10 Things to Remember When Working with ESL Students Surry County Schools

1. Language learning is a LONG process. A student may become proficient with basic social language (what you hear them speak with friends) within a few months to 3 years time, BUT… Some research shows it takes 5 to 10 years or more to develop proficiency with academic language, which is what they encounter in class and must have to succeed in school.

Academically speaking: Listening and reading proficiency usually develop first. Speaking follows, and writing is almost always the last domain the student develops.

2. Language learning is an emotional process. ESL students, especially in secondary school, may be very reluctant to participate in class for fear of embarrassment. This fear can manifest itself as shyness, aloofness, laziness, frustration, anger, rebellion, or apathy and can affect even the “toughest” ESL student or the one who has been in U.S. schools for years.

3. If no learning disability is evident in an ESL student, most of his difficulties are due to language gaps. Lack of background knowledge Academic, content-specific language Find out exactly what the student didn’t understand. Often the simplest words are the ones that trip them up. Sticky notes for unknown words BEFORE doing assignment

4. Pre-teaching is better than re-teaching. ESL students do not have the same background knowledge as native English speakers, neither linguistically nor culturally. Often it is necessary to spend extra time building background for a concept before jumping into instruction. Students will not be able to fill in the gaps in their schemata on their own and thus their understanding will be partial, at best.

5. You must know students’ proficiency levels. Determined by annual ACCESS test The ESL teacher can give you this information or you can find it in cumulative folders. 6 Reaching Can-Do Descriptors on Federal 5 Bridging Programs site will help guide 4 Expanding you in planning instruction and 3 Developing assessment that is appropriate 2 Emerging for students’ levels. 1 Entering

6. Lecture or textbook alone are not effective. The ESL student’s brain faces different processing demands than that of a native English speaker. Low proficiency students will understand next to nothing, and even advanced students are rarely able to pick out the most pertinent information or organize it in notes. Provide outlines of lecture, and fill in more or less information for students according to their proficiency level. Supplement, supplement, supplement!

7. Set fair expectations Plan instruction and assessment that is i + 1. Be flexible with what you accept as evidence of learning. Remember that ESL students need: many visuals; much repetition; concrete examples; clear, detailed instructions; simplified language; chance to clarify in their native language.

8. Consider the language component of your content. SIOP = content learning and language development going hand-in-hand What language are you presenting or requiring of your students in your class? What do students have to: listen to, read, say, write? Collaboration with ESL teacher

Language objectives from content objectives: Formula for language objectives: verb + topic + support Algebra 1 example: Content Objective: A.SSE.3a Write expressions in equivalent forms by factoring to find the zeros of a quadratic function and explain the meaning of the zeros. Language objective: Explain to a partner how you solved the problem using past tense verbs from a word wall. Biology example: Content and Language Objective combined: Bio. 1.1.1 Explain how the structure of the organelle determines its function using a sentence frame: A _____ has/is ______, which allow(s) it to __________ by ___________.

9. SIOP instruction is good for all students. The SIOP Model, when implemented correctly, is very engaging and makes content accessible to all students, even those who speak no English. Many SIOP strategies are also effective for students with disabilities. SIOP is “just good teaching,” with a significant difference: the consideration it gives to language development. It is the extra step needed to help LEP students close the gap academically.

I II III IV Lo 11% 28% 54% 7% 180 Med 16% 40% 42% 2% 57 Hi 6% 4% 75% Data from Charlotte-Mecklenberg Levels of Teacher SIOP PD in High School vs Student Achievement in English Teachers with Lo/Med/Hi SIOP PD I II III IV Total # of students in sample Lo 11% 28% 54% 7% 180 Med 16% 40% 42% 2% 57 Hi 6% 4% 75% 51 Total 31 76 160 21 288

10. Set students up for success. Motivation Frustration Lack of academic support outside of school Students need to feel that content is within their reach or they will shut down. Small successes go a long way!

Teaching Learning Zones (adapted from Mariani, 1997; Hammond and Gibbons, 2007) High challenge frustration apprenticeship zone zone Low support High support nowhere pobrecito zone zone Low challenge

Best wishes for a very successful school year! Sarah Torres SIOP Coach torress@surry.k12.nc.us