Teaching English Language Learners: Practical Articles by Educators from The ELL Outlook

206 Pages·2011·0.79 MB·English

All of the articles in this publication were previously published in The ELL Outlook
e-newsletter, a copyrighted publication of Course Crafters, Inc., in the years 2002–2007.
Acknowledgements
This publication would not have been possible without the stellar design and production
expertise of Ellen Matlach of Ellenem Design ([email protected]).
Thanks also go out to the editors of The ELL Outlook, Alex Ragan and Suzanne Irujo, and
the many writers who contributed their expertise, research, and excellent writing to this
publication through the years.
Course Crafters, Inc.
Since 1993, Course Crafters (http://www.coursecrafters.com/) has specialized in designing
and developing student and teacher materials for the fast-growing English language
learner (ELL) market, in collaboration with scores of educational publishers. Course Crafters
is the author of a number of ELL programs, including The Academic Language Notebooks:
The Language of Math (Perfection Learning) and the online ELL Reference Center (EBSCO
Publishing). The ELL Outlook e-newsletter and The Course Crafters Guides to the K–12 ELL
Market are among the publications that Course Crafters developed to inform publishers
and school districts about ELLs and their educational challenges. Course Crafters provides
curriculum design and development, consulting, and professional development services in
the ELL field. For information, please contact:
Lise Ragan
Course Crafters, Inc.
P.O. Box 1058
Haverhill, MA 01931
978-372-3446
[email protected]
Copyright © 2011 by Course Crafters Inc. All rights reserved. When purchased as a single-user
license, this publication cannot be copied. For information on site licenses, please contact
Lise Ragan at [email protected].
Design by Ellen Matlach for Boultinghouse & Boultinghouse, Inc., New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
Contents
Preface .........................................5
SECTION 1
Best Practices in ELL Teaching ..................8
Speaking Before Reading? Or Both Together? ...........9 Using Performance-Based Assessments
in the ELL Classroom ..............................68
What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading
to English Language Learners? .....................14 What Teachers Need to Know, and Be Able to Do,
About Norm-Referenced Tests .....................74
Teaching Math to English Language Learners:
Can Research Help? ...............................23 Teaching the Academic Language of Textbooks:
A Preliminary Framework for Performing
So Just What Is the Academic Language
a Textual Analysis .................................79
of Mathematics? ..................................31
When an ELL Has Difficulty Learning,
Putting It All Together: Integrating Academic
Is the Problem a Disability or the
Math Language into Math Teaching ................39
Second-Language Acquisition Process? ............84
Why Is Nopadol Failing Social Studies? ................47
Flexible Grouping: Nobody Ever Said
Teaching Was Easy! ................................88
Using Adapted Texts in ELL Classrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Teachers’ Biggest Challenge: Not Being Able to
Promoting Native Language and Culture
Communicate with Students and Their Parents .....94
in English-Only Programs ..........................57
What to Do With Only an Hour and a Half a Week?
The Language Assessment Conundrum:
That Depends ...................................100
What Tests Claim to Assess and
What Teachers Need to Know ......................62
Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
Contents
(continued)
SECTION 2 SECTION 3
Stories of Successful ELL Programs ..........108 Voices from the ELL Field:
Experiences, Opinions, and Insights .........155
Driving the Lesson Home: Teaching ELLs
in Rural and Low-Incidence Regions ...............109 NCLB Requirements Prompt Changes
in ELL Assessment ...............................156
Steps to College Program Gives ELLs
a Big Academic Boost ............................115 Test Preparation for English Language Learners:
Pros and Cons ...................................161
Out of the Ashes: Phoenix Academy
Allows Newcomers to Soar .......................119 Speaking Softly, but with Passion:
A Profile of Dr. Virginia Collier .....................165
The Long Journey from the Wat: Part 1 ...............124
ELL Reform Efforts in San Diego:
Amazing Returns: The Final Chapter
A Conversation with Nonie Lesaux ................169
of Stories from the Wat ...........................129
The Challenges and Joys of Teaching Migrant ELLs:
Georgia Summer School Program
One Teacher’s Perspective ........................174
Bridges Gap for ELLs .............................133
Why Can’t Teachers Just Teach in a Way
Wisconsin Summer Transition Program
Kids Can Understand? Suggestions for
Removes Roadblocks for ELLs .....................136
Teaching Main Ideas .............................177
Parents As Students: A Unique Model
Teacher Diary:
of ELL Parent Involvement ........................139
A Chronicle of a First-Time ELL Teacher ............185
Swimming Lessons: How a Dedicated Teacher
Teacher Diary #2:
Changed Life for ELLs in a Rural Nebraska Town ....145
A Chronicle of a First-Time ELL Teacher ............190
Hands On: Can Sign Language Help
Teacher Diary #3:
ELLs Learn English? ..............................150
A Chronicle of a First-Time ELL Teacher ............195
2004 Teacher of the Year Stresses the Importance
of Native Language and Culture ..................200
About the Authors .............................203
Glossary of Terms ..............................205
Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
Preface
English language learners, or ELLs, is the term commonly used to describe the
approximately 5.5 million students who are currently enrolled in U.S. public schools
(pre-K through Grade 12) who are learning English as a second language (ESL). The ELL
population has grown from two million to over five million since 1990, a period in which
the overall school population increased only 20 percent.
ELLs represent a substantial and growing sector of our school population—currently
one in nine students in grades K–12. Largely because of immigration and higher
birthrates in language-minority communities, ELL enrollments have more than doubled
since the early 1990s. At the current rates of growth, ELLs will account for one of every
four U.S. students by 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Education (2006).
Course Crafters, Inc. (http://www.coursecrafters.com) has specialized in developing
content and materials for English language learners (ELLs) and their teachers since 1993.
In early 2002, immediately after the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), our company
started to create some articles on the fast-growing K–12 ELL market for educational
publishers. The articles were intended to focus on the implications of NCLB for ELLs
and, in particular, on the instructional materials designed for this growing population
of students and their teachers. We wanted the articles to be as practical as possible. By
highlighting the opportunities in the English language learner market, discussing the
growing pressure No Child Left Behind put on educators across the country, and detailing
the growth of funding sources for ELLs, The ELL Outlook was primarily meant to encourage
the development of more and better materials for ELLs and their teachers, and put ELLs
and the ELL market in the forefront of educational publishers’ minds.
Many publishers read The ELL Outlook, but we soon found another audience that read
it and appreciated it, too: ELL educators. Therefore, after several issues, we started to create
The ELL Outlook especially for ELL educators—teachers in the classroom who were working
with these students every day. The ELL Outlook evolved to include teacher blogs, news
features, opinion pieces, and articles, all of which translated theory into practice. The ELL
Outlook came to be by ELL teachers and for ELL teachers.
The ELL Outlook was published for more than five years. By 2006, it had become (and
still remains) a frequently quoted and often-used resource in professional development
workshops and methods courses for teachers of ELLs across the country. Many schools
of education and workshop presenters—from California to New Jersey and Texas to
Montana—frequently asked permission to use articles from The ELL Outlook to help
succinctly explain ELL best practices, define key issues in ELL education, provide insights
on how different programs across the nation deal with ELLs’ unique challenges, and offer
practical suggestions for teachers “on the front lines.”
Fast forward to 2010, eight years after Course Crafters published the first issue of our
e-newsletter focused on the ELL field. We still continue to get requests to reprint and use
many of the articles from The ELL Outlook, from teachers, trainers, schools of education,
and administrators across the nation. In addition, as they look to create more responsive
materials for ELLs, we know that publishers, editors, sales and marketing managers, and
Preface 5 Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
product managers from educational publishing companies would benefit from the articles
as well.
Therefore, we decided to compile some of the most popular and useful articles in
one volume, as a way to encourage further use of these practical articles by ELL teachers,
teacher educators, and educational publishers.
What’s New in This Book?
Teaching English Language Learners: Practical Articles by Educators from The ELL Outlook,
compiles five years of The ELL Outlook (2002–2007), bringing together stories of successful
ELL programs across the country, best practices in ELL teaching, and experiences of and
practical guidelines from ELL experts in the field. The collection offers:
●!A survey of articles addressing the most important issues facing ELL educators,
PreK–12.
●!A synopsis of each article, allowing readers to easily pick and choose which articles
interest them.
●!Space in the margin of every article, to encourage readers to take notes and make
observations as they read.
●!A glossary of terms, concepts, and ideas discussed in the articles, with definitions.
All of the articles included in this book focus on presenting ELL best practices in
a demonstrable, practical, and immediately usable manner. Many of the articles cite
additional resources, including websites, books, and other articles for learning more about
the topic.
How Is This Book Organized?
The book is organized into three sections:
● Section 1: Best Practices in ELL Teaching
● Section 2: Stories of Successful ELL Programs
● Section 3: Voices from the ELL Field: Experiences, Opinions, and Insights
Author biographies and a glossary of ELL terms follow the articles.
What Are Some Ways to Use This Book?
As we put together this book, we asked people how they thought it could be used by ELL
educators. Dr. Suzanne Irujo, an ELL educator herself and the long-time editor of The ELL
Outlook, wrote back with quite a few suggestions. Here they are:
By one educator alone:
● Personalize your readings: Use the space next to each article to keep a two-column
journal as you read. In the left-hand column, record things that strike you in some
way (e.g., something that is especially important, things you hadn’t heard or thought
of before, a unique way of doing something, and so forth). In the right-hand column,
make a note about how this thing might be applied to your own classroom
● Dialogue with yourself: After reading, reflect in writing about what you read. Do you
agree, disagree, why? Would this work in your class? Why, why not? How does what
you read change your teaching perspective? Several days later, return to what you read
and make notes about it. Play devil’s advocate and challenge yourself to think about
the issues more deeply. (If you write on a piece of paper, use a two-column format.
Preface 6 Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
If you write with a computer, use a different font or “track changes” for the second
entries.)
By two people:
● Pair observations: Both of you read the same article. Then you take turns observing a
class with ELLs that the other teaches, and making notes specifically about things that
relate to the content of the article. Share your notes with your partner.
● Pair journals: Take notes as you read the same article your partner is reading, relating
the article to your own teaching, and including questions you have about the article or
your class. Exchange journals with your partner and answer his/her questions.
● Pair discussion: After reading the same article as your partner, and noting things that
are particularly interesting as well as questions, get together with your partner and
discuss the article.
By small groups:
● Teacher study groups: Teachers who get together on a regular basis to discuss
classroom issues (with or without a facilitator) can use the articles to create an
agenda for their meetings. Pairs of teachers can read the same article, summarize it
for the group (main points, pros/cons, classroom implications, follow-up) and lead a
discussion about it.
● Collaborative conservations: Teachers read the same article before a meeting, each
bring questions and comments to the meeting, and discuss how the article relates to
their own teaching situations.
By large groups:
● Professional development: Articles apply to many different issues that ESL and
bilingual teachers confront, so the compilation can serve as a common basis for of
training sessions and work throughout a year for teacher staff development meetings.
● Methodology courses: Articles can serve as supplementary readings for a
methodology course, with discussions taking place in class or through an on-line
discussion board.
We encourage you to use the space on each page next to the articles to make notes about
how the insights and information in the article might be applied to your work with ELLs.
We hope you find the articles we’ve collected here informative and useful. Thank you
for all the work that you do to ensure that ELLs are academically successful!
Lise B. Ragan
CEO and Publisher
Course Crafters, Inc.
Preface 7 Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
SECTION 1
Best Practices
in ELL Teaching
8 Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
Speaking Before Reading?
Or Both Together?
Suzanne Irujo
Should reading instruction in English be delayed until ELLs’ achieve oral English proficiency?
This question has been debated extensively over the years. On the one hand, premature
reading instruction may result in students who are unable to gain meaning from texts.
On the other hand, by delaying reading instruction, ELLs may fall further behind their native
English-speaking peers. In this article, both sides of the argument are explored.
NOTES
I’m delighted to have a question from a reader, which may inspire some
of the rest of you to send questions. I never have all the answers, but
I hope I can help you think in new ways about issues related to the
education of ELLs.
The Question
A “curious graduate student in Massachusetts” writes:
I’m reading Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children
[Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children,
1998] for a class I’m taking and I had a question. On page 11 of the
executive summary, it says:
“Although print materials may be used to develop understanding
of English speech sounds, vocabulary, and syntax, the postponement
of formal reading instruction is appropriate until an adequate level of
English proficiency in spoken English has been achieved.”
This seems contradictory to what I’d assume (primarily based on
the idea of teaching language and content simultaneously). If a teacher
waited to start teaching an ELL “formal reading instruction” until
they gained “an adequate level of English proficiency,” wouldn’t the
student fall far behind his/her native English speaking peers? Isn’t this
especially dangerous since learning to read well before the 3rd grade is
so important? What—or who—determines an adequate level of spoken
English proficiency?
Although I am sure this is explained in greater detail farther on in
the text, I am having a hard time swallowing this now (especially since it
seems to be contradictory to what I’d assume).
Section 1: Best Practices in ELL Teaching 9 Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.
NOTES
This is an interesting question, and one that’s been debated for years.
The idea that reading shouldn’t be taught until after oral language has
developed first emerged during the language teaching “revolution” of
the 1960s that resulted in the audio-lingual method. At a time when
most foreign and second languages were taught through the grammar-
translation method and focused almost exclusively on reading and
writing, the audio-lingual method focused on the primacy of oral/
aural language. The premise was that when children acquire their first
language, there is a natural progression from listening to speaking, then
to reading, and finally to writing. It was assumed that learning a second
language should follow that same progression. The theory underlying
the audio-lingual approach to language teaching and learning was
thoroughly discredited by Chomsky’s revolution in linguistics (Chomsky,
1959), but the idea that children have to be able to speak a language
before they can read it has stayed with us.
Both Sides of the Question
The question of whether or not to delay second-language reading
instruction because of a lack of oral proficiency is one of those issues for
which I can present convincing arguments on both sides. The very nature
of reading is an argument for delay. If reading is the process of creating
meaning from text, and if text reflects the graphophonemic, morphemic,
syntactic, semantic, and discourse features of a particular language, then
it would seem to be impossible to create meaning from text written in
a language that one doesn’t know. If we try to teach preliterate children
to read in a language they don’t know, we risk creating nonreaders,
who understand neither the mechanics of decoding nor the concept
of reading for meaning. If we try to teach children who are literate in
another language to read in a second language that they don’t know,
we risk creating “word callers” who know how to decode but can’t create
meaning from the text because they don’t understand the language in
which it is written.
On the other side of the question, I agree with the reason given
by my curious questioner for not delaying reading instruction. We
know that it takes from six months to two years for ELLs to acquire
conversational language (Cummins, 1981). Assuming that a child enters
first grade with no oral English proficiency and no native language
literacy skills, that child might have to wait until third grade to begin
formal instruction in reading. It is very difficult for third-grade teachers
to accommodate nonreading children, making it unlikely that these
children would ever catch up. In an age of accountability, we cannot risk
having large numbers of ELLs behind in reading from the very beginning
of their school careers. Another reason for not delaying formal reading
instruction is that reading can help second-language learners develop
their oral language skills. This is particularly true of older students
with good native language literacy skills but occurs also with younger
preliterate children.
Section 1: Best Practices in ELL Teaching 10 Copyright © 2011 Course Crafters, Inc.