Supporting Emergent Bilingual Students

Content Objective:

Participants will explore how to identify and implement strategies to specifically develop Emergent Bilingual speaking skills within content area instruction.

Participants will practice various teaching strategies to support speaking development for EB students.

Language Objective:

Participants will demonstrate proficiency in implementing a variety of instructional strategies designed to actively promote speaking development in EBs, fostering confident oral communication in a supportive classroom environment.

Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System

The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) is an English language proficiency assessment aligned to the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). This assessment is designed to assess the progress that emergent bilingual (EB) students make in learning the English language. Students are recognized as PROFICENT when they can score an Advanced High on their composite rating for TELPAS.

TELPAS Program Overview

English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)

The English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) for Speaking are designed to clearly define the expected level of oral communication skills students should achieve at different grade levels. This allows teachers to effectively assess and guide students in developing their speaking abilities, particularly for Emergent Bilingual (EBs) students who need specific language skills to access academic content across subjects. In order for the EB student to meet grade-level learning expectations across the foundation and enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered must be linguistically accommodated.

ELPS

How can I help my Emergent Bilingual students succeed?

For students learning English as a second language, they need to get good at two kinds of English: social English and academic English. Social English is the kind of English we use to talk with friends and during everyday activities. Academic English is the kind of English we use to think deeply, understand new ideas, work on school subjects, and communicate in the classroom.

When teachers combine learning English with learning school subjects in a fun and helpful way, these students can improve their English, understand their lessons, and do their very best in school.

Effective instruction in second language acquisition involves giving EBs opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write at their current levels of English development while gradually increasing the linguistic complexity of the English they read and hear, and are expected to speak and write.

Why focus on the SPEAKING objective for EB students?

Focusing on speaking skills for EB students is crucial because it allows them to actively participate in classroom discussions, build confidence in expressing themselves and develops a deeper understanding of the language, which is essential for academic success and social interaction in an English-speaking environment.

Key reasons why speaking skills are important in EBs:

Active participation: Speaking enables EBs to contribute to conversations, share ideas, and ask questions fostering a more interactive learning experience.

Language Acquistion: Practicing speaking helps students internalize grammar, vocabulary and pronounce in a natural way, enhancing their overall language proficiency.

Academic Success: Strong speaking skills are vital for comprehending and expressing complex concepts in academic settings, including presentations and discussions.

Social Intergration: Being able to communicate effectively in spoken English allows EBs to build relationships with peers and participate fully in social situations

Assessment of Understanding: Speaking allows teachers to gauge students' comprehension of concepts beyond written assessments.

What are the 7 Essentials to ensure academic success?

1. Focus on academic language and vocabulary

2. EB Vocabulary

3. Use background/prior knowledge

4. Make it visual

5. Make it hands on

6. Honor the silent period

7. Increase comprehension input and language output

EB students need DIRECT vocabulary instruction. They are learning both content and English language at the same time.

Vocabulary improves ALL areas of communication---listening, speaking, reading and writing.

EB students are not able to use context clues in the same way as other students.

Five Stages for Teaching Vocabulary

1. Receiving: encountering new words

2. Recognizing: getting the word form

3. Retaining: getting a clear image

4. Retrieving: learning the meaning of the word

5. Recycling: using the word

Why do EB students get confused?

Words that have more than one meaning....

ate eight

blew blue

eye I

flour flower

here hear

know no

mail male

meat meet

bye by buy

sent scent cent

do due dew

JUST TO NAME A FEW!

Play on Words

EB students are not able to use context clues in the same way as other students. WHY?

Example: The name Adeline can sound like add a line.

Copy Editor: Adeline Moore Add a line

Accounts Payable: Ineeda Czech I need a check

Pollution Control: Maury Missions More Emissions

Purchasing: Lois Bidder Lowest Bidder

Statistician: Marge Innovera Margin of error

Russian Chauffeur: Picov Andropov Pick up and drop off

Legal Firm: Dewey, Cheetham, and Howel Do we cheat em’? And how?