How to Modify or Accommodate for ELLs
On this page: Who needs modifications, modifications and accommodations, planning curriculum, using tech, additional reading
Students who are STEP W1-2 generally need modifications. They learn the grade-level curriculum, reduced down to a manageable amount.
Students who are in STEP 3 may need modifications or just accommodations.
Students in STEP 4-6 are entitled to accommodations.
Use the verbs on this document to guide the types of activities, assignments and assessments you create for your ELL across the curriculum.
For example, an Oral STEP W1 or STEP 1 ELL has a very limited vocabulary, so they can demonstrate understanding through actions. For example, they could:
listen to texts about a topic
copy personally relevant words like their name
point to a shape when asked to "show me the ______"
observe community circle time
match pictures of animals to their habitat
draw a response to a book or what they did on the weekend
mime or roleplay how a plant grows
Technology can help accommodate students in many ways! Ask your ESL Resource Teacher or EITC (Elementary Inclusion and Technology Coach) for details!
Google Read & Write is a great tool for ELLs, especially in Junior and Intermediate grades. Useful tools include:
picture dictionary and vocabulary list creation
listen to websites, docs or PDFs with Text-to-Speech
research by highlighting key information or vocabulary, and collect highlights into a new document
This is Bloom's Revised Taxonomy with the kinds of questions that are appropriate for ELLs based on STEP.
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy .pdfAccommodations
Most ELLs require accommodations for an extended period, long after they have achieved proficiency in everyday/social English. While the degree of program adaption required will decrease over time, ELLs continue to need some level of support in order to be successfull.
Accommodations related to instructional strategies:
extensive use of visual cues
use of graphic organizers
strategic use of student's first language
allowance of extra time
pre-teaching of key words
simplification/repetition of instructions as needed
simultaneous use of oral and written instructions
Accommodations related to learning resources, such as:
extensive use of visual materials
use of adapted texts and bilingual dictionaries
use of dual language materials
use of technology
Accommodations related to assessment strategies, such as:
allowance of extra time
use of alternative assessments (e.g. oral interviews, learning logs, or portfolios)
use of simplified language instructions (e.g. in the context of tasks that require completion of graphic organizers and cloze sentences)
Is this student really ESL? They speak English so well!
There is key difference between BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). This is a key understanding to help our ELLs achieve their best.
Section 8 of Growing Success (starts on page 75; or page 81 of the PDF) talks about Ministry policy on ELLs. It explains who our ELLs are and the kinds of accomodations and modifications that are appropriate. This section outlines the process for report cards and ELLs.
Additional Reading
This is a chapter called Language, Learning, and Content Instruction.
