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Contents

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Introduction . 2
Outstanding Teaching . 3
About EAL .. 4
The Diversity of EAL . 5
Arrival of an EAL Child 6 - 8
Parents and Carers . 9 - 10
General Teaching and Learning Strategies 11 - 14
Learning a New Language .. 15
BICS and CALP .. 16
Cummins Quadrants .. 17
How to Use a Bilingual Dictionary . 18
Maths Specific Strategies ..19 - 24
Your Strategies . 25
Overview .. 26 - 27
Classroom Cards Resource . 28 - 30
Glossary of Terms . 31 - 32

Introduction.
This guidebook aims to provide teachers with information and training in working with
children who have English as an additional language (EAL). It is highly likely that over
your teaching career you will be have the privilege of working alongside EAL children
and it is crucial that you feel confident in addressing their needs. Many new teachers
feel completely unprepared by their teacher training to meet the needs of EAL pupils.
It is not surprising that teachers in the UK are not confident in teaching children with
EAL. In the UK teaching and learning with EAL does not have a separate curriculum or
syllabus and takes place within the mainstream classroom. It can often be the case
that new teachers in particular find themselves unprepared for taking account of the
distinctive learning situation of pupils learning EAL. This guidebook aims to act as a
foot on the ladder to allow you to reach a high level of confidence in this area. It aims
to be an interactive tool in which you can make notes, complete checklists and more
in order to make for a unique learning experience.
The guidebook will provide many photocopiable exemplar materials and pro formas
that may be useful when working with EAL children. However, in order to make the
resources provided as universal as possible, this guidebook can also be accessed
electronically at www.ealtoolbox.weebly.com. Here you will be able to download the
materials and adapt them in any way you see fit to best meet the needs of your
school and children.

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Pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) share many common
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characteristics with pupils whose mother tongue is English, and many of their
learning needs are similar to those of other children and young people
! learning in our schools. However, EAL pupils also have distinct and different
needs from other pupils, by virtue of the fact that they are learning in and
through another language, and that they come from backgrounds and
! communities
with different understandings and expectations of education,
language and learning.
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(NALDIC 1999)
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What does outstanding EAL teaching look like?

Upon reading this guidebook you should begin to have a clear understanding of each
element of outstanding EAL teaching and should feel confident in putting them into
practice. Below are *some research based elements of successful teaching with EAL
learners.

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An OUTSTANDING
teacher
Knows the cultural and language backgrounds of EAL learners
Allows and encourages the use of the childs home language.
Creates a classroom community with a positive attitude and acceptance of
difference and individuality.
Discusses language and cultural values often.
Offers a personalised approach to provision of support. They acknowledge that
there is no one-size fits all approach.
Encourages peer support. (See page 11).
Builds on prior knowledge using assessment for learning to gauge pupils previous
knowledge, to plan next steps and set targets.
Anticipates language that might create difficulties in order to determine how to
best support pupils. (See page 18).
Plans by matching the content and cognitive challenge of an activity to the needs
of the learner. (See page 16).
Acknowledges that fluency of speaking and reading does not necessarily correlate
with writing skills. (See page 16).
Models and repeats both written and oral language that their pupils will be
expected to use.
Ensures speaking and listening activities provide opportunities to rehearse and
reinforce language to be used in writing tasks.
Uses practical tasks to support pupils attaching meaning to language.
Uses paired work and collaborative learning with good language role models. (See
page 11).
Uses scaffolds such differentiated resources and vocabulary prompts.
Ensures reading materials are geared to the pupils ability to read in English.
Uses visual/kinaesthetic support for concept development.
Repeats instructions, key phrases and questions to increase familiarity.
Summarises key points in simple sentences then restates using more complex
language and technical terms.
Checks understanding of learning using closed and/or appropriate questioning.
Is explicit when providing feedback and praise to support the EAL learner in
understanding where they are at in their learning and what the next steps are.
Plans EAL support with any additional staff members involved.
*This list is not an extensive list. There are many more elements to being successful in teaching
children with EAL however, if you are meeting the majority of these, you are off to an excellent start.

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About EAL.
The term EAL (English as an Additional language) is used when
referring to children whose first language at home is not English.
Pupils who have regular access to more than one language are also
referred to as being bilingual. Throughout this guidebook the term
EAL will be used.
The term EAL is in no way homogenous and should not be used to
generalise and group children into categories. The EAL group of
children includes an extremely vast range of experiences. This group
includes a wide range of experiences, from newly arrived pupils in
the early stages of English language acquisition to more advanced
learners of English. Some newly arrived EAL pupils will come from a
school or country where little or no English is used, some may speak,
read or write some English. Children, born in the United Kingdom,
may have had limited exposure to English before starting school. EAL
pupils have a broad range of bilingual experiences. The image
adjacent depicts some of the diversity that EAL children bring with
them.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, EAL children share a common
task which is to catch up with a moving target by learning an
additional language whilst simultaneously learning the National
Curriculum.

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The Arrival of the Child.

If there will be a child entering your classroom with EAL it is important to carry out
some basic research before their arrival (if and when possible). This will ensure they
have the best possible start to their new school experience, and will give you
confidence in knowing as much about that child in order to provide a suitable learning
environment that meets their needs. Below is a checklist to help you keep track of
the areas you should try to gain an understanding of before the child enters your
class. Please note, each child will be in a different situation and not all of these areas
will be easily available to you.

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Checklist:

or X

Country of origin
Language(s) spoken

The
Form.

NameAdmission
(spelt correctly
and with pronunciation)

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Previous educational experience

Previous levels of attainment
Religion
Family make up

To organise the information about the child in an accessible way you could create a
small portfolio. Below you will find a series of admission forms that could be filled in
by members of staff who make contact with the childs parents/carers. Parents/carers
should be informed about the importance of this information in enabling the school
and class teacher to make high quality provision for their child. The forms have been
made to give an idea of the overall information that should be collected, however an
electronic version can be accessed at www.ealtoolbox.weebly.com where it may be
adapted to suit each circumstance.

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Child Information
Full name: __________________________________

Preferred name: ______________________ Pronunciation: ______________________

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Date of birth:

Country of
birth:

Arrival in UK
(if not born in
UK):

Ethnicity:

Religion:

Refugee
status:

Family Information

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of carer/carers to the pupil:
!Relationship
What name does child use for those who live at home with them?
!Sibling names:
Age:
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!Other
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Gender:

Pupils Use of Language (including English)

Which languages are used for oral communication in the home?
__________________________________________________________________________
In which languages is there written material in the home (eg; newspapers, holy books,
letters)?
__________________________________________________________________
Which languages are listened to in the home for entertainment purposes?
__________________________________________________________________
In which, if any, languages is the child literate?
__________________________________________________________________

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Childs Education

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Country:

Date started:

Ages (from - to):

Languages used:

Assessment
(exams/grades):

Have there been any extended breaks in the childs schooling (e.g. for illness or travel
purposes)?
__________________________________________________________________________

Any prior experiences that may effect learning:

__________________________________________________________________________

What were the childs preferences and/or dislikes in their previous education?
__________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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Once you have gained some or all of this basic

information set yourself some targets.

Targets:

Completed:

Learn to say Hello and Well Done in the childs

home language.
Incorporate the names the child uses for family
members into stories you tell and contexts you
set across the curriculum.
If the child attended school in another country
find out basic information about this educational
system.

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Parents and Carers.

As teachers, it is vital we do not only interact with the children. We all value and
understand how important a parent/carers role in their childs education is. Just as
we would seek to develop understanding and co-operative relationships with the
parents of monolingual children, this is equally as important for EAL learners. In fact,
for EAL learners, a positive relationship between teachers and parents/carers can
have a real impact upon their learning and experience in school.
There are often misconceptions from EAL parents/carers that their child should not
speak their first language at home as this will have a negative impact upon their
learning of English. It is important that you engage in a dialogue with parents/carers
to make them aware that their child does not need to speak English at home, and that
their home language is valued. Online at www.ealtoolbox.weebly.com you can find a
downloadable Parents/carers leaflet that you can adapt to suit the needs of your own
school. It contains some universal tips that may be helpful for the parents/
carers of your EAL children.

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Top tips for teachers

Share information. Remember that communication needs to be relevant and
timely. Approach parents/carers with a welcoming, positive manner.

Keep parents/carers up to date with curriculum and what their child will be doing
in school (try to update them termly). Inform parents of any forthcoming events
and suggest ways in which they can help their child to learn at home in the coming
weeks.

Make time to talk to parents/carers. Even just making yourself available for 5
minutes at the end of the school day can be very valuable.

Use a communication book to tell parents/carers about their child. Dont forget
to use this method of communication to inform them of positives (rather than just
a book to express worries/concerns).

Be flexible to the individual needs of the child and their family.

For newly arrived children:

Be approachable. Teachers can often been viewed as intimidating. You must make
the parents/carers feel like they can discuss their child with you confidently.

Encourage parents/carers to engage with the admission form (page 6).

Time is crucial when supporting parents with settling their child to a new
environment. Remember to allow extra time for those parents who have English as
an Additional Language.

When asking help for translation, remember to respect their wishes, they may not
always appreciate having a stranger or another parent translating information
about their child.

Encourage previous EAL parents to share experiences with new parents and
translate information to parents or practitioners.

Spend time finding out about the childs background and experiences they have
encountered before coming to your setting.

Photographs are a great way of sharing experiences.

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General Teaching and Learning Strategies.

There are a vast range of teaching and learning strategies available for teachers to
use to support children with EAL in their class. Use your own professional judgement
to decide which ones will suit the individual needs of your children. Keep in mind that
what works for one child may not work for another, so be flexible and willing to try
each one.
It is also important to note that these strategies are not exclusive to EAL children.
They can be used to support all children.

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Buddy System

A buddy system can be a useful strategy (particularly for new learners of English).
Ideally, pair the child with another pupil who speaks the same language to help
integrate them into daily school life. If this is not possible, choose a pupil that is
responsible, caring, friendly and a good role model of both language and behaviour.
Prior to the childs arrival, ask your class for buddy volunteers and provide training
for these children. Ensure they appreciate that the child may be slightly nervous and
intimidated. Ask them to imagine how they would feel going into a classroom where
all of the children speak a completely different language to English. It is also
important that the buddy is aware that they are not to over-protect their new friend.
They should be encouraged to introduce the pupil to other friendship groups and
social situations. Make sure the buddy system is working; review progress and give
advice to the buddy.

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Classroom Layout

Space your EAL learners around the room. You do not need to group them all together.
To allow your EAL learners to develop their English more rapidly, it is important that
you provide the opportunity of be surrounded by English speaking pupils. Similarly, do
not always place beginner bilinguals with less able pupils. Do not assume that they
are less able simply because English is not their first language. Test results do not
reflect the potential of a pupil who is still learning English and should not be used as
the main criteria for placing pupils in a lower ability teaching group.

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Collaborative
Activities
Allow for extra
time

It is common for a beginning learner of English to be slower than English speaking

children when following instructions. Be patient and avoid getting frustrated with
them. Always be prepared to give them that little bit extra time.
Recognise that the pupil may get tired very quickly as they are concentrating hard
when learning their new language. Allow the pupil time to reflect.

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Model good English

Really think about the language you are using. Speak in a slow, clear voice but ensure
that you are not talking down to the child. When listening to the child speak English,
try not to over-correct them. As with all elements of learning, praise their efforts and
achievements. You must provide good role models of both social and formal English
language.
Be careful not to speak in slang or use too many colloquial terms (unless the child is
very familiar with these). Be wary of using idioms as may prove difficult for nonnative speakers as they rely on historical/cultural and linguistic knowledge.
Recasting
If your child gives and answer or statement that is grammatically incorrect, praise
them for the content of their answer and recast it to them as a follow-up question.
For example:
Child: We play football yesterday.
Teacher: Great answer. When you were playing football yesterday, what happened
during the game?

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Collaborative activities are great for EAL learners because they encourage speaking
and listening and exploratory talk. Group tasks facilitate pupil involvement, belonging
and the need to experiment with language in order to complete a task. Plan in
activities that offer this opportunity on a regular basis. Give the English learner a
specific role within the group to give them a purpose and motivation to participate.
This is a good chance for them to listen to language that is modelled by their peers.
Working with a partner or as part of a small group allows EAL learners to feel more
confident and use language for a specific purpose, making it less abstract. Consider
the groupings of your learners carefully. EAL learners should be grouped with children
who speak the same language or children who are good models of English.
Talk Partners: This can be planned into any area of a lesson. Get children into a
routine of understanding that you may ask them to tell you what their partner said.
This will encourage good listening. It is also a good way of ensuring EAL children are
being heard by someone, even if it is not you.
Think-Pair-Share: Learners prepare a response to an information text and then
explain their ideas to a partner. After the pairs have discussed the issue, they join
with another pair, share views and emerge with a group conclusion or point of view.

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Using home language

Encourage the use of the childs first language. This can have a positive impact on
their acquisition of English. Also allow them to write in their own language at times (if
they are literate in this - each child. This can allow children to keep up their
extended writing skills which can then be transferred to English as their language
acquisition improves.
If the child feels comfortable, encourage them to share their language with their
peers. Use them as an expert and teach the other children in the class some
valuable words and phrases. This can cause a very respectful atmosphere in your
classroom. It is important to note that not EAL learners will enjoy or want to do this;
use your own judgement and dont assume that children will participate.

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You could:

Learn a few simple phrases, numbers, colours

Provide opportunities for pupils to work in same language groups and pairs

Create bilingual displays in your classroom

Read bilingual books

Ask parents, other staff, members of the community to provide bilingual support in
your classroom

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Make bilingual books

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Learning a new language - Information.

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! The Stages in Learning a New Language
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Listening and absorbing (silent period)

Responding to instructions.
Imitating and copying
Trying out word phrases
Nouns
Verbs
Putting nouns and verbs together
Trying out whole sentence with mistakes
Correcting mistakes themselves

Teaching a New Language

When learning new English words, EAL children need to:

Hear them

See them

Write them

Read them

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Put them in a sentence

Revise them

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Use them in another context

BICS and CALP

To gain an even better understanding of how to support your EAL learners, it is useful
to understand some theory behind learning a second language.
Research has shown that it is possible for newly arrived EAL pupils to develop survival
English in one year and conversational English within two to three years. This
conversational fluency is described as having Basic Interpersonal Communicative
Skills (BICS).
It takes between five and seven years for EAL pupils to use English on par with their
monolingual peers. However, it may take longer to become proficient in using
academic language. This is described as having Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency (CALP).
Cummins, a researcher in the field of language acquisition, developed a visual key
that you can use to assess the level of challenge that your activities provide. This can
be implemented into your planning to ensure that the tasks you are setting are
appropriate for your EAL learners and are no less cognitively challenging than those
set for your monolingual students. The pupil is likely to get frustrated if the tasks are
cognitively undemanding.

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Quadrant B:
Cognitively
demanding,
Context
embedded

Quadrant A:

Cognitively
undemanding,
Context
embedded

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Examples:
Making own book
in own language
Talking about the
weather
Greeting someone
Colouring in

Quadrant C:

Cognitively
demanding,
Context reduced

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If pupils are to
develop their
CALPs, they need
to experience
activities in
Quadrant B.

EAL pupils will need

linguistic and
contextual support
to access lessons in
Quadrant C

Examples:

Examples:
Reflection
Discussing ways in
which language is
written
Listening to news
items
Matching words
Spelling tests
without definitions
Tests and
examinations

Problem solving
Dramatic stories Reading and writing
Role play
Simple measuring
skills
Giving instructions
Small group work
Turn taking
Demonstrating
Matching words with
pictures and
translations
Word webs about
class topics

Quadrant D:
Cognitively
undemanding,
Context reduced

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It is tempting to
give pupils who are
struggling
linguistically, work
in Quadrant D, such
as copying, but this
should be avoided.
Examples:
Describing stories
heard/seen on TV
Listening to a story
Reciting nursery
thymes
Matching words - no
pictures
Copying text

Some useful strategies to consider to ensure learning is context embedded

and cognitively demanding include:

Provide plenty of visual cues

Be expressive when you teach
Use a bilingual dictionary
Differentiate with mixed-ability groupings,
Put EAL pupils in the middle
Use mixed ability talk partners
Take multiple intelligences into account
Use repetitive language
Label everything
Find time for one-to-one communication
Let them be - provide rest time. It is hard work!
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Dictionary Support - How to use:

The dictionary that is available
online at
www.ealtoolbox.weebly.com is
suitable for children who are
literate in their first language.
It provides key vocabulary and
definitions in both English and
their home language (this can be
adapted for each child when you
download a copy).
Tips:
Introduce the child to the dictionary.
They may not have used a dictionary
before so some time
should be spent going
through the basic
steps on how to use
one.
Encourage children to
fill in their own word
bank at the back of
the dictionary so that
they get used to
continuously building
up their own set of
vocabulary.
When adapting the
dictionary for your
needs:
A good starting point is looking at the National Curriculum document for the topic you
are creating the dictionary for. Highlight any key words and look for terms that they
children may struggle with. This is most likely going to be the topic specific
terminology.
Try to ensure as many visual images as possible to coincide with keywords. This will
helpful children memorise the new vocabulary and find words they are looking for
more easily.
Dont use too complex definitions.
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Maths strategies to support EAL learners.

As this guidebook has a particular focus on mathematics teaching, here you will find
some activities, strategies and information on how to best support your EAL learners
in maths. Most will provide an example that can be carried out when teaching KS1
Geometry, however they can easily be adapted creatively to be used in any area.

Barrier Games

Example: Place a barrier between a pair of learners,

or seat them back to back. One learner places six
shapes on colours squares and explains to the other
learner what to do to create the same image. Once
the other learner has followed instructions, the
barrier is lifted or the children turn to face each
other so they can check if their cards match.
This is a good game to develop maths, listening and language skills.

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Feely Bags

Example: Provide children with a mystery bag of 2D or 3D shapes.

Children take turns to describe the shape they are feeling using as
much mathematical vocabulary as they can. The other children try
to work out which shape the child is describing.

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Connect 4

How to play:
You need 4 people, one game-board and two sets of cards - Photocopiable from next
page (also available to download and adapt from www.ealtoolbox.weebly.com). Each
pair takes a set of cards.Teams shuffle their cards and place
them in a pile facing down.They take it in turn to turn over
their top card and decide where to put it on the board. Before
placing their card, they must give one feature of that shape.
The winning team gets four in row diagonally, vertically or
horizontally.
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Loop Cards

Oral and mental starters are an effective way of developing pupils mathematical
language. The interactive nature of starters at the beginning of the lesson helps to
develop pupils oral skills and can also help them to understand sentence structures
used in word problems.
A loop card game aimed can be very effective. Each pupil has a card with a shape and
a question.
The first pupil reads out their card: What do you call a triangle with three equal
sides? The pupil with the answer says: I have an equilateral triangle and then reads
out their question.
It is also important for pupils, EAL learners particularly, to learn mathematical
definitions. On these cards translations for the answers can be given to help the EAL
learners. Again, this can be adapted to suit your topic and you can change the second
language by downloading this resource from www.ealytoolbox.weebly.com.

For mental/oral starters here are some things to take into account:
Model language, including mathematical language, required in responses
Build in sufficient thinking time (remember EAL learners will require more - dont
worry if you are not used to waiting so long)
Use mini white board or fans for responses
Allow pupils to show rather than always tell
Encourage pairs to rehearse responses in first language or
with an encouraging peer
Ensure participation in chanting and counting activities

Other mental/oral ideas:

Sorting activities supported by flashcards
Matching activities
Loop cards, circle cards, follow-me cards
Draw me activities

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The above activities can help provide a highly interactive maths lesson. Using these
along with plenty of visual support, animation and gestures are the way to introduce
more abstract tasks and ideas. Thinking back to Cummins Quadrants (page 16), in
order for teachers teaching the properties of shapes to EAL learners, they must
provide lots of opportunities to make the concept less abstract.

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An example of teaching the properties of a square:

Provide and plan for plenty of opportunities for children to:
Handle a physical square object
Engage in practical, comparative activities to discover what
makes a square different from other shapes such as a
rectangle, rhombus, trapezium etc.
Look around the classroom to find similar or identical shapes
Encourage pupils to show and tell their discoveries. Here,
the presence of an actual object not only reduces demands
on pupils to produce mathematical vocabulary, it allows the
teacher to carefully support and introduce appropriate
mathematical vocabulary to complement the parts of the
shape displayed.
Respond to carefully devised questions about the properties
of squares reinforcing the subject related vocabulary/
concept (e. g. a square has four identical sides).
Encourage children to look up this vocabulary in their
dictionary

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Strategy:

How to use:

Why?

Visual presentation

Uses an oral, visual and

animated presentation to hook
learners into the lesson.

EAL learners can quickly learn

new vocabulary when they can
associate it with a picture or
artefact.

Talk partners
An organised form of pair work.

Carefully match learners in pairs EAL beginners can be placed

to discuss their responses to
with more able, fluent speakers
teacher questions when asked.
of English who can model
appropriate language use.

Discussion in first language

Give EAL learners time to talk

about new subject content in
their first language with another
speaker of the same language or
support staff.

EAL pupils are able to use

subject knowledge learnt in
their first language and key into
a topic. Sometimes vocabulary
is similar in both languages.

Brainstorming or Spider diagram

Ask pupils to generate ideas and

words related to a (new) topic.
These can be recorded visually
by the you or another student.

Gives EAL learners a chance to

learn key topic vocabulary.
Several pupils working together
can extend each others
repertoire.

Information gap activities or

barrier games

There are many types of barrier

game. Each learner has a
different piece of information
(e.g. diagram, picture or text.)
They both have to complete a
single task by asking for and
using information from the
other.

The barrier or information gap

requires
real language to be used to
complete
a task. EAL learner can be
paired with supportive, fluent
speakers who can help scaffold
the task through careful wording
or questioning.

Matching activities
Learners have to match words
and definitions or two parts of a
sentence.

Words and definitions are

Through working together
printed on card which is then
learners can practise using new
cut up. Learners work in pairs to vocabulary. Being able to move
match them up.
and manipulate text helps
identify key language patterns.

Oral and written feedback on

both content and language.

Mark work with specific

grammatical or linguistic focus.

The technique draws attention

to the form and structure of
texts. Can help EAL learners to
realize what they have to do to
reach higher levels in
examinations and progress in
their language learning.

Visual approaches to identify

how well assessment criteria
have been met.

During class work, especially

during the listening phase at the
start of a lesson, the teacher
asks learners to display coloured
cards to show whether they
have understood. Green signifies
the student
is confident, Amber, not sure
and Red no understanding. (Also
known as traffic light system)

EAL learners may be initially

reluctant to ask for help. This
gives them a
less threatening way of
signalling comprehension.

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Effective teachers balance different teaching strategies by:
Giving well-structured demonstrations
Modelling mathematics and mathematical language using appropriate resources
and visual displays
Explaining and illustrating examples, referring to previous work and learning
Questioning in ways that ensure all pupils can take part with appropriate support use a mixture of open and closed questions. Closed questions can be a good way
to build confidence of early EAL learners
Summarising and reminding pupils of what has been taught and picking out key
points and ideas
Expecting pupils to use correct mathematical terms and notation and to talk
about their insights rather than give single-word answers (with support)
Using every opportunity to draw attention to new words or symbols with the
whole class, in a group or when talking to individual pupils
Ensuring that, as well as introducing new vocabulary, they consolidate familiar
terms
Being aware of the language demands of particular tasks and how words are used
in a mathematics lesson

Effective mathematics teaching develops skills in speaking by:

Exploring mathematical concepts
Describing visualisations of shapes, movements and constructions
Explaining calculation strategies and talking about methods for the solution of
problems
Talking about mathematical expressions using mathematical and nonmathematical language
Discussing which mathematical equipment and materials to use
Comparing different solutions in order to arrive at a correct solution
Presenting their findings to an audience.

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Your Ideas

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Use this page to jot down and document your own suggestions. You can add
comments on whether they worked well or not. This will build up a solid bank
of activities and tasks that you can use again and again

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Activities/Tasks:

Comments:
What went well? How could you improve it?

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Overview

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When EAL pupils are learning effectively they:
(Think about the EAL children in your class. Think about whether they tick the boxes for each
of the below. If they do not, think of ways you could support them in developing this).

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Use English confident, at their own
level of competence

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! Develop effective models of
! spoken and written language
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! Are aware of context, genre and
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in both spoken and
! audience
written language

Are able to take risks and are

aware of the consequences

Internalise and apply new subject

specific vocabulary

Have confidence in transferring

between their first language and
English

Recognise and value their

additional language skills

Take initiative to actively manage

their own acquisition of English
through reading and the use of
bilingual materials

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Overview
For effective teaching of EAL pupils:

(Think about your teaching. You can also refer back to the Outstanding teacher checklist on
page 3. Think about whether you tick the boxes for each of the below. If you do not, think of
ways in which you could begin to implement this into your practice when teaching EAL
pupils).

Ensure the curriculum, context

and selection of resources are
culturally relevant and of a high
quality

Plan for pre-teaching of key

vocabulary and concepts

Access and use prior knowledge to

build future learning

Enhance opportunities for

speaking, listening and
collaborative activities

Position and group children so that

they can participate in the lesson
effectively. Do not always sit
children based upon ability or
language.

Acknowledge that more advanced

EAL learners need continual
support

Always provide effective models of

spoken and written language

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Recognise that the use of first

language will enhance
understanding and support the
development of English

Photocopiable classroom cards (also available at www.ealtoolbox.weebly.com).!

sit

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!down
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stop it!
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good
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next
usid

nastpny
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Walk, dont run

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przesta
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chodz, nie biegaj

well done
!dobrze

dobra robota
well done

excellent
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doskonay

dobra robota
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listen

who?

sucha

Kto?
I dont understand

when?
Kiedy?

nie rozumiem

I understand

I need help
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Ja potrzebuj

Jai rozumiem

yes

no
tak

nie
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tidy up time

Please speak slower

Czas na sprzatanie

Proz mwic wolniej

I have a question

Where is

Jai mam pytanie

please

gdzie jest

thank you
prosz
dzikuj

excuse me
why?
przepraszam
dlaczego
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Glossary of Terms

A
Academic language
The language learners need to understand and use in order to carry out cognitively
complex activities and to achieve success academically. Used in textbooks, tests and
in formal classroom discourse.

B
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
This term arises from the early work of Cummins. It refers to everyday communication
or conversational fluency in a language and the types of communication associated
with routine social interactions.

Bilingual
This term is used to describe a learner who uses two or more languages to
communicate and has access to more than one language at home and at school. The
term does not necessarily mean that the pupil is fully fluent in both or all of their
languages.

C
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)
This term also arises from the early work of Cummins. It refers to the level of
language needed to understand decontextualised academic situations. In education
this 'academic' English is usually contrasted with BICS.

E
English as an additional language (EAL)
These terms are used to describe the learning of English in addition to the learners
first language. The two terms are interchangeable. However, in England the term
'English as an additional language' or 'EAL' is generally used to refer to learning English
in an English speaking environment, such as a school. This was deemed a more neutral
term and it also recognises that, for some learners, English may be their third or
fourth language.

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F
First language
This term is used to describe the first language to which the learner is exposed. This
may be different from the home language.

H
Home language
This term is used to describe the language used most frequently in the home.

M
Monolingual
A person who only speaks one language.

Multilingual
This term is used to describe contexts, such as urban schools, where there are
speakers of many different languages. It is sometimes used to describe a person who
speaks several languages.

S
Silent period
The time when learners of a language prefer to listen before producing language.

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