ACCOMMODATIONSFORELLs:

THECONTENTTEACHERESLTEACHER
PARTNERSHIP

Dr.CheriMicheau,Presenter
Pleasesendquestionsandcommentsto:phoebejack@aol.com

PDE/PaTTANVideoconference
Feb.24,2005

PRESENTATIONOVERVIEW
I.Purposesandaudienceforthepresentation
II.ThecontentteacherESLteacherpartnershipandtasks
III.GenerallanguagedevelopmentforELLs:Processesand
sequences
IV.Classroomlanguagelearningopportunities
V.Whyareaccommodationsneeded,andforwhom?
VI.Principlesofaccommodationforinstructionand
assessment&cautions
VII.Typesofaccommodationswithexamples
VIII.Classroomcases,forfurtherdiscussion
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IX.Newstandardsandaccommodations
X.Selectedreferences
I.Purposesandaudienceforthepresentation:Thelongrecognized
needtohelpcontentteacherswithaccommodatins,butsomanyto
reachinsolittletime;amixedaudience=ablessing,asafirststep
towardourgoal.
PrepareESLteacherstoconsultwithcontentteachersonaccommodationsforELLs.
Equipcontentteacherstoworkwithcolleaguesandteammatesonaccommodations
forELLs.
Helpadministratorsandteachersmakegooddecisionsonpolicyandproceduresfor
ELLs,includingschedulingofcooperativeplanningtime.
Considertypesofpartnershipsthatcouldworkatdifferentschools.
ReviewwaysinwhichcontentteachersarealreadyassistingELLsintheircontent
classrooms(infacilitatinglanguagelearningandculturaladjustment).
Considerspecificproblemsinaccommodation(throughcases,questionsand
discussion):howandwhattoaccommodate,whentoaccommodate,andhowtomeet
theneedsofstudentswithvariousbackgrounds.
ConnectESL/contentstandardstoaccommodationprocedures.

GOAL:AstatewidenetworkofESL/contentteacher
teams"spreadingtheword"!!!!

II.ThecontentteacherESLteacherpartnershipandtasks

ESLteachers'maintasks(workinginconjunctionwithotherresourcepersonnel):
DesignappropriateEnglishlanguagecoursesandteachEnglishlanguage/literacyfor
academicandsocialpurposes(placeandexitstudentsfromESLprogram),facilitate
ELLs'culturaladjustment,createasafeenvironmentfornewcomers,serveasliaison
andoutreachtoELLs'families,deliverinformationonESLandELLstocolleagues,
monitorELLs'socialadjustmentandlinguistic/academicprogress.(NOTESL
teacher'stasks:translationofdocuments,teachingortutoringincontent,giving
contenttests,helpingstudentsfinishspecificcontentassignments.)
Contentteachers'maintasksforELLs:Provideaccesstocomprehensiblecontent
instruction,facilitatestudents'languagelearning(throughmodelingandfeedback),
monitorELLs'socialadjustmentandlinguistic/academicprogress.

ESLcontentteacherpartnership:Teacheachotheraboutcontentandlanguage
learningandworktogethertoconnectthetwoareasinrespectiveclassrooms,consult
onrespectivecurricula,planforandconsultonindividualELLs.
ESLandcontentteacherstogether:InvolvetheWHOLESCHOOL,asateam,in
workingwithELLs(guidance,socialandpsychologicalservices,IST,speechand
language,etc.).

TYPESOFpartnerships:a)informal,inthehall&onthe
runconsultationorinformalemailinformationexchange;
b)coplanning(inregularteamorgradelevelmeetings,or
occasionalcoplanningopportunitiesforspecialprojectsor
incoplanningshelteredinstruction);
c)adjunctteaching(inwhichESLteacherreinforcesthe
languagerequiredforaspecificcontentcourse);
d)coteaching(ESLandcontentteacherworkinthesame
roomatthesametimetodelivercontentandlanguage
instruction);
e)MANYOTHERS!

PartII:DiscussionQuestion
Discussandevaluatethetypesofplannedandcasual(formalandinformal)
cooperationbetweenESLandcontent/classroomteachersthatyouhavebeenableto
fosterinyourownschoolbuilding.Considerwaysinwhichthepartnershipcould
bestrengthenedand/orexpanded.

III.CommonquestionsrelatedtosequencesofdevelopmentforELLs:
ProcessesandsequencesthatcontentandESLteachersmayobservein
differentELLs.
A.Whydoesn't_____talkinmyclass?
RECEPTIVESKILLS(andsilentperiod)PRODUCTIVESKILLS

B.____soundsfinewhenItalktoher.WhydoessheneedESL?
BASICLANGUAGEFORSOCIALPURPOSESACADEMICLANGUAGE

C.____keepsgettingupinmyclassandwanderingaround,and___
keepsdrummingonthedesk.Couldtheybeemotionallydisturbed?
CAUTIOUSBEHAVIORRECKLESSABANDON

D.Iasked___totalkabouthiscountry,butheseemedembarrassed.
I'mtryingtogethiminvolved!
L1/C1loyaltybiculturalismL2/C2fanaticism

E.Iwasamazedthat___canspellreallywell.Sheneversaysawordin
myclass!!!!
STARTINGSTRENGTHEXPANDINGSTRENGTHand"PILINGON"otherskills

F.___wasjuststartingtotalk,andnowsheisreallyquietagain.What
happened?
PROGRESSbacktrackPROGRESSregressPROGRESS!!!!

G.___seemstospeakEnglishreallywell,buthedoesn'tusecommon
courtesyinclass!Whyisthat?
AREAOFEMPHASIS/GAPS:
ACCURACY(correctgrammar,
pronunciation,wordchoice)

MEANING
(cancommunicate
desiredmessage)

USE
(understandsrules
forappropriate
languageuseand
forselecting
appropriate
styles)

H._____seemstosetreallylowstandardsforherself.Iwanthertobe
successful,butsheneedstotakeprideinherwork,don'tyouthink?
COPINGSUCCEEDING

PartIII:DiscussionQuestion
ConsideranELL(ormorethanone)withwhomyouhaveworkedfromYearIto
YearIIandwhoseprogressyouhavebeenabletoobserve.Considerthetypesof
changesyouhaveobservedinattitude,abilitytocopewithcontentlearning,
behaviorandgenerallanguageuse(quality,quantity).

IV.Incidentallanguagelearninginthecontentareas:Examples

A.BEC(July1,2001),"EducatingstudentswithlimitedEnglishproficiency(LEP)
andEnglishLanguageLearners(ELL),"recommendsthefollowinghoursofESL
forstudentsatvariouslanguageproficiencylevels:
NonEnglishspeakingstudents:23hoursdaily
Beginnerlevelstudents:2hoursdaily
Intermediatelevelstudents:1to11/2hoursdaily
Advancedlevelstudents:1hourdaily.

B.Oncestudentshaveacquiredabasiclevelof"survival"English,ESLteachers
addressELLs'academiclanguagecompetence(readingandwritingforcontent
areapurposessuchasdefiningandexplaining,forexample;makinggoodclass
presentations;takingnotes).
C.ContentteachersalreadymaybehelpingELLslearnEnglish,withnofurther
accommodations.Followingareafewexamplesoflanguagelearningopportunities:

Listening

Speaking

Reading

Writing

Hearing
pronunciationof
&recognizing
commonterms.
Interpretingdirect
andINDIRECT
teacherlanguage
(discipline,
requestforinfo,
praise).
Hearingmodels
forintonationof,
forex.,questions
andexclamations.
Listeningforcues
fornotetaking
(first,second).

Observing&
practicingmodels
ofspeakingfor
differentpurposes
&indifferent
styles.
Usingavarietyof
linguistic
functions:explain,
requestinfo,
criticize.
Selectingand
practicinguseof
vocabularywords
andphrasesfor
commonsocial
andacademic
purposes
(greetings,
startingclass,
chastising
class).

Quickreading
fromboardor
OHP
Identifying
organizationof
varioustest
formats.
Readingand
interpreting
graphics.
Listeningand
readingalong"up
tospeed"(if
teacherusesnotes
onblackboard).
Applyingreading
strategies
(exs.=reading
withapurpose,
guessingmain
ideas,usingtext
toolssuchastable
ofcontents).

Reading&
transferringto
notes.
Copying&
labeling.
Observingand
"takingin"models
ofdifferent
sentencetypes,
wordorders,
(grammar).
Noticingand
applyingrulesof
appropriateness
forwritinginthe
contentareas(how
towritealab
reportorresearch
paper,forex.).

PartIV:DiscussionQuestion
Consideroneofthefollowingtypesof"generic"contentlessons(oronewithwhich
youaremorefamiliar).Brainstormwithyourtablematessomeofthewaysinwhich
ELLscouldlearnLANGUAGEskillsorU.S.CULTURALknowledgeby
participatinginthiscontentlesson.(Also,ifyoucan,suggestwaysinwhicha
teachercouldincorporateinformationonELLs'culturesintothelesson.)
Cooperativescienceprojectinvolvingplantingseedsandgraphingplant
growthinsmallgroups;
Literaturecircleactivityinwhichstudentsarereadinganddiscussingapicture
book(orothertypeofbook);

 Classtriptotheschoollibrarytosearchforbooksforaprojectinsocial
studies(orothercontentarea),withhelpfromlibrarian;
Teacherpresentationonthenewfoodpyramid(throughtransparenciesand
students'takingnotes),inpreparationforahealthquiz.

V.Whyareaccommodationsneeded,andforwhom?
VA.WHYaccommodatecontentinstruction?

YOUWANTALLSTUDENTSTOLEARN!!!!(ManyELLs
areVERYmotivatedtoachieveacademically,andmanyoftheirfamiliesare
verysupportive.)
Legalrequirementsandneedforallstudentstoachieve(NCLB).
(FromNCLB,PartA,EnglishLanguageAcquisition,LanguageEnhancement,
andAcademicAchievementAct,Section3102,PurposesofNCLB:"2)to
assistalllimitedEnglishproficientchildren,includingimmigrantchildrenand
youth,toachieveathighlevelsinthecoreacademicsubjectssothatthose
childrencanmeetthesamechallengingStateacademiccontentandstudent
academicachievementstandardsasallchildrenareexpectedtomeet,consistent
withsection1111(b)(1).")
AccommodationsmayhelpstrugglingNATIVESPEAKERS,aswell.
Facilitatethelanguageacquisitionprogress&providebuildingblocksoflanguage
acquisition:Comprehensiblelanguageinput,output/practiceopportunities,
interactionwithpeersandteacher.(Contentteachersbecome,indirectlyatleast,
languageteachersorfacilitators.)
InordertobetterassesswhatstudentsKNOW,notjustwhattheydonotknowand
cannotdo(forfutureplanningandforkeepingELLsfrombecomingdiscouraged).
Selfassessmentofteaching:Paredowntotheessentials.(Mayhelpteachers
considerWHATISIMPORTANT,WHATCONCEPTSDOALLSTUDENTS
NEEDTOKNOW?)
ELLsoftendistractedfromacademicsbyfamily,culturalandsocialupheaval:Need
extraattention(andmanycoaches,cheerleaders,andtaskmasters).Sometimes
familiesareNOTinvolvedineducationbecauseoflongworkhours,language
barriers,orcrossculturaldifferencesinrolesofparentsinschool.
GiveELLshopeindifficultadjustmentprocess(inwhichmuchhasbeenlost).Help
thembreakoutofisolationandsilence.

VB.HOWDOELLsVARY,andwhatdothesedifferencesimplyfor
accommodating:
L1/C1background(HowdifferentarethenativelanguageandculturefromEnglish
andU.S.culture?);
L1languageproficiency(HowstrongafoundationdoesELLhaveinnative
languageforacademicpurposes?DoeschildhavegradelevellanguageskillsinL1?);
L1educationallevel(Howmanyyearsofschoolingdoesthechildhave,andinwhat
typeofschool?Wasthechild'sschoolinginterruptedoneormoretimesbecauseof
warorfamily'smobility?)
AgeandageofarrivalinU.S.(Doesthechildhavethe"luxury"oftakingadequate
timetoadjust,ormustweworryisthereurgencyabouthighschoolcredits,
graduation,etc.?);
PriorexperiencewithL2education(HasthechildattendedU.S.schoolselsewhere,
sothats/heknowsaboutU.S.schoolculture?);
Individualfactors:Personality,attitude,behavior&motivation(Whichindividual
factorsmayhelpandwhichmayhinderthechild'sadjustmenttoandsuccessin
school?);
Familybackgroundandhomelife(Doesfamilytakeanactiveroleinstudent's
learning?Aretheresevereeconomicorotherpressuresonchildfromfamily,suchas
missingschooltohelptranslate?);
Personallifeincommunitysociallife,work,otherhelpfulcommunityinstitutions
(Arethereopportunitiesforgettingacademichelpand/orforusingEnglishoutsideof
school?Isworkinterferingwithschooling?);
Immigrationhistory(Wastheimmigrationexperienceespeciallytraumaticbecause
ofwarorothertragedy?Wasthefamilysplitintheprocessofimmigration?Hasthe
childlostfamilymembers?)
Processofadjustmenttonewsetting(Howquicklydoesthechildseemtobe
adjustingtothenewsetting?Iss/heundergoing"upsanddowns"inadjustment
excitementmixedwithdepression?Isthechildmovingradicallytowardassimilation
orradicallyfixedonL1/C1?).

******DependingonthefactorsaffectingeachELL,theymay
needmoreordifferenttypesofaccommodations(morefocus
onsocial/culturaland/orlinguisticand/oracademic)!

PartV:DiscussionQuestion

ConsiderthecharacteristicsofthefollowingeighthgradeELLs.Whattypesof
accommodationswouldbemostnecessaryforeach?(Feelfreetouseexamplesof
yourownstudentsinplaceofthesecases.)
B,fromThailand:HighlevelofliteracyandstrongeducationinL1,interruptedatend
of4thgrade;arrived5thgrade;outgoingpersonality&talkative;advancedESL
proficiencyinlistening,speaking,reading,butlowproficiencyinwriting(accuracy);
middleclassfamilyinThailand,U.S.;mediocrestudent(ineffort)withgreaterpotential;
familyappliespressuretosucceedacademically,butuninvolvedinschool&
unresponsivetonotesfromschool;livingwithfather&stepmother,butmotherin
Thailand.
C,fromPanama:LimitedL1literacyandlimited(inquality)educationinL1,
interruptedatendof6thgrade;arrived7thgrade;veryshy,evenwithdrawnpersonality
(eveninL1);diagnosedin8thgradewithsignificanthearingloss;extremelylimited
Englishproficiencyandveryslowprogressinacquiringallskills;middleclassstatusin
U.S.&Panama(mother=entrepreneur);doesnotappeartobeinterestedinachievingin
school(littleeffort);displaysbehavioralproblemsandlackofadjustmenttoschool;
strongandsupportivefamilythatisveryinvolvedinschool;livingwithfatherand
stepmother(motherinPanama).
L,fromArgentina:Extremelystrong(gifted)studentinhomecountry,withhighlevel
ofliteracyandstrongeducationinL1,interruptedatendof5thgrade;spent6thgrade
yearinFloridabilingualschool;arrivedinPAin7thgrade;forcefulpersonalityand
somewhatoutgoing;intermediatelevellanguageskillsafteroneyearinPAschool;
middleclassbackgroundinhomecountry,workingclass/povertybackgroundinU.S.;
driventoachieveinschool,completingALLassignments,nomatterwhatthedifficulty;
motherVERYinvolvedindaughter'sschoolprogress,veryassertiveinengagingschool;
livingwithdivorcedmotherandmarriedsister&familyinU.S.,fatherinArgentina.

VI.Generalprinciplesofaccommodation
forinstructionandassessmentofELLs

VIA.DoandDon'tlistforELLaccommodations(forcontentteachers)

DO
A)Sethigh,butreasonableexpectations,in
consultationwithESLteacher.Believe
thatstudentsWANTtosucceedandlearn.

DON'T
A)Abandoncontent,evenforbeginners.

B)Use"goodteacher"behaviors,suchas
B)Thinkthatacompletelynewsetof
usingtheblackboardandmultiplemodes
teachingstrategiesisneededforELLs.
forteaching,reviewingandconnectingnew (ANDDON'TGIVEUPIFELLsDON'T
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informationtoold,usingpredictable
classroomroutines.

INSTANTLYRESPOND!ITTAKES
TIME.)

C)KeepELLsactivelyengaged(although
thatmaynotbeSPEAKING!).

C)ExpectELLstoperformORtobesilent.
(EachELLwillreactdifferently!)

D)TreateachELLasanindividual(notas
a"typical"memberofhis/herethnicgroup
orasa"typical"ESLstudent).

D)"Lump"allnativespeakersorallELLs
together(NSvs.ELL).Thereare
proficientandlessproficientNSsand
ELLs;therearewellbehavedandnaughty
NSsandELLs.

E)Findoutasmuchasyoucanaboutthe
ELLs.(UseESLteacher,otherschool
resourcepersonnel,chatwithkids,meet
parents.Findoutwhatkidsare"getting"in
yourclass.)

E)Don'tdependONLYonESLteacherfor
informationgetotherresourcepersonnel
involved(guidancecounselors,school
socialworker,resource&ISTteachers,
othercontentcolleagues.).

F)MakeuseofELLs'richlinguisticand
culturalbackgroundasaresourceforall
students'learning.(HELP
CLASSMATESSEETHEELLs'
STRENGTHS!!)

F)PutELLsonthespotbypointingout
theirdifference!Theywanttofitin!
(Also,don'tseparatethembyethnicgroup
withoutagoodreason!)

G)WatchELLsforsignsoftrauma,
distress,andsocial,academicdifficulties.

G)Forgettonoticeprogress,nomatterhow
small,andcommentonit(butnot
necessarilyinpublic)!

H)Assessstudentsconstantly(butformally H)Expect"easy"andquickkindsof
ANDinformally),bothincontentandin
assessmentstobeeasyforELLs.
language.
I)Stayinclosecommunicationwiththe
ESLteacher(s)!

I)Giveup,evenwhenthetaskseems
impossible.(StudentsARElearning,even
ifit'shardtonotice!)

VIB.Cautionsforcontentteachers:Whattokeepinmindwhen
planning!

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 ELLsmayhavesignificant"gaps"inknowledge/experienceofschoolcultureand
procedures.(Theymaynotunderstand,forexample,certaintypesofassignments,
changingclasses,gettinglunchtickets.).
DOTHEYREALLYUNDERSTAND???!!!(ELLsmaywanttoappearto
understandthismaybeaculturalbehaviorbutmaybetotallyconfused.Nodding
andeyecontactmaynotbethebestindicatorsthatstudentsunderstand.)
Askingforhelp:Inmanyculturesitisextremelydisrespectfultoshowtheteacher
thatyouareconfused.Also,studentsinsomeculturesareNOTallowedtospeak
duringclassortoaskquestionsduringclassorduringtests.
Fatigue&overload!Havingtolistenandconcentrateverycarefullyandstrugglingto
read,forexample,resultinextremefatigue.YoumayhaveELLswhofallasleepor
seemtobedistracted.TheymayjustneedaBREAK!!!!!
Familycircumstancesandpressures.Aswithallstudents,ELLfamiliessuffer
maritaldiscord,economiccrises,criminalityandtragedy.StaytunedtoELLs(and
consultwithESLteacher,whousuallyknowsthe"scoop."
Schoolpersonality(vs.homepersonality,ESLpersonality):AnELLwhoseemsvery
withdrawninyourcontentclassmayactuallybequiteoutgoinginESLclass.Visit
ESLclassorconsultwiththeESLteacherformorebackgroundonstudentsof
concern.
Socialvs.academicpriorities,especiallyformiddleandhighschool.Aswithall
teenagers,fittingin,makingfriends,havingboy/girlfriendsmaybeMUCHmore
importantthanschool.Atthesametime,students'culturalbackgroundsmay
interferewithsomeofthecommonpastimesofteens(suchasdating).
Ambivalencetowardfirstlanguageandculture.AsELLsadjust,theymaybecome
embarrassedorverynegativetowardtheirfirstlanguageandculture(andfamily
memberwhoseemtorepresenttraditions).Wecanhelpstudentsmakehealthy
adjustmentsbyhelpingthemseethejoyinhavingTWOlanguagesandcultures,not
inhavingtochooseoneovertheother.
WheredoIfitin:socially,racially,linguistically,academically..InU.S.society,
therearemanygroups,andunderstandingwherewefitiscrucial.Forstudentsfrom
societieswhereracialdivisionswerenotasimportant,forexample,theymaysuffer
additionalcultureshockuponlearningwheretheyare"assigned"andwhichgroups
areprestigiousornot.Beawareofthisadditionalburdenonsomestudents.
INVISIBILITY!!!!AcommoncomplaintofELLsisthattheyfeelmuteandinvisible
intheirnewsetting.Ifnothingelse,makesurethateveryonemakestheELLs(and
othernewstudents)welcome!
11


PartVI:DiscussionQuestion
Reviewandevaluatethedoanddon'tlistsforaccommodationsonyourhandoutor
slide,andaddsomeofyourownsuggestions,basedonyourpersonalexperience.

VII.Typesofaccommodationsandexamples
A.Adjustmentsininstructionalprocess

1.Startingpointandpreteaching(andconnectingoldtonew):Providemore
backgroundbeforeteachinganewconcept.
2.Scaffolding&presentationstylebyteacher/peers:Tryguidedlessons,usingan
outlinetohelpstudentsfollow,usingOHPorotherwaysofshowingmainideas.
3.Grouping:Trydifferentkindsofgrouping,tomakesureELLshavehelp.
Dependingontask,couldbegroupingbylanguagebackground,proficiencyinthe
contentarea,friends.
4.Modes/mediafordeliveryofinstruction,instructionalmaterials:Read
materialstostudents(touselisteningandspeakingtoreinforceeachother);use
writingtogetstudentsthinkingaboutthetopic;useAVtoenhancediscussion
keepingnotesondiscussion,forex.
5.Process(changeinnumberofsteps,typesofsteps).Forexample,inwriters'
workshop,havestudentsreviewonlyoneessay,ratherthanawholegroup's
essays.Inconductingalabexperiment,havestudentscarefullyreaddirections
forhomeworkthedaybefore.
6.Finalproductrequired:Studentsmaybegivenanalternative"product"to
deliverratherthanafivepagereport,aposter;ratherthananoralpresentation
infrontofclass,achatwithteacherprivately.
7.Time:StudentsmaybegivenmoretimetocompletedifficultassignmentsOR
maybegiventheopportunitytoredoassignmentsbasedonfeedback.
8.Reinforcement/tutoringatanothertime.(orcommunitytutors,classroom
aides).
9."Sustainedcontentlearning"andthematic/crosscurricularteaching:Where
possible,givestudentsmultipleopportunitiestoreadaboutanddiscussatopic
(moredeeply),sothatvocabularyandcontentbecomemorefamiliar(andeasier
tocommunicateabout).
10.Predictableroutines&sequences:Giveassignmentsatthesamepointinthe
lesson(andwriteontheboard);useawarmupeveryday(toconnectoldto
new);giveaquizthesamedayeveryweek.
11.Classroomadjuncts:Wordwall,graphics,assignmentboard,bulletin
board.

12

B.Adjustmentsincontent
*******1.Prioritizetoessentials(reduceextras)&adjust
expectationsfornewerstudents.(WhatMUSTeveryhighschool
sciencestudentknow,nomatterwhat?)

2.Assessbackground(andworkwithESLteacher)&fillingapsincontentarea.
3.Helpstudentsrelatenewconceptstopersonalexperienceandtopreviously
learnedcontent.
4.(wherepossible)AllowstudentstousetheirL1/C1knowledgetolearn.

C.Adjustmentsinassessment
1.Moretime.
2.Mode/mediaforassessing:Writtentestsareonlyonevehicle!!!Consider
observingstudentsworkinginclass,judgingtheirnotebooks,havingthemassess
themselves!Allowstudentstodotakehomeoropenbookexams,where
appropriate.Intraditionaltests,consideralternativewaysoftesting,suchasa
summary(iflongmultiplechoicetestsaretoodifficult).
3.Prioritize&assessonlytheessentials.
4.Assessstudents'knowledgeof&experiencewithvariousassessmenttools.(If
studentsdonotappeartobedisplayingwhattheyknowbycommonassessment
toolsortraditionaltests,allowthemtotellwhattheyknow,writealistofmain
ideas).
5.Allowforassistance(mentionedaboveopenbook,takehomegrouptest,
havingaidereadthetest.).

***NOTE:ItisusuallynotpossiblefortheESLteachertobeinvolved
ingivingcontenttests,unlessthereisanESLtutoringperiodintheday!
D.Adjustmentstomeetaffective/psychological/socialneeds

1.Buddyupstudentswithhelpful,supportivepeer.(Usedifferentbuddiesfor
differentpurposes.Forexample,notALWAYSusefultouseabuddywhospeaks
student'snativelanguage!Don'tforgettooccasionallybuddyupanELLwitha
nativespeakersothattheELLcanhelpinhis/herareaofstrength!!!)
2.EnsurethatELLsknowaboutspecialacademicandsocialevents(sciencefair,
fieldtrips,parties,crazyhatday).ESLteachersusuallycanhelpwiththis,too
(buttheydon'talwaysknowaboutactivitiesineachclassroom!).
3.Paypersonalattentiontostudent(greet,chat,drawout),andshowinterestin
theirprogress.
4.Watchforsignsofstress(andfindhelp).

5.Createsafe,supportiveclassroomcommunitywhereeveryone
cantakerisksandmakemistakesandwhereEVERYONEcan
acknowledgetheirstrengthsandweaknesses,andwhereeveryone

13

muststrugglesometimes!(Besureothersstudentsarenot
discriminatingagainstELLs).
E.Linguisticadjustments

1.Allowbilingualresources(dictionaries,forex.)&allowstudenttouseL1,
wherepossible.(IFtherearebilingualtextbooksavailableinELLs'native
languageandIFtheELLreadshis/herL1,makeuseofthem!)
2.ConsiderL1asresource(HavestudentteachclassafewwordsinL1,forex.).
ItisextremelyimportantforELLstocontinuetodeveloptheirL1foracademic
purposes,eveniftheschoolcanonlyencouragethisindirectly!
3.AdjustTALKwhenworkingwithELLs:
LimituseofSLANGandinformalstyle.
Carefulofsarcasmor"kidding"whenworkingdirectlywith
ELLs(maynotbeinterpretedcorrectly).
Allowplentyofwaittimewhenaskingquestions.
Askonlyonequestionatatime,andwaitforresponse.(Don't
assumesilence=can'trespond).
Slowspeedofspeechslightlywhenworkingoneonone(andtryto
helpstudentshearwordbordersandphrases).
Providedefinitionsofkeyterms(andwriteonboard).
Organizepresentationswithsummary,connections(asanygood
teacherdoes).
Carefulof"overparaphrasing."(Sometimeswhenwesay
somethinginthreedifferentways,totrytobeclear,studentshear
threedifferentmessagesandgetREALLYconfused).
Provideagoodmodel:DoNOTproduce"foreignertalk."
DoNOTspeakloudertobeunderstood.
Rememberthatitiseasiertounderstandformostkidsiftheycan
seesomeone'smouthandbody(sothatlisteningtoatapeora
voiceoverinavideocanbeverychallenging).
4.Considerdegreeoflinguisticdifficultyofdifferentclassroomprocedures,
assignments,andphasesoflesson,andadjust.(Discussionvs.notetakingvs.
smallgroupdiscussion).ESLteachercanhelpyoudecideWHATismost
difficult.

F.Culturaladjustments

1.AllowstudentstodoprojectsthatcelebrateL1/C1(ifstudentswantto,andif
theC1connectionisrelevantfortheassignment).
2.Makesureclassroomrulesareknown(notjustimplicit),sinceclassroomsin
homecountrymaybeVERYdifferent.(Ex.:Whattocalltheteacher?)

14

3.Makespecialefforttoinvolveparentsinprojects,parents'night,etc.(through
partnershipwithESLteacher?).Makesurethatcommunicationwiththehomeis
comprehensiblegethelpfromtranslators,wherenecessary.Ontheother
hand,considerfamilies'economicandsocialsituationswhenmakingassignments
orwhenarrangingspecialevents.
4.Wherepossibleandrelevant,employtexts,stories,andexamplesinteaching
thatalsointroduceculturalinformationfromELLs'varioushomecountries.
5.InvitefamilymembersofELLstovisitclasstopresentculturalinformation.
(Butbecarefulofaskingparentstobringexpensivefoodsorotheritemsthatmay
placeaburdenonthem!)
6.Gettoknowstudents'culturesandreligions,andfindoutaboutanycultural(or
religious)taboosthatareimportanttoknowabout(topics,behaviors,beliefs).
Forexample,girlsfromsomeculturesmaynotbeallowedtogoonacoedfield
trip!Boysfromsomeculturesmaynottakedirectionfromfemaleteachersvery
well.

PartVII:DiscussionQuestion
Reviewandevaluatethelistoftypesofaccommodations(fromslide&/orhandout).
Selectafewexamples,andconsiderwaysinwhichyouwouldneedtovarythe
accommodationfordifferentagegroups:
ELEMENTARY

MIDDLE
SCHOOL

HIGH
SCHOOL

INSTRUCTIONAL
PROCESS
CONTENT
ASSESSMENT
AFFECTIVE/
PSYCHOLOGICAL
LINGUISTIC
CULTURAL

PartVIII:ClassroomcasesfordiscussionConsidersomeofthe
followingcases,anddiscusswhattypesofaccommodationswouldbe
appropriateandhowthoseaccommodationsshouldbeimplemented.
Elementary:
A.(inclass,endofunitsocialstudiesproject)StudentsarestudyingAsia,andingroups
theyarebuildingatopographicalmapofanAsiancountry,usingclayandpaper.
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B.(inclass,languagearts/creativewriting)Studentshavejustfinishedreadingafunny
children'sbook,CloudywithaChanceofMeatballs,aspartofathematicuniton
weather.Theyarenowrequiredtowritealetterfromaresidentofthetownanimalor
persondescribingtheunusual,butdeliciousprecipitationthatisfallingonthetown.
C.(inclass,mathwordproblems)Tohelpstudentscopewithwordproblems,theyare
workingingroupsofthreetoWRITEtheirownchallengingwordproblems.Groupswill
exchangeproblemsandtrytosolvethem,afterteacherhascheckedeachgroup'swork.
D.(inclass,math)Studentsarelearningtheconceptsofgreaterthan/lessthan.Using
picturesfrommagazines(gluedintotheirmathjournals)theyaremakinggreater
than/lessthanmathsentences.

MiddleSchool:

E.(inclass,endofchaptertest)Studentsarepreparingtotakeanendofchaptersocial
studiestestonEurope,consistingoftruefalse,multiplechoiceandmatchingsections.
Thetesthas50questionstotal.
F.(athome,scienceproject)Studentsarerequiredtostudyananimal,towriteaone
pagereportontheanimal,andtocreateathreedimensionalrepresentationofthatanimal,
forscienceclass.
G.(inclass,PSSAprep,English/languagearts)Studentsarereviewingliterarytermsthat
aretobetestedonthePSSA(alliteration,simile,metaphor,etc.).Ingroupsstudentsare
lookingforexamplesinmagazinesandintheirliteratureanthology.(Teachercomplains
thatNOONEnotjustELLsisgettingthis!)

HighSchool:

H.(athome,English/publicspeaking)Studentsarerequiredtowriteandprepareto
performinfrontofclassamonologuebyoneofthecharactersinanoveltheyare
reading.
I.(inclass,socialstudiesEnglish)DuringBlackHistoryMonthstudentsinAmerican
historyclassarewatchingthevideo,"EyesonthePrize."Theyarerequiredtotakenotes,
andtherewillbeatestattheend.Theteachershowsa20minutesegmenteachday,and
studentshaveguidingquestionsthattheyaretoanswerastheylisten.
J.(inclass,science)Studentsarelisteningtoateacher'slectureandwatchinga
demonstrationonmagneticfield.Studentsarerequiredtotakenotesandtowriteupa
summaryofthemagneticfieldexperimentdemonstratedbytheteacher.
IX.Accommodationsandthenewstandards:Discussionwithoverheads/power
point.
X.References:Followingareselectedreferencesaboutlanguageandcontent
and/orreferencesforcontentteacherswhowanttoknowmoreaboutELLissues.
Adger,CarolynT.,CatherineE.Snow&DonnaChristian,(eds.).(2002).What
teachersneedtoknowaboutlanguage.McHenry,Ill.:CAL(Delta).1887744
754.
Carrasquillo,AngelaL.&VivianRodriguez.(1996).Languageminoritystudentsin
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themainstreamclassroom.Clevedon/Philadelphia:MultilingualMatters.1
853592978.
Cary,Stephen.(2000).Workingwithsecondlanguagelearners.Answerstoteachers'
toptenquestions.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.0325002509.
Chamot,AnnaUhl&J.MichaelO'Malley.(1994).TheCALLAHandbook.Reading,
MA:AddisonWesley.0201539632.
Cochran,EffiePapatzikou,(ed.).(2002).Mainstreaming.(CaseStudiesinTESOL
PracticeSeries,JillBurton,SeriesEditor).Alexandria,VA:TESOL.
0949792978.
Collier,Catherine.(2000).Separatingdifferencefromdisability:Assessingdiverse
learners.CrossCulturalDevelopmentalEducationServices.1004W.58thLane,
Ferndale,WA98248.3603807513(orwww.crosscultured.com).
Echevarria,Jana,MaryEllenVogt,&DeborahJ.Short.(2000).Makingcontent
comprehensible.TheSIOPModel.Boston:Allyn&Bacon.0205290175.
Faltis,ChristianJ.(1997).Joinfostering.Adaptingteachingforthemultilingual
classroom,2nded.UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:Merrill(PrenticeHall).013
238163X.
Faltis,ChristianJ.&PaulaWolfe,(eds.).(1999).Somuchtosay.Adolescents,
bilingualism,andESLinthesecondaryschool.NY:TeachersCollegePress.0
807737968.
Freeman,YvonneS.,&DavidE.Freeman.(2002).Closingtheachievement
gap.HowtoreachlimitedformalschoolingandlongtermEnglishlearners.
Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.0325002738.
Genesee,Fred,(ed.).(1994).Educatingsecondlanguagechildren.Thewholechild,the
wholecurriculum,thewholecommunity.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity
Press.0521457971.(SeeespeciallyarticlesbyGenesee/Hamayan,Cloudand
Hamayan.)
Gibbons,Pauline.(2002).Scaffoldinglanguage,scaffoldinglearning.Teachingsecond
languagelearnersinthemainstreamclassroom.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.
0325003661.
Helmer,Sylvia&CatherineEddy.(1996).LookatmewhenItalktoyou.ESL
learnersinnonESLclassrooms.Toronto:Pippin.0887510663.
Hones,Donald,(ed.).(2002).Americandreams,globalvisions.Dialogicteacher
researchwithrefugeeandimmigrantfamilies.Mahwah,NJ:LawrenceErlbaum.
0805837086.
Igoa,Cristina.(1995).Theinnerworldoftheimmigrantchild.NY:St.Martin'sPress.
0805880135.
Lightbown,PatsyM.&NinaSpada.(1999).Howlanguagesarelearned,revised
edition.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.0194370003.
Lucas,Tamara.(1997).Into,through,andbeyondsecondaryschool.Criticaltransitions
forimmigrantyouths.McHenry,Ill:CAL(Delta).1887744037.
Maniates,Helen&BettyDoerr.(2001).Teachourchildrenwell.Essentialstrategiesfor
theurbanclassroom.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.0323003874.

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McIntyre,Ellen,AnnRosebery&NormaGonzlez,(eds.).(2001).Classroomdiversity.
Connectingcurriculumtostudents'lives.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.0325
003327.
Nieto,Sonia.(2004[1992]).Affirmingdiversity,4thed..Boston:Pearson.0205
451225.
Olsen,Laurie.(1997).MadeinAmerica.NY:TheNewPress.1565844718.
O'Malley,J.Michael&LorraineV.Pierce.(1996).AuthenticassessmentforEnglish
LanguageLearners.Reading,MA:AddisonWesley.0201591510.
Peregoy,SuzanneF.&OwenF.Boyle.(2005[1993]).Reading,writing,andlearningin
ESL.AresourcebookforK12teachers,4thed.Boston:Pearson.0205
449239.
Piper,Terry.(1993).Andthenthereweretwo.Childrenandsecondlanguagelearning.
Toronto:Pippin.0887510604.(Availableinupdatedversionfrom
Heinemann.)
RichardAmato,PatriciaA.&MargueriteAnnSnow,(eds.).(1992).Themulticultural
classroom.Readingsforcontentareateachers.WhitePlains,NY:Longman.0
80130511X.
Rosenthal,JudithW.(1996).Teachingsciencetolanguageminoritystudents.Clevedon/
Philadelphia:MultilingualMatters.1853592722.
Samway,KatharineDavies&DeniseMcKeon.(1999).Mythsandrealities.Best
practicesforlanguageminoritystudents.Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.0325
000573.
Short,DeborahJ.&BeverlyA.Boyson.(2004).Creatingaccess.Languageand
academicprogamsforsecondaryschoolnewcomers.McHenry,Ill:CAL(Delta).
1887744878.
Snow,MargueriteAnn&DonnaM.Brinton,(eds.).(1997).Thecontentbased
classroom.Perspectivesonintegratinglanguageandcontent.WhitePlains,NY:
Longman.0201695138.
TESOL.(1998).Managingtheassessmentprocess.Aframeworkformeasuringstudent
attainmentoftheESLstandards.TESOLProfessionalPapers#5.Alexandria,
VA:TESOL.
Valds,Guadalupe.(2001).LearningandnotlearningEnglish.Latinostudentsin
Americanschools.NY:TeachersCollegePress.0807741051.
Walqui,Aida.(2000).Accessandengagement.Programdesignandinstructional
approachesforimmigrantstudentsinsecondaryschools.McHenry,Ill:CAL
(Delta).1887744096.
Zaslavsky,Claudia.(1996).Themulticulturalmathclassroom.Bringingintheworld.
Portsmouth,NH:Heinemann.0435083732.

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