To understand ELL development, you must
understand the 4 Stages of a Second
English Language Learners!
By: Leigh Scarano
What is an ELL: A person who is learning
the English language in addition to his/her
native language.
Through the ESL teacher and ELL
programs, students develop language
acquisitions and cognitive academic language
skills as well as developing the language skills
necessary to be successful students and
members of society!
This Brochure will provide different
understandings and strategies for new ELL
teachers and parents to learn and implement
within their classroom as well as home
environment!
Language!
Stage 1: Pre-Production Stage
- Minimal comprehension
- Up to 500 vocabulary words- however
minimal speaking
- Students respond well to pictures,
visuals, and repetition!
Strategies
- Encourage speaking- don’t force
speaking
- Model and demonstrate activities
- Gestures, body language and visuals!
- Modify work by amount of time and
content
Stage 2: Early Production Stage
- Limited Comprehension
- Students develop receptive and active
vocabulary of about 1000 words
- Students can speak in one or two-
word phrases
Strategies
- Ask yes or no directed choice
questions
- Ask listing type questions
- Allow students to illustrate knowledge
- Modify work by amount of time and
content
Stage 3: Speech Emergence Stage
- Fair to Good Comprehension
- Vocabulary of about 3000 words
- Students will communicate with
simple phrases and sentences
- They will ask simple questions that
may or may not be grammatically
correct
Strategies
- Use cooperative grouping
- Encourage efforts to participate
- Ask How and Why questions
- Provide pictures and content area text
Stage 4: Intermediate Fluency Stage
- Good Comprehension
- Developed a vocabulary of about
6000 active words
- Using more complex sentences when
speaking and writing
- Asks questions to clarify what they are
learning in class
Strategies
- Design content activities that focus on
speech production, not grammatical
form
- Have students take on larger roles in
cooperative group activities
- Provide visually rich content
instruction

Helpful Teaching Strategies!
1) Cultivate relationships and be
culturally responsive!
- If teachers can create a classroom
where students feel known,
appreciated, and comfortable taking
emotional and intellectual risks, then
a successful classroom is created.
- Learn how to correctly pronounce
students’ names
- Incorporate words or phrases from
the students’ native language into
your lessons and activities
2) Speak Slowly and increase your wait
time!
- Adding in an extra three to five
seconds to allow students to think and
properly formulate their response
boosts confidence and
encouragement in future
participation.
3) Know and use testing modifications!
- Have English/native language
dictionaries or translators available in
the classroom.
- Schedule extended time
- Allow teacher to read test aloud to
student or vice versa!
4) Purposeful grouping!
- Grouping students from the same
language can be a disadvantage
because it may discourage use of the
target language.
- Heterogeneous grouping facilitates
English language learning because it
creates a communicative need to use
English
5) Understand and Know the child’s
background and home life
- By understanding the child’s home
life and background teachers can
serve as the “middle man” between
school and home
6) Background knowledge
- Provide students with relevant
background knowledge about a topic
to be discussed in class or activate
their existing knowledge of a topic.
- This allows students to bridge new
knowledge to old knowledge,
increasing understanding, and can
help ELLs to fill in contextual
information that they may not have
because of different native
background.
Helpful Strategies for ELL Teacher and
Parents Relationships!
1) Connect with students’ families’
- Put in the time to learn about parents’
cultural traditions and educational
characteristics
- Work on developing a personal, one-
on-one approach with each individual
family!
2) Ensure the effective communication
of important school information
- Make certain that ELL families
receive all of the school and
classroom’s scheduling and other
important informative in their native
language
3) Encourage parents to get involved in
school activities!
- It can be as simple as parents
monitoring and signing off on their
child’s homework completion
- Parents can volunteer in the
lunchroom, the office, or even the
library
- Even encourage parents to come in
and talk about their native culture and
background to educate the rest of the
class!
Sources
https://education.cu-
portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/five-
ways-to-engage-parents-of-ell-students/
http://elleduc359.weebly.com/2nd-lang-
acq.html