ESHS
ELD
PROGRAM

 

By:  Kathy Clemmer,

ELD Coordinator

 

ELL:  English Language Learner

 

lWho is responsible?

EVERYONE

SDAIE:  Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English

lPurpose of the ELD class:

Support the students (Intermediate and below language proficiency)  in learning English

Not a study hall

Not a punishment for language proficient (early advanced; advanced)  ELL students who have poor study and work habits

 

Language Proficiency Levels & the ELD Standards

 

Your role in teaching ELL students, regardless of your content expertise

 

Incorporate the ELD standards into each lesson (required even if you have only one ELL in your class)

Purpose is to help these students learn English within the context of content

 

Where are the ELD standards?

 

ELD Standards can be found on the ESHS website under course outlines (www.elsegundousd.com/eshs). Can also request them from the ELD Coordinator

Be familiar with the main categories: (1)  listening & speaking  (2) reading, (3) writing

Know the language proficiency levels of each of your ELL students in order to effectively incorporate the correct standards

 

Language Proficiency Levels

 

lDetermined by an exam (CEDLT: California English Development Language Test) given annually

lMatched to the ELD Standards

lMajor categories:  Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced (differentiated within each category by “early”)

lDual expectations within context of your lesson

Appropriate instruction for language proficiency

Move student to the next proficiency level (Vygotsky)

 

WHY CARE?

 

Enables you to plan effective ELD (SDAIE) lessons that support good teaching and learning for ALL students

 

Legal Compliance issue

 

State and Federal mandate:  schools are required to provide ELLs with the possibility to develop language and content knowledge so they might benefit from the same learning opportunities as their English speaking peers.

 

 

Beginning Level

 

Limited or no understanding of English

Responds nonverbally to simple commands, statements, and questions

Able to construct meaning from text through illustrations, graphs, maps, tables

Will invent spelling, have grammatical inaccuracies, demonstrate patterns of native language

 

Intermediate Level

 

Understand more complex speech; requires repetition

Vocabulary and phrases cover daily situations

Difficulty expressing all thoughts due to restricted vocabulary

Limited command of language structure

Will speak in simple sentences; marked by grammatical errors

Trouble comprehending academic language

Need background knowledge to build meaning

 

Advanced

 

lLanguage skills adequate for most day-to-day communication

lOccasional structural errors

lDifficulty understanding/using idioms, figures of speech, and words with multiple meanings

lOccasional difficulty with abstract academic concepts

lOccasional comprehension problems

lStructures, vocabulary, and overall organization approximate the writing of native English speakers

 

Nine Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching

 

(1) Active Teaching Methods

Focus on themes of personal interest to students

Relate questions to real life issues

Share responsibility for instruction

(2) Communication of High Expectations

Provide extensive feedback, call on students frequently

Propose challenging curriculum, provide intensive time on task

 (3) Cultural sensitivity

Solicit student input, pose directed questions, attend local events

(4) Culturally mediated instruction

Research students’ experience with learning & teaching styles

Encourage diverse ways of achieving

(5) Positive perspectives on Parents and Families

Seek to understand parents’ hopes, concerns, suggestions

Apprise parents of services offered by the school (mentor program, bi-lingual support)

 (6) Reshaping the curriculum

Present a variety of learning strategies, responsiveness to the needs of all students

Establish high expectations for all students (standards-based instruction)

(7) Small group instruction

Provide non-threatening environment

Develop higher order thinking skills

Create a bridge between oral and academic language

 (8) Student-controlled classroom discourse

Students make decisions and solve problems on their own

Expand their discourse repertoire through frequent expression

Develop their understanding of course material using prior knowledge

(9) Teacher as facilitator

Knowledge about language and culture of students

Awareness of personal ethnocentric attitudes

 

Hispanic-American Student Learning Styles

 

lCharacteristic of paramount importance:  family commitment which involves loyalty, a strong support system, a belief that a child’s behavior reflects on the honor of the family, a hierarchical order among siblings, and a duty to care for family members

lStrong sense of other-directedness conflicts with mainstream emphasis on individualism

lHispanic culture emphasizes cooperation in the attainment of goals (can result in Hispanic students’ discomfort with conventional classroom competition)

Implications for Counseling and Teaching

lBased on research, teachers and counselors should expect Hispanic students to prefer:

A cool environment

Conformity

Peer-oriented learning

Kinesthetic instructional resources

High degree of structure

Late morning and afternoon peak energy levels

Variety as opposed to routine

A field-dependent (cooperative) cognitive style

 

Strategies for Teaching ELL Students

 

lContent certified teachers need to use simpler English and a wide range of scaffolding strategies to communicate meaningful input to students

lTeachers must first simplify their discourse then gradually make it more complex, without sacrificing the quality of instruction or depth of comprehension in the process

 

Comprehensible Input

 

lDefinition:  Any message addressed to the learner made understandable by the context in which it is uttered

lSpeak clearly and slowly

lEmploy pauses, short sentences, simple syntax, few pronouns and idioms

lUse redundancy, keywords, and outlines

lProvide examples and descriptions, not definitions (brain research connection– story telling)

lUse visuals, hands-on resources, gestures and graphic organizers (brain research connection)

lKEY:  Simplify the language, NOT the content

 

Scaffolding

 

lDefinition:  Communication process where instructor initially provides and executes major parts then decreases help, allowing student to assume greater responsibility

lDemonstrate the ideal version of a product

lIdentify discrepancies between actual product and ideal

lRecruit interest in tasks by connecting to prior knowledge or developing it

lSimplify tasks

lSupport potential development level by providing student interaction, a non-threatening environment, continuous review-reentry

 

Spiraling

 

lDefinition:  An instructional practice used when re-entering and reviewing information in which each re-entry is increasingly complex

lHelps increase comprehension

lMake re-entry increasingly complex

lSupply and expect additional detail

lUse and expect more complex language forms (Note:  Never make an ELL student pronounce a word he/she does not know)

 

Instructional Management

 

lDefinition: Process of planning events to facilitate learning

lContinuously re-enter content

lUse “spiraling” in re-entering and reviewing activities

lCheck student comprehension often

lUse cooperative learning or task group

lProvide learning tools (guides, grids, outlines)

lEmploy “pre-teaching” methods

lConsistently conference with ELLs about what they are learning

 

Performance Assessment

 

lDefinition:  involves systematic observation of a student’s performance on a specific task according to pre-established criteria.  The process and end results are both taken into account

lHave students: maintain learning logs, conduct research and produce a report or essay, make oral presentations, take notes from oral and written sources, transcribe into own words, develop learning plan for completing assignments, complete self-evaluations, conference periodically with the teacher to discuss what has been learned and how it was learned

lUse scoring guides or performance rubrics

Connection between ELL Instruction & Reading Across the Curriculum

lUse a variety of strategies when teaching literacy

lUse guided reading and writing strategies

lConduct shared reading and writing lessons

lPlan for independent reading and writing every day

lPlan word structure and vocabulary work every day

lRecognize that students use both languages to learn, encourage students to share what they learned in their first language

 

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

 

lPreparation and Planning

Use clear language that promotes listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English

Use modified speech such as enunciating clearly, using high-frequency vocabulary, paraphrasing, reducing the use of idioms.

Use body language, gestures, and facial expressions to communicate.

 

Logical Instructional Sequence

 

lIntroduce lesson, present content, student practice

lAssess what students already know

lLink what students know (prior knowledge) to new learning

lLink instructional content to content standards and ELD standards (standards-based teaching)

lPre-teach key vocabulary

lModel desired behavior by demonstrating what is expected from students by providing clear step-by-step instruction and showing samples of finished product

 

Use Various Teaching Modalities

 

lMini-lectures, student interactions, role play, interviews, hands-on activities, demonstrations, guest speakers, videos, group projects, ….

lPresent content by using pictures, visuals, diagrams, charts, realia, manipulatives, graphic organizers (inspiration), technology

lIncorporate learning activities that are relevant to students’ real life experiences

lApply multiple methods to assess student learning

lProvide opportunities for students to reflect on material presented (brain research connection)

Instructional Strategies

 

lAllow longer pause time for students to respond (approximately 10 seconds for ELL students)

lNurture a supportive learning environment, accept all possible student responses, encourage student participation

lDemonstrate an effort to learn about students

lKeep a low anxiety level

lAvoid forced oral production in the learning process (allow students to speak in their native language when necessary– Beginning and Beginning. Intermediate students hear “English noise” most of the day

lPractice minimal overt error correction

lProvide opportunities for students to practice oral English in pairs, small groups, whole class

lStrategies continued

lUse a variety of grouping configurations:  students-students; teacher-students; with partners; cooperative/collaborative/homogeneous/heterogeneous groups

lIncorporate various learning styles and modalities (brain research)

lMake a deliberate effort to help students improve overall academic performance within a reasonable time frame (standards-based teaching)

lTeach same concept in a different context through making connections across the curriculum

lRespect students as capable individuals

 

Conclusion

lTeaching to support ELL students means using research based strategies to support good teaching for ALL students, regardless of their linguistic and cultural background

lThis is not something “extra” that must be incorporated into your lesson, but rather how your lessons should be structured

lCulturally sensitive teaching is simply good teaching

 

Bibliography

lwww.tesol.org/assoc/k12standards/it/06.html

lwww.alliance.brown.edu/tdel/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml

lwww.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed393607.html

lwww.maec.org/cross/6.html

lTowards Equity: A Guide for Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society McGinty/Mendoza-Reis, 1998

lTaking the Challenge: ELD/SDAIE Observation Tool, Guiding Administrators, Teachers, & Students for Success, Santa Clara County Office of Education, 1999

 

The Paper Trail
(COMPLIANCE ISSUES and “THE LAW”)

 

lKnow the data concerning your ELL students (hand-out; concerns/questions-ELD Coordinator)

lDemonstrate that your lessons are appropriate for ELL students (reference this hand-out and scaffolding hand-out)

lComplete any requested paperwork on individual ELL students in a timely manner (progress reports; SOLOM Observation Matrix)

lKeep copies of everything

Importance of Reading in terms of Language Acquisition

lReading means making meaning from print

lReading well could mean good decoding, not good comprehension

lGoal:  reading comprehension

Best index of student reading comprehension is a summary in student’s own words

 

Purpose of the ELD class

lTeach limited language proficient students English (Intermediate and below)

lSupport these students in their “mainstreamed” courses

lSymbiotic relationship between the ELD instructor and the “mainstream” instructor

lPara-professional support

 

Definitions in primary language

lWeb site that translates many languages:  www.alltheweb.com

 

Support for your mainstreamed ELL students

lLegal compliance issues and “paperwork”:  ELD coordinator, Kathy Clemmer

lELD teacher support: Branka O’Brien

lSpanish speaking para-professional (Elisa Bonilla)

Contact her by either leaving a note in Branka O’Brien’s box or in the library M-Thursday, periods 2-7

 

Role of the Para-Professional

lWorks directly with the beginning level ELL in translation and reading

lHelps students understand and complete homework assignments, concepts, projects, etc…

lCan pull-out mainstreamed ELL students or come into your class during a test to help the student understand the test (requires more time)

lProvides emotional/social support

Not only are students having to learn English, but must also acclimate culturally.

 

Support Requested from You

lCommunicate any type of concern or problem with an ELL student to Branka O’Brien immediately (extension 393)

lReturn the green progress reports to Branka O’Brien as soon as possible