The document discusses strategies for educating English Language Learners (ELLs) in American classrooms. It notes there are 149 languages spoken and students have different experiences and language abilities. It recommends using an asset model and scaffolding instruction. ELL language acquisition occurs in stages from pre-production to advanced fluency. Strategies are outlined for each stage, such as total physical response, interactive word walls, dual language books, and closed captioning. The goal is to create awareness of cultural diversity's impact and equip teachers with effective ELL teaching methods.

1. Understanding the Cultural-Linguistic Divide in
American Classrooms: Language Learning Strategies for a
Diverse Student Population
Professional Journal Article Review
By
Nadia Afzal

2. Introduction
 There are 149 different languages spoken in American
Classrooms
Students come with different prior knowledge, experiences,
level of schooling, and fluency in their native languages
Need to employ methods and teaching approaches to teach
English Language Learners

3. Purpose
 Create awareness on effects of cultural diversity on vocabulary
and prior knowledge required for listening, reading, speaking
and writing
 Educate teachers about the different stages of language
acquisition for ELLs
 Equip teacher with different strategies that can be used in
each stage to facilitate new language learning experience

4. How To Educate ELLs
 Teachers use Asset Model
 Provide scaffolding for reading instructions
 Set attainable goals
 Incorporate student’s culture into curriculum
 Small group work
 Explicit instructions
 High quality vocabulary
instructions

5. Stages of Language Acquisition
 Pre-Production
 Early Production
 Speech Emergence
 Intermediate Fluency
 Advanced Fluency

6. Stage 1: Pre- Production
 Students are active listeners
 Students rarely use English
 Students rely on pictorial and other non-
verbal representations

7. Strategies
 Total Physical Response
 Word and Concept Sorts
Total Physical Response

8. Early Production
Students feel secure
 Utter few words or short phrases
 Students can use simple memorized words
correctly but still make errors that hinder
understanding
 Open ended questions should help students
recall prior experience

9. Strategy
 Interactive word wall
 Picture and sentence Match
Interactive Word Wall

10. Stage: 4 Speech Emergence
 Students gain confidence and language skills
 May still have limited vocabulary and
command on language
 May still be able to understand stock phrases
and academic language highly familiar to
them

11. Strategies
 Dual Language Alphabet or Concept Books
 Schema Stories
Schema Stories

12. Stage: 4 Intermediate Fluency
 Students may be able to read with considerable
fluency
 student will be able to locate specific facts within
texts
 Grade-level literacy still pose challenges due to
complex nature of sentence structures and different
vocabulary meanings
 Student’s oral and written work becomes almost like
native speakers

13. Strategies
 Student Self- Monitoring
 The K-W-L Chart
K-W-L Chart

14. Stage: 5 Advanced Fluency
 Students can take several years to reach from
intermediate stage to advanced fluency stage
 Students have built strong vocabulary
 Students have hold on synonyms, inflections,
and academic content

15. Strategies
 Closed-Captioning Television
 Foreign Films with English Subtitles

16. Reference
Holmes, K. P., Rutledge, S., & Gauthier, L. (2009). Understanding
the Cultural-Linguistic Divide in American Classrooms:
Language Learning Strategies for a Diverse Student
Population. Reading Horizons, 49(4), 285-300.