1. English Language Learners in the Classroom
I will be providing you with some information that I hope you will find useful when you are working with English Language Learners in your schools. The title today, “Successful Inclusion: A Shared Responsibility,” highlights the significance you play in your roles as content area teachers – without you, successful inclusion for ELLs is exceedingly more difficult. Together, by sharing responsibility with administrators, teachers, and other paraprofessionals, successful inclusion is exceedingly more likely – not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.
“Successful Inclusion:
A Shared Responsibility”

2. Including English Language Learners (ELLs) in the Classroom
Inclusion Ideas for ELL Students That Work

3. PDE’s Commitment to Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
“Our goal for each child is to ensure any type child study team begins with the general education setting with the use of Supplementary Aids and Services before considering a more restrictive environment.”
We have to begin with what is expected of our ELL team at the mandated state level. PDE clearly states that the goal always begins with students (IEP, ELL, any) in a general education setting with the use of supplementary aids and services before we even consider a more restrictive environment.

4. PDE Vision for the Education of English Language Learners
Provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of education which includes the provision of quality, culturally-responsive and equitable educational programs for English Language Learners and assurance of their appropriate participation in all aspects of the educational program. The Department ensures that its programs will address the needs and rights of English Language Learners in all its initiatives throughout the entire process of planning and implementation.
Of course this is more carefully defined through their vision for the education of ELLs in the state. Simply stated, quality, equality, appropriate, needs, and rights are expected across the board for all students.

5. PDE Vision for the Education of English Language Learners
The vision of the Department promotes the recognition of these students and their parents as cultural, economic, and linguistic assets to the Commonwealth’s global initiatives.
The Department is committed to using its Standards Aligned System to ensure that English Language Learners receive core curriculum instruction and achieve high levels of academic success.
In addition, and more importantly, the state recognizes the global value ELLs bring to our state and have established a system to ensure ELL’s needs are met and will continue to be met.

6. A Defined Need for Commitment and Vision by All School Districts
Language and educational policies for children new to English in the United States continue almost spontaneously. This appears to be influenced by immediate social, political, and economic factors. Data obtained from the 2000 Census have revealed that the number of children between the ages of 5 and 17 who speak a language other than English has increased by over 54% from the previous 1990 Census.
This information is derived from self-reported language use and proficiency, and interpretation of the data by language and education policymakers is just beginning to emerge. Policymakers will likely use these data numbers to formulate, alter, and institute language and educational policies affecting children for whom English is a new language. Such policies will ultimately affect classroom practice and the ways in which English language learners (ELLs) throughout the United States are educated.

7. So… why should a school district have a policy in place specifically for its English Language Learners?
School districts must implement policies for equal access of students for whom English is a second or new language. Those policies are set at the level by the local school board, but they may never supersede federal or state law.
Of course, educational policies created at the national level are negotiated at the state and local school district levels as supports are provided to schools, teachers, paraprofessionals, and their students. In this way, federal policies affect classroom practice in the micro-interactions that occur between teachers and their students.

8. Implications for Rural Schools
Fact: Most schools in rural communities enroll very few students for whom English is a second or new language. Sometimes, interventions in small schools are dealt with as they occur without formal procedures.
Ensuring that ELL students are not marginalized requires a special effort in rural schools, because the rights of English language learners and their access to appropriate instructional programs are not limited by the number of students in a school.

9. You…..
are a necessary and an important part of this educational achievement process.
You…..
can make a difference because you are there and because
You……
understand and will help them understand.
You can make the difference if you realize that all students are part of the general education system. Furthermore, if you understand that there is a shared responsibility for student achievement across the entire school community, and recognize that the best way to address student learning is to be proactive.

10. Outcomes
Recognize and understand the implications from the stages of second language acquisition.
Identify and use tools for assisting ESL students in their planned instruction.
Summarize current research and relate it to effective instruction for ELLs.
Apply effective instructional accommodations.
Now that we know what is expected, how can we achieve our goals together effectively and efficiently? Hopefully, this presentation will help us get there together.

11. Let’s Begin With English Language Acquistion
Children who enter our schools with a language other than English have a good knowledge of their native language (L1) …
a “linguistic knowing” that they use unconsciously in their daily communications.
The student’s L1 serves as the foundation for English language acquisition.
ELL’s come to school with language development in their language, otherwise they would not be able to converse in their L1. (Sounds * Grammar * Structure * Vocabulary *) Many studies have found that cognitive and academic development in the first language have an extremely important and positive effect on second language schooling.

12. English Language Development for ESL Students
Effective L2 language instruction requires an understanding of and is guided by a knowledge base on:
Second Language Acquisition
Conventions of L1 and L2
Key components in language development
OK – Let’s start with the basics. Many studies have found that cognitive and academic development in the first language have an extremely important and positive effect on second language schooling.
(Collier, 1995)

13. Second Language Acquisition
Second language acquisition is a lifelong process
with many parallels to first language acquisition.
Error patterns are predictable across all learning regardless of the student’s L1 or formal instruction in L2.
Language acquisition is not a linear process; formal instruction does not speed up the process.
Sequential curricula materials (mastery of each discrete point before moving on to the next point) can be disastrous for second language learners.
We learn simple structures before we acquire more complex ones: Active v. Passive
Regularize verb endings: Example : Students may first say such things as, “I eated breakfast” or “Why was the road crossed by the chicken?

14. Stages of Second Language Development
Pre-Production; Silent Period
Early Production
Speech Emergence
Intermediate Fluency
Here are the actual stages a student – a child – goes through when learning a second language. I like to draw a comparison of the stages with the stages I saw my own children go through when learning language. It is not a perfect comparison, of course, but helps me put the stages in context with the development process.
1. During the pre-production stage of language development, students remain quiet for some time. They appear to be “sponging-up” the language and subtle processes involved in interpersonal interactions. This is most commonly known as “The Silent Period.” The student may show understanding by:
drawing or pointing.
using movement or mime.
It is rarely productive to try and cajole a reluctant beginner into answering questions in class. There is a well-attested silent period that some ESL students go through in which they are not prepared to volunteer any spoken information. Remember that these students are learning and will emerge from their silent cocoon some time later with a surprising ability to express themselves orally.
2. During the early production stage, students may begin to use one word or short phrase descriptors to communicate. Students can show understanding by:
answering yes/no questions.
providing one word answers.
3. During the speech emergence stage, students will use short sentences and make more attempts to communicate complete thoughts. Students can show understanding by:
using three word phrases.
using complete sentences.
engaging in extended discourse.
4. During the intermediate fluency stage, students will speak in sentences and phrases with occasional errors in grammar, syntax, or vocabulary. Students can show understanding by:
giving opinions.
analyzing and debating.
examining and evaluating.
defending and justifying.
creating.

15. What this means for the English Language Learner
The sounds in L1 that transfer to L2 will be sounds in L2 that are not part of
the phonology of L1.
In addition, the letter / sound correspondence may not be the same.
Many studies have found that cognitive and academic development in the first language have an extremely important and positive effect on second language schooling.
(Collier, 1995)
LEER MAS

16. Literacy Development in English for ESL students
It is important to understand that ESL students are faced with many phonological, syntactical, and semantic differences in going from L1 to L2.
It is also important to understand that the less proficient a student is in English, the more the student will rely on L1 cues.
This is very normal in the process of developing a second language.
It is NOT a learning disability, but a language difference, and the more proficient he becomes in English, the less he will rely on his L1 when working in L2.
During the pre-production stage of language development, students remain quiet for some time. They appear to be “sponging-up” the language and subtle processes involved in interpersonal interactions. This is most commonly known as “The Silent Period.” The student can show understanding by:
drawing or pointing.
using movement or mime.
During the early production stage, students may begin to use one word or short phrase descriptors to communicate. Students can show understanding by:
answering yes/no questions.
providing one word answers.
During the speech emergence stage, students will use short sentences and make more attempts to communicate complete thoughts. Students can show understanding by:
using three word phrases.
using complete sentences.
engaging in extended discourse.
During the intermediate fluency stage, students will speak in sentences and phrases with occasional errors in grammar, syntax, or vocabulary. Students can show understanding by:
giving opinions.
analyzing and debating.
examining and evaluating.
defending and justifying.
creating.

17. Think about this: Second Language Learners…
Second language learners are doing twice the “thinking” work of native speakers during reading instruction because they are:
acquiring new literacy concepts and skills and
attending to the sounds, meanings, and structures of a new language.
The content area teacher’s role is very important in supporting ELL’s.
It is not uncommon that ESL/Bilingual students become tired and frustrated as the day unfolds. They are constantly challenged to function at high levels of cognition. As a result, you might want to create games and /or help the students with hands-on approaches to keep the students more relaxed and comfortable in the learning environment.

18. Some Simple Guidelines for Helping Second Language Learners
Have high expectations for learning.
Promote the development of essential language and literacy skills at a student’s level of oral proficiency in English.
Encourage and provide support for literacy through activities that build on language, comprehension, print concepts, and the alphabetic principle.
Use language that is comprehensible
and meaningful to the students
High expectations are critical to the success of second language learners. They can do many things and have the ability to learn concepts and new information effectively and efficiently with appropriate methodology and instruction. Making things easier for ELL students in the classroom means making accommodations that help them to do the tasks that the native speakers are expected to do. It emphatically does not mean watering down the cognitive difficulty of those tasks, however well-meaning this might be.
Help newcomers develop survival vocabulary and expand their own repertoire of language and vocabulary.
Meet students academic needs. This will require creativity to accommodate learners of various proficiency levels both linguistically and academically.
Whole group instruction is commonly used to introduce new skills to all students by teachers. Your support might occur in small groups however.
For example:
Helping students retell information with simple questions;

19. Additional Guidelines for Teaching Second Language Learners
Provide opportunities for students to engage in extended dialogues.
Help assess students’ progress frequently.
It is largely through conversations with more experienced adults that students will come to learn about the world outside their own personal experiences. English language learners need opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills in a dynamic, yet guided, setting. Consider increasing "wait time"; ELL students will usually take longer than their peers, both to comprehend questions and to prepare their answers.
It is always helpful to analyze student progress. If a student is not doing well academically, look for and report any important progress information you may note to the teacher. There could be any of the following reasons or a combination of them that are noteworthy:
1. The student never did (or understood) the work in the first place.
2. The student understood the work, but he / she didn't study for the test.
3. The student understood the work and studied for the test, but he / she didn't understand the question(s).
4. The student understood the questions, but didn't know how to answer.
5. The student understood the questions and knew how to answer in his / her native language, but couldn't answer in English.
6. The student (thought he / she) knew how to answer in English but he / she didn't give the right answer or he / she didn't give the full answer.
7. The student didn't check his / her work carefully before turning in a test paper.

20. Guidelines for Teaching English Language Learners
Integrate ESL strategies in content area instruction.
Activate background knowledge and connect content to students’ lives.
Use graphic organizers, charts, and other visuals to enhance comprehension.
It is vital to ensure that ESL students can make sense of what is said in class. For this reason it is helpful if you are aware of the ways in which you can improve their chances of understanding what they hear.
So what can you do to make it easier for the ELL students in classes?
This is an essential question and there are many answers. For example, take a look at the list of suggestions made by ELL students themselves in response to the question.

21. Feedback from ELL students
Increasing comprehensibility
Please use easier words.
Explain important words with smaller words. Please speak slowly and clearly.
Please write more clearly on the board.
Don't give difficult words in test questions. Repeat what other students say when they say question or give an answer.
Let us explain things in our own language to people who don't understand something.
ESL students at Frankfurt International School were asked what feedback they would like to give to their teachers. I have allocated their comments to various categories, but have not changed their original words.
Ask if they have encountered any of these scenarios and how they dealt with them. If they have not, what concerns or questions do you have?

22. Feedback from ELL students
Providing appropriate extra assistance
Please wait after the lesson to explain.
Give me more time to do my work.
Give me more time to write down things from the board.
Don't give me paper without explaining what to do.
Explain the homework please.
When we have a chance to answer a question, make the other students quiet, because it takes a time to transfer thoughts in words.
Come to ESL students during quiet working to ask how they understood.
Can I speak my first language in lesson?

23. Feedback from ELL students
Reducing embarrassment
Stand near me when I must answer question.
Punish the students who make fun of our poor English.
Don't pick me in lesson because I can't answer.
Even if I answer wrong, don't laugh.
I hate when my teacher tells me the meaning of easy words.
I don't like it when my teacher hand out the papers or tests because the teacher says "not good" or "good" with loud voice, so all the students can hear it.

24. Feedback from ELL students
Being aware that jokes exclude ELL students
Jokes are difficult to me.
You should not make a joke about everything. A final plea Please be nice to us!
Teachers were asked they would like to say to their ESL students too. The great majority of respondents said that ELL students should take a little more initiative in asking for help or expressing lack of understanding. At the very least ELL students who cannot answer questions should make it clear to the teacher whether this is because they don't understand the question, don't know the answer, or don't know how to say the answer in English.
Asking for help was the most common piece of advice. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher. A good time to do this is when the students are working alone or in groups. Most teachers will be happy to help you after class, at break or lunch. But you must ask! This is where you as a paraprofessional can be a tremendous help – let the teacher know.
Asking the ESL teacher too!

25. Guidelines for Teaching English Language Learners
Provide opportunities for discussions of texts.
Recognize and value the different discourse (speaking) patterns across cultures.
Students need to be explicitly familiar with the various communication patterns of the English language in comparison with their own native tongue, with respect and value towards all communication patterns. Students need to become proficient in knowing how and when to use the different English patterns.

26. ELL Support
Content area teachers are vital to student achievement, and it is imperative that the duties they perform help to meet those ends.
Let’s discuss the following lists together and think about the most effective ways to utilize time and skills:
ELL students may simply not feel that their proficiency in English is good enough for them to ask the right questions or understand the teacher's answers. Furthermore, ELL students may feel embarrassed to show their lack of understanding in front of the rest of the class; better to say nothing than have the other students think that you are slow or stupid. ELL students who were proud of their achievements in their previous home-country school may feel it demeaning to now be so reliant on the teacher, and prefer to keep face rather than expose their helplessness. It is also possible, finally, that some ELL students believe that by asking many questions or frequently asking for help, they somehow convey the idea that the teacher has not done a good enough job in teaching them.

27. So What Can You Actually Do to Support? Instructional Duties:
Small group instruction .
Individual instruction .
Assist students with independent work.
Read aloud and listen to students read.
Assist with writing and reading.
Support ESL students when working on content area instruction.
Assist with relevant record keeping.
Integrate ELL students into the lessons
It is helpful if you know a little about the ESL student’s background and interests, since this will enable you to make connections to their personal lives.
Little things can be important, such as spelling the child’s name correctly and learning how to pronounce it with some accuracy.
You can also devise activities in which the ELL student's contribution is essential to the successful completion of the task.
It is important that students feel teachers respect their cultures as much as the dominant cultures of the school.

28. So What Can You Actually Do to Support? Instructional Duties:
Escort younger or newer children between classrooms.
Organize educational materials and gather information to support the ESL teacher.
Assist in scheduling .
Help to monitor students during field trips or assemblies.

29. Making it Simple
Provide academic support to all students in content areas (such as Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies.)
When you determines what the students need to focus on, you may help with everything from homework assignments to test preparation to research projects.

30. What other kinds of support may these students need?
In addition to academic support, students who are new to the school and new to this country may not understand many of the complicated systems we have in our high schools.
Offer these students the support they need to help them get through school.
For example, in our school, students can enter a school website to check their grades on a regular basis. When they check their grades, they know how they're doing and what they need to work on. But when they don't check their grades, they don't know where they stand, and they don't know which areas need improvement. This also makes it more difficult for them to move onto something more advanced. So help them make sure they understand how to log in to the website, and how to make sense of the grading system.
Another example of this is the accumulation of class absences. If students don't know that they have to get their absences excused by each of their teachers, their unexcused absences build up very quickly, which can lead to further problems. Students need help figuring these things out, and so you can try to do what you can to guide them through the necessary steps. Offer these students the support they need to help them get through high school.

31. What Tools Do We Have? ELP Standards Language Functions and Forms
ACCESS for ELLs released items
Speaking and Writing Rubrics
Materials and Resources – Examples of Sensory, Graphic, and Interactive Supports
Assessment information
There are Limited English Proficiency Standards.
The website for accessing these documents is

32. What is the best way to keep in contact with the ESL teacher?
How the liaison takes place is a matter for each paraprofessional to determine in consultation with the ESL teacher. Some prefer to have a brief regular meeting to discuss work in progress and students of concern; while other find it easier to keep in contact as the need arises.

33. FAQ Should I correct an ESL student’s grammar mistakes?
Generally not. Students who answer questions in class are working hard to show what they know or have understood and so they are usually not receptive to any feedback on the grammatical accuracy of their message.
Moreover, it would probably embarrass them to have their mistakes corrected in front of the rest of the class. There are occasions however when the content of their message is unclear because the grammar is faulty. For example, a student who says: I am here for one year may mean I have been here for one year, or I will stay here for one more year. In these circumstances, it is acceptable to ask for clarification and to help them if they do not know the correct way to express their idea.
An indirect way to give corrective feedback is to provide the student with a model answer. So, for example, if he says: Columbus find America in 1492, you could reply: Yes, you're right. That's when he discovered America. There is conflicting research evidence as to whether this kind of feedback is effective, so it's best not to overdo it.
As for written work, once again it is important that feedback is concentrated on the content quality of the answer rather than on its grammatical accuracy. Consider asking the student what kind of feedback he or she would like. Some students may welcome the chance to focus on their grammar mistakes with a view to correct them in future pieces of written work. Other students, however, will just completely ignore your corrections.

34. FAQ Should I correct an ESL student’s pronunciation mistakes?
Students are usually even more sensitive about their pronunciation than their grammar, so be very careful how you deal with such problems.
It is very important that you do not allow other students to mock ESL students for their pronunciation or imitate their accents.
it is probably better to pretend you have understood rather than ask the student to repeat himself 3 or 4 times or ask another student what he meant. You could always ask him again in private after the lesson; and help him to a correct pronunciation of important subject-specific vocabulary.

35. FAQ Should I correct an ESL student’s spelling mistakes?
As with grammar, it may on occasion be appropriate to draw attention to spelling mistakes. It is reasonable to expect students to spell correctly the keywords in an assignment.
If for example they are writing a homework about the water cycle, they should be corrected on mistakes in words such as evaporation, condensation etc. It may also be helpful to draw their attention to mistakes in common words that they always get wrong. The student’s ESL teacher will of course be aware of the problem, and if it is really severe will have suggested ways for the student to practice spelling common words correctly

36. FAQ
Should I let ESL students talk in their native language in the classroom or in my group?
It depends what they’re talking about!
In general, it is worth noting how important it is for students to be able to discuss their work in their own language.
This is not intended to be a flippant answer. Most teachers will justifiably object to ESL students engaging in a general chat in their own language during lesson time. This excludes the teacher and other students, and switches the students off from the focus of the lesson. However, there are occasions where it can be quite acceptable for a student to speak his or her own language.
Discussing work in their native language helps to develop their understanding of the topic, but also serves to develop their mother tongue proficiency.

37. FAQ Should I encourage ESL students to use their dictionaries ?
Within reason. There are times in lessons when it is essential that a student understands a word in order that what comes next makes sense.
In general, however, students should be discouraged from looking up too many words in class, for two main reasons.
On such occasions a quick search in the dictionary can be helpful (or alternatively, a compatriot might be able to provide the translation.)
Two main reasons:
Firstly, it does not allow them to develop the essential skill of trying to understand words in context.
Secondly, it cuts them off from what is being said next. Learning to use a dictionary accurately and effectively is not an easy skill, and many students take a long time finding a word, especially if they are trying to guess its spelling. They may often fail to locate the correct translation of the hundreds of words that have more than one meaning.
The above advice refers to the use of a dictionary while a teacher is speaking to the class. The situation is a little different if the student is working individually on an assignment, when looking up words will not distract his / her attention from the teacher. Once again, however, it is undesirable if it is happening too often. If you see a student overusing her dictionary you might ask her what word she was looking up and try yourself, or ask another student, to give her an oral explanation.

38. FAQ
How can I help my ESL students learn English as well as other subjects?
The most important advice is:
Make it comprehensible! When you do this, the ELL students will not only learn other subjects but English as well.
When the student is motivated by a task, feels low or zero anxiety, and has had his or her self-esteem protected or enhanced, learning will happen. If such conditions prevail, then there is no filter or barrier preventing the natural acquisition of language - provided that the input is comprehensible, interesting and relevant.

39. Helping ELL’s Understand Becoming efficient listeners:
ELL’s spend much more time listening than they do speaking, reading or writing
Listening is the basis for most classroom activities
Listening is an active skill
Pre-teaching key words—flash cards, using in a sentence, conversation...
Repetition
Clearly enunciate
Visual materials to help with comprehension
Increasing wait time
Make the student feel personally involved
Summaries
Handout #8

40. What about Response To Intervention (RTI)?
RTI is an instructional service delivery model founded on two key premises:
All children can learn when provided with appropriate, effective instruction.
Most academic difficulties can be prevented with early identification of need followed by immediate intervention.

41. Questions/Comments Greg Minarchick @ Senior High 342-1521 ext. 118
Website: