Do you have a new ELL student in your class?
Entering a new school can be overwhelming, especially if you don't speak the language. It is important to make the experience as welcoming as possible for the new student. When a student who speaks another language enters the school, it is crucial that the ELL staff be notified to initiate testing and determine is the students is eligible for ELL services.
There are some newcomer materials at this site to assist teachers in meeting their ELL students' needs.
English Learner Guidebook: Changing Educational Outcomes for English Learners
Resources for parents, teachers, and students
English Language Learning Basics
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The process of acquiring a new language mirrors the process we go through when we acquire our first language. English learners typically start with a pre-production, or silent period, when first introduced to English. During this period, students begin to comprehend English, but do not yet attempt to speak it. This period can last from a few days to many months, depending on the student.
There are two district dimensions of language proficiency that students need to succeed in the classroom: conversational fluency and academic language.
Jim Cummins, University of Toronto, spearheaded a large body of research in this area. One of the major findings of this research is that learners acquire conversational fluency typically in about one to two years. That means that a student can "speak English" fairly well at the end of that time period. As ELLs continue to acquire English, they begin to produce one or two word phrases, and then move to sentences. As students are acquiring English, they will often struggle with grammar and pronunciation, but our emphasis should be on conveying meaning, not grammatical perfection.
Research shows that it can take an English learner up to 9 years to acquire academic language commensurate with native English speaking peers.
Our goal for English learners after they have developed this basic interpersonal language is to help them continue to develop their academic language.
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El proceso de adquisición de un nuevo lenguaje refleja el proceso que atraviesan cuando adquirimos nuestra primera lengua. Estudiantes de Inglés general comienzan con una pre-producción, o período de silencio, cuando se introdujo por primera vez a Inglés. Durante este período, los estudiantes comienzan a comprender Inglés, pero todavía no intento hablarlo. Este período puede durar desde unos pocos días a varios meses, dependiendo del estudiante.
A medida que los estudiantes ELL, continúan adquiriendo el inglés, comienzan a reproducir frases de una o de dos palabras, y luego pasan a las oraciones. Mientras los estudiantes están adquiriendo el inglés, a menudo luchan con la gramática y la pronunciación, pero nuestra prioridad debe ser el significado de comunicación, no la perfección gramatical.
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