This document discusses the differences between basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) for English language learners. BICS refers to everyday social language skills needed for interactions, while CALP involves more advanced academic language proficiency required for school. The document notes that while BICS develops in 1-2 years, CALP can take 5-7 years and supports are needed to help students develop this. Suggestions are provided for supporting both BICS and CALP development in ELL students.

1. How can I help my students?
Working with the Exited BIL/ESL Student
Angela Castaneda
ELL Content Specialist
2nd grade Bilingual Teacher

2. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
Experts such as Jim Cummins differentiate between social and academic language acquisition. Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills (BICS) are language skills needed in social situations. It is the day-to-day language
needed to interact socially with other people. English language learners (ELLs) employ BIC skills when they
are on the playground, in the lunch room,on the school bus, at parties, playing sports and talking on the
telephone. Social interactions are usually context embedded. They occur in a meaningful social context. They are not
very demanding cognitively. The language required is not specialized. These language skills usually develop within
six months to two years after arrival in the U.S.
Problems arise when teachers and administrators think that a child is proficient in a language when they demonstrate
good social English.
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) vs. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) Tutor training materials
developed by Elizabeth Baertlein, M.A. TESL, (2015)
BICS

3. CALPS
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
CALP refers to formal academic learning. This includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing about subject area content
material. This level of language learning is essential for students to succeed in school. Students need time and support to become
proficient in academic areas. This usually takes from five to seven years. Recent research (Thomas & Collier, 1995) has shown that if a
child has no prior schooling or has no support in native language development, it may take seven to ten years for ELLs to catch up to their
peers.
Academic language acquisition isn't just the understanding of content area vocabulary. It includes skills such as comparing,
classifying, synthesizing, evaluating, and inferring. Academic language tasks are context reduced. Information is read from a textbook
or presented by the teacher. As a student gets older the context of academic tasks becomes more and more reduced.
The language also becomes more cognitively demanding. New ideas, concepts and language are presented to the students at the same time.
Jim Cummins also advances the theory that there is a common underlying proficiency (CUP) between two languages. Skills, ideas and
concepts students learn in their first language will be transferred to the second language.
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) vs. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) Tutor training materials
developed by Elizabeth Baertlein, M.A. TESL, (2015)

4. Bilingual class vs. Mainstream class
● Warm inviting environment
● Caring and supportive teacher
● Bilingual teacher-Starts teaching to the
pacing guide, goes back 2 steps so that the
class understands, moves back to the
pacing guide, takes a step back to clarify,
etc.
● Teacher can speak in the home language if
needed to clarify
● Teacher speaks slower with lots of body
language and facial expressions
● Teacher uses visuals to make the content
more comprehensible
● Teacher assumes there is no prior
knowledge and builds background into the
lesson
● Warm inviting environment
● Caring and supportive teacher
● Mainstream teacher-keeps up with the pacing
“GUIDE”
● Speed of the teacher's speech is rapid!
● Students need to meet the expectations of the
mainstream class
● Students are in a classroom with new classmates
● Mainstream teacher may assume the student is
“getting it” because he/she is not asking questions
● Student may lack background knowledge to
completely understand concepts

5. What’s happening at the ESL classroom?
In ESL we are not teaching Language Arts.
In ESL they are learning the academic language in
content. The language of Science and Social Studies
are being taught.

6. How can we help you?
http://busyteacher.org/12900-what-quiet-esl-students-are-not-telling-you.html

7. You are awesome!
You are doing a great job!
You are amazing!
You are doing what you can with what
you have!
Thank you!

9. Mandarin Experience
Please get in groups of 4 so you can work together.
The activity will be lead by another teacher.
Center for Applied Linguistics. (2017) Demonstrating Comprehensible Input: Mandarin
Chinese
Lesson Video Clips. http://www.cal.org/resource-center/publications/Demonstrating -
comprehensible-input.

10. Classroom Accommodations
● Seat placement - buddy, close to teacher, near charts
● Slow down! (Don’t talk so fast, face them when you are talking, use your
body to communicate understanding)
● Clear classroom routines for everything
● Hang up posters/anchor charts/visuals in the classroom
● Google images for Starboard and Elmo
● Incorporate more visuals, realia, videos to support your instruction
● Word-wall should include words that were taught and used
● Teachertube or Youtube to build background
● Give instructions and directions orally and in writing
● Reduce multiple choice questions from four to two
● Allow extended time on a test
● Use explicit teaching methods
● Focus walls by subject

11. Realia
●Identify opportunities to use realia-when you preread a story,
identify vocabulary that may be familiar to the students and
locate realia that will be helpful.
Herrell, A. and Jordan, M. (2007) Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners. Pearson.
●Collect realia-we are used to keeping things-find the realia that
will support your lessons. Example-a story from Journeys-how
can it be supported?
Or Esperanza Rising-folder that I gave Mr. Katzman-Has
cognates, pictures, etc. of what is happening in the story.
Being prepared makes life easier

12. Relationships
● Smile
● Praise accomplishments
● Translate important notices if you expect parent
communication and involvement (Google translate)
● Be patient (they are currently your lower academic students)
● Touch base with last year’s teacher- she’s your biggest asset!
● They want to please and fit in

13. Journeys Modifications
● ThinkCentral-story in Spanish/English read to them
● Preview story (read story online before it’s introduced in class)
● Graphic organizers/Thinking Maps/Concept maps
● Pictures, pictures, pictures
● Use cognates (ELL tab in Journeys TE)
● Make connections to previous knowledge
● Write-In Reader-(less than 2 years below grade level)
● Expose to oral language activities:
○ ELL tab in Journeys (small group)
○ Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up (whole group;partners)
○ 3-step Interview (whole group; partners)
○ Timed, Pair, Share (whole group; partners)
○ Thinking/Vocabulary Concept Maps (small/whole group)
● Use sentence stems/starters to guide dialogue, discussions, and writing

14. Oral Language Activities-
3-Step Interview (5 minutes each)
Ask your partner each question and briefly write the answer to each question in each box. Be ready to share your
partner’s answers with the class. Use the vocabulary word in the response. These words are vocabulary from
Journeys.
1. What is something you have collected? Explain.
2. Do you prefer to eat scrambled or fried eggs? Is there another way you prefer to eat your eggs?
3. What are some ways your toys can be sorted?

15. Oral Language Activities - Stand up, Hand Up, Pair Up!
Use with the “Day 2 Developing Background” page to promote deeper understanding of vocabulary words. Pick
4 vocabulary words and create questions that build knowledge of those words. Have students answer questions
briefly (15-30 seconds) in each box. Then they “Stand Up” behind their chair. Put their “Hand Up” like to slap
five. After the teacher repeats the question and says “Pair Up”, students high five a partner and share their
answer to the question. Tell students they must use the vocabulary word in their response. The teacher should
walk around and listen to partners as they share. Do this four times total until all boxes have been shared. See
Example below:
Quadrant 1
collect
SAY: “What are some things you have
collected?”
Quadrant 2
sorted
SAY: “What are some ways the art supplies
in the classroom can be sorted?”
Quadrant 3
orders
SAY:“What is the order of the school day?”
Quadrant 4
rapidly
SAY: “What is the effect of doing a task
rapidly? What can be a bad effect?”

16. Oral Language Activities - Timed, Pair, Share
Use the activity below to promote deeper understanding or review of core
concepts and/or vocabulary words. Teacher selects an open-ended question. In
pairs, students share with a partner for a predetermined amount of time (15, 30,
45... seconds) while the partner listens.
Before switching roles, the partner shares something interesting they heard the
partner share. (ex. Thanks for sharing! Your most interesting idea was…)
Try it!
Topic: Some people might say trees are our most important natural resource.
Do you agree? Why or why not? Explain.

17. Math Modifications
● GoMath book (home connection)
● GoMath ELL Activity Guide Resource -
● Vocabulary visible-
○ have students “choose” words to explain math thinking
○ organized by academic concept
○ use as a dictionary
● Make connections to life, other subjects, vocabulary
○ Be aware of math vocabulary with multiple meanings
● USE MANIPULATIVES-we all have them
● TPR (total physical response, kinesthetic learners)
● ELL Language Support (Differentiated Activities)
● Concept maps to organize math vocabulary
● Soar to Success to preview and review

18. TPR in Math get them moving to create memory
Classics of Macarena dance-days of the week, months of the year, counting, letters. Why
not do it to the electric slide
Geometry dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I7s7U5Ql3E&list=PLGxZzN8y2BUNKdnrSN6mMUl
emJDdpSKHF&index=6
Flip turn and slide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSsasVyYcdM&list=PLGxZzN8y2BUNKdnrSN6mMU
lemJDdpSKHF&index=5
Greater than, less than, equal to (blazer Fresh)
https://app.gonoodle.com/channels/blazer-fresh/hollabaloo?s=Search&t=math
Math vocabulary to the cha cha-slide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTaEnzR7Wdg

19. Thinking maps
→Thinking maps are visual tools that students
and teachers can use to organize ideas.
● Can help introduce and clarify academic
language being used in class.
→This strategy reduces students anxiety of
writing in English because they can write short
phrases.
→ELL student can work with a partner or in a
small group so they they can contribute their
ideas verbally.

20. Examples of Thinking Maps
• Circle Map - used for defining in context
• Brace Map - used for identifying part/whole relationships
• Tree Map - used for classifying and grouping
• Double Bubble Map - used for comparing and contrasting
• Multi-Flow Map - used for analyzing causes and effects
• Bridge Map - used for seeing analogies
• Bubble Map - used for describing with adjectives
• Flow Map - used for sequencing and ordering

21. Science/SS modifications
● Lots of pictures
● Cognates
● Interactive notebook
○ Organizers
○ Thinking maps
○ study guides
● Teach how to study-alone, as partners, with flashcards, with the study guide
● Make sure STUDY is written as part of the homework for the week
● Study groups/buddies/lunch bunch
● Pearson Science books
● Highlight key vocabulary
● Allow illustrations as an answer on tests or for assignments

22. Helpful Websites
● www.colorincolorado.org great website with videos and articles on working with ELL students
● http://www.readwritethink.org: Read Write Think has classroom resources for K-12.
● http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/: It includes vocabulary, grammar, expressions,songs, abc animals, and
holiday activities.
● http://www.kizphonics.com/: It includes videos, reading material, audio activities, games, free interactive
tablet/iPad applications and assessments
● http://www.starfall.com/: Starfall is an online resource to aid reading with phonics, and phonemic
awareness practice
● http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/
● http://www.tesol.org
● http://a4esl.org/

23. Questions?
Concerns?
Angela Castaneda-ELL Content Specialist 2nd grade teacher @ PLD
acastaneda@ewrsd.k12.nj.us

24. References
Baertlein, E. (2015) Basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) vs.
cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) Tutor training
materials.
Herrell, A. and Jordan, M. (2007) Fifty Strategies for Teaching English
Language Learners. Pearson.