Id like to begin this Roundtable discussion with a quote by FDR, the 32nd President of the United States:

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
Id like you to keep that in mind as we continue this discussion, even though I know we may not all have diverse populations in our schools or even our communities at the present time. However, I urge you to consider some statistics: According to the Urban Institutes Educational Policy Center,
Limited English proficient students are the most rapidly growing population in U.S. elementary schools. Between 1980 and 2000, the share of English language learners in elementary schools increased by over 50 percent, Right now, Limited English proficient students are concentrated in a few states but are spreading rapidly throughout the nation. Five statesCalifornia, Texas, New York, Florida, and ours, Illinois,are home to almost 70 percent of all LEP students in elementary school. But between 1990 and 2000, some states had growth rates above 200 percent (and Nevada and Nebraska saw 350 percent growth). This marks an important shift in this population away from traditional receiving states (Florida, New York, and others) in favor of other destinations (such as Arkansas and Georgia).

The U.S. Department of Education states that limited English proficient students represent
the fastest growing student population5.4 million currently in the United States, with that number expected to increase to 1 out of every 4 students by 2025.
United States residents who speak a language other than English at home increased by 47% during the 1990s (Crawford, 2004 in Daniel). Remember that ELLs are not always immigrants they may have been born here.

Well, how does this relate to school libraries? According to the American Association of School Librarians in their 2009 School Libraries Count! Survey, 14% of the over 5,000 respondents reported a student population of 25% or more English language learners. Yet over 90% reported that less than 5% of their collections were in a language other than English. And perhaps more alarmingly, more than a third reported that they used no special strategies to serve their English Language Learner population. But as we saw in the Adams article in School Library Monthly, One component of the interpreted Library Bill of Rights highlights the responsibility of school librarians in Schools serving multi-ethnic communities to make efforts to accommodate the needs of students for whom English is a second language. And given the above statistics, this is an imperative that is bound to affect all of us sooner rather than laterif it hasnt done so already. 2:42 ++++++++++++

So, who are these kids? These students may be referred to as English Language Learners (ELLs), Second Language Learners (SLLs), or Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Assistance programs for these students may be English as a Second Language (ESL) or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). (Par for the course for the library worlds love of acronym usage!) But as Sherry York points out in her article, all these terms are nothing more than descriptors of a temporary condition (York). This notion of a temporary state supplements the idea that English Language Learners each operate under unique circumstances and may be at different stages in their personal language acquisition process. They may have varied levels of comprehension and fluency. They may have been educated up to a certain grade level in their country of origin but placed at a different level stateside based on their ageor they may converse fluidly but still struggle with specialized content-area vocabulary. (Def. of 4 unique qual. Of lit peeps?) To that end, We as 21st-century library media specialistsand curricular collaborators

often promote the goal of our born-digital students being fluent in multiple literacies, but this notion of multiple literacies does not simply exist in the realm of English-speakersin fact, it may be even more drastically highlighted in the ELL population. There is the very real notion that disparities btw oral fluency &literacy and print fluency & literacy can be quite common, and we must be aware of them because appearances can be deceiving. For example,
An ELL student may recognize and understand many more printed words than s/he is able to vocalize and integrate into speech. Or, like the circumstance above, struggle with contentarea language. They made code-switch freely, substituting words in English for ones in their native language. They may be learning a completely new alphabet system, or they may be print illiterate in their original language. So as Mayra Daniel notes in her comprehensive article, English Language Learners pose an
exciting challenge in instructional design. Therefore, we must keep them in mindadapt their perspective evenas we provide for their unique needs.

And before we begin our discussion of their unique needs, Id like to end this portion of the presentation and move to the discussion by offering another quote by author Jean Rhys.

Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more importantly, it finds homes for us everywhere.
So, Id like to kick off the discussion by continuing on this theme of reading. As we know, collection development, for instance, is a key task for the school librarian. Given their unique circumstances, why might this take on even more importance when we are buying texts for English Language Learners?

Daniel notes, Students engage in the reading process when books Are neither too difficult nor too easy, and are able to make connections between their lives and books.

We can create an ELL section on the library's Web site with links to online translators, dictionaries, and foreign newspapers. Create a link to the International Digital Childrens Library (http://en.childrenslibrary.org/), where students can read books in more than fifty languages

The Adams article in School Library Monthly, as well as others on the topic, all highlight the need to supplement the curricular goals of ELL instruction with addressing the notion of CULTURE as well. Many of these students may have left stressful situations in their home countries as refugees, but even if not, they have all undergone a significant change, and are still deep in the assimilation process. Though our goal is to make them proficient English users, we must still acknowledge and validate their culture and ethnicity. The more comfortable and welcome we can make them feel, the more likely they are to flourish in their new environmentand use and benefit from the library. What are some ways we can make our libraries more receptive to newcomers? Develop an understanding of the new world in which they reside

Encourage Students, Make Them Feel Secure & Welcome Zero familiarity about school librariesMay come from countries with closedstacks libraries, or no libraries at all revamp orientation, show what library offers
MICRO LEVEL I have helped them complete homework, Get information for their school projects, Proofread any writing they were assigned, helped them find books to read independently, Assisted them with their job searches

I was involved with students making Animoto video slide shows of their home countries

Libraries as a HavenMacro level On this macro-level the library really

can function as an agent of change for these studentsa nucleus of transformation

Welcome each new ELL student personally, Enlist them to work in the library

Learn to greet students in their first language. (Something I always do)or learn a few words Obtain "welcome" and "read" posters from ALA in the native languages of ELL students Display "materials for holidays and heritage celebrations such as Native American Month in November, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Divali, or Ramadan so that teachers and students will find them and discuss their significance Provide email access to help students keep in contact with relatives and friends in their home countriesand to that end, incorporate technology that will assist ELL students in their language acquisition process Celebrate events such as National Foreign Language Week by displaying student-created posters depicting the flags of students' home countries with the word "hello" and a pronunciation guide Offer space to community groups who provide after school tutoring Invite a public librarian to introduce ELL students to public library services and facilitate their obtaining library cards Books on other cultures--Materials displayed from other cultureseducates other children too
Reading exposes ELLs to other cultures and helps them to accept themselves as cultural beings. As ELLs notice how characters think and act (Prez, 1998), they strive to understand the ways of being of other cultural groupsand vice versa.

Culture fair/ music,, dance, art, or written presentations will encourage them to
come out of their shell and feel more involved in the school community. Even better, every language skill (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) is involved in making an activity such as this come to life. Activity that activates and

incorporates prior knowledge lets kids be the teachers /incorporates cultural sensitivity in curriculum/reflects diversity of student body

Have you ever used any of these techniques? Challenges? Breakthroughs? What are your experiences? What ideas can you share? Did you notice a change in the kids?

Or a change in interactions between students?

How would you/how have you.

How do we know when they are succeeding? Making progress?

Daniel article ideas Sheltered instructionwant to balance understanding/analytical skills with fluency-SCAFFOLDING Differentiated instruction Multimedia/visual materials Kinestheticpantomiming/dramatizing Modeling Mixed ability skill groups Move them up Blooms taxonomy TESOL standards Studies have shown that academic achievement improves when the school librarian becomes an active part of the instructional program of the school Scholastic Young V. Comprehensible Input Most researchers agree that people learn a language through comprehensible input that they can connect to prior knowledge. Basically, comprehensible input is any message you can understand. Learning is best supported when the materials or lesson is a bit more difficult than what a learner can easily understand. In other words, students may understand most, but not all, of the words in a text or that a teacher is using. Sheltered English instruction seeks to make instruction more comprehensible to students with low English proficiency by using techniques that allow students to understand the essential elements of the lesson, even though they might not understand all that is being said. Try to stress the essential, and then fill in details as the student's language ability allows. Techniques to increase comprehensibility:

 Use a lot of visuals and hands-on materialspictures, drawings, hands-on demonstrations, charts, timelines, maps, outlines, etc. Use gestures, facial expressions, body language, etc. when speaking Speak clearly Model procedures Build on what students already know Pre-scan readings, look at the pictures and headings to lay a foundation of understanding Provide frequent opportunities for students to express their ideas Be careful of idioms, slang, and pronouns Establish a safe environment Decide which key vocabulary/phrases/sentences & concepts the students needs to learn from the text and provide a list to your students Have the LEP student work with a "buddy" Use small-group and cooperative learning activities Give students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the material in ways other than verbal or written, perhaps through the creation of a product or through performance assessments. Recommended Reources Adams, H. R. (2010). Welcoming Americas Newest Immigrants: Providing Access to Resources and Services for English Language Learners. School Library Monthly, 27(1), 50-51. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), EBSCOhost. Brief article providing a broad range of ideas for enriching the ELL populations experience in the school library setting. Corona, E. and Armour, L. (2007). Providing Support for English Language Learner Services. Library Media Connection, 25(6), 34-37. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. Journal article discussing concrete ways of providing curricular support for ELLs in the library setting. Cosentino de Cohen, C. and Clewell, B.C. (2007). Putting English Language Learners on the Educational Map: The No Child Left Behind Act Implemented. Education in Focus: The Urban Institute Policy Brief, 1-9. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311468. Policy brief on the regional enrollment factors that affect LEP students and subsequent instruction in their educational setting. Daniel, M.C. (2007). Authentic Literacy Practices for English Language Learners: A Balanced Curriculum Design. Journal of Reading Education 32(2), 18-25. Retrieved from Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Mega Edition. Pedagogical article discussing methodology of curricular instruction and design for achieving bi-literacy among younger ELL students. Massachusetts Department of Education. (2005). Working with English Language Learners: A Resource Document for After-School Providers. In Massachusetts

Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Retrieved from www.doe.mass.edu/21cclc/ta/ell.doc. Provides informative pedagogical background and useful instructional strategies for engaging ELL students. York, Sherry. (2008). Culturally Speaking: English Language Learners. Library Media Connection 26(7), 26-28. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. Brief article discussing socio-cultural implications of and interpersonal strategies for assisting ELL students.

The amount of English Language Learners (ELLs) in our schools increases every year, and as such we must be prepared to provide adequate services and resources. This is our chance, as library media specialists, to make the school library a welcoming and worthwhile place that functions as a nucleus of progress and transformation for these students. Key Concepts: We have a professional responsibility to provide appropriate resources and services for the ELL population. No two ELL students are exactly alike in terms of their language proficiency and literacy development. Library media specialists should collaborate with ELL instructors to enrich academic achievement and scaffold student development. Integrating ELL students into the pulse of the school library can aid assimilation into the larger school and community setting. The school library should promote cultural awareness, sensitivity and integration among the entire student population so that all may benefit.

As we know, collection development, for instance, is a key task for the school library media specialist. Given their unique circumstances, why might this task take on even more importance when we are buying texts for English Language Learners?

The Adams article in School Library Monthly, as well as others on the topic, all highlight the need to supplement the curricular goals of ELL instruction with addressing the notion of culture as well. Many of these students may have left stressful situations in their home countries as refugees, but even if not, they have all undergone a significant change, and are still deep in the assimilation process. Though our goal is to make them proficient English users, we must still acknowledge and validate their culture and ethnicity. The more comfortable and welcome we can make them feel, the more likely they are to flourish in their new environmentand use and benefit from the library. What are some ways we can make our libraries more receptive to newcomers? On a macro level, how might the school library function as an agent of change or transformation for ELL students? Have you ever used any of these [discussed] techniques? What ideas can you share?

What are your experiences? Challenges? Breakthroughs? Did you notice a change in the kids? Or a change in interactions between students? How do we know when they are succeeding? Making progress?