English Language Development

Welcome to the Enumclaw Elementary English Language Development resource site!

Strategy of the Month:

Not All Visuals are Created Equal

You have heard that using visuals is estentail strategy to use with MLL students. Visuals help students access content. But not all visuals are helpful. Read this article by Stephan Fleenor and learn how to make your visuals more meaningful to MLL students at all language profiency levels.

Music to My Ears

In the blog titled, "Methods for Using Music in Classrooms with Emergent Bilinguals" , Valentina Gonzales discusses the benefits of using music to support emergent language learners. Music stimulates the brain while lowering stress and providing context for language learning. Read more here. Music Rocks!

Being Bilingual is a Superpower !

This video for families is available in eight languages. It offers tips to help families support literacy and language at home. Follow the link to access information on how to use this video as part of a family engagement event.

Link to resources and videoes in languages other than English can be found here.

Stop Popcorn Reading

Popcorn reading can be an efficient way to get through content, but it is not an effective reading strategy. This 5 minute podcasts offers reading protocols that support greater comprehension, build fluency and reduces anxiety. Check out this quick EduTip by Jennifer Gonzalez. What to learn more? Here is another article from Edutopia called Alternatives to Round Robin Reading.

Visual Literacy with English Learners

Valentina Gonzalez writes about the importance of developing and leveraging Visual Literacy skills with our English Language Learners. She writes, "Visual literacy is a set of abilities that enables an individual to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media. Visuals surround us in daily life, making it essential for students to understand their uses and incorporate them into their work. " Read her post on the Seidlitz Education website.

QSSSA: Let's Talk

QSSSA: More Than Turn and Talk

Read this strategy blog post on QSSSA written by Valentina Gonzalez and posted on the Seidlitz Education website. This strategy adds intentional teaching moves to traditional Turn and Talk processes that support higher level thinking and language acquisition.

What does QSSSA stand for?

Q= Question

S=Signal

S=Stem

S=Share

A=Assess

Interested in more? Check out Two Simple Tweaks to QSSSA.

Family Connection: Seven Great Ways to Encourage Writing

It’s important to find new and exciting ways to encourage writing at home. Here are some creative strategies to try? Check out this link from Reading Rockets for a variety of "Back to School" parent informational resources. Download the family letter "7 Great Ways to Encourage Writing " as a PDF. The letter is available in English and Spanish.

Make Your Thinking Visual

Teacher Channel Video: Say it with Your Hands

Gestures are a multi-cultural way to communicate. Watch and learn more.

Video Tip: Using Realia with ELL Students

What is realia and how can it help ELL students access content? Check out this video to learn about this helpful strategy.

What does it mean to be an English Language Learner?

Our ELL students come from a variety of language backgrounds and enter our schools with different levels of English proficiency. Some of our students have very limited English language skills (newcomers) and others can communicate easily in English with friends and teachers about their daily lives.

Parents often wonder why their students with strong social English skills are receiving ELL services. This 4 minute video, "What Does it Mean to be an English Language Learner?" explains the difference between social and academic English. This information can be helpful during conferences when answering questions about why we provide support to these developing language students.

How to Help a Newcomer

So, you have just found out that your new student speaks very little English. Don't panic! You've got this! Here are some quick tips to get you started. Make sure to reach out to your EL support teacher and designated EL para. We are eager to help.

If your newcomer is literate in her native language you can help her practice basic English phrases at Lingo Hut. The Lingo Hut website offers language learning of more than 100 languages.

Newcomer Strategies: Creating an Inclusive Classroom

Making a connection with new students who do not speak English might seem daunting but there are simple steps and strategies you can start using day one. You've got this!

Newcomer Strategies_ Creating an Inclusive Classroom.pdf

The Importance of Saying Names Correctly

Taking time to learn how to pronounce your students' names correctly shows respect, fosters a positive classroom environment and builds relationships. Encourage students to share the stories behind their names. Some names can be challenging for us to learn, especially if there are sounds that are unfamiliar to our "English-trained" ears. Don't be afraid to ask your students to help you practice by modeling and restating their names when you mispronounce them. It will let your students know that everyone at school is a learner- even the adults.

Podcast:

12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

By JENNIFER GONZALEZ EDITOR IN CHIEF of Cult of Pedagogy

Teach Talks : Five Things You Can Do to Reach & Teach English Learners

In this Teacher Channel episode of Tch Talks, educators Sarah Ottow and Nicole Shimizu share their list of five things you can do to over the summer to prepare for teaching your ELLs during the next school year.

A Welcoming Library

The library is the heart of the school. Watch the video, A Welcoming Library, and check out this link to read about 10 Ways to Support ELLs in the Library.

Follow this link to find other resources related to ELL and the school library.

7 Tips for School Counselors

Looking for some tips, tricks, and best practices around your work with ELL students? Check out this article from Confident Counselor called, "7 Tips for School Counselors".

8 Tips to Protect ELLs from Bullying in Your Classroom

Why You Should Include Podcasts in Your Classroom

The Cult of Pedagogy speaks to the benefits of using podcasts in your classroom. Supporting multi-lingual learners is just one of many reasons why you should consider using this media format. According to Cult of Pedagogy host Leslie Patterson, "Just the act of listening to a good narrative helps your students become better learners. Podcasts are a screen-free, movement-enabling, ear-stimulating and eye-opening way to deliver content. Whether you are in-person, remote, hybrid, flipped or blended, podcasts can enhance your teaching in meaningful ways. "

Read this article or listen to the podcast to learn more. Why You Should Bring Podcasts into Your Classroom

20 Common Spanish Phrases Teachers Can Use with Newcomers

Check out the Spanish Academy Blog for this great post on supporting newcomers in your room.

Supporting Language in

Art, Music and PE

Valentina Gonzalez from Seidlitz Education says, "Two ingredients are essential for acquiring language: comprehensible input (Krashen, 2017) and multiple opportunities for low-stress output (Loewen & Sato, 2018). This means that students must understand what they hear or read and have opportunities to express themselves verbally or in writing in safe, risk-free environments. Art, music, and PE can be great places to provide these opportunities for students. The four ideas below bring comprehensible input and low-stress output into art, music, or PE. They will enhance language acquisition for English learners, but they are effective for all students too." Click here to read more.

Boost Learning with Movement

Cult of Pedagogy author Jennifer Gonzalez shares,

"If you were to start singing “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” right now, I bet you’d have a hard time keeping your hands still. That’s because most of us who know the song learned it with gestures, and things we learn with physical movement tend to stick.

We can apply that same principle to classroom learning, using movement to enhance learning from preschool all the way through college. Let’s take a look at what the research says about movement-based learning, then explore six different ways you can add more movement to your instruction."

Listen to her podcast or read the podcast notes on the benefits of movement here.

5 Tips for School Leader

Valentina Gonzalez examines the important role school leaders (specialists, instructional coaches, counselors, assistant principals, principals, and central office administrators) have in creating systems that support MLL students and the teachers that work so hard to help them achieve academic success. Five tips are shared to get your thinking going and spark a conversation. Read the full article here.

Don't Just Call Them What You Will: Names

Valentina Gonzalez discusses the importance of learning student names and pronouncing them correctly in Don't Just Call Them What You Will: Names. You can access a handy guide that is designed to help those who register students from diverse backgrounds. The guide is called Getting it Right: Reference Guides for Registering Students with Non-English Names.

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