Academic purpose

1. Setting English Learners Up
For Academic Success
EL Strategies for the Regular Classroom

2. Core Concepts for Teaching
English Learners
• Don’t assume an EL is fully literate in English because they
sound like a native English speaker in conversation.*
• ELs are not blank slates. Having ELs share their unique
knowledge is an opportunity to expand everyone’s knowledge
and perspectives.
• Differentiate for language level; do not change core content
or lower depth of knowledge levels. ELs think critically and
perform complex tasks as well as non-ELs when properly
scaffolded.

3. Getting to Know Your ELs:
Important Questions
• Do you read/write in your native language(s)?
• What was school like in your native country (if
applicable)? What, if anything, surprises or confuses
you about school in the U.S.?
• Which language do you prefer to use when
reading/writing for school?

4. Getting to Know Your ELs:
Important Questions
• Do you have a computer at home? Do you have internet
access at home? Do you have someone who helps you
with homework?
• What supports or resources most help you
use/understand English?
• What can I do to help you understand when you are
speaking/listening/reading/writing in English?

5. Background Knowledge Check!
• Question 1: What is BICs?
• Question 2: What is CALP?
• Question 3: Why is it important for educators to
recognize the differences between BICs and
CALP?

6. English Learners Need to “SWRL”
• All 4 domains of language acquisition—Speaking,
Listening, Reading, and Writing—need to be exercised
daily.
• ELs benefit from content area lessons prioritizing and
utilizing each linguistic skill equally.
• When designing lesson plans, teachers should ensure
ELs have to “SWRL.”

7. Introducing New Words/Skills:
Talk It Out First
• Once ELs possess Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills (BICs), they can use BICs as
a base from which to learn and add to their
academic vocabulary.
• However, since BICs are only oral communication
skills, ELs must have academic conversations
before being asked to use new language in
reading/writing.

8. Strategies to Support ELs:
Be A Model Speaking Mentor
• Speak slowly and clearly; avoid slang, sarcasm, idioms, etc…
• Intro concepts using simple language ELs already know
• Highlight new vocabulary: Discuss, add to a word wall, use
visuals, pantomime, gesture, act things out
• Model critical thinking skills/strategies—let ELs hear your
thinking
• Allow wait time and keep positive tone
• Don’t explicitly correct mistakes; do model correct usage in your
own speech when responding

9. Strategies to Support ELs:
Be A Model Speaking Mentor
• Classroom talk should not just be focused on the teacher
checking for comprehension, but as a means of helping
students develop their own thinking.
• Be careful not to have all conversations use the
“initiate/respond/evaluate” model.
• Plan for classroom conversations to have a clear purpose and
expected outcomes.

10. Strategies to Support ELs:
Reduce Teacher Talk Time
• Research shows that the more students talk and work
together in class, the more they learn.
• However, in today’s classrooms, teachers talk 75% of
the time on average (Hattie, 2012).
• Teachers can support ELs by structuring their lessons to
include opportunities for student speech.

11. Free Tools to Support EL Talk Time
• Accountable Language Sentence Stems
• Accountable Cards and Sentence Stems-Elementary and
Secondary, English and Spanish
• Accountable Talk Stems (Life in Fifth Grade)
• “How to Empower Primary Students Using Accountable Talk”
(Education to the Core)
• Accountable Talk Bookmarks
• Conversation Starter Bookmarks (That Teaching Spark)
• Accountable Talk Posters (Quality Educators)

12. Free Tools to Support EL Talk Time
• “Math Talk 101” with free Math Talk Stems poster and
bookmarks (Scholastic)
• Math Talk Bookmarks
• “26 Sentence Stems for Higher-Level Conversation in the
Classroom” (Teach Thought)
• “Question Stems to Help Apply Bloom’s Taxonomy”
(ThoughtCo.)
• Higher Order Thinking Question Stems (Grinnell)
• Marzano Taxonomy-Question Stems (Learning Sciences
Marzano Center)

13. Strategies to Support ELs:
Creative Comprehension Checks
• Frequent comprehension checks are especially crucial
for ELs.
• Provide ELs with multiple avenues for responding and
demonstrating comprehension (or lack thereof).
• Make sure comprehension check methods do not all
rely heavily on complex/extended language use.

14. Making Comprehension Checks SAFER
for ELs
• Making your classroom SAFER welcomes ELs to contribute:
• Safety: Make it clear it is safe to make mistakes in your class.
• Attitude: Be positive and encouraging during checks.
• Frequency: Checks become less stressful when they are a
regular part of classroom routine.
• Equanimity: Check both students you think “got it” and those
who did not. Everyone having to participate keeps it fair.
• Returns: Point out progress made during checks. ELs who see
checks are helpful are more likely to welcome them.

15. Free Tips and Tools to Support EL
Comprehension Checks
• “10 Creative Ways to Check for Student Comprehension” (Busy
Teacher)
• “20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Everyday”
(TeachThought)
• “20 Creative Ways to Check for Understanding” (Brilliant or
Insane)
• “10 Ways to Check Reading Comprehension” (Busy Teacher)
• “Six Ways to Check Comprehension in the Language
Classroom” (S-TESL)

16. Free Tips and Tools to Support EL
Comprehension Checks
• “Take Their Pulse! Formative Assessment in the Language
Classroom” (The Comprehensible Classroom)
• “Why You Should Never Ask ‘Do You Understand?’: 6 Tips to
Help You Check Comprehension” (Busy Teacher)
• “5 Creative ESL Reading Comprehension Activities Your
Students Will Love” (FluentU)
• “46 Activities to Check for Learner Comprehension”
(ESLArticle.com)
• Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding (Edutopia)

17. Strategies to Support ELs:
Lowering the Affective Filter
• ELs must perform intellectual double duty when learning
English and content info simultaneously.
• This additional work is taxing, and can be stressful. ELs may
exhibit increased tiredness or periods of “zoning out” compared
to non-EL peers.
• Anything that actively causes stress raises students’ “affective
filter” and impedes comprehension and learning.*

18. Strategies to Support ELs:
Lowering the Affective Filter
• Strategies that lower affective filter:
• Learn to pronounce EL’s name properly
• Assign a peer partner
• Clearly establish classroom rules and routines
• Post a visual daily schedule
• Label classroom objects in both languages
• Offer one-on-one assistance when possible
• Allow low ELP ELs to participate using no language
or limited language

19. Strategies to Support ELs:
Invite Culture into the Classroom
• One crucial strategy for lowering affective filter is providing
opportunities for ELs to share about their native cultures.
• Strive to use books and materials that represent a wide variety
of cultures, including those shared by your ELs, and help ELs
make connections between their cultures and those being
discussed.
• ELs need to see where they fit in U.S. culture and classrooms
and feel their unique knowledge is valued there.

20. Communicating New Content:
Make It Multi-Sensory
• Multi-sensory instruction that appeals to the 5 senses gives ELs
more than one way to make connections and learn concepts.
• Since ELs rely on non-linguistic input to interpret English, multi-
sensory lessons can greatly increase their understanding and
participation.
• Conveying info using multi-sensory methods appeals to tactile,
kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learners, and is especially
helpful for ELs with learning/attention issues.

21. Background Knowledge Check!
• Question 1: What is a cognate?
• Question 2: ELs should be allowed to access/use their
native language when learning in English—true or
false?
• Question 3: What dictionary types are most helpful for
ELs?

22. Strategies to Support ELs:
Leverage Native Language and Cultural Knowledge
• Teach ELs to look for cognates and provide references that
identify real vs. false cognates.
• Anything ELs have learned in their native language can be
transferred to their learning in English. Help ELs make these
connections by allowing native language resources and
discussions.
• Supporting/encouraging native language literacy is key to EL
success in learning English.

23. Free, One Stop Cognate Resource for ELs:
Cognates.org
• Cognates.org has wonderful resources including:
• The Online Dictionary of Cognates
• The Cognate Highlighter Browser
• Free ebook Teaching Cognates
• The Cognate Writer (highlights Romance language
cognates in copy and pasted text)
• Free cognate classroom posters
• Many free cognate lists…and more!

24. Example Lesson: Differentiating Wonder*
for EL 6th Graders
• 1 newcomer (Composite ELP 1.7-native language Spanish,
literate in Spanish, had formal schooling in Mexico)
• 2 intermediate (Composite ELPs 3.2 and 3.5-native languages
Spanish and Burmese. Spanish speaker has always attended
U.S. schools; is not Spanish literate. Burmese student literate in
Zomi, but reads below grade level due to limited/interrupted
schooling while a refugee.)
• 1 nearly proficient (Composite ELP 4.2-native language
Vietnamese. Entered U.S. in 2nd grade. Literate in Vietnamese,
but prefers reading in English).

25. Step 1: Ramp Up With Resources
• Provide Spanish edition of Wonder to newcomer. (Local
libraries may have available, but free versions available
online.)
• Provide abridged English edition of Wonder to all ELs.*
Provide multiple versions at varying reading levels
whenever possible.
• Provide access to free audiobook version of Wonder on
Youtube.

26. Step 1: Ramp Up With Resources
• Provide access to tablets/computers, or allow ELs
to use phones or personal devices to look up
vocabulary and concepts with which they are
unfamiliar.
• Encourage ELs to use Google Translate to look
up words in their native languages and listen to
their pronunciation in English.

27. Step 2: Set Up Your Classroom For Success*
• When possible, seat ELs with students who speak their native
language.
• Seat ELs with low ELP with ELs with higher ELP, and strong
native English speaking students.
• Make sure EL resources are organized and easily accessible,
and that ELs can use them without calling attention to
themselves.

28. Step 3: Make Vocabulary Vivid
• Preview key/academic vocabulary. Review awesome, free
vocabulary visual aids offered by Mr. W. Reads before (and
during) class read alouds.
• Have students create their own definitions and draw pictures to
accompany new words. Include sound and/or gesture with new
words when possible.
• Add new words to word walls and/or journals* where they are
easily visible/accessible to students.

29. Step 4: Build Basic Comprehension
• Read aloud the picture book, We Are All Wonders. Consider
using other picture books that tie into Wonder’s themes.
• Discuss Wonder’s themes. Provide visual aids to illustrate
ideas like difference/disability, bullying, and kindness.
Provide sentence stems to help ELs frame their thoughts in
English.
• Watch Wonder movie trailers. Discuss: What do students
think will happen in the book after watching? What
connections did they make while watching?

30. Step 5: Plan for Purposeful Reading
• Select/discuss quotes illustrative of chapter’s theme(s)*
before beginning day’s reading. Discuss with class; include
ELs by asking if there are similar ideas/sayings in their
native language(s)/culture.
• Preview chapters by viewing chunks of movie version of
Wonder prior to day’s reading. Discuss or otherwise
indicate any differences between book and movie.
• Discuss/view historical/cultural connections. Where does
Wonder’s story fit into what ELs already know?

31. Step 5: Plan for Purposeful Reading
• Break reading into chunks; have students partner read and
discuss. Provide Post-Its so they can annotate ideas and mark
unfamiliar words or confusing passages.
• Read aloud/lead class read aloud. Provide graphic organizers*
to help ELs manage and record new info, such as a story map
or K/W/L chart.*
• Have students partner again and discuss after read aloud.
Circulate to check comprehension and identify those who may
need additional small group help.

32. Step 6: Creative Comprehension Checks
• Allow many opportunities for students to orally answer
questions and retell the reading in their own words. Make sure
questions are open-ended and require critical thinking.
• Do frequent formative assessments; provide choices for how
students may choose to demonstrate knowledge.
• Allow ELs with lower ELP to demonstrate what they know in
ways that do not rely solely on English language use; e.g.,
acting things out.

33. Takeaway: “EL Strategies” Are Really
“Good Teaching Strategies”
• All students benefit from multi-sensory teaching approaches,
differentiation, and scaffolding.
• All students benefit from being able to clearly see where they fit
into the culture of their classroom, school, community, and the
U.S. as a whole.
• All students benefit from learning to use critical thinking
strategies in speech before trying to apply them in their
reading/writing.

34. Question Time!
•If there is anything I did not address
today that you need to know, or if
you have any questions about any of
the topics discussed here today,
please let me know—I’m happy to
help!

35. Contact Information
Please feel free to reach out to me—I’m always
happy to help!
Elizabeth Warren
Director of English Language Proficiency
Assessments
elizabeth.warren@sde.ok.gov
(405) 522-5073