Supporting English Learners in

the Classroom
By Charlotte Hogan
Agenda
English Learners in America and at SBS
Social Language vs. Academic Language
What is our role as language teachers?
Practical tips
Before teaching a new topic
While teaching a new topic
Assessing skills and understanding
Take home

English Learners
Fastest growing student population in US
public schools


1/5 Americans: ______________________
11% of students: _____________________

English Learners at SBS
63 International Students


For about 55, English is not a native language.


16 receive ESL services in tutoring, English,
and/or History.

Thanks for the statistics, Julia!
Our Students Experiences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4Dfa4fO
EY

Turn to your department and discuss:
Have you ever lived, worked, or studied in a
non-English environment?
What are some emotional and intellectual
struggles that our students might face in this
situation?
What Makes English Hard?
English makes hard to understanding and hard to express my own
personality and hard to explain something.
For science it has always been difficult to me.
In other academic subjects there are some words that are difficult for me.
Science is difficult because of advanced vocabularies which are not familiar
to who are English is their second language. Science covers the
professional words in the text book so it is kind of difficult.
In Science, I have to memorize longer vocabularies and its hard to
understand if there are words that Ive never saw it before.
Science vocabulary
Vocab words makes it a little bit difficult.
Different vocabs
Many new words
Especially in biology class, it is extremely hard for me to learn scientific
vocabulary.
What Can Teachers Do?
Give us more time to get everything. To get all the subjects
before the chapter test.
I think the teacher can help to understand all the readings
and correct grammars.
Explain the definition and the problem, and teachers should
help students to figure out the problems on own not
helping them always.
Maybe explain little bit easier or be specific.
Practice vocabulary
Ask students to participate
Explain more vocab as we learn new topics before we start or
study them

Social English vs. Academic English
Hey, what are you doing Friday night? Want
to go to Big Y with me on the shuttle?


Jeff, you missed check in. I have to give you
one point.








Social English vs. Academic English
Wordplay
Wordplay is [also] an important part of the
word-rich classroom. The ability to reflect on,
manipulate, combine, and recombine the
components of words is an important part of
vocabulary learning and develops
metalinguistic reflection on words as objects
to be manipulated intelligently and for
humor.
(Shrum & Glisan, 2010)

Photograph by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times via Redux
You are an English Language Teacher!
Turn to your department and discuss:

What role do you play in
developing our English
Learners language skills?
The roles we all play



Models


As content area teachers, our main job is to help
students interpret and express their
understanding of the content.
Image:
http://barbararogan.com/blog/?p=763
Objectives
TWBAT use research-based practices to help
English Learners comprehend and express
content
TWBAT use vocabulary related to English
Learning
TWBAT identify strategies in their subject
areas to encourage language use and
participation
Im not making this up!
Echevarria, Jana, MaryEllen Vogt, and Deborah Short.
Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners:
The SIOP Model. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.



Shrum, Judith L., and Eileen W. Glisan. Teacher's Handbook:
Contextualized Language Instruction. Boston: Heinle,
2010. Print.


Beck, Isabel L., Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan.
Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction.
New York: Guilford, 2002. Print.


Before Starting a New Topic
Pre-teach vocabulary

Process vocabulary

Use new vocabulary many times before
assessment (8-10 encounters)


Pre-teach Vocabulary
Vocabulary related to English Learning
ESL (English as a Second Language) vs. EL (English
Learner)

affective filter

LEP (Limited English Proficient) vs. FLEP (Formerly
Limited English Proficient)

content vs. language objectives
Process Vocabulary

Process Vocabulary
Word Sorts
By concept
By root or affix
By part of speech
Label diagrams
Use vocabulary frequently in authentic
speaking and writing situations
Create a student dictionary/study tool


Word sorts and challenges are fun!
See, Jennifer is smiling!
Although Haoyue is hiding behind her book,
she is still engaged.
Yolanda is smiling, too!
Before Teaching a New Topic
Activate Prior Knowledge
How is this new topic related to others we have
studied?

Building Background
What is the student bringing to the table culturally
and linguistically?
Building Background
For example:

Unit 5=The Civil War

An English Learner might not be aware of:
Deep racial tensions in America
Racially-based slavery and discrimination
Existing tensions/stereotypes between the North and
South
Religious ideals in that time period

Activate Prior Knowledge
For example:

Unit 5=The Civil War
Unit 8=The Civil Rights Movement

What do students already know about race
relations in the 1800s from studying the Civil War
that can help them understand the Civil Rights
Movement?

Discussion Time!


Did the introduction of this presentation
activate your prior knowledge or build your
background?
Discussion time!
Choose a topic that you will begin in one of your
classes tomorrow. How can you build background
and activate prior knowledge for all your
students, especially ELs?

What vocabulary will students need to know in
order to comprehend and express their thoughts
related to that topic? How can you present that
vocabulary and make sure that it is used
frequently?
Teaching Your Topic
Use graphic organizers
Structure note taking
Identify the main idea and details
Describe a process
Describe relationships between concepts
Identify key terms

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES!
Examples of Graphic Organizers

Discussion Time!

What graphic organizers do you already use?

How could you use a graphic organizer in an
upcoming lesson?
Make Text Comprehensible
What makes this text less difficult for English
Learners?
Make Text Comprehensible
What makes this text more difficult for English
Learners?
DIY: Make Text Comprehensible
Preview the text together
Find vocabulary
Make predictions
Encourage accountability
Ask/answer questions while reading
Take notes using a graphic organizer
Summarize after reading
Collaborate with peers and the teacher to build
meaning from the text


Discussion Time!

What are the challenges of assigning texts for
our English Learners?

What strategies seem feasible in your class to
help English Learners understand your texts?
Create Opportunities for Language Use

If students do not use language, they will not
learn language as quickly or deeply as they
could.

In each subject, students should practice
listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Create Opportunities for Language Use
Mix up the learning environment with flexible
grouping


By language By English proficiency
Create Opportunities for Language Use
Think, Pair, Share
Fishbowl Discussion
Debate
Repeat or summarize with a partner
Interview
Make a movie
Use manipulatives
Create Opportunities for Language Use
Participation
Give extra wait time
Ask students to write down their thinking before
sharing
Make clear expectations for participation


LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD


Discussion Time!


What would you like to try in order to
encourage language use in your classroom?

Assessing and Giving Feedback
Informal Feedback on Language Errors
Repeat what the student said, making subtle
corrections

Formal Feedback
Give students a grammar/language score that is
separate from their content score

Discussion Time!
Is it fair to take points off an assignment for a
grammatical error that a student was not
aware was incorrect?
How does your department feel about
weighing grammar in assignments?
How can you give feedback on grammar that
does not lower a students self-esteem?
(remember the affective filter?)

Take Away
Make a list with your department and be
ready to share in ten minutes.

What will you take away from this
presentation?
How would you like to change your teaching?
What did you learn about our English Learners?
What was new or surprising information for you?