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Title III-A, Limited English Proficient and Immigrant | Oklahoma State Department of Education

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Topics Forms and Tools Communications Monitoring Presentations State Policy Legislation Testing

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POPFASD - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Resource for Educators

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Sentence frames and frameworks support students who have difficulties with

They can help a student become "unstuck" and support three of the Eight Keys that benefit all student. Sentence frames provide: structure, repetition, and simplicity. This great resource ( www.tes.com) gives you sentence frames and frameworks for:

Making inferences

Making predictions

Comparing and contrasting

Monitoring and clarifying

Summarizing

Cause and Effect

Classifying and Categorizing

Author's Viewpoint

Knowing

Comprehending

Applying

Analyzing

Synthesizing

Evaluating

Reading journal topics

iMessage

Reaching an agreement

Collaborative discussions

Making judgments

Reading and writing instructions

Writing and following directions

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Sentence frames and frameworks support students who have difficulties with They can help a student become "unstuck" and support three of the Eight Keys that benefit all student. Sentence frames provide: structure, repetition, and simplicity.

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Early language learners benefit from rich tasks that provide them with ample opportunities to hear, see, use and manipulate language in contextualised, purposeful ways. In the traditional Language Experience Approach (LEA) teachers use a shared experience - often involving photographs/images of that experience - as a prompt to collectively write a text with the learners. This text - often a series of photographs/images with captions - becomes a text that the group reads, re-reads, revises and extends. In the process, the teacher can draw learners' attention to phonetic and semantic patterns in the co-constructed text.

Therefore, the language experience approach (LEA) is a whole language approach that promotes reading and writing through the use of personal experiences and oral language. It effectively helps develop learners' print awareness, since learners see the direct connection between images and words. It effectively connects known vocabulary and new vocabulary with print words, since the experience and image(s) correlate with words in the written caption(s). It helps teachers explain sentence structure as the image(s) can help the teacher unpack the logical structure of the sentence. It effectively scaffolds a written text by using images to sequence a text, including personal narrative, procedures, explanations and more. LEA also enhances reading comprehension and fluency, since the reading material is based on the learner's funds of knowledge (Gonzales, Moll & Amanti, 2006). And there are avenues to extend the experience by incorporating further reading, writing and learning tasks ( see below).

The video to the left/above provides a general overview of the LEA within an adult ESL context; whereas the videos to the lower right provide an example of the LEA approach as part of an integrated unit. In this latter case, multiple learnings are achieved when the language experience approach is based around a humble kitchen garden project for newly arrived refugee children at a primary school in an urban Australian community. The project illustrates the potential for deep learning when the learning develops from authentic, engaging experiences. The latter example is a much more involved application of the LEA, so it is important to note that the LEA can be completed in a single lesson rather than as a unit. The LEA is also suitable for both younger learners as well as adults.

In the videos, you should notice how language is reinforced through practical activity. It is also apparent that language should be reinforced with the help of visual aids in the classroom, and these visual aids also support student get their ideas onto the page.

The Language Experience Approach emphasises language learning through carefully scaffolded and reinforced language in context and through activity. Teachers and learners diligently document the experience, so the experience can be revisited and developed through further reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and representing in the classroom.

The following are a number of questions to consider when building language and literacy through authentic, mutual practices. These initial questions illustrate the significance of a number of essential practices in the LEA, such as scaffolded talk, documenting the experience, revisiting the experience in the classroom, pulling out rich vocabulary, expanding the experience through writing, and using the experience for further comprehension and [content] learning. In this system, the teacher must be adept at orchestrating, sequencing and extending a variety practices (often within a tight timetable).

Before and During the Experience

1. What is the experience? Is this an actual or virtual experience?

2. How is joint attention achieved and how is language being scaffolded?

3. How is vocabulary emphasised/reinforced/introduced/recorded during the experience

4. How is the experience being documented (digital cameras, information scaffolds, graphic organisers, scaffolded questions, etc)?

5. How do the instructional conversations that take place throughout the experience build a common discourse and assist learning?

After the Experience

1. Are word walls / glossaries / semantic maps / flow charts / storyboards developed from the experience? Are they prominent, accessible and rigorous?

2. How is the documentation used to help the class jointly and/or individually re-construct the experience? Is the sentence cycle used to generate rich, juicy sentences?

3. How is the joint construction phase used to refresh people's memory and knowledge of events?

4. Can the newly constructed text(s) be used as "familiar text(s)" that can be re-read as fluency practice?

5. Has the teacher selected a portion of words to use for further word study?

Extending the Experience

Can you link new readings to the shared experience? For instance, now that we have explored the world of the garden, can we explore:

poetry about gardens or which use gardens as a motif;

procedural/information texts about gardening;

stories and/or picture books which takes place in a garden; and

news articles about community gardens?

1. Can the writing be extended to the inclusion of the writing of recognised genres related to the experience? (procedural texts, brochures, etc)

2. How have non-verbal knowledge, expertise and attitudes been fostered through the activity?

Further Reading

Au, K. H. (1979). Using the Experience-Text Relationship Method with Minority Children. The Reading Teacher, (March), 677-679.

González, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (Eds.). (2006). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Routledge.

Labbo, L. D., Eakle, A. J., & Montego, M. K. (2002). Digital Language Experience Approach: Using Digital Photographs and Software as a Language Experience Approach Innovation. Reading Online, 5(8), 1-19. Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/labbo2/

Landis, D., Umolo, J., & Mancha, S. (2010). The power of language experience for cross-cultural reading and writing. The Reading Teacher, 63(7), 580-589.

Mustafa, M. (2008). Exceeding the standards: a strategic approach to linking state standards to best practices in reading and writing instruction. New York: Scholastic.
(Click here for a list of recommended readings.)
Nestle, D. D., & Dixon, C. N. (2008). Using the language experience approach with English language learners: Strategies for engaging students and developing literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Burr, A. J. (2002). Language Experience Approach Revisited: The Use of Personal Narratives in Adult L2 Literacy Instruction. The Reading Matrix, 2(1), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/wurr/?collection=col10460/1.

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Using the Language Experience Approach - The Literacy Bug

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Early language learners benefit from rich tasks that provide them with ample opportunities to hear, see, use and manipulate language in contextualised, purposeful ways. In the traditional Language Experience Approach (LEA) teachers use a shared experience - often involving photographs/images of that experience - as a prompt to collectively write a text with the learners.

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This website has books that can be translated between different languages.

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Unite for Literacy provides free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages. Literacy is at the core of a healthy community, so we unite with partners to enable all families to read with their young children.

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Sugarman  J (2019) Legal protections for K12 English learner and immigrant-background students (1)

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Advice. Support. Resources. for Teachers of English Learners

A professor who knows what it's like in the real classroom.

Associate Professor of TESOL

Seasoned university educator, preparing pre-service teachers, and helping education practitioners.

K-12 Educator

Certified teacher of English Learners.

Family Engagement Advocate

Helping schools, teachers, and leaders understand and implement effective family engagement.

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Dear Dr. Mooney - Advice, Support, and Resources for Teachers of English Learners

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Advice. Support. Resources. for Teachers of English Learners A professor who knows what it's like in the real classroom. Seasoned university educator, preparing pre-service teachers, and helping education practitioners. Certified teacher of English Learners. Helping schools, teachers, and leaders understand and implement effective family engagement.

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This website not only has resources for ELL students, but also resources for teaching reading in general.

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The population of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools is on the rise. Learn about the most effective ways to teach ELL students (or ESL students), how to create a welcoming classroom, and ways to promote family involvement.

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Teaching 5E Science Lessons with ELL Students 

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Teaching 5E Science Lessons with ELL Students 

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Resources for Welcoming Afghan Students into the Classroom

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Resources for Welcoming Afghan Students into the Classroom

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This is a PDF with resources from the state to help welcome Afghan families to Oklahoma and the classroom

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Resources for Welcoming and Educating Afghan Refugee Students (1)

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Top Things to Keep in Mind

Keep the following in mind when using the information in the report.

Proficiency levels are domain specific

For example, a sixth grader who earns a scale score of 370 in Listening is at proficiency level 4.3. If that same student earns a scale score of 370 in Reading, they will have a Reading proficiency level of 3.8.

Proficiency level scores should not be compared across grades

A second grader with a 4.0 in Listening and an eighth grader with a 4.0 in Listening are exposed to very different, grade-level appropriate content as they test. While their score reports reflect the same proficiency level, the eighth grader is demonstrating more skill by responding to more challenging content.

Scale scores precisely track student growth over time and across grades

Because scale scores consider differences in item difficulty, they place all students on a single continuum that stretches from kindergarten through grade 12. In addition, scale scores allow you to compare student performance across grades, within each domain, with more granularity than you'll see with proficiency levels. For example, using scale scores, you can track how much a student's listening ability increases from grade 6 to grade 7, or you might compare the speaking skills of your school's second graders to those of the fifth graders when evaluating curricula.
Note: 2025-2026 WIDA ACCESS scale scores have been reset as part of ensuring the assessments reflect the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. For this reason, treat this year's scale scores as a new baseline to measure growth against (you can't compare scale scores from previous years).

Scale scores are not raw scores

A raw score is simply a tally of correct responses. Raw scores are not reported for ACCESS because they do not provide a meaningful measure of student performance. For example, consider two students taking ACCESS Online. As the students move through the test, their performance determines which questions they see. The student at beginning proficiency sees easier items, and the higher-proficiency student sees more difficult items.

Confidence bands are included on the Individual Student Report

A scale score is reported as a single point within a confidence band that shows the Standard Error of Measurement. The Standard Error of Measurement is commonly included in score reports and can help test experts understand student performance.

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WIDA provides sample ACCESS score reports and additional resources to help students, families and educators understand ACCESS scores. Check out the following key resources:For FamiliesWIDA ACCESS: Understanding Your Child's Scores is a family-focused flyer, available in 18 languages, that explains the terms in the score report.WIDA ACCESS Parent Letters are family-focused letters, available in 49 languages including English, that may accompany score reports to help introduce the report to families.

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Articles on current events. The reading level can be changed to meet the needs of your students.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

Erin Blakemore

Get Smithsonian Educational Resources

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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This website has articles about current events. You can change the Lexile level to meet the needs of your students.

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Browse different examples of Newsela content custom made for specific subjects and reading levels. Find content for social studies, science, ELA, SEL and more.

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This link is specifically through the Portland Public Library.

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What a treasure. This site is extremely useful for non readers of all ages. My children just love it. I have shared this site with many of our special needs teachers across our county. Thanks so much for providing such a fun, affordable, and worthwhile product.
Renee
Special Education Teacher, MI
We love TumbleBooks!!! I should add the kids do, too!! TumbleBooks has allowed us to introduce a vast collection of books to students and they W A N T to read. It gives them choice, gives them some control over their own learning, all while at an appropriate reading level. What could be better?
Kathy
Reading Consultant Seth Haley School, CT
I love this site! The fact that the levels of books available are so far-reaching makes this a wonderful site for classrooms---virtually any child can utilize the features on this site. The book report feature is great as well--right along with many of the standards we are teaching in our classrooms, and a great tool for guiding students. The quizzes offer students feedback, and also encouragement as they continue to read. This promotes a feeling of success among students, and furthers their love for literature and reading.
Tammy
Curriculum Coach, SC
This is the best interactive read aloud website I have found. My students and I love it. We can always locate a book easy that connects to what we have been studying. The students love to watch the pictures, and as they progress with their decoding skills they pick out words that they know. When we watch one of these books, I have to pause it after every page so they can find all their sight words that are on the page. The website makes it like have a celebrity reader in our room daily. Thank you so much for your wonderful reading website.
Brandi
Kindergarten, AL

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TumbleBookLibrary is a curated database of children's e-books, available by subscription to Elementary Schools and Public Libraries around the world. TumbleBookLibrary Premium has over 1100 titles for grades K-6, and includes our unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, non fiction books and videos, curated playlists, as well as books in Spanish and French.

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These posters are from Dr. Mooney.