LITERATURE, LITERACY, AND THE ESL LEARNER

Classroom Strategies for Student Success

Williamson County Schools In-service / October 2005Dr. Dorothy Valcarcel Craig

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

Who are the English Language Learners in Tennessee?

Subgroup Total Students Enrolled

Percent

Hispanic**2001 / “Other

Minorities”

30,759 3.5%

Limited English Proficient

19,352 / 200412,362 / 2001

2.1%Increase by 47% from 2001

Who are ESL Learners in Tennessee?

County Hispanic Asian

Davidson 5,988

7.8%

7,071

9.2%

Memphis 3,711

2.9%

4,249

3.4%

Rutherford 1,038

1.5%

1,326

4.4%

NOTE: Approximately 4,000 ESL students were tested during the 2004-2005 school year (Grades 3rd – 8th )

Systems Showing Increases

Williamson

Hispanic = 554

Percent = 2.4%

Bedford

Hispanic = 794

Percent = 11.2%

Warren

Hispanic = 463

Percent = 7.3%

Knox

Hispanic = 1,114

Percent = 2%

Where are they?

Memphis City Schools4,2493.4%

Knox County

1,114

2.0%Metro-Davidson County

7,0719.2%

Rutherford County Schools

1,326

4.4%

Data Source

TN Schools Report Card 2004

Williamson County Schools

554

2.4%

Factors to Consider Language Acquisition

• Time Allowed• Peer or Societal• Exposure to Language• Formalized Activities• Sequencing of Skills• Basic Processes• Awareness of “Rules”• Motivation• Reward/Punishment• Transfer

• Unlimited / Limited• Family / School• Surrounded / Partial• Natural / Forced• Gradual / Onslaught• Experiment / Immediate• Natural / Forced• Basic / Survival• Positive / Negative• None / Interference

• Student’s language proficiency

• Ability to read and write in L1

• LEP students– Still acquiring basic

knowledge while learning to read and write

– ESL students benefit from English literacy instruction

• Students L1 literate– Bring basic knowledge, skills,

and attitudes – Are able to transfer– L1 literacy contributes to L2

Comparing Language Acquisition

Developing ESL Readers & WritersESL Reading1. Developmental

processes similar in L1 and L2

2. In reading, all learners utilize:

English language knowledgeBackground experiencesPrint conventions to make sense of written text

ESL Writing1. In writing, all learners

utilize:English language knowledgeBackground experience and world knowledgeUnderstanding of print conventions to put ideas on paper

• Dangers:– Overrepresentation of

culturally diverse students in special education

– “monoglottosis” – tendency of monolinguals to ignore or underestimate influence of language proficiency on individual’s performance

– Cultural and linguistic biases in commonly used tests

Distinguishing Between Language Difficulties and Learning Difficulties

• Administer the usual diagnostic battery but take into account the student’s bilingual background when interpreting the test profile

• Delay assessment in the hope that the student’s poor academic performance is the result of “normal” second language development

• Dangers:– Assessment nor

intervention is not possible as a result of the “wait and see” stance

– Those students who do require special education services will be denied

Distinguishing Between Language Difficulties and Learning Difficulties

The Age Factor

• Immigrant students –ages 8-12 with several years of L1 schooling take 5-7 years to reach academic “norms”

• Immigrant students –ages below 8 take 7-10 years to reach academic “norms”

Language Development Skills

• Communication

• Fluency

• Language Functions

• Patterns/Structures

• Authentic Concepts

• Vocabulary

• Behavior

Double DemandsAcquiring a New Language While Mastering the Old

• Things to Consider:Match Literature and Content Area InstructionUtilize pictures for Effective InstructionPlace emphasis on low-level literacy skillsUse literature in place of “regular” textsSelect words that relate to human motivation (ex: anxious and memory)Engage in discussion of the words frequentlyDo not drill on lengthy word listsFocus on two-three critical words for several days

Utilize short stories, below-grade level books, and personal writing

The Transition From L1 to L2What can teachers do to assist the process?

Building on Background Knowledge

Drawing on Personal

Experiences

Assisting in Rereading

Pivotal Portions of Text

Promoting Extended

Discourse –Writing and

Discussion

Helps contextualize story themes, content, and vocabulary

Sustains motivation and helps students make concrete and conceptual connections to text and content

Assists in providing “comprehensible input” and aides comprehension and connections

Provides opportunities for “instructional conversations”to use language for elaboration

Literature Circles and ESL Students

Discussion groups in which students meet regularly to talk and dialog about books.

The organization and structure of the circles vary—but most have common threads:

RATIONALE

• Promote a love for literature

• Reflect a constructive model

• Encourage extensive and intensivereading

• Invite natural discussion and oral language development

• Foster interaction, collaboration, and diverse response to text

• Provides opportunities for choice

• Exposes students to multiple perspectives via literature

Interactive Reading for ESLRATIONALE

• Provides opportunities for comprehension and oral language development

• May be utilized with any age and proficiency level

• Interactive and inclusive

• Assists in developing vocabulary within the academic setting

Cognitive Mapping and ESL

RATIONALE

• Works effectively with beginners intermediateELLs

• Acts as a scaffold

• Enables use of story grammar and structure

• Encourages recognition of basic story elements

• May act as a springboard for writing

Characters: Setting:

Characters: Solution:

Chunking Technique

RATIONALE

• Provides focus for reading

• Assists with organization of ideas

• Builds study skills

• Assists with note taking

• Encourages discussion

• Builds comprehension and vocabulary

RATIONALE

• Organization of thoughts

• Provides a focus

• Leads to authentic writing

• Springboard for ideas

• Breaks up assignment into “manageable pieces”

• Enables development of written language

In the story, Ba, saves a lotus seed and carries it to a new land. The seed is special

to her because it helps her remember a special person that she will no longer be

able to see. The seed travels on a journey with Ba to her new home. She keeps the seed for many years, but then something happens that makes her think she lost the

seed forever. As the story ends, she realizes that the seed has turned into a

beautiful flower that she can share.

Writing Prompts

The CALLA Method Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach

Background Information

The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approachwas originally developed as an instructional model to meet the academic needs of students learning English as a second language in American schools. Influenced by Cognitive Theory, the approach utilizes content and language learning strategies as tools for language development.

The CALLA method is appropriate for students who have:

• developed social communicative skills through engagement in beginning ESL classes

• already acquired basic academic language skills and are ready for metacognitive activities.

CALLA Content Area Instruction

• Provides hands-on experiences

• Links lesson topic to prior knowledge

• Enables students to use technical language

• Addresses different learning styles

• Provides a general overview

• Shows students how to ask and answer higher-level questions

• Allows teacher to monitor student comprehension

• Enables students to utilize graphic organizers

• Provides resources for students to use

CALLABasic Components

• Content Topics

• Academic Language Skills

• Language Learning Strategies

The SIOP Model• A means for making grade-level academic content more

accessible for ESL students while at the same time promoting English Language Development

• The practice of highlighting key language features and incorporating strategies that make content comprehensible to students.

The SIOP Model• Lessons Combine Three Knowledge

Bases for Student Success:– Knowledge of English

– Knowledge of Content

– Knowledge of How Academic Tasks are to be Accomplished

More on SIOP

• Sheltered Instruction Enables:

– Integration of language and content

– Infusion of cultural awareness

– Utilization of literary and content scaffolds

• Builds:

– Declarative Knowledge (factual information) through instruction and learning tasks

– Procedural Knowledge (how to accomplish tasks) through modeling and utilization of study tools

Language Objectives

SupplementaryMaterials

AuthenticAssessment

Tools

StudentInteraction

MeaningfulLearning

Tasks

Adaptation ofContent

Building BackgroundKnowledge

AppropriateContent

Concepts

Content Objectives

Lesson PreparationLesson Components

http://www.mtsu.edu/~eslep

Teacher Resources

Student Work

Book Reviews

Online Journal