I began this week super excited about the Esperanza training and the
beginning of a new chapter of “hope” for CISD dual language primary
students. I felt as though the training
went well and teachers were excited about starting Esperanza. I truly can’t wait
to see the results of this program after our implementation. Way to go Kinder and 2nd grade Dual Language teachers! :) 1st grade is training this week...
As the week progressed, I discovered yet another challenge for our dual
language students. I had the privilege
of testing a Dual Language 5th grade student in English. She struggled with the decoding aspect of the
English text, but had fantastic comprehension.
She brought to light the need for some teaching strategies to help the
transitioning DL 5th grade students achieve success in the all
English classroom. The following approaches detailed in the article below will
help ELLs, at every grade level, develop their oral language skills.
I found the article on the Colorín Colorado website:
Oral Language
Development and ELLs: 5 Challenges and Solutions
By: Lindsey Moses Guccione (2012)
“In this article written for Colorín
Colorado, Dr.
Lindsey Moses Guccione shares five key challenges related to the oral
language development of ELLs, as well as tips for addressing each of the
challenges.
Currently, I am fortunate to work with many teachers who
have the opportunity to impact the lives of children and families who speak
more than one language. As I work with these teachers and families, I have
found five common and reoccurring challenges that they seem to face in the area
of oral language development that parallel my own experiences. I detail these
challenges and questions below, as well as suggestions for addressing each
challenges based on strategies I used in my classroom.
Questions and Classroom Scenarios
1. What do I do if they don't know ANY English?
Understanding the characteristics of language
learners at different proficiency levels helps to think about how we can best
support students in their oral language and reading development. Below is a
chart that gives a description of the first two levels of language proficiency
as well as implications for using oral reading. This is a nice place to start
when thinking about how to interact with and support our Starting and Emerging
English speakers.
|
Levels of Language
Proficiency
|
Description
|
Implications For Using
Oral Reading
|
|
Level 1: Starting
|
Students are in a silent period in which they listen, but do not
speak in English. They may respond using nonverbal cues in attempt to
communicate basic needs.
|
The teacher and other more advanced students should model oral
reading. Students in the silent period should not be forced to speak, but
should be given the opportunity to participate in a group activity where they
won't be singled out.
|
|
Level 2: Emerging
|
Students are beginning to understand more oral language. They
respond using one- or two-word phrases and start to produce simple sentences
for basic social interactions and to meet basic needs.
|
Teacher and students should continue to model oral reading. Students
should be encouraged to begin taking risks with simple, rehearsed oral
reading in non-threatening situations.
|
2.
How do I provide instruction and support for the ELLs without holding back the
students who are fluent in English?
Differentiation is the key to effective
instruction for all students. Students of varying proficiency levels can learn
the same content when the teacher provides a wide range of learning
opportunities for students with different academic and linguistic needs. Three
key strategies for this approach include differentiating or modifying the
texts, creating grouping structures, and targeting the amount and nature of
support based on students' needs (Opitz & Ford, 2008).
- Modifying the text: Teachers can
differentiate the text by selecting various levels of text difficulty on
similar content, or they can also divide the text up into smaller portions
appropriate for certain groups/individuals for a jigsaw activity. Another
idea is to summarize text that might be too difficult and provide ways to
make the text more accessible (such as vocabulary support, visual support,
connecting to background knowledge, etc.).
- Creating grouping structures that set students up
for success: While some grouping structures can be established
according to language or literacy skill levels and needs, it is also
important to think about providing students exposure to interact with peers
who demonstrate a wide range of different language and literacy skills.
Additionally, teachers can improve engagement and motivation by creating
choice/interest groups where students gather, read, discuss and work
together on topics of common interest.
- Targeting the amount and nature of student support: It is important to think about scaffolding the experience and using comprehensible
input to make it accessible for all students. Comprehensible input
means that students should be able to understand the gist of what is being
said or presented. There are many ways to do this, such as selecting key
vocabulary, using context or visual cues, building background knowledge,
building on experiences the students have had, using consistent language,
and providing images or visual representations to support vocabulary and
content. Teachers can support their students by embedding comprehensible
input into their whole-group instruction, but this also becomes
particularly effective when used in the different grouping structures.
Teachers can also modify the amount of support and interaction between
teachers and students depending on their individual and group needs.
3. This student knows English — I hear him
talking to his friends and on the playground. He just doesn't want to try in
class.
·
I have heard many teachers discussing
variations of this same idea. However, I would caution teachers and parents
about jumping to this conclusion. Academic language
(or the language specifically related to school and/or academic content) can be
complicated to acquire. Students often first develop social language and
demonstrate near proficiency or proficiency in English in social settings. A
student may be demonstrating sophisticated use of social language, but they may
have difficulty using language in more formal settings such as school.
·
Much of the academic language required to be
successful in school — everything from instructions to expectations to
content-specific vocabulary — requires assistance in acquiring. Students hear
and use their social language in various settings from home, community, and
school, but academic language is often only used in the school setting. These
students need specific instruction and support surrounding their language
development in this area.
·
The same children who appear to be
functioning at a high level of English proficiency in social settings may
actually be functioning at a beginning stage in other settings, depending on
how they are called on to use language. The students need to feel safe and in a
low-anxiety environment in order to begin to feel comfortable taking risks with
their oral language. When they have less exposure and instruction related to
academic language, this can often cause students to feel intimidated and less
likely to be willing to share in class.
·
One idea for reducing anxiety and encouraging
students to experiment with language might include allowing students to read,
practice, and discuss their responses in partners and small groups before
sharing out to the entire group. This allows students an opportunity to hear
language modeled by peers, practice what they want to say, and possibly revise
their original thought and/or language before sharing it in a public way. As
students find more success with their language production and classroom
participation, they will be more likely to share and take risks, and in turn
continue building their confidence.
4.
How is the child ever going to learn English if they don't speak it at home?
It is important to celebrate being bilingual
and biliterate. Research has shown that development of a students' first
language can facilitate development in the second language (Genessee, Geva,
Dressler, and Kamil, 2007). Understanding this helps parents, teachers, and
children to encourage the use and development of the students' home language while
they are at home. All of the home literacy activities that we recommend for
English speakers, such as reading aloud, making lists, discussing books,
reading environmental print, etc., should also be encouraged for the English
language learners in their home language. Students can begin to use more
English as they feel comfortable in different settings, but it is important to
note that speaking two languages will not hinder their English development.
Another important idea to remember is that we
want to invite parents to feel confident in their interactions with their
children regardless of their English proficiency level. As they begin to read
or retell stories and discuss them at home, they are developing vital oral
language and comprehension skills, and these skills will transfer over into
their school language.
5.
What kinds of activities should I be doing to help the student develop their
oral language and oral reading?
McCauley and McCauley (1992) report four
factors as necessary for acquiring a second language: a low-anxiety
environment, repeated practice, comprehensible input, and drama. These are all
important components of setting children up for success and language
development.
- A low-anxiety environment includes a
setting where students feel nurtured and supported by their teacher and
peers, and in turn, they feel safe to take risks without the fear of being
laughed at or made fun of.
- Repeated practice is just like
what it sounds! Students need repeated practice hearing and using a new
language. They need multiple opportunities to comprehend and express their
ideas in a new language. Like with anything new that we learn, practice
helps us get better.
- Comprehensible input, as
explained above, means finding different ways to make what is being said
comprehensible and easier to understand. Things to consider with
comprehensible input might include using speech that is appropriate for
students' language proficiency, providing a clear, step-by-step explanation
of tasks, and using a variety of techniques to support their
understanding.
- Drama, or a sense
of excitement and engagement, can be found in activities like Reader's Theatre,
dramatic play, puppetry, narrating wordless picture books, etc. All of
these activities also have the other three factors embedded within them.
These activities assist in the development of oral language in addition to
introducing students to oral reading and rich literacy experiences and
responses in a classroom setting.
Closing
Thoughts
As you can see from these questions and
examples, there are a lot of different approaches to helping ELLs build their
oral language development skills, and you may have to try different activities
until you find what works for your students. The most important thing, however,
is to build your students' confidence while giving them new words and phrases
to practice. Don't be afraid to try something new — and most of all, don't be
afraid to have fun doing it!” (Colorin Colorado online article, http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/50910/)
