. Cultivate a Supportive and Caring Environment

As a teacher, I found that an easy way to support my high school students with classroom vocabulary was to use signage. Posters with sentence stems and labels of classroom supplies are one way in which students can internalize the English language through visuals and real objects.

Clear and consistent classroom routines also help newcomers to understand what is expected. Whether they are presented on a classroom agenda or introduced through modeling, predictable classroom routines help students feel safe. For example, introducing students to common classroom expressions accompanied by a visual can reinforce routines and give students the opportunity to practice the target language. Teaching students to ask and answer questions about classroom actions, such as finding the page number or asking for a writing utensil, supports newcomers in expressing their needs to others. When their questions are answered, their needs are met because they know they were heard.

Creating a caring climate means that care is used to prepare the physical space and contents within the classroom that make it easier for newcomers to transition into school. Preparing a welcome folder with access to important information such as Google Classroom codes or codes and passwords to websites that are used throughout the year says "We've been expecting you" to your new student and fosters a sense of belonging.

3. Use Effective Language Strategies for Newcomers

I frequently use the following strategies with my students to build their vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and strengthen the use of their receptive and expressive language skills.

Choral repetition: This is a technique whereby the teacher models reading fluency, pace, and pronunciation. Choral repetition creates a low affective filter or safe low-risk environment where newcomers can participate in whole-class reading.

Wait time: Newcomers need time to translate the question they're given, think about a response, translate the answer into English, and then verbalize the response. I like to silently count to 15 seconds when I ask one-word-or-longer phrased questions based on vocabulary or to check my students' understanding. If I notice that more time or clarification is needed, then I begin to repeat or sometimes rephrase the question to assist my students. Usually activities with text-based or inferential questions require the use of a timer for seven minutes or more, depending on the length or complexity of the activity.

Visual representations: These provide another way for students to express their thoughts and ideas. Accompanying these drawings with short sentences validates students' perspectives and encourages them to share their stories. It's vitally important that students feel seen and heard. Illustrations and artistic projects allow newcomers experiencing a silent period to express themselves without the fear of presenting to the whole class. Language researcher Stephen Krashen described the silent period as the first stage of language acquisition, where the language learner is silent for several weeks or more as they begin to adjust and acquire the new language.

4. Use Tech and Peer Support to Help Students Take Risks

This is where technology comes in handy. Newcomers are often uncomfortable with speaking or reading aloud. Our class has enjoyed the use of Flip, Classkick, and Book Creator to record their presentations or answer questions. While technological apps have made it easier for students to create and record their presentations, newcomers may need additional time to work on projects and presentations.

Some students may need an extra class day or an extra week. I use discretion based on my students' needs as they strive to complete the assignment and on the demands of the activity itself. The truth is that a tech-friendly environment can help learners take language risks in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

To facilitate collaboration and communication, clock buddies or map buddies is a buddy system where students are paired up to support newcomers by translating for teachers or helping them to acclimate to their new school environment. Whether it's a buddy or small group collaboration, these interpersonal activities equip newcomers to decipher language and content. Online translators, dictionaries, and visual dictionaries allow students to access the definition, image, and pronunciation of words in the target language. Students can also create their own glossaries using Quizlet.

Teachers can practice these simple strategies with the intention of constructing a safe and inclusive environment so that newcomer learners know that they are cared for and valued. The classroom becomes a space where all learners feel self-acceptance and a sense of belonging. It's a place of purpose where all learners can fearlessly be who they are and confidently take on challenges together.

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4 Effective Strategies for Supporting Newcomer English Learners

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These techniques for creating a positive learning environment help students adapt to a new culture and acquire a new language.

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Looking to change up your vocabulary routine without out adding any additional prep? For most of these vocabulary practice activities, there is absolutely no prep required. All students need is something to write with and write on.

Many of these vocabulary activities are ideal for whiteboards and dry erase markers, if you utilize those in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade class.

If the no prep vocabulary activities below are helpful, then you will love these other no prep ELA ideas.

For this fun vocabulary activity, have students write a sentence that uses one of your vocabulary words. Instead of writing the word out, however, students should draw a blank.

Students can share their sentence with a partner or with the class - and their partner or a classmate gets to guess what the missing vocabulary word is!

Make sure students understand that a good sentence will include a lot of clues that make it EASY for their peers to guess the vocabulary word.

Activities like this require good partnering procedures.

Have students write 2 sentences using the vocabulary word - one sentence that uses the vocabulary word correctly, and one sentence that uses the vocabulary word incorrectly.

Students can share their sentences with a partner or with the class, giving them a chance to figure out which sentence uses the word incorrectly.

For a little more of a challenge, upper elementary students can write 2 or 3 additional sentences that use the word correctly.

This is similar to Find the Fib, a no prep activity that can be utilized in a lot of different ways.

This is a no prep, whole class game. Have students draw a tic-tac-toe board on a sheet of paper or on their whiteboard. Then, students should fill in each of the boxes with one of the weekly vocabulary words.

If you have fewer than 9 vocabulary words, then choose a few words for review and have students add those to their tic-tac-toe boards.

Once the whole class is ready, call out a clue for one of the words. You could give a definition, use it in a sentence, provide a synonym or antonym, etc. Students cross out the word on their tic-tac-toe board that goes along with your clue.

Repeat this until one of your students gets 3 in a row, and then play again.

Make copies, find a fiction book, and you'll be ready for any emergency that comes your way!

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7 No Prep Vocabulary Ideas and Activities You Can Use Today

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Fun vocabulary practice doesn't have to require a lot of prep work! Check out these no prep vocabulary activities and ideas for upper elementary students.

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Written in 2020, there are some references to remote learning, but on the whole it's evergreen.

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Reflections on Teaching Multilingual Learners

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Many content teachers have made a significant investment in preparing to teach a specific subject area such as science, math, social studies, music, and so forth. It's natural that their focus is on teaching the content topics in their area of expertise. Elementary teachers also teach a variety of subjects and tend to focus on the topic at hand whether it is teaching a science lesson or poetry. Few would disagree that language permeates all topics and subject areas.

In this time of remote learning, teachers are experiencing the reality that many students, English learners and English-speaking students alike, are challenged by the rigorous content and skills associated with high academic standards. Meeting standards is challenging when teaching face-to-face but is even more so in a remote environment.

It's important to keep in mind that English learners are learning the same content as other students, but they are reading, writing, listening and speaking a language in which they are not yet completely proficient. What a difficult job they have!

At the same time, these students are developing a level of English language that English-speaking students and teachers typically take for granted, such as stating an opinion, asking for permission, clarifying a statement, and reading written instructions. Also, they're learning lots of high level of academic vocabulary.

It's easy to see that English learners might disengage from remote lessons when the lesson's content and instruction are well beyond their level of English proficiency.

In planning and teaching lessons, attention to the linguistic needs of English learners is critical for them to be able to participate fully in lessons and learn academic content. Effective teachers, those whose English learner students thrive, intentionally teach language and content simultaneously.

In reality, all teachers are language teachers. Teachers with English learners in their classes need to think about ways to integrate language into content lessons. Every content area - math, science, language, arts, history - requires students to use language in a particular way. For example, texts in social studies tend to use more expository writing which differs from a narrative story in English language arts that uses metaphor.

The academic language used in school is particularly challenging for English learners because it differs from the everyday language students "pick up" in day-to-day life. It is more grammatically dense and formal than the kind of language found in conversations at home and with peers. It includes more sophisticated and technical vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and rhetorical forms that are used almost exclusively in academic settings. It's unlikely that English learners are exposed to this type of language outside of school.

Integrating language into content lessons begins with lesson planning. In designing lessons, focus on the purpose of the lesson and its associated language by writing both content objectives (What students will learn, based on standards) and language objectives (The language students need to be successful in the lesson). Ask yourself:

What vocabulary do students need in order to understand the content?

What kinds of language functions do I need to teach, e.g., compare and contrast, use of superlatives, or making predictions?

The answers to these questions become your language objectives. Then think about meeting those objectives and ask:

When in the lesson will I explicitly teach the language needed?

What activities will I plan that provide opportunities for students to use language and meet the objectives?

What scaffolds will I use to make the lesson more comprehensible, e.g., visuals or a partially completed outline?

When teachers post and review objectives with students, students internalize the idea that both content and language are the focus of learning. By way of demonstrating the power of making students aware of the lesson's objectives, let's look at what happened in a second-grade class. The class had been reading "How To" books and the assignment was: Think of something you can do. Write a "How To" book of your own. One English learner surprised her teacher with the following beginning to her book:

It's evident that Angelica learned that both content and language are important. In fact, her objectives are actually quite good! She even listed the materials needed: popcorn, microwave and bowl.

Routinely posting and reviewing content and language objectives helps teachers think about the language demands of the content lesson they are planning. And, it lets students in on what they are learning and why. Potent stuff.

Since language is an integral part of learning content, English learners benefit when teachers think through the language demands of lessons and teach students what they need in order to learn the lesson's content information and skills. Indeed, all teachers are language teachers.

Based on: Echevarria, J., Vogt, M.E, Short, D. & Toppel, K. (2024). Making content comprehensible for Multilingual learners: The SIOP Model, Sixth Edition. Boston: Pearson.

Short, D. & Echevarria, J. (2016). Developing Academic Language Using the SIOP Model. Boston: Pearson.

(A version of this post was published on February 22, 2016)

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Many content teachers have made a significant investment in preparing to teach a specific subject area such as science, math, social studies, music, and so forth. It's natural that their focus is o...

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I often invite teachers to join my class on TalkingPoints so they can easily send and receive translated texts with EL families. You can use it via computer or smart phone. Families tend to be very responsive to it. If you'd like to join and haven't received an invitation in your email, just let me know. You can learn more about it through a quick tutorial on the Indiana Learning Lab: https://inlearninglab.com/resources/talking-points

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TalkingPoints - We help teachers meaningfully connect with parents and students through multilingual text messages

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Communicate with families in their home languages to build strong partnerships all year long. Join the millions of teachers and parents who already use TalkingPoints.

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If your document is in Word or is a PDF, Google Translate is simple to use and generally accurate enough. You select Documents, then Browse Your Files, Translate, Download. If your document is a Google doc, select "Tools" from your toolbar, then "Translate Document."

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August 1, 2023 SIOP series Features 20-30

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August 1, 2023 SIOP series Features 20-30

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EL Department 2023-24

The Frankton-Lapel Community Schools English Learner Department is overseen by EL Director Christa Klettheimer ( cklettheimer@flcs.k12.in.us). Michele Grossman is the EL Teacher of Record ( mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us).

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns.

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Frankton-Lapel: The Heart of EL - News You Can Use About Teaching English Learners by Michele Grossman | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

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A way to offer students some choice in how they show what they know.

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These texts live in Room 316 at FES. If you are in another building, just email mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us and we will deliver the book of your choice!

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In this episode, Susan Lambert was joined by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities presented when teaching multilingual learners how to read. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech language pathologist and a certified academic language therapist. She is also the director of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas. On the podcast, she and Susan talked about how teachers can make connections between students' home languages and English in order to celebrate their language and give them new tools to better understand English. She stressed the importance of teachers educating themselves on their students' home languages so they can spot orthographic and phonological similarities and differences, and highlighted the importance of educator collaboration to drive student success.

Show notes: Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction Presentation: "Making Connections for Structured Literacy Instruction Among English Learners Reading SOS special video series: Online book study of Literacy Foundations for English Learners -Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan "Sometimes as teachers, we feel so overwhelmed with, Oh, I don't know that language. How in the world am I going to introduce a whole new thing? Instead we should be starting to understand connections." -Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan By Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan Expert Answers to Family Questions About Reading " by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

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Science of Reading: The Podcast - Summer '22 Rewind: Empowering English language learners: Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

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In this episode, Susan Lambert was joined by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities presented when teaching multilingual learners how to read. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech language pathologist and a certified academic language therapist. She is also the director of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas.

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Phonemic Awareness with English Language Learners

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At Heggerty, we frequently receive questions about effectively using our curriculum with English Learners (ELs).

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Linguistic Structure and the Science of Reading

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Linguistic Structure and the Science of Reading

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This season is all about tackling the hard stuff, and there is no harder pill to swallow than being told by a student that you don't know how to teach reading-especially when you realize they're right! After this happened to Jamey Peavler, Co-Director in the Reading Science Graduate Program at Mount St. Joseph University, she leaned in and took the opportunity to completely rethink her approach to literacy instruction. Now, her research focuses on maximizing small-group instruction. In this episode, she'll share her findings and her advice, as well as some best practices for small-group instruction and balancing small- and whole-group work. *Show notes:* * Book: Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes * Graphic: Instructional Hierarchy: Matching Interventions to Student Learning Stage (Haring, et al., 1978) * Webinar: Maximizing the Benefits of Small-Group Instruction with Jamey Peavler * Book: 10 Success Factors for Literacy Intervention: Getting Results with MTSS in Elementary Schools by Susan L. Hall *Quotes: *"We have this mindset of that small-group differentiated golden standard, but there's a certain amount of instruction, again, [that] all kids need and there isn't a lot of difference between those things." -Jamey Peavler "There's a certain amount of proactive, preventative foundation-building work that should be done for all kids. We can do that more efficiently in a whole-group setting and then reserve that small-group setting for what truly needs to be differentiated, because not everything has to be differentiated." -Jamey Peavler "If we can set aside the idea of introducing a new program, and instead focus our core instruction on how that language and how those routines could actually be intensified in that small-group setting, we're going to minimize that cognitive overload." -Jamey Peavler "What we know about overlearning is when you get that fluency down and that generalization down, you are more likely to accurately reach adaptation sooner. So it's not causing harm for the kids who have already learned that skill." -Jamey Peavler "When you mess up, it's okay. Just mess up again tomorrow in a different way." -Jamey Peavler

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Science of Reading: The Podcast - S5-E8: Linguistic structure: English vs. Spanish: Dr. Desirée Pallais-Downing

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Dr. Desirée Pallais-Downing is an assistant professor of instruction in the Bilingual/Bicultural Education Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Having lived in Nicaragua, England, the United States, and Spain, she has experienced bilingual learning across four different countries.

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Checklists for materials for students with limited or interrupted formal education

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Checklists for materials for students with limited or interrupted formal education

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BAP114 Literacy for Older Newcomers, What is Practical and Effective - Boosting Achievement: The ESL Podcast

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How can foundational literacy skills be taught to older Emergent Bilingual students? This show is in direct response to educators and education leaders asking https://twitter.com/DrCarolSalva about phonics instruction (based on what we are hearing from the Science of Reading) and how that makes sense for our Multilingual Learners.

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"The meaning of even a single word is rather more complex than one might imagine."

- Editors of the American Heritage Dictionary, 1980, p. viii

"Teacher, do we need our pencils today?" my Puerto Rican elementary students would urgently ask when I came to their classroom to escort them to my English as a Second Language classroom. I was a student teacher in a Massachusetts elementary school, and it took me awhile to figure out the correlation between the pencil and hallway behavior. If I replied, "Yes, you should bring a pencil," the walk to my classroom took 15 minutes and involved a lot of disruptions, student squabbles, drifting students and other various misbehaviors. As a student teacher, I was very focused on keeping order and creating a challenging learning environment. If I replied, "No, you don't need a pencil today," the walk to my classroom took about five minutes, even with a stop at the drinking fountain.

So, what was the correlation? Writing. The students knew that if they had to bring a pencil they would have to do writing in the class, and they dreaded it. If they didn't need a pencil, we would be working on projects or doing more verbal work, and they liked that. What they weren't expecting was that half-way through my student teaching, I bought 10 boxes of pencils and kept them in my classroom, so they never had to bring a pencil to class - I had plenty to go around. This improved the hallway behavior, but still left me with the question of how to improve ESL student writing when they were frustrated by the practice and went to great lengths to avoid it.

I have been teaching ESL for many years and there is no perfect solution to this problem; however, I do believe I have added quite a few writing activities to my bag of tricks and improved my ability to differentiate writing tasks based on student ability. As I improved my ability to ensure that each student would be successful in the writing activity, their confidence increased, and they were less likely to engage in disruptive behavior. You know what I'm talking about - the long, dramatic search for a pencilâ€¦ and then paperâ€¦ or the meandering walk about the room to get yesterday's writing draft, or the ever popular, "15 minute pencil sharpening" session. I hope some of the writing activities I share with you will help you to reduce anxiety in your ESL students and increase their language and writing skills.

There is a very important correlation between writing and language development. As students develop language skills, they often develop listening skills first (lots of input they can understand), then speaking (they begin to formulate their ideas in the second language), then reading (they can understand the sound/symbol correspondence of the new language and make sense of the words) and finally writing (they have enough language to express their own ideas in writing). This is not true for 100% of language learners, but it is true for the majority of them. Why is writing often the last skill to emerge? It almost seems that reading would be more difficult because the student needs to sound out words and understand the author's message. It would seem writing might be easier because students are sharing their own ideas already in their heads and simply putting them on paper. However, writing requires a lot more processing of language in order to produce a message.

First the student must have an idea, then think of the appropriate way to say it, then start to write it and spell it correctly, and then create another sentence to continue to communicate the idea. If we add the students' worry that they are making huge, embarrassing errors or that their ideas aren't very good in the first place, then we begin to understand the complexity involved in writing in a second language. In fact, the way we communicate, or the way students put their ideas on paper, is largely influenced by their culture. In some of my classes, my Asian students were very confused when I told them to revise their writing because this was a "first draft." In their experience they had always written an item once and submitted it as "the final," and then the teacher would correct it. The idea that they had to write it over again didn't make sense to them. Students from other cultures may have developed a storytelling style that involves laying out a lot of background information and detail and takes quite a while to get to the point. In most western writing, we expect a topic sentence or a lead paragraph that will tell us what the point is, and then everything written after that leads to a direct conclusion. Many of my students had great difficulty connecting their ideas this way.

With that said, teachers have a big task in improving ESL student writing skills, but the payoff for instructional dedication can be great. A researcher on adolescent literacy at the University of Minnesota, David O'Brien, did a study on improving the reading skills of adolescent students. All of the students were involved in a six week study and during that time they were responsible for creating brochures and other types of communication on computers. They had criteria to input a certain amount of text and graphics to create a final project. This required lots of thought and revisions to achieve the final result. At the end of the six weeks the students took a reading test and the majority of them had improved their reading skills significantly. This was a very interesting result, considering that the teachers had not focused on teaching reading skills. The conclusion was that students used meta-cognition to process language and work with it in a more meaningful way, so that consequently their reading skills improved even though they were mostly working on writing.

Additional positive academic results have been seen in the "90 90 90 Schools." These are schools that researchers have identified as 90% poverty, 90% students of color and 90% achieving standards. This is a most remarkable combination in the educational world. The researchers examined these schools and found one common denominator among them - they all focused on developing writing skills. Each school had an agreed upon writing curriculum and methodology that was used at all grade levels, and student writing was prominently displayed throughout the building and in classrooms. Students used writing in all content areas to demonstrate academic concepts learned. In the end, 90% of the students in these schools were able to pass state grade-level tests based on the academic standards.

Now that I have hopefully convinced you that all your hard work will pay off, I would like to introduce some effective writing activities. I would like to acknowledge that there are many types of effective writing instruction used in classrooms today, including process writing, graphic organizers as writing planning tools, vocabulary stretchers, etcâ€¦ and all of those are beneficial to ELL students. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on a few writing activities that I think are particularly useful when working with students with a wide-range of English language skills.

How to differentiate writing activities:

With some pre-planning, a teacher can create a writing assignment that will allow every student to be successful. For example, the teacher may give a writing assignment that has A, B and C levels (or they can be number or color-coded).

ELL students at Level A copy a sentence or short passage exactly as it is written. This helps beginning-level students who are not very familiar with the language, but may be able to interpret some of the information as they copy it.

Level B students receive a paragraph or two that has blank spaces in the text. The students write the word or phrase that completes the sentence. This allows the student to write an amount that is not overwhelming and helps them comprehend the information.

Level C students write on their own, but perhaps they receive paragraph prompts or are allowed to look in a book, but must put the idea in their own words. After some practice with this system and getting to know your students' English language skills, you will be able to create a system that works best for your class.

Language Experience Approach

The Language Experience Approach draws on instructional techniques used with younger children who have not yet developed literacy skills. In this approach, the teacher presents information to the students, or they have an "experience" of some sort - for example, a field trip, or acting out a scene in a book. Then the students tell the teacher what to write on the board to explain the experience. This may be useful as an activity for a volunteer or teacher's aide to use with a small group of ESL students during literacy time. Here are the steps.

1. Experience something - for example, the students have listened to the story, "The Little Red Hen" and then acted it out.

2. The teacher stands by the board or a large sheet of paper and says to the students, "Tell me the story of the Little Red Hen."

3. As each student tells a part of the story, the teacher writes it down on the board, just as it was stated. For example, a student might say, "The Little Red Hen work so hard and nobody want help her." This continues until each student has spoken or the story is finished.

4. Then the teacher tells the students, "Let's read the story together and listen to see if the story makes sense and if there is anything we want to change."

5. After reading the story, the teacher asks students if they want to change anything. For example, one student may raise her hand and say, "I think it should say, "worked" not "work." The teacher may ask other students if they agree or disagree.

6. If the suggested change is correct, the teacher offers praise and moves on to the next suggestion. If the suggested change is not correct, the teacher should help the student analyze the suggested change. For example, if the student says, "I think it should say, â€˜The Little Red Hen she worked so hardâ€¦." The teacher would ask if others agree and see if there is discussion, then the teacher could point out that the Little Red Hen is the pronoun or "name," so in English we don't need to put it in twice. We can say "She worked so hard." Or "The Little Red Hen worked so hard."

7. When students have analyzed and corrected the whole text, the teacher may either circle a few more spots where students missed corrections and they can be challenged to figure out what the change should be, or the students can be instructed to copy the text with the corrections included.

8. As a final activity, students are instructed to take the story home and read it to three people and bring it back with signatures.

After this activity, usually even beginning-level ELL students are able to read the story to others because it was their experience, it is in their own words, and they have worked with the text in a meaningful way.

Sentence Auction

This activity helps students analyze common writing errors through a personalized activity since they are trying to buy their own sentences. Once a week or once a month, a teacher can hold a "Sentence Auction." The teacher takes sentence examples from student writing - some of which have errors and some that don't, and writes them on a handout or overhead projector. The identity of the student who wrote each sentence is not revealed. To begin the sentence auction, each student is given an "account" of perhaps $300. The students are told to "bid" on the good sentences. The winner is the student with the highest number of "good" sentences.

1. The teacher takes on the persona of an "Auctioneer" and opens the bidding at $10.

2. The teacher reads out the sentence confidently exactly as it is written. "Him want to go to school very bad." Who will give me $10?"

3. The students take turns bidding until the teacher decides who has "won" the bid.

4. Some sentences will not sell because students will know they are "bad." Just leave those sentences and move to the next one.

5. After all the sentences have been sold, the teacher goes through the list and the students say whether the sentence was good or bad. If they agree that it was a bad sentence, then the teacher asks them to explain how they can make it a "good" sentence.

6. Finally the students can count how many "good" sentences they have (since they may have bought some bad ones) and a winner is declared.

7. The teacher may want to give a little prize or certificate to the student. In a variation of this activity students can work in pairs or groups to buy the sentences.

Error correction

I have never "corrected" my students' writing mistakes, at least not in the traditional way. I have always told my students, "If I correct your English, I improve my English; if you correct your English, you improve yours." I handled corrections in one of two ways: either I identified what errors I would be looking for in the writing submission or I told them I would only circle five errors in the whole paper. If I pre-set the errors I would look for, for example correct use of past tense, I would only correct past tense errors, even if I saw other glaring errors in the paper. Sometimes this was hard to do, but I wanted to maintain the students' focus on the writing improvement we were working on. If I set a number of errors I would circle, for example, five, then I carefully chose those five and ignored the rest. When I returned the papers, the students were responsible for correcting their own mistakes. If they weren't sure how to do it, they could check with a classmate, and if no one knew, then I would assist. Invariably the students would ask, "Are these the only errors in the paper?" and I would tell them no. They might be disappointed, but they came to understand the value of correcting their own errors when they submitted a piece of writing.

Quick Write

One of the challenges for ELL students when they approach writing is their anxiety about writing their ideas correctly and writing a lot of information in English. This may feel overwhelming when a student is assigned an essay. In order to get students comfortable with the idea of just putting ideas on paper and not worrying about mistakes, we do regular "quick writes." For "quick writes" I give the students a topic and then tell them to write as much as they can for five minutes. They need to keep their pencils on the paper and even if they can't think of anything to write or they are worried about how to spell things, they are supposed to keep writing. At the end of five minutes, the students count how many words they were able to write and they keep track in a log. The objective is that they will see progress in the amount of writing they are able to do in five minutes' time and hopefully apply this fluency to their essay writing.

Cinquain poems

Cinquain poems offer great flexibility in working with ELL students of a variety of language levels. The basic Cinquain formula is as follows, but teachers can modify it as needed according to the student language level.

One noun
Two adjectives
Three gerunds (words + ing)
A short sentence.
A one-word summary
An example of a Cinquain a student might write:
Home
Warm, happy
Loving, welcoming, helping
People you love.
Family

There really is no wrong way to do a Cinquain, students can put key vocabulary words together any way they like to create the message they desire. Teachers may want to use Cinquains to reinforce new content vocabulary and concepts as well.

With these writing activities to try in your classroom, the only thing left is to buy a few boxes of pencils, hand them out to your ELL students and help them discover the possibility of joy in writing. Teachers who use a variety of activities and strategies to help ELL students become comfortable with expressing their ideas in a new language and finding success with small writing tasks, will give their students' confidence for a lifetime of self-expression. I offer this Cinquain poem to sum it up.

Writing
Fun, creative
Thinking, sharing, revising
Lots of ideas.
Proud
The TESL Reading and Writing Forum
A forum to share teaching tips, handouts, syllabi, lesson plans and more!
Make Beliefs Comix
Make Beliefs Comix, created by acclaimed "Make Beliefs" author Bill Zimmerman, allows kids to create their own comics in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Latin.
LD OnLine: What is Dysgraphia?
This article from the National Center for Learning Disabilities, featured on LD OnLine, discusses dysgraphia and its warning signs, as well as strategies for addressing it for different age groups.
Reading Rockets: Writing Webcast
Reading Rockets webcast featuring Dr. Steven Graham, Dr. Louisa Moats, and Dr. Susan Neuman. These three renowned reading and writing experts address why writing is important, what the latest research tells us, and what educators and parents can do to support our children's development as writers.
Reading Rockets: Teaching Plot Structure with Picture Books
Use picture books to teach young writers how to organize plot logically. This article includes examples of basic plot structures, along with picture books that use those structures.
Reading Rockets: An Introduction to Letter Writing
This article from My Child Magazine, featured on Reading Rockets, offers samples of different styles of letters (from thank-you notes to letters to Santa) and style guidelines that children can follow.
ESL Writing Wizard: Handwriting Practice
This site lets you create your own handouts of words that students can practice writing. The paper is lined and the word is outlined in small dot print. Good for ELL students developing initial literacy skills.
ReadWriteThink: Comic Creator
ReadWriteThink offers a variety of fun, interactive writing activities, including the Comic Creator. Students can fill in comics with their own words and storylines.
PIZZAZ: Cinquain poems
A poetry site designed to assist instruction of ESL students in poetry and other creative writing forms. The site has links and detailed information on poetry such as Cinquain, Diamante, Haiku and Limericks. It also has further information on other types of creative writing and tips for instruction.
TeacherVision: Language Arts Graphic Organizers
These graphic organizers can be used to prepare for a five-paragraph essay, organize sentences in a paragraph, map concepts and events, compare topics with a Venn Diagram, organize notes for a presentation, create a double-entry journal, and much more.

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Improving Writing Skills: ELLs and the Joy of Writing

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"The meaning of even a single word is rather more complex than one might imagine." - Editors of the American Heritage Dictionary, 1980, p. viii "Teacher, do we need our pencils today?" my Puerto Rican elementary students would urgently ask when I came to their classroom to escort them to my English as a Second Language classroom.

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We all know that teaching isn't easy, but it doesn't have to be this hard. Equipping ELLs is a podcast for both ESL specialists and homeroom teachers who are looking for effective and engaging ways to support their English Language Learners without adding to their endless to-do list.

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In this episode, Susan Lambert is joined by Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities presented when teaching multilingual learners how to read. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech language pathologist and a certified academic language therapist. She is also the director of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas. She discusses how teachers can make connections between students' home languages and English in order to celebrate their language and give them new tools to better understand English. She stresses the importance of teachers educating themselves on their students' home languages so they can spot orthographic and phonological similarities and differences. Lastly, she highlights the importance of educators collaborating for the success of the students.

Quotes:

"The more we're able to read, the more we're able to learn."-Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

"Sometimes as teachers, we feel so overwhelmed with, "Oh, I don't know that language. How in the world am I going to introduce a whole new thing?" Instead we should be starting to understand connections."-Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

Show Notes: Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction Presentation: Making Connections for Structured Literacy Instruction Among English Learners Reading SOS Special Video Series: Online book study of Literacy Foundations for English Learners By Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan Expert Answers to Family Questions About Reading by Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

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S4-08: Empowering multilingual learners: Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan - Science of Reading: The Podcast

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In this episode, Susan Lambert is joined by Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities presented when teaching multilingual learners how to read. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech language pathologist and a certified academic language therapist. She is also the ...

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Using language to drive the lesson! In this example, students had to post what elephants have, can, and are! What a powerful activity!

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Using language to drive the lesson! In this example, students had to post what elephants have, can, and are! What a powerful activity!

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This allows students to work with the English sounds and the code (letters) attached to the sounds. This is a great activity for all students.

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This allows students to work with the English sounds and the code (letters) attached to the sounds. This is a great activity for all students.

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Learning the English code is tough. This activity is scaffolded and each page gets more difficult.

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Learning the English code is tough. This activity is scaffolded and each page gets more difficult.

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A self contained activity that benefits all students!

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A self contained activity that benefits all students!

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Simple mapping activity that lets students build words.

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Simple mapping activity that lets students build words.

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A creative way to demonstrate open and closed syllables AND how adding and omitting letters change words.

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A creative way to demonstrate open and closed syllables AND how adding and omitting letters change words.

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March 8, 2023 SIOP series Features 13-15

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March 8, 2023 SIOP series Features 13-15

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EL Department 2022-23

The Frankton-Lapel Community Schools English Learner Department is overseen by EL Director Christa Klettheimer ( cklettheimer@flcs.k12.in.us). Michele Grossman is the EL Teacher of Record ( mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us).

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns.

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The Frankton-Lapel Community Schools English Learner Department is overseen by EL Director Christa Klettheimer ( cklettheimer@flcs.k12.in.us). Michele Grossman is the EL Teacher of Record ( mgrossman@flcs.k12.in.us). Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns.

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September 21, 2022 SIOP series Features 11 & 12

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September 21, 2022 SIOP series Features 11 & 12

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September 7, 2022 SIOP series Features 7-9

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September 7, 2022 SIOP series Features 7-9

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August 31, 2022 SIOP series Features 5 & 6

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August 31, 2022 SIOP series Features 5 & 6

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August 24, 2022 SIOP series Features 3 & 4

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August 24, 2022 SIOP series Features 3 & 4

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August 17, 2022 SIOP series Features 1 & 2

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August 17, 2022 SIOP series Features 1 & 2

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Enhancing Vocabulary and Comprehension through interactive read aloud systems (tools included)

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Enhancing Vocabulary and Comprehension through interactive read aloud systems (tools included)

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The Read-Aloud Routine for Building Vocabulary and Comprehension Skills tools guide prekindergarten and K–3 educators in implementing a system for whole-class text reading focused on language and comprehension development for English learners (Giroir, Grimaldo, Vaughn, & Roberts, 2015; Hickman, Poll…

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AWESOME site (with tools) for building vocabulary and comprehension skills

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AWESOME site (with tools) for building vocabulary and comprehension skills

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In collaboration with the practicing professionals at our partnering schools, Project ELITE ² developed and refined an instructional model that educators use to enhance core language and literacy instruction for students in grades 3-5. As part of this instructional system, teachers strategically set reading groups of 4-5 students, select culturally relevant texts that are appropriate for their reading and language proficiency levels, and then divide the text into chunks. Before students read independently, teachers deliver a focused mini-lesson that includes previewing the text as well as explicitly teaching academic vocabulary concepts and reading comprehension processes. While students read independently, they practice word-learning strategies and record the meaning of new words. Students compose a written summary of the reading and respond to prompts in their journals to prepare for their group discussions. Next, students engage in structured, text-based discussion to advance their comprehension of the text and practice academic language.
Download the tools here! 15 English Lesson Plan Sets:
Return to Resources for Educators of English Learners

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In collaboration with the practicing professionals at our partnering schools, Project ELITE 2 developed and refined an instructional model that educators use to enhance core language and literacy instruction for students in grades 3-5.

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English Language Learners (ELLs, ELs ELDs) face a variety of challenges in the mainstream classroom. Along with social and cultural differences, ELLs may also struggle with the language used in the classroom. This academic language can be difficult for ELLs to grasp and can pose a stumbling block when it comes to classroom success.

"Mastery of academic language is arguably the single most important determinant of academic success for individual students," says David Francis in Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations For Instruction and Academic Interventions. "Unfortunately, ELLs often lack the academic language necessary for success in school. This lack of proficiency in academic language affects ELLs' ability to comprehend and analyze texts in middle and high school, limits their ability to write and express themselves effectively, and can hinder their acquisition of academic content in all academic areas."

So what can mainstream teachers do to help ELLs master academic language? First, it's important to understand the key components of academic language. Linguist Jim Cummins distinguished between two different types of language: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).

Recognizing the differences between these elements of second language acquisition will help you develop effective strategies for teaching academic language to ELLs.

Understanding BICS

Cummins classifies Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) as the language system that a person uses in everyday, informal types of communication. The language used for BICS is typically cognitively undemanding and developed largely through social interactions.

This type of language is typically developed well before students become proficient in academic language; English learners can become proficient in BICS as quickly as a year. BICS is predominantly oral and uses Tier 1 vocabulary.

For this reason, it is important not to judge students' language proficiency on their speaking abilities alone. Students with a high level of BICS might be able to hold a conversation about a familiar topic or converse well in high-context situations. However, they may not have the linguistic sophistication to engage in academic discussions without the intentional development of academic language.

Understanding CALP

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) measures mastery of the rigorous, intellectual vocabulary of content areas, which Cummins states is a key distinction from BICS. Academic language refers to the language needed by students to conquer classroom tasks, from understanding basic content vocabulary and directions to navigating advanced textbooks.

"To me, academic language is when teachers use keywords and important content area concepts when working with ELs," says Dara Schmick, an ESL teacher at Rutherford Elementary School and the Elementary ESL Department Chair for the Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg, PA. "It is important for teachers to speak to students in a way that promotes language in every aspect of their school day."

Mastering academic language is critical to the academic success of ELLs. Cummins theorized that the development of CALP can take from four to seven years, independent of other factors such as language proficiency level, age and time of arrival in a school setting, degree of academic language proficiency in the student's first language, and the level of in-school language support.

How Can You Help Students Achieve Academic Language Mastery?

Successful understanding of academic language requires a partnership between mainstream teachers and ESL teachers, Schmick says, noting, "Teachers need to all be on the same page so that the academic language is comprehensive."

Working together, mainstream and ESL teachers can help ensure English Language Learners have success when it comes to conquering academic language.

"Some mainstream teachers have the skills and strategies to work with ELs and can use these with all of their students," Schmick says. "However, there are times when teachers are unsure of how to work with these students."

If you're teaching ELLs in your classroom, consider these tips for teaching academic language:

Introduce and reinforce academic language regularly.

It's important to preview text and identify words that might be new to students, says ELLs specialist Kristina Robertson on Colorin Colorado!, a bilingual site for educators and families of English Language Learners. She suggests writing words and phrases on the board and having students write them on index cards. She also recommends using visuals, acting, or synonyms to help students understand the meaning of a word. "Reinforce the newly learned language by asking the students to draw it, act it out, or use it in an appropriate sentence," she says.

Provide opportunities for review.

Consider creating a "word wall" of academic language terms so that students can refer to what they've learned throughout the year. Students can also use journals or word logs to reference academic vocabulary that they've learned throughout the year

Use academic language throughout all content areas.

"As the classroom teacher, it's important to integrate academic language into your daily classroom practice," says teacher Marine Freibrun on Minds-in-bloom.com. "Use the words in your objectives for other lessons, use the words in classroom discussions, and ask students to use them in their writing across disciplines. I also use academic language tickets to have students practice their words after lessons have been taught. I use them for tickets out, as morning work, or as independent practice. Just because you teach the lesson, doesn't mean you or your students are done with the word. It's important to continue the practice throughout the year."

Use resources for support.

Mainstream teachers should feel comfortable relying on other teachers or resources to help ELLs in their classrooms.

"It is imperative that mainstream teachers continue to use professional development opportunities in order to enhance the necessary skills needed to work with ELs," Schmick says. "If this is not possible for them, they can also use their ESL teacher as a resource for their own classroom. ESL teachers are there to not only help ELs succeed but to help classroom teachers with the challenges of educating ELs."

Resources such as Continental's TEAM Toolkits: Teaching ELs for Academic Language Mastery can be useful go-to supports when it comes to academic language and ELLs. The kits feature structured activities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking to help English learners develop grade-level academic language skills.

Academic language is an essential component of education and is critical for success in school-and it poses unique challenges for English language learners. By intentionally developing academic language for your ELLs, you will support their academic success.

Looking for more ESL/ELD/ELL resources for your classroom? Check out Continental's wide variety of instructional materials for K-12 students.
This blog was originally published on September 13, 2017. It was updated on October 19, 2022.

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Strategies for Teaching Academic Language to ELLs | Continental

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English Language Learners (ELLs, ELs ELDs) face a variety of challenges in the mainstream classroom. Along with social and cultural differences, ELLs may also struggle with the language used in the classroom. This academic language can be difficult for ELLs to grasp and can pose a stumbling block when it comes to classroom success.

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Smekens Academic Vocabulary Recommendations for All Content Areas

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Smekens Academic Vocabulary Recommendations for All Content Areas

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Grade Level Academic Vocabulary Suggestions

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Grade Level Academic Vocabulary Suggestions