English As A New

Language

Government of Alberta

Working with Young Children who are Learning English as a New Language

1. Learning English as a New Language

2. Developing and Maintaining the Home Language

3. Engaging Families and Communities

4. Creating a Supportive Learning Environment

5. Language Learning Activities

A) Early Stages of Learning

i) Beginning Stage:

1. Children use their first language in the school setting.

2. There is a non-verbal period when they do not use any language for weeks or even months

1) Learning English as a New Language

ii) Emerging Stage:1. As children are exposed to more

social interaction they begin to use one and two word responses learned from other English speaking children

1) Learning English as a New Language

1) Learning English as a New Language

iii) Developing Stage: 1. Children engage in

conversational English but often have errors in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

B) How Long Does It Take for Children to Learn English?

•3-4 years to accumulate an English vocabulary

•5-7 years for children to master complex English skills.

1) Learning English as a New Language

C) Why Do Some Children Learn English Faster Than Others?•Language aptitude:

-inherent trait some learn faster than others

•Age of acquisition:-starting to learn before the age of 6-8 is

better for developing punctuation and grammar

-after age of 6-8 faster vocabulary growth-it is never too late or too early to learn another language

•Socio-economic status:-children tend to learn faster when they have parents with higher levels of education

•Quality and quantity of English exposure

1) Learning English as a New Language

2) Developing and Maintaining the Home Language•When children develop two languages at the same time the languages build on each other rather than take away from each other.

•Maintaining the home language is a key to a child’s success in school.

•Family relationships can be weakened if the children and parents do not share a common language of communication.

•Ways to encourage the development of a child’s first language:• Encourage parents to speak at home• Take children to events• Find books• Use picture books as prompts • Sing songs and rhymes • Play games from their culture• Discuss movies, activities, and daily experiences

2) Developing and Maintaining the Home Language

•The importance of the teacher’s role

•Consider newcomer issues

•Learn who they are but be respectful of privacy

3) Engaging Families and Communities

A) Establish a welcoming environment

B) Encourage children to play

C) Model language use:-make an effort to learn a word or

two of encouragement in their home language to make the child feel welcome

4) Creating a Supportive Learning Environment

•Encourage interaction

•Repetition

•Visuals

•Language-rich activities:-storytelling and retelling-puppets-games, songs, finger-plays

5) Language Learning Activities

Questions, Discussion, and Sharing

http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/esl/resources.aspx

Working With Young Children Who Are Learning English As A New Language

Look for ESL Proficiency Benchmarks

Then Section 1or Section 2

http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/esl/resources.aspx

Look for ESL Proficiency Benchmarks

Then Section 1or Section 2