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English LanguageLearners Annalisa Miner Cathy Blanchard April 10, 2013 Free Powerpoint Templates

Opening Revisit • Take 2 minutes to look through your notes and materials from the last session • Partner revisits and discussion with guided questions

Discuss • How many years does it take to learn social language? • What are some examples of social language?

Discuss • How many years does it take to learn academic language? • Provide some examples of academic language being used in your classroom.

Discuss • Describe a level 1 student (characteristics, the lang. they have, etc…) Hint – consider the Language Acquisition Chart and the cloze reading activity from last time (brightly colored sheets)

Discuss • Describe a level 3 student (characteristics, the lang. they have, etc… Hint – consider the Language Acquisition Chart and the cloze reading activity from last time (brightly colored sheets)

Share your ‘Ah-ha’ from last time and what you’ve done/noticed/changed since then.

Objectives: Staff will be able to (SWBAT): • examine cultural differences and consider personal assumptions/connection in relating to their students • consider discourse patterns and implications for work • consider the different levels of language acquisition and what students CAN DO • compare where their current ELL students are at (language proficiency) and investigate strategies for implementation

Culture Activity On your index card write down: • name • gender • ethnicity • religion • language

Outcomes(research from the Midwest Equity Center) The pattern is: • in Euro-Americans to get rid of race/ethnicity 1st and tend to hold onto spirituality. • for children of color ethnicity and language tend to be the most important. • for Hispanics it's their language Why do you think Euro-Americans get rid of race 1st? Why do you think they hold on to spirituality? What do we ask students/families to give up?

Heritage Beliefs Customs Group with commonalities Some are by choice, some are not Think about the “cultures” you belong to Think about the “cultures” your students belong to Tonnie Martinez, ICLC 2010 What is Culture?

What greatness means… is dependent on your culture! • Tasks before people • People before tasks • We need to respect, honor, and show value for student’s cultures and diversity • Some times need to check our ‘assumptions’

I Value You! • How are we valuing our students cultures? • ASK, ASK, ASK!!

Discourse Patterns are: • Ways of thinking • The logical arrangement of ideas (dependent on culture) • Different languages organize information differently

Discourse Patterns* Germanic (English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Albanian) Direct, linear, state the topic, explain and conclude. Ex: I need a pair of shoes. I’m going to the store. I’ll buy some running shoes. * Adaptation from original study by Robert Kaplan – L. Valdez Pierce, 2001 Kaplan, R. (1966). Cultural Thought Patterns in Intercultural Education. Language Learning, 16, 1-20. (Also, Tonnie Martinez, ICLC 2010.)

Semitic(Arabic languages) A repetitive, recursive structure. Ex: I need shoes. I’ll go to the store. I need shoes. I should measure my feet. I really need shoes. My old ones are worn out.

Asian A circular pattern. Ex: In the winter, the ground is frozen. In the summer, it is hot and there are sand burrs. So your feet can get frostbite or burns. Shoes can be useful.

Romance Languages(French, Italian, Spanish) Linear, but with digressions which tend to involve family and friends. Ex: I need a pair of shoes. I’ll get some running shoes. You know, my sister got some running shoes a while ago at J.C. Penney’s. They gave her blisters, but they were cheap. Maybe we should not go to Penney’s to look for shoes.

Slavic(Polish, Czech, Russian) Some of the contents of text may appear to be extraneous and digressive, swinging between extreme points. Ex: I need a pair of shoes. You know back in _____ they have the worst factories. You can’t get a decent pair of shoes there. I’m glad to buy shoes here.

Implications for Educators • Discourse patterns are tied to literacy skills. • Difficult for students to read and write standard American English if they do not know the discourse pattern expected in expository compositions or in informational oral presentations. • We MUST explicitly teach students the discourse pattern of American English along with subject area content.

Recommended Strategies(according to Montano-Harmon) • Use skeleton outline (for lectures, videos, readings, combined with information about the subject being taught); used for development of English for expository writing for comprehension in content areas • Use doodles, little pictures, boxes to show what they need to do • Do ½ page summaries; using bullets, clip together, then ready for writing an essay • Record skeleton outlines and ½ page summaries on a webcast (auditory learning); students can listen to school, car, phone (great for special education students) • Use techniques that organize information (multiple modalities, analogies, graphic organizers)

Culture Reflection

CAN DO descriptors • Take a look at your Student Goal Sheet • Look at the levels of your students • Does this align with your expectations and task? • Can use this as ‘check’ and to get ideas on appropriate strategies and tasks for students at their proficiency levels.

erudition How many words do average middle class students have? • Kindergarten – 5,000 • First grade – 10,000 • Third grade – 14,000 – 24,000 • Vocabulary growth grades 3-12 is about +4,000 words per year

Research • English Language Learners (ELL) enter 1st grade with a vocabulary ranging from 10 to 2000 words in English. • English speaking, average middle class students, enter 1st grade with about 10,000 words.

Cunningham (2000) found that vocabulary knowledge in the first grade predicted students’ reading comprehension in their junior year of high school. The gap continues even after schooling unless there is a concentrated intervention. Research on Vocabulary

Research on Vocabulary • Research studies demonstrate that vocabulary development helps close the achievement gap for English language learners and struggling students. • There is a 99.9% correlation between a student’s vocabulary and school achievement. • Research shows that learning 5-7 words a week does not close the achievement gap for ELLs or students who are performing at the basic or below basic level. Students need 10-15 words a day. • Educators may not immediately see language deficiencies in young school age children. • Research from Dr. Linda Ventriglia

ELL Strategy Flipbooks • Find a tab that is of interest to you • Keep in mind your student goal sheet • 5 minutes to go on a ‘scavenger hunt’ for ideas, mark in books! • Group sharing

Keys to Remember • Know student’s level of English proficiency • Then consider strategies for them to access the core curriculum • Remember level 3 and 4 students have good oral language, but need academic supports • Learn about their culture • ADD to and encourage their language and culture!! • Keep ELs with the group AND highest trained educators • Utilize ESL resources in the district! • Take students where they are at…and push forward! 

Objectives: Staff will be able to (SWBAT): • examine cultural differences and consider personal assumptions/connection in relating to their students • consider discourse patterns and implications for work • consider the different levels of language acquisition and what students CAN DO • compare where their current ELL students are at and investigate strategies for implementation

Questions and Comments…

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