English Language Learners

English Language Learners

Cooperative groups are used as a strategy for teaching ELL students. This strategy has been proven effective for teaching content material as well as a second language. In a cooperative group situation students are each given the opportunity to speak and participate. As students work in a group with their peers they can observe the natural conversational language. These face-to-face interactions will promote language skills among students that are learning English. Interesting and well-structured assignments are best for this type of learning situation. An example of an appropriate task would be discussion questions based on a story that has been read in class. When separating students into cooperative groups, it is important to place students with different levels of English acquisition in each group. This allows the students to hear a broad range of language skills as they are being learned by others. The students t hat have already reached Basic Interpersonal Communication (BIC) is able to function well in this type of situation. In the given classroom, the students could be divided into six groups of five students. Each group should consist of at least 2 English speakers, 1 Emergent language learner, and a student with a level of either Cognitive Academic Language (CALP) or Basic Interpersonal Communication (BICS). The remainder of the group can be filled in with the other students, varying the levels appropriately. The learning outcome of this strategy is for the students to be able to interact with their peers. The more an ELL student is exposed to language in a conversation situation, the higher their chances are of acquiring the skills.

Pre-instruction activities are important strategies that have an impact on both ELL students and those whose native language is English. Teachers can use semantic webs to help students organize their information and thoughts into a functional visual. The topic of the discussion or lesson is put in the center of the web and additional facts and details are added around it. One way to engage the class in this type of activity is to ask students what knowledge they already have on the topic presented. Then, the teacher can create a semantic web or graphic organizer to represent this information. This strategy is helpful when teaching students about plots, characters, settings and themes. The students are able to visualize the main ideas and how they interact with the topic. Those students that have a level of Emergent language learner may have some difficulty with this strategy if they are not given additional instruction. Pairing these students with English speakers or those on a higher level may be helpful. The expected learning outcome of this strategy is for students to be able to visualize information and organize it in a meaningful way.

Visual aids are always effective in presenting lessons and presentations. ELL students can benefit from this strategy in several ways. The Emergent language learners are especially receptive to this strategy. Gestures and charades involved with visual aids are helpful as well. Activities that are hands-on are successful in encouraging ELL students to use language skills. An example of a hand-on project that could be used is the creation of an