Equipping Your English Learners for Academic Success

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Equipping Your English Learners for Academic
Success

• Knowing your English Learners

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Thats Me

• I would consider myself a morning person.
• Getting up in the morning is difficult,
  especially on work days.
• I teach in the primary grades.
• I teach the upper grades.
• I am a secondary teacher.
• My role is that of administrator or teacher
  support.
• I have taught English Learners for many years.
• I have only been teaching English Learners for a
  short time.
• I want to know more about English learners so
  that I can better serve them in the classroom.

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Norms

• Be respectful of one another
• Cell phones off or on vibrate
• Avoid side conversations (jot notes instead?)
• Ask we questions. Save me questions.
• Keep the focus on teaching and learning that
  which is within our sphere of influence
• Be a learner - actively participate in readings,
  discussions and activities

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Participation Processes

• Parking Lot questions will be addressed after
  breaks and at the end of day.
• During discussion time, please focus attention on
  the given task first, then discuss related topics
  of interest.
• At the signal, finish your sentence (but not your
  paragraph) and rejoin the large group.

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Outcomes for the Day

• Answer the Questions
• Who are our English Learners?
• What does it take to learn a new language?
• How does knowing students proficiency level help
  with instruction?

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Grendy PerezCountry of Origin GuatemalaAge 17
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Duy TranCountry of Origin VietnamAge 10
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Cesar CervantesCountry of Origin United
StatesAge 9
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Emilio MujicoCountry of Origin MexicoAge 17
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Who are my English Learners?

• Think about the English learners in your class
• Choose 3 that stand out and write down their
  names
• Bring your 3 focus students to life for others in
  your group
• Background
• English use in the classroom and with peers
• Academic performance
• Use Talking Stick to share in groups of 3 4

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DEMOGRAPHICS
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ELs Form a Large, Growing Population
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ELs and General School Population Growth
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Fastest Growing EL Populations

• Students who immigrated before kindergarten
• U.S.-born children of immigrants (native-born)
• 76 of ELLs in grades K-8
• 56 of ELLs in grades 9-12
• (Batalova, Fix, and Murray, 2007)
• By 2015, second generation children of
  immigrants are expected to be 30 of the
  school-aged population.

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Numbers of EL Students
(U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2007)
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Density of EL Populations
(U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2007)
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Growth of EL Populations
(U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2007)
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The Most Common Languages ofEnglish Language
Learners
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Differences Among ELs

• Native language(s)
• Level of native language/literacy skills
• Level of English language/literacy skills
• Length of time family has lived in US
• Previous schooling experience
• Familiarity with school routines
• Content-area knowledge
• Parental education

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At School Entry
Slide courtesy of N. Lesaux and M. Kieffer,
Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Identification
• Home survey
• Language proficiency tests
• Other input (e.g., teachers)
• Monitoring
• Language Title III
• Achievement Title I

IFEP Initially Fluent English Proficient
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Over Time
Slide courtesy of N. Lesaux and M. Kieffer,
Harvard Graduate School of Education
RFEP Reclassified Fluent English Proficient
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Unique Learning Challenges

• Develop content knowledge and skills defined by
  state standards while simultaneously acquiring a
  second (or third) language
• Demonstrate their learning on an assessment in
  English

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Performance Outcomes

• CA looks at academic performance on CST after ELs
  are reclassified as fluent English proficient.
• Although some reclassified ELs do well, many
  still struggle with
• listening, speaking, reading, and writing that
  involves academic language
• access to content-area knowledge

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Enjoy a 10 minute break
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The Demographic Imperative

• The population of children in immigrant families
  is growing faster than any other group of
  children in the U.S.
• Use the strategy A/B Each Teach to read the
  article from Ed Leadership

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Learning a new Language

• Aspects of knowing a language
• Some myths and realities
• Need for acquisition and learning

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May Day
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Grammatical Forms
Phonology
Academic Social Functions
What must be taught?
Rhythm Cadence
Cultural Contexts
Syntax
Vocabulary
Formal and Informal Discourse Styles
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November 13
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Misconceptions

• Young children learn second languages quickly and
  easily.
• Once a student is orally fluent, he or she is
  proficient.
• Children all learn a second language the same
  way.
• Students will learn English through exposure
  alone.
• Working in groups of four, assign one myth per
  person.
• Use article to find evidence to refute your myth.
• Explain the evidence to your group
• Be prepared to share in the larger group.

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Tongue Tied

• Listen to Que dice? Que dice? Child Translate
  and the Power of Language.

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Enjoy an hour for lunch
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Looking At Our English Learners
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Proficiency Levels

• Beginning
• Early Intermediate
• Intermediate
• Early Advanced
• Advanced

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Common English Learner Profiles
Recent arrivals to U.S. - new to English Long-term English learners
Strong literacy in home language Strong English language and literacy, some gaps
Limited literacy in home language Low literacy, seemingly strong oral English, many gaps
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In Depth Look..

• If this student entered your class today, what
  would you know about
• his/her background
• support needed for his/her learning
• Note your assigned proficiency level/profile.
• Create a graphic representation to bring this
  student to life for the group.
• Be prepared to share.

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My focus students

• Considering the students you identified this
  morning, what would you say was their proficiency
  level and profile and why. Use the frames below.
• Think My student, ______, fits ______ profile
  because _____________________. He/She would
  probably fall within the ______ proficiency level
  because__________.
• Pair (A-B) Tell about your student and listen to
  your partner describe his or her student
• Share With the rest of your table

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Assessing English Proficiency

• Understanding the purpose of the CELDT and the
  information it provides

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Assessment Challenges

• Assessments of content-area knowledge and skills
  are also inherently tests of language
  proficiency.
• Test demands (CST, end of unit test, etc.)
  require ELs to focus on language and therefore
  restricts their ability to attend to the content.
• Understanding students proficiency levels allows
  you to teach the language necessary for students
  to successfully demonstrate content knowledge

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Components of Language Proficiency

• Oral (listening and speaking) skills
• Written (reading and writing) skills
• Academic and non-academic language

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Purpose ofLanguage Proficiency Tests for ELs

• To determine placement in language programs
• To monitor students progress while in these
  programs
• To guide decisions about when students should
  exit the programs
• (August Hakuta, 1997)

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CELDT

• Parent Report Sheet

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Reading

• Word Analysis patterns and structures of words
• Fluency and Vocabulary Using a range of word
  meanings
• Reading Comprehension facts, inferences, and
  critical analysis of fiction and non-fiction
  writing

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Listening

• Following Oral Directions responding
  to instructions
• Teacher Talk understanding spoken information in
  academic settings
• Extended Listening Comprehension answering
  questions about a short story
• Rhyming (K-2 only) producing
• words that rhyme with the words given

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Speaking

• Oral Vocabulary knowing how to use the names of
  nouns, actions
• Speech functions using language to respond to
  specific tasks
• Choose and Give Reasons stating a preference and
  giving two reasons
• 4 Picture Narrative telling a story based on a
  series of pictures

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Writing

• Grammar and Structure using Standard English
  grammatical structure and writing conventions
• Writing Sentences constructing sentences on
  specific topics
• Writing Short Compositions writing short
  compositions on specific topics

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How Rigorous is Your Instruction

• Elbow Partner
• Now that you have seen what is expected of your
  students, how well do you believe you are
  preparing them for English proficiency?

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Reflecting

• Keeping todays learning and your focal students
  in mind, please note a couple
• Recollections
• Insights
• Applications
• Be prepared to share out

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Day 1 Evaluation

• Reflect on Day 1 Learning (http//estaffroom.sccoe
  .org)
• Day2 Supporting English Learners during Content
  Instruction