The Needs of

English Language Learners

The Process of Learning a New Language,
Comparison of Program Models,
Benefits of Native Language Support,
Role of Parents, and
verview of Teaching Strategies and !pproaches
Prepared "# $llinois Resource Center
1
For the English Language Proficiency Standards for English
Language Learners Kindergarten through Grade 12 go to
http://www.wida.us
hat are the specific needs of English language learners!
%& Connections to the 'nowledge, social(cultural values and e)periences that
the# "ring to the classroom&
*& +evelopment of oral fluenc# and cognitive academic language proficienc#
,prefera"l# in L% and L*-
.& +evelopment of literac# s'ills ,prefera"le in L% and L*-
/& Comprehensi"le instruction in social studies, science and math
0& +evelopment of academic 'nowledge commensurate with their grade level
peers
1& $nstruction and assessment in a safe, low ris' environment where their
language and culture are valued
"ow do we address these needs!
Native language instruction and ( or support with certified personnel
ESL instruction em"edded in conte)t 2 content "ased or sheltered3 instruction
Purposeful interaction with English4spea'ing peers
Content curriculum alignment with district and state learning ,in L% and L*-
Student centered instruction which utili5es and connects the prior 'nowledge
of English language learners to classroom activities
6air and appropriate assessment procedures
Becoming a multicultural school through meaningful staff development
2
Comprehensi"le $nput7 when learners understand
the message in the targeted language
Message vs& 6orm7 when there is a focus on
what is said, rather than on how it is said
Meaningful Communication7 when language is
used for communicating real ideas
Low !ffective 6ilter7 when the level of stress in the
child8s environment(s is low
3
Source: Ste#e Krashen
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 BIS 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 $roficiency (CUP)% &he three terms are discussed 'elow%
Basic Interpersna! C""#nicatin S$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%
3
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
L
1
L
2
Surface le"el
Common Underlying Proficiency
(entral 7perating System)
Language proficiency alone will not determine when English language learners are
prepared to use their second language (L
2
) 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 (L
1
) 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))+
@
Le#els of Language Proficiency $ Paired with %u&&ins' (ce)erg
6ar9uar came from $ra9 a #ear ago at age :& ;e onl# has a"out a #ear of formal education due
to the war and su"se9uent closing of schools& Since entering school in the <S! he has made
little progress academicall#& =hat does his ice"erg loo' li'e> =hat educational
recommendations would #ou ma'e>
Rosa was educated in Me)ico Cit#& She reads and writes at grade level in Spanish "ut has
little to no academic s'ills in English nor does she spea' English& =hat does her ice"erg loo'
li'e> =hat educational recommendations would #ou ma'e>
Born in Los !ngeles, Rafael spea's a mi) of Spanish and English at home and
school& ;e can converse 9uite well in "oth languages "ut is not ma'ing
academic progress in either language& =hat does his ice"erg loo' li'e> =hat educational
recommendations would #ou ma'e>
Sho4=in does fairl# well in her "ilingual class& She reads and writes at
grade level in Chinese& She pla#s mostl# with English4spea'ing children at
recess and is understood "# them although she has no English academic s'ills&
=hat does her ice"erg loo' li'e> =hat educational recommendations would #ou ma'e>
Rona8s mother reads to her at home each night in Romanian& !t the age of ten
she reads at grade level in Romanian and is "eginning to read some English
"oo's& =hat does her ice"erg loo' li'e> =hat educational recommendations would #ou
ma'e>
Lucia is a"le to converse with others fluentl# in "oth English and Spanish& She has moved
9uite fre9uentl# in her #oung life and is e)periencing difficult# in all content areas including
reading in "oth languages& =hat does her ice"erg loo' li'e> =hat educational
recommendations would #ou ma'e>
B
General Pattern of K-12 Language Minority Student Achievement on
Standardized Tests in nglish !eading
%o&pared *cross Si+ Progra& ,odels
,+ata aggregated from a series of .4? #ear longitudinal studies from well4
implemented, mature programs in five school districts-
@ =a#ne P& Thomas and Airginia P& Collier, %::?
Program %7 Two4wa# developmental "ilingual education ,BE-
Program *7 Late4e)it "ilingual education and ESL taught through academic content
Program .7 Earl#4e)it "ilingual education and ESL taught through academic content
Program /7 Earl#4e)it "ilingual education and ESL taught traditionall#
Program 07 ESL taught through academic content using current approaches
Program 17 ESL Pullout4taught traditionall#
C
1 - . / 0 11
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1
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2
1







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1
!verage performance of
native4English spea'ers
ma'ing one #ear8s
progress in each
consecutive grade&
%
*
.
/
0
1
4ilingual/ESL Progra& ,odels
Progra&
5a&e
6uration Language of
(nstruction
Participants Setting %o&p/
Enrich&ent
Staffing Linguistic
7utco&e
Two4wa#
developmental
"ilingual
,Two4wa#
$mmersion or
+ual
Language-
B41
,B4C or B4%*
would "e even
"etter-
L% D L* Language
Minorit# and
Language
MaEorit#
Self4contained
classroom
Enrichment Bilingual
teacher 7r
Team teach
,Eng& +ominant
teacher D
Bilingual
teacher-
Bilingualism
Biliterac#
Multiculturalism
+evelopmenta
l Bilingual
,Maintenance
or ;eritage
Language-
B41
,B4C or B4%*
would "e even
"etter-
L% D L* Language
Minorit#
Self4contained
classroom
Enrichment Bilingual
teacher
7r Team teach
,Eng& +ominant
teacher D
Bilingual
teacher-
Bilingualism
Biliterac#
$mmersion B4C L* ,L% graduall#- Language
MaEorit#
Self4contained
classroom
Enrichment L* teacher
L% teacher
;igher cognitive
a"ilities
Biliterac#
Transitional
Bilingual
. #ears
test out or
continued
support if
necessar#
Begin with L%,
transition to L*
,English- as
9uic'l# as
possi"le
Language
minorit#
,same
language-
Pull4out or
Self4contained
classroom
Compensator# Bilingual(ESL
teacher
Monolingual L*
Sheltered
English
!n# grade
level as long
as needed,
test out
L* ,ma#"e some
L%-
Language
minorit#
Pull4out or
Self4contained
classroom
Compensator# ESL teacher
Mainstream,
content area
teacher
Monolingual L*
ESL Pull4out !ccording to
need, test out
L* Language
minorit#
,different
languages-
Resource
room
Compensator# ESL teacher
Mainstream
Monolingual L*
English
Su"mersion
B4%* L* Language
minorit#
Mainstream
classroom
Compensator# Mainstream
teacher
Monolingual L*
*
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8he use of the nati#e language:
Provides students access to academic content&
!llows students to have meaningful social interactions with their peers and adults&
Provides access to the students8 prior 'nowledge and e)periences and connects
their prior 'nowledge to current lessons&
Promotes ,rather than detracts from- second language development&
Promotes self4esteem and identit# and confirms to students that their home
language and culture have value&
!llows students8 openness to learning "# reducing language and culture shoc'&
;elps students develop their first language communication s'ills&
References7 !uer"ach, E& R& ,%::.-& Ree)amining English onl# in the ESL classroom&
TESOL Quarterly, *?, :4.*&
Lucas, T&, Bat5, !&, ,%::.-& Reframing the +e"ate7 The roles of native languages in
English4
onl# programs for language minorit# students& TESOL Quarterly, *C, 0.?401%&
Su5anne =agner
%::0
)
;ole of Parents hen 8hey 6on't Spea< English
6oster literac# development "# reading "oo's and telling stories to children in home
language&
=or' with their children with home writing materials stored in one accessi"le
location&
+raw pictures, write stories, and ma'e lists with their children&
=rite letters to grandparents and other famil# mem"ers still in native countr#&
Provide print4rich environment in home language and English as much as possi"le&
Provide e)periences of reading and writing for different purposes&
Tal' with their children a"out wor', values, religion, and dail# activities&
Ma'e learning e)periences out of ever# da# activities ,sorting mail, sorting soc's,
shopping with lists, etc&-
=iden their children8s world through learning e)periences in the communit#
,touching animals at the children8s 5oo, crunching leaves, ta'ing the "us, etc&-
Ta'e their children to communit# events and activities designed for families&
!s' their children to tell them what the# are learning in the classroom&
Su5anne =agner
%::C
,= G;*56P*;E58S ,*6E (8> "*8'S ;75G (8" =79!?
@F*%8S *4798 9.S. (,,(G;*58S *56 E69%*8(75*L S9%%ESSA
$n %:FC, in New Gor' Cit#, onl# %.H of children whose parents were foreign4"orn
went on to high school&
nl# .*H of white children whose parents were native4"orn went on to high school&
f those who had started high school in New Gor', FH of $talian4!mericans and
F&%H of $rish4!mericans received a diploma in %:%%&
nl# *FH of the adult population ,"oth immigrant and native4"orn- had completed
high school&
1+
1(.F(::
11
%758E58 (5S8;9%8(75 F7; E5GL(S" L*5G9*GE LE*;5E;S
,Bnown as Sheltered $nstruction and Content4"ased ESL-
1. 8arget the B)ig ideas? of the content.
$dentif# main principles, achieva"le o"Eectives, and 'e# voca"ular#&
!lign instructional activities to o"Eectives and district and state learning standards&
Locate appropriate materials&
2. *ccess and )uild upon students' prior <nowledge.
Connect students8 'nowledge and e)periences to new lesson&
Iet ever#one Jon the same page3&
!s' appropriate 9uestions to facilitate student interaction a"out their prior 'nowledge
and e)periences&
<se the native language as a tool&
-. ,a<e sure that the new infor&ation is co&prehensi)le.
Spea' clearl# without using the slang or idioms
Model language Eust a"ove the language competence of the learners&
Retell, clarif#, and give e)amples&
<se visuals, manipulatives, gestures, and hands4on e)periences, modeling, and
demonstrations&
Move from the concrete to the a"stract&
Revisit and review previousl# taught lessons and voca"ular#&
2. 9se a #ariety of literacy and #oca)ulary acti#ities.
Teach voca"ular# "efore, during, and after reading
+evelop comprehension strategies "efore, during, and after reading&
$mprove students8 reading fluenc# through a variet# of approaches
Respond to readings through meaningful writing activities&
.. 7rganiCe purposeful interactions.
<tili5e peers to facilitate learning and sharing wa#s of thin'ing&
$mplement paired and "udd# reading activities&
Teach through cooperative learning activities&
Encourage native language support from peers and adults&
3. 9se fair and appropriate assess&ent strategies.
Encourage students to creativel# use the English language the# 'now&
Be eas# on the red pen with emergent English writers, focusing on message rather than
form&
<se a variet# of assessment strategies tied to instructional strategies&
<se ru"rics to compare student performance to o"Eectives and "enchmar's.
/. Pro#ide instruction in a low$ris< en#iron&ent.
12
S& =agner, $llinois Resource Center, %::: References7 Collier, :07 Cummins, :/7 Perego# and Bo#le, :?7
Richard4!mato, :17 Snow, :*
13
*5 7:E;:(E 7F 8E*%"(5G S8;*8EG(ES
F7; E5GL(S" L*5G9*GE LE*;5E;S
Second language learners learn their second language from an#one who provides them
with an opportunit# to develop proficienc# in the new language& So whether #ou8re an
English4as4a second4language ,ESL- teacher, a science teacher, or a reading specialist,
#ou can help those students "ecome proficient in English&
5*89;*L *PP;7*%"
!s the name implies, the Natural !pproach ,Brashen and Terrell %:C%- focuses on
developing language s'ills in a natural conte)t& Students ac9uire language through
interaction in authentic and meaningful learning e)periences& Teachers provide input in
the target language that students can understand ,comprehensi"le input- and add new
learning to that "ase& The principles "ehind the Natural !pproach are7
%& Comprehension precedes production&
*& Production emerges in stages&
.& ! s#lla"us "ased on communicative goals is more effective&
/& The student8s an)iet# level must "e low in order for learning to happen&
The following are some of the strategies that are practiced within the Natural !pproach7
Total Ph#sical Response ,TPR-
TPR, developed "# Kames !sher ,%:C*-, was designed primaril# for students in
the earl# stages of language ac9uisition& Since commands can "e made
comprehensi"le to students with ver# limited langauge, !sher used commands as the
"asis for TPR& The teacher gives a command, demonstrates the command, and then
students respond ph#sicall# to the command& Because students are activel# involved
and not e)pected to repeat the command, an)iet# is low, and student focus is on
comprehension rather than production& ;ence, the# demonstrate comprehension
"efore their spea'ing s'ills emerge& The imperatives, such as JBring me the "oo'3 or
JPass #our paper to the right,3 "ring the language alive "# ma'ing it comprehensi"le
and fun& TPR is a well4'nown "eginning ESL method, "ut TPR4"ased activities can "e
adapted to almost an# level and incorporated into mainstream or multi4level classes,
particularl# in areas where visi"le directions can "e given& TPR also provides a "ase for
literac# development in the second language as students learn to read the commands
the# followed&
Language E)perience !pproach ,LE!-
The LE! is an effective method to help promote literac# development& Students
recount stories "ased on their own interests and activities, such as a trip, a movie, a
stor#, or a proEect in which the# all participated, and the teacher writes their words&
These student4produced stories are then used for reading material and language
development& !pplication of LE! can "e used with man# different activities and
proficienc# levels&
13
Literature4Based !pproach
$n a literature4"ased approach, stories and literature are used as the "ase and
conte)t for language learning& This is a valua"le means of developing oral language
and literac# s'ills& Pattern "oo's are especiall# "eneficial for #ounger learners "ecause
of rh#me, rh#thm, repetition, easil# identifia"le situations, predicta"ilit#, high fre9uenc#
voca"ular#, and a strong correlation "etween the printed te)t and the use of visuals&
!uthentic 9ualit# materials should "e chosen, with a heav# inclusion of multicultural
"oo's& Some children8s literature, such as historical fiction or stories related to social
pro"lems can also "e used ver# effectivel# with older learners&
<se of Iraphic rgani5ers
The use of semantic we"s and graphic organi5ers is a ver# helpful wa# for
students to simplif# the reading and writing process& Besides helping students to plan
and organi5e material, the# can also promote insight into cultural variations& !s the#
are used to elicit students8 thoughts and "ac'ground 'nowledge, the# also help t
promote higher4level thin'ing& Some common e)amples of graphic organi5ers are Aenn
+iagrams, we" diagrams, and stor# maps&
<se of Cooperative Structures
$n cooperative structures, students wor' together in small groups, dependent on
each other to reach goals& These activities are ver# effective with ESL students
"ecause the# allow for interaction in a non4threatening situation& Students participate
and contri"ute to the group according to their proficienc# levels& Some e)ampoles that
wor' well in mainstream content4area classes are JNum"ered4;eads4Together,3 JThin'4
Pair4Share,3 and JKigsaw&3
%758E58$4*SE6 *PP;7*%"
!ccording to the most recent research, one of the most effective methods of ESL
instruction is the content4"ased approach, where language instruction is integrated with
the content areas& Rather than developing an ESL program that is focused on the
language needed for social interactions or the structure of language, this method
incorporates language into the conte)t of academic content& The core curriculum is the
"asis for teaching language& $nstructors focus on the 'e# principles and concepts and
use visuals, hands4on activities, simpler language, adapted readings, graphic
organi5ers, and so forth to help ma'e the most important academic content
comprehensi"le& Thus, language s'ills develop as children wor' on math, social
studies, science or language arts at their appropriate age and grade levels&
The e)amples given in this article are recommended "ecause the# wor< with English
language learners& These methods include learning situations that provide for the
following critical factors7
Comprehensi"le input
Low an)iet# for the students
Man# opportunities for interaction and language use
Meaningful communication and natural language
1@
Language4learning situations that are fun and motivational
+evelopment of higher4order thin'ing s'ills
$n summar#, there is not a single correct method to follow in second language
instruction& ;owever, when planning lessons and choosing activities, teachers should
ensure that the strategies used incorporate the elements most needed "# students& $t is
alwa#s important to 'eep a"reast of theoretical concepts and current research in order
to develop a personal philosoph# and teaching st#le& Teachers should then var#
activities and select strategies according to students8 needs and goals&
References7
!sher, K& ,%:C*-& Learning another language through action: the complete teachers
Guidebook. Los Batos, C!7 S'# a's&
Brashen, S& D Terrell, T& ,%:C.-& The natural approach: language acuisition in the
classroom. Engliwood Cliffs, N&T&7 !leman#(Prentice ;all&
Beverl# Ben4+avid, *FFF& $llinois Resource Center ,C/?-CF.4.%%*
1B