Running head: Do Labels Make English More Accessible?

Do Labels Make English More Accessible for ELL Students?

An Action Research Journey

Taylor Baima

Saint Josephs College

Author Note

This paper was prepared for Education 321, taught by Dr. Lana Zimmer.
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 2

Abstract

I spent this semester working with an extremely diverse group of students and learning

about how ELL (English Language Learners) impact the classroom and how we can impact them

and make them feel comfortable in the classroom. I worked specifically with one student and the

use of labels. I tested him to see if labels would make English more accessible. My study suggest

that though he did not know all of the labels he did know more than when we started.
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 3

Introduction

Up until this semester I had never worked with students from a different culture let alone

a student that does not speak the same language as me. I was definitely nervous, but I had told

myself that it was now or never. Our professor had told us a lot about the school, trying to

prepare us for what we would walk into on February 5, 2016. No amount of preparation or

conversation could have ever prepared me for the semester I was about to experience.

Over the course of ten weeks and sixty hours I worked in a school where 55% of the

population is white, 42% is Hispanic, and 3% is multicultural. Every school I had ever worked in

or attended was more than 80% white, with little to know diversity. Granted, we were warned. I

had the amazing opportunity of working in a first grade classroom with eight ELL students out of

a total of twenty-three in the class. One of the eight students, student M, had moved to America

two weeks before I had met him. He had only been at the school for one week. Over the ten

weeks that I spent in the classroom, student M did not speak any English. He relied solely on

student J who was seated next to him. Student J was also an ELL student, but she was very fluent

in both Spanish and English. Student J was a hard working student who kept mostly to herself

except for her required conversations with student M. The classroom teacher, Mrs. B, did not

speak very much Spanish, leaving quite a communication barrier between her and student M.

Unfortunately, the ESL teacher was on maternity leave, leaving student M to figure out

everything on his own. Since the language barrier made it hard for the teacher to communicate

with student M, she was able to use student J to translate for student M, as recommended by

Dong (2013, page 52).

Overall, all of the other ELL students in the classroom were proficient enough in English

to partake in everyday classroom activities. Every now and then two of the ELL students would
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 4

be pulled out of class for some tier time. They all spoke fluently in English and Spanish and

could definitely read in English. Student M spent most of his first couple of weeks simply

becoming comfortable and familiar with the setting and culture of Indiana, let alone America and

American schools. Once student M started becoming more actively involved in the classroom he

was given the exact same worksheets as the rest of the students, which were all in English.

Through several weeks of observations, I realized that student M completed his work by simply

copying that of student J.

When it came to working with student M I relied very heavily on a translator app that I

downloaded on my phone. This of course was not a perfect solution as I destroyed the

pronunciation of most of the words. I started realizing this when student M would chuckle at my

poor attempts of speaking Spanish. Most questions I asked student M required yes or no answers.

One word answers became a necessity as he chose not to answer if it required any more than

that. I tried my best to find activities or worksheets that might help student M understand a little

better what was happening in the classroom. As my semester long efforts to benefit student M I

chose to focus specifically on helping him grasp the names of certain objects in the classroom

through labels. This leads me to my critical question: do labels make English more accessible to

an ELL student?

I chose to print off a number of labels that included the word in English along with a

picture of the object. I periodically would test student M and go over the labels with him to help

with retaining the words in English.

What Ive Learned from Distant Colleagues

Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 5

When reviewing literature from my distant colleagues about my critical question I found

some very promising information. One common theme that I read about was why learning and

understanding how to help English languages learners, ELL, is important. Another theme that

was evident in some articles I read was a few strategies in helping ELL students learn

vocabulary. A final theme that was present in the articles I read was how some strategies that

teach vocabulary are beneficial in helping ELL students be able to read and comprehend. These

articles have been helpful in giving me ideas in how I can help student M, the ELL student I have

been working with.

Minority students enrolled in U.S. schools is on a steady increase. More minorities are

enrolled in schools than ever before. Also, this increase will continue over the next decade

(Sheng, 2011, page 98). Unfortunately, even though the number of ELL students is increasing

does not mean that the resources to benefit and help these students are being provided. Students

who come into an English speaking school, not speaking English are at an increased risk of

dropping out of school. It can take ELL students five to seven years to catch up with their

English speaking classmates (Dong, 2013, page 52). There are many barriers to ELLs having

success in the classroom, such as English proficiency, family socioeconomic status, and cultural

differences (Sheng, 2011, page 100).

How much English a student knows greatly affects how well they will do in school. This

becomes very evident when ELL students take standardized tests. Typically ELL students score

significantly lower than non-ELL students (Sheng, 2011, page 99). Nationwide, Hispanic

students score below non-Hispanic students throughout elementary school in reading related

skills (Solari, 2008, page 156). Students with a smaller vocabulary then face a large disadvantage

as standardized tests generally hit a lot upon vocabulary. This language barrier also prevents
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 6

students from fully comprehending texts and lectures (Sibold, 2011, page 24). Family

socioeconomic status also plays a huge role in whether or not students will succeed or drop out.

This is not just for ELL students. This also holds true for English speaking students. How much a

students family supports them and encourages them in school will have a definite impact on how

long they stay in school. ELL students are also at a higher risk of living in poverty. Their parents

may also not have as high of an education as their English proficient classmates (Sheng, 2011,

page 99). The third factor that has weighed heavily on ELL student is cultural differences.

Students can feel confused if home and school cultures are different. The rules and expectations

can be different which effects a students behavior that can lead to possible drop outs (Sheng,

2011, page 100). All of these factors contribute to the high dropout rate for ELL students.

There have been several different strategies used to try and help ELL students learn

English words and vocabulary. A science teacher used a graphic novel to help accommodate

ELLs. This book was able to reach and work for students of several different reading levels.

Graphic novels are also used to help students develop visual literacy skills as they decode

symbolic images, utilize context clues to interpret messages, and unpack layers of meaning

within illustrations. Not only can graphic novels help with the previous items, it can also help

students determine the meanings of words or phrases (Matthews, 2014, page 65). Graphic novels

may seem like an easy fix to help ELL students learn vocabulary. However, it must be taken into

consideration what the students prior knowledge.

The students prior knowledge lays an important foundation for their learning. It can be

much easier for students to learn vocabulary through their native language. If students are able to

make a connection with the vocabulary in their native language they will be able to gain an

understanding of the vocabulary being taught (Dong, 2013, page 52). If the student is not
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 7

familiar with the content being taught in their native language it can be even more difficult to

learn the vocabulary in English. Since this can be a dilemma it is important that the teacher find a

way to help the students make a connection. Teachers may ask bilingual students or foreign

language teacher to help give meaning to the content and vocabulary being taught. The bilingual

student or foreign language teacher may be able to translate key words to make sense for the

struggling student (Dong, 2013, page 52). If there is not a bilingual student available or a foreign

language teacher that can help. The classroom teacher can simply translate the word or words to

their native language or connect the vocabulary to something familiar the student may be able to

comprehend (Sibold, 2011, page 25). It has been proven that several skills and capabilities

contribute to students gaining an understanding and learning the English language, these skills

include a working memory, metalinguistic knowledge, reasoning ability, and vocabulary

knowledge (Solari, 2008, page 156).

There has been a common aid in helping ELL students learn English. However, in 2002

Beck, McKeown and Kucan introduced the different tiers of vocabulary that ELL students will

learn. Tier 1 is known as basic words. This tier includes sight words, function words, and words

that name objects. Tier 2 is non as general academic and multiple meaning words. This tear

consist of vocabulary that is important to understand text, words used across curriculum, and

words with several meanings. The thirds and final tier is known as specific content words. This

tier consists of words used only in a specific field, technical vocabulary, and words not used

every day (Sibold, 2011, page 24). It is important to understand that students must start with tier

1 when starting to learn English. If the teacher tries to start with tier 3 students may instantly

become uninterested or extremely confused. Tier 1 consists of simpler words that students will

be able to grasp. Since this tier focuses a lot on words that are actual objects, teachers can relate
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 8

the vocabulary to realia so that they can connect the object with a word that they know in their

native language (Sibold, 2011, page 25). For example, teachers can show a picture of a frog

while telling ELL students the word frog.

Not only are pictures beneficial for teaching vocabulary, pictures are also helpful in

teaching more language concepts in English. Rime detection can also be taught or tested through

pictures. The teacher can show a picture of a word and then ask students to choose one of the

pictures that rhymes with the original picture (Solari, 2008, page 158). This forces students to not

only understand the vocabulary needed for connecting the picture to a word and also

understanding how words rhyme. Teachers are also able to work with onset detection. Students

can be given a group of pictures. Students are then required to pick out the two pictures that

begin with the same letter. The third language concept that students are able to work on includes

segmentation. Students can be shown a picture of an item and then asked to provide the

phonemes of the word for that picture (Solari, 2008, page 158). An easier activity for a little bit

lower ELL students has them connect written words with pictures. The teacher says a word.

Students are then asked to point out a picture and also the written word of the spoken word. It is

important that ELL students hear the words be spoken. This way they can become familiar with

how words are supposed to sound. It can be easy for students to misunderstand or confuse letter

sounds with their native language (Solari, 2008, page 158).

These literature review has been helpful in in aiding me in some ways that I may be able

to assist Marvin in gaining some English vocabulary. Marvin is definitely in tier 1 of learning

English. Pictures seem to be a very common and useful tool in helping students make a

connection with English words and their native language. The more realia he is able to gain from

learning English the better off Marvin will be in retaining some words. Since I have included the
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 9

word and picture as well as taped it to the actual object. I have not only used pictures but also

connected it to realia. I hope that by implementing some of these strategies will help me be

effective in teaching Marvin some English words.

Clarifying My Action Research Project

As far as my action research project, I focused solely on student M as he had zero

knowledge of English. I made sure that I had the opportunity to work with student M every week

that I was there. Throughout the ten weeks I narrowed in on my critical question, do labels make

English more accessible for ELL students? When I first started working in the first grade I was

pretty much just observing as I learned more about each the students and tried to hone in on

student Ms abilities. Each week we would work with the labels as well as a few letters. I was

trying to see if becoming familiar with some English words would help him feel more

comfortable in speaking English more often. I put the labels up on February 26th. They stayed up

in the classroom until April 8th when I took them down. Meaning, that the labels were up for a

total of seven weeks. When I put them up, they were placed on or next to the object that they

labeled. For example, the desk label was on student Ms desk for all seven weeks. The window

label was taped on the wall next to the window.

I collected data through observations, and interview, and student scores. You can see

student Ms responses for the labels in appendix A. I would ask student M the name of the labels

in English and appendix A shows the date and the labels he got correct. I simply conducted this

study because I often times see objects labeled in an Elementary classroom and when I saw how

diverse this first grade classroom was and realized that student M did not speak English I figured
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 10

labels would be the perfect way for him to be able to learn and become familiar with the objects

in the classroom.

Unfortunately, several limitations played into the study I conducted. I have never had the

opportunity to work with a student from a different culture. I know that essentially we all come

from different cultures. However, most if not all of the students I have worked with have lived in

America their entire lives. Therefore, meaning that student M would be the only student I have

worked with from a different country and culture. Another limitation I encountered was the

language barrier. Since student M did not speak English and I have limited knowledge of Spanish

I had to rely heavily on a translating app. The final limitation that was very evident was the lack

of time. I was only at the school for a total of sixty hours. However, the first couple weeks I did

not know what y critical question was yet or how to gather data. Once I did know, I still had

limited time since I was only there on Fridays and that is a common testing day. There were also

some weeks that Purdue students would come and pull student M out of class.

The Road Map of My Action Research Project

The observations I made throughout the ten weeks really helped me see what type of

student he was. However, I wanted to get to know a little bit more about student M so I did a

short interview with him March 10th. Appendix C I have attached includes the questions I asked

him, both in English and Spanish, as well as his answers. This is when he told me that he was

from El Salvador. Otherwise I had only known that from the teacher telling me. He also told me

that he likes school and reading is his favorite subject. I was glad to hear that he likes school. I

was afraid that he might not especially since I am sure it is really hard for him to understand a
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 11

lot. I also asked student M in the interview if he knew the Spanish alphabet or if he could read in

Spanish. Both of these questions he answered no to (Baima, 2016, page 21-22).

Using the data above is how I realized that I needed to start with tier one type words,

according to Sibold (Sibold, 2011, page 24). That is why I started with words that name an

object. It would be easier for student M to gain the understanding and make a connection with a

physical object than for him to just start memorizing academic or content words, which are tier

two and three type vocabulary (Sibold, 2011, page 24). Since tier one does focus so heavily on

concrete objects, I was able to use realia when translating words for student M. I also knew that

not only seeing the actual object, but a picture would be helpful especially if the labels were not

yet taped up to the object (Solari, 2008, page 158). This way if student M did not yet know the

word he would be able to connect to an object that was familiar to him, similar to connecting it to

prior knowledge (Dong, 2013, page 52). When I introduced the labels to student M I asked him

what each object was. If he was unable to tell me the object in English I asked him what it was in

Spanish. This let me know that he did understand the name for each object (Baima, 2016, page

15). Once all of the labels were up, student M ran around the room with student J pointing out

the labels I had just put up for him (Baima, 2016, page 17).

When I was testing student M on the labels I started noticing that he became very

frustrated after stopping at five of the labels, because he was not able to tell me the word in

English. I decided then to try and test him in a different way. On March 25th, I decided to lay out

three of the labels and ask him to point to one of them in English. You can see these results on

Appendix A. He was able to put out the words a lot better than come up with the complete

English word on his own (Baima, 2016, page 26). However, even when we did go around the

room and he could not give me the word in English I still had him say it in Spanish and I would
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 12

say it in English. Every time I would say a word in English I made sure that he would repeat me.

The last time that I tested student M he ran from one label to the next, taking me directly to the

labels he was able to say in English (Baima, 2016, page 31).

Another small intervention I tried that I figured might help with recognizing the labels

was letter recognition. About half way through my ten weeks the teacher informed that he only

knew about six or seven letters. I figured that would make recognizing the words on the labels

that much more of a challenge. So I decided to see how many of the letters he could say for me.

Each week that I tested on labels I also tested him with the letters. Every week student M knew

more letters that the week before. I was not able to make a concrete connection between him

knowing the letters and the labels, but either way, him learning the alphabet will only help him in

the long run. You can see his progress throughout the ten week in Appendix B. To simply further

his recognition with letters I had him do some letter tracing worksheets while I was there. I

would have him trace the letter and ask what letter it was. If he was unable to give me the answer

I was say it for him, waiting for him to repeat me.

The Story of My Action Research Project

The first several weeks I spent a large chunk of the time observing. Not just observing

student M but instead the entire class, how they interacted, the environment, the diversity, and

how the teacher interacted with the students. I knew that I would be able to learn more by sitting

back and taking everything in. That is why some days in my research notebook I have several

pages. In my first weeks of observing the classroom and student M I realized how out of place he

appeared. Student M was placed in the back of the classroom furthest away from the teachers
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 13

desk. I am not completely sure as to the reasoning behind this but it definitely caught my eye in

the first day. I started realizing a lot during my first two visits that student M was not required to

follow along with the class or really turn anything in. I observed him on several occasions

flipping through a picture book. When he was attentive to what the rest of the class was doing

this picture book would sit on the corner of his desk. As the day progressed, I noticed student M

was flipping through his picture book, but this time he had a red crayon that he was drawing on

the pages with. As soon as student J noticed him she instructed him not to draw on the book.

My second week in the classroom, it had become very evident that he was not receiving

much, if any help at all. I took it upon myself to sit beside him and help translate a worksheet.

Student M was quiet and barely even looked up at me. We were working on a phonics worksheet.

When I tried spelling out a word for him it was evident that he did not know the English

alphabet. I immediately tapped into my high school Spanish and translated the letters to Spanish.

When I said the letter e in Spanish he wrote the letter a. I thought that maybe he did know

some English letters so I tried again with the English alphabet, saying escribe (write) e. student

M yet again wrote the letter a. I finally was able to find the letter on the wall and point out

what to write. After this rather difficult interaction, I decided to ask the classroom teacher how

much he knew in Spanish or English. She told me that he had attended a preschool in El

Salvador but did not know the letters in either Spanish or English. This really put a damper on

my label strategy I had planned on implementing. I had originally planned on putting labels up

with both the Spanish and English word on it. That way he might be able to more easily make

that connection.

The next couple of weeks as I continued to observe and help student M I begin to notice a

very important relationship he had developed. This relationship was with student J. I mentioned
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 14

above that student J was the student he was seated next to. Student J also translated everything

for him. She was responsible for filling him in on what was happening in class. She was also

responsible for helping with worksheets and homework. She would also help him when it came

to accelerated reading time. I observed on several occasions where student J would read student

M a book, by translating it into Spanish. Student M would then sign up to take a quiz, which

student J would also completely translate for him as well as give him the answers to (Baima,

2016, page 7).

Not only did student J often times give student M the answers for accelerated reading

quizzes she would also allow him to copy her papers. The students would have to put their

folders up for a test, which did not stop student M from running over and looking at student Js

test. Even when student J would translate something for student M she would not let him answer

for himself, but instead just give him the answer (Baima, 2016, 7). I noticed this becoming a

crutch for student M very quickly. He would not try to do something on his own. He would just

sit there and wait until student J was finished with hers. On March 4th, the students were given a

phonics test over contractions. When I walked over to where student M was sitting I realized he

was sitting and waiting for student J. I knelt beside him and translated the directions for him.

Student M completed the entire quiz on his own getting each contractions correct (Baima, 2016,

page 15). When student M had shown student J that he did it without her she seemed confused

and asked me how he could have done it on his own. I smiled at them both and said su es muy

inteliegente (he is very smart) (Baima, 2016, page 16).

Throughout the weeks, I tried to pull student M from student J so that he would not rely

too heavily on her. It seemed like when he would try and put effort into school work he usually

did really well especially with math. I knew that if I continued to let him wait for her and copy
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 15

off of her he would not learn anything. However, as he began to pull away from student J, he

became more dependent on me and the help I offered him. The last day I was in the classroom, I

chose to try and stand back so that he felt comfortable to try on his own. Every time a worksheet

was passed out he came over and tapped my arm and directed me to his desk (Baima, 2016, page

34).

Unfortunately, student M was not always so willing to work and follow what I said. He

definitely had his rough days where he refused to do everything. That is why I was only able to

test him on labels four. Getting him to practice labels was a very difficult challenge. Two

examples of this was on March 18th and 25th. On the 18th, he only whined about doing labels. He

may have whined but he still did them. However, on the 25th, he completely refused to do labels

(Baima, 2016, page 23-25). His attitude often times came out especially when things did not go

his way. I got to observe student M crying on multiple occasions. Some of the reasons he would

cry includes student J accidently taking his red folder (Baima, 2016, page, 8). Whenever student

M did not get to finish his timed math test he would cry (Baima, 2016, page 23). In one of my

last weeks in the classroom student M threw a fit because he was not able to take an accelerated

reading quiz (Baima, 2016, page 32).

Further Reflection and Questions About My Action Research Journey

My action research journey has definitely been an experience of a life time. I was nervous

to start this project but also very excited especially because I had never experienced anything

like I was about to. I have definitely learned a lot not just from the time spent in the classroom

but from student M himself. I saw how something so small could make such an impact on a
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 16

student. It did not take me very long to make the labels, however, it seemed to be something that

really stuck with student M while I was there. Even when I started I hardly ever heard student M

speak let alone in English. As I continued to go I noticed him raising his hand more often to

answer a question in English. He would even say some words to me in English such as, pencil

and counting from 1-5 (Baima, 2016, page 11). He did not seem as afraid of hesitant to try

speaking another language. For me this was just so eye opening because I felt like I was able to

help make that difference for him and by doing something so small. I will never forget the look

in his eyes when I told him it was my last day. It was the saddest look I had ever seen. I knew at

that moment I had made a difference.

If I were able to go back and do it again, I definitely think I would probably focus my

question more on letter recognition and the sounds that letters make. I think that might be more

beneficial into helping the student learn the basics of reading which would help him that much

more in the long run. I do not regret what I did because I do think that it helped but I think letter

sounds and recognition is where I probably should have started since he did not know how to

read in Spanish.

Looking back at everything that I did I would like to know how often the labels were referenced

when I was not in the room? Also, would it have made a difference if I was able to be there more

than one time a week? Would the student of felt more obligated to work with the labels and learn

them in English? Another question that comes to mind is were the labels beneficial to other ELL

students since they could already read in English were they able to reference them while writing

or talking?

This project has definitely changed my outlook on teachers and students. Being a teacher

is not just writing lesson plans. This is why it is so important to get to know your students
Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 17

because it affects how they perform in your classroom. You should get to know your students

culture and respect that. I think that this project pointed out how serious it is to understand where

the students are coming from because not every child is going to have support at home or a

parent to help with homework. I really think this has been such an eye opening experience

because we were able to research something we chose not just a topic that was thrown at us. The

research went far beyond reading articles. It was research that we got to try out and live.

I can see myself using this as a teacher by trying to implement different strategies for

teaching or testing students especially those who are struggling. Elementary school is such a

foundational period in students lives and it is important that we as teachers find the most

beneficial way to help out our students even if that way has not yet been found and we have to

ask the questions and do the research ourselves.

Do Labels Make English More Accessible? 18

References

Baima, T. (2016). Research journal. 1-34.

Dong, Y. R. (2013). Powerful learning tools for ELLs: Using native language, familiar examples,
and concept mapping to teach English language learners. Science Teacher, 80(4), 51-57.
Mathews, S. A. (2014). Reading without words: Using the arrival to teach visual literacy with
English language learners. Clearing House, 87(2), 64-68.
Sheng, Z., Sheng, Y., & Anderson, C. J. (2011). Dropping out of school among ELL students:
Implications to schools and teacher education. Clearing House,84(3), 98-103.
Sibold, C. (2011). Building English language learners' academic vocabulary: Strategies and
tips. Multicultural Education, 18(2), 24-28.
Solari, E. J., & Gerber, M. M. (2008). Early comprehension instruction for Spanish-speaking
English language learners: Teaching text-level reading skills while maintaining effects on
word-level skills. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (Wiley-Blackwell), 23(4),
155-168.