Understanding

terminology
Statistics

The percentage of public school students

in the United States who were English
language learners was higher in school
year 201314 (9.3 percent, or an
estimated 4.5 million students) than in
200304 (8.8 percent, or an estimated
4.2 million students) and 201213 (9.2
percent, or an estimated 4.4 million
students).

ELL learners are increasingly present in

America, and American schools are
becoming more diverse.

In 201314, the percentage of students in

ELL programs was generally higher for
school districts in more urbanized areas
than for those in less urbanized areas.

ELL: English Language Learner.

This learner is an active learner
of the English Language.
ESL: English as a second
language. This is a program of
instruction for students who are
English language learners.
LEP: Limited English Proficiency.
These ELL learners lack English
to meet standards.
EFL: English as a foreign
language. These are non-native
speaking students who are
learning English in a country
where English is not the primary
language.

Survival
Guide for
Teaching ELL
Students!
Rosemarie Kaminsky

The Five Stages of

Language
Acquisition

Techniques and
Tips!

Stage 1: Pre-production

Silent period

Minimal
comprehension

Stage 2 : Early production

Produces 1-2 word

responses

Limited
comprehension

It is important to make English

Language Learners comfortable
and safe in their environment!

Stage 3: Speech emergence

Produces simple
sentences

Good comprehension

Stage 4: Intermediate
fluency

Makes few
grammatical errors

Has excellent
comprehension

Techniques and Tips!

Speak slowly
Introduce new vocabulary in
meaningful ways
Use graphic organizers and visual
representations
Make sure you use modifications
if necessary
Provide a positive classroom
environment for all students
Label objects in the classroom
Use translators if necessary

Stage 5: Advanced fluency

The student has nearnative levels of

Question and Answers

Who are the ELLs in my classroom?

The ELLs in your classroom speak another
language at home and often speak very little or
no English. ELLs in the U.S. come from a wide
variety of backgrounds, but the majority come
from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin
America, often but not always from workingclass backgrounds. The parents of ELLs may not
know much English, either. They may rely on
their children to translate for them.
How can non-English speaking parents help
their children learn to read in English?
Parents who read in Spanish can be very helpful
in the development of their children's literacy
skills. Their Spanish literacy becomes the
foundation that will help your ELLs learn to read
in English. Through Spanish reading, ELLs are
developing their background knowledge and key
vocabulary and literacy skills that will enable
them to become excellent readers in English.
There are even ways that parents who cannot
read in any language can help their children
learn to read.
How should I respond to their errors in
English?
Usually at the beginning and intermediate stages,
your ELLs are going to make mistakes when
trying to speak, read or write in English.
Language errors are a good sign that they are
learning English and that you are teaching
strategies that are working at these stages. Errors
are part of the normal process of language
acquisition. Try to provide a classroom
environment in which, ELLs feel comfortable
experimenting with English, even though they
may not be able to say, read or write everything
perfectly in English yet.