Acquisition of Language

for an ELL student:

What to know
about ELL
Students:
ELL (English Language
Learner) vs. ESL (English
as a Second Language
Learner): ELL generally
refers to the student as an
individual whereas ESL
refers to the program that
the ELL student is enrolled
in.
Any student that speaks a
language other than
English at home takes an
English Proficiency Test.
ELL students are often
grouped with low
achievers but shouldnt be.
Many ELL students have a
silent period in which the
student prefers to observe
rather than speak.
Although the student is
aware of what is going on
around them, they may be
too unsure or embarrassed
to communicate during
this period.

1.) Pre-Production: Development of basic

vocabulary, mimicry, and the silent period.
During the silent period, the student is absorbing
a lot of information and should feel comfortable.
2.) Early-Production: Establishment of basic
vocabulary. The student still remains reliant on
their native language for most communications.
3.) Speech Emergence: The student can now
answer basic yes and no questions. The
student can give short answers and should be
prompted by the teacher to give said answers.
The student is still making errors with basic
sentence structure and tenses.
4.) Intermediate Fluency: The student still has
trouble with grammar, sentence structure,
comprehension, but can now make complete
sentences without errors.
5.) Advanced Fluency: The student can
communicate effectively in all contexts and
understands new academic information. At this
final stage, the student may still retain their
accent and have trouble with idiomatic
expressions.

BICS vs. CALPS:

BICS: (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)
An ELL students ability to participate in casual
conversations with peers outside the classroom.
BICS proficiency can occur anywhere from 6
months to 2 years.
CALPS: (Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency): Proficiency of the English language in
an academic setting. A student in this stage can
participate in discussions and can infer,
synthesize, and evaluate information.
It can take anywhere from 7-10 years for an ELL
student to achieve CALPS. BICs proficiency does
not mean CALPS proficiency.

A Survival
Guide for new
ELL teachers

Each and every student is special and

deserves to be treated with respect. As a
teacher, you must always be cognizant of
student needs and strive to create lessons
that are aware of the interests and diversity
of your students. Now that you have an ELL
student in your class you need to find new,
creative ways to make instruction
meaningful, content accessible, and the
learning environment a safe, welcoming
place that is conducive to growth.

By: Kelsey Goodson

Factors that Affect

ELL students:
Internal: Motivational level,
cognitive ability, age, special
education needs.
External: experience level,
instructional approach of the
teacher, encouragement from
parents, resources, socio-economic
status, attitudes of peers, and
heritage.

Teaching Strategies
SIOP Model: The Sheltered Instruction
Observation Protocol (SIOP) was developed to
make content material comprehensible to English
Language Learners but works for all learners in
your classroom!
1.) Teacher Preparation: clearly defined
objectives are written on board, concepts
taught are age appropriate and at the
ability level of the students.
2.) Building Background: concepts are directly
linked to students background
experience, key vocabulary is emphasized,
and links are made between past and
present learning concepts.
3.) Comprehensible Input: Uses speech that
is appropriate for students language
ability (keep it simple when giving
instructions), explanations are clear and
concise with step by step visuals.
4.) Strategies: Scaffolding, use a variety of
questioning techniques, and emphasize
self-monitoring skills.

5.)

5.) Interaction: Provide frequent interactions about

lesson concepts, student grouping based on language
and content objectives (pairs, groups), and ample wait
time for responses is given.
6.) Application: hands on materials, manipulatives for
student practice, and activities for student to apply
content and language knowledge in the classroom.
7.) Lesson Delivery: content objectives supported by
lesson delivery, students engaged 90%-100% of the
time, and pacing of the lesson appropriate to student
ability level.
Affective Filters are a complex of negative emotional
and motivational factors that may interfere with the
reception and processing of comprehensible input.
A safe learning environment is conducive to growth.
ELL students need to feel safe and at ease in their
classroom so they are able to participate in meaningful
ways. The affective filter should be low enough for the
student to be comfortable but high enough so they are
challenged and not made to feel that they have no
responsibilities.

TPR (Total Physical Response): An

assessment tool that uses the body and nonverbal communication to convey language. TPR
helps introduce ELL students to the language.
TPR is very repetitive and is best used at the
beginning of the year when introducing an ELL
student in the classroom environment.
Complimentary Co-Teaching: One teacher
explains concepts in depth and the other paraphrases these concepts. One teacher essentially
paints the bigger picture while the other focuses
on details.
Team Teaching: Two teachers run one
classroom together and teach different parts of
the content. The two teachers must have a
common goal and mutual respect for this type of
dynamic to work.
Parallel Co-Teaching: Each teacher works
separately to teach the same lesson. Separates
students so they can feed off of each other. Two
teaching styles means greater accessibility to
different/diverse learners.

Responsible Teaching
Tips:

Provide the ELL student with plenty of

visuals and non-linguistic
accommodations such as manipulatives.
Use differentiated instruction.
Be aware and empathetic of the
students social and emotional needs.
Know the student and their parents.
Use strategies that match that students
language proficiency.
Engage the student and challenge them.