useful

1. Tailoring Best Practices to Teach
English Learners
Idaho State Board
of Education
© 2006
Facilitator:
Rachel Lagunoff
Sr. Research Associate, WestEd
Rlaguno@wested.org

2. Workshop Targets
1. Foundational concepts of English language
development
2. Universal Access – right of every student to
learn; requires differentiated instruction
• ELD levels
1. Research findings on educating ELs
2. Effective strategies to teach vocabulary
3. Effective scaffolding strategies to teach
subject area content

3. KWL Chart
What We KNOW What we WANT to know

4. Key Terms
• EL = English learner whose native language is not English
• LEP = Limited English Proficient
– English learners receiving services
• L2 = second (another) language learned
• L1 = “home language,” first language learned
• ELD = English Language Development
• SIOP = Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
• SDAIE = Specially Designed Academic Instruction
in English
– Strategies that help ELs comprehend subject content

5. BICS & CALP
• BICS = Basic Interpersonal Communication
Skills
– Informal, social conversation
– Up to 3 years for full competency
• CALP = Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency
– Discourse to learn/communicate in a discipline
– 5-7 years for competency
• Misconception – ELs have a language deficit
• Misconception – BICS must be developed
before CALP
X
X

6. L1-L2, BICS-CALP, Situations
L1
L2
Friend
friend
Child
parent
Student
teacher
Child
adult
Student
student
Oral Literacy
Frame of
Reference
BICS
Student
text
CALP

7. Academic Language
The discourse used in academic,
professional and technical
contexts that is characterized
by its high level and often
discipline-specific vocabulary and
rhetorical styles.
- Mary Schleppegrell

8. Students’ Academic Language
(Guadalupe Valdés)
1. Language valued at school
2. Understand explanations (E) &
presentations (P) of
– classroom/school rules, routines,
procedures
– subject matter information
1. Ask and answer questions about E & P
2. Understand & participate in class
discussions

9. Academic Language
5. Understand texts and materials
6. Complete projects & written
assignments based on E and text
materials
7. Demonstrate learning through
– Oral presentations
– Written examinations

10. ISBOE & LEP Program
• 18,000 LEP May 2006 from > 90
countries; refugees & immigrants
– 80% Hispanic, 31% migrant
• Projected increase of 2,000 each year
• ELD standards adopted August 2006
• IELA under construction
• Information, resources
– http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/lep

11. Training & Keeping High
Quality Teachers
• Half of all teachers leave the
profession within 5 years
• Two reasons teachers give for leaving:
– Isolation from colleagues
– Discouragement - initial excitement
followed by frustration
• It takes 5-7 years for a novice
teacher to reach expert level as a
professional teacher

12. Immigrant Acculturation
• Read The Acculturation Process that
applies to immigrants and refugees
– Acculturation = integrating new and old
cultures
• New teachers and English learners both
must adjust to the school culture –
attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, language,
relationships…
• Compare and contrast your
acculturation as a teacher and that of
your English learners.

13. Teacher & Immigrant
Student Acculturation
Think-Pair-Share
• Think: about your personal experiences - 1
minute
• Pair: share with 1 person next to you – 2-3
minutes
• Share: table group create a double bubble
poster
– feelings, issues, factors

14. Double Bubble: Compare &
Contrast Acculturation of
Teachers & ELs
Teacher
Student
sameunique unique

15. THEME: Universal Access to All
Core Content Areas & Standards
Diverse
Learners
Diverse
ways to
learn and
show what
they
learned

16. There is nothing as
unequal as the equal
treatment of unequals
Oliver Wendell Holmes
U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Unequal = diverse learners

17. Universal Access is about
Comprehensible
Input
People acquire language
when they receive oral
& written messages
they understand
-Krashen
i + 1
input plus
Hands-on
activities
Meaningful &
challenging
Visuals
& realia
Low
affective
filter
Interactive
communication
Adapted from San Joaquin COE, CA

18. 5 ELD Levels
• 5 levels K-12 that reflect major steps in
learning English as a second language
• Idaho’s labels for 5 levels:
– Fluent
– Early Fluent
– Intermediate
– Advanced Beginning
– Beginning

19. ELD
Standards
LA &
Content
StandardsReach
Proficiency
Scaffold
Concepts
Early Fluent
Intermediate
Advanced
Beginning
Beginning
Fluent

20. 8 Tips to Teaching ELs
1. Maintain routines for directions
2. Modify speech
– Add gestures & visual images
– Avoid or teach idioms
– Highlight key words/phrases/terms
1. Connect to students’ knowledge,
lives & interests
– Activate prior knowledge

21. 8 Tips to Teaching ELs
4. Identify & teach key words new to
ELs
5. Repeat, rephrase key ideas
6. Use Corrective Feedback to clarify
meaning, model English grammar

22. 8 Tips to Teaching ELs
7. Modify the use of the textbook
• Select most important parts of text
• Read text aloud, think aloud; small groups read
• Read text as culminating activity
• Alternative: texts at different readability levels
• Brief text with illustrations/pictures

23. 8 Tips to Teaching ELs
8. Check for understanding frequently
– NOT “Do you understand?”
– Have students demonstrate understanding
Adapted from NWREL: Strategies & Resources for
Mainstream Teachers of English Language Learners, 2003

24. Variation among English
Learners
• Background: prior formal education,
1st
language similarity to English,
parental support/motivation, trauma
before and now
• Culture: gender roles, beliefs, ways
of thinking

25. Variation among English
Learners
• Personal: aspirations, personality,
resiliency, interests, learning modalities,
special education disabilities
• School Experiences: respect for child &
parents & culture, caring environment,
high expectations, quality of classroom
instruction, quality of school program

26. Research Findings
• Educating English Language Learners:
A Synthesis of Research Evidence
• Fred Genesee, K. Lindhom-Leary, W. Saunders, &
D. Christian
• Cambridge University Press, 2006

27. Research: Academic
Achievement
1. Bilingually educated students (late exit, 2-way)
as successful or more so than their comparison
peers; time learning L1 does not deter L2
2. Immigrant ELs with strong formal schooling in
home country more likely to close gap with
non-EL students
3. ELs in hodgepodge of programs or no
intervention perform at lowest levels & have
highest drop-out rates
pp. 200-204

28. Research: Oral Language
1. Academic use of language from the start
• ELs at beginning level in 1st grade can articulate
word meanings (simple associations & definitions)
1. Exposure to English speakers is not as
important as use of exposure & interactions
– Design of interactive activities, training of non-ELs,
language proficiency of ELs
1. Use of English in school more important than
outside, not impeded by L1 development/use
pp. 39-41

29. Research: Literacy
1. ELs use L1 to draw on prior knowledge &
experience, regardless of L2
proficiency, during L2 literacy task
2. L1 literacy contributes to L2 literacy
development
• ELs with well-developed L1 literacy
progress more quickly & successfully
pp. 82-83

30. Research: Instruction on
Reading & Writing
1. Most effective when direct and
interactive instruction are combined
2. ELs more likely to succeed at English
literacy if they have had enriched L1 or
L2 literacy skills prior to school entry
pp. 139-143

31. Interactive Instruction
• Authentic, meaningful activities
• Orally sharing thoughts & reflections
with others
• Carefully planned, modeled, guided,
monitored
• With teacher, among students
pp. 139-143

32. 3 Modes of Instruction
• Teacher-directed
– directs instruction to whole class; teacher-
student interactions
• Teacher-assisted
– guides whole class discussion; student-
student and teacher-student interactions
• Peer-assisted
– monitors small group conversations;
student-student interactions

33. Reflection: Research
Findings
• Reflect on 1 topic:
– Academic achievement
– Oral language
– Literacy
– Instruction on reading/writing
• Why did the findings surprise you or not?
• How have or will you apply these findings
in your classroom/school/district?

34. Heads Together
For your assigned topic:
1. Identify a recorder/reporter and a
facilitator/timekeeper
2. Lean toward table center
3. Discuss 2 questions
1. Findings surprise you or not?
2. How have you/will you apply at your site?
4. Sit back to signify end of discussion
5. Table reporters share whole group

35. 6 Steps for Teaching
Vocabulary
1. Identify key words for all students
2. Identify key words for ELs
3. Select highest priority words
4. Choose up to 10 words for day’s lesson
5. Build from informal to formal
understanding
6. Plan many opportunities to apply

36. Vocabulary Tools
• Word wall, glossary - enhanced
• Sentence frames
• Concept organizer
• Word form chart
• Vocabulary self-rating form

37. Constructive Learning:
Building Vocabulary
• Select a text, identify key words
• Select tools for teaching words
• Adjust to fit ELD levels
• Create mini-lesson to show:
– Integration of tools
– When vocabulary words & reading
text introduced
• Front-loading vs. during activity
– Varied, frequent opportunities to
practice

38. 4 Instructional Strategies
to Scaffold Learning
1. Visuals – graphic organizers
2. KWL+
3. Think-Pair-Share
4. Summarizing

39. Circle Map
For Defining in Context

40. Tree Map
For Classifying and Grouping

41. Bubble Map
For Describing with Adjectives

42. Double Bubble Map
For Comparing and Contrasting

43. Flow Map
For Sequencing and Ordering

44. Multi-Flow Map
For Analyzing Causes and Effects

45. Brace Map
For Identifying Part/Whole Relationships

46. Bridge Map
For Seeing Analogies
dad
son
uncle
nephew
grandma
grandson
Tony is

47. Constructive Learning:
Building Understanding
• Blend 4 instructional strategies
into a mini-lesson to give ELs
universal access to the important
concepts in the lesson
– Prior vocabulary lesson is part of
this whole lesson
– Blend tools for vocabulary building
with strategies to scaffold learning
difficult, complex concepts

48. Reflection & Action
How might you present PD in your
school/district on the two pieces:
– Strategies to build academic vocabulary
– Strategies to scaffold rigorous concepts
so all teachers understand and use
strategies to give English learners
universal access across subject areas?

49. Some Resources
• http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/lep
• Making Science Accessible to English Learners: A
Guidebook for Teachers (Carr, Sexton, Lagunoff – WestEd)
• Classroom Instruction that Works (Marzano et al - ASCD)
Differentiated Instruction
• The Differentiated Classroom (Carol Ann Tomlinson, www.ascd.org)
• So Each May Learn (Silver, Strong, Perini - ASCD)
• Differentiated Instructional Strategies (Gregory & Chapman - Corwin)
• Educating Everybody’s Children (Cole (Ed.) - ASCD)
Graphic Organizers
• www.thinkingmaps.com
• The Big Book of Reproducible Graphic Organizers (Scholastic)
• www.inspiration.com & www.kidspiration.com