1. 1 Effective Strategies for Bilingual and English Language Learners Early Childhood Conference Sponsored by Region 10 ESC June 24 and 25, 2015 Rossana Ramírez Boyd, Ph. D. Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) Education

2. 2 Session Objectives Participants will be able to: 1.Become familiar with the process of first and second language acquisition. 2.Articulate linguistic, academic, cultural, and socio- cognitive considerations when educating bilingual and English language learners to age five. 3.Practice effective strategies to promote the development of language and content.

3. Percent of Population Growth and Projected Population Growth by Race/Ethnicity, Texas Source: U.S. Census Counts, and Texas State Data Center 2008 Population Projections, 0.5 Scenario 3

4. Source: Texas State Data Center 2008 Population Projections, 2000-2007 Migration Scenario 4 Projected Racial and Ethnic Percent, Texas, 2000-2040

5. News from TEA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Prekindergarten Learning Platform The TEA and the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT- Health) have launched CLI Engage. It is for all Texas public school districts, charter schools, Head Start programs, and licensed child care programs participating in the Texas Rising Star program. BENEFITS Access to the Texas School Ready! child progress monitoring assessments. Supplementary lessons to target improvement. Visit the CLI Engage website at https://cliengage.org/. 5

6. Language Acquisition Is a subconscious process; while it is happening we are not aware that it is happening, and the competence developed is stored in the brain subconsciously (Stephen Krashen). 6

7. The Process of First and Second Language Acquisition First language acquisitionSecond language acquisition An instinct, triggered by birth Babbling (8 to 12 months) A personal choice, requires motivation Very rapid One or more words (12 to 36 months) Varies Complete Phrases and some complete sentences (36 months to 5 years old) Competence can be achieved Natural (no instruction)Natural or guided Formal instruction is required 7

8. Babbling 8

9. One or more words 9

10. Phrases, complete sentences 10

11. What affects second language acquisition? Dr. Stephen Krashen’s hypotheses (Comprehensible Input Hypothesis) La hipótesis de la retroalimentación (Affective Filter) El filtro afectivo (Natural Order) El orden natural (Acquisition - Learning) Adquisición- Aprendizaje 11

12. Example of Comprehensible Input Dora the Explorer Dora the Explorer narrates nearly everything she does in a repetitive fashion so that as Dora is walking down the yellow brick road she is usually saying, “I’m walking down the yellow brick road. I’m walking, walking, walking. I am walking down the yellow brick road.” Finding dubbed versions of these can be a great source of comprehensible input. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKreH64BW8c 12

13. Examples of Affective Filter Make students feel welcomed. Smile to the students. Have students carry out meaningful activities. Use the native language of the student when sending notes home. Have books in the classroom that represent the cultures of the students. 13

14. The Natural Order Grammatical structures are learned in a predictable order such as -ing like in walking. Most learners acquire it before the regular past form –ed (e.g., walked). Children produce single words. They string those words together based on meaning. Children begin to identify the beginning and ending of sentences. Children notice the different elements inside of the sentence, and begin to form questions. 14

15. Examples of Natural Order The teacher introduces the language concept: definite article (the) and indefinite articles (a, an). These are generally easy for children to acquire but then the teacher can use scaffolding to introduce more difficult language structures such as adjectives (The blue car), verbs (She went in the blue car), etc. scaffolding 15

16. Examples of the Acquisition - Learning Hypothesis Acquisition involves the subconscious acceptance of knowledge. Ex. Promoting oral communication to discuss color patterns. Learning is conscious acceptance of knowledge and generally taught formally in school. Ex. Actually teaching the colors specifically. 16

17. Activity 1 Brainstorm activities that can be implemented to assist children in developing their second language based on each of the following: Comprehensible Input =_________________________________ Affective Filter=________________________________________ Natural Order = _______________________________________ Acquisition - Learning= __________________________________ 17

18. 18 BICS and CALP Dr. Jim Cummins Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)

19. 19 Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) Model of Bilingualism Dr. Jim Cummins believes that while learning a second, a child can draw upon their native language. Ex. Translation of known words, compare sentence structures, compare word meanings. Ex. Rain (la lluvia), it is raining (está lloviendo). This Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) provides the basis for the development of the first language (L1) and the second language (L2).

20. Dual Language The relationship between first and second language acquisition suggests that access to bilingual programming can assist dual language learners (DLLs) in their language and literacy development (August & Shanahan, 2006). For example, the research of Hammer, Lawrence, & Miccio, (2007); Rinaldi & Páez, (2008) with Spanish-speaking bilingual children showed that first language skills and growth in Spanish contribute to the development of reading skills in English. 20

21. Linguistic considerations when educating young bilingual and English language learners Children will have different characteristics and language proficiency levels in English and in their native language. May have difficulties communicating, following directions, expressing ideas and feelings, and responding to questions consistently because of the lack of English language proficiency. Need to help them develop academic English. For example, explicit instruction of the academic language related to basic mathematics concepts and skills. 21

22. Activity 2 Work in your group to generate an answer to the question below. Choose one group representative to report to the group as a whole afterwards. In your opinion, what should an effective early childhood program look like for bilingual children? 22

23. 23 National Data on Most Effective Programs = average Reading score of native English speakers (Thomas & Collier, 2002) (Standardized Reading Scores)

24. Bilingual Learners The use of the children’s first language during instruction leads to higher social, cognitive, and academic achievement levels for bilingual learners (García, Kleifgen, & Falchi, 2008). 24

25. Anatomy of a High Quality Early Childhood Program for Bilingual and English Language Learners Qualified instructional staff. Bilingual and non-bilingual staff are knowledgeable about how bilingual children develop and learn. Uses a curriculum that supports the development of content, first, and/or second language acquisition. Uses bilingual materials and books. 25

26. 26

27. Anatomy…… Uses an instructional approach that promotes bilingualism and biliteracy (Ex. One way or two way dual language). Uses culturally responsive practices. Practices ongoing assessment. Engages the families. Use Google Translate, https://translate.google.comhttps://translate.google.com 27

28. 28 Cross-linguistic Transfer There is a positive transfer between L1 and L2 in several areas: phonemic awareness; decoding through phonics and word recognition strategies; and the use of cognates and general comprehension strategies. Ex. Civilization = civilización attention = atención

29. Primary-language Content-area Knowledge Content Area Instruction (Introduced in L1 & reinforced in L2) English Language Development Continuation of Primary-language Instruction for Literacy Transfer Primary-language Oral Proficiency and Literacy Skills Content-area Knowledge English Language Proficiency & Literacy Primary-language Literacy Instructional Process for Biliteracy Development 29

30. Socio-cultural May be the child’s first time in a different socio- cultural environment than their family’s. Will bring different family and community experiences to the classroom. Children’s participation in the classroom will promote socio-cultural development. 30

31. Emotional May feel withdrawn Insecure Under stress 31

32. Effective strategies to promote the development of language and content Provide focused small ‐ group activities. Peer-assisted interventions. Explicit instruction of vocabulary and phonological awareness. Repeated exposure to specific words opportunities for children to use these words multiple times. 32

33. Effective Strategies Using read-alouds and direct teaching of core vocabulary, using the primary language. Using pictures of vocabulary words to illustrate word meanings (Roberts and Neal, 2004). Using hand puppets. Using game-like activities to illustrate concepts and actions. Engaging children physically (Pasnak, 2006). 33

34. Effective strategies Offering multimedia-- ‐ enhanced instruction in the form of videos for vocabulary instruction with non-fiction texts (Silverman and Hines, 2009). Using materials with familiar content to promote comprehension and facilitate learning new concepts and skills (Kenner 1999). Singing songs Story telling Role plays 34

35. Kindergarten TEK K TEK Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it correctly when reading and writing. Students are expected to: (A)identify and use words that name actions, directions, positions, sequences, and locations; (B)recognize that compound words are made up of shorter words; (C)identify and sort pictures of objects into conceptual categories (e.g., colors, shapes, textures); and (D)use a picture dictionary to find words. 35

36. Activity 3 To ensure mastery of more complex words and concepts, you can use these six ESL steps: Pre-select a word from an upcoming text or conversation.Pre-select a word Explain the meaning with student-friendly definitions. Provide examples of how it is used. Ask students to repeat the word three times. Engage students in activities to develop mastery. Ask students to say the word again. TASK: Select a concept (one or two words) to describe how you would address the steps above. The words need to be related to TEK: (A) identify and use words that name actions, directions, positions, sequences, or locations. Ex. Name action = Jump Source: http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/teaching/vocabulary/ 36

37. 37 Strategies to Promote Biliteracy Display the Alphabet in both languages, Classroom labels in both languages (includes shelves, supplies, etc.), Student’s work displayed in both languages, Use of bilingual pairs and bilingual groups for instruction, Integrate listening, speaking, reading and writing activities.

38. 38 Strategies for Reading Instruction Combine whole classroom work, individual tasks, partner activities, small group discussions, individual learning, Write and read about experiences of home, family and community, Plan instruction around themes to maximize opportunities for students to acquire language and concepts.

39. 39 Benefits of Biliteracy and Bilingualism Provides students access to academic content, Allows students to have meaningful social interactions with their peers and adults, Provides access to the students’ prior knowledge and experiences and connects their prior knowledge to current lessons, Promotes first and second language development.

40. Activity 4 In pairs, choose one of the activities mentioned before to role play it to the group as a whole as if you were teaching to pre-school bilingual children. This can be in English or in another language. Ex. A song, telling a story, a game for vocabulary development, physical activity, phonemic awareness, etc. 40

41. 41 Session Objectives Participants will be able to: 1.Synthesize the process of first and second language acquisition. 2.Articulate linguistic, academic, cultural, and socio- cognitive considerations when educating bilingual and English learners to age five. 3.Practice effective strategies to promote the development of language and content.

42. 42 For additional information contact: Dr. Rossana Boyd Tel. 940-391-4800 Rossana.boyd@unt.edu Bilingual and English as a Second Language Education