Second Language Acquisition

What I can do:

• Adjust my teacher talk by slowing speech, using shorter and less complex sentences, and increasing wait time
• Contextualize language through visuals, body language, hands on activities, and elaboration
• Increase the amount of heterogeneous small group work
• Incorporate more peer interaction
• Add scaffolds such as sentence stems/frames, visuals, and graphic organizers
• Utilize open-ended questions

What I can do:

• Activate previous knowledge
• Encourage and guide self-assessment
• Use rubrics to set clear and high expectations
• Provide feedback on errors in meaning first, then form
• Use routines, models, visuals, and nonverbal cues
• Teach what is developmentally appropriate
• Use peer editing and allow for multiple drafts
• Check for understanding

What I can do:

• Pay attention to individual differences among learners
• Use student interest
• Be flexible
• Differentiate through scaffolding
• Teach social languages as well as academic language/skills
• Integrate reading and writing with content
• Hold students accountable for language learning
• Provide a variety of opportunities for language use