Checklist of Instructional Modifications for LEP Students

Student(s) (initials): IK
School: Moscow Elementary Center

Grade: Kindergarten
Date: November 16, 2016

Observation Questions for ELL/LEP student(s)

1.

What techniques/methods/strategies do you see being used with the ELL/LEP student(s)?
Are they effective? Why or why not? (Either specifically for the ELL student(s) or in
whole class/small group instruction)

I have seen a lot of visual queues being used on the ELL student that I observed. For example, a
visual reminder of how to hold a pencil properly since I.K. may not understand what his teacher
is saying when she reminds him how to hold it. The teacher also uses an individual behavioral
plan for I.K. Each morning when he comes into school on his desk there is a picture of someone
unpacking their backpack, doing their morning sheet, sitting nicely for morning meeting, and has
a picture of each period. If I.K. follows his visual schedule correctly for each period he does free
of error he receives a sticker. I.K. can earn as many stickers as pictures on his visual schedule
each day. He loves the stickers and the other students are very supportive and want to see him
earn stickers each day.
2. Do you notice any student behaviors that you would consider out of the ordinary?
Please describe in detail. (This applies to both the ELL student(s) and other classroom
students)
I.K. does not do anything out of the ordinary behavioral wise. However, I was assuming that the
other students would have a problem with I.K. getting extra help and rewards all of the time but
all of the students are able to notice that I.K. is different than everyone else. The other students
are able to see that normal things for them are very difficult for I.K. The other students help I.K.
throughout the day and love to see him succeed. I.K. gets along very well with all of the students
in his class.
3. What type of interactions do you see between the ELL student(s), other classroom
students, and the teacher(s)? Please describe in detail.
All of the interactions between I.K. and everyone in the school, whether it be students in his
class, other kindergartens, or any other grade as well as teachers and staff are all positive
interactions. The kids love to lend I.K. a helping hand. Mrs. McGowan, who is I.K.s teacher,
emphasized how much the other students in her class love to encourage I.K. throughout the day.
4. Identify resources/materials that are being used with the ELL student(s). Please describe
in detail how the ELL student is using them. Do they appear to be effective? Explain.

Any type of visual queue or reminder is extremely helpful for I.K. since he cannot understand
most things the pictures help him understand what he is supposed to be doing. Mrs. McGowan
also spoke about how much I.K. loves the computer. She said she can also see improvement
when he uses it, so it is a great resource to have!
5. Does the classroom environment seem to be comfortable for the ELL student(s)? Please
describe the environment and explain how you made your decision.
The classroom environment definitely is comfortable for the student. Since it is a kindergarten
classroom the students do not have desks, instead they have tables. In this classroom each table
sits five children. The different tables are labeled as different colors, there is a yellow, red, blue,
and green table in the classroom. The classroom is also very bright as well as colorful and all of
the artwork hung up around the classroom is the students own work! There are also four
computers in the side of the classroom, which I.K. utilizes quite a bit. The teacher is also very
soft spoken and nice which makes not only the environment but also the atmosphere very
welcoming and comfortable.
6. Whats the comfort level of the ELL student(s) in regards to the English language?
What observations help you arrive at your decision? Refer to the Vocabulary
Performance Indicators. At what level would you place the ELL student? How did you
decide on that level?
I personally believe that I.K. is in stage 2 out of 5 of Language Acquisition. Stage 2 means that
the student is in early production. The student has limited comprehension, limited vocabulary,
and uses only key words and familiar phrases when speaking. I think the main reason I chose
stage 2 for him is because of all of the visuals he needs to learn. I think he is becoming
comfortable with the language because with his peers and siblings he speaks English but when
he is home is only speaks Russian since that is all his mother knows how to speak.
7. If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating teacher (or ESL teacher) what
type of accomodations/modifications they have to make for the ELL student(s). Please
describe the types of accomodations/modifications that were discussed. Do they appear
on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are present/not present on the checklist?
Mrs. McGowan said that the accommodations/modifications that work best for her with I.K. are
his individualized behavioral plan as well as the verbal and nonverbal queues. Neither one of
those were in the checklist, but I think that is because my student is in kindergarten and the other
concepts on the checklist seemed to be for older students. I think what Mrs. McGowan is
working extremely well for I.K. so she will continue to do what she has been doing since I.K. is
succeeding in and out of the classroom.