Differentiated Instruction For English Language Learners By: Stephanie Merrick

What is an English Language Learner? Students in your classroom whose primary language is not English. They may have recently moved to the United States, or just speak a different language at home.

The Facts During the school year, 10.5% of the U.S. student population were English Language Learners. From , the number of students who did not speak English at home increased 124% It is projected that by 2030 the English Language Learners will make up 40% of the classroom.

Difficulties that ELL’s Experience The abundance of idioms in the English Language Fear of interaction with mainstream students In math, ELL’s use different processes to arrive at answers Students may have little knowledge of U.S. History and Government Teachers often talk too fast for them to take notes.

Tips for Working With English Language Learners Speak clearly and in standard English. Make sure the ELL student can see your face when you are speaking Assign a “buddy” to your ELL student Learn and use the student’s name Be as visual as possible

Tips Continued Have certain predictable routines in the class Learn as much as you can about the culture that the student comes from Allow extra time on assignments if needed In the beginning, provide bilingual materials when needed Remember that a smile transcends all cultural and lingual barriers

References Flynn, K., & Hill J. English Language Learners: A Growing Population. Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from guageLearners.pdf Haynes, J. (2009). Challenges for ELLs in Content Area Learning. everythingESL. Retrieved March 4, 2009, from challenges_ells_content_area_l_65322.php Heining-Boynton. Keys to success for English language learners. Learn NC. Retrieved March 4, 2009, from