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Case Study – Group 2

Luisa Beesley, Brandon Hunter, Daniela Moreno,

Amanda Rizzi, Morgan Russell

April 5, 2019

TSL/5086: ESOL 2

Dr. Annmarie Zoran


Phase 1

Collectively as a group, the purpose of the assignment is evaluate two existing English

Language Learner case studies. The evaluations will include, but are not limited to, an evaluation

of each case based on the information provided as to how the group believes the case study was

conducted, what could have been differently, if the case study made sense to the group, and

finally an overall critique of the case study and how effective each case was in accomplishing the

task of evaluating each case subject and preparing the group for our own case study.

Before critiquing and evaluating the selected cases based on the questions provided, it is first

necessary to know what case studies the group selected and have some background information

on each case. As a group, it was decided to evaluate the Eleni & Jamie ESOL 2 Case Study about

Lijana from Lithuania. For the Erbin & Zoran article case study, the group decided on case study

11, titled “Finding Nemo: Avoiding Hegemonic Curricula,” about Jose from Mexico. The two

case studies were selected as each case gives the group a different perspective of how English

Language Learners are taught. A summary of case study, as well as a description of case study

will follow to provide background information before examining the two case studies and the

formal critique of each case.

Description of Case Study Eleni & Jamie ESOL 2: Lijana from Lithuania

The case study covering Lijana discusses her experiences in learning the English language,

when her education in the language began, and her continuing education of the language, the

struggles she has in everyday life, and her desire to improve her formal English language skills

(CALPS) in effort to improve her job standing and furthering her education at the university

level.
Description of Case Study 11 “Finding Nemo: Avoiding Hegemonic Curricula

Case study 11 will focus more on the cultural aspect of English language learning and how

teachers can avoid upsetting students of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The case

study focuses on Jose, born in Mexico, and his assignment on the Alamo for his social studies

class. The case focuses on Jose’s father and Jose becoming upset with the content of the lesson

plan, the viewing of the film “The Alamo,” and Jose’s father describing to Jose his thoughts on

the Mexican perspective of the battle.

Case Study Finding Nemo: Avoiding Hegemonic Curricula

Jose Garcia who was born November 11, 1993, making him 11 years of age at the time of our

interview. Jose was born in Vera Cruz, Mexico. He speaks both Spanish and English. When he

came to the United States at the age of 7 he was placed in a sheltered ESOL program, but after

reaching ESOL 4 he tested out of the ESOL program 5 months ago.

Jose’s family comprises his mother in her mid-forties, employed in the car insurance industry,

his father, also in his mid-forties, a convenience store owner, and three sisters ages 5, 7, and 13,

all attending public school. Jose’s grandmother and grandfather, both in their sixties are retired,

and his forty-year-old uncle works in construction. All reside in a large middle-class rural home.

Everyone in the home speaks Spanish and it is the primary language due to Jose’s father,

grandmother, grandfather, and uncle speak no, or extremely limited, English. Jose’s mother and

sisters are bi-lingual and act as translators when accompanying family members into the

community. Jose’s parents are pro America. His mother is more prone to her children

assimilating into mainstream Americanization, while his father wants his children to keep their

Mexican heritage, intact. His parents are stewards of the family heritage and reinforce his
attitude toward family interactions, within the home. Jose’s grandparents maintain family

observances of Mexican holiday traditions and religious practices. Native Mexican foods are a

staple in the home and cultural art is prominently displayed in common rooms. The family

vacations and visits Mexico frequently to foster family connections, as well as poignant

reminders of family heritage. Jose’s father’s store caters primarily to Hispanic staples and his

clientele communicate in Spanish. The family actively participates in the Mexican festivities, in

the community and is active in political functions, promoting Hispanic issues and candidates.

Jose was looking forward to the next topic in social studies. It was about the Alamo. The class

was also going to go to the picture show and watch the recently released movie called “The

Alamo”. When time came to start learning about the Alamo, the social studies teacher began the

class by talking about the heroes of the Alamo. All the great Americans who lost their lives

against the treacherous Mexicans. The teacher taught the class that the Alamo represented a

freedom fight against Mexican oppression. Eventually, when the class saw the movie all the

stories related by the teacher were reinforced. When Jose’s father read what Jose had copied

from the board in his notebook, he was visibly upset. “How can they teach such a distorted view

of history in school?”, he asked Jose. He then asked Jose, “Just imagine a group of Cubans began

buying up farmland outside Tampa and that eventually so much land was bought by the Cubans

that they told the government they weren’t going to pay taxes anymore. What do you think

would happen?”. Jose answered, “The government would get mad and probably put some of

them in jail.” Jose’s father then asked, “What do you think if the Cubans then told the

government they were going to create their own country with all the farmland they had bought?”

Jose answered, “I think they would be crazy.” “Do you think they are heroes?” Jose’s father

asked. “Absolutely not!” Jose said. “You are right, well, that is what the Texans did to the
Mexicans. You see, the land around the Alamo belonged to Mexico and the Texans declared

their independence. For the Mexicans, the Texans were not heroes, they were rabble-rousers to

be thrown into jail.” Jose thought about it and said, “That sure is a different perspective than the

one my teacher taught.”

Critique:

There is a lot of information missing from this case study, and I also found numerous spelling

errors, which made portions of the case study difficult to digest. Namely, we do not know what

type of classroom setting Jose participates in right now. He has tested out of ESL, but we don’t

know much about how his current teacher runs his/her class. Does the teacher have students

working in groups? Are there other former ELL students in the class? The teacher does not

appear to be using much cultural sensitivity when broaching subjects of history, and also is not

utilizing much of the students’ home life and culture into the classroom. If he/she had been

utilizing these things, Jose’s father might have had a chance to give his opinion about the

Mexican war to Jose earlier in the process of learning about it. However, I feel that we need

more information to make an in-depth analysis in this case.

Jose’s English is obviously very advanced, especially if he tested out of the program, but he is

still in need of cultural sensitivity in his classroom settings. His family is very immersed into

their Mexican heritage, since their store caters to the Mexican community, and they live in the

Mexican community. In this situation, utilizing the family to help with work at home would be

helpful for Jose.

In this situation, we need much more information on the classroom and the teacher’s

pedagogy as a whole in order to draw significant conclusions. We also need more information
about the type of student that Jose is. Is he an involved student who receives good grades? Is he

social with his classmates? Does he do well in speaking English out loud? Does he read in front

of the class? Can he give a full presentation in English? Does he work better in groups? What

would happen if we involved his family in the homework more? Would he be able to bring a

different perspective to history?

Alternatively, it can be said that the teacher is teaching history from an American perspective,

and it is not necessary for him/her to be culturally sensitive (I do not personally agree with this

viewpoint). However, it is possible to have a teacher who might believe that Americans are able

to teach history from their vantage point in their classrooms as is their right. If Mexican students

would like to learn more about Mexican history from a Mexican point of view, then they may

seek out information on their own. This would be an alternate way of looking at this situation,

which I don’t agree with- but it could be a method for teaching history from this teacher’s point

of view. I personally would prefer to teach several vantage points of history. Even Jose’s father

isn’t necessarily completely correct. You would also not be able to only teach the Mexican side.

You would have to teach both fully in order to provide a complete picture of the historical fact in

this case.

Did the case provide you with an idea on how to develop your own case study?

This case study of Jose Garcia provides me with an idea on how to develop my own case

study. This case does a great job at elaborating on the background of the student, Jose. This case

further reminds me, within my own case study, to discuss the social-emotional component of

language. I mentioned in Reflective Discussion #3 that as a teacher I want to ensure I am

fostering a nurturing environment for my ELs, where they feel safe and welcome. I want my ELs

to embrace their native heritage and to never feel ashamed of it. According to Reading, Writing,
and Learning in ESL, “The social-emotional climate you establish also provides opportunities for

ELs to see themselves as worthy, capable, and contributing members of the classroom

community, both socially and academically” (Boyle & Peregoy, 2016). This case study reminds

me to never allow my own views to threaten my students’ social and academic growth. The

manner in which Jose’s teacher went about teaching the Alamo was upsetting to both Jose, his

father, and their Mexican roots. His social studies teacher didn’t take the time to get to know

Jose and learn about his culture, therefore he didn’t even realize how much he was offending

him. Teaching the class that the Alamo represented a freedom fight against the “treacherous

Mexicans” is not likely to elicit students’ pride in being Mexican. This case study highlights the

importance of being proactive in learning about students’ backgrounds so as not to upset those

with differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Cultural sensitivity is of utmost importance when

teaching, but especially when teaching ELs.

Can you suggest additional information that might strengthen the case study?

The case study, “Finding Nemo: Avoiding Hegemonic Curricula,” focuses primarily on the

cultural aspects of Jose and his experiences in school. Additional information that might

strengthen this case study is the inclusion of observations regarding Jose’s language skills. We

are never given a SOLOM score for Jose or indications of his levels of BICS and CALP. This

case study also omits data, such as reading and writing analysis. We are therefore unable to

create any plan of action for the student. This case study reveals that Jose tested out of the ESOL

program 5 months ago but gives zero more information on that. I would like to see data and more

depth regarding Jose’s language skills.

Can you suggest other strategies for lessening the conflict (problem scenario/solution phase)?
The conflict presented in this case study is that between Jose/his family (specifically his

father), and Jose’s social studies teacher. The conflict arises due to the manner in which Jose’s

teacher went about teaching the topic of the Alamo. The teacher taught that it was “a freedom

fight against Mexican oppression.” His own point of view as an American affected his opinion of

the battle, thus skewing his teachings to be very one-sided. The lack of care and concern from

Jose’s social studies teacher sparks the conflict. Jose’s teacher hasn’t taken the time to

understand his students, or if he had, he would understand that Jose is Mexican and wouldn’t

want to teach in a way that makes Jose feel ashamed of his Mexican heritage. My suggestion for

a strategy to lessen the conflict is for Jose’s teacher to take it back to the basics and get to know

his students. According to Colorín Colorado, a bilingual site for educators and families of

English language learners, teachers getting to know their students “is a necessary step that is

often overlooked by teachers and schools” (Breiseth, 2018). Getting to know students goes

beyond understanding their English language proficiency, it includes “background about the

student's home community or native country that can inform [the teachers’] instructional

decisions in the classroom” (Breiseth, 2018). I think part of the problem here too is that Jose’s

social studies teacher doesn’t even realize how his own views/opinions and his “distorted” view

of history are negatively affecting his student(s). Therefore, to lessen the conflict, the teacher

must take the time to get to know each one of his students so as not to assume that their

backgrounds are exactly like his.

Is anything missing from these samples that should have been included?

Yes, there are things missing from this case study sample that should have been included. As

mentioned previously, this case study lacks the inclusion of data. We have no information

regarding Jose’s language level abilities, besides the fact that he tested out of the ESOL program
5 months ago. We aren’t clued in to the history of his language proficiency, either, regarding

SOLOM scores or BICS/CALP levels. This case study focuses exclusively on the cultural

aspects of Jose and his experiences in school. It does not go in depth regarding data collected or

even mention a plan of action (goals and objectives) for Jose moving forward. For my own case

study assignment I will be sure to divulge more information about data collected, literacy plans,

goals and objectives, etc.

What tools did they use to present the case study?

The tools used to present the case study of Jose Garcia are primarily qualitative techniques.

There isn’t any quantitative data incorporated in this case study. We are, however, presented

with great observable, qualitative information. The case study starts off with great background

information about our student. We learn about our focus person, Jose, his family, and their

accompanying roots. We learn about the Garcia’s family structure, culture and expressed

attitudes towards assimilating vs. keeping their Mexican heritage intact. This case study uses

pathos to invoke sympathy from the readers. We get such a glimpse into Jose’s personal story

that we are able to feel for him when his teacher is giving a distorted teaching of the Alamo.

Overall this case study has an engaging intro, it does discuss a problem, however possible

solutions aren’t really developed. We are given questions to probe deeper thinking, which is

necessary to solving the case study.

General opinion / evaluation / analytic view of the case study.

This case study is well presented but could be improved. This case study, as I mentioned

previously, does an excellent job at presenting background information. The introduction is

engaging and gives an overview of what the case is about. This case study follows the general
presentation format. I would love to see quantitative data included. We aren’t given any concrete

indication of Jose’s language proficiency levels. This case study does well at emotional appeal. I

am able to sympathize with Jose and his “visibly upset” father. The inclusion of more logos, or

facts/data, would strengthen this case study as a whole.

Summary of Case Study 11 “Finding Nemo: Avoiding Hegemonic Curricula

The case study of Jose contrasts to that of the case of Lijana, instead of focusing on the

speaking and writing skills of the case subject, Jose’s case study focuses on the cultural aspects

and the insensitivity he is forced to deal with in a social studies class studying the events The

Alamo. The case gives some biographical background of Jose and his family, stating that Jose is

bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English. Spanish is the dominant language of the home,

with Jose’s dad and other relatives speaking limited English. The case study also states Jose and

his family are very proud of their Mexican heritage, supporting political candidates sympathetic

to Hispanic causes attending Mexican festivities, carry on holiday traditions, native Mexican

foods are a staple in the diet, and the clientele the convenience store Jose’s father owns caters

primarily to a Hispanic audience.

In reading the study it does not occur to Jose just how much of an American perspective the

events dictated have until Jose’s father asks to read what Jose had done in school. Jose dad

explains the events what he feels the historical account and the movie are missing, the

perspective of the Mexican people. This is an issue in many classroom, not limited to just

English language learners. What could have been avoided and what could be done as a teacher

will be covered in the critique. As far as information on Jose’s speaking and writing progress
using the SOLOM, the SWOLM, or grading him on the CALPS or BICS scale, the case study

covers none of that, instead focusing exclusively on the cultural aspects of Jose and his

experiences in school.

Introduction and Background of Case Study Eleni & Jamie ESOL 2: Lijana from

Lithuania

Lijana is a 37-year-old female. She was born in Lithuania and moved to the United States 12

years ago. Lijana’s first language is Lithuanian and her second language is English. She

completed high school in Lithuania where she earned her high school diploma. She took course

in English in Lithuania beginning in 5th grade. Upon arriving in the United States, Lijana was

not fluent in English and struggled to communicate all of her wants and needs. Immersion has

helped improve her English language skills. Additionally, she has been married to an American

man for seven years, with whom she always speaks English at home. Lijana currently works for

the county library system and has started taking college courses at the local community college.

Lijana says she occasionally searches for the right word in conversation, but typically can

communicate the intended meaning of what she is trying to say. She states she her struggle in

English is primarily with writing because of the grammar and tenses.

Stakeholders

Lijana’s daughter is 19 years old and moved to the United States six years ago. Lijana’s

daughter attended American schools graduating with a high school diploma and now attends a

state university. Lijana’s daughter is proficient in English and helps her with conversational and

academic vocabulary and grammar. Her American husband helps her with her conversational

English but does not correct minor miscues that do not hinder communication of meaning. At
work, Lijana speaks strictly English and when necessary to communicate in writing will ask

trusted co-workers to proof read correspondence, especially when communicating outside her

department. Lijana speaks Lithuanian to her family members back home but has begun to lose

fluency in her native tongue. She states her Lithuania relatives tease her about her American

accent and strange sentence structures she uses when speaking Lithuanian.

Issues and Concerns

Lijana has a high level of BICS but lacks the CALPS she desires to professionally present

herself in the workplace and excel as a college student. Lijana admits that her preference in

literature are audio books. She enjoys non-fiction but does not opt for print formats. It is evident

from her reading sample that she is not confident in her ability as a reader, she pauses to ensure

clarity of sentence pattern, and does have miscues that she, however, able to correct on her own.

Critique:

The case study of Lijana provides sufficient information to understand her comprehension of

writing, reading, and speaking in the English language. The case study not only provides

Lijana’s background information, but it gives a brief description of her family, her job, and her

strengths and weaknesses in language proficiency. Because the case study provides us with

information from her daughter, who is a fluent speaker and her husband, who is also a fluent

speaker, it gives the teacher the opportunity to understand her everyday language exposure.

The case study provides enough information to analyze Lijana's language proficiency. It also

mentions that Lijana was born in Lithuania and moved to the United States 12 years ago, making

her 25 years old. This information is also very important in order to fairly analyze her and how to

properly use the stakeholders in her life. In this case study, an oral interview was given, along
with a SOLOM, a miscue analysis, and a writing analysis. It also provides, all samples that were

given to her, giving us the chance to see exactly what the assessments looked like and how they

were evaluated. Details such as her preferring audio books instead of paperbacks, her job and

relationships with coworkers, are all important details to keep in mind.

The conclusions for this case study were drawn from Lijana’s results during her analysis.

Grammar development, vocabulary development, and a reading list of recommendations were

given with the hopes that it would help Lijana become more efficient in the English Language.

The conclusions were also drawn keeping in mind the concerns from Lijana’s initial statement

that she had for herself including her lack of grammar and Cognitive Academic Language

proficiency. Some of the recommendations included, completing worksheets and online quizzes

to help her grammatically, and reading a book, in print, at least once a month where she can keep

a journal of unfamiliar words that will help her expand her vocabulary.

Additional information for this case study that could have helped strengthen the case would

have included having some understanding of her background in school back in Lithuania. Details

such as knowing whether she always struggled with writing and grammar could be helpful.

Although the case study provides recommendations for Lijana, I believe that differential teaching

techniques and specific strategies in mind could also be added. Lijana struggles with reading and

writing, having her read and write consistently on worksheets may be something she might not

be interested in. The case study also tells us Lijana is currently enrolled in community college,

but does not provide with information on what she is learning or the practices she uses when

completing school work, does her teacher do anything to help her? If so, what practices are used?
An alternative interpretation could be that Lijana is embarrassed of her lack of grammar and

therefore has tried to avoid it, making her vocabulary limited. Another assumption could be that

she simply does not have time between college, having a job, and a family, to sit down and read

a book, and that’s why she prefers audio books. Having Lijana practice the language and adding

words to her vocabulary with the goal of using them in a day could be helpful for her. Also,

keeping a journal for the time she misunderstands or does not know when to properly use a word

or could not find a word to use, can help her look back and practice those sentences and words,

editing her own writing could also help her with grammar.

Overall, I think this case study was well executed. I believe that the right amount of

information was provided to understand Lijana background, stakeholders, struggles, and

practices. Reading over this case study has allowed me to see some point to keep in mind when

conducing an interview, and the number of analysis that can be done in order to create proper

strategies.

Did the case provide you with an idea on how to develop your own case study?

This case study was a terrific example to learn from because it was very thorough. It provided

the reader with a solid understanding of what is expected from a case study, and ideas of how to

execute and achieve this. It seems that the authors followed three main steps to formulate their

case study: (1) data collection, (2) data analysis, (3) propose solutions. The ways in which the

authors collected data from Lijana were means that could be modified to accommodate any

participant. For example, instead of having the participant read an excerpt from a nonfiction

novel like Lijana did, he or she could read something pertaining to his or her interests. The tools

that were used to analyze the data after the fact were also a solid example of what to do once the

data is collected, and how to go about evaluating the information. Finally, the authors proposed
solutions for Lijana to help her improve her proficiency. Following the three steps that this group

exemplified will ensure that the case study is comprehensive and successful.

Can you suggest additional information that might strengthen the case study?

The authors were very thorough when providing information for this case study. They

disclosed information about Lijana’s background, family, profession, and even a bit about her

hobbies. Nonetheless, it would have been interesting to know more about her social life. What

does she do outside of work? Does she have friends outside of her profession? This information

would have been a nice addition because friends could act as additional stakeholders in this

scenario and help push Lijana closer to her goals. Also, having English-speaking friends would

reinforce her BICS in English. Lijana’s social life outside of work would be interesting to know

more about.

Can you suggest other strategies for lessening the conflict (problem scenario/solution phase)?

One of the issues that Lijana faces is her struggle to communicate professionally. When in a

professional setting one would like to avoid making grammar mistakes, which is Lijana’s

greatest hardship. In order to combat this, Lijana could have been advised to practice writing

professional emails. She could email her daughter, her husband, and her colleagues to develop

those skills. They could even make up scenarios to make it feel legitimate. By practicing writing

formal emails, Lijana will not only expand her skills, but she will also grow more confident in

her abilities. Emailing is an integral part of a professional relationship and by helping Lijana

write better emails is helping her take a step towards success.

Another way that Lijana’s problem can find a solution is to enroll in a class that focuses on

the English language and grammar. The suggestion of writing independently and completing
worksheets is effective in theory, however it may not be realistic in practice. It is easy to put

things off when one has to hold his or herself accountable. This is eliminated when enrolled in a

class because one is working for a grade. She would also have the benefit of a teacher or

professor who is trained in the subject, instead of having her husband or daughter check her

work. In this setting, Lijana would also meet people in a similar situation as her, and they could

work together on perfecting their language skills. In essence, there are multiple benefits to

enrolling in a class that focuses on English language skills.

Is anything missing from these samples that should have been included?

In the case study, it is mentioned multiple times that Lijana struggles with grammar. Lijana

herself admits to having difficulty with it, and the authors of the case study agree. Yet, it is

challenging for the reader to determine her proficiency in this area based off of the reading,

writing and interview samples alone. The authors offer worksheets for Lijana to use to practice

these skills in their “Worksheets and Artifacts” section. Worksheets are absolutely a helpful way

for Lijana to practice her grammar, however it would have been interesting to see how she

performed on them beforehand. By providing this to the reader, he or she is able to get a more

comprehensive understanding of her abilities.

Hearing the reading sample and the interview and reading the writing sample gave decent

insight into Lijana’s BICS. However, in the case study, they mention that Lijana would like to

improve upon her professional abilities and excel in her college classes, both of which require

CALPS. It would be beneficial if Lijana was asked to include a more formal sample of writing,

such as an email she might need to send for work. This would give the reader a more

comprehensive understanding of Lijana’s abilities and fluency.


What tools did they use to present the case study?

To present the case study, the authors used various means to collect data from Lijana, and

then analyzed it. These techniques were very effective because they were able to exhibit her

abilities to the reader. To assess her writing, they collected a writing sample about her last visit

with her daughter. To assess her speaking and communication, they conducted an interview and

recorded it into an audio file. Finally, the authors had Lijana read an excerpt from a nonfiction

novel to look for miscues.

To evaluate the data they collected and present it to the reader in an easily digestible way, the

authors used the SOLOM Scale. The SOLOM Scale is a way for educators to determine

proficiency without the use of an actual test, and instead, can be based upon informal

assessments and everyday conversation. The SOLOM Scale is a helpful tool because it is a unit

of measure that can be used to determine and compare proficiencies universally.

General opinion / evaluation / analytic view of the case study.

Overall, the case study was a complete and comprehensive review and covered the core

components that required addressing. The authors did a wonderful job of showcasing Lijana to

the readers, portraying her as a human being and not a test subject for research. The website was

organized in a visually pleasing and easily understood manor, and the text was written clearly

and concisely. In essence, this group did an excellent job on their case study.

Despite being well-executed and thorough, there is always room for minor improvements.

The improvements suggested came predominantly from information which could be included to

supplement the case study but is not entirely vital to the success of it. Information about her
social life and CALPS would have given the reader a bit of a deeper understanding of Lijana’s

capabilities, but the lack of this information did not render the case study ineffective.

In essence, this case study is a prime example of how to execute a proper case study. It is a

wonderful starting point to begin gathering information for the final cumulative project. By

looking at this, we can not only choose portions we may want to emulate, but also, portions we

might want to change. Realizing this will help us create an exemplary case study of our own.

Summary of Case Study Eleni & Jamie ESOL 2: Lijana from Lithuania

The case study of Lijana describes Lijana as a 37-year-old Lithuanian immigrant who moved

to the United States twelve years ago. Unlike some English language learners who come to the

United States knowing little to nothing of the English language, Lijana has studied the English

language since she was in the 5th grade. The case study details Lijana’s experiences as an

experienced English language learner and her difficulties that she faces in trying to improve her

speaking and writing skills. Lijana credits her learning the English language to her studies of the

language in Lithuania, her home life where English is the dominant language, and the college

courses she takes at the community college.

The case study details that Lijana still struggles with some aspects of English including

grammar and tenses. Lijana is actively working to improve her formal speaking and writing

skills (CALPS) in hopes to further her education at the university level and her standing in the

workplace. Lijana describes her love for reading, although she notes her preference for audio

books over the written language and recognizes that as a detriment. Lijana is aware of her

shortcomings in the English language in her writing and speaking to the point where if she makes

a mistake, most of the time she is able to correct the mistake right away.
Phase 2

Pre- Production Stage Early Production Speech Emergence Intermediate Fluency

Vocabulary The speaker does not The student has a good The student is able to read The student in the video
exhibit an extensive vocabulary and is able to in English if he can look has a very strong
vocabulary in speaking. use the words he is up terms in the dictionary command of her English
Her answers are only one speaking in the proper (as a way of improving his vocabulary. With her
or two words. When context of the sentence. English skills). The command of the
stuck on a question she The student does struggle student has good use of language she is able to
will resort to hand a bit when viewing English vocabulary, carry on a conversation
motions to communicate pictures. He is unable to although he has to search with minimal stopping to
or go silent until she can find the proper terms to for the proper term at think about terms or
verbally communicate name the objects in the times and go silent if he sentence structure.
her thoughts to the pictures. cannot find the proper
interviewer. term.

Type and length of The student speaks in When speaking, the The student can answer The student is almost a
sentences short one-word or two- student can speak with the questions in detail with fluent speaker. Her
word sentences when detail on the subject in some hesitation, although sentences are in-depth,
asked a question. The question. The student is at times he must search for and the student can
student understands the also able to speak at the proper term, such as elaborate on her answers
interviewer’s questions length in answering the the part when he describes to questions. The
when they are broken questions he is being talking with his sister and sentences are not short
down, and she does not asked. brother. There are ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers and
elaborate much in her sometimes small gaps require thought on the
answers. The student also where he has to think part of the student.
relies on her teacher for momentarily.
help with the questions
being asked.

Stages of: negation The student exhibits In viewing the The student wavers in this There are issues with
questions past tense trouble using the past flashcards, the student area. At times he can verb tenses. For instance,
tense of some words, for exhibits trouble with the properly communicate when asked about the
instance the interviewer past tense of some with proper tense. Spanish language spoken
asks the student about a words. For example, However, at a certain at home, the student
flash card with the image when shown the point in the video he responds that her parents
of a cooking egg. Instead flashcard with the egg states, “I not know how to are not English. The
of using the proper tense that uses the word “fry” speak English” instead of proper phrasing should
“frying” the students instead of “frying”- when “I didn’t know how to be “my parents do not
says the egg is “fry.” But describing the action in speak English.” speak English.” The
she can correct her the picture. question pertains to
mistake rather quickly. language not nationality.
The student will also
sometimes mix up her
plurals and singulars.

Pronunciation The student is not The student’s The student is relatively The student is fluent in
difficult to understand in pronunciation is easy to understand and English and pronounces
conversation, however comprehensible. He is speaks clearly. There are words very clearly. She
when the student is more difficult to small errors in is easy to understand in
reading she is slightly understand when he is pronunciation on conversation. Naturally,
more difficult to reading than he is in challenging words, for the student has a very
understand. There are conversation. The example, the student says slight accent, but it does
minor mistakes in student has the tendency “a-cent” instead of not prevent the listener
pronunciation that do not to separate the words into “ancient.” Otherwise, the from understanding by
inhibit comprehension, more syllables than student’s pronunciation is any means.
such as changing necessary. strong in his speech and
“butter” to “booter” and reading.
“plate” to “plat.”

Cultural/pragmatic The student is respectful The student is a good The student can easily When speaking, the
appropriateness and appropriate during conversationalist. He hold a conversation. He student is very engaging
the interview. She keeps keeps eye contact and can answer both initial, and charismatic. She
eye contact and takes appears to be and follow-up questions seems comfortable,
turns in conversation. comfortable. When that are more in depth and speaking confidently and
When she does not answering questions, he require a better fluently. The student
understand a question, rephrases the question. understanding of the maintains eye contact
she looks to her teacher For example, when language. The student can and is expressive. She
for assistance. She makes asked, “what grade are even correct himself in can understand complex
minor mistakes in word you in?” the student conversation. For conversational
choice and order, such as answers “I am in tenth example, he initially said vocabulary without
saying “My parents are grade.” The student “they are taking” when clarification, such as
working very often.” A needed a bit of talking about the person “narration” and
person who is proficient prompting to help taking the egg out of the “anticipate.”
in English might say, through more difficult frying pan on the cards.
“My parents work a lot” questions, such as when Without hesitation, he
instead. asked what his favorite immediately corrected
part of history was. himself and said, “he is
taking.”

BICS & CALP The students BICS are The students BICS are The student has strong The students BICS are
not strong but allow her well developed. He can BICS. He can hold a very impressive. She
to communicate. She communicate effectively conversation with ease understands complex
frequently needed and easily answer simple and does not frequently language and can carry a
questions rephrased from questions. When need questions repeated. conversation with ease.
open-ended questions to questions get more The student can also string Her CALP is also
yes or no questions, and complicated, he will give multiple sentences astounding. Not only can
clarification on a general answer to together instead of just she summarize a story,
vocabulary. The change the subject. The answering with one word but she can also make
student’s CALP was students CALP could use or short statements. The inferences about it and
impressive. She read more development. The students CALP is also formulate an opinion on
relatively quickly and mistakes he makes are strong. He has a good it. The only noticeable
easily, yet she needed minor, but noticeable in understanding of what he flaws in her CALP are
prompting to answer an academic or has read, however has a very miniscule. For
reading comprehension professional setting. As hard time recalling certain example, she wrote “in
questions and help on an example the student details and formulating the space” instead of “in
some words. writes “I happy all day in thoughts on it. His writing space,” and “humans are
my life” instead of could use some so concern” instead of
writing “I am happy improvement, there a few “humans are so
every day.” grammatical and spelling concerned.”
errors.

Error types Communication based Communication based- Interlingual interference- Intralingual Interference
error- when asked how the student meant to this student struggled a lot The student makes little
long she has been in the convey the word with putting his sentences to no mistakes except for
United States the student “scrambled eggs” but together by omitting some some verb tenses such as
answered with “2 hours said “crumbled eggs” words that could join the saying her parents “are
on airplane” during the although it did not words into a successful not English” rather than
speaking portion. convey the meaning and sentence. Throughout the “they don’t speak
he successfully interview the student English” which can just
communicated the highlighted that he be an overgeneralization.
concept during the translated form a Spanish
Simplification- During speaking portion of the dictionary and tries to Simplification- the
the writing portion the interview. remember the words in student uses simple verbs
student writes English, which could be in her sentences. She
“my sister are angry.” Intralingual Interference: causing him to translate knows the information
the student fails to apply his thoughts from Spanish and what she is trying to
the rules of English when strictly into English convey, but simply
expressing himself in without using the struggles with applying
sentences such as “I am appropriate rules. the rules correctly during
so sad when I angry” the writing portion.

Interlingual Interference:
the student struggles with
putting the words
together successfully,
even though the message
can be understood. This
can be a language
interference where the
translation was not
omitted successfully to
adapt to the new
language.

Prescriptive aspects During the writing During the writing Overall the student used The student speaks,
of English: grammar, section, the student portion, the student correct aspects of English reads, and writes
punctuation presented accurate would use periods at the during the speaking fluently. There are minor
grammar and end of some of his words portion of the interview, errors of grammar such
punctuation. During the (but not all of them) and he makes minor mistakes as missing a few
reading portion, she would capitalize some such as omitting the word: commas.
struggled with knowing words incorrectly. “to” and saying “I like
what most of the passage However, the message listen music” but nothing
meant but acknowledged was understood. that could convey the
that the little boy was 4 meaning of the concept he
when asked where in the was attempting to deliver.
passage it stated he was
10.

Writing ability The student can answer The student struggles Although the passage the The student portrays an
the questions with minor errors to student wrote make sense, accurate understanding
successfully, there are a successfully conjugate there are missing of the book by providing
few errors such as his sentences. For prepositions that could a main idea and details to
writing the word example, he says “I connect these words. He is support it throughout her
“surprised” as “surprise” happy all day in my life” also lacking in correct paragraph. Her paragraph
or referring to his or “I feel comfortable in grammar including was easy to understand
grandmother as “great- this week,” he also commas and and could be read easily.
mother”. Overall, struggles with past tense capitalization. Overall,
however, the grammar is but overall his grammar they are minor errors that
correct, and the message is successful with minor need work, but the writing
is conveyed successfully. (if any) errors. shows he understood what
he was reading and was
able to recall.
Reading ability During the reading, the The student read the The student read at a very I did not get to see the
student was pacing passage successfully with fast pace which made it a student reading straight
herself well and the first minor errors in little difficult to decode from the text, but she
couple of sentences were pronunciation such as the some of the words he was seemed to understand
easy to understand. word “polite” the reading reading but after the and comprehend the
However, after the first was a little segmented reading was done, he story. She provides
couple of sentences were but overall it was answered the specific details about the
finished, it was a little understood. He was also comprehension questions story and spoke fluently.
more difficult to able to recall some with details from what he She also included details
understand what she was details during the read. and feelings that she had
trying to convey. She comprehension about the cover, and the
needed help with words questions. importance of the title,
such as “lawyer” and the author feelings, and
“girl”. She also needed the setting of the story.
help with defining words
like “almost” in order to
successfully understand
the text.

SOLOM to analyze Comprehension Fluency Vocabulary Pronunciation Grammar


the speaking sample
Level 1 – 2 Level 1 – 1 Level 1 – 1 Level 1 – 2 Level 1 – 2

Level 2 – 3 Level 2 – 4 Level 2 – 4 Level 2 – 4 Level 2 – 4

Level 3 – 4 Level 3 – 4 Level 3 – 4 Level 3 – 3 Level 3 – 4

Level 4 – 5 Level 4 – 5 Level 4 – 4 Level 4 – 5 Level 4 – 5

Overall assessment (interlanguage use)

Level 1 –

I rated the speaker a 2 in Comprehension because she has difficulty following what is said but can comprehend
social conversation that is spoken very slowly with repetition. I rated her a 1 in Fluency because conversation
(flowing back and forth) with this speaker is virtually impossible. In this video clip the interviewer was doing
majority of the talking while the speaker nodded in agreement most of the time (rather than verbally speaking). I
rated the speaker a 1 in Vocabulary because her vocabulary was extremely limited, making conversation impossible.
The speaker received a 2 for Pronunciation. Her speech wasn’t unintelligible, but it was hard to understand her
because of pronunciation issues. For example, she pronounced the word plate like plot. Finally, this speaker was
scored a 2 on Grammar. I rated this speaker a 2 here because she restricted herself to basic patterns (“Cook egg…”).

Level 2 –

I rated the speaker a 3 in Comprehension because he understands most of what is said at slower-than-normal speed
with repetitions. In terms of Fluency, I rated this speaker a 4. His speech in everyday conversation and classroom
discussions is generally fluent, with occasional lapses while he searches for the correct manner of expression. For
example, when asked about his favorite subject he answered, “World History.” When asked what type of World
History, he had trouble expressing a correct answer. He first said, “To talk about what is passed long time ago.”
After further prompts to elicit a specific type of World History, he landed with Modern History. I rated him a 4 in
Vocabulary because his vocabulary bank is fairly full, although he occasionally uses inappropriate terms and/or
must rephrase ideas because of lexical inadequacies. When describing the egg pictures, didn’t know the word for fry
pan. I also rated this speaker a 4 in Pronunciation. He has an accent but is intelligible. Lastly, I rated this speaker a 4
in Grammar. He occasionally makes grammatical and word order errors, but they do not obscure meaning.

Level 3 –

I rated this speaker a 4 in Comprehension because he understands nearly everything at normal speech, although
some repetition is needed. I rated him a 4 in Fluency. A 4 in Fluency means the speaker’s speech in everyday
conversation and classroom discussions is generally fluent, with occasional lapses while the student searches for the
correct manner of expression. This speaker has a fairly rich vocabulary bank, but not quite that of a native speaker.
Therefore, I rated him a score of 4 for Vocabulary. He called the knife in the picture a butter knife¸ which is a very
specific term. However, when asked if the butter is frozen, he said Yes. With an explanation of the definition of what
freezing is, the speaker proceeds to correctly say that the butter is melting. He has a rich vocabulary (butter knife)
but not quite the vocab bank of a native speaker (knows the word fried but not sunny side up). I rated this speaker a
3 in Pronunciation because his pronunciation problems require more effort from the listener to listen carefully and
fully concentrate. There is occasional misunderstanding. Lastly, I rated this speaker a 4 in Grammar. His errors do
not obscure meaning whatsoever.

Level 4 –

I rated this speaker a 5 in Comprehension. She understands everyday conversations and normal classroom
discussions. I rated her a 5 in Fluency as well. Her speech appears fluent and effortless. While only having been here
for 2 years, her speech already resembles that of a native speaker. In terms of vocabulary, I rated her a 4. Before
completing the entire video, I was going to rate this speaker as a 5, but towards the end of the video she started to
discuss how she doesn’t know metaphors as well in English as she does in Spanish. She further went on to say that
when people say things like “It’s raining cats and dogs,” she is easily confused. Therefore I can pinpoint that this
speaker has trouble with idiomatic expressions in the English language. Regarding the speaker’s Pronunciation, I
rated her a 5. Her pronunciation and intonation approximate that of a native English speaker. Lastly, in terms of
Grammar, I rated this speaker a 5 as well. Her grammar and word order approximate that of a native speaker.
Phase 3
Jackson, 60, speech emergent level, French and Creole, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

1. Social and Linguistic Background


Name (pseudonym): Jackson
Full birth date and current age: Birthday not given; Jackson is 60 years old
Country of birth: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
ESOL level: Jackson is at the speech emergent level in his L2 studies
Ethnic and linguistic group (Is it a minority group in the country of birth?): Creole and French are the major
languages on the island. Jackson’s ethnic group, West-African, is one of the majority groups on the island.
Description of language situation in home country; language(s) spoken at home: Jackson speaks English at
home, but speaks French with his wife who does not speak English
Family (full description of family, e.g.: family members and their ages, professions, school status; home
language ability and use): Jackson is married with two sons. Jackson and his wife are both currently unemployed,
awaiting their green cards to apply for work in the US. Both of Jackson’s sons are in school. Jackson stated he
speaks both English and French at home. English is used with his sons and everyday communication, but Jackson
speaks French and Creole with his wife, who does not speak English.
Description of parents’ attitudes towards U.S., home country, 1st language use, use of English at home:
Jackson views the US favorably as he is here for better economic opportunity and the people he has met are friendly
with him. Jackson stated he misses Haiti, but his family is in the US, so he does not have desire to go back. Jackson
uses both French and Creole and English, so he has no preference over the other, it just depends on the situation as
to when he speaks one language over the other.
Descriptions of home atmosphere, cultural practices in home and connectedness of family with heritage
language community organizations (proactive/passive etc.): Jackson is attempting to assimilate with the
American culture, although does maintain the French and Creole language. Jackson also stated that he did not adhere
to most heritage practices on Haiti when he was there.
Other relevant information about family (current living conditions / socio-economic status / type of home
dwelling): Jackson stated neither he nor his wife work at the moment due to the lack of a green card but states he
does have some money saved. The home dwelling for Jackson and his family is a small apartment that they rent.
General description of the community in which the family now lives: Jackson lives in almost entirely American
community, except for a few unspecified ethnic groups with whom the family will occasionally meet at church.
Linguistic description of the community in which the family now lives: Jackson lives in an almost entirely
English-speaking community. The only group with whom he speaks French and Creole is his family.
Reason for family coming to America (economic/political refugee, family reunion, job shift): Jackson stated his
reasoning for coming to America is the economic opportunities that are not available to him or his family in Haiti.
Age at which case participant came to U.S.: Jackson was approximately 59 years of age upon his arrival in the US
and has been in the US for about 8 months.
Grade of case participant: Jackson stated that he graduated high school while growing up in Haiti.
Description of physical features of case participant: There are no distinguishing features that set Jackson apart
from anyone else, he is an older man with reading glasses and salt and pepper hair.
Description of personality of case participant: Jackson was very accommodating with an outgoing personality. He
was very open about his experiences in Haiti, why he came to America, and was not opposed to any questions I had
to ask him.
Description of current social life of case participant (school, home, local community): Jackson’s social life
consists of classes at CARIBE to aid in his English language learning, spending time at home with his family,
reading and helping his sons study in school, and regularly attending church with his family.

2. Linguistic Development
Describe the linguistic development of your participant. Be detailed and descriptive. You must include either a
miscue analysis or a think-aloud protocol. You may include both.

Describe the nature of formal schooling of the participant in the home country; what type of literacy
education did s/he receive: The participant attended high school in Haiti and finished by the time he was twelve.
After, he attended professional school where he learned how to repair air conditioning.

Literacy / literacy development at home (are there books at home, do the parents read with their children, are
the parents literate themselves, etc.): Jackson stated that he and his family read frequently, mostly in English
although some texts are in French and Creole. Jackson reads with his sons to help them with their school work and
work in their English Language Learning classes. Jackson expressed he speaks English outside of school and home
such as when he goes to church. Jackson, his wife, and his children are all literate, and his wife and children are
fluent in French and Creole.

Describe the linguistic development of the participant’s first language prior to coming to the U.S.: Jackson and
his family learned French and Creole much like anyone learns a language when they develop linguistic skills and
communication skills. The family learned to read from school and entertainment.

Describe the nature of English language learning the participant had prior to coming to the U.S.: Jackson
stated he had prior exposure to the English language in Haiti, as some courses in his high school offered classes on
the language. Jackson does speak the language well enough to communicate. Please see the miscue analysis for
further details.

Describe the English language competence of the participant just prior or at the time of arrival in the U.S.
(BICS & CALP in home language): Jackson is fluent in French and Creole and can use both BICS (informal) in
his home and among friends, and CALP (formal) as he indicated that he had jobs in both car sales as a manager and
as an air conditioner repairman. Jackson also indicated he did well in school, which would suggest he knows how to
communicate formally when needed.

How did linguistic skills in L1 and L2 develop between date of arrival and now. Things to consider:
vocabulary expansion, type-token ratio, morphemes, syntax, phonology, grammar, cultural/pragmatic
appropriateness, BICS & CALP, writing ability in class (in content area) + samples, reading ability in class
(in content area) + samples: *Note* The speaking and reading are provided as part of the requirements of the
project and will be featured in another part of the assignment. Jackson stated that he had education in the English
language prior to arriving in the states and he can speak well enough to carry a conversation. Jackson stated that he
has grown his vocabulary by reading frequently and communicating with English speaking friends. Jackson does
exhibit issues with grammar, syntax, and phonology. But, Jackson is aware of the cultural and pragmatic
appropriateness of his speaking skill, knows when he should speak formally and when he can speak informally.
Jackson stated he is aware of cultural awareness and attempts to be more accommodating to those around since he
knows he is still learning the language and does not want to say something wrong.

Miscue analysis: In speaking with Jackson, there are issues as exhibited by any speech emergent English Language
Learner. Jackson at times has to think about what is being said or had to ask me to rephrase my questions at various
times. When giving his answers Jackson had to stop and think about how to phrase his answers and knew enough to
ask if I understood what he was saying. Jackson’s sentences are often short, may lack some articles such as “the”
and he will sometimes not know when to stop a sentence and begin a new thought, which causes confusion for the
listener. One thing I noticed when speaking with Jackson is that he knows what he wants to say and can eventually
state his thoughts at times, but it may take him time to find the right sentences and word structure to communicate
those thoughts.
Think aloud strategy: *Note* As part of the assignment a read aloud is provided, and along with the speaking and
writing samples will be provided when the assignment is uploaded.

3. Data Collection
Transcription:
Beginning at 5 minutes and 0 seconds
Brandon: “So, you indicated that you practice English at home”
Interviewee: “Okay, I practice English sometimes I go to the computer I study myself”
Brandon: “Okay”
Interviewee: “And I speak with my son”
Brandon: “In English?”
Interviewee: “In English yeah”
Brandon: “Alright. Good stuff.”
Interviewee: “I only spend like six months so I’m beginning to learn English”
Brandon: “Six months?”
Interviewee: “Six months”
Brandon: “Oh nice. Yeah this is a good school.”
Brandon: “So general description of the community in which he lives now? Um, how would you
just yeah. You would describe it as a stable family life.”
Interviewee: “Um, okay. We come here from residing in Haiti. We survive now for the winter
ok. We also saw opportunity. We can work because they need somebody for work. We spend
money for work permit”
Brandon: “So you come to America for work?”
Interviewee: “No, we come to America by residents. Now we stand by for winter.”
Brandon: “Yeah”
Interviewee: “We have the social security, with the social security we can’t work. Because social
security not valid for work, not valid for work. We apply for, we apply for work permit. We
stand by for the work permit.”
Brandon: “Waiting for the work permit… alright um”
Interviewee: “We don’t work for the moment”
Brandon: “Okay. How old were you when you came to the U.S.? What was your age when you
came to the United States?”
Interviewee: “Why did I come to the United States?”
Brandon: “How old were you? How long have you been in the U.S.?”
Interviewee: “8 months”
Brandon: “8 months”
Interviewee: “It will be one year in May, May 7th, 2018”
Brandon: “Alrighty, so, a couple more questions and then we can move on to like some of the
writing and some of the reading, it shouldn’t take much longer. Um, when you were in Haiti did
you wish, uh what was the education like? Did you receive any formal education as far as
schooling?”
Interviewee: “Um, I attended the high school like 12th after I go to um after I go to the
professional school I study A.C.”
Brandon: “Study what?”
Interviewee: “A.C. Air condition.”
Brandon: “Oh ok.”
Interviewee: “Ventilation, refrigeration, and air condition.”
Brandon: “Nice. So you say you read a lot on the internet, do you read frequently?”

Miscue Analysis: Interview


Time Interviewee’s Words Possible Correction Type of Error

4:28 “Four person” “Four people” Singular vs. Plural

5:15 “I study myself” “I study by myself” Word Omission

5:42 “I only spend like six “I only spent like six Incorrect Verb Form
months” months”

6:27 “We come here from “We moved here Wrong Word Usage
residing in Haiti” from Haiti”

6:31 “We survive now for “We stayed here for Wrong Word Usage
the winter” the winter”

6:48 “We spend money for “We paid for our Wrong Word Usage
work permit” work permits”

7:07 “No, we come to “No, we came to Wrong Word Usage-


America by residents. America to live, and residents
Now we stand by for are staying for
winter.” winter”

7:11 “We have the social “We have social Improper Phrasing
security, with the security, but it is not
social security we valid for work. We
then applied for the
can’t work. Because
work permit, and are
social security not waiting to receive it.”
valid for work, not
valid for work. We
apply for, we apply
for work permit. We
stand by for the work
permit.”
7:50 “We don’t work for “We are Improper Phrasing
the moment” unemployed”
Or
“We are not currently
working”

9:13 “Um, I attended the “I attended high Improper Phrasing


high school like 12th school until 12th
after I go to um after I grade. After that, I
went to professional
go to the professional
school to study A.C.”
school I study A.C.”

10:37 “I was stock “I was a stock Word Omission


manager” manager”

10:58 “I know the parts of “I know the parts of a Word Omission


car” car”

Miscue Analysis: Writing Sample


Interviewee’s Words Possible Correction Type of Error

“I came in U.S. in May “I came to the U.S. in May Incorrect Word Usage
2018.” 2018”

“I have two children. They go “I have two children, they are Improper Phrasing
to school free and provided with free schooling
transportation.” and transportation.”

“My wife and I go to school “My wife and I go to school Improper Phrasing
too free.” for free too.”
Or
“My wife and I also go to
school for free.”

“I think U.S. is best country.” “I think the U.S. is the best Word Omission
country.”

“I love U.S.” “I love the U.S.” Word Omission

“The people in the U.S. is “The people in the U.S. are Singular vs. Plural
very sympathetical.” very sympathetic.”

Miscue Analysis: Reading Aloud


The interviewee was asked to read a passage aloud. While he was reading, his accent was
very apparent. It was difficult to determine what words he was saying; however, this is no fault
of his. Over time, as he continues to practice English, his accent will weaken while he is
speaking English. The interviewee also seemed to have a bit of trouble reading the words. There
were minor pauses and hesitations. This is not uncommon for a person speaking a new language,
and again, will only improve with practice. It seems that these hesitations occur on words that are
more advanced, such as “congruent” and “statement.” These are words a person might not see
every day in reading, and therefore the interviewee paused to sound them out in his head.
Finally, the interviewee also does not speak with inflection or tone in his sentences. This is likely
because he is more focused on reading the words individually, and less focused on the sentence
as a whole. As he becomes more comfortable with reading in English, he will be able to read
more fluently.
4. Writing a Problem Scenario (option I)

1. Problem
As mentioned previously in the study, Jackson does exhibit some issues with his grammar and
his speech, though he is able to transition well from BICS and CALP. He has been able to hold
several jobs that require him to speak English and is able to help his children with their
homework, and wife with translation. He is essentially functioning as the family translator at the
moment, despite his issues with formal English. Jackson may still be in somewhat of a silent
phase, as he tries to accommodate those around him by not saying something incorrectly.
However, he seems to be moving toward more confidence in English.

Jackson does still have to think quite a bit before he speaks, and several of his word choices were
incorrect (and I assume directly translated from Haitian-Creole). As English is not his first
language at home, he may be confusing some words for others as he navigates both languages.
Jackson is still mostly using short sentences, and having trouble understanding when to stop
explaining himself (as if he is unsure if enough information has been given for the listener to
understand). He mostly needs time in conversation.

2. Stakeholders’ POV
Jackson is sixty years old, so his main stakeholders are his dual-language teacher and his family.
I did not personally interview Jackson, but I imagine his teacher to be thinking:

“Jackson is a great student and a hard worker. He wants to please his family, and he wants to
learn English so that he can work and help his family prosper in the United States. He loves
living here and loves speaking English. He will work hard if need be to learn.”

I imagine his other main stakeholder to be Jackson’s wife, and in her own native language to be
saying something like:

“Jackson is the main breadwinner and he is our lifeline in English. Without him, we cannot
communicate with the outside world. The children need him to help them with their homework,
and I need him to help me with errands, the grocery store, and translating basic things like bills.
He handles all of that now.”

3. Evaluator Opinion
It is my opinion that as Jackson has proven himself to be an apt pupil of English, he can be given
more difficult tasks in order to help him with his conversational English. He is able and willing
to learn at an advanced age, and his family is dependent on him. It’s possible that at his age, he
will only be able to advance to a certain degree in a second language, but I believe he can
advance further than he is right now.

4. ELL Improvement Plan


Since Jackson’s formal English and informal English are at equal levels, and he can codeswitch
between them, my goal would be to help him with differentiation of the two, and to decipher
which words are appropriate for which situations.
Jackson also needs to learn to speak more quickly in conversation, which could be helped by
more practice. I believe he needs realistic practice in real settings to help him quickly ascertain
the English words needed for different scenarios.

I also believe that Jackson needs to build his English vocabulary so that he can easily remember
the words needed for each situation. He is currently using some French/Haitian words as
replacement for English words. But with practice, he can learn more vocabulary. I believe that
improvement for Jackson requires the participation and creativity of his teacher, and his family.

5. Solve the Scenario


Here are my recommendations for improvement:

1. Jackson should join a conversation group of some kind where he can regularly practice
speaking English with other ELLs and with an advanced speaker. The group should be a safe
environment where Jackson can make mistakes. Perhaps the teacher can invite an advanced
speaker to class to practice conversations with the students.

2. Jackson needs to use his informal/formal English in different situations. In this case, I would
advise some type of role play scenario where Jackson can practice using English in something
like an interview/job scenario, or something like the grocery store (in contrast). This will help
Jackson to differentiate between different types of English.

3. Jackson also needs to improve his vocabulary. In this case, I would suggest that Jackson keep
a small notebook that he carries around and write 2-3 words per day in Haitian/Creole where he
got stuck, or could not find an English equivalent, and then at the end of the week- look up their
translation in English. He could also do this nightly if he’d like. He can do things like post them
around his house, or in his car, or keep them in a notepad on his phone.

Stakeholder Involvement:

Jackson’s teacher and wife would be the main stakeholders to help with his more advanced
English education. His wife would need to be willing to begin learning English, and willing to
practice with him. I believe his children could also be employed to help with teaching him as
they learn in school. His teacher would need to be willing to engage with role-play scenarios and
bring more advanced learners into the classroom. Jackson mostly needs practice with other adults
at this point, and he is not getting that practice at home.

Reflection Questions:

1. Based on the case study above, what do you think is Jackson’s greatest need in learning
English and why?

2. Which strategies do you think will be most helpful for Jackson as he moves forward in
learning English?

3. What are some of the issues with our solutions to Jackson’s problem? What could solve some
of those issues?

Blooms Taxonomy Questions:

1. Explain Jackson’s level of understanding of English and his major areas of concern.

2. Compare and contrast Jackson’s ability to function in Haitian/Creole and his ability to
function in English. How can we step him into the same level of functionality in both?

3. What would be most helpful for Jackson’s ability to improve in English? Name three areas
where activities could be used to help him.

4. Consider Jackson’s motivations to speak English. What do you think is pushing him to
continue learning?

5. What would you do to improve Jackson’s ability to practice English day-to-day? Are there any
areas where he could possibly achieve more practice?

6. How would you measure success in Jackson’s case? What would you like to see happen in
five years? Ten years?
Intended audience: Teacher/Colleague

Names: Luisa Beesley, Brandon Hunter, Daniela Moreno, Amanda Rizzi, Morgan Russell

Semester and Year: Spring 2019

Phase 4 (Project #2)

Background, grade level and English proficiency level

In reviewing case study 3 for Jackson, our case study participant, there are some areas he will

have to improve in to achieve his goals of becoming a citizen and securing steady working in the

United States. The background on Jackson is he a 60-year recent immigrant to the United States

from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. During the course of the interview Jackson stated that he had

graduated high school and had experience working as an air conditioner repairman. Jackson is in

the early speech emergent stage in learning English, so there are a few problem areas to improve

on, namely in reading and writing. But Jackson is working proactively on his English learning

skills to improve in these areas to meet his goals and become more proficient in the English

Language.

Content Area of Focus

To become a successful United States citizen Jackson would need basic communication skills

in all content areas to interact with the general public should he be able to secure work, but for

the sake of the project and the participants creating the project we will focus on the Language

Arts content area of focus. As stated in case study three there were some issues in Jackson’s

limited communication skills. In speaking Jackson sometimes confuses the past tense and the

present tense, will not pluralize words that are meant to be pluralized, and sometimes misses

articles such as “the” and “and.” The same can be said for his writing skills after examining his

writing sample.
Objectives

Although Jackson is older than the intended target demographic as discussed in the early

examples of the first phase of the project, with the examples all being early to late teens and

Jackson being in his early 60s, our objectives would remain the same. If the group were to work

with Jackson it would be our focus to help him refine his speaking, reading, and writing skills to

become more proficient. To do that we would create mini-lessons to help further his skills and

encourage him to practice on his own reading, writing, and speaking in English whenever

possible. The overall objective being helping Jackson refine the communication skills he already

has.

Create teaching methods, strategies, or activities

There are various specially designed academic instruction for english (SDAIE) strategies to use

with ELLs, and we’ve decided to implement the following: Bridging, Schema-Building, Total

Physical Response, and Communicative Approach.

Bridging is a teaching strategy in which the teacher helps establish a link between the students’

prior knowledge and the newly presented material. Bridging is a scaffolding strategy that

involves weaving new information into existing mental structures. Bridging helps the new

information “stick” in the students’ minds. Activities that fall within this teaching strategy

include think-pair-share, quick writes, and anticipatory guides. Think-pair-share is a cooperative

learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or question regarding an

assigned reading passage. During the “Think” time, the teacher poses a higher-order thinking

question and gives students time to think about what they know about the particular topic. Next,

during the “Pair” time, students are paired together and share their thoughts and ideas with their
partner. Finally, the “Share” portion involves students sharing their thoughts and ideas with the

rest of the class. Quick writes involve giving students a set amount of time to express themselves

freely in writing. Finally, anticipatory guides, used before reading, involve a series of statements

about the reading that students can choose to either agree or disagree. These statements open up

the room for discussion, so students can talk about why they may agree or disagree with a

particular one. All of these bridging activities can be used to help establish a link between the

students’ prior knowledge and the new material to make the new material “stick” in the students’

minds.

Another teaching strategy that can be implemented with English Language Learners is Schema-

Building. Schema-Building involves helping students see the relationships between various

concepts. Activities that fall under this strategy/method include compare and contrast, jigsaw

learning, and peer-assisted learning. Compare and contrast is fairly self-explanatory and involves

comparing and contrasting various concepts to see the similarities and differences among them.

The jigsaw activity, as another example, is used during reading with small groups. Jigsaw

involves “expert” groups who gather information about a specific part of the reading and then

provide this information to all the students in the class. Jigsaw activities help increase

comprehension, while improving listening and communication skills. Peer-assisted learning is a

practice that involves pairing students at different abilities or English proficiency levels to work

together on academic tasks. Partner work such as this emphasizes what the teacher has already

taught. All of these activities help students to see interconnected relationships and to make

connections in their minds.


We will also be incorporating TPR, or Total Physical Response. In using this strategy, students

can activate several senses and their body in order to learn vocabulary and recall words. This

works with students of several ages, but those who already have an extensive vocabulary can

benefit greatly. Since our student has a vivid vocabulary already and just needs practice, it would

be beneficial for him to act out everyday situations, or do role-playing activities where he is

placed in physical situations that enable him to practice recalling vocabulary. He may also

benefit from acting out the dialogue from scenes or plays, as well as engaging with those in a

physical manner (like taking a drama class). This will help him to use several layers of his

thinking as he practices his vocabulary.

In line with the practical approach, we will also recommend the Communicative approach to his

education, which includes using language in its most real and practical form. As our student is

older and already very adept in the language except for a few missteps, we think he would

benefit greatly from speaking with native speakers. We could invite a native speaker to sit with

him and other students in a group and practice conversation. We could also have him observe

conversations in his native language and translate them actively or ask him to act as a translator

for his family members, etc. as an assignment for practicing his speech. Another

recommendation would be to begin a dialogue journal, in which he practices writing back and

forth with a peer or teacher. This method will enable him to practice the skill of practical speech

and also his writing and reading, which seems to need a bit of work at the moment and would be

the next challenge for him.


References

Breiseth, L. (2018, August 23). Getting to Know Your ELLs: Six Steps for Success. Retrieved

April 9, 2019, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/getting-know-your-ells-six-

steps-success

Eleni & Jamie ESOL 2 Case Study-Miscue Analysis and Writing Analysis(2019). Retrieved

from https://sites.google.com/site/elenijamieesol2casestudy/home/miscue-analysis-and-

writing-analysis

Eleni & Jamie ESOL 2 Case Study- SOLOM Analysis Analysis(2019). Retrieved from

https://sites.google.com/site/elenijamieesol2casestudy/home/solom-analysis

ELL Strategies & Best Practices. (2015, November 10). Retrieved April 9, 2019, from

http://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-strategies-best-practices

Peregoy, S. & Boyle, O. (2016). Reading, writing, and learning in ESL: A resource book for

teaching K-12 English learners (7th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Teaching Strategies for English Language Learners. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2019, from

https://www.supportrealteachers.org/strategies-for-english-language-learners.html

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