For ELLs to succeed, ESL teachers must wear three hats. They must provide systematic English language development, content support, and be advocates and experts. This session will explore all three roles, offering practical tips and resources for each.

1. Out of the Peaceable Kingdom
The Three Roles of the ESL Teacher
MinneTESOL 2015

2. Rita & John
• Rita Platt is a Nationally Board Certified teacher. Her experience
includes teaching learners of all levels from kindergarten to
graduate student. She currently is a Library Media & Reading
Specialist for the St. Croix Falls SD in Wisconsin, teaches
graduate courses for the Professional Development Institute,
and consults with local school districts.
• John Wolfe is running for VP of MinneTESOL.
Wolfe Supports Shakira as the next MELED Keynoter!
•ritaplatt@hotmail.com
• john.wolfe@mpls.k12.mn.us
•http://www.weteachwelearn.org/tag/rita-platt/
• http://mplsesl.wikispaces.com/Home+Page
• @ritaplatt
• @johnwolfe3rd Your soul, my soul,
MinneTESOL!
Vote for the man
with the squarish head!

3. Relax … Everything (and more) is on The Wiki
http://www.mplsesl.wikispaces.com/
PD must be:
Continuous, Collaborative, Communicative

4. What do we mean when we refer to the ESL
classroom as a “Peaceable Kingdom”?
In your experience …
1. to what extent was
this true in the past?
2. to what extent is it
still true
3. What’s good about
the ESL Classroom/
Peaceable Kingdom?
4. What’s bad about
the ESL Classroom/
Peaceable Kingdom?

5. What is the “Peaceable Kingdom?”
We Teach We Learn
(www.weteachwelearn.org)
http://tiny.cc/3csPK

6. Why did the profession leave the “kingdom”?
•It didn’t work.
•It separated
students.
•Space, time, &
staffing issues.
•The law.

7. What are your actual roles?
What do you think they should be?

8. The Roles
•Provide English language
development (ELD)
•Support meaningful access
to content learning
•Provide advocacy and
expertise

9. The LawCivil Rights Act, HEW Interpretation 1, 1968
• All students get a free public ed, regardless of country of origin.
• Must modify instruction to make sure all have access to content.
Civil Rights Act, HEW Interpretation 2, 1970
• Must also teach English.
Lau vs. Nichols, 1974
•All must have equal access to the curriculum.
• How do we do that?
• Bilingual Programs
• Sheltered/Modified Instruction
• ELD (English Language Development)
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/landmark-court-rulings-regarding-english-language-learners

10. The Research
•Similar English Learner Students,
Different Results: Why Do Some
Schools Do Better?
(http://tiny.cc/3csSimilarELs )
• English Language Development
Guidelines for Instruction
( http://tiny.cc/3csAFT_ELD )

11. The Research First, proven
effective practice …
1. Clear goals & objectives
2. Appropriate & challenging material
3. Well-designed instruction &
instructional routines
4. Clear input & modeling
5. Active student engagement
&participation
6. Informative feedback to learners
7. Application of new learning &
transfer to new situations
8. Practice & periodic review
9. Structured, focused interactions with
other students
10. Frequent assessments, with
reteaching as needed
11. Well-established classroom
routines and behavior norms

12. Features that count …
Domain For ELs For All
1. Using assessment data 20.4 16.7
2. Availability of resources (with
“teachers” seen as the #1 resource)
17.9 16.9
3. Coherent standards-based instruction 17.3 17.6
4. Prioritizing student achievement 14.7 16.3
5. High expectations for student behavior 10.3 12.3
6. Involving and supporting parents 10.1 9.9
7. Teacher collaboration 9.4 11.0
School Sample (N)
237
(high EL)
257
(original sample)

13. But …
ELs in an English
instructional environment
will almost certainly need
additional supports so
that instruction is
meaningful and
productive.
Goldenberg
ELLs are more
successful when they
participate in
programs that are
specially designed to
meet their needs
(ESL, bilingual, etc.) …
and when the program
is consistent
throughout the
student education
Genesee & National
Literacy Panel
EL’s class of 2012 – rate
of 4, 5 or 6-year
graduation:
• Graduated: 65.4%
• Dropped out: 14.75%
• “Unknown”: 16.5%

15. Systematic ELD
• Stand-alone, ELD class through
WIDA level 5
• Students groups at like-levels
• 30-45 minutes a day
• Explicit, systematic instruction
• Focused on forms (“grammar,” “patterns”)
• Systematic Vocabulary development
• All four domains with a focus on speaking
and listening
• On-going progress-monitoring
Why a
narrow band
of like
levels?
To increase the odds
that the whole class
will be ready & need
the content being
teaching.

16. Resources for ELD
• Dutro (https://mplsesl.wikispaces.com/file/view/functional-grammar-
ELD-Matrix-of-grammatical-forms.pdf)
• Iowa Standards (Focus on Standard 10)
http://www.elpa21.org/sites/default/files/Final%204_30%20ELPA21%
20Standards_1.pdf
• Scope & sequence from Redwood City School District, CA
(https://sites.google.com/site/rcsdelddepartment/resources/video-
library/scope-sequence &
http://www.examenglish.com/CEFR/cefr_grammar.htm)

17. Susana Dutro's
ELD Matrix of
Grammatical
Forms -- one
effort at a
developmental
progression of
grammatical
forms.
http://tiny.cc/3csELD

18. Meaningful Access to Content
•Co-Teaching
•Intentional
•Based on shared
learning targets
•With Can-Do
Descriptors in mind
•Using modified
assessments
http://www.schools.utah.gov/sars/Instruction/CoTeaching.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCn4qDyuZVE

19. Meaningful Access to Content
•Shared learning targets derived fr Power Standards
•Posted standards
•Differentiated Assessment using Can-Do Descriptors
FOCUS!

20. What they don’t tell you in Teaching College
Reading K-8 Standards Is Intellectual Heavy Lifting
Word Bank
chelipad
fanned tale
long antennae
pincer
rostrum
short antennae
swimmerets
tail flaps
uropods
walking legs
What standard does this
support? What learning
target?
What language
objective does learning
those words support?
So why do
they do it?
Um, because
it feels
science-y?

21. What they don’t tell you in Teaching College
Reading K-8 Standards Is Intellectual Heavy Lifting
Word Bank
chelipad
fanned tale
long antennae
pincer
rostrum
short antennae
swimmerets
tail flaps
telson
uropods
walking legs
4. Life Science
3.4.1.1.1
1. Structure and Function in Living Systems
1. Living things are diverse
with many different
characteristics that enable
them to
• grow,
• reproduce and
• survive.
Compare how the different structures
of plants and animals serve various
functions of growth, survival and
reproduction.
For example: Skeletons in animals
and stems in plants provide
strength and stability.

22. What do these pictures
show us about
adaptation and basic
life functions?

23. What do these pictures
show us about adaptation
and basic life functions?

24. 12 Tips
1. Allow for wait time.
2. Understand language acquisition
levels (WIDA Levels & Can-Do
Descriptors.)
3. Create a safe environment.
4. Use students as mentors in L1 & L2.
5. Speak slowly.
6. Provide sentence frames.
7. Provide background.
8. Work with the ESL teacher.
9. Engage parents.
10. Use visual and graphic supports.
11. Be mindful of higher level ELLs.
12. Honor the students native language
and culture. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/unlocking-language-ells

25. •If you could pick 5
what would they be?
•What if you could
only pick 3?
1. Allow for wait time.
2. Understand language acquisition
levels.
3. Create a safe environment.
4. Use students as mentors in L1 & L2.
5. Speak slowly.
6. Provide sentence frames.
7. Provide background.
8. Work with the ESL teacher.
9. Engage parents.
10. Use visual and graphic supports.
11. Be mindful of higher level ELLs.
12. Honor the students native language and
culture.

26. Advocacy & Expertise
http://www.weteachwelearn.org/2012/02/beyond-the-kidney-shaped-table-the-new-role-of-the-specialist/

27. Check Your Facts

28. Check Your Facts
Amhara people (Amharic)
1994 Census data on religion
 81.5% Ethiopian Orthodox
Christian;
 18.1% were Muslim, and
 0.1% were Protestant

29. Advocacy & Expertise
•Heart of service
•Share good news
•Always assume best intentions
•Leave your ego at the door

31. Why did the profession leave the “kingdom”?
•It didn’t work.
•It separated
students.
•Space, time, &
staffing issues.
•The law.

32. Continuous, Collaborative, Communicative