Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas

OutcomesWe will… identify the basic theories of second language acquisition and discuss

instructional strategies that will address the needs of ELLs.

analyze characteristics of older language learners.

model lesson plan modification that takes into account ELL students and their needs in content classes.

Describe how lesson plans can be modified for ELLs in a variety of

content areas.

Outcome – Activity - Expectation

ELL ICEBERG

BICS

CALPS

LA

N G

U A

G E

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

Grammar

Comprehension

Application

Knowledge

Synthesis

Evaluation

Semantic meaning

Functional meaning

ELL ICEBERG

BICS

CALPS

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

Grammar

Comprehension

Application

Knowledge

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Semantic meaning

Functional meaning

COGNITIVE PROCESS LANGUAGE PROCESS

How to Reach Limited-Formal-Schooling and Long-term English Learners

Closing The Achievement GapFreeman and Freeman

Characteristics Lack Confidence Struggling learners Tend to drop out Arrive ill prepared to learn

Agree or Disagree?

“many schools have not implemented the kinds of programs that are effective for struggling older English learners”.

Research-based practices High expectations in language and content Meaningful instruction organized around curriculum themes Draw on students’ background, experience, and culture Scaffold instruction to build academic fluency Create confident students who view themselves as learners

“older struggling English learners need engaging and challenging curriculum”

“tasks are relevant, meaningful, engaging, and varied” “students are given multiple opportunities to extend their

understanding and apply their knowledge”

Three Principles for Engaging Students in Academic Content

In Enhancing English Language Learning in Elementary Classrooms: A Professional Development Program (Grognet, et. al., 2000), the Center for Applied Linguistics summarizes the research on language acquisition and content learning into three principles of differentiated instruction to meet the needs of English language learners:

Increase opportunities for comprehensible learning

Increase opportunities for interaction

Increase opportunities for critical thinking and questioning

Interaction

Critical Thinking

Comprehensibi

lity

Three Principles for Engaging English Language Learners

Increase Opportunities for Comprehensible Learning

visual aids, labels, classroom routines, realia, graphic organizers, previewing content, activating prior knowledge, role-plays, theme-based instruction, chants, songs

Did I make the instruction understandable to my ELLs by providing clear, meaningful context and reinforcement?

Increase Opportunities for Interaction

pair work, think-pair-share, cooperative learning, peer editing, shared writing, shared reading, writers workshop, dialogue journals, choral responses, center work

Did I give students multiple opportunities to practice the content, to build understanding, and to improve their command of the language through peer interaction?

Increase Opportunities for Critical Thinking and Questioning

think alouds, explicit instruction in graphic organizers that support summarizing, inference, analyzing, evaluating, comparing and contrasting; responding to why and how questions

Did I provide ELLs with the same exposure to and practice with critical thinking and learning strategies as their peers?

Making Biology Accessible to ELLs

Modification of One Lesson Plan

What happens when one link of a food web is disturbed?

Formative assessment – food chains, food web, niches and trophic levels.

What happens when one link of a food web is disturbed?

Formative assessment – food chains, food web, niches and trophic levels.

1. Read article, “Who’s been eating all those sea otters?”

2. Create a food web based on the article.

3. Label the organisms with names and niches.

4. In a paragraph explain what happened to this food web when one link of it was disturbed.

Was this formative assessment valuable in the instruction of ELLs?

1. Comprehensible input?

Just barely for native English speakers

2. Increased interaction?

Minimum interaction with me, with peers, with materials

3. Higher order thinking?

Can students use their knowledge to explain observations and to

predict phenomena?

Strategies

to Provide Differentiated Instruction

for English Language Learners

Strategies

• Scheduling - 2 - expand assignment over longer period.

• Setting - 3,4,5 - small group, buddies, one-on-one.

• Equipment/Materials - 1,2,3,4 - pictures, dictionaries, adapt text, graphic organizer.

• Presentation – 1,2,3,4,5 – repetition, brief, key vocabulary, modeling, peers.

• Response – 1,2,3,4 – manipulatives, adjust expect.

for language output, shorter, and fewer.

Interaction Critical Thinking

Comprehensibility

Three Principles for Engaging English Language Learners