3. Questions to be Answered at
the End of the Training
1. Why does it benefit your whole class for
your ELLs to have success?
2. How can these strategies help all
students to feel successful?
3. What do you plan to do differently?
4. Section 1 of Training
• ELL Background Information
5. Who are ELL Students?
• Extremely diverse group – many different
needs!
• ELLs constitute the fastest growing
segment of the school-age population
• Most are born in the US
• Many varying levels of education
8. Nearly 54 % of all ELL youths born
outside the United States are from Mexico
9. ELL Students in Wisconsin
• 43,659 in 2006-2007 school year
• two most common languages: Hmong & Spanish
• 80 other languages
• It is estimated that by the year 2030:
– the African-American population will grow by 68%
– the Asian-American population by 79%
– the Hispanic-American population by 197%.
[National Education Association May 2000]
11. Waunakee’s English Language
Learner Population
• In March 2004, the Waunakee school
district reported a total of 18 ELL students
K-12 to the DPI.
• In fall 2008, there were approximately 61
ELL students K-12.
12. Waunakee’s English Language
Learner Population
• The majority of our students are Spanish speakers
• But, we also have students whose first languages are:
Hmong Oriya
Khmer Mandinka
Lao Arabic
Albanian Amharic
Russian
Polish
Chinese
Japanese
American Sign Language
Afrikaans
Ukrainian
13. Trends in ELL
• There are roughly 5.1 million English-
language learners nationwide
• The number of ELLs nationwide rose about
57% from 3.2 to 5.1 million from 1995-2005
according to the National Clearinghouse for
English Language Acquisition.
14. By 2010 the ELL Population is
Predicted to grow to 13.3 Million
15. Challenges Facing ELL Students
• Learning and using academic language with
confidence
• Reluctance to use English in class
• Need for classroom support to succeed - Sink or
swim won’t work
• ELLs are held to the same reading and math
proficiency targets as native English-speakers
• There were significant achievement gaps between
ELL and non-ELL students on the 2006-2007
national math and reading assessment in
Wisconsin (math = 24.7%, reading = 23.6%)
16. Challenges Facing Mainstream
Teachers
• Many teachers are not prepared to work
with ELLs in their classroom
• Mainstream teachers need more support
and strategies to better serve the ELL
population
• Accountability decisions are based on the
goal that 100% of all students-including
ELLs-be academically proficient by the end
of 2013-2014 school year.
17. FactorsFactors
that maythat may
affectaffect
studentstudent
learninglearning
(Page 11)(Page 11)English Language LearnerEnglish Language Learner
The Learning EnvironmentThe Learning Environment
Teacher
School/Community
Class Program
The ESL Program
Other Students
BackgroundBackground
Skills in 1st Language
Geography
Culture
Family Situation
Personality
19. Cultural Differences
• Differences in language and culture can affect
students' classroom behavior, participation,
understanding, and interaction.
20. Cultural differences can affect
classroom behavior
• Students from other cultures can have different
views of how to be a student or to "do
schooling."
21. Cultural differences can affect
students' understanding of
content
• New knowledge is built on the
basis of what is already
known by an individual or
background knowledge.
• Often, school texts assume a
common experience that, in
fact, is not shared by all
students.
22. Cultural differences can affect
interactions with others
• Culturally different ways of showing interest,
respect, and appreciation can be
misinterpreted.
23. Cultural Quiz
• You will be presented with several cultural
scenarios that could happen with ELL
students you come into contact with. Take
time to read the scenarios and try to come
up with a logical explanations.
24. Scenario #1
• Ming is a smiling 3rd
grader from China. She
seems well-mannered
and eager to please.
However, when you
speak to her she refuses
to look at you.
• In many cultures it is
considered rude to
look directly at an
adult or a person
considered of a
higher status. This is
so instilled in some
students that they
find it very difficult to
learn to maintain
eye contact.
25. Scenario #2
• Haitian brothers Jean-Baptiste
and Jean-Pierre are in middle
school and they are often late
for school. They are also each
absent about once a week but
on different days.
• They may be staying
home on different
days of the week to
baby-sit for a
younger sibling who
does not yet attend
school. They may be
late because they
have family
obligations to help
parents who are
working.
26. Scenario #3
• You have a Puerto Rican
student in the 9th grade who
speaks English fluently. She
participates orally in your
classroom and socializes well
with her peers. She even
translates for other students.
However, she is doing very
poorly in her content area
schoolwork.
• This student has acquired
BICS (Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills) but has
not yet acquired CALP
(Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency) needed to learn in
content areas. Many of our
ELLs are exiting ESL
programs at the BIC level.
We need to work on CALP
before these students are
exited. Good BIC skills can
fool mainstream teachers
regarding the students
language capabilities.
27. Scenario #4
• During a parent conference
you tell the parents of your
Algerian ESL student that
their child is having difficulty
in learning English. You
suggest that they only speak
English in their home. The
parents look confused. When
you relay this conversation to
the ESL teacher in your
school, she disagrees with
your decision.
• It is better for parents to
speak a rich native
language than fragmented
English. Remember that
any concept taught in
native language will
eventually translate to
English. It isn’t appropriate
to tell parents to speak only
English in their home.
29. Section 2 of Training
• Strategies that Help ELL Students
Succeed Academically
30. BICS
CALP
Second Language Development
Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills
Everyday/“social” language
Not related to academic achievement
Attained after 1-3 years in host
country
Cognitive/Academic Language
Proficiency
Classroom/“textbook” language
Needed to function in academic
settings
Requires high level of reading and
writing
Attained between 4-7 years in host
country
35. Class Presentation
• General Principles for Teaching
ELLs
• Strategies
• Co-Teaching with the ELL teacher
or other specialist
36. General Principles for Teaching
ELLs
• Increase Comprehensibility
• Increase Interaction
• Increase Thinking/Study Skills
• Use a Student’s Native Language to
Increase Comprehensibility
37. Strategies
• Realia
• Fishbowl
• Role Modeling with an English speaking peer
• 1 Sentence Summary
• Framed Paragraph
• Think Pair Share
• Dyad
• Color Coding
• 4 Corners
• Jigsaw
• Gallery Walk
38. Co-Teaching
• Lead and Support Model
• Speak and Add/Chart Model
• Skills Group Model
• Station Teaching Model
• Learning Style Model
• Parallel Teaching Model
• Adapting Model
• Complementary Instruction Model
• Duet Model
39. Common Co-Teaching Mistakes
• “Bathroom Stall” Planning – planning on the fly
• “Leaving on a Jet Plane” – failure to debrief and
reflect on the lesson
• “Tightening the Corset” – lack of flexibility; need
to feel control
• “Too Many Cooks Syndrome” – role confusion
(who should do what)
• “Can You Hear Me Now?” – need for
communication and clarity
40. Guidelines for Successful Co-
Teaching
• Have at least one 45 minute chunk of time
to plan together
• Co-teach with NO MORE than 4 teachers
(one is best, aim for 3)
• Load classes with similar needs
41. Homework Issues and English
Language Learners
• In general, ELLs have to work harder to
complete a piece of homework than native
speakers doing the same assignment.
• Time spent on homework should be time
spent profitably.
• ELLs experience greater success when
class-work and homework are modified to
fit their capabilities.
42. Why do ELLs Struggle with
Homework
•Language Issues
•Culture Shock
•Family
•Economic
•Culture
44. Homework Collaboration Teaching
Activity
• You will divide into groups
• Each group will have a different category
of homework modification strategies
• Take sometime to read through and
choose the most important point(s)
• Present the most important point(s) to the
group
• You can be creative – role play, drawing,
direct presentation, etc..
45. Homework Collaboration Teaching
Activity
• You will divide into groups
• Each group will have a different category
of homework modification strategies
• Take sometime to read through and
choose the most important point(s)
• Present the most important point(s) to the
group
• You can be creative – role play, drawing,
direct presentation, etc..
55. Federal Laws
Year Law Description
1964 Civil Rights Act
Title VI
“No person in the U.S. shall, on the grounds of
race, color, or national origin … be denied the
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
under any program or activity receiving Federal
financial assistance”.
1974 Equal Education
Opportunities Act
(EEOA)
“No state shall deny equal educational
opportunity by . . . the failure of an educational
agency to take appropriate action to overcome
language barriers that impede equal
participation by its students in its instructional
programs.”
2001 No Child Left
Behind Act, Title I
and Title III
Title I and Title III ensure that the educational
needs of limited English proficient children are
met and ensure that students who are limited
English proficient, Native American and/or
immigrants, attain English language
proficiency, develop high levels of academic
attainment in English, and meet the same
challenging State academic standards that all
children are expected to meet. It also requires
that ELLs be assessed on their English
language abilities annually.
56. Court Cases
Year Law Description
1973 Lau v. Nichols The U. S. Supreme Court’s decision states that if
English is the mainstream language of instruction,
then measures have to be taken to ensure that
English is taught to students who do not speak
English or are limited English proficient in order to
provide equal access to educational opportunities.
(Identical education does not constitute equal
education if the students are not learning.)
1981 Castañeda v.
Pickard
5th
District Court of Appeals (Texas) mandated that
English Language Learners receive special help.
School districts need to take “appropriate action” for
these students. This includes:
Pedagogically sound plan for ELLs
Qualified staff for instruction
Effective implementation of the program
An evaluation process for the program.
1982 Plyler vs. Doe
(457 U.S. 202)
The Supreme Court ruled that schools were
prohibited from denying immigrant students access to
a public education.
Undocumented children have the same right to a free
public education as U.S. citizens and permanent
residents, and are obligated to attend school until
they reach the age mandated by state law.
57. Wisconsin Law
Year Law Description
1964 The Wisconsin
Bilingual-
Bicultural Statute
(s. 115.95, Wis.
Stats. and PI 13)
If any school, within a school district in
Wisconsin, has a trigger number of English
Language learners who speak the same
language, the district must design a program
and prepare a formal plan of services (PI-1849)
to meet the needs of these students. The
statute requires all such programs to be staffed
by licensed bilingual teachers. When bilingual
licensed teachers are not available, ESL
licensed teachers may be used with bilingual
teacher aides except in programs serving
Spanish speakers.
•10 students at grades K-3,
•20 students at grades 4-8
•20 students at grades 9-12
58. ELL Overview
• Entry/exit criteria
• ACCESS testing
• WIDA standards
• Resources available (handouts, books to
check out, US !)
• Websites
59. ESL Program Overview
Testing Support
English language development
support
ELL Pullout/ ELL Class
Classroom teacher support/
Modifications
Monitoring for Successful
Academic Progress
Staff Development
61. Modification
• Group according to grade clusters
• Review Modification Examples (analyze,
evaluate, suggest)
• Modify your own material that you brought
along
While this first slide is up on the screen, we will go through the “Robin” activity
Lindsey will introduce, Briana/Tamara will write on whiteboard, Laura will wrap up
Laura will do facility welcome and start introductions
Briana/Tamara/Lindsey introduce themselves
Objectives – Tamara will run through (on white chart paper)
Briana will hand out graphic organizer and introduce 3 questions.
"we have put together a graphic organizer with three questions 1. Why does it benefit your whole class for your ELLs to have success?, 2. How can these strategies help all students to feel successful? 3. What do you plan to do differently? We would like you to be thinking about these question throughout the training seminar and jotting any ideas or notes. We will come together and answer these questions at the end of the training.
We also have placed post-it notes on the tables, and we would like you to think of a question or some questions you have and write them down - we have divided the white board into four question categories including: lesson planning/ implementation, assessment, students, and other. Please take about 2 minutes right now to come up with some questions and then you can place your question in the corresponding category. If you come up with other questions while the training is going please write them down and then post them on the board during a break time
Next we will do the poem altogether (choral reading after first section) and then Lindsey will introduce handout table
Briana
The first of the four sections of the training today is focused on ELL background information. We will end this section with a break followed by a language experience activity.
Briana
The ELL population is diverse and growing.
There are different subgroups with different needs requiring different strategies (i.e. newcomer, strong literacy/weak literacy skills in first language, interrupted formal education, long-term ELL, etc.).
We need to understand the subgroups within our population.
Most ELLs are now born in the United States and some come from other countries.
Some are at grade level and highly educated in their native language. Others are not…
Many immigrant families are settling in suburban and rural communities challenging districts with little experience
working with ELL students.
Briana
Most ELL students are second generation immigrants, meaning they were born in the U.S. of immigrant parents. Second generation immigrants face the unique challenge of maintaining and honoring their cultural roots, as well as assimilating into the culture of the U.S. Some may find themselves stuck between two cultures.
Briana
Most, or about 68% of ELL students are Latino, and the second largest group of ELL students are non Hispanic white with 13.8%
Briana
and 19.2% are from different countries in Asia
Briana
43,659 ELL students were enrolled in Wisconsin school districts in the 2006-2007 school year
the two most common languages: Hmong & Spanish
however, there are over 80 other languages represented in Wisconsin public schools
It is estimated that by the year 2030:
the African-American population will grow by 68%
the Asian-American population by 79%
the Hispanic-American population by 197%.
Briana
Nationwide, the ELL population grew 57% between 1995-2005, and in Wisconsin the population grew between 51-100%
Briana
Briana
Although the majority of the ELL students are Spanish or Hmong speakers, we also have students whose first languages are Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Albanian, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, American Sign Language, Afrikaans, Ukrainian, Oriya, Mandinka, Arabic and Amharic.
Some students are newcomers to the school district; others have been here for several years. Some have parents who speak no or little English; other parents are native-English speakers.
Briana
Briana
In just one more year, the ELL population is predicted to reach 13.3 million
Briana
Learning and using academic language with confidence
Their reluctance to use English in class do to fear
Need for classroom support to succeed - Sink or swim won’t work
Modifications and classroom support are designed not to give ELLs an advantage, but give them an even playing field
Many ELLs are not receiving classroom modifications to help them overcome their language difficulties as well as comprehend content
ELL students who are still working on mastering the English language, are held to the same reading and math proficiency targets as native English-speakers
There were significant achievement gaps between ELL and non-ELL students on the 2006-2007 national math and reading assessment in Wisconsin (math = 24.7%, reading = 23.6%)
Is this becoming a handout instead of a slide…?
Literacy of Student in Native language
Literacy of Student in English
Educational background
Prior knowledge
Literacy of Parents and Community
Academic Experience
Income
Family/Community Expectations and Support
Integration into/Familiarity with Majority Culture
Significant Stress/Trauma
Learning style
Briana
This is a comparison between ELLs and Non-ELLs. And we see that in general - the parents of ELL students have less education, are more impoverished, and earn significantly less money than their non-ELL counterparts
AFTER this slide – Tamara does think, pair, share activity
We move groups according to name tags (Laura)
For example, though you may want students to participate in class by asking questions and joining in discussions, some students may not feel comfortable participating because, in their culture, it is considered disrespectful to ask questions of a teacher.
Briana
New knowledge is built on background knowledge.
Often, school texts assume a common experience that, in fact, is not shared by all students.
ELLs may not fully understand these texts, and may be less likely to remember the content material.
Many ELLs need additional explanation and examples to draw the connection between new material and their existing background.
For example, if a student does not look at the teacher when the teacher is speaking, it may be interpreted as the student's lack of attention or as a show of disrespect. However, in the student's culture the expectation may be to show respect by not look directly at the teacher.
Audience members will read slides, Briana will read explanations.
You will be presented with several cultural scenarios that could happen with ELL students you come into contact with. I'll ask volunteers to read the scenarios and then we will look at possible explanations.
Esperanto experience.
Lindsey will discuss and then lead into lesson planning piece (handouts)
Utilize student note cards if possible.
Brainstorming activity – language in their content area (social studies example)
Integrated language approach
Tamara
Tamara
Tamara
Tamara
Tamara
Tamara
Homework – Briana
Assessment - Lindsey
Briana
In general, ELLs have to work harder to complete a piece of homework than native speakers doing the same assignment.
Time spent on homework should be time spent profitably. The amount of homework/ homework tasks should be aligned with language proficiency level of the student.
ELLs experience greater success when class-work and homework are modified to fit their capabilities. Modifying class-work or homework tasks to fit the ELLs’ capabilities doesn’t mean expecting less from them. It means giving them realistic tasks to complete that increase their chances for success.
Briana
Language Issues ELLs are struggling to acquire a new language. They struggle in all areas of language including: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They often lack academic vocabulary, background knowledge related to content areas, knowledge of cultural concepts, etc.
Culture Shock While ELLs are assimilating to a new culture it is quite overwhelming, resulting in an inability to do homework on top of struggling with all the other issues.
Family Educators may make the assumption that parents will be able to help their children with homework. ELLs who may have no one at home who speaks, reads, or writes English are at a distinct disadvantage when doing homework.
Economic Many ELLs live in a culture of povert. According to the U.S. Census of 2000, approximately 20% of all children in public schools live at or below the poverty level. Of this 20%, 58% are ELLs. of ELLs living in poverty may lack the economic materials to do homework, such as: computers, calculators, pens, pencils, scissors, paper, encyclopedias, and other resources that enable a student to do homework assignments.
Culture Family responsibilities and obligations can hinder a student’s ability to be able to do homework. In different cultures, social and family responsibilities outside of school are emphasized over continued schoolwork at home.
Presentation:
Examples:
Never just give homework orally; write it on the board. A student can write it as you give it to the class.
Use visuals whenever possible (i.e. with lectures, pre-teaching of concepts, worksheets, etc.).
Worksheets:
Provide white space so pages are not too busy, too distracting, or have too much information.
Break tasks into definite sections or boxes & give directions for each section.
Time/ Redo/Amount:
Give the ELL extra time to do work or complete projects.
Reduce or limit the number of questions/ tasks (i.e. assign only enough items needed to test student’s knowledge or comprehension).
Tasks:
Allow for flexibility in the tasks you assign.
Let students have choices for projects.
Collaboration/Exceptions:
Encourage student collaboration. Allow students to complete assignments in pairs/ buddy system.
Ignore spelling or grammar errors except for when explicitly taught.
After break, into Gallery Walk
Lindsey introduces graphic organizers that can be used for this part of presentation
Tamara
Briana (program overview)
Staff Development/Consultation with Mainstream Teachers The ESL teachers work and collaborate with the mainstream teachers in order to better serve the ELL population. ESL teachers are a resource that mainstream teachers should use to obtain strategies, modification support, co-teaching support, etc.
Testing support The ESL teachers must administer the ACCESS Language Proficiency test to ELLs each year until ELLs reach complete fluency. ESL teachers also administer and can provide accommodations on WKCE tests, MAP tests, semester final exams, and classroom quizzes and tests.
English language development support
Accommodations/Modifications made by the Mainstream Teachers Teachers modify assignments and assessments, as well as the way they teach to make the content more understandable. They use additional pictures, carefully adjust their speech, provide individual help, repeat directions, etc. These accommodations do not change the content students are required to learn.
English Language Learner (ELL) In-Class Support/Cooperative TeachingThe ESL teacher comes into the classroom to work with the students. The teacher works with ELL (English Language Learner) students and mainstream English-speaking students in small groups in collaboration with the classroom teacher. ESL teachers can collaborate with mainstream teachers and go into classes with struggling students in order to offer modified instruction as well as support the students in the class.
English Language Learner (ESL) PulloutThe student leaves the classroom to receive one-on-one/small group English language instruction and/or content-area support. Students leave class during free/work time so that they don’t miss valuable content area instruction. In some cases, they leave the classroom during the subject they are getting the content area support. For example, an elementary ELL may receive his or her math instruction one or more times a week from the ESL teacher. He/she will be learning the same concepts as his/her peers, but in a different way, and with more support.
ELL Resource ELLs report to the ESL Resource class instead of study hall in small groups in order to receive support. Students can receive support with English language development, homework, projects, assessments, etc.
Transitional ELL ClassThe ESL class is meant to offer additional English language instruction to levels 1-4. ESL teachers collaborate with mainstream teachers and teach different content themes while helping students to develop their speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities.
Monitoring of Successful Academic Progress The ESL teachers monitor the student's academic progress, reviewing English and academic testing results, classroom teacher reports/grades, etc.
Scheduling ESL teachers help students put their schedules together. They work with the Guidance department to cluster students whenever possible and place them with similar teachers.
Bilingual SupportThe Waunakee School District has bilingual Spanish/English staff to offer support to students, parents, and staff.
Break into grade level clusters
Mini-group mixers
Wrap up:
Recap objectives - Tamara
Recap 3 questions – Briana
WIDA Pink Books – Lindsey
Final Thoughts - Laura
