Profile of an ELL

MEET JOEY*
- 11 years old
- Moved to Canada from China
- Has been at the school for 5 months
- First language is Mandarin Chinese
- Lives with mother and father in Rosedale
*Pseudonym was used
 Let’s get to know Joey!
Favourite Subjects Challenging Subjects Skills
- Phys. Ed. - French - Singing
- Art - English - Piano and violin
- Music (particularly writing) - Good with computers
- Math

Interests Favourite Pastimes Aspirations

- Reading fiction (his - Playdates with - Video game designer
favourite book is Diary Morgan* - Astronaut
of a Wimpy Kid) - Rubix cubes
- Doing research on the - Video games
computer

*Pseudonym was used

The STEP Continuum
Joey is at LEVEL 3
He understands the questions being posed
and is beginning to answer them in more
complex sentences
 Key Observations from the
Interview
- Joey seems relaxed and comfortable
(body language is open)
- Joey understands and answers questions without
hesitation
- Joey freely offers additional information without
being prompted
 Key Quotes from the Interview
“It’s a bit grey, but it’s a bit black.”
→ use of colloquial speech (“A bit”)
→ does not yet have more specific language (ie. slate)
“Fiction, like Wimpy Kid.”
→ Joey uses academic language (fiction vs. nonfiction)
→ Joey’s favourite book is recommended for grade 6 (he is reading at a grade 6
level)
“She probably feels surprised because there isn’t any money in his wallet.”
→ Joey appropriately uses a subordinating conjunction
“They probably give it to the—”
→ Joey does not yet know the word “cashier” and has to be prompted
 How can we
support Joey?
 1- Enhance Joey’s Social
Experience at School
⋆ Joey’s teachers shared that he often sits alone
⋆ Although he talks about his friend Morgan, he
mentions that Morgan helps defend him when other
students make him “mad” → possible bullying?
⋆ It seems that Joey needs support engaging with his
peers in constructive ways
 “
Openly acknowledging that
interactions among students who
don’t share a language may be
peppered with awkward moments
prepares students to accept and
work through the struggle.
(Case, 2016, 52).
 What does that look like?
- Ensure that we establish a classroom culture of
inclusion and acceptance
- Brainstorm approaches to conflict resolution as a
class (ie. What would you do in this scenario?)
- Group students strategically (heterogeneous
groupings with a variety of skill sets)
- Use online tools to foster understanding (ie. Google
Translate, online image platforms, etc.)
(Case, 2016)
2- Appeal to Joey’s interests and
culture
Students—particularly ELL students—are reported to be more
deeply engaged when pieces of their home life are included in the
classroom
(Wood, Wofford, & Hassinger, 2018).

“Capitalize on the resources and experiences that ELLs bring to

school to build and enrich their academic language”
(Essential Actions for Academic Language Success).
 What does that look like?
Cross-Curricular Design Celebration of Diversity Parent Engagement

- Incorporate Music, - Cultural sharing - Use parents as

Phys. Ed., and days resources (ie. can
Technology across - “World Wall” they translate
subject areas - Inviting classroom signs
- Encourage Joey to community for us?)
become involved members and - Understand and be
in extracurriculars parents to present respectful of
(ie. band, sports - Ensure that cultural
teams) culturally relevant differences
materials are (Breiseth, 2006)
available
 3- Scaffold tasks for Joey
Continuity: Repeat tasks in different ways to ensure
student understanding
Contextual support: Teacher encourages inquiry and is
available to help when students are unsure
Intersubjectivity: Mutually supportive learning
Contingency: Differentiating tasks and materials
Handover/takeover: Increased student agency
(Walqui, 2006, 165)
 What does that look like?
- Plenty of visuals
- Teacher modelling
- One-on-one conferencing
- Scaffolded paragraphs (based on ability)
- Anchor charts and frontloading vocabulary
- Small group work
- Student choice
- Collaborative assessment
 Next Steps:
What else would we like to know?
What do Joey’s
Why did Joey’s family teachers think his key How is Joey doing
move to Canada? strengths and areas for socially?
growth are? Are they
working on anything in
particular with him?
What resources does How long has Joey been
Joey have available to living in Canada?
him at home? Does Joey receive
language support
outside of school?
References