Language Literacy Exchange Summary
C&T 745 Reading and the English Language Learner
CAEP Standard 1.6 Candidates document, using multiple measures and create a supportive
learning environment that contributes to an expected level of Pre-K through 12 student-learning
growth.
My student is from Korea. This is his first international school. He is an ELL class at the
International School Manila. He seems like a happy student. He can follow verbal directions
but does not speak or share in class. He enjoys sports, robotics and cello. He will be joining
the strings class to continue his cello work. Because of his lack of English, the counselor was
not able to ascertain what instructional level he is in Korean. He transferred from a Korean
elementary school. One of his parents speaks limited English and the other speaks none.
I learned several valuable lessons and learned helpful ideas to aid in my classroom once I
teach ELL students again. Here is a summary:
Culturally responsive teaching, is understanding your students background and where they
are coming from. It also means getting to know the family of your student and having strong
communication with them. Teachers need to be culturally sensitive to their students needs.
They need to make the student feel welcome and acknowledge what the student brings to the
classroom.
Explicit language instruction includes well structured inactive activities among students.
Research shows that students need to explicitly be taught grammar, conventions and
vocabulary. Teachers should focus on speaking and listening more than reading and writing.
Students need to be taught academic language in addition to conversational language.
Teachers need to provide specific feedback to help learners.
The Helman book suggests that since learners are not a homogeneous group they should be
called emergent bilinguals. Bilinguals learning English follow the same developmental
sequence as native speakers but their knowledge of multiple languages and other literacies
need to be taken into account.
ELL students fall far behind their native speaking classmates when it comes to vocabulary
development. Teachers must teach new words to ELL students every single day. What
constitutes effective instruction in this area? Some ideas include: teaching words through
explicit instruction through speaking and listening as well reading and writing. Choose fun texts
with academic language that is connected to your unit of study. Teach student independent
word study techniques and give them lots of time to practice the new words in context. ELL
students need lots of support to develop their vocabulary.
Effective instructional practices to support ELL students include: providing a low-anxiety
environment, hands-on activities, time to talk, building background knowledge, modeling,
guided practice, graphic organizers, focus on vocab, and high expectations are just a few
strategies that can provide ELL students with needed support.
Students native language should be looked at as an advantage not a hindrance. Teachers
should make sure they learn the students literacy level in their native language. Students
should be allowed to communicate in their native language and the teacher should try to learn
some of the language to make the student feel comfortable. In writing, it is helpful to let the
student write in whichever language they need to express themselves including combining the
two.
I also learned some ideas for assessing my students writing when I cannot understand his
language. Many of the teachers surveyed in Fus book said they assessed the effort rather
than the content, as long as the student wrote and produced writing. They let the students
participate in workshop activities understanding that the student rather stay and take part than
be pulled out. Students should be allowed to write in whichever language they can best
express themselves in.
I feel I have learned many ideas, concepts and practices that will make me a better ELL
teacher.
Research Citations from my lessons:
Literacy Development with English Learners by Lori Helman, The Guilford Press, 2016
Chapter 3 Explicit Language Instruction
Phonology is how individual sounds are expressed in a language.
Morphology and the meaningful chunks that make up individual words and how affixes
change meaning.
Words Their Way-Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction 6th
Edition
Donald Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, Francine Johnston
Initial consonants p.335-341
consonant blends p.342-348
Short vowels p.349-350
Long vowels p.351-353
Both Helman and Bear: Orthography for English Stages
Reading/Writing Stages: Emergent, beginning, transitional, Intermediate, advanced
Spelling Stages: Emergent, letter-name alphabetic, Within Word Pattern, Syllables and Affixes,
Derivational Relations
Helman-Chapter 10 Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners across the Elementary
Grades
Teach words through explicit instruction using multiple modalities (listening, speaking,
reading, writing)
Month-by-Month Phonics for Upper Grades A Second Chance for Struggling Readers and
Students Learning English
Lots of great ideas, not enough time to do them with my student. Would definitely incorporate
these activities if I taught ELL. I use many of these activities when I work one-one-one with my
learning support students. Great lessons include: which words looks right, and cutting out
letters and manipulating them to make new words.
Perfect Poems with Strategies for Building Fluency, Scholastic, 2004
Using poetry to Build Fluency p. 12
Instructional Routine p. 13
Writing Between Languages by Danling Fu, Heinemann, 2009
I havent done much writing with my student. If I had more time and knew him better I would
incorporate collaborative writing p. 91 and definitely let him write in their native language.
References
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., & Johnston, F. R. (2006). Words their way. Celebration Press.
Cunningham, P. M., & Hall, D. P. (1998). Month-by-month phonics for upper grades: A second
chance for struggling readers and students learning English. Carson-Dellosa Pub.
Fu, D. (2009). Writing between languages: How English language learners make the transition to
fluency, grades 4-12. Heinemann.
Helman, L. (2016). Literacy development with English learners: Research-based instruction in
grades K-6. The Guilford Press.
Perfect poems. with strategies for building fluency. (2004). Scholastic Teaching Resources.
