Top 10 List of things ELLs need in the

content classroom
1. Academic Vocabulary Instruction within Inquiry
Science: The Blended/Tiered Approach

http://www.ncela.us/files/uploads/17/Accellerate_3_4.pdf#nameddest=Cro
wther
Pages 17 - 19
This paper describes an inquiry approach to teaching science vocabulary
within a 5E (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and
Evaluation) lesson design.
The Distribution of Formal Vocabulary Instruction Over a 5E Learning
Cycle Using Blended/Tiered Vocabulary.
Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills
(BICS)
Tier 1
10%
Engagement

BICS to some CALP

(transition)
Tier 2
10%
Engagement
Exploration

Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency
(CALP)
Tier 3
80%
Explanation,
(formalized)
Elaboration, Evaluation

(1) During the Engagement and Exploration phases of the learning cycle,
tier 1 and tier 2 words are used to frontload 20% of the vocabulary;
(2) During the Exploration phase, the other 80% of the vocabulary is
introduced and formalized using tier 3 words for discussion, questions and
answers, use of notebooks, and word walls;
(3) During the Elaboration activity, students use the newly formalized tier
3 words as they engage with the phenomena; and
(4) Finally, in the summative evaluation, both the conceptual and related
tier 3 vocabulary is assessed to measure student learning.

Items 2, 3 and 4 below are from an article entitled

Challenges for ELLs in Content Area Learning by Judie
Haynes.

http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/challenges_ells_content_area_l_65
322.php

2. Content-Area Challenges for ELLs in Reading

Reading
Most literature is culture bound. Students are expected to have knowledge
of fairy tales,
myths, legends and tall tales. ELLs may be able to read the words but it
doesn't mean
they will understand the text. They are not aware of information that the
author left
unsaid; the information that "everyone knows."

3. Content-Area Challenges for ELLs in Math and Science

Mathematics
- ELLs use a different process to arrive at answers. They may not be able
to justify their answers.
- Use of decimal point and comma vary from culture to culture.
- Students have no experience with the measurement system.
- Mental math may be the norm.
Science
- Drawing conclusions on their own may be difficult.
- Vocabulary is difficult.
- Material is covered very fast.
- Directions are often multistep and difficult.
- Too many concepts on a page.
- Students may not be used to cooperative learning.
- What was taught in class does not always match the assessment.

4. Content-Area Challenges for ELLs in Social Studies

Social studies
- Lack of familiarity with historical terms, government processes and
vocabulary
- They may not be used to expressing their personal opinions.
- Difficulty with understanding what is said by the teacher and taking
notes.

5. Reading to Learn in Science.

http://serpmedia.org/rtl/index.html
Reading to Learn in Science is a website all about improving students
learning of science content by improving their ability to interpret science
texts. This resource focuses on two main questions:

Whats the pedagogical basis for emphasizing literacy development

in science education?

What specific tips and tools can be put into play on Monday morning
to help enhance students disciplinary literacy?

This website should be required reading for all science teachers.

6. Reading Challenges in Science

The thoughts below are from an article entitled Academic Language and
the Challenge of Reading for Learning About Science by Catherine E.
Snow.
http://colabradio.mit.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2010/05/academiclanguage.pdf
Nominalizations are a grammatical process of converting entire
sentences (such as Gutenberg invented the printing press) into
phrases that can then be embedded in other sentences (such as
Gutenbergs invention of the printing press revolutionized the
dissemination of information).
Part of the complexity of academic language derives from the fact
that we use the syntactic structures acquired for talking about
agents and actions to talk about entities and relations, without
recognizing the challenge that that transition poses to the reader. In
particular, in science classes we may expect students to process
these sentences without explicit instruction in their structure.
Word Generation Weekly is a supplementary curricular resource that offers
a series of discussable dilemmas designed to promote students academic
language and argumentation skills.
http://wordgen.serpmedia.org/weekly.html
Science Generation is a resource to extend students opportunities for
developing
academic language, discussion, and written argumentation skills using the
same
principles that inspired the original Word Generation program. Science
curricula have
been developed around topics commonly taught to 6th, 7th, and 8th
graders.
http://wordgen.serpmedia.org/s_scigen.html

7. What happens when we listen?

The thoughts below are from an article entitled Improving ESL Learners'
Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond by Carol Van Duzer.
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/LISTENQA.html
Although once labeled a passive skill, listening is very much an active
process of selecting and interpreting information from auditory and visual
clues (Richards, 1983; Rubin, 1995). Most of what is known about the
listening process stems from research on native language development;
however, as the importance of teaching listening comprehension has
increased, so has the inquiry into second language listening
comprehension. (See Rubin, 1994, for a comprehensive review of recent
studies.)
There are several basic processes at work in listening. These do not
necessarily occur sequentially; they may occur simultaneously, in rapid

succession, or backward and forward as needed. The listener is not

usually conscious of performing these steps, nor of switching back and
forth between them. The listener:
1.

determines a reason for listening;

2.

takes the raw speech and deposits an image of it in short-term

memory;

3.

attempts to organize the information by identifying the type of

speech event (conversation, lecture, radio ad) and the function of the
message (persuade, inform, request);

4.

predicts information expected to be included in the message;

5.

recalls background information (schemata) to help interpret the

message;

6.

assigns a meaning to the message;

7.

checks that the message has been understood;

8.

determines the information to be held in long-term memory;

9.

deletes the original form of the message that had been received into
short-term memory (Brown 1994; Dunkel, 1986).

Each of these steps influences the techniques and activities a teacher

might choose to incorporate into instruction in order to assist learners in
learning to listen as well as listening to learn.

8. Top-down and Bottom-up processing

The thoughts below are from an article entitled Improving ESL Learners'
Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond by Carol Van Duzer.
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/LISTENQA.html
At the same time listening occurs, two types of cognitive processing are
also occurring: bottom-up and top-down processing.
Top-down processing
Top-down processing refers to utilizing schemata (background knowledge
and global understanding) to derive meaning from and interpret the
message. For example, in preparing for training on the operation of a new
floor polisher, top-down processing is activated as the learner engages in
an activity that reviews what the learner already knows about using the
old floor polisher. This might entail discussing the steps in the polishing
process; reviewing vocabulary such as switch, on, off, etc.; or generating a
list of questions that the learner would like answered in the training.
Bottom-up processing
Bottom-up processing refers to deriving the meaning of the message
based on the incoming language data, from sounds, to words, to
grammatical relationships, to meaning. Stress, rhythm, and intonation also

play a role in bottom-up processing. Bottom-up processing would be

activated as the learner is signaled to verify comprehension by the
trainer/teacher asking a question using the declarative form with rising
intonation ("You see that switch there?"). Practice in recognizing
statements and questions that differ only in intonation help the learner
develop bottom-up processing skills.
Learners need to be aware that both of these processes affect their
listening comprehension, and they need to be given opportunities to
practice employing each of them.

9. Total physical response (TPR)

(TPR) is a language teaching method developed by James Asher and
based on the coordination of language and physical movement. TPR as
an approach to teaching a second language is based, first and foremost,
on listening and this is linked to physical actions which are designed to
reinforce comprehension of particular basic items. It can be used to help
ELLs when introducing laboratory activities.
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/total-physical-response-tpr

10. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol is a framework for
organizing instruction that supports teachers in planning and delivering
high-quality instruction for all students.
The Eight Components
There are eight interrelated components to The SIOP Model; watch the
videos for each component:
1. Lesson Preparation
2. Building Background
1. Make connections anything that the student knows about the
topic.
2. Make explicit links to past learning
3. Focused attention to key vocabulary and academic language
3. Comprehensible Input
1. Speech, teaching, visuals, graphic organizers, internet, texts
etc must be comprehensible
2. Study guides for secondary students
4. Strategies
1. Instructional strategies and learning strategies are different
and students are taught metacognitive strategies to aid their
learning.
5. Interaction
1. Provide a greater amount of time in which students are
speaking with each other, interacting with the teacher and
among themselves. Students must interactive with each other
through structured cooperative learning.
6. Practice and Application
7. Lesson Delivery
8. Review and Assessment
1. Portfolios
1. Writing conferences

2. Reading conferences
2. Student self reflection
The information above is from this website:
https://www.pearsonhighered.com/mediaproducts/siop/aboutsiop/index.html.
A written synopsis of the information above can be found by clicking the
link below.
http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/using_siop_model_08621.php.php