ESL Teaching Strategies in Action:

An Observation and Report

TE 845 Final Project

Monica Messing
June 2015

Introduction
On June 5th, I had the pleasure of observing the ESL teacher at my school, Patrice
Johnson, in hopes of gathering information on ESL strategies. The goal of this
observation is to pinpoint some strategies studied in my MATC program course, TE 845.
Before the observation I inquired more information about this ESL classroom through a
discussion with Patrice.

Pre-Observation Discussion

One June 4th I met in Patrices room for a pre-observation discussion. When you walk
into Patrices room, youre hit with a mixture of efficiency, empty walls, Spanish posters,
and miss matched chairs. Patrice works at the school part time, splitting her full time
position with another elementary school in the district. Patrice has a bike helmet on her
desk, since shell often bike between schools during her lunch hour. There are Spanish
posters and festive Mexican cutout banners hanging from the ceiling, left over from the
Spanish class that occupies the room while Patrice is gone. The back wall has two
shelves with books on them; on top are book boxes with student names filled with books.
Overall, the space feels a bit bare, but with remnants of literary resources and small group
areas.

One of the first things I learned through my discussion with Patrice was the lack of
resources she feels she has with her students. Not just in actual materials, but also a lack
of time, Patrice said. Patrice said she feels like shes running from school to school,

spending a little time here and a little time there. I feel like Im only giving these kids
part-time services, when they deserve full time services. Even my books have to be split
between classrooms, I dont have enough for both of my classrooms to have a wide
selection, she stated.

Patrice went on to say that, with the high level of ESL students at this school, shes
grateful that teachers are willing to be flexible with her timing and the grouping of
students. Patrice pulls out of classrooms to run her own reading groups and book clubs.
Throughout the year, Patrices students will share their work with the classrooms, such as
a play that they practiced or a review that they wrote.

I asked Patrice if she speaks any other language besides English, or if shes able to teach
in another language. Patrice said that, previous to working here, she worked in a
Japanese Emersion Elementary School. Shes since picked up some of the Japanese
language, which was expanded by a 6 month long sabbatical she spent in Japan. Other
than that, she speaks very little besides English. When I asked Patrice if the Japanese
helped her teach she said yes. We have some Japanese students here, so Im able to use
their language a bit when were working, especially if theyre learning a new word. So,
for her students who speak Japanese, Patrice is able to utilize her language skills a bit.
For everyone else, I think it still helps me. The learning process of being in Japan when
I didnt speak the language was really helpful. I imagine thats how my students feel all
the time, so I try to remember what was the most difficult or what helped the most.

I also asked Patrice what she felt the most important aspect of teaching ESL was. She
said its a mixture of everything. Patrice explained that its hard to pinpoint, because
each student has a different level of exposure to English, and there are so many different
languages represented within a group of students, or the students speak different
languages than their parents so theres little language consistency in their lives. She said
that giving students the opportunity to talk has been critical because it forces them to not
only think about the content but also practice oral language skills. She also said that she
feels its very important to do some language practice everyday, whether its phonics
skills or learning about plural words. She said that when she practices these, she often
sees a light bulb go off in her students, especially for writing.

Lastly, I talked to Patrice about the curriculum she uses. Patrice uses Orton Gillingham
for her phonic instruction. She uses Fontas & Pinnell to guide her reading groups and for
student reading assessments. Patrice also uses a school wide set of graphic organizers
from a program call EmPower. She said she groups her students based on reading levels
or language needs, but that shell often have a group of 12 or so students in the room,
which might have a mixture of 2-3 reading levels within the group. Therefor, Patrice will
have to divide her time up by doing a mini-lesson and then pulling guided reading
groups.

Observation Notes
June 5, 2015
Room-book boxes for students. Shelf with books on them. Almost nothing on walls-no
visual cues.

Two Fourth Graders doing a phonics lesson (Orton Gillingham)

-reading a list of silent e pattern words (3 minutes)
-pointed out cute and flutewhy is it different? It says oo or ew
-went over the rest of the vowel sounds and then reviewed u_e, lots of repetition and
pointing out the different oo and ew sounds.
Red Words
1. Again, says, any, put, of, does, said, come, dont, here, they, both, done (said donerelated to long o pattern), eye, would, should, aunt, break, through, done (teacher put this
card back in the pile so students needed to practice it a second time)
2. Went back and had them trace done and then they tapped it out 3x (D-O-N-E says
done while tapping the table) to put it into our memory
3. Wrote it down in their notebook, talked it out while they wrote it 3x
4. Sentence dictation, Are we done yet? They said it first and then wrote it. Checked
them together. Both students had written it all correctly.
4. Syllable division. denote. First they underlined the vowels. Showed them that you
only underline the vowels that talk so they crossed out the silent e. They wrote vs
under the vowels, saw that there was a VCV pattern. Then they put their syllable division
line. Looked to see if the vowel was long or short.
Denote-have you heard this word before? It means to show or to tell, usually in
writing
Student asked if it was a compound word. No because de isnt a word, this
word just has multiple syllables.
They broke up words on their own words. Lots of talk about whether the vowels
were long or short. They marked the words. Athlete. What is an athlete? A
person who eats all popsicles (student answer).
o Related to field day (which is later that day)a person who does sports
o Had students put athlete into their own sentence and share. One student
shared about jump roping and she asked how many jumps they could do
without stopping.
Complete
Meanwhile two students came in and grabbed their book boxes, found a spot and started
reading.
When done with last lesson-chimed for students to come it, laid down a blanket on the
ground, and about 5 Third Grade students came in with their book boxes and sat on the
blanket.
1. Explained the schedule for their session
2. Mita, Evie, Fatuma had reading assessments (gave Fatima and Evie their books to
read on their own). Others went to read independently.

3. Asked Mita comprehension questions for assessment.

Gave Fatuma her reading book to go read independently (Rechenkas Eggs by Patricia
Polacco). Introduced book, This is a story about an older woman, her name is
Babushka, who like to make art. Babushka is from a country called Ukrain and she
makes art on eggs, like we can see in the picture (pointed to eggs). Do you see how there
is details and swirls of colors on the eggs? This is the art that Babushka makes, but it
takes a very long time and lots of patience. Have you ever made something that took a
very long time or lots of patience? [Student answer-yes, Ive colored on eggs before. In
art class we made pictures that took a long time]
Great! I want you to open up and read the first few pages, Ill tell you when to stop. In
the first few pages youll meet Rechenka. Start reading and when youre done well talk
about the eggs.
Students begin to read the first few pages to themselves. Teacher stops them after a few
pages and asks them to tell whats happening. One student said that Babushka lives by
herself and she paints eggs.
The teacher asks who Rechenka is. Shes the goose. They turn to the page where
Rechenka is shot out of the sky.
Teacher: Whats happening here?
Student 1: They shot the goose. And he fell down.
Student 2: And Babushka picked him up.
Teacher: Why do you think Babushka picked him up?
Student 2: Because she was hurt. Shes going to take care of the goose.
Teacher: Yes. We can see on this page that the goose is hurt, but Babushka carries it
home and puts it into her best basket. What, then, do we already know about Babuska?
Student 1: She likes gooses. And shes nice.
Teacher: Show how you know shes nice.
Student 2 points to the page where the goose is in the basket.
Student 2: She put a Band-Aid on the gooses arm.
Teacher: Yes, and thats something someone else does for someone when they are hurt,
something a friend might do. You two are going to keep reading while I give Miku her
reading assessment. When youre done were going to talk more about Babushka and
Rechenka and see how their friendship changes.
The students took their books to the rug and read while she gave Mita her reading
assessment.
I wasnt able to stay and watch the follow up meeting, but Patrice said they would be
discussing

Lesson Plan
**This lesson is intended to follow the observed lesson, using Rechenkas Eggs by
Patricia Polacco.
Materials:
The Library Lion by Michelle Knudson
Rechenkas Eggs by Patricia Polacco
Compare/Contrast Graphic Organizer
Chart Paper

Language Objectives:
Students will describe characteristics of the theme friendship
Students will compare and contrast two texts using words such as similar and different
Learning Objectives:
CCSS.RL.3.2Recountstories,includingfables,folktales,andmythsfromdiverse
cultures;determinethecentralmessage,lesson,ormoralandexplainhowitisconveyed
throughkeydetailsinthetext.
Prereading/Writing:
Beforethislesson,studentsshouldhavereadRechenkas Eggs by Patricia Polacco. They
worked to find the theme of friendship in the story and had a group discussion about the
way Polacco portrays the theme of friendship.
To start this lesson, students should answer this question is writing:
What is friendship?
Give students a few minutes to write down what they think friendship is. After theyve
finished, have them share what they think friendship is. Its okay for them to share
personal experiences.
Then, remind them about Rechenkas Eggs and the theme of friendship. Ask them how
this story showed friendship. Remind the students that Babushka and Rechenka were
friends because they trusted each other and helped each other. They also took care of
each other, such as when Babushka bandaged up Rechenkas wing or when Rechenka left
a special egg for Babushka.
Tell students that today theyre going to read another story. Just like
they did with Rechenkas Egg, tell students that theyre going to think
about the theme of the story.

Reading Task:
We are going to be thinking about how Rechenkas Eggs and The Library Lion
are the same and different.
When two things are the same, we say they are similar.
When two things are not the same, we say they are different.
Yesterday we read Rechenkas Eggs and we decided that the theme was friendship.
This story, The Library Lion, also helps us think about friendship. Were going to be
reading The Library Lion today, and then were going to find specific parts of the story
that help us know its about friendship. Were going to see how these parts are similar
and different to Rechenkas Eggs.
Begin reading The Library Lion. Give students time in between to turn and talk about the
lion, what kind of a character is he? Students can turn to talk about the relationship
between the lion and the librarian. How do they show friendship?
When you finish, begin filling in the graphic organizer with just a few points about how
the stories are similar or different. Then, have students work with their partner to add
their own idea about how the stories are similar or different. When theyre done, bring
the group together again and have them share their ideas, adding them to the group
graphic organizer as you go.
During this time, be sure to ask students to explain if these ideas show friendship or not.
Ask them to use details from the story to help explain their thinking, if need be they can
go back into the book and find a specific page.
Highlight the role of loneliness in both books.
Lets look at two specific parts in each text (when Babushka was alone at home with
her quilt and when Mrs. Merriwether didnt have the lion with her in the library). We
can compare these two parts, how are they similar of different?
Have students discuss the ways they are the same or different. Both characters are lonely
when their friends are gone.
Sometimes friendship means that you trust someone so much that having them around
makes you a happier person. In both of these stories, the characters became sad because
their friends were gone.
Post Assessment:
Both of these stories show a theme of friendship. Please write down a time when you or
someone else has shown friendship.

Reflection
According to recent studies, the population of English Language Learners has grown to 5
million people since 1990 (Goldenburg, 2010). The number of students in the United
States that are learning English as a Second Language is steadily increasing, meaning
schools and teachers are seeing a higher frequency of ESL students in their classrooms. I
had the opportunity to observe an ESL in suburban Michigan. The teacher, Patrice
Johnson, works with a wide variety of ESL students. This particular school, due to its
close proximity to a large University, has a high number of ESL students. Often, students
will come to Patrice with little to no English. Many students are at this school for a short
one or two year period and then return home (overseas) once their parents have finished
their schooling with the University. There are over 50 different nationalities represented
at this school, which means that theres a very diverse culture of languages being spoken.
In observing Patrice Johnson I was able to connect many of the theoretical studies of ESL
students to real world practices and classrooms.

Initially, I left my discussion with Patrice feeling worn down by the nature of her job.
You could sum up so many aspects of her job with one wordshare. Patrice has to share
her time between two buildings, two groups of students. She has to share her resources
between two classrooms and her brain between two groups of teachers to collaborate
with. With an increasing number of ESL students in the building, it seems frustrating that
this passionate educator is being forced to share herself and be pulled in so many
directions. As I looked around, however, it was clear that Patrice was still evoking a deep
respect for reading to her students. Each student has received their own book box to

collect their books for reading. She takes time to talk with students about their reading.
She encourages them to think about their reading before, during, and after reading a text.
Patrice spends the majority of her time thinking about meaning with her students, instead
of focusing on decoding strategies for the full 60 minutes she has with her students.
Patrice is using literacy as a way to foster a respect for reading and English acquisition.

As Patrice spoke of her students and their time in the classroom one thing was clear, she
knows the needs of her students. Patrice has knowledge about which students are
proficient in their native language and which students are not. She held quick
conversations about jump roping on field day when the word athletic popped up and
helps students prepare for full readers theatre productions for the kindergarten classes.
Understanding what students need is a critical characteristic of effective ESL teaching
practices. In order to value reading and to value themselves as readers, students must
have...experiences that engage them, make sense to them, and help them believe they can
succeed (Freeman, 2000). Patrice uses her knowledge about the students to engage
students in reading, helping them value the role of reading in their lives.

With the wide variety of languages spoken in Patrices school it would be difficult for
Patrice to incorporate everyones native language into their daily reading activities.
Patrice stated that many of her students speak different languages, and many speak
different languages from their parents. There are several ways in which Patrice
incorporates aspects of students cultural background into her reading instruction. By
learning about students cultural background and their story Patrice is portraying a sense

of respect and trust to her students (Cary, 2007). Patrice will often make personal phone
calls to parents at the beginning of the year and will often ask, What is the best way to
talk to you? (Many parents request emails or letters instead of phone calls, since its
difficult to understand English over the phone). Patrices group also study their own
country during the schools yearly International Night when families are invited to learn
more about the cultural diversity within the school. Each of these practices sends a
message of value and respect to students and their families.

Another aspect of watching and speaking with Patrice that is particularly important is the
role of oral language in her classroom. As I observed her reading group, Patrice gave
students ample opportunities to share their connections, thoughts, questions, and
comments. During our pre-discussion, Patrice stated that she felt as though encouraging
students to speak is a very important aspect of her classroom. One of the Six Principals
for Teaching ELLs (McIntyre, 2010) is Instructional Conversation. This highlights the
importance of providing opportunities for students to engage in conversation around the
learning objective, So that students have an opportunity to learn, develop, and practice
the language of disciplines, while constructing new understanding about content
(McIntyre, 2010). From the moment her group came in and met in a circle on the fuzzy
blue picnic blanket on the floor there is a clear sense of comfort within the room.
Students know their routine, they know each other, they know their teacher, and they feel
comfortable. Patrice introduces new words and allows students to apply those words and
share their applications. The teacher values the role of discussion in the classroom, and
you can tell.

My experience in observing Patrice gave me multiple insights. First, it helped me realize

how important the role of ESL strategies in the mainstream classroom is, since many ESL
programs are limited on time and resources. Its important for classroom teachers to
understand how to reach their ESL students. Secondly, it helped me appreciate the role of
oral language in my classroom. Often times I find myself guilty of giving my ESL
students a free pass on sharing their thinking with others. This experience has shown
me how I can foster oral language while still upholding high expectations for my
students. Lastly, the experience showed me how important it is to know your students.
Patrice will never be able to speak all of the different language spoken within her groups,
but she has learned about these families and their cultural background. Everyone in our
world has a cultural background that has helped shape his or her language today. ESL
students deserve the same opportunities to share their background and learn in their
language as traditional English speaking students.

References
Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers Top
Ten Questions. Second Edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2000). Teaching Reading in Multilingual
Classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Goldenberg (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 1: Improving Achievement for
English Learners: Conclusions from Recent Reviews and Emerging Research
(pp.15-43).
McIntyre (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 3: Principles for Teaching Young
ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: Adapting Best Practices for All Learners
(pp.61-83)