Every Student Learns

@ Enterprise City Schools

Acculturation
Newcomers to the U.S. may experience a
variety of emotions as they acclimate to a
new culture. Listed below are some strategies
that teachers can use in order to help their
English learners feel more comfortable in
their new school environment.
1. Cultural Diversity-incorporate students
cultural backgrounds or experiences into
lessons and class discussions whenever
possible.
2. Assign Buddies- Assign a buddy that is
helpful, patient, and culturally sensitive
to the new student.
3. Non-Verbal Responses-allow students to
use flashcards, raise their hands, write,
draw, or point to an object to indicate
their understanding.
4. Native Language- allow students to
speak in their native language to clarify
concepts.
5. Celebrate Success-Build their confidence
and provide encouragement/praise for
what they can do.

October 2015

Helpful Websites
http://www.everythingesl.net/
includes lesson plans, teaching
tips, and resource picks to help
teachers of ELs.
http://www.eslgold.com/ provides
thousands of free information and
resources for ELs.
Mrs. Velazquez
and her students
dressed up to
celebrate
Hispanic
Heritage Month.

Myth

Reality

My EL must be An EL who can converse in

English is not necessarily
fluent in
fully fluent in English. It
English
because they can take up to five years of
English language
can speak it
instruction before an EL
very well.
will be able to read and
write proficiently in
English.

Strategies of the Month

Chunk and Chew
By following the Chunk and Chew strategy, teachers deliver their lessons in small chunks giving students
time to chew the information either individually, with partners, or in small groups. Follow this simple rule: For
every 10 minutes of teacher input, students should be given 2 minutes to process the information. Planning
Sheet: https://docs.google.com/a/godfreylee.org/document/d/1aOyjE6PmFFBuqo9Vx3C45lAewcGsLkjvmds3av43b14/edit
Information Gap
This strategy can be used to provide activities that integrate all language skills. An information gap activity is
an activity where learners are missing the information they need to complete a task and need to talk to each
other to find it. For example, Learner A has a biography of a famous person with all the place names missing,
while Learner B has the same text with all the dates missing. Together they can complete the text by asking
each other questions. Video: http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/speaking-exams/informationgap-activity

First grader learns

about Fire Safety
with Sparky, the dog.

Cultural Corner: Korea

Geography: The Korean Peninsula, located
in Northeast Asia, is bordered on the north by
China and Russia and juts toward Japan to
the southeast.

Fifth grader working on

math during small
groups.

Did you know?

There are several federal laws
which ensure equal education
opportunities for our English
learners.
Lau vs. Nichols (1970) ensured
that resources would be provided
for students with language barriers
to overcome their deficiencies.
Its very important that teachers
modify their instruction in order to
provide their ELs with equal access.

Values: Koreans are devoted to their families

and place a strong emphasis on the hierarchy.
They are very loyal to their relatives, coworkers, and friends.
School: Students usually attend school from
9-3 Monday through Friday, and stay until
noon on Saturday. The pressure to do well on
this standardized test is so great, many
students get burned out. It is not uncommon
for a handful of students in each classroom to
sleep.
Interesting Fact: Writing a persons name in
red ink indicates that the person is about to
die or is already dead and gone. Be careful
and avoid the use of red ink.
Resource: www.zkorean.com

An English learner who is new to the country

may take some time to really show what they
can do-imagine yourself in their shoes!

Instruction

Assessments

1. Allow the collaborative

learning and discussion in
primary language when
appropriate.
2. Break lessons/information
into smaller chunks.
3. Utilize resources in the
students first language (iPads,
Google translate, etc.).

1. Provide a work bank for fillin-the blank or labeling items.

2. Require reduced sentence or
paragraph length in open
ended responses and
compositions.
3. Allow for small group
administration.
4. Read test aloud.