This document discusses second language acquisition among English language learners. It notes that ELL students progress through predictable stages of language development at different rates as they learn English. The stages include pre-production, early production, speech emergence, and fluency. Teachers must understand language acquisition in order to modify instruction appropriately for each student's level of English proficiency.

1. SECOND LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION
Monday, January 30, 2012
Learning Team ELD 506: Understanding Language Acquisition and
A Cognition

2. With an influx of immigrant
students into public school
classrooms,
…teachers are
challenged by educating
English Language
Learners (ELLs). Since
English Language
Development (ELD)
policies are
compulsory and
steadfast, students
must acquire English as
a second language
while simultaneously
learning academic

3. It is widely understood by most
educators…
…working with ELLs that language
acquisition progresses in stages. As
students work towards second language
acquisition (SLA), these steps of
development evolve within a predicable
continuum of language behaviors;
however, as each student is unique, he
or she will progress through the stages
at different rates.

4. With the emphasis on
accountability,…
…teachers need to make informed pedagogical
decisions regarding communication, language
acquisition, & validation of social &
academic language. The following information
will provide valid & important facts & strategies
regarding SLA of minority language learners.

5. English Language Learners…
 acquire second Reminder:
language (L2) at a Find a word
for our Word
different rate than Wall!
native speaking peers.
 have linguistic &
cultural experiences
that affect their
language learning
abilities.
 benefit from pictures,
pair & share,
pantomime,
experiential activities,
& journaling to enhance

6. English Language Learners…
 perpetually learn new
words from their teachers
& peers.
 draw pictures & ask for
vocabulary clarification.
 increase knowledge of
reading, writing, & print.
 Piper (2007): “It is
necessary, but not
sufficient, to surround ELL
children with all kinds of
oral & printed language”
(p. 375).

7. Second Language Acquisition
(SLA)
 The SLA process is more rapid for
some students than others.
 The pace at which ELLs progress
with SLA depends on home support,
the student’s primary language (L1)
use, & L2 recognition.
 Four stages of ELD SLA: Pre-
production, Early Production,
Speech Emergence, & Fluency.

8. ELD SLA Stage 1: Pre-
Production
 minimal receptive
vocabularies.
 comprehending key words
in a conversation.
 relying heavily on context
cueing & imitation.
 focusing on internalizing
L2 while adjusting to new
culture (Niles, 2011).
 less than 6 months in
English-speaking school.
 possess less than a 500-
word English vocabulary.
(Portland Public Schools,
2000).

9. ELD SLA Stage 2: Early
Production
 very limited receptive L2
comprehension & vocabularies.
 depends heavily on context to
derive meaning.
 1 – 2 word sentences.
 demonstrates L2 reading
abilities if illustrations
support the content (Niles,
2011).
 attends to hands-on
demonstrations with increased
understanding.
 has attended English-speaking
school 6 – 12 months;
continues to adjust to the
culture.
 has 1,000-word English
receptive vocabulary (Portland
Public Schools, 2000).

10. ELD SLA Stage 3: Speech
Emergence
 can understand ideas about events within the range of
personal experience.
 more adept at hearing smaller elements of speech
in L2 (Niles, 2011; Portland Public Schools; 2000;
Hurley & Tinajero, 2001).
 producing whole sentences in writing & speech.
 Demonstrating comprehension of charts, graphs,
diagrams, & lists orally and in writing (Niles, 2011;
Hurley & Tinajero, 2001).
 1 – 3 years of schooling in L2.
 7,000 words of receptive & expressive
English vocabulary.

11. ELD SLA Stage 4: Fluency
 participates in everyday conversations
without highly contextualized support
(Niles, 2011), communicating thoughts
more completely.
 expresses thoughts & feelings using
complex statements with increased
level of accuracy.
 engages in & produces connected
narrative, demonstrating good
comprehension (Hurley & Tinajero,
2001).
 utilizes an expanded vocabulary while
making complex grammatical errors
(Niles, 2011).
 has attended English-speaking schools
for 5 - 7 years.
 possesses receptive & active L2

12. Extensive research has
indicated…
…that language proficiency
& cognitive development are
intertwined.
 In 5 – 7 years, second
language learners (SLLs)
ascend 4 stages of ELD
SLA towards advanced
fluency.
 Within 2 years, SLLs
acquire social
conversational skills &
are capable of chatting
with peers, performing
basic classroom chores, &

13. BICS and CALP
 Cummins (1979) termed a student in this stage of
development possessing BICS, or basic
interpersonal communication skills.
 The ultimate goal, Cummins postulated, was for a
language learning student to become a cognitive
academic language proficient (CALP).
 CALP is the language skills required to perform
more advanced school tasks successfully, such
as categorizing, comparing, analyzing, &
accommodating new knowledge.
 To reach the CALP level, a SLL requires
5 or more years of exposure to an L2.

14. The Five Cs
In tandem with CALP, ELLs
must seize command of
what Diaz-Rico & Weed
(2006) termed the 5 Cs:
 Communication
 Conceptualization
 Critical thinking
 Context
 Culture
As ELLs master the 5 Cs,
they become what Hymes Beyond simply knowing
(1972) called grammatical rules of L2 to
“communicatively knowing when, where, & how
competent.” to use a L2 appropriately.

15. Educating the ELL population…
…and providing them with
the resources to
successfully complete
each stage of SLA is a
challenge that teachers
are facing across the
country. In an attempt to
educate the ELLs in our
classrooms, school
districts are developing &
implementing local
educational agency plans,
or LEAPs, that outline the
procedures to assist
students & teachers in
the SLA process.

16. During SLA, ELLs must…
 learn grade level specific content
simultaneously.
 learn & become proficient with social
academic language.
To meet the needs of all learners in the
classroom, teachers must:
 have the education & resources necessary to
modify teaching strategies
 differentiate instruction based on
ELLs stages of SLA.

17. Educating the ELL population…
…and providing them with the resources to
successfully complete each stage of SLA is a
challenge. In an attempt to educate ELLs in our
classrooms, school districts are developing &
implementing plans that outline the procedures to
assist students & teachers in the language
acquisition process. During SLA, ELLs must learn
grade level specific content simultaneously & learn &
become proficient with social & academic language.

18. To meet the needs of all
learners…
…in the classroom, teachers
must have the education &
resources necessary to modify
teaching strategies &
differentiate instruction
based upon each student’s
stage of SLA while keeping in
mind that there is no
timetable for this process.

19. Resources
 Cummins, J. (1979). Working Papers on
Bilingualism,19, p. 121-129.
 Diaz-Rico, L.T., & Weed, K.Z. (2006). The
Crosscultural, Language, and Academic
Development Handbook. A complete K – 12
reference guide (3rd ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson.
 Hymes, D. (1972). On communicative
competence. In J. B. Pride & J. Holmes (eds.),
Sociolinguistics. Harmondsworth, England:
Penguin.

20. References (cont.)
 Hurley, S.R. & Tinajero, J.V. (2001).
Assessing Progress in Second-Language
Acquisition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-
Hall, Inc.
 Niles, K. (2011). Content strategies and
scaffolding: Techniques to promote academic
success for English language learners: Stages
in English acquisition [PDF document].
Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Website:
http://www.academicesl.com/
PA2011/index.html.

21. References (cont.)
 Piper, T. (2007). Language and learning: The
home and school years (4th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill-Prentice Hall.
 Portland Public Schools (2000). ESL/Bilingual
resource guide for mainstream teachers.
Retrieved
fromwww.pps.k12.or.us/curriculum/PDFs/
ESL_Modifications.pdf.
 Robertson, K. & Ford, K. (2008). Language
Acquisition: An Overview. Colorin Colorado
Retrieved from
colorincolorado.org/article/26751.

22. References (cont.)
 Vance, Noelle (2008). Language
development: Second language acquisition.
Language Development – Research Starters
Education, 1. Retrieved from http://search.
ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e0
h&AN=27577653&site=ehost-live.

23. Image References
All clip art was obtained through the Microsoft Office 2010 Clip Art Gallery except for
the following:
Dance Steps: www.leroc-in-bristol.co.uk/Resources/Clip_Sources/dancstep.gif
Reading Circle: www.indianruminations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/
ClipArt_Reading_Circle-315x254.jpg