SESSION 2

The Needs of English Language Learners and the Process of Learning a New Language

Prepared by Illinois Resource Center

What are the specific needs of English language learners? ! Connections to the "nowledge# social$cultural %alues and e&periences that they bring to the classroo'!
2! (e%elop'ent of oral fluency and cogniti%e acade'ic language

proficiency )preferably in L and L2*

+! (e%elop'ent of literacy s"ills )preferable in L and L2*

,! Co'prehensible instruction in social studies# science and 'ath -! (e%elop'ent of acade'ic "nowledge co''ensurate with their grade le%el peers .! Instruction and assess'ent in a safe# low ris" en%iron'ent where their language and culture are %alued How do we address these needs? Nati%e language instruction and $ or support with certified personnel ESL instruction e'bedded in conte&t / content based or sheltered0 instruction Purposeful interaction with English1spea"ing peers

Content curriculu' align'ent with district and state learning )in L and L2 *

Student centered instruction which utili2es and connects the prior "nowledge of English language learners to classroo' acti%ities 3air and appropriate assess'ent procedures 4eco'ing a 'ulticultural school through 'eaningful staff de%elop'ent

 Co'prehensible Input5 when learners understand the 'essage in the targeted language

6essage %s! 3or'5 when there is a focus on what is said# rather than on how it is said

6eaningful Co''unication5 when language is used for co''unicating real ideas

Low 7ffecti%e 3ilter5 when the le%el of stress in the child8s en%iron'ent$s is low

Source: Steve Krashen

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BICS, CALP and CUP: SECOND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND LEARNING THEORY Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) educators commonly refer to two types of English language proficiency: Basic Interpersonal ommunication S!ills (BICS) and ogniti"e #cademic Language $roficiency (CALP)% &hese terms were coined 'y (im ummins (1)*+)% ummins found that while most students learned sufficient English to engage in social communication in a'out two years, they typically needed fi"e to se"en years to ac-uire the type of language s!ills needed for successful participation in content classrooms% Limited English proficient (LE$) students. language s!ills are often informally assessed upon the a'ility of the student to comprehend and respond to con"ersational language% /owe"er, children who are proficient in social situations may not 'e prepared for the academic, conte0t1reduced, and literacy demands of mainstream classrooms% (udging students. language proficiency 'ased on oral and2or social language assessments 'ecomes pro'lematic when the students perform well in social con"ersations 'ut do poorly on academic tas!s% &he students may 'e incorrectly tagged as ha"ing learning deficits or may e"en 'e referred for testing as learning disa'led% &he terms BI S and #L$ tend to 'e imprecise, "alue1laden, simplified, and misused to stereotype English language learners (Ba!er, 1))3)% ummins (1)*3) addressed this pro'lem through a theoretical framewor! which em'eds the #L$ language proficiency concept within a larger theory of ommon 4nderlying $roficiency (CUP)% &he three terms are discussed 'elow% Basic Interpers na! C ""#nicati n S$i!!s %BICS& &he commonly used acronym BICS descri'es social, con"ersational language used for oral communication% #lso descri'ed as social language, this type of communication offers many cues to the listener and is conte0t1em'edded language% 4sually it ta!es a'out two years for students from different linguistic 'ac!grounds to comprehend conte0t1em'edded social language readily% English language learners can comprehend social language 'y: o'ser"ing spea!ers. non1"er'al 'eha"ior (gestures, facial e0pressions and eye actions)5 o'ser"ing others. reactions5 using "oice cues such as phrasing, intonations, and stress5 o'ser"ing pictures, concrete o'6ects, and other conte0tual cues which are present5 and as!ing for statements to 'e repeated, and2or clarified% C 'niti(e Acade"ic Lan'#a'e Pr )icienc* %CALP& CALP is the conte0t1reduced language of the academic classroom% It ta!es fi"e to se"en years for English language learners to 'ecome proficient in the language of the classroom 'ecause: non1"er'al clues are a'sent5 there is less face1to1face interaction5 academic language is often a'stract5 literacy demands are high (narrati"e and e0pository te0t and te0t'oo!s are written 'eyond the language proficiency of the students)5 and cultural2linguistic !nowledge is often needed to comprehend fully%

C "" n Under!*in' Pr )icienc* (CUP) ummins. c "" n #nder!*in' pr )icienc* " de! of 'ilingualism can 'e pictorially represented in the form of two ice'ergs% &he two ice'ergs are separate a'o"e the surface% &hat is, two languages are "isi'ly different in outward con"ersation% 4nderneath the surface, the two ice'ergs are fused such that the two languages do not function separately% Both languages operate through the same central processing system.
Social Language

L1
Surface le"el

L2

Common Underlying Proficiency ( entral 7perating System)

Language proficiency alone will not determine when English language learners are prepared to use their second language (L2) to learn with their grade le"el monolingual English1 spea!ing peers% $re"ious schooling, academic !nowledge, and literacy s!ills that second language learners ha"e in their first language (L1) are also strong determiners ( ummins, 1)*3, Ba!er, 1))3 )% ummins. framewor! may 'e summari8ed as follows: 9egardless of the language in which a person is operating, the thoughts that accompany tal!ing, reading, writing, and listening come from the same central engine% :hen a person owns two or more languages, there is one integrated source of thought% Bilingualism and multilingualism are possi'le 'ecause people ha"e the capacity to store two or more languages% $eople can function in two or more languages with relati"e ease% Information processing s!ills and educational attainment may 'e de"eloped through two languages as well as through one language% ogniti"e functioning and school achie"ement may 'e fed through one monolingual channel or e-ually successfully through two well de"eloped language channels% Both channels feed the same central processor% The language the child is using in the classroom needs to be sufficiently well developed to be able to process the cognitive challenges of the classroom% Spea!ing, listening, reading or writing in the first or the second language helps the whole cogniti"e system to de"elop% /owe"er, if children are made to operate in an insufficiently de"eloped second language, the system will not function well% If children are made to operate in the classroom in a poorly developed second language, the quality and quantity of what they learn from complex materials and produce in oral and written form may be relatively weak.
Sources: Ba!er, % (1))3)% ;oundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism% le"edon: <ultilingual <atters% ummins, (% (1)*+)% &he construct of language proficiency in 'ilingual education% In (%E% #latis (ed%) =eorgetown 4ni"ersity 9ound &a'le on Languages and Linguistics% :ashington > : =eorgetown 4ni"ersity $ress% ummins, (% (1)*3)% :anted: # theoretical framewor! for relating language proficiency to academic achie"ement among 'ilingual students% In % 9i"era (ed%), Language $roficiency and #cademic #chie"ement% le"edon: <ultilingual <atters% &eacher &oday, IE9, ?olume @, Ao% 3, 1))+

Levels of Language Proficiency - Paired with Cu

ins! "ce#erg

3ar9uar ca'e fro' Ira9 a year ago at age :! ;e only has about a year of for'al education due to the war and subse9uent closing of schools! Since entering school in the <S7 he has 'ade little progress acade'ically! =hat does his iceberg loo" li"e> =hat educational reco''endations would you 'a"e> Rosa was educated in 6e&ico City! She reads and writes at grade le%el in Spanish but has little to no acade'ic s"ills in English nor does she spea" English! =hat does her iceberg loo" li"e> =hat educational reco''endations would you 'a"e> 4orn in Los 7ngeles# Rafael spea"s a 'i& of Spanish and English at ho'e and school! ;e can con%erse 9uite well in both languages but is not 'a"ing acade'ic progress in either language! =hat does his iceberg loo" li"e> =hat educational reco''endations would you 'a"e> Sho1=in does fairly well in her bilingual class! She reads and writes at grade le%el in Chinese! She plays 'ostly with English1spea"ing children at recess and is understood by the' although she has no English acade'ic s"ills! =hat does her iceberg loo" li"e> =hat educational reco''endations would you 'a"e> Rona8s 'other reads to her at ho'e each night in Ro'anian! 7t the age of ten she reads at grade le%el in Ro'anian and is beginning to read so'e English boo"s! =hat does her iceberg loo" li"e> =hat educational reco''endations would you 'a"e> Lucia is able to con%erse with others fluently in both English and Spanish! She has 'o%ed 9uite fre9uently in her young life and is e&periencing difficulty in all content areas including reading in both languages! =hat does her iceberg loo" li"e> =hat educational reco''endations would you 'a"e>

General Pattern of K-12 Language Minority Student Achievement on Standardized Tests in nglish !eading

Co pared $cross Si% Progra

&odels

)(ata aggregated fro' a series of +1? year longitudinal studies fro' well1 i'ple'ented# 'ature progra's in fi%e school districts* @ =ayne P! Tho'as and Airginia P! Collier# ::?
Progra' 5 Two1way de%elop'ental bilingual education )4E* Progra' 25 Late1e&it bilingual education and ESL taught through acade'ic content Progra' +5 Early1e&it bilingual education and ESL taught through acade'ic content Progra' ,5 Early1e&it bilingual education and ESL taught traditionally Progra' -5 ESL taught through acade'ic content using current approaches Progra' .5 ESL Pullout1taught traditionally

/,

*,

2 7%erage perfor'ance of nati%e1English spea"ers 'a"ing one year8s progress in each + ,

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0ilingual1ESL Progra
Progra 2a e Two1way de%elop'ental bilingual )Two1way I''ersion or (ual Language* (e%elop'enta l 4ilingual )6aintenance or ;eritage Language* I''ersion Transitional 4ilingual 3uration B1. )B1C or B1 2 would be e%en better* B1. )B1C or B1 2 would be e%en better* B1C + years test out or continued support if necessary 7ny grade le%el as long as needed# test out 7ccording to need# test out B1 2 L2 )L gradually* 4egin with L # transition to L2 )English* as 9uic"ly as possible L2 )'aybe so'e L * L2 Language 6aEority Language 'inority )sa'e language* Language 'inority Language 'inority )different languages* Language 'inority L D L2 Language of "nstruction L D L2 Participants Language 6inority and Language 6aEority

&odels
Co p1 Enrich ent Enrich'ent Staffing 4ilingual teacher 4r Tea' teach )Eng! (o'inant teacher D 4ilingual teacher* 4ilingual teacher 4r Tea' teach )Eng! (o'inant teacher D 4ilingual teacher* L2 teacher L teacher 4ilingual$ESL teacher Linguistic 4utco e 4ilingualis' 4iliteracy 6ulticulturalis'

Setting Self1contained classroo'

Language 6inority

Self1contained classroo'

Enrich'ent

4ilingualis' 4iliteracy

Self1contained classroo' Pull1out or Self1contained classroo' Pull1out or Self1contained classroo' Resource roo' 6ainstrea' classroo'

Enrich'ent Co'pensatory

;igher cogniti%e abilities 4iliteracy 6onolingual L2

Sheltered English ESL Pull1out

Co'pensatory

Co'pensatory

ESL teacher 6ainstrea'# content area teacher ESL teacher 6ainstrea' 6ainstrea' teacher

6onolingual L2

6onolingual L2

English Sub'ersion

L2

Co'pensatory

6onolingual L2

0E2E5"6S 45 7S"28 S673E26S! 2$6"9E L$287$8E "2 &7L6"C7L67:$L SCH44LS $23 CL$SS:44&S 6he use of the native language: Pro%ides students access to acade'ic content! 7llows students to ha%e 'eaningful social interactions with their peers and adults! Pro%ides access to the students8 prior "nowledge and e&periences and connects their prior "nowledge to current lessons! Pro'otes )rather than detracts fro'* second language de%elop'ent! Pro'otes self1estee' and identity and confir's to students that their ho'e language and culture ha%e %alue! 7llows students8 openness to learning by reducing language and culture shoc"! ;elps students de%elop their first language co''unication s"ills!

References5 7uerbach# E! R! ) ::+*! Ree&a'ining English only in the ESL classroo'! TESOL Quarterly# 2?# :1+2! Lucas# T!# Bat2# 7!# ) ::+*! Refra'ing the (ebate5 The roles of nati%e languages in English1 only progra's for language 'inority students! TESOL Quarterly, 2C# -+?1-. ! Su2anne =agner ::-

:ole of Parents When 6hey 3on!t Spea; English 3oster literacy de%elop'ent by reading boo"s and telling stories to children in ho'e language! =or" with their children with ho'e writing 'aterials stored in one accessible location! (raw pictures# write stories# and 'a"e lists with their children! =rite letters to grandparents and other fa'ily 'e'bers still in nati%e country! Pro%ide print1rich en%iron'ent in ho'e language and English as 'uch as possible! Pro%ide e&periences of reading and writing for different purposes! Tal" with their children about wor"# %alues# religion# and daily acti%ities! 6a"e learning e&periences out of e%ery day acti%ities )sorting 'ail# sorting soc"s# shopping with lists# etc!* =iden their children8s world through learning e&periences in the co''unity )touching ani'als at the children8s 2oo# crunching lea%es# ta"ing the bus# etc!* Ta"e their children to co''unity e%ents and acti%ities designed for fa'ilies! 7s" their children to tell the' what they are learning in the classroo'!

Su2anne =agner ::C &< 8:$23P$:E26S &$3E "6= WH$6!S W:428 W"6H <47?> ?5$C6S $0476 7@S@ "&&"8:$26S $23 E37C$6"42$L S7CCESSA In :FC# in New Gor" City# only +H of children whose parents were foreign1born went on to high school! Only +2H of white children whose parents were nati%e1born went on to high school! Of those who had started high school in New Gor"# FH of Italian17'ericans and F! H of Irish17'ericans recei%ed a diplo'a in : ! Only 2FH of the adult population )both i''igrant and nati%e1born* had co'pleted high school!

1+

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Stages of Language $cBuisition - Sa ple 6eaching Strategies at Each Stage of Language 3evelop ent
2ote: The Stages of Language Proficiency were copied fro' an online tutorial IEnglish Language Learners5 ELLs in the 6ainstrea'0# IPart Two The Theory of Second Language 7c9uisition0 http5$$www!nEpep!org$tutorials$ellJ'ainstrea'$partJtwo$ac9uisition!ht'l NKPEP5 Airtual 7cade'y# NK (epart'ent of Education# FF Ri%er%iew Pla2a# Trenton# NK FC.2-1F-FF

Stage ": Preproduction 3efinition5 Students at this stage tend to be non1%erbal! 6ost of what is spo"en in English is co'pletely inco'prehensible! Students will e&hibit so'e le%el of frustration# an&iety# and withdrawal# characteri2ed as Iculture shoc"!0 Students will focus intensi%ely on listening and %iewing what is happening in the classroo'! They will copy fro' the board and repeat what they hear with little or no co'prehension at first! Please note5 Students 'ay e&hibit inattenti%eness at ti'es! ;owe%er# it should be noted that the language o%erload of second language learning can be e&hausting! Suggestions for the classroo' are5

<se of %isuals# real obEects# 'anipulati%es! Response through physical 'o%e'ent or 'anipulation of obEects! 7llow students to listen# obser%e! (o not force students to spea"! Pro%ide 'any listening opportunities! Lroup students with 'ore ad%anced ELLs or cooperati%e 'ainstrea' peers for group acti%ities! Pro%ide reading 'aterials with si'plified te&t and nu'erous pictures!

Stage "": Early Production 3efinition5 Students will begin to repeat language co''only used in social con%ersation and will be able to use routine e&pressions! They will 'a"e state'ents and as" 9uestions with isolated words or si'ple phrases! They will decode according to the phonetic rules of first language! Students can identify people# places# and obEects and can participate in class acti%ities by relating infor'ation to this type of infor'ation! Students 'ay continue to e&hibit inattenti%eness at ti'es# but not to the fre9uency and intensity noted for students at Stage One! Suggestions for the classroo' are5

<se si'plified# abbre%iated te&t 'aterials# focusing on the 'ain ideaMsN! Continue to pro%ide listening acti%ities with %isual support! 4egin writing acti%ities# such as dialogue Eournals for reflection and response to learning 'aterials! 7s" yes$no 9uestions# or 9uestions re9uiring a 1+ word response!

Response to assess'ents can ta"e the for' of actions# 'anipulation of 'aterials and$or si'plified response! Introduction of predictable boo"s with li'ited words# 'ore pictures and$or graphics for pri'ary age ELLs! Introduction of structured retelling acti%ities# with the use of physical responses# %isuals# 'anipulati%es for pri'ary age ELLs!

Stage """: Speech E ergence 3efinition5 Students will e&hibit increased proficiency in decoding and co'prehending second language words and te&t! Students will begin# with or without phonics instruction# to decode according to second language rules and fro' e&panded e&periences with oral interactions and te&t! Students will de'onstrate an increased understanding of con%ersations# dialogues# si'ple stories containing a few details and factual or si'ple procedural infor'ation fro' content area te&ts! Teachers will note that written e&pression will include an e&panding %ocabulary and the e'ergence of a writing style! Students can edit writing with guidance Me!g! chec"lists# peer editors# teacher assistanceN and will be able to self1e%aluate writing! Suggestions for the classroo' are5

(e%elop acti%ities with content and conte&t e'bedded practice in all four s"ill areas! 7s" open1ended 9uestions# but pro%ide 'odels for response orally or through word ban"s! Shared or partnered reading and writing acti%ities! E&panded use of predictable boo"s containing 'ore te&t# with pri'ary1age ELLs! <se of content area picture boo"s# with e&panded te&t Mfiction and non1fictionN to support learning of content Me!g! science and social studies# such as 7dler# (a%id 7! 7 picture boo" of SacagaweaO illustrated by (an 4rown! New Gor"5 ;oliday ;ouse# 2FFF! IS4N FC2+, ,C-P! 7 biography of the Shoshone wo'an who Eoined the Lewis and Clar" e&pedition! See IResources0 for a short list of other suggested content area picture boo"s! E&panded writing opportunities in a %ariety of genresQdescripti%e# narrati%e# instructi%e# etc! Introduce learning strategies instruction e&a'ples! MSee C7LL7 in Part 3our!N

Stage "9: "nter ediate 5luency 3efinition: There is a 'ar"ed increase in listening# spea"ing# reading# and writing co'prehension and accuracy of response! Students will de'onstrate an increased use of strategies for word attac" and co'prehension of content reading 'aterials! In addition# the student can read and understand a wider %ariety of genres in literature! ;e$she can su''ari2e# 'a"e si'ple inferences# and can use language to e&press and defend opinions! 3irst language bac"ground "nowledge and strategies beco'e a

13

resource for the student! O%erall# the student# at this stage# can perfor' well in the classroo'# but teachers will need to pro%ide structure# strategies# and guidance! Suggestions for the classroo' are5

Pro%ide guided instruction in the use of reference$research 'aterials for 'iddle1 high school ELLs! E&pand learning strategies instruction! Pro%ide practice in 'a"ing inferences fro' content reading! 6odel appropriate language for e&pressing abstract concepts fro' content learning by pro%iding students with response Iste's !0 )See examples on the site.) 6o%e toward e&panded te&t reading to include supporting details and e&tended reading acti%ities! E&pand writing repertoire to include %arious types of letters# newspaper Eournalis'# and creati%e writing e&periences! Can begin to wor" in collaborati%e groups for content acti%ities!

Stage 9: $dvanced 5luency 3efinition5 7t this stage of de%elop'ent# the student perfor's Ial'ost0 li"e a nati%e spea"er! ;e$she can produce language that is highly accurate# incorporating 'ore co'ple& %ocabulary and gra''atical structure in his$her co''unicati%e discourse! The student8s reading interests broaden and he$she can read independently for infor'ation and$or pleasure! ;is$her writing s"ills are at a near nati%e English le%el! The student continues to use his$her nati%e language as a source to enhance co'prehension of English! 7lthough 'ost English Language Learners are e&ited at this le%el of perfor'ance# students 'ay still need a Ilifeline0 for clarification of new concepts and$or %ocabulary! Suggestions for the classroo' are5

Continue to build concepts through ad%anced content area reading! Continue to e&pand on learning strategies instruction! Continue to pro%ide enriched writing acti%ities! ;elp to build an e&pressi%e %ocabulary to 'atch the strength of the recepti%e %ocabulary de%elop'ent! =or" in collaborati%e groups for content acti%ities!

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C426E26 "2S6:7C6"42 54: E28L"SH L$287$8E LE$:2E:S

)Bnown as Sheltered Instruction and Content1based ESL* '@ 6arget the C#ig ideas> of the content@ Identify 'ain principles# achie%able obEecti%es# and "ey %ocabulary! 7lign instructional acti%ities to obEecti%es and district and state learning standards! Locate appropriate 'aterials! $ccess and #uild upon students! prior ;nowledge@ Connect students8 "nowledge and e&periences to new lesson! Let e%eryone Ion the sa'e page0! 7s" appropriate 9uestions to facilitate student interaction about their prior "nowledge and e&periences! <se the nati%e language as a tool! &a;e sure that the new infor ation is co prehensi#le@ Spea" clearly without using the slang or idio's 6odel language Eust abo%e the language co'petence of the learners! Retell# clarify# and gi%e e&a'ples! <se %isuals# 'anipulati%es# gestures# and hands1on e&periences# 'odeling# and de'onstrations! 6o%e fro' the concrete to the abstract! Re%isit and re%iew pre%iously taught lessons and %ocabulary! 7se a variety of literacy and voca#ulary activities@ Teach %ocabulary before# during# and after reading (e%elop co'prehension strategies before# during# and after reading! I'pro%e students8 reading fluency through a %ariety of approaches Respond to readings through 'eaningful writing acti%ities! 4rganiDe purposeful interactions@ <tili2e peers to facilitate learning and sharing ways of thin"ing! I'ple'ent paired and buddy reading acti%ities! Teach through cooperati%e learning acti%ities! Encourage nati%e language support fro' peers and adults! 7se fair and appropriate assess ent strategies@ Encourage students to creati%ely use the English language they "now! 4e easy on the red pen with e'ergent English writers# focusing on 'essage rather than for'! <se a %ariety of assess'ent strategies tied to instructional strategies! <se rubrics to co'pare student perfor'ance to obEecti%es and bench'ar"s. Provide instruction in a low-ris; environ ent@

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S! =agner# Illinois Resource Center# ::: References5 Collier# :-5 Cu''ins# :,5 Peregoy and 4oyle# :?5 Richard17'ato# :.5 Snow# :2

$2 49E:9"EW 45 6E$CH"28 S6:$6E8"ES 54: E28L"SH L$287$8E LE$:2E:S Second language learners learn their second language fro' anyone who pro%ides the' with an opportunity to de%elop proficiency in the new language! So whether you8re an English1as1a second1language )ESL* teacher# a science teacher# or a reading specialist# you can help those students beco'e proficient in English! 2$67:$L $PP:4$CH 7s the na'e i'plies# the Natural 7pproach )Brashen and Terrell :C * focuses on de%eloping language s"ills in a natural conte&t! Students ac9uire language through interaction in authentic and 'eaningful learning e&periences! Teachers pro%ide input in the target language that students can understand )co'prehensible input* and add new learning to that base! The principles behind the Natural 7pproach are5 ! 2! +! ,! Co'prehension precedes production! Production e'erges in stages! 7 syllabus based on co''unicati%e goals is 'ore effecti%e! The student8s an&iety le%el 'ust be low in order for learning to happen!

The following are so'e of the strategies that are practiced within the Natural 7pproach5 Total Physical Response )TPR* TPR# de%eloped by Ka'es 7sher ) :C2*# was designed pri'arily for students in the early stages of language ac9uisition! Since co''ands can be 'ade co'prehensible to students with %ery li'ited langauge# 7sher used co''ands as the basis for TPR! The teacher gi%es a co''and# de'onstrates the co''and# and then students respond physically to the co''and! 4ecause students are acti%ely in%ol%ed and not e&pected to repeat the co''and# an&iety is low# and student focus is on co'prehension rather than production! ;ence# they de'onstrate co'prehension before their spea"ing s"ills e'erge! The i'perati%es# such as I4ring 'e the boo"0 or IPass your paper to the right#0 bring the language ali%e by 'a"ing it co'prehensible and fun! TPR is a well1"nown beginning ESL 'ethod# but TPR1based acti%ities can be adapted to al'ost any le%el and incorporated into 'ainstrea' or 'ulti1le%el classes# particularly in areas where %isible directions can be gi%en! TPR also pro%ides a base for literacy de%elop'ent in the second language as students learn to read the co''ands they followed! Language E&perience 7pproach )LE7* The LE7 is an effecti%e 'ethod to help pro'ote literacy de%elop'ent! Students recount stories based on their own interests and acti%ities# such as a trip# a 'o%ie# a story# or a proEect in which they all participated# and the teacher writes their words! These student1produced stories are then used for reading 'aterial and language de%elop'ent! 7pplication of LE7 can be used with 'any different acti%ities and proficiency le%els!
1B

Literature14ased 7pproach In a literature1based approach# stories and literature are used as the base and conte&t for language learning! This is a %aluable 'eans of de%eloping oral language and literacy s"ills! Pattern boo"s are especially beneficial for younger learners because of rhy'e# rhyth'# repetition# easily identifiable situations# predictability# high fre9uency %ocabulary# and a strong correlation between the printed te&t and the use of %isuals! 7uthentic 9uality 'aterials should be chosen# with a hea%y inclusion of 'ulticultural boo"s! So'e children8s literature# such as historical fiction or stories related to social proble's can also be used %ery effecti%ely with older learners! <se of Lraphic Organi2ers The use of se'antic webs and graphic organi2ers is a %ery helpful way for students to si'plify the reading and writing process! 4esides helping students to plan and organi2e 'aterial# they can also pro'ote insight into cultural %ariations! 7s they are used to elicit students8 thoughts and bac"ground "nowledge# they also help t pro'ote higher1le%el thin"ing! So'e co''on e&a'ples of graphic organi2ers are Aenn (iagra's# web diagra's# and story 'aps! <se of Cooperati%e Structures In cooperati%e structures# students wor" together in s'all groups# dependent on each other to reach goals! These acti%ities are %ery effecti%e with ESL students because they allow for interaction in a non1threatening situation! Students participate and contribute to the group according to their proficiency le%els! So'e e&a'poles that wor" well in 'ainstrea' content1area classes are INu'bered1;eads1Together#0 IThin"1 Pair1Share#0 and IKigsaw!0 C426E26-0$SE3 $PP:4$CH 7ccording to the 'ost recent research# one of the 'ost effecti%e 'ethods of ESL instruction is the content1based approach# where language instruction is integrated with the content areas! Rather than de%eloping an ESL progra' that is focused on the language needed for social interactions or the structure of language# this 'ethod incorporates language into the conte&t of acade'ic content! The core curriculu' is the basis for teaching language! Instructors focus on the "ey principles and concepts and use %isuals# hands1on acti%ities# si'pler language# adapted readings# graphic organi2ers# and so forth to help 'a"e the 'ost i'portant acade'ic content co'prehensible! Thus# language s"ills de%elop as children wor" on 'ath# social studies# science or language arts at their appropriate age and grade le%els! The e&a'ples gi%en in this article are reco''ended because they wor; with English language learners! These 'ethods include learning situations that pro%ide for the following critical factors5 Co'prehensible input Low an&iety for the students 6any opportunities for interaction and language use

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6eaningful co''unication and natural language Language1learning situations that are fun and 'oti%ational (e%elop'ent of higher1order thin"ing s"ills

In su''ary# there is not a single correct 'ethod to follow in second language instruction! ;owe%er# when planning lessons and choosing acti%ities# teachers should ensure that the strategies used incorporate the ele'ents 'ost needed by students! It is always i'portant to "eep abreast of theoretical concepts and current research in order to de%elop a personal philosophy and teaching style! Teachers should then %ary acti%ities and select strategies according to students8 needs and goals! References5 7sher# K! ) :C2*! Learning another language through action: the complete teachers Guide oo!. Los 4atos# C75 S"y Oa"s! Brashen# S! D Terrell# T! ) :C+*! The natural approach: language ac"uisition in the classroom. Engliwood Cliffs# N!T!5 7le'any$Prentice ;all! 4e%erly 4en1(a%id# 2FFF! Illinois Resource Center )C,?*CF+1+ S788ES6E3 54LL4W-7P 3or resources# related in1district support options# wor"shops and courses# %isit www!thecenterweb!org and select the "llinois :esource Center or call )C,?* -??12?,C! The Illinois Resource Center is funded to ser%e linguistically and culturally di%erse learners in Illinois! There is no charge for public schools in Illinois outside of Chicago! =or"shops and courses are open to all interested teachers! Select Illinois Resource Center )IRC* Select resources and scroll to reco''ended 'aterials if see"ing 'aterials Select E"its for other support resources prepared by the IRC Select professional lin"s in the sidebar for 'ultiple lin"s and resources 3or a copy of the English Language #ro$iciency Standards $or English Language Learners in %indergarten through Grade &' that apply to Illinois go to the online resource at http5$$www!isbe!net$bilingual$pdfs$elpsJfra'ewor"!pdf 3or a four1part tutorial related to ser%ing ELLs in the 6ainstrea' see the online resource de%eloped by the New Kersey (epart'ent of Education5 New Kersey Professional Education Port IEnglish Language Learners5 ELLs in the 6ainstrea'0 at the following site! http5$$www!nEpep!org$tutorials$ellJ'ainstrea'$intro!ht'l IPart Two The Theory of Second Language 7c9uisition0 is the 'ost applicable to the content of this wor"shop! 2

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