English Language Learners By Irene Miller, Kathy Sanders and Jim Steinke English As A Second Language Program Monona Grove School District

“If the culture of the teacher is to become part of the consciousness of the child, then the culture of the child must first be in the consciousness of the teacher” -Basil Bernstien

English is one of the hardest languages to learn English is one of the hardest languages to learn. There are many exceptions to both the rules of pronunciation and grammatical structure.

ESL Staff Elizabeth Hartung-Maywood 221-7670 ext. 3427 Nichols 221-7677 ext. 2013 Irene Miller- Taylor Prairie 839-8515 ext. 2630 Cottage Grove 839-4576 ext. 1139 Ryan Roling- Winnequah Middle 221-7676 ext. 170 Monona Grove High School 221-7666 ext. 2182 Bilingual Educational Assistant (Spanish) Winnequah Middle 221-7676 ext. 170 Monona Grove High School 221-7666 ext. 2182 Mr. Xai Thao (Hmong Language Translator) 839-1615

English Language Learners (ELL) by Nationality in the MG District Chinese Taiwanese Ecuadorian Puerto Rican Hmong Croatian Mexican Nepalese Nicaraguan Japanese Russian Thai

Referral Process The learning needs of each student are assessed and an appropriate Individual Report Plan (IRP) is developed. The ESL teacher assesses the student’s language needs and will develop an IRP based on the Department of Public Instruction’s English Proficiency Levels. The ESL teacher will then consult with the classroom teacher in the implementation of the plan.

Level 1: Beginning/Preproduction DPI Levels of English Language Learners Level 1: Beginning/Pre-production Level 2: Beginning Production Level 3: Intermediate Level 4: Advanced Intermediate Level 5: Advanced Level 6: Fully English proficient Level 7: Fully English proficient- Never Limited-English Proficient Level 1: Beginning/Preproduction Level 2: Beginning Production Level 3: Intermediate Level 4: Advanced Intermediate Level 5: Advanced Level 6: Fully English proficient

At levels 1-5 modification of academic learning goals and grading practices should be aligned with the Individualized Report Plan (IRP)

ELL students at levels 1 and 2 can take an alternative assessment instead of the state WKCE test. At levels 3-5 students may take the state test with accommodations.

Programming The School District of Monona Grove’s ELL program includes a variety of programming options including: Mainstream inclusive classroom support Pull-out support Small group instruction for intensive English learning and/or other subjects

Stages of Second Language Acquisition Pre-production Early Production Speech Emergence Intermediate Fluency

ESL Terminology ESL: English as a Second Language ELL: English Language Learner Alternative Assessment: Any test that is altered in any way for an English Language Learner BICS: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills, or social/conversational English CALPS: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, or academic English L1: First language or native language L2: Second language LEP: limited English Proficient, student has DPI level of 1-5

Myth: If an English Language Learner is not paying attention it means they are not interested or not working hard. Fact: English Language Learners may not understand what you intend to teach.

Myth All students learn a second language in the same way. Fact Students may be visual, kinesthetic, and/or auditory learners, depending on how they learned their first language.

Myth If I hear the students speaking English in the hallways, they must be able to understand what is happening in the classroom. Fact It takes 1-3 years to acquire social language, or BICS. It takes 5-9 years to acquire academic language, or CALP.

Myth Students have acquired a second language once they can speak it. Fact Students learn verbal language first. Written language and reading skills take much longer to acquire.

Ideas to Help ELL Students in the Classroom Use the ESL staff as a resource. As a team you can help the ELL student with their learning needs. It is not necessary to talk louder, but it sometimes helps to speak slower. Incorporate the culture and language of the ELL students, both they and the other students will benefit. Be aware of cultural differences. Use gestures and visual aids when you teach. Use graphic organizers and Venn diagrams. Locate yourself close to the ELL student when teaching. Be concise with the information you give to the ELL student to avoid “information overload”.

Ideas to Help ELL Students in the Classroom Check for comprehension. ESL students may be able to decode words but not understand what they have read. Use bilingual labels when possible. Phonemic awareness may be challenging for ESL students who have not acquired the English sound system. Integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening in real life contexts. Make a sheet of important vocabulary related to what you are teaching. Label important content words in your classroom. Pair ELL students with a mentor who will help them, Speak conversationally to the student as much as possible.

Resources WI DPI ESL resources, forms and state policy http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/ell/index.html Multicultural Education Resources and Lesson Plans http://www.hmongcenter.org/inabhmoncul.html Language Translators Includes Hmong/English translator http://www.word2word.com/dice.html Google site-limited translations-includes Spanish http://www.Google.com/language_tools?hl=en ESL Lesson Plans and Activities http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/eslplans.html Directory of ESL Websites http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/esl.html Hmong Culture Power Point-Jennifer Xiong-DPI Eau Claire Office RIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics http://www.cal.org/ericcll/ Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages (US) http://www.ed.gov/offices/OBEMLA/