ELs and Language Arts

We all know that our language learners can struggle with Language Arts no matter how many times we teach and re-teach skills. But, WHY?!

To begin with, our language learners take longer to have a grasp on academic language than social language. Students can take between 5-7 years to reach grade level in academic language (and some take even longer!). On the other hand, social language comes more quickly between 6 months and 2 years.

Imagine being a language learner for a moment: you have one brain that functions completely in your native language and then another brain that is learning and functioning in English while learning English. Constantly transferring information between languages and using your new language to communicate all day seems like an exhausting task for anyone!

Content Area Reading

This type of reading poses is own special difficulties for our ELs. Students are learning how to read in English and then are required to learn grade level contents in the subjects as well. In order to make sure our ELs can have success in the content areas, we as educators can use their English Language Proficiency (ELP) levels to help differentiate and determine what will work best for them.

A few strategies for working on content area reading are:
a.) Prereading: After explaining the lesson objectives, make sure to point out any new or difficult vocabulary words. A great way to make connections here is to associate words with a photograph or picture that defines the word clearly.

b.) During Reading: Use graphic organizers and model your reading and thought process to help your ELs to see how you process language. Stop, check for understanding, and clarify things as needed to make sure the information is clear to your students.

c.) Postreading: After reading, give your ELs a chance to process the information they just learned. Review the graphic organizer you just completed, check for understanding with a differentiated writing activity, or even better, design a task that ELs can work on cooperatively with their peers.

Let's take a look at some of the ways we can help our ELs when it comes to Language Arts.

Language
*Link cognates in the native language and English when possible! This helps facilitate the transfer more readily for ELs.
*Choose targeted vocabulary words and include multiple ways to practice them including cloze activities, root word analysis, and word association tasks.

Cognitive and Metacognitive: Help your ELs to "Think About Thinking"
*Teachers should model reading and thought processes so that students can begin to analyze their own thought processes.
*Use prereading, prewriting, and other strategies for ELs to monitor their reading comprehension.

Sociocultural: Help Students Make Connections With Other Students
*Allow your ELs time to connect with other ELs and also native English speaking students.
*Facilitate activities that help them find the similarites they have as well as celebrate their unique differences.
*Creating a positive sociocultural environment will help your ELs become more comfortable and feel that they have a sense of belonging and confidence.

Pedagogical: Instructional Recommendations
*Instructional Conversations: Have conversations with your ELs about their reading. Discuss the story, key concepts, and make personal connections to the text. This will help EL students build comprehension skills.
*Literature Logs: Students can respond to writing prompts or questions related to their reading. They can share their writing with partners when they are finished.

Good luck and Keep Reading!
Mrs. Heise