Equipping Your English Learners for Academic Success

Equipping Your English Learners for Academic Success

Knowing your English Learners…

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That’s Me

I would consider myself a morning person. Getting up in the morning is difficult, especially on work days. I teach in the primary grades. I teach the upper grades. I am a secondary teacher. My role is that of administrator or teacher support. I have taught English Learners for many years. I have only been teaching English Learners for a short time. I want to know more about English learners so that I can better serve

them in the classroom.

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Norms

Be respectful of one another Cell phones off or on vibrate Avoid side conversations (jot notes instead?) Ask “we” questions. Save “me” questions.

Keep the focus on teaching and learning; that which is within our sphere of influence

Be a learner - actively participate in readings, discussions and activities

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Participation Processes

Parking Lot questions will be addressed after breaks and at the end of day.

During discussion time, please focus attention on the given task first, then discuss related topics of interest.

At the signal, finish your sentence (but not your paragraph) and rejoin the large group.

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Outcomes for the Day

Answer the Questions: Who are our English

Learners? What does it take to learn a

new language? How does knowing

students proficiency level help with instruction?

Grendy PerezCountry of Origin: GuatemalaAge: 17

Duy TranCountry of Origin: VietnamAge: 10

Cesar CervantesCountry of Origin: United StatesAge: 9

Emilio MujicoCountry of Origin: MexicoAge: 17

Who are my English Learners? Think about the English learners in your class Choose 3 that stand out and write down their

names Bring your 3 focus students to life for others

in your group Background English use in the classroom and with peers Academic performance

Use Talking Stick to share in groups of 3 – 4

DEMOGRAPHICS

ELs Form a Large, Growing Population

ELs and General School Population Growth

Fastest Growing EL Populations

Students who immigrated before kindergarten U.S.-born children of immigrants (native-born)

76% of ELLs in grades K-8 56% of ELLs in grades 9-12

(Batalova, Fix, and Murray, 2007)

By 2015, second generation children of immigrants are expected to be 30% of the school-aged population.

Numbers of EL Students

(U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2007)

Density of EL Populations

(U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2007)

Growth of EL Populations

(U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2007)

The Most Common Languages ofEnglish Language Learners

Differences Among ELs

Native language(s) Level of native language/literacy skills Level of English language/literacy skills Length of time family has lived in US Previous schooling experience Familiarity with school routines Content-area knowledge Parental education

At School Entry

Identification Home survey Language

proficiency tests Other input (e.g.,

teachers)

Monitoring Language – Title

III Achievement –

Title I

ELs(or LEP)

IFEP

Langu

age P

rof.

Test

s

IFEP = Initially Fluent English Proficient

Slide courtesy of N. Lesaux and M. Kieffer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Over Time

RFEP = Reclassified Fluent English Proficient

ELs(or LEP)

RFEPLanguage Prof.

Tests

IFEP

Slide courtesy of N. Lesaux and M. Kieffer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Unique Learning Challenges

Develop content knowledge and skills defined by state standards while simultaneously acquiring a second (or third) language;

Demonstrate their learning on an assessment in English

Performance Outcomes

CA looks at academic performance on CST after ELs are reclassified as fluent English proficient.

Although some reclassified ELs do well, many still struggle with: listening, speaking, reading, and writing that

involves academic language access to content-area knowledge

Enjoy a 10 minute break

The Demographic Imperative

“The population of children in immigrant families is growing faster than any other

group of children in the U.S.”

Use the strategy A/B Each Teach to read the article from Ed Leadership

Learning a new Language Aspects of knowing a language Some myths and realities Need for acquisition and learning

May Day…

28Apr 21, 2023 28

What must be taught?

Phonology

Rhythm &Cadence

VocabularySyntax

Grammatical Forms

Academic &Social Functions

Formal and InformalDiscourse Styles

Cultural Contexts

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Misconceptions…

1. Young children learn second languages quickly and easily.

2. Once a student is orally fluent, he or she is proficient.

3. Children all learn a second language the same way.

4. Students will learn English through exposure alone.

Working in groups of four, assign one myth per person.

1. Use article to find evidence to refute your myth.

2. Explain the evidence to your group

3. Be prepared to share in the larger group.

Tongue TiedListen to Que dice? Que dice? Child Translate

and the Power of Language.

Enjoy an hour for lunch

Looking At Our English Learners

Proficiency Levels

Beginning Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced Advanced

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Common English Learner ProfilesCommon English Learner Profiles

Recent arrivals to U.S. - new to English

Long-term English learners

Strong literacy in home language

Strong English language and literacy, some gaps

Limited literacy in home language

Low literacy, seemingly strong oral English, many gaps

In Depth Look.. If this student entered your class today, what

would you know about: his/her background support needed for his/her learning

Note your assigned proficiency level/profile. Create a graphic representation to bring this

student to life for the group. Be prepared to share.

My focus students

Considering the students you identified this morning, what would you say was their proficiency level and profile and why. Use the frames below. Think: My student, ______, fits ______ profile because

_____________________. He/She would probably fall within the ______ proficiency level because__________.

Pair (A-B): Tell about your student and listen to your partner describe his or her student

Share: With the rest of your table

Assessing English Proficiency

Understanding the purpose of the CELDT and the information it provides

Assessment Challenges Assessments of content-area knowledge and

skills are also inherently tests of language proficiency. Test demands (CST, end of unit test, etc.) require

EL’s to focus on language and therefore restricts their ability to attend to the content.

Understanding students proficiency levels allows you to teach the language necessary for students to successfully demonstrate content knowledge

Components of Language Proficiency

Oral (listening and speaking) skills Written (reading and writing) skills Academic and non-academic language

Purpose of

Language Proficiency Tests for ELs

1. To determine placement in language programs

2. To monitor students’ progress while in these programs

3. To guide decisions about when students should exit the programs

(August & Hakuta, 1997)

CELDT Parent Report Sheet

Reading

Word Analysis: patterns and structures of words

Fluency and Vocabulary: Using a range of word meanings

Reading Comprehension: facts, inferences, and critical analysis of fiction and non-fiction writing

Listening

Following Oral Directions: responding to instructions

Teacher Talk: understanding spoken information in academic settings

Extended Listening Comprehension: answering questions about a short story

Rhyming (K-2 only): producing words that rhyme with the words given

Speaking

Oral Vocabulary: knowing how to use the names of nouns, actions

Speech functions: using language to respond to specific tasks

Choose and Give Reasons: stating a preference and giving two reasons

4 – Picture Narrative: telling a story based on a series of pictures

Writing

Grammar and Structure: using Standard English grammatical structure and writing conventions

Writing Sentences: constructing sentences on specific topics

Writing Short Compositions: writing short compositions on specific topics

How Rigorous is Your Instruction

Elbow Partner Now that you have seen what is expected of your

students, how well do you believe you are preparing them for English proficiency?

Reflecting…

Keeping today’s learning and your focal students in mind, please note a couple: Recollections Insights Applications

Be prepared to share out

Day 1 EvaluationReflect on Day 1 Learning (http://estaffroom.sccoe.org)

Day2: Supporting English Learners during Content Instruction