ESL/ELL Teacher’s Basic Stages of English Language Acquisition, Part 1

Prepared by Dr. Pier De Paola, May 6 2012, semi-retired school superintendent, designer of several ESL/ELL Schools, educational consultant

This is a handy tool to assist ESL/ELL teachers who are new to the challenges of motivating learners, either children or adults, to acquire English Language Proficiency. I use the standard ESL (English as a Seconf Language) and English Language Learner (ELL) rather than seven or eight other terms now in common currency. Teachers need not only focus on the English ability level of the learner but also on the learner’s age in the life cycle. The older the learners, the more developed are their fund of cultural, social, spiritual, economic and academic skills. The teacher needs to harness the fund of skills, beliefs and insights that the learner brings to the learning community. Teachers are reminded of the need to ensure that there is strong Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills(BICS) in English since this is the basis for the group activities that are indispensible for sharing and reinforcing individual learning. As James Cummins has pointed out, although BICS is indispensible to get the language acquisition process started, teachers must close the gap between the learners’ native language and English proficiencies in the Cognitive Academic Language Proficiencies (CALP) of students. This means that teachers must have clear goals and objectives toward ensuring that the student uses his or her native academic abilities in both English well as the language of origin.

The next four articles deal with more specific aspects of ESL/ELL: Part 2 deals with ESL/ELL for teachers who have native Chinese learners. Part 3 deals with ESL/ELL strategies using my adaptations of John Howard’s Multiple Intelligences Model. Part 4 deals with ESL/ELL Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies and part 5 deals with various unique ESL/ELL note-taking strategies and memory aids.  All these articles may be copied and recycled without permission.  I appreciate emails and comments as to their usefulness for teachers or school officials of ESL/ELL students!

STAGES	LEARNER TRAITS	TIME SPANS	BASIC TEACHER DAILY PROMPTS
At each stage the teacher nudges the learner toward the next stage:	Learner traits are subject to age of the learner since older learners bring their cognitive and academic preferences to bear on their English Language challenges.	Personal efforts and study skills can help shorten each stage in the process.	The teacher needs to ensure that students are active participants rather than passive spectators. The teacher must find ways to tap into the fund of knowledge that students bring with them. Routines must be organized in a way that ensures maximum student involvement and group level participation. Homework,  graphic organizers and daily feedback are indispensible strategies for ensuring maximum language acquisition.
Pre-Production; Youth under 10 have limited cognitive mastery in native tongue. Teens (11-19) bring greater cognitive/academic skills to all ESL/ELL tasks. Tap these skills Adults have strong academic, cultural & cognitive preferences that they want to apply to all ESL/ELL tasks	·          Has no or minimal ESL/ELL comprehension ·          Does not verbalize but sensitive to teacher or class mate acceptance ·          Listens to torrents of words & sounds ·          Nods ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ ·          Draw and point responses when asked ·          Attempts to use native language as a start point for decoding sounds and words ·          Eventually speaks a few words at a time ·          Best if not rushed into  response ·          Needs silence/think time between teacher question and student response ·          Seeks support and encouragement via non-verbal cues and activities ·          Seeks clear, simple direction and patient scaffolding by teacher ·          Seeks non-verbal and verbal positive immediate feedback	0 – 6 months *Auditory discrimination is the major challenge!! *Promote Individual Effort, teamwork, sharing, dialogue *See Hwk strategies *See Personal Dictionary & Thesaurus *Note-Taking strategies *See Cooperative Learn- ing Group Roles *Multiple Intelligences Chart linked to Stages ***Emphasis on BICS & Basic Vocabulary Building	·          Kinaesthetic Activities: Do as i do...; Greetings routines; line up tallest to shortest, month of birth ·          Hands-on Activities: Use realia, act out a song(ie-foot in, foot out) ·          Demonstrate and talk basic steps (ie: cooking rice) ·          Cut out, draw based on Word acquisition theme ·          Show me...   Point to...  Circle the... Where is...?  Who has...? ·          Verbal/Non-Verbal short skits to reinforce basic Interpersonal communication Skills (BICS) ·          Graphic organizers: K-W-L Format, Venn Diagram, Attribute Charts (color, Size, Shape, Function) ·          Cooperative learning groups (3 –5 Students); ensure heterogeneous skill Stages ·          Visual/nouns in context of a theme: create Personal Dictionary; Charts on a theme ·          Hear, speak, read, write 24x for mastery: Ensure maximum student involvement ·          Use MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE and Word-MES Formula ·          Spelling Bee from a list of BICS and basic CALP words ·          Major BICS Word/Noun themes: Greetings, Family, Body, Seasons & weather, Days & Months, Tell time, Basic Math (+, -), Local home, town & environment, School & teacher Commands, basic routines ·          Teachers need to have students experience all four modes of communication actively: Listen, Speak, Read, Write at BICS Level: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills ·          Teach specific vocabulary and ensure words, especially nouns, ae used in content contexts.
Early Production Student’s native language creates oral, speaking, reading and writing challenges, especially if native language does not have many cognates linked to English. All romance languages share a Latin/Greek cognate base which is lacking for native Chinese or Arabic speakers.	·          Has limited English comprehension ·          Produces one or two word responses ·          If confident will take chances as long as encouraged and not shamed ·          Participates using key words and familiar phrases ·          Seeks teacher support during attempts to take chances ·          Uses present-tense verbs ·          Responds well to teacher modelling and cooperative group activities ·          Seeks quick feedback ·          If native language lacks cognates linked to English, the student has greater difficulty in acquiring vocabulary.	6 months – 1 year *Promote Individual Effort, teamwork, sharing, dialogue *See Hwk strategies *See Personal Dictionary & Thesaurus *Note-Taking strategies *See Cooperative Learn- ing Group Roles *Multiple Intelligences Chart linked to Stages *Move from BICS to CALP	·          Model only correct response ·          Yes/No Questions ·          1 or 2 word answers ·          Lists on a theme, charts & Labels with academic content ·          Cloze sentences ·          Match pictures to words. Make first use of simple analogies for teen and adult learners ·          Syntax surgery during teachable moments ·          Make physical models of: house, map ·          Cooperative learning groups (3 – 5) ·          Pictures on a topic/theme are increasingly collated and labelled by student ·          Use MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE and Word-MES Formula ·          Graphic organizers: K-W-L Format, Venn Diagram, Attribute Charts (color, Size, Shape, Function) ·          Annual School/Public Presentation by group: Science Fair, research on a theme ·          Spelling Bee from a list of CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) words
Speech Emergence Ensure accumulation of short memorized rhymes, poems, songs & story passages so as to promote better diction, cadence and tone in oral communications.	·          Has good English  comprehension ·          Can produce simple sentences ·          Makes grammar and pronunciation errors ·          Receptive to teachable grammar & pronunciation moments ·          Can concert nouns to verbs and vice versa if encouraged ·          Responds well to language acquisition related to academic topic of high personal interest ·          English language learners are equally strong in an academic area similar to that in their native language; also, academic weakness is same in native and English acquisition ·          Frequently misunderstands jokes	1 – 3 years *Promote Individual Effort, teamwork, sharing, dialogue *See Hwk strategies *See Personal Dictionary & Thesaurus *Note-Taking strategies *See Cooperative Learn- ing Group Roles *Multiple Intelligences Chart linked to Stages *See from BICS to CALP	·          Tell me about...          Why...?            How...?          Explain... ·          Expand sentence with “because...”. “if, then...” ·          Phrase or short-sentence answers ·          Use some synonyms and antonyms as substitutes ·          Expose them to coordinating conjunctions (“and”, “but”, “or”) in compound sentences ·          Cooperative learning groups (3 – 5) ·          Phrases in picture contexts ·          Use MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE and Word-MES Formula ·          Graphic organizers: K-W-L Format, Venn Diagram, Attribute Charts (color, Size, Shape, Function) ·          Simple demonstrations: “how to....” ·          Host & MC: Annual School/Public Presentation by group: Science Fair, research on a theme ·          Spelling Bee from a list of CALP words
Intermediate Fluency *CALP (Cognitive and Academic Language Proficiency) and note-taking skills begin to take precedence. *Teacher must tap into learner’s major academic and hobby interests. *Teen and adults need forums to present learning	·          Has excellent comprehension ·          Makes few grammatical errors ·          Seeks opportunities to have skills and interests in one language transferred to that of another language ·          Academic and content areas of personal interests are needed to keep student motivated  at higher skill development levels. ·          Most have confidence in preparing and doing presentations. ·          Responds well with cooperative learning opportunities	3 – 5 years *Promote Individual Effort, teamwork, sharing, dialogue *See Hwk strategies *See Personal Dictionary & Thesaurus *Note-Taking strategies *See Cooperative Learn- ing Group Roles *Multiple Intelligences Chart linked to Stages *See from BICS to CALP	·          Short sentence production ·          What would happen if...? ·          Why do you think...? ·          Ask others to add to statements ·          Academic concept development ·          Cooperative learning groups (3 – 5) ·          Summarize short narrative OR factual articles ·          Use MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE and Word-MES Formula ·          Graphic organizers: K-W-L Format, Venn Diagram, Attribute Charts (color, Size, Shape, Function) ·          Increase CALP emphasis across academic areas ·          Familiarize students with idioms, metaphors, similies etc
Advanced Fluency *Teen and adults need forums to produce texts and objects of value to a community of learners and the public. Learners present their learning and respond to critics and the public	·          Has a near-native level of speech ·          Seeks forums and opportunities to share skills in areas of interest ·          Needs higher level cognitive skill development ·          Most inquisitive in areas of interest ·          Some are eager to lead, organize or MC public Assemblies, activities, competitions ·          Can play with language, repairs own mistakes ·          If has a sense of humour, learner can tell more sophisticated jokes or anecdotes	5 – 7 years *Promote Individual Effort, teamwork, sharing, dialogue *See Homework strategies *See Personal Dictionary & Thesaurus *Note-Taking strategies *See Cooperative Learn- ing Group Roles *Multiple Intelligences Chart linked to Stages *See from BICS to CALP	·          Present arguments, opinions with concrete examples ·          Critique, debate or write about topics that involve taking a stand ·          Re-tell, summarize various types of texts: narrative, factual, scientific etc ·          Demonstrate ability to edit one’s own texts and presentations ·          Correct and substitute words ·          Promote use and de-coding of idioms ·          Cooperative learning groups (3 – 5) ·          Use MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE and Word-MES Formula ·          Graphic organizers: K-W-L Format, Venn Diagram, Attribute Charts (color, Size, Shape, Function)

Adapted from Krashen & Terrell (1983).  The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom . Cummins (1984). Bilingualism and Special Education. Marzano, Pickering & Pollock (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works.   Vygosky (1978). Mind and Society. and others. 

Suggested Student Notebook Standards

SUGGESTED STUDENT NOTEBOOK STANDARDS

Student Notebooks are valuable memory aids as well as daily documents of key concepts and skills learned by a student. Notebooks are evidence to parents and evaluators that the school is teaching the program of study and that the student was exposed to key learner outcomes.

Each Division Professional Learning Team is invited to adapt the notebook standards identified below to suit your local needs. Some PLC Teams may choose another system of ensuring mastery of key concepts, vocabulary and documentation of student learning- ie- a student portfolio system.

Once the PLC members have identified their student notebook standards, it is important that administration and staff ensure that these standards are consistently met and shared with parents in the Agenda Book or during teacher-parent conferences.

DATE ON EVERY MAJOR DAY OF STUDY or ITEM ENTRY

Students need a format to show the day in which an activity is done. Here are some options:

Primary:           Wednesday, August 29, 2011

Gr. 1-3             Wednesday, August 29

Intermediate:  Wednesday, August 29, 2011

Gr. 4-6             Wednesday, July 8

                        Wed. July 8th

Junior High:  Wednesday, August 29, 2011

Gr. 7-9             Wednesday, August 29

                        Wed. August  29th

                        Month/Day/Year :    08/29/11

High School:   07/29/09

IDENTIFY THEME/ACTIVITY/ITEM ENTRY

Notebooks help students identify and reflect on major activities, conceptsin and academic vocab in a field of study. Also, the student notes provide parents evidence that homework was assigned and the material is being covered as per the teacher’s long range plan. The notebooks are invaluable data to be used at teacher-parent conferences.    

Primary:           Wednesday, September 28, 2011

(Theme)           About Our Weather In September

Intermediate:  Wednesday, Sept 8,

                        Addition: Ones and Ten Columns

(Activity)        Key Examples:   Add Ones                        Add Tens

(HWK)           HWK: pg 32- 1-6, 8,10, 14-17

(New Words)  Carry over, the sum,  ones column, tens column

Junior High:  Wednesday, Sept 8th

                        Pollution & Statistics: Local & Provincial

By having a chool or division standard, students can move effortlessly from one grade to another. Further the consistency in practices makes it easier for peers and family members to help each students meet school or class standards. Finally, it demonstrates to parents that the professionals at the school are implementing easily discernible standards.

REVIEW OF SUGGESTED STANDARDS FOR LOCAL STAFF DECISIONS

DATE:                        Wednesday, Sept 8,

THEME:         Addition: Ones and Ten Columns

ACTIVITY      Key Examples:   Add Ones                        Add Tens

HWK               HWK: pg 32- 1-6, 8,10, 14-17

The Division team needs to decide how to handle NEW ACADEMIC VOCABULARY.

Do you want to create a Section at the back third of the Notebook OR Do you want to highlight the NEW WORDS at the start of a lesson or as they pop up during a lesson?

Our students will continue to under achieve if they do not increase their academic vocabulary in each discipline. Mastery of key academic concepts and words are essential for student academic success.

New VOCAB:  Carry over, the sum,  ones column, tens column

The vocabulary needed for each academic activity is subject specific. Scientists, mathematicians,, artists, and writers need specific vocabulary to carry out their activities as well as understand each other as they discuss problems in a discipline.

Acquisition of Science vocabulary is extremely important since it is based on Latin and Greek words whose “roots” are alien to most students. The earlier that students acquire the basic technical words in a field of study, the greater the chances that they will begin feeling comfortable using sophisticated subject matter concepts: ie-cell, mitoses, meiosis etc.

The teacher needs to identify the words but also introduce the words in various subject matter and everyday contexts. If the word is representative of major concepts then these should be illustrated as diagrams or major examples in the Student Notebook. 

Weekly vocabulary activities within each subject are valuable and can be integrated into your review, KWL, Word Wall or test strategies.

Some teachers may wish to consider a Double Entry System for their Key Vocabulary:

1^st it may be introduced as part of your daily lesson vocabulary. Lesson “KEY MATH WORDS” Entry is by heading: KEY MATH WORDS.

This option gives students and adults a clear picture of the new technical words acquired or covered by the students during that lesson. It can be the basis for tests and discussions or exercises on family of words and meanings, multiple meaning of words or how a meaning is determined by its context: ie cell-

The prisoner is in his cell.

The cell of an amoeba splits in two.

 The cell in this battery is dead.

The monk prayed in his cell.   

2^ND teachers may wish to create a GRADE 6 NEW VOCABULARY WORKBOOK or a KEY VOCABULARY Section at the back of the student’s workbook.

Notebooks can make an invaluable contribution in student skill and subject-specific concept acquisition. By providing a Notebook format that is school-wide both parents and students can be enlisted to help the individual learner make use of illustrative  examples as well learn key concepts and vocabulary.

Another Option: COLOR CODE NEW VOCAB SECTION:

You decide on how to use colors to spice up the notebook.  For example, all blue in math, green in science, red in social studies etc. Ultimately, students will realize that the same word may be used to mean different things in different contexts. Also, the earlier that they deal with the literal or figurative meaning of a word the better they will be in building their language arts comprehension and writing skills.

OTHER USES OF NOTEBOOKS:

1. Teachers may have open notebook exams.
2. Use the new words in one or more subjects as a basis of Friday or end of unit test materials.
3. Have students glue to their notebooks key diagrams, picture prompts for a story, marking matrix, graphic organizer templates, study tips, math measuring units etc. Essentially, the notes are a source for students to study key concepts and a place to return to when reviewing a discipline.
4. Teachers may have students who miss classes ( our less than 75% attenders) catch up on their notebooks. By having a format, it’s easy for students to know what they need to do. It is evidence for parents who are called in for a conference.
5. Teachers may award recognition or prizes for best notebook, easiest to read, best illustrated etc.
6. Teachers may take an activity such as a story outline or story and use the student’s narrative as an illustrative example.
7. The vocabulary words may be used for a classroom or inter-school Spelling Bee Competition.
8. Each day or week students would be asked to post the Key words or concepts on the Word Wall or Smart Board sheet for later use by teacher and students.
9. Students are asked to type the words on a computer and put them on the Teacher’s memory stick. The word, its meaning and an illustrative example in context is typed and then printed by the teacher at the end of a Unit. Then the list is glued to the student notebook as part of a test prep activity.
10. Create your system of Notebook Cues: *****,     ****.   ***,   **, *
11. Teachers need to review the quality of student work and ensure that HWK is corrected on a daily or timely basis. Put your initial and date reviewed!!!
12. In the higher grades, teachers may have students and TAs assist with the correction of homework. This is especially useful for ensuring students are involved in maintaining quality standards and assisting with timely marking of notebooks.
13. For those teachers that have students write First Draft and Second draft of a Story, please ensure that 1^st draft is on the Left side of the Notebook and 2^nd draft is all on the Right side. This allows the student to compare the drafts. Some teachers have another student of choice write the 2^nd draft etc.
14. Teachers need to review the student notebooks to gather data in handwriting and spelling skills of students. What are the recurring student problems that show up in a student notebook?
15. Since Student Notebooks ensure that students write everyday, they promote  adherence to Alberta’s printing (K to early Grade 3) and cursive writing standard (Grade 3 on).
16. Students need to be reminded to have a Title for each picture or diagram.
17. The Division’s teachers are encouraged to adopt standards for their whole Division-Primary, Intermediate, Junior High , or High School rather than for each grade!
18. Ability to take notes or summarize key concepts in college and university are a determining factor in student course success.