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Colorín Colorado is pleased to present the following classroom videos highlighting effective instruction of English language learners (ELLs). The videos are presented as professional development modules with related resources.

These videos were created through the following projects:

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Colorín Colorado is pleased to present the following classroom videos highlighting effective instruction of English language learners (ELLs). The videos are presented as professional development modules with related resources. These videos were created through the following projects:

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Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). Colorín Colorado is an educational service of WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation's capital, and receives major funding from the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association.

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Parent Support with Reading Comprehension!

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Parent Support with Reading Comprehension!

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Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. While English may share very few cognates with a language like Chinese, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language.

Not surprisingly, researchers who study first and second language acquisition have found that students benefit from cognate awareness. Cognate awareness is the ability to use cognates in a primary language as a tool for understanding a second language. Children can be taught to use cognates as early as preschool. As students move up the grade levels, they can be introduced to more sophisticated cognates, and to cognates that have multiple meanings in both languages, although some of those meanings may not overlap. One example of a cognate with multiple meanings is asistir, which means to assist (same meaning) but also to attend (different meaning).

Classroom strategies for teaching cognates

Read aloud

When you read aloud to your students, ask the Spanish speakers to raise their hand when they think they hear a cognate. Stop reading and discuss that cognate. Point out the subtle differences you hear between the Spanish and English words. If you have a French, Italian, or Portuguese speaker in your class, invite them to contribute cognates in that language.

Student reading

As ELLs read their texts, ask them to find three or four cognates and write them on sticky pads. Collect those notes and put them on an OUR COGNATES laminated chart. Before the class ends, read or have students read them to the class. Discuss spellings or sounds that are the same and different between the cognates.

Follow-up activities:

Word Sort

Pair students and give each pair a set of cognate cards: one card has the English cognate and the other has the Spanish cognate. For example:

Have students sort the words. Then ask them what the word pairs have in common and write responses on the board.

Circle Differences

Ask students to indicate which letters are different between the cognates by circling the letters. Alternate between having them call out differences with the teacher circling and occasionally having students come up and circle the differences themselves.

False Cognates

Write examples of false cognates on the board. For example: embarrassed/ embarazada and pie/ pie. Warn students that they might run into some words that are false cognates. These are words that look alike but do not have the same meaning in English and Spanish. Ask the students:

Does anyone know what pie means in Spanish ( foot)? What does the word pie mean in English ( dessert)?

Another example of a false cognate is the word embarrassed in English and embarazada in Spanish. What does embarrassed mean in English (to feel ashamed about something)? Does anyone know what embarazada means in Spanish ( pregnant)?

Give students some cognates and false cognates and ask them to identify each. Examples of false cognates:

Ask students to work with a partner to find as many cognates and false cognates as they can from a given list of words. After they finish, ask partners to share one example of each with the class.

Exaggerate intonation and stress

Cognate words can cause problems for Spanish speakers learning English and vice versa because of different stress patterns in the two languages. Point out how the emphasis changes in the following words:

condition / condición

animal / animal

ability / habilidad

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Using Cognates to Develop Comprehension in English

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Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. While English may share very few cognates with a language like Chinese, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language.

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A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

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How “WIDA Can-Do Charts” Help Me Plan and DifferentiateInstruction for English Language Learners?

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Get a quick tip on how to work with WIDA can-do chart and provide differentiation for your English language learners through key uses of language…

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Accessing the Multilingual Glossary in Benchmark

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Accessing the Multilingual Glossary in Benchmark

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Discussion questions and response prompts-1

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ESOL Strategy Clusters Checklist - multiple subjects

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This section provides specific ideas and strategies to support ELLs' language and literacy development, such as tips for planning lessons and the use of language objectives, as well as broader approaches such as using informal assessment and differentiation for varying language levels.

What You'll Find in This Section

Learn how educators can support the success of their English language learners (ELLs). They will be useful for a wide range of audiences, including new and veteran teachers of ELLs, paraprofessionals, tutors, and administrators at the school and district level.
Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

Each student comes to school not only with unique academic needs but also with unique background experiences, culture, language, personality, interests, and attitudes toward learning. Effective teachers recognize that all of these factors affect how students learn in the classroom, and they adjust, or differentiate, their instruction to meet students' needs.

Here are some strategies for differentiating instruction for your English language learners, as well as ideas for taking students' level of English language proficiency into account when planning instruction.

Need some help finding ways to help your English language learners? Read these inspirational stories about English language learners, teachers and paraprofessionals who have overcome obstacles standing to achieve success.

What's even better than a bright idea? A bright idea that works! Educators from across the country have discovered excellent ways to tackle some common classroom stumbling blocks. Below are their step-by-step suggestions on how to handle issues like the fourth-grade slump or the development of critical thinking skills.

Project-based learning (PBL) offers many benefits to English language learners (ELLs), including hands-on activities, peer interaction, rich language use, and a chance to explore personal interests.

ELLs may need some additional support or guidance in order to make the most of PBL, and the following resources share ideas on how to make it a successful experience for all students.

Designing instruction based on student strengths (what the student can do) provides an important foundation for success and offers opportunities to build upon those strengths in order to address areas where the student is struggling. Learn more about this approach from the following resources and videos.

Learn how educators can support the success of their English language learners (ELLs). They will be useful for a wide range of audiences, including new and veteran teachers of ELLs, paraprofessionals, tutors, and administrators at the school and district level.
Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

Each student comes to school not only with unique academic needs but also with unique background experiences, culture, language, personality, interests, and attitudes toward learning. Effective teachers recognize that all of these factors affect how students learn in the classroom, and they adjust, or differentiate, their instruction to meet students' needs.

Here are some strategies for differentiating instruction for your English language learners, as well as ideas for taking students' level of English language proficiency into account when planning instruction.

Need some help finding ways to help your English language learners? Read these inspirational stories about English language learners, teachers and paraprofessionals who have overcome obstacles standing to achieve success.

What's even better than a bright idea? A bright idea that works! Educators from across the country have discovered excellent ways to tackle some common classroom stumbling blocks. Below are their step-by-step suggestions on how to handle issues like the fourth-grade slump or the development of critical thinking skills.

Project-based learning (PBL) offers many benefits to English language learners (ELLs), including hands-on activities, peer interaction, rich language use, and a chance to explore personal interests.

ELLs may need some additional support or guidance in order to make the most of PBL, and the following resources share ideas on how to make it a successful experience for all students.

Designing instruction based on student strengths (what the student can do) provides an important foundation for success and offers opportunities to build upon those strengths in order to address areas where the student is struggling. Learn more about this approach from the following resources and videos.

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This section provides specific ideas and strategies to support ELLs' language and literacy development, such as tips for planning lessons and the use of language objectives, as well as broader approaches such as using informal assessment and differentiation for varying language levels. Learn how educators can support the success of their English language learners (ELLs).

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In order for English language learners (ELLs) to become successful students, they need to learn grade-level content as well as the English language skills needed to access that content. The strategies in this section suggest ways in which you can provide your ELLs with additional language support in learning content areas such as math, science, social studies, and language arts.

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In order for English language learners (ELLs) to become successful students, they need to learn grade-level content as well as the English language skills needed to access that content. The strategies in this section suggest ways in which you can provide your ELLs with additional language support in learning content areas such as math, science, social studies, and language arts.

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ESOL Strategy Clusters Checklist - multiple subjects

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I-9. ESOL Instructional Strategy Clusters

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5 Ways Teachers Can Create a Translanguaging Classroom

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translanguaging is defined as " the process whereby multilingual speakers utilize their languages as an integrated communication system . It is the only way to create meaning while learning. It is the one thing that everyone needs to do in order to successfully develop their languages, develop their ways of knowing, to develop content, develop their social-emotional identities and for society to develop to a more just and equitable society."

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I. 9. ESOL Instructional Strategy Clusters Checklist

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*Note: This post refers primarily to the 2012 Amplification resources and the Original Can Do Descriptors, produced by the WIDA Consortium

Let's say you're a classroom teacher or a content-area teacher. Every Fall, the English language specialist shares with you a bunch of information about your English learners. You have a general conviction that you need to use this information to better support those students. You've heard about the WIDA Can Do Descriptors. But you've never really gotten a streamlined explanation of what they are and how to use them. You know you're missing something big.

Wait...You ARE this content area teacher?! You've struggled with this every year?! Well then, may this blog post bring you some clarity on how WIDA Can Do Descriptors are meant to be a helpful tool as you plan awesome, accessible instruction!

Now, I'm going to assume a few things as you read this:

You teach in one of the 40 U.S. states or territories that participates in the WIDA consortium.

You're in the process of learning more about WIDA resources and how to use them.

There's a lot on your plate, so you need the most relevant information, packaged to be streamlined and manageable.

You have access to the 2012 WIDA Can Do Descriptors, available on this page. (Note: WIDA is continually updating and revising their amazing resources, and they provide free access to all those that remain relevant and useful for teachers-Like these!)

In the interest of your time, I'm going to simplify this process into four steps. I'm not going into the nitty-gritty details of language learning and best practices here. This is just a brief overview to help you move to the next step in application of the WIDA Can Do descriptors. First, make sure you have your EL's WIDA ACCESS test score reports on-hand.

Every year, WIDA consortium states require that school districts administer the WIDA ACCESS test to all students listed as English learners. These students are given a unique test for each of the four language domains: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. After being scored off-site by staff at WIDA, score reports are sent back to districts for distribution to teachers and students' caregivers.

These WIDA ACCESS tests are important because they provide helpful insights to the amount of growth students have in the four language domains. The data may help EL specialists in grouping students for instruction. Also, the scores on the reports can be essential to content-area teachers wishing to provide effective, accessible instruction.

Once you have the previous year's WIDA ACCESS score reports in front of you (one for each of the ELs you teach), take a look at the proficiency levels (1.0-6.0) for each of the four domains.

2. Organize the WIDA levels for easy reference

Having your students' WIDA levels at-a-glance will be super helpful throughout the school year. You'll need to reference them frequently as you plan instruction. WIDA has some helpful charts for this purpose. Try to avoid the temptation to focus only on the "overall" proficiency score from the report. Why? Each language domain (listening, reading, speaking, writing) is unique and distinct. You will want to be mindful of a student with high listening proficiency, but emerging English reading abilities. Or a student with strong receptive language (listening and reading), but emerging productive language (speaking and writing).

The domains each deserve their own assessment and consideration. Seeing all your English learners' data at once is a powerful opportunity to identify the areas needing the most support. You may even notice some patterns or similarities across student profiles. Naturally, you can keep in mind for grouping or differentiation purposes.

To help you with this step, here's a template you can print off to put by your desk! Download it here for free!

3. Keep WIDA standards and proficiency levels in mind

There are some additional resources that are great to dig into when you have time. They will enrich your understanding of how students can use language at each level of proficiency. WIDA has done a remarkable job of producing a framework of language learning, which is meant to be laid against the backdrop of content instruction. The resources available for free in WIDA's resource library are extensive. We could spend quite a while unpacking the foundational beliefs and research behind these resources! They're pretty amazing!

To spotlight one priority of the WIDA standards writers, they emphasize the assets and strengths of ELs. They promote the understanding that being an emerging bilingual student is not a deficiency but an incredible benefit. Further, they recognize that the explicit teaching of academic language is vital to success for all students. And depending on where the English learner is on the proficiency scale, he or she may need a degree of support to access the language of the subject being taught.

The WIDA standards for English Language Development (ELD) are:

WIDA has a variety of tools and resources available on their website. These include detailed charts of language use at various grade levels, various subject areas, for various purposes. Here are links to some helpful resources:
WIDA Performance Indicators (Proficiency Levels with brief descriptions- see pages 5-6) ELP Expanded Standards (called Model Performance Indicators) by Grade Level
For the sake of time, I'm going to move ahead to highlight your next step: the Can Do Descriptors, linked here. (Note: The "Original Can Do Descriptors" are what I reference for this post. These differ from the "Key Uses" edition of the Can Do Descriptors.)

4. Let the Can Do Descriptors for WIDA guide your differentiation

You're about to plan, say, a reading lesson about the differing points of view between two characters in a book. You have your at-a-glance chart of your students' proficiency levels. You also have the Can Do Descriptors for WIDA at the ready. The descriptors, written for each grade-level "cluster," give you a quick look at what you can expect students to be able to do. That is, they will give you some examples of specific ways your students should know how to use academic language already.

Having these examples will help you determine what learning opportunities to craft for your students. How to differentiate your assessment. How to group them for small group instruction. Which scaffolds may be necessary to encourage full participation and task completion.

To utilize the descriptors, simply locate those appropriate for your grade level. Identify the language domain of the key task you'd like students to complete as part of the lesson (Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing). Finally move across the row to the language proficiency level of your student(s). You'll find bulleted skills and activities that indicate some of what students at that level should be able to do. From there, your creative teacher brain will determine how best to apply these ideas to your instructional plans.

Helpful Links for WIDA Resources:
WIDA Resource Library
ELD Standards K-5 6-12

Language Proficiency levels/Performance Definitions:

Speaking and Writing Listening and Reading

Can Do Descriptors:

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The WIDA Can Do Descriptors can give you some assurance that you are offering equitable, inclusive educational activities to all of your students. Regardless of where they are in their journey to bilingualism, you can open doors to success. The Can Do Descriptors are one of the keys to your "all-access classroom!" If your haven't used the Can Do's yet, try taking a look and let them help you with one lesson this week. Let me know how it goes!

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How to Use WIDA Can Do Descriptors to Plan Effective Lessons for Multilingual Learners - The All-Access Classroom

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Note: This post refers primarily to the 2012 Amplification resources and the Original Can Do Descriptors, produced by the WIDA Consortium Let's say you're a classroom teacher or a content-area teacher. Every Fall, the English language specialist shares with you a bunch of information about your English learners.

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Special Education and English Language Learners

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Learn more about how schools and families can collaborate to ensure that ELLs, including those with special needs, have the appropriate support and services to meet their unique needs.

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WIDA Alternate Access for ELL's Interpretive Guide (Multi ESE)

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WIDA Alternate Access for ELL's Interpretive Guide (Multi ESE)