ELL STUDENTS

AND
INSTRUCTION

B Y: K A I T L I N S H O O K - T U T T L E
TESOL CURRENT
KEY TERMS AND
ACRONYMS
• TESOL stands for “teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages” which
is the act of teaching English those who do not speak English (especially as
their first language), where ELL stands for “English language learners” and
is the students/people themselves that does not speak (power point)
• L1, L2 are acronyms used to refer to which language the student speaks as a
first language opposed to their second language. This could help identify
language barriers when TESOL. (power point)
• TEFL (EFL) refers to teaching English as a foreign language. Unlike, above
where students are being taught within primary English-speaking classrooms
with accommodations, here students are taught in their own language and
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
English is taught as a secondary language. (power point)
• SIOP stands for sheltered instruction observation protocol. This is a tool to
help teachers provide lessons to are effective to ELL as they are still learning
the English language. (https://www.cal.org/siop/ )
 T E S O L E M E R G I N G A N D FA D I N G
KEY TERMS AND ACRONYMS
• Emerging - TENL is teaching English as a new language, where as TEAL is teaching
English as an additional language. (power point)
• Fading – LEP stands for ”limited English proficiency.” Where most of these acronyms
represent students who have very little, if any English language skills, when a person
has LEP they do have some knowledge of the English language. These students will
still need assistance but will have some background knowledge to help them. TESL
(ESL) stands for “teaching English as a second language.” This is beginning to be
replaced by L1, L2, and TEAL to show that a student speaks a different language
fluently and English is being taught as a secondary language. (power point)
ASPECTS OF DIVERSITY
AMONG ELL
• Students who are ELL at a younger age (Pre-K to 2 nd Grade) may need less
intense interventions than those students' 3 rd Grade and above. On the other
hand, if a student comes to the English-speaking school from a school that has
given them an English background. Those students should not be placed in
low-level English learning classrooms. (
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/diversity-english-language-learners#h-
characteristics-of-english-language-learners
)
• Interrupted Formal Education can happen due to poverty, refugees, or
schooling vastly different than traditional English schools. They may have the
strength of background knowledge that other students may lack but need help
with routines and trauma assistance. These are the ELL that though, they may
be in the Pre-K to 2nd range, may need more intensive instruction to help them.
• ELL with disabilities may need more visual cues, hands on activities,
repetition, and extra practice to help than ELL without disabilities to help not
only bridge the language gap but help with the disability. (
https://www.colorincolorado.org/webcast/english-language-learners-learning-d
isabilities
)

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
5 levels of Language Proficiency:
0 - No practical proficiency: no practical reading or speaking proficiency
1 – Elementary: able to do minimal travel needs, courtesies, able to read isolated words or phrases
2 – Limited Working: routine social demands, work requirements, reading print on familiar content
3- Minimum Professional Proficiency: able to hold informal conversations and read content specific material
4 – Full Professional Proficiency: use language fluently and read all styles and formats
5 – Native or Bilingual Proficiency: the same as an educated native speaker and reader

(https://careers.state.gov/faq-items/what-are-the-language-proficiency-definitions/)
 SECOND LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION
• Full language fluency can take up to 5 -7 years for strong
first language skills
• 7 -10 for full language fluency if the first language skills
are week

(https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview)

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Stages of Acquisition:
Pre-production – Does not speak new language
Early Production – Begins to speak short words or sentences/emphasis on listening
Speech Emergent – Relies heavily on context clues, but speech becomes more fluent and
sentences longer
Beginning Fluency – Fairly fluent in social situations
Intermediate Fluency – Communicating in second language is more fluent, but gaps in
vocabulary still exist
Advanced Fluency – Essentially fluent and comfortable communicating in second language

(https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview and Gunning, pg. 45)

 ELL VS NON-ELL IN SCHOOLS
• It can take longer for ELL to learn English formally, than socially. It is beneficial to
start with social language, rather than academic.
• Academic English is more demanding with more rules.
• Kindergarten Focus – Oral language of objects around student
• 1st – Add reading, writing, phonics
• 2nd and 3rd Grade – higher level literacy skills (themes, trade books, academic
vocabulary)
•
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/what-difference-between-social-and-academic-english
 TESOL RESOURCES AND HELP
The following are recommendations for instruction for ELL:
1. “Conduct formative assessments with English learners using English language
measures of phonological processing, letter knowledge, and word and text reading.”
2. Focused, intense, consistent small group instruction of the five core reading skills
3. “High-quality vocabulary instruction”
4. Development of formal or academic English
5. “Approximately 90 minutes a week” of instructional activities pairing students with
different levels up with each other
(Gerstein, pg. 18)
 TESOL RESOURCES AND HELP
Strategies to assist each language stage for ELL :
1. Pre – production: * “Speak slowly and use shorter words, but use correct English
phrasing” Do not be afraid to repeat (kindly), if necessary * “Use visuals and have
students point to pictures or act out vocabulary” Creating flip cards that student can keep
at his/her desk can help with this * “Emphasize listening comprehension by using read-
alouds and music”
2. Early Production: * “Ask yes/no, either/or questions” The student will be able to practice
the correct forms of the answers while giving them time to process what they are
answering/learning * “Model a phrase, have the student repeat it, and add modifications.”
* “Avoid excess error correction.” Focus on modeling to encourage student
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
 TESOL RESOURCES AND HELP
Strategies to assist each language stage for ELL : (cont..)
3. Speech Emergent: * “Introduce new academic vocabulary and model how to use it in a sentence.” Ability
to move from social vocabulary to academic vocabulary * “Ask questions that require short answer and are
fairly literal.” Student will not be able to answer abstractly yet but should be able to answer more than 1-word
answers. * “Focus on corrections that directly interfere with meaning.” Avoid hurting the student’s confidence
in their progress
4. Beginning Fluency: *”During instruction, use Think, Pair, Share…” to help students “process new
language and concepts.” They can begin learning from their peers at this stage. * ”Ask students if they agree
or disagree with a statement and why” Begin having students use their extended vocabulary to justify their
answers * “Model more advanced academic language structures such as, "I think," "In my opinion," and
"When you compare." Have students repeat the phrases in context.” Modeling and explaining concepts in
more depth * “Continue Visual Support and Vocabulary Development” Continue to assist with visual aids
(flashcards, pictures, etc.) to help with continuous expansion of vocabulary
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
 TESOL RESOURCES AND HELP

Strategies to assist each language stage for ELL : (cont..)

5. Intermediate Fluency: *Model key terms and phrases and student
”produce language in classroom activities” * Graphic organizers –
encourage detail * “Have a “Guessing Time” during silent reading where
they circle words that they don’t know and write down their guess of the
meaning.” Encourage more independent critical thinking skills
6. Advanced Fluency: * “Demonstrate effective note-taking and provide a
template” Student becomes more responsible for his/her own learning. *
“Students at this level are close to native language fluency and can interact
well in a variety of situations. Continue to develop language skills as gaps
arise by using the strategies listed above. Although the student may seem
completely fluent, he or she still benefit from visual support, building on
background knowledge, pre-teaching vocabulary and making connections
between content areas.” * “Offer error correction” Students are still trying
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to master language and can benefit from the constructive criticism.

https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
 TESOL RESOURCES AND
HELP

Strategies for all ELL levels:

1. Scaffolding
2. Cognate Awareness
3. Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
4. Error Correction (be mindful of ELL student’s learning
level from previous slide)
5. Learning some of the ELL student’s language – helps
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
them feel welcomed!

https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
 “The diversity present in today’s classroom means that
teachers need to be able to differentiate instruction. To do so,
teachers should learn about the cognitive cultural, literacy,
and linguistic background of students and use that
knowledge to plan instruction. The diversity that students
bring to the classroom should be valued and built on.”
CONCLUSIO (Gunning, pg. 50)
N Students who are ELL bring a unique diversity to the
classroom. They not only are learning from English speakers
but can teach us about their culture and language as well.
Through strategies and an open heart, all ELL can be
successful in any classroom!
P R O J E C T C I TAT I O N S
• Working With English Language Learners power point
• Gersten, Russell Baker, Scott K., Shanahan, Timothy, Linan-Thompson, Sylvia, Collins,
Penny, and Scarcella, Robin. Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for
English Learners in the Elementary Grades. Institution for Education Sciences. 2007.
• https://www.cal.org/siop/ . Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol.
• https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/diversity-english-language-learners#h-characteristic
s-of-english-language-learners
. The Diversity of English Language Learners.
• https://www.colorincolorado.org/webcast/english-language-learners-learning-disabilities .
English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities.
P R O J E C T C I TAT I O N S ( PA R T 2 )
• https://careers.state.gov/faq-items/what-are-the-language-proficiency-definitions/ .
Students Language Proficiency Definitions.
• https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview Language
Acquisition: An Overview.
• https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/what-difference-between-social-and-acade
mic-english
. What is the Difference Between Social and Academic English.