INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE

GUIDE
By: Olivia Lee

APRIL 21, 2016

TESL-220
Dr. Stallions
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Table of Contents:

I- Introduction

II- ELL Learning Outcomes

III-Instructional Strategies

IV-Work Samples

V-Summary Reflection

VI-Work Cited
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Introduction:

For this Instructional resource guide (IRG) I have chosen to write about differentiated

instruction of English Language Learners (ELL). The grade level represented in this IRG is

Kindergarten with the content area of history. The SOL being covered in this IRG is K.2: TSW

describe everyday life in the present and in the past and begin to recognize that things change

over time! I selected history as the content area because I love history. Moreover, I feel that

history is a challenging yet important subject to teach all students including English Language

Learners. I also picked kindergarten for several reasons. I know that kindergarten can be

difficult for English Language Learners and their teachers. Thus, I am using kindergarten for

this IRG so I can begin to understand how to teach young English Language Learners in a

meaningful and fun environment.

Now, it is important to clearly frame my understanding of the stages for second language

learners. The first stage is titled “Preproduction” and has several characteristics. These

characteristics include that the student has minimal comprehension and does not verbalize while

usually only nodding yes and no. In addition, another characteristic is that the student only

draws and points. The approximate time frame for “Preproduction” is between zero and six

months. The next stage on the road to language acquisition is “Early Production”. Just as the

title indicates, the students in this level are at an initial stage of their acquisition. In this stage,

students usually have limited comprehension and produce one- or two- word responses while

using key words and familiar phrases in present tense. While they are limited, they are usually

only in this stage from six months- one year. Once this stage is completed, a student can

progress to “Speech Emergence”. While in this stage, for one to three years, a student has many

identifying characteristics. Some of these characteristics include good comprehension,

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production of simple sentences, some grammar and pronunciation errors, and frequently

misunderstanding jokes. Once a student has progressed out of “Speech Emergence” they then

enter the second to last stage called “Intermediate Fluency”. This stage is vibrantly different

from previous stages. In this stage, a student has excellent comprehension while making only a

few grammatical errors! Moreover, this stage’s approximate time frame is around three to five

years. Finally, the last level is “Advanced Fluency”. In this stage, a student has a near-native

level of speech after the approximate time frame of five to seven years.

To conclude the introduction section, I will give an overview of the benefits for the use of

instructional strategies and curriculum modification. When teaching English Language Learners

it is important to use instructional strategies that enhance their learning experiences. Some of the

strategies I kept in mind were using activities, tasks, projects, tests, and assignments that have

clearly set goals and parameters. On top of the instructional strategies, it is also important to

remember curriculum modification. It is a quintessential aspect that is necessary for English

Language Learners to succeed in the classroom. I used curriculum modification through looking

at the differentiation needed. Several students could need visuals instead of text, or maybe even

both. This is just one example of the ways in which I modified and differentiated curriculum.

Overall, I feel that completed and working on my Instructional Resource Guide will better my

understanding of teaching English Language Learners.

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ELL Learning Outcomes:

The first part of this section (displayed on the left-hand side) will be two charts including

projected learning outcomes and content understanding for my English Language Learners.

Please keep in mind since these are Kindergarteners, I will be focusing on the top portion of

Cummin’s Iceberg Model. Next, (displayed on the right-hand side) there is an explanation of

how the outcomes and understandings will support the different phases of English language

acquisition.

These will be supported in different phases

Learning Outcomes:
of acquisition based on activity modification and the
TSW be able to name items from the past and
present types of prompts I would be asking the English

TSW be able to pronounce the words past and Language Learner. For example, let us say that Jim
present
is in the “Early Production” phase of English
TSW be able to demonstrate knowledge of
items from the past and present through language acquisition. Based on these outcomes and
visuals
the context understanding, I would modify the
TSW be able to identify words (with the help
activities to have many visuals and key words. I
of a partner) that could be placed on either our
past or present “word wall” would also add their native language to the English

text present. Moreover, I would prompt Jim and his

classmates with the proper questions for his language

Content Understanding:
acquisition stage. These prompts would include
TSW be able to connect this SOL to the real
world situations yes/no questions with one or two word answers.

TSW be able to provide an example from the Then I could also prompt the class to make lists
content covered
during activities. Thus, Jim and his classmates would
TSW be able to practice the content of past
and present for their parents be completing the outcomes and understanding

TSW be able to match words to visuals based requirements without exceeding the boundaries of
on their content understanding
Jim’s English language acquisition stage.
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Instructional Strategies:

Picture a lovely classroom filled with colorful posters, bulletin boards, different stations,

and desks in a group formation. Inside of the classroom described, I would use different

instructional strategies that would support ELL instruction and increase English language

production. One of the many strategies I would employ is the use of vocalization. Throughout

lessons and the day, I would have students repeat for me different vocabulary words that

pertained to the topic we were covering. Since students need to hear a word at least 21 times,

this repetition would be beneficial. I feel that working on vocabulary would not only reach

certain learning outcomes but would also boost their English language production. A second

strategy I would frequently use would be literature. For example, I would use books that use

many pictures with simple sentences. The strategy would not only help the English Language

learners that are auditory learners but also visual learners. I would also use literature because it

would support instruction as an amplification of the points made in instructional activities.

Another way I could enforce the difference between past and present in everyday life is through

prompting the students with stage appropriate questions. This strategy could be employed

through a “Word Wall” activity guided by the teacher. Thus, the strategy of questioning would

accomplish goals and increase the oral production of the English language. In addition to the

previous strategies, a teacher could also use grouping as a strategy to help your English

Language Learners. In my case, as mentioned previously, I would most likely have my students

organized into different teams or groups. Thus, I would be able to systematically place an

English Language Learner with students that are more proficient in English. This would enable

students to help each other in their English language production. Therefore, on top of the
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discussed teaching strategies, there are hundreds of ways I could create strategies that would

benefit English Language Learners.

Nevertheless, with teaching strategies there must be activities to employ their benefits. In

the next several paragraphs, I will discuss three activities/resources that support English

Language Learner instruction and their English language production. The first resource is two

“Word Wall” bulletin boards for past and present. As mentioned previously, this activity would

be guided by the teacher to engage all students. Then the teacher would ask, depending on the

stage of acquisition, if a word belonged on the “Word Wall”. For example, I could ask, “does an

iPhone belong in present?” This would prompt students to answer the question in a very direct

manner. I would also request that the students repeat the word back to me since I don’t “hear

well” so that I can write the word on the proper “Word Wall”. In addition, if time allowed, I

would let the table groups draw a picture of the word to be placed alongside the word on the

bulletin board. Through this activity, I feel that it would accomplish goals and outcomes while

also helping English Language Learners with their production.

Additionally, a second activity that could benefit students is a hands-on item sort! This

would be such a fun activity/resource for the students. I would hand each group a bag with items

inside. Each of these items belongs in the daily lives of people from the past or the present.

Then, as a group, the students could guess if the item belongs in the past or the present! Several

items could include a cell phone, a mechanical pencil, wooden pencil, toothbrush, etc. After the

groups have completed sorting their items I would then ask questions that could range anywhere

from “show me where the cell phone goes” to “explain to be why your group put the item in the

past or the present?” This activity could support English Language Learner’s instruction due to

the reinforcement this activity provides!

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Lastly, another activity/resource that could improve English Language Learners

instruction and their production levels is a worksheet activity. This worksheet has two columns

labeled “Today” and “The Past”. Along with the columns, there are pictures at the bottom that

represent items from the everyday lives of people from the past and the present. On the

worksheet I would add a translation for the words “Today” and “The Past”. This would be for

the student or parent of an English Language Learner as a frame of reference. I would also have

the activity completed in pairs or in their group tables! I love this worksheet due to its versatility.

With the pictures, it adds a visual aspect while also reviewing or introducing new vocabulary.

Moreover, I feel this activity could really help all students comprehend the difference between

past and present. Then it could also help their language production (because let’s be honest, all

kindergarteners need the practice)!

*Please continue to the next page for a continuation of the Instructional Resource Guide*
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Work Samples:

The instructional activity selected for this section is the past and present worksheet (this

worksheet is attached to the back of the Instructional Resource Guide). Even though it is

challenging, this worksheet and the discussion attached to it can be modified in many ways

including modification for the “silent period” (also known as the “Preproduction” stage of

language acquisition). According to the stages of second language acquisition, there are several

ways to modify this activity. These ways include, using the characteristics of the

“Preproduction’ stage, asking appropriate questions, and adding examples of the people with

these objects represented on the worksheet.

First, using the characteristics to your advantage is just one way to modify this activity.

As stated previously, a student in the “Preproduction” stage has minimal comprehension, does

not verbalize, usually draws and points, and nods yes or no. Since the student does not verbalize,

show the student how to do the activity. This way they do not simply see a completed example,

but rather get a step-by-step tutorial along with seeing the completed example. In addition, since

the student has a hard time with comprehension, show them a concrete example that is also

displayed on the worksheet. For example, once you have the student’s attention, point to the

sneakers on the worksheet then point to their sneakers. Then place the sneakers picture in the

“Today” column. Then saw the word sneakers in their native language and in English. Continue

to do this process with other pictures until you feel the student is ready to try on their own!

Another modification that aligns with the characteristics of “Preproduction” is to allow the

students to point at their worksheet or the board to indicate and connect ideas or themes. I find

this a very interactive and engaging way for an English Language Learner to engage without

forcing verbalization.
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Next, using the appropriate questioning techniques while discussing the worksheet would

be beneficial for a student in the “silent period”. After the students have completed the

worksheet to the best of their ability, the teacher will be conducting a discussion to review and

go over the answers. As the teacher goes through the discussion, she/he should use questions

alongside visuals. In this case, a teacher should project their example for the English Language

Learners that are visual learners. Then, the teacher should ask the student to “follow me”. This

is when the teacher should use the suggested prompts! Several examples of questions include…

- “Show me where the pants go” -> as you say this phrase point to the pants

- “Circle the word ‘Today’” -> as you say this phrase circle the word “Today”

- “Where is the “Past” row” -> as you ask this question point to the “Past” row

- “Do you wear ball caps” -> as you ask this question point the ball cap and wait for a yes

or no/ yes or no nod of the head

Furthermore, another way to modify this activity is by adding visuals. In this case, it can

be very hard for kindergarteners to understand quote on quote “common” characteristics of the

past. Therefore, a way to help them could be drawing two people wearing the items from the

worksheet. For example, the “Today” drawing could be wearing pants, a t-shirt, a ball cap, and

sneakers. Then in the background of this drawing, you could have a stove, cell phone, and a

computer! Thus, the other drawing would contain the items classified as the “Past”. I would

then project these two image for the students to look at as they work on matching the pictures to

the correct category. These extra visuals would immensely help children in the “silent period”

because it could be another way to get the message across without the teacher vocalizing the

directions. All in all, this worksheet could be used at any stage of second language acquisition.

Depending on the implemented characteristics and the way the teacher questions the students,
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she/he will be able to help all of their students understand the differences between everyday lives

in the past and present.

*Please continue to the next page for a continuation of the Instructional Resource Guide*
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Summary Reflection:

In summation, this assignment has massively contributed to my growth as a future

educator of culturally and linguistically diverse students. First, I realized that there is a lot of

detail involved in creating an Instructional Resource Guide. Yet, with all of this detail can come

great rewards! After planning and articulating how you can help your students on their given

level of language acquisition, several factors become easier to manage. One of these benefits is

the amount of anxiety lowered for both the teacher and the student. From this experience, my

anxiety level has decreased! I know feel more comfortable with working with culturally and

linguistically diverse students. In addition, I also feel better prepared to modify and differentiate

instruction. Prior to this activity, I had minimal knowledge of strategies and their modifications.

Now after brainstorming, I realize that there are many ways to modify instruction. These include

using a student’s abilities to my advantage. Thus, by using the characteristics of their certain

level, I am able to connect and help the student understand concepts while learning English. I

have also realized another benefit of an IRG is my understanding of culturally and linguistically

diverse students. As I went through this assignment, I tried to place myself in a student’s shoes

to see how difficult second language acquisition can be for a Kindergartener. Then, I began to

understand the daily hardships for students learning English and I especially learned how

difficult it could be for a student in the “silent period”. After reflecting and trying to imagine the

life of a young second language learner, I have come to realize that creating meaningful activities

and strategies are quintessential for a student’s growth and progression through the stages of

second language acquisition. Hence, the job of a teacher ultimately ties to the idea that a teacher

must be an advocate for all of their students. Then, and only then, can a teacher begin to work

and create wonderful resources for their native speakers and their English Language Learners!
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Work Cited:

IRG Handout via Dr. Stallions

Past and Present Worksheet via Teacherspayteachers.com

PowerPoints sessions 1-6 via TESL-220

Strategic Learning By: Dudley Reynolds

The Class: Content Understanding via University of Virginia

http://curry.virginia.edu/teacher-education/teaching-internship-handbook/content-

understanding

Writing Measurable Learning Outcomes By: Sandi Osters

Acknowledgements:

A special thanks to Dr. Stallions and Professor Myers for their assistance during this

process and throughout the semester!