Ilona “Loni” Chasar #2

English Language Learners #1

Transitional programs offer two or three years of language support, but maintenance

bilingual programs extend for a longer period of time usually 5 – 6 years. Two- way immersion

or dual language programs have been implemented and all students learn a second language.

Dual language programs have shown great promise for both high academic achievement and

positive cross cultural understanding. Seventy-three percent of schools need bilingual teachers,

and most of the teachers serve as English as a Second Language teachers. If students are no

longer workers with a teacher, they should have some sort of continued support even from a

paraprofessional.

Students that are learning English as a second language have a difficult challenge since

they are learning English, but they are also being taught a new topic of concept. I think it is a

good idea that some districts are requiring teachers to be certified to teach English Language

Learner students since the student population has been increasing, in some areas by 100-200%!

English as a Second Language (ESL) is offered up to the age of 21 years-old for students, but

students are expected to transition into English within two – three years.

School districts are influence by taxes, and the social context of their students. The

students that as ELL or the students who are enrolled in ESL do have the same expectations of

the students that in their grade level when it comes to what they need to know. One of the best

ways for students to learn English is through conversation with their peers, teachers, and learning

the English through the content of the new material they are learning. The traditional approach

of learning new vocabulary through memorization is not that effective. The more the students are

using the language and hearing it, the more likely they are to learn it. Students that are enrolled
in a sheltered setting is a good idea, so they can transition into mainstreaming, but it is a difficult

transition. The five phase lesson plan is effective with preparation, presentation, practice,

evaluation, and expansion. The break down of the lesson is clearly explaining page 48 – 50.
Ilona “Loni” Chasar #2

English Language Learners #2

- Organize curriculum into themes, especially themes that they can relate to real life

experience

o Working in partners or groups – gather information and create a class

poster/brochure in the front of the room for the class

o Picture books

o Questions to test comprehension

- Divide students into heterogeneous groups including students that are proficient in the

same language

- All schools organize curriculum in different ways; some subject connect others do not

- ELL more likely to get lost into the transition, especially one content area to the next; if

there are no links students do not revisit ideas

- Unite different subject areas around a common topic by exploring big questions

- Organizing in themes is beneficial for all students, especially ELL – teachers can help

make the connections

o More subject is related more likely ELL students will understand

- Mentally exhausting to listen to someone speak that does not speak the same language

- Draw on their background experience and value their individuality

- Majority of ELL are Latino in the U.S.

- Students form small groups based on their native language; encourages students to

discuss in their native language and report back in English

English as early as possible

o Student in bilingual outperformed students in short-term programs

- Students do better when they are working in their native language; usually pick-up

English within 1 – 2 years if they are in an English speaking environment

- TEN TIPS ON PAGE 96

- Have students read culturally relevant books to ensure that students always connect their

reading to the real world

- PREVIEW / VIEW / REVIEW

English Language Learners #3

- Use resources like a bilingual paraprofessional

- ELL real challenge when they are reading academic texts in English

- Best way to assess a teacher’s literacy is to observe the way she teachers literacy

- All readers apply what they know about the world tp make sense of what they read

- ELLs need background knowledge to comprehend English texts and need to be at the

appropriate level

- PAGE 126 – 132 vvvv

- Graphophonics – knowledge of sounds and sound patterns, letter and letter patterns ;

relationship

o Traditional Phonics does not work for ELLs

o TEACHERS SHOULD CREATE ALPHABET BOOKS

- Syntax – cueing to signal meaning

- Semantics – refers to meaning

- Sampling – reading too slow the short term memory is overloaded

- Predicting and Inferring – readers need to make inferences and fill in missing information

- Confirming or Disconfirming proficient readers constantly check to confirm their

predictions

- All languages— use symbols to represent meaning develop important academic concepts

and vocabulary in each of the content areas

appropriate

- Want ELL students to gain independence GRADUAL INCREASE OF

RESPONSIBILITY

o Have students present information and read independently

- Model, Connect, background/Personal Experience, Chart/Graph, Peer Evaluate

- Help students with note taking skills

- Teach a large guided group with discussion/ work in pairs

- Content Knowledge and academic language are keys to the academic success of all

students

- All language occurs in some context – cognitive demand does not depend so much on the

subject, but on someone’s background knowledge

- Not skilled in primary language cannot gain skill in English language; students need to be

able to understand lectures in different content areas (PG 157)

- Need to develop academic language

- TEACH THROUGH CONTENT AND ENGAGE STUDENTS IN MEANINGFUL

ACTIVITIES

- 66% Correlation between background knowledge – Real life examples like a field trip

- Extensive Reading raises academic achievement of ELLs; talk and write about what they

have read – allow them to write in their native language

- Develop a reading program that provides all students books at appropriate level

- Teachers should engage students in different kinds of follow-up activities – oral reports,

blurb
- Choosing vocabulary to teach – PG 166 Tier 1 Probably would know in their first

language but lack of the label for in English

- Tier 2 require some attention from teachers since many ELLs are not familiar

- Tier 3 Low-frequency words – older grades

- TEACHING VOCAB 169

- Groups, Brainstorms, Communicate with other country; use internet as took ‘pen pal’

- Teachers need to teach multiple genres

bilingual programs extend for a longer period of time usually five to six years and over seventy-

three percent of districts need bilingual teachers since the population of English Language

Learners is increasing (Freeman, 2007, 7). It is a good idea that some districts are requiring

teachers to be certified to teach English Language Learner (ELL) students, since the student

population has been increasing in some areas by doubling or even tripling! English as a Second

Language instruction is offered up to the age of 21 years-old for students, but students are

expected to transition into the English language within two – three years (Freeman, 2007, 15).

The more the student learning English is exposed to the English language in their environment,

the more likely the ELL student is going to be able to understand the language and understand

how to use it. Studies have also shown that bilingual programs are beneficial to students that

are learning English, because students can work in their native language, therefore they are able

to express their ideas, and translate the information into English (Freeman, 2007, 92). Since

English Language Learners may have trouble expressing their ideas in English, it is a great idea

to be sure that the student does comprehend the material.

When teaching English Language Learners, I am going to be sure to use the resources

that are available to make sure the needs of my students are met. Having an ESL teacher, or ESL

paraprofessional in the room or work with the individual that speaks the student’s native

language is beneficial (Freeman, 2007, 115). The text mentions pairing students in

heterogeneous groups based on their native language to help meet the needs of the students;
having students speak in their native language is the last of the ten tips for supporting students’

primary languages in Chapter 4. If someone in my classroom setting can translate to decrease

the language barrier, even if the person is the ELL student’s peer, the ELL student is going to

overcome an additional challenge. It is difficult to learn new content in a new language that a

student is not familiar with, but if another student speaks their native language, there will be

someone there to translate for them (Freeman, 2007, 62). The student that would be translating

to help the English Language Learner communicate, would also feel important since they have

an important job to help their classmate and the teacher. Since the English Language Learner has

someone that he or she can communicate with, and have a close interaction with, it is also

beneficial to the student so he or she becomes comfortable in his or her own classroom

environment. English Language Learner students could write in their native language before they

get comfortable writing in English; students could evaluate each other’s work, and as a teacher to

be sure that the students are reading each other’s work and feedback, the students will have to

respond to their peer’s feedback (Freeman, 2007, 148). Having an ELL student work with a peer

is also one of the ten tips to help make a student successful, while teaching them in their primary

language. Students that do not speak English as their first language should in no way feel

excluded from their classmates.

Bilingual education allows students to use their native language to express themselves,

which is the same concept that the student’s first and native language is part of their identity.

There is no reason to strip a child of their identity; it was mentioned in the Freemans’ book that

the students should be able to draw Code of Arms for their personal identity. The students

should not feel excluded from their classmates since there is a language barrier, and as the

teacher in the room, I will be the person that has to make sure my English Language Learners’
needs are being met, and they are happy. I plan on using bilingual structure in my classroom,

even if there is no person that could translate the material for me, there are other tools such as

Google Translator to help me assess the information that the English Language Learner student

is handing in.

One of the best ways for students to learn English is through conversation with their

peers, teachers, and learning English through the content of the new material that is being taught

so they can generalize concepts. Students are more likely to learn English through meaningful

activities, and by having student students use English they are going to get more comfortable

with using the language on a daily basis. The more the students are using the language and

hearing English, the more likely they are to learn it.

Students that are learning English as a second language learners have a difficult challenge

since they are learning English, but they are also learning a new topic or concept. Listening to a

new language is mentally exhausting since the brain is accustomed to processing what is being

said. I think a great activity for an English Language Learner students would be to answer daily

warm-up questions and participate in a morning routine where the students are routinely using

English and conversation. Depending on the grade level, the students could sing songs, complete

the daily calendar, identify the weather conditions, and ask common conversation questions, for

example “How are you?”. In my previous placement, the English Language Learner student

participated in the morning routine on a daily basis. Since he was participating, he was

becoming more familiar and comfortable with the English Language in a classroom setting,

rather than just working with his English as a Second Language teacher.
 Schools organize their curriculum differently, but it is best to link the subjects together to

the best of a teacher’s ability, since English Language Learners have trouble with transitioning.

Content should be taught through meaningful and hands on experiences, just like the English

language should be. Students will be able to learn more content if they are able to connect the

material to other subject areas and other themes; students will retain more information especially

the English Language Learners. Making the subjects link for easy transitions, and still meet the

state standards could be a challenge, but it is possible. Science and Social Studies could be easily

connected with each other in addition to mathematics and literacy. I know in my Special

Education Class, I incorporated Natural Disasters and Tsunamis into four subjects for easy

transitioning for my students. As a teacher, especially at the Elementary level, I am going to

incorporate subjects together to keep a constant theme to the best of my ability. At a secondary

level this would be more of a challenge since I would be working with different teachers in

various subjects, but studies have shown that English Language Learners, and general education

students learn and retain material better when it is presented in a unit with a common theme.

Therefore creating themes and tying subjects together for easy transitioning is one of my main

goals for my lesson planning and my curriculum when I am teaching material.

Even though the students are learning how to speak, read, and write in English, it is

important that they understand how to read independently. Independent reading is an essential

component of an effective reading program if it is implemented correctly (Freeman, 2007, 163).

Fountas and Pinnell have independent reading under Reading Workshop in their three literacy

block framework. The books that the students are reading, should always be age appropriate,

with text that is on the correct reading level, which Donalyn Miller and the authors Fountas and

Pinnell agree with. If a student is not reading material on the appropriate level then he or she
will not comprehend what they are reading. Books that relate to the students’ culture or

nationality are encouraged for independent reading, because it is a book that students can relate

to their real world experiences. Building a library based around the English Language Learner’s

first language is beneficial so the students can benefit by improving their oral and written

language skills (Freeman, 2007, 101). The books in the students’ native language could have

different genres, because the students should be exposed to different genres during independent

reading.

I plan on using a lot of independent reading time when I am instructing a class, but I

would have a center where the ELL students could listen to the book on tape and have them

follow along with the book to learn the English language in addition to vocabulary words. The

purpose of having a book on tape is that the students begin to recognize words, pronunciation,

phonics, and they are exposed to new vocabulary words. Students can use word-solving

strategies to learn important concept related to decoding, spelling, and vocabulary (Fountas,

2001, 369). Decoding is part of the process to figure out what a word means, and teaching

vocabulary through context has been more successful, rather than having the students memorize

and define words; students should be able to expand their knowledge and make connections by

learning new words. English Language Learners’ vocabulary is usually divided into three tiers:

Tier one, the ELL students know the word in their first language; Tier two the students can learn

the word with guidance from the teacher; and Tier three is vocabulary mainly used in the upper

grade levels (Freeman, 2007, 157). English Language Learner students have to start with words

they are familiar with in their native language, because it is difficult to learn new content in a

new language. For new and more challenging vocabulary words that the English Language

Learners are struggling with, they can be guided by a teacher.

Literacy Framework, since literacy is one of the most important elements in the classroom

especially for English Language Learners. Before beginning independent reading, guided

reading, or literature study under the Reading Workshop block, I would begin with a mini lesson

to help students become aware of information that is presented in the text. The purpose of a

mini-lesson is to assure that the students can learn how to understand that information that is

presented in the text (Fountas, 2001, 129). Students that speak English sometimes have trouble

comprehending independent reading books, so the mini-lesson would be beneficial to them and

the English Language Learners. A student’s independent reading book should be a text that they

are interested in and it is at an appropriate level, so the student is not reaching a level of

frustration, because that will discourage them to read (Fountas, 2001, 119). Students also need

to learn how to gradually gain more and more individual responsibility, because they are not

always going to be supported. If students are always helped throughout school they are going to

gain a sense of learned helplessness, and grow dependent on others. Students need to be exposed

to situations where they can succeed; teachers begin by teaching and using scaffolding

techniques so students can become more knowledgeable in subjects while they learn English,

similar to the concept of learning new vocabulary.

I know that I cannot speak any other language other than English, and that is something

that I need to work on in my free time by taking advantage of Rosetta Stone, or refreshing my

Spanish. I could use a book to translate what a student is saying, or an electronic translator, but

that is not as personable. Using a tool like a book or an electronic translator is cheaper than

using another teacher or paraprofessional, but it is similar to a student with Autism using a

Dynavox; the student with Autism may not always have the machine to communicate, therefore
neither a student or a teacher should become dependent on translators or any type of technology

used to communicate. Having the students in the class work in heterogeneous groups with their

classmates that speak the same language is beneficial so students can communicate in their

native language and translate the information into English. Since English Language Learners

may be struggling with writing, using a bilingual teaching method will be beneficial to the

students so they can write their answers in their native language. Having students have the option

to read books in their native language is great, because the students are reading, so the classroom

should have a library in their native language. All students should be exposed to different types

of genres, and as the students become comfortable reading books in their native language, they

will become more comfortable with reading books in English and following along with books on

tape in the English language. If there are not enough students to make a heterogeneous group

that speaks the same language, a great idea is to partner up the ELL student with a student that

speaks the same language, so they can spend time with a peer that understands what they are

saying, and can help. Students need to learn to gradually increase the responsibilities that they

have to complete so they can be successful in life, so they do not gain a sense of learned

helplessness (Freeman, 2007, 137). Teaching students content and engaging students in

meaningful activities shows the importance of learning new concepts, themes, and a new

language so they can use the skills they learn and their knowledge to generalize to the real world.

It shocked me how many English Language Learners are entering school districts around the

country, but as a teacher I have to be sure that I am doing all that I can so the student does have

his or her right to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment so they are

still learning. It will require differentiation in my classroom, but that is a challenge that I am

willing to take.
 The English Language Learners: Essential Guide was a well written text,with teaching

strategies I would not even think of using with a student learning English. I would have never

thought it would have been okay to have a student write and read books in their native language,

because I am not sure how that would have helped them learn English. I usually enjoy working

in groups discussing the what we have read in the text, but since this book captured my interest

so much I did not gain much from the professional group discussion because I felt I had already

learned so much while I was reading. I was not aware of how many more English Language

Learners are coming into the school districts, so overall this raised my awareness about students

that do not speak English as their native language; it raised my awareness even more since I will

be certified in Special Education and these students may be placed in my classroom too, if they

are falling too behind. This book was a great book to have all teachers read before they begin

teaching, because with the population of English Language Learners increasing, I am sure that

teachers are going to have an ELL student in their classroom multiple times.