This was a presentation to content-area teachers in our high school - they each had a whiteboard and wrote true/false to the statements before we revealed the responses and rationale; all elements were then linked to practical classroom strategies.

1. By: Beth Amaral and Carla Huck
DHS SIOP Coaches

2. DO NOW:
Read the paragraph taken from “Exploring
American History” found at your table and
answer the following questions independently
on your paper.
1. What happened in 1831?
2. Why is this important?
You will be asked to share your answers in 5
minutes. Be ready!

3. The most violent slave revolt took place in
1831 in Virginia. It was led by Nat Turner, a
very religious man. Turner believed that God
had chosen him to lead his people to
freedom. The Nat Turner uprising did much
to end any idea Whites might have had that
Blacks were happy being slaves.
--taken from “Exploring American History”

5.  Participants will be able to examine their
prior knowledge of second language
acquisition and correct any misconceptions.
 Participants will be able to identify
characteristics of second language learners.
 Participants will be able to apply acquired
knowledge and strategies in their own
classrooms to improve student achievement.

6.  Read the statement on the slide. Determine
if you think the statement is true or false.
 Write either TRUE or FALSE on your
whiteboard.
 When everyone is ready, we will ask you to
show your response.

7. The emotional state of the
learner can interfere with the
acquisition of English.

8.  Anxiety can block the leaner’s ability to
process information.
This is called the affective filter.
 Speaking a new language
requires that the student takes risks.
 Students who are upset, scared or anxious
will raise the affective filter.

9. Implications for the classroom
Teachers should:
Create a learning environment that
makes ELLs feel welcome and comfortable.
Look for signs of stress build-up and
provide encouragement
Compliment positive behavior and work
Use mild, consistent consequences
Allow legitimate opportunity to move
about the room
Provide short breaks between
activities/assignments

10. All children learn a second
language in the same way.

11.  Second language acquisition is directly
impacted by a child’s linguistic and cultural
rearing, as well as social class differences.
 Schools in America use language as a way to
communicate meaning, convey information,
to control social behavior, and to solve
problems (style of talk is analytic and
deductive). Children are rewarded for clear
and logical thinking.

12.  Some immigrant children (from less
technologically advanced non-urbanized
societies) are taught in non-verbal means.
They are taught through observation,
supervised participation, and self initiated
repetition.
 Children in some cultures are more
accustomed to learning from peers rather
than from adults; others are used to lecture.
 Researchers have identified nine different
types of ELLs who have unique needs.

14. Implications for the classroom
Teachers need to be aware of cultural
and individual differences in learner styles.
Teachers should use a variety of
instructional activities—small group work,
cooperative learning, peer tutoring,
individualized instruction.
Effective classroom activities affirm the
values of the home culture and develop a
child’s positive emotional attitude toward
their background.

15. The more time English Language
Learners spend soaking up
English in the classroom, the
more quickly they will learn the
language.

16.  Language is not “soaked up.” The learner
must understand the communication that
is conveyed by teachers.
 This is called comprehensible input.

17. Acquiring a New Language Requires…
 Hearing and understanding messages from
teachers and English-speaking classmates.
 Receiving a message that is slightly above
current English language level.

19. Implications for the classroom
Teachers should…
 Deliver information to ELLs that is just
slightly above their English language
level.
 Include visuals, graphs, organizers,
photographs, and maps to support the
language in a lesson.
 Simplify language of instruction without
watering down the key concepts.
 Teach through multi-sensory modes
 Make sure directions are understood
(model frequently)

20. Teachers should be concerned
about newly arrived ELLs who do
not speak any English after six
months.

21. New learners of English may…
 Go through a silent period.
 Be unable or unwilling to communicate
orally in English.
 Remain in this stage for a few days or
more than a year.

22. Implications for the classroom
English Language Learners…
Need time to listen to others talk and to
digest what they hear.
Need time to develop receptive
vocabulary.
Should not be forced to speak before
they are ready.
*Unwillingness to speak does not mean ELLs
are not learning.

23. Literacy in native language
contributes to more rapid
acquisition of English.

24.  The most significant variable in how quickly
ELLs reach grade-level norms is their level of
literacy in their native language (Thomas and
Collier, 1997).
 Students with little or no academic and
cognitive development in their first language
do less and less well as they move into the
upper grades.

25. Implications for the classroom:
ELLs will acquire new concepts easily in
English if they already understand it in their
native language.
Teachers should encourage parents and
students to use their native language at home.
Schools should never tell parents that they
must speak English at home.

26. A lot of immigrant children have
learning disabilities, not
language problems. They speak
English just fine but they are
still failing academically.

27.  There are different levels of language
proficiency.
 Students may appear to speak English with
no problem “in the hallways with friends”
but in class, they just don’t seem to grasp
the concepts.
 Many immigrant children have been
misdiagnosed in the past as “learning
disabled,” when in fact people
misunderstood their fluency with social vs.
academic language.

28.  Comprise the social language students
learn to function in the classroom,
hallways, cafeteria, and on the school
bus.
 Takes from one to three years to acquire.

29.  Refers to the language of formal
academic learning.
 Is the language of written texts in content
areas such as math or science.
 Requires three to seven years or longer to
achieve.

30. Implications for the classroom
Schools must…
Be careful of exiting students from language
support programs too soon.
Realize that an ELL who is proficient in social
language may not be able to understand the
academic content of the classroom.
Be aware that there are ELLs with learning
disabilities, but they are more difficult to
diagnose. These are often students who have
been in the US for several years but have not
progressed in language proficiency, e.g. LAS Links
1 score for several years.

31. Until students learn English,
there is no point in trying to
teach them content area
subjects.

32.  ESL students need to continue their
content education.
 Secondary students have the greatest
likelihood of achieving education success
if they receive appropriate English
language and content instruction
simultaneously.
 In the study of content, students interact
in English with meaningful material that is
relevant to their schooling.

33. Implications for the classroom
Sheltered instruction (SIOP) is an
approach in which ELLs can participate in a
content course with grade-level objectives
delivered through modified instruction that
makes the information comprehensible to
the students.
The SIOP Model has a dual purpose: to
systematically and consistently teach both
content and language in every lesson.

34. Effective teaching practices for
ELLs also benefit native speaking
students.

35.  Effective practices for
ELLs are grounded in
professional literature
and in the experience and
best practices of all teachers
 These practices are beneficial to ALL
students but ESSENTIAL for ELLs

36. Implications for the
classroom
What makes an effective teacher?
1: Interest and explanation
2: Concern and respect for students and student learning
3: Appropriate assessment and feedback
4: Clear goals and intellectual challenge
5: Independence, control and active engagement
6: Learning from students
Excerpted from Effective Teaching: Six Keys to Success, The Teaching Professor, March 2006.
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/effective-teaching-strategies-six-keys-to-classroom-excellence/

37. Researchers cannot agree on the
most effective programs for ESL
students.

38.  Value the cultural identity of the
student
 Hold high expectations for ESL students
 Integrate language and content
 Provide ongoing PD for ESL and content
teachers
 Support whole school inclusion
 Promote collaboration among teachers
Based on the literature, ALL effective ESL
programs have the following elements:

39. Implications for the classroom
Effective classroom instruction for ELLs
should…
Be comprehensible to all learners
Be interactive
Connect school to students’ lives
Promote cross-cultural understanding
Develop language and literacy across the
curriculum
Help all students achieve learning outcomes

40. Think, Pair, Share!
What strategies/tools are you
currently using to support your ELL
students?

41. CELEBRATING SUCCESS --- CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF
SIOP

45. Reflecting on Learning
Rate yourself 1-3, how well did you meet the
objectives today?
1. I can teach the concept to someone else
because . . .
2. I can demonstrate my learning and want
to know more about . . .
3. I’m not sure, I need more . . .