what teachers should know about ell students

It should come as no surprise to anyone that kids will want to challenge authority (you), and see what they can get away with. With generous support provided by the National Education Association. The crafting of a good ELL assessment, along with the training of students to take such assessments, is as much an art as it is a science. Students typically achieve proficiency in social language long before they have mastered a grade-appropriate level of academic language. Together, you'll start discovering new ways that academic language unlocks the doors to their success — and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it! First things first: Students won’t master discipline-specific skills or fully learn content if vocabulary isn’t explicitly taught. Here are 30 things all teachers should know about autism in the classroom. Like many of the other tips regarding teaching ELL students, the key is to be intentional, rather than relying on assumptions about what your ELL students might understand based on your own cultural background. You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Colorín Colorado and the author(s). If you were to compare other kinds of passages or documents, some examples might include: As your students become more familiar with the differences between social and academic language, it will be easier to identify which is which and what is most appropriate for a certain setting. As such, all teachers should be trained in techniques suited for teaching ELLs, as well as in ways to modify curriculum and delivery (in terms of adaptation of language) to make content more accessible to ELLs. All kids learn better when they engage with material in … There is no formula, not cookie cutter lesson plan that you can use with every group. Colorín Colorado: Academic Language Resource Section, Colorín Colorado: Oral Language Development for ELLs, Colorín Colorado: Reading and Writing with ELLs, Colorín Colorado: Content-Area Instruction for ELLs, Becoming an Academic Language Mentor for ELLs, Common Core Ratchets Up Language Demands for English-Learners, 10 Things You Need to Learn About Your English Language Learners, 11 Strategies Schools Can Use to Support Students After an Immigration Raid, 15 Strategies for Communicating with ELL Families During the Winter, 15 Tips for Talking with Children About Violence, 5 Myths About English Language Learners (ELLs) and Special Education, 6 Strategies for Partnering With Families of English Language Learners, 8 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs in Any Learning Environment, Addressing ELLs’ Language Learning and Special Education Needs: Questions and Considerations, Communicating Important Information with ELL Families: Strategies for Success, Communicating with ELL Families During COVID-19: 10 Strategies for Schools, Connecting with ELL Families: Strategies for Success, Creating a Plan of Action for ELL Family Engagement, Encouraging and Sustaining ELL Parent Engagement, Engaging ELL Families Through Community Partnerships, Getting to Know Your ELLs: Six Steps for Success, How COVID-19 Is Impacting ELL and Immigrant Families, How to Expand ELLs' Access to Technology for Distance Learning, How to Support Refugee Students in Your School Community, Introduction: Strategies for Engaging ELL Families, Partnering with Immigrant Families During COVID-19: Lessons Learned from a Community School, Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners, Reflection Questions for Teachers and Students: Looking Back at Our Year, Taking a Museum Tour in Spanish: What It Feels Like to Be a Language Learner, Teaching ELLs Online: How to Develop Students' Language Skills, What You Need to Know About ELLs: Fast Facts, Why Reading to Your Kids in Your Home Language Will Help Them Become Better Readers, Winter Vacation: 10 Reading Ideas for Families, You Are Already a Leader: Identifying Your Leadership Skills on Behalf of ELLs, Academic Language and English language learners, Analysis of a PARCC ELA Assessment Task Through an ELL Lens (Part 1), Supporting ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: Language Tips, Language Objectives: The Key to Effective Content Area Instruction for English Learners, Essential Actions: 15 Research-based Practices to Increase ELL Student Achievement, Academic Language and ELLs: What Teachers Need to Know, The importance of looking beyond vocabulary, How academic language will be used in your classroom, A business letter vs. a personal e-mail (noted above), A newspaper's summary of a research report vs. the actual abstract of the report, A customer review of a book vs. the publisher's description of the book. How are different language domains used at different steps of the process? Teaching English Language Learners Across the Content Areas. You can not only use these to grade your students, but to chart their growth over a set period of time.Both tools feature a list of criteria or standards that students know you’re assessing. ESL teacher Wendi Pillars shares the top takeaways compiled from a student project used to hone language skills, catalyze change, and improve how teachers view ELLs. More than a one third of words in English have a Spanish-language cognate! For teachers, the ability to accurately assess these ELL students becomes increasingly important. ELL grammar errors can, but should not, impact ELL assessment in content areas. 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). However, teachers can only ignore these errors if they first know about them. While the uses of academic language may be more obvious for reading and writing, academic language is also necessary for listening to class discussion, lectures, and debates, as well as delivering speeches, presentations, and oral arguments. Be prepared for some discipline issues. If a student does not understand a language, how will he or she exceed on a test? Kristina Roberston notes in her video clip on our academic language playlist that her students call this "sounding smart" — and they know it when they hear it. Once students know how that a connection exists, they will start noticing more words that are related and they will be able to apply their own existing background knowledge about those words to the vocabulary they encounter. Some of ELLs’ strengths may include: Strong literacy skills in their native language. It may seem daunting at first, but you have an important role to play in supporting your students' academic language development. Artwork by Caldecott Award-winning illustrator David Diaz and Pura Belpr­é Award-winning illustrator Rafael López is used with permission. Here are some examples: The Declaration is now on display in  Washington, DC. Academic language is used at all grade levels, although its frequency increases as students get older. TESOL: 6 Principles for Teaching ELLs Perhaps you or your colleagues have taught a student, who, like Carlos, gave every sign of being fully "fluent" in English, only to find that the student struggled on more academic kinds of assignments. Can you think of some phrases or signal words that are not content specific but are commonly used in your area (such as "In comparison…")? While it was originally written for lawmakers, it is a user-friendly overview that can be used in school or pre-service settings. This report from Education Northwest outlines 14 key principles that will help guide classroom and content-area teachers in their planning for ELL instruction and provides instructional implications for each principle. The teacher must be able to teach to everyone in the class. 6 Strategies For Helping ELL Students In The Classroom. Without the ability to use content-specific vocabulary, students will find it hard to switch from social language into an academic register (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002). The article also includes information on social vs. academic language, as well as numerous examples of the different kinds of academic language needed for all students to fully participate in classroom activities and assignments. It is important that teachers … Serving and Supporting Immigrant Students, Bilingual & Dual-Language Education: Overview, Schools and Families: An Important Partnership, The difference between social and academic language, Academic Language and ELLs Resource Section. Teachers who have become more aware of typical ELL errors are better able to focus on content—science, history, math—and not be negatively swayed by grammar errors. (For example, a lab may require spoken language to be used in discussions between partners, and then writing to be used for the final written lab report.). In this case, bats and birds both share a similar feature (having wings), but they are not the same animal. By doing so, you will help familiarize students with the kinds of academic language needed to succeed in your classroom, as well as the purpose of the language they are using. Teachers are welcoming into their classrooms students on the autism spectrum. They’ll be stuck using social language instead, mumbling something like “Columbus is n… Autism is on the rise. Not only are you their primary source to learn a new language, but you … Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Fostering a welcoming atmosphere in the school and, whenever possible, communicating with parents in their native language is critical. & Zacarian, D. (2010). I really liked the way the article explains the difference between social and academic language. If your students have been in US schools for several years and/or were educated in their country of origin, are literate or not in their native language, may provide you with a better understanding of their educational needs and ways to support them. Dr. Cindy Lundgren explains the idea of "bricks and mortar" in our academic language video playlist, where "bricks" are the key vocabulary words and concepts in a sentence, and "mortar" is the language (such as signal words and phrases) holding the bricks together. … Teachers should: Use testing accommodations as appropriate As an ESL teacher, you play a pivotal role in the success of your ELL students. 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. The first thing I do is to understand the culture of the learners – that is, to know aspects such as the structure of their mother tongue, the values they uphold, some of their habits and their beliefs. It is also the language of the workplace — for example, the language used to write a business letter as opposed to a casual e-mail to a co-worker. Schools and teachers can help ELLs greatly by learning about ELLs' … Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) refers to social language, and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) refers to academic language. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Specific and measurable resolution: I … Looking at the list of cognates from Colorín Colorado, find 10 words related to your subject area. Teachers should exercise caution when administering unit or chapter tests to ELL students. Remember, they’re just kids being kids. 5 Things English Language Learner (ELL) Teachers Want You to Know. way that we consider what students should be learning and how teachers should be evaluated. Both hearing and seeing the written word on a daily basis will help students develop a better understanding of the English language. © Copyright 2019 WETA Public Broadcasting. Using rubrics and performance criteria is a great way to assess a variety of student work. Many textbooks used abbreviated terms in the interest of space, which requires students not only to track the references back to the original term but to build on existing background knowledge about the subject being discussesd. While a mainstream classroom mainly consists of students of the same age, an ESL teacher may work with a few grade levels at a time. Explicitly teach English language vocabulary and structures. 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). As a result, a student's ability to use language in social settings is not necessarily an accurate indicator of their mastery of academic language. When it comes to writing lab reports, however, he struggles. Students may write a lab report in science class. Students may also need help moving from the word level to the sentence, paragraph, or essay/project level in these sophisticated assignments. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. He participates in class discussions and listens carefully to instructions. At the same time, many educators have never learned how to teach academic language since language has traditionally been considered the domain of English as a Second Language (ESL) or English language arts teachers. 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. Students will try to push your buttons. She had assumed he was fluent in English, but now she is beginning to wonder about her initial assumption. What Teachers Should Know About Instruction for ELLs. Doing so, teachers can develop a … What are examples of key vocabulary words, terms, idioms, and phrases that are useful to know in your subject area? This report from Education Northwest outlines 14 key principles that will help guide classroom and content-area teachers in their planning for ELL instruction and provides instructional implications for each principle. Allow some scaffolding with the native language. Vocabulary forms the foundation that supports content knowledge and skill development. Note: There is such a thing as a false cognate, the most famous one being that embarazada in Spanish is not "embarrassed" — it means "pregnant"! Students may compare a scene from a novel and a movie in an English language arts class. This seems like such an obvious strategy to teachers that they often forget that their students might not hold it in such high regard!Teaching your students how to plan their learning is essential, as it sets their expectations and gives them goals to reach.Learning in a foreign language is incredibly difficult and it can sometimes seem to ELL students that there are simply too many gaps in their language knowledge to grasp a subject. That being said, there are certainly some useful guidelines teachers … If so, how did their social and academic language use differ? WHAT ALL TEACHERS SHOULD KNOW Principle 1: ELLs move through different stages as they acquire English proficiency and, at all stages, need comprehensible input. You do not need an in-depth background in linguistics or ESL methods to do so; rather, you need some guidance and practice in learning how to recognize the role academic language plays in your subject area and classroom, as well as support from colleagues who can guide you in your efforts. Here is a sample definition: "Even though" means that two items are similar, but they are not the same. That is, teachers must empower students to succeed by providing them with a learning environment which respects their culture, embraces their diversity, and celebrates their differences. Here are two different ways to understand a broader interpretation of academic language. Recently, nearly all states have adopted and have begun to roll out the Common Core Standards as the benchmark for what students nationwide should know and be able to do at each grade level, K-12. When they hear themselves "sounding smart," it is a source of excitement and motivation in the classroom. While it was originally written for lawmakers, it is a user-friendly overview that can be used in school or pre-service settings. Did anything in their language abilities surprise you? Have you had any students who were proficient in social language but struggled with academic language? While it will take some practice to determine what kinds of academic language your students need to learn and how to help them master it, as they become more comfortable, you will see their confidence and output increase. Choose texts that are diverse and represent multiple cultures, which will create opportunities for students … Although it has been a hotly debated topic in the … Do you have any ideas on how Mrs. Wilson can support his written academic language? Debbie Zacarian and Judie Haynes (2010) also look beyond discrete vocabulary words in their academic language definition, including a range of structures they call TWIPs (Terms, Words, Idioms, and Phrases). For commercial use, please contact info@colorincolorado.org. © Copyright 2019 WETA Public Broadcasting. As the example of Carlos above suggests, teachers may be most familiar with the level of students' social language — the language they hear students using with their friends in the hallways or on the playground. Having an effective way to evaluate students’ needs is crucial to helping students succeed. ELL students shouldn’t be labeled as slow learners just because they are not fluent in our language. The following are 4 key things that a General Education Teacher … Last but not least, don't forget to find out about the fun things! What is the difference between social and academic language? Based on what you now know about academic language, what kinds of support do you think Carlos needs in his chemistry class? The ability to truly measure the knowledge of ELL students takes time to develop. Scaffolding with the Native Language. ESL teachers work with students from all over the world, who come from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Finally, there is a great tool you can use to bolster academic language for students who speak a language related to English. There are several activities that teachers can implement into their teaching: Read to Students Daily. Visit WETA's other education websites: Start with a Book  |  Reading Rockets |  AdLit  |  LD OnLine, Web development by Boxcar Studio and Rapid Development Group, A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners, Education Northwest: Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, Serving and Supporting Immigrant Students, Bilingual & Dual-Language Education: Overview, Schools and Families: An Important Partnership, What Teachers Should Know About Instruction for ELLs. Homepage illustrations ©2009 by Rafael López originally appeared in "Book Fiesta" by Pat Mora and used with permission from HarperCollins. She knows that Carlos also speaks Spanish. The most important thing you can do is to provide examples and model the kinds of language you expect students to use on a regular basis. Oral or written assessments inevitably measure English learners’ English skills as well as, or even more than, the content being tested. All teachers must view improvement in all language domains for all students as the responsibility of all teachers. Homepage illustrations ©2009 by Rafael López originally appeared in "Book Fiesta" by Pat Mora and used with permission from HarperCollins. One great example is the process that high school ESL teacher Michelle Lawrence uses to help her students transition from sentences and paragraphs to essays. The soldiers received the  medal because of their  courage. His Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Wilson, is surprised to see how many gaps there are in his writing after reviewing his first lab report since he clearly understood the lab activity in class and explained the directions verbally to his peers. Now that you have some more background on what academic language is, it's time to think about how it is used in your subject area. They support ELL students and connect them to a new culture and way of learning. Many people think of vocabulary first when it comes to academic language. By Charissa McAuliff and Carolyn Wiezorek. At this day and age, most ESL teachers agree there’s only so much you can plan before you actually meet your new ESL students. Carlos, for example, has strong academic listening and speaking skills, but weaker writing skills. Understanding signal words and phrases is a key step in a student's ability to "unlock" the academic language they encounter, as well as to start using it correctly themselves. You see, what works great for one set of students, might not be the best fit for another set. This article helps educators understand the role that academic language plays in their classrooms and their students' ability to fully participate in classroom activities and assignments. Visit WETA's other education websites: Start with a Book  |  Reading Rockets |  AdLit  |  LD OnLine, Web development by Boxcar Studio and Rapid Development Group, A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners. (See Playlist: Writing Process 2.). It’s usually based on language proficiency and academic progression through work such as presentations, written assignments and reading activities. Do model for students what they are expected to do or produce, especially for new skills or activities, by explaining and demonstrating the learning actions, sharing your thinking processes aloud, and showing good teacher and student work samples. Additional articles, books, and videos can be found in our Academic Language and ELLs Resource Section. ELLs’ needs, strengths, and challenges can vary dramatically, even within the same classroom or among students from the same country. It is not a 100% foolproof strategy — but it is generally a very useful tool. When ELs have siblings to care for afterschool, possibly live with extended family membe… Students may need just as much help using academic language in their speaking as in their writing, and they may be at different levels across different domains. While content-area vocabulary words and terms are certainly an important component, academic language also refers to the words and phrases used to connect these key words and to communicate concepts. Language plays in their native language she explains in the school and, whenever possible, with! Helps educators understand the role that academic language is used in school or pre-service settings by López! 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Class have an IEP and what services and accommodations are needed for each of activities! Students may also need help moving from the word level to the sentence paragraph... Sample definition: `` Even though '' means that two items are similar but... The medal because of their courage exceed on a test all over the world, who come from cultural! Need help moving from the word level to the sentence, paragraph, or level! Or chapter tests to ELL students and connect them to a new culture and way of learning their is... Test-Taking abilities, which can be used in school or pre-service settings English learners ’ English skills as.! Commercial use, please contact info @ colorincolorado.org consider how much English the students have acquired particularly! In supporting your students ' academic language these ELL students shouldn ’ t master discipline-specific skills fully... And, whenever possible, what teachers should know about ell students with parents in their native language compare two famous speeches in history class which! Both share a similar spelling and meaning in both languages they support ELL students in class! Of students, but they are not only teaching general Education students might! Student 's interests paragraph, or essay/project level in these sophisticated assignments terms,,. Role to play in supporting your students ' families and their needs is crucial Helping...