HELPING YOUR ELL STUDENT A TEACHER’S REFERENCE Vickie Kelley

HELP! I CAN’T COMMUNICATE! Don’t panic if you can’t communicate. Do look at this child as an asset who brings experiences to share that other students would never have been exposed to. You will be amazed by how much an ELL student’s ability to share these unique experiences improves. Don’t worry that the ELL does not speak English right away. Learning language is a process. It will happen with time. Be aware that a “silent period” is common with ELL children. This will pass in a matter of time, also. Do know that you have the opportunity to truly change this child’s first memories of school in America- something he/she can treasure forever. DON’T FORGET – SMILING IS AN UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE!

Culture shock is a biochemical reaction a person’s body has when faced with a disruption in what is his/her environment. All ELL students suffer different degrees of culture shock  Often ELL children are devastated by the emotional upheaval to be in a new place where they have lost their ability to communicate.  Common behavior during this time is: crying, shyness, and the child may become withdrawn or suffer physical ailments like stomach aches and headaches. What is Culture Shock? Culture shock will wane with time and the child’s true personality will come out.

Teach classroom survival expressions in context. Words and grammar taught in isolation are often forgotten. Ex. May I go to the bathroom ? You might just start out by emphasizing “bathroom” each time the student walks to the bathroom door until there is meaning for this word. At earlier stages, ask the student to point, gesture, or respond with single words or phrases. Don’t force students to speak but still ask that they respond (pointing, etc.) Some survival phrases: I don’t understand, Can you help me?, My name is…, Please say it again.

Get your students involved! they can… Model how to be helpful. Help the ELL student understand and adjust to the American school system. Expectations and procedures may be very different than what they are accustomed to. Model how to be interested rather than fearful about differences. Model task completion physically. Then, you can add visuals to aid in understanding and provide opportunity to work with a peer.

Additional ideas you may like to try… Develop and maintain routines. Assign peer tutors List and review instructions step-by-step Make the ELL student a helper  Handing out papers, posting lunch numbers, etc. Label your room and classroom objects Post schedules, objectives, rules, lunch menu, bus schedule Give word banks Provide study guides Use songs, rhymes, chants/raps, poems, stories, role play, dialogs Use pictures, manipulatives, and realia

Language As a System Language is experience-based and founded on authentic experiences.  An ELL may need to be given new experiences to give meanings to words they have never known in their native language.  Keep this in mind when testing. Students may not have the conceptual, cultural schema equal to that of native English speakers. Structural components of language learning include:  Vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, spelling  Reading, writing, speaking, listening, comprehension  Different uses/ levels of spoken communication  Purposes for establishing and maintaining relationships These systems develop simultaneously while the child acquires English.

Many ELLs are not only learning English but also grade-level content skills. Since note-taking is mainly dependent on a child’s ability to pick out “key” words in lecture, provide an outline with specific vocabulary for the child to listen for. Many students first learning English cannot hear certain English phonemes that do not exist in their native language. Thus, without the “key words” written for him/her, the child will not be able to find these “created” spellings he/she has taken as notes in the dictionary after class. Additionally, it is necessary to spend some time on developing dictionary skills.

Predictors for Academic Success: Support of native language  Encourage student to develop their native language literacy skills at home through reading and writing. Literacy skills transfer!  If the child is not literate in the native language, we will work to establish literacy in English.  Allow opportunities to work with native language peer to clarify ideas and concepts. This should be scaffolded. Active, cognitively-complex instruction  Do not water content down, simply use simple language structures when teaching the content.  Of course ELL students learn best when anxiety is reduced. One way to help with this is by using classroom strategies that aid in comprehension. Positive school climate with respect for all languages and cultures

INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES TO IMPLEMENT EXPLICIT AND INTENTIONAL INSTRUCTION Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol ( SIOP)

Instructional Components 1. Building Background Explicitly link concepts to student’s background and experiences Explicitly link past learning and new concepts Emphasize key vocabulary In a second language, a child does not have the background knowledge and educational experiences to support content or give contextual meaning to print. P reviewing and building background knowledge must be a starter at all times.

Instructional Components 2. Comprehensible Input  Use speech appropriate for students’ proficiency level: slower rate, enunciation, and simple sentence structure.  Explain academic tasks clearly. Break tasks down and model if necessary.  Use variety of techniques to make concepts clear (hands-on, demonstrations, gestures, and body language). Simplify directions and allow “translating time” Help students with think-aloud sessions Check periodically to see if he/she is confused- use nonverbal responses: nodding of heads, raising hands, signaling, actions, or drawing

Instructional Components 3. Strategies  Provide ample opportunities for students to use strategies: predicting, summarizing, & self- monitoring.  Use scaffolding techniques providing the right amount of support to move students from one level of understanding to a higher level.  Use variety of questioning techniques including those that promote higher order thinking skills.

Strategies to Model COGNITIVE STRATEGIES: analyze, outline, take notes METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES: identify learning preferences, arrange study skills MEMORY-RELATED STRATEGIES: acronyms, mnemonic devices, rhyming, imagery COMPENSATORY STRATEGIES: synonyms, guessing from context, guessing from context AFFECTIVE STRATEGIES: mood or anxiety level identification, positive self-talk

Instructional Components 4. Interaction Provide opportunities for frequent interactions and discussions between teacher/students. (drama, dialogues, small group discussions, games, songs, poems, show and tell, skits) Use group configurations that support language and content objectives at the same time. Provide sufficient wait-time for student responses. If you can not understand what your student says-  Repeat what you think the student said with question intonation to check your comprehension.  Tell the student “Sorry, I don’t understand. Please say it again.

Instructional Components 5. Lesson Delivery Pace lesson appropriately abilities Repeat, repeat, repeat. Be redundant with concepts in multiple lessons. (Try to use same wording when repeating) In the beginning: slower rate, clearer enunciation, high frequency words, shorter sentences, and less sentence complexity Use more pauses between phrases and paraphrase Avoid idioms and slang Use visual reviews (lists/charts/graphic organizers) Use verbal reviews Nonverbal cues: act out word meanings and include facial expressions

Instructional Components 6. Application  Provide hands-on materials and/or manipulatives to practice new content material.  Provide activities for students to apply content and language knowledge in the classroom.  Provide activities that integrate all language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking

Let’s Face It – English Is a Crazy Language Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. Why is it that a writer can write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? You have the marvel at the language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. You, as the teacher, have the ability to help ELLs sort all of the “ins and outs” out by taking them in, helping them out, and giving them a hand (not literally, of course).

Thank you for your time and for making a difference ! I hope you found this informative. Please feel free to contact me for any additional information or assistance Give these fun sites a try for your ELL students: