Maximizing the Success of English Learners

Robert Crowe Adam Warren 135 South Rosemead Blvd. Pasadena, CA (626)

Agenda 1.Academic Learning Time 2.Determining Who Is an English Learner 3.CELDT Level Proficiencies 4.Develop Language Proficiencies  Receptive Skills  Productive Skills 5.Structured Student Interaction 6.Effective Vocabulary Instruction

Academic Learning Time

Maximizing Academic Learning Time Using Direct Interactive Instruction

Determining Who Is an English Learner Who is an English learner? An English learner is...

Determining Who Is an English Learner An English learner is... “a student, with a home language other than English, who is not yet proficient in English.” – © California Department of Education

Determining the Capabilities of an English Learner ReceptiveProductive

CELDT Level Proficiencies CELDT Proficiency Level Descriptions The proficiency level descriptors below are written from the beginning level to advanced level, and each level builds on the preceding level. An individual student’s English language development may be marked by periods of accelerated or slow growth, reversals of progress, attainment of language plateaus, and unparalleled development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. At each level, the English learner continues to expand his or her social and academic vocabulary and his or her capacity to learn grade-level content delivered in unmodified English. These proficiency level descriptors should be used with tests administered after July 1, 2006.

CELDT Level Proficiencies Beginning – Students performing at this level of English-language proficiency may demonstrate little or no receptive or productive English skills. They are beginning to understand few concrete details during unmodified instruction. They may be able to respond to some communication and learning demands, but with many errors. Oral and written production is usually limited to disconnected words and memorized statements and questions. Frequent errors make communication difficult.

CELDT Level Proficiencies Early Intermediate – Students performing at this level of English-language proficiency continue to develop receptive and productive English skills. They are able to identify and understand more concrete details during unmodified instruction. They may be able to respond with increasing ease to more varied communication and learning demands with a reduced number of errors. Oral and written production is usually limited to phrases and memorized statements and questions. Frequent errors still reduce communication.

CELDT Level Proficiencies Intermediate – Students performing at this level of English-language proficiency begin to tailor their English-language skills to meet communication and learning demands with increasing accuracy. They are able to identify and understand more concrete details and some major abstract concepts during unmodified instruction. They are able to respond with increasing ease to more varied communication and learning demands with a reduced number of errors. Oral and written production has usually expanded to sentences, paragraphs, and original statements and questions. Errors still complicate communication.

CELDT Level Proficiencies Early Advanced – Students performing at this level of English-language proficiency begin to combine the elements of the English language in complex, cognitively demanding situations and are able to use English as a means for learning in content areas. They are able to identify and summarize the most concrete details and abstract concepts during unmodified instruction in most content areas. Oral and written production is characterized by more elaborate discourse and fully- developed paragraphs and compositions. Errors are less frequent and rarely complicate communication.

CELDT Level Proficiencies Advanced – Students performing at this level of English-language proficiency communicate effectively with various audiences on a wide range of familiar and new topics to meet social and learning demands. In order for students at this level to attain the English-proficiency level of their native English-speaking peers, further linguistic enhancement and refinement are still necessary. Students at this level are able to identify and summarize concrete details and abstract concepts during unmodified instruction in all content areas. Oral and written production reflects discourse appropriate for content areas. Errors are infrequent and do not reduce communication.

Develop Language Proficiencies CELDT Level ReceptiveProductive 1 Beginning 2 Early Intermediate 3 Intermediate 4 Early Advanced 5 Advanced

Develop Language Proficiencies

How Can We Support Our English Learners? “Unless [English learners] receive high quality instruction provided by teachers who use effective, evidence-based teaching strategies, the gaps between the students’ knowledge of informal conversational English and Academic English will not be eliminated.” – Robin Scarcella

Develop Language Proficiencies

What classroom instruction do English learners need in order to develop their English language proficiency?

Structured Student Interaction How does talking about something help shape your thoughts about a topic?

Structured Student Interaction “This technique works well with ELLs because it allows them to formulate their ideas on their own, test them out in a non-threatening way with their partners, and then, reinforced by their partner’s feedback, share the ideas with the class.” – Ellen Douglas, Reading Comprehension and English Language Learners: Assessing Reading Comprehension with English Language Learners, 2005.

Structured Student Interaction Criteria for Structured Student Interaction: 1.Teacher provides prompt/question by CELDT proficiency level. 2.Teacher tells students how long they have to think about the question. 3.Students think about the topic. 4.Teacher provides sentence frames by CELDT proficiency level. 5.Teacher tells students how long they have to talk to their partners about the question. 6.Students talk to their partners about the topic. 7.Teacher monitors student interaction. 8.Teacher calls on students to share with class. 9.Students share with class in complete sentences.

Structured Student Interaction CELDT Level PromptsExpected Responses 1 Beginning  Point to ______.  Find the ______.  Match ______.  Is this a ______? Students use non-verbal communication or single words to...  identify information.  retell basic general information.  answer literal questions. 2 Early Intermediate  yes/no questions  either/or questions  literal questions  questions that generate a list of words Students use phrases or simple sentences with minor errors to...  describe using simple vocabulary.  retell specific information.  ask and answer literal questions. 3 Intermediate  Tell me about ______.  Talk about ______.  What do you think about ______?  Describe ______.  Explain ______.  Retell ______. Students use simple sentences or more detailed sentences with minor errors to...  describe using sensory details.  retell specific information using visual clues.  ask and answer literal questions, and answer inferential questions with support. 4 Early Advanced  Why?  How?  Give an example of ______.  What is your opinion? Students use complex sentences with minor errors to...  describe using general academic vocabulary.  retell specific information using idiomatic expressions.  ask and answer literal and inferential questions. 5 Advanced  Using evidence from the text, explain why ______.  Using evidence from the text, explain how ______.  What are the reasons that ______?  What would happen if ______?  Compare ______.  How are these different?  How are these the same? Students use complex and detailed sentences to...  describe using specific academic and/or figurative language.  retell specific information with native-like speech.  ask and answer literal and inferential questions with native-like speech. Oral Language Prompting Techniques

Structured Student Interaction CELDT Level PromptsExpected Responses 1 Beginning Point to the main character.(Student points to Goldilocks.) The main character is Goldilocks. 2 Early Intermediate How many bears are in the story?There are three bears in the story. 3 Intermediate Describe what Goldilocks saw when she entered the house. When Goldilocks entered the house, she saw three bowls of porridge on the table. Oral Language Prompting Techniques Sample Prompts and Responses

Structured Student Interaction CELDT Level PromptsExpected Responses 4 Early Advanced How did Goldilocks react when she tasted the porridge? When Goldilocks tasted the porridge, she reacted by deciding that the first was too hot and the second was too cold, but the third was just right. 5 Advanced How would the story have been different if the bears had finished their porridge before leaving the house? If the bears had finished their porridge before leaving the house, one way the story would have been different is... Oral Language Prompting Techniques Sample Prompts and Responses (continued)

Structured Student Interaction Activity: __________ Book/Page: _____EL Level 1 What is the prompt/question I will provide? 2 What are some possible answers? 3 How long will my students have to think? 4 What sentence frames do I need to provide? 5 How long will my students have to talk? 6 How will I monitor student interaction and check for understanding? 7 How will I have my students share with the class? Lesson Delivery: How do I deliver structured interaction to support the English learners in my classroom?

Structured Student Interaction English-Language ArtsMathematics  The main character in _____ is _____.  The setting of _____ is _____.  The problem in _____ is _____ because _____.  The main events of the story are _____.  I predict _____. My evidence from the text is _____.  This story is the similar to _____ because _____.  This story is different from _____ because _____.  One meaning of the word _____ is _____.  My evidence is the following context clues _____.  To solve this problem, I need to _____.  The operation needed to solve this problem is _____.  The correct answer is ____ because ____.  The justification for this step is _____.  I checked my answer by _____.  First I will _____ in order to _____.  To simplify this expression, I need to _____.  To find the solution, I will _____.  This graph/table shows _____. History-Social ScienceScience  The characteristics of _____ are _____, _____, and _____.  _____ happened because _____.  When _____ happened it caused _____.  The cause of _____ was _____. My evidence from the text is _____.  The effect of _____ was _____. My evidence from the text is _____.  If _____ happened instead of _____, _____ might have occurred.  My opinion is _____ based on the following evidence _____.  The order that _____ happened is first _____, then _____, and finally _____.  _____ is an example of a _____.  This is a _____.  _____, _____, and _____ are all _____.  I think _____ is _____.  Based on _____, I think _____.  _____ is similar to _____ because _____.  _____ is different from _____ because _____.  I would put _____ first, _____ second, and _____ third because _____.  I think _____ is the most important because _____. Common Language Frames

Effective Vocabulary Instruction “A significant factor in developing sophisticated language skills is time on task producing academic language in interactive educational settings where there is opportunity for repeated exposure to and use of words, and opportunity for feedback.” – Francis et al., Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions, 2006, Vol. 1, pg. 27.

Effective Vocabulary Instruction Word or TermDefinitionRelated WordsSentenceVisual receptive words of or related to the language skills of listening and reading Our receptive vocabulary includes more words than we use when we speak or write. productive words of or relating to the language skills of speaking and writing For a word to be part of our productive vocabulary, we must fully “own” the word. integrated addressed in a variety of contexts; not in isolation Vocabulary instruction will be integrated to provide students with multiple exposures in reading and writing. systematic involving methodical planA systematic approach does not leave instruction to chance. Vocabulary Matrix

Maximizing the Success of English Learners Ticket-Out-the-Door