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Jenae Heninger
Dr. James Benton
IS 104-101 Integrative Studies Capstone
1 May 2016

Reaching Out to All

An Integrative study promoting awareness and analysis of language and writing development for
English Language Learners (ELLs) in American classrooms.
Llegar A Todo El Mundo
Por favor ayudarme, no entiendo, asks a young girl hopefully on her very first day in
an American classroom. She is surrounded by her classmates, all working hard on their writing
assignment, speaking English to one another and glancing her way with quizzical looks when the
teacher is preoccupied. The girl repeats her question, a little louder this time, hoping the teacher
will hear her through the growing snickers from the class. The teacher looks up, glancing around
for the cause of the commotion, her gaze settles upon the dark-haired Hispanic girl and she walks
over to her desk. Fresh from Ciudad Chiapas, one of the poorest cities in Mexico, the young girl
has only been in the United States for a few days, and does not speak a word of English. The
teacher kneels down beside the young girls desk and asks, in English, what the young girl needs.
Not understanding a word, the girl slumps her shoulders, looks to the floor, and timidly repeats
her question. The teacher gives the girl a warm smile as she replies, Est bien, qu necesita
ayuda?
How did you feel while reading the Spanish sections above? Let me take a guess and say
that the majority of you did not understand a word either the student, or the teacher said. Imagine
if that feeling of confusion was something that you had to deal with every day for years. Can you

picture how you would feel listening to your classmates and teachers speak in a different
language, and not being able to understand what they were saying? How would you get any work
done? And even if you knew bits and pieces of that language, would you not take twice as long
as your peers on assignments? Now imagine you are nine-years-old and in this situation. For
many students in our school systems, this is everyday life. They struggle through classes, become
frustrated and self-conscious, and all because they come from a different country and speak a
different language. These students are English Language Learners (ELL) and they need our help.
It is the responsibility of a teacher, to reach beyond culture, and beyond language barriers
to lend a helping hand to ELL students. To teach, and to teach to all, no matter who the child is,
and no matter where they come from. As a soon-to-be graduate, with minors in English for
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Writing, I have learned that by reaching out to ELL
students, I can promote diversity, cultural awareness, and compassion in my classroom. I have
also learned that writing is an art form of words. The act of writing is powerful enough to reach
across immense boundaries to help inspire connections and build language foundations for ELLs.
Throughout the remainder of this essay, I will promote awareness and analysis of language and
writing development for ELL students, for which I am uniquely qualified through the integration
of my two minors, Writing and ESOL.
Curricular Experience
The first, of my three curricular experiences, is that of my obtaining an ESOL minor.
This particular minor focuses on creating and instilling culturally responsive practices in future
teachers. With the ever-increasing number of ethnic and language minorities in the United States
classrooms, the demand for culturally competent teachers is rapidly growing (Eastern Oregon

University, 2016). However, this demand is far from being satisfied by the current populace of
educators. Therefore, making culturally responsive pedagogy, or ELL-oriented teaching
practices, available to educators across our region, should be the highest priority among
educators (Eastern Oregon University, 2016). The ESOL programs primary focus is to
encourage future and current educators, to create classroom environments in which student
language, culture, and backgrounds will be responded to and infused within every aspect of
education and curriculum (Eastern Oregon University, 2016). Every student has the ability to
learn, and with the aid of an ESOL endorsed teacher, children will be exposed to effective
learning environments that are tailored to their cultural and linguistic needs.
The second of my curricular experiences is my years training in the Spanish language. It
is my personal opinion that if a teacher requires students to become effective communicators in
English, they should undergo the same learning experience for second language acquisition. For
me, the most prudent language to learn when considering my intended area of work, which has a
high population of migrant workers and Mexican immigrants, was Spanish. When a teacher
learns a second language, they are better equipped to teaching ELL students. This is because they
would have gone through the process and understood the many challenges one faces when
attempting to learn another language. It is also an important skill to have in place when working
with low proficiency students, that is, students who know little to know English. As described in
the introduction, teacher in the classroom being able to communicate with the little girl was
extremely beneficial. Because the teacher could understand what the student needed, it also
served as a bond of familiarity and trust between the teacher and student. This kind of bond will
undoubtedly help promote the ELL students learning experience by helping create additional
connections and build a stronger language foundation.

The final of my curricular experiences was pursuing a minor in Writing. Learning the
different, styles, theories, and functions for writing are, without a doubt, beneficial to ESOL
endorsed teachers. From writing their name, to writing creative stories, the many facets of
writing and its purposes, builds language foundations for ELLs. Writing for ELLs prepares
students to become effective writers, critical and creative thinkers, and most importantly,
effective communicators.
Co-Curricular Experience
For a co-curricular experience, I have participated in two ESOL practicums in which I
observed and interacted with elementary students and teachers. Both practicums were a way to
give future ESOL endorsed teachers first-hand experience with effective methods of teaching
both English language instruction, and common core curriculum objectives. The two practicums
also emphasized the importance of reading, writing, and speaking instruction, and the
development of second language learning. These ESOL practicums were not only beneficial to
the college students, but for the ELL students within the classrooms as well. While many
teachers try to engage in one-on-one instruction with all of their students, with a class of twentyfive or so kids, this is not always possible. However, when there is a practicum student in the
classroom, they can give the ELLs the much needed attention while the teacher is conducting
whole-group instruction.
The first practicum dealt with mainly acquainting oneself with lesson pacing, content and
language objectives, and ELL teaching strategies, giving college students a necessary real-life
look into the world of elementary education. However, the second practicum took interactive
learning a step further, requiring a Mini Unit to be created and taught by the ESOL practicum

student. The Mini Unit consisted of five consecutive lessons, all of which were presented to my
Kindergarten class and cooperating teacher. These lessons had to meet common core standards
for the state of Oregon and comprise of alternative ELL instruction for students whose native
language was not English. The lessons were focused on the theme of Transportation. They
guided students in sheltered instruction concerning the different types of transportation, as well
as answering the overall unit question of how people get from place to place. To help reinforce
the concepts, alternative activities and ELL language building were included in an interactive
activity proceeding every lesson. Here the students work on projects that require application of
language and concepts. An example of such an ELL activity is an oral categorization of different
types of transportation based upon how they travel, whether by air, water, or land. This type of
activity simultaneously promotes language skills by requiring students to orally explain which
type of transportation they would place under each section. In addition, students practiced
content knowledge by utilizing information given in the lesson to choose where the type of
transportation should be placed. Overall, both practicums were intensive co-curricular learning
experiences, and required me to implement many of the concepts and theories I had learned in
my ESOL instruction.
Additional Academic Experience
To further apply my academic experience, I began working as an Instructional Assistant
at a local elementary school in the hopes that I would gain a hands-on experience in the field of
education. As an Instructional Assistant for the Special Education department at Akein
Elementary in Ontario I worked one-on-one with special education students. I also lead reading
and writing groups for students with disabilities, as well as ELL students. In particular, I taught a
curriculum called Reasoning and Writing that helps students with disabilities and a low English

Language Proficiency (ELP). This additional academic experience has allowed me to go beyond
the classroom setting and put my education to the test in a real-world setting.
Complex Problem
Some may ask why do teachers need to adopt an alternative teaching method for ELL
students? Why can they not just teach the usual curriculum to the rest of their class and send the
ELL students to the ESL teacher? The answer is that while a pull-out method, sending the low
ELP student to an ESL specialist, is good for some language development, it puts students behind
on their content knowledge. This serious lack of content knowledge has very severe results, the
least of all is repeating a grade until they have met the common core standards. Therefore, ESOL
endorsed teachers focus on bringing ELL students up to speed in content areas, while also
supporting their language development in the mainstream classroom.
A problem that is often seen when working with ELL students is the arduous act of
deciding which approach to take when considering the students proficiency level, personal
needs, and grade-level requirements. The following sections will focus on the most effective ESL
program methods that promote language and writing development for ELLs through research and
analysis. They will also demonstrate why this problem requires both an ESOL background, and a
foundation in language, specifically in writing.
Connect to Disciplinary Assumptions
With the many theories and methods suggested for second language acquisition in the
promotion of an ELLs overall learning experience, it is difficult to know which method will be
the most effective for the student. As every child learns differently, one must choose a course of
action that fits best with the students learning style. Fortunately, there are a few methods of

English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction that prove to be more effective than others.
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and the Natural Approach are two such
methods that address the specific needs of ELLs and ensure that academic content is accessible
in the classroom.
The SIOP model focuses on promoting English language development by incorporating
alternative methods of instruction that make content comprehensible for students. The models
basic structure surrounds eight interrelated components including, lesson preparation, building
background, comprehensible input, alternative strategies, interaction, application, lesson
delivery, and review and assessment (Haynes, J., 2004). All of the eight components that make
up the SIOP model strive to ensure that ELL students meet and exceed common core standards
for content areas, and that they also become fluent in English.
The first of the eight components, lesson preparation, focuses on the teachers duty to
provide effective, meaningful, lessons with clearly defined objectives (Haynes, J., 2004). There
are two objectives to adhere to in order for students and teachers to be successful in their
everyday lessons, content and language. An example of a content object for the SIOP model
would be: Students Will Be Able To (SWBAT) find the lowest common multiple (LCM) of 2
or more numbers. (Haynes, J., 2004). The content objective clearly states what the students
should be able to perform at the end of the lesson, which is the main purpose of an objective.
This helps ELL students because there is a clear-cut goal for them to work towards, which is
something not always seen in other ELL program models. It also will help students learn and
acknowledge new vocabulary, as well as identify a particular skill, such as finding LCM, with
the action they are performing and vice versa.

The second objective in the SIOP model for ELL students is language. As we all know,
true understanding of a concept only comes after a student is able to express how to complete the
process in some form of language. This expression could be as simple as explaining the steps
orally to their teacher, writing them down step by step, or to take the learning process further by
teaching a peer how to complete the task. An example of a SIOP model language objective seen
in an everyday classroom would be, SWBATwrite the steps used to solve the lowest common
multiple problems. (Haynes, J., 2004). The language objective here is used to promote writing
development in ELLs while simultaneously strengthening their understanding of the content ().
Both forms of objectives are extremely effective when trying to improve second language
acquisition in ELL students within the everyday classroom.
The next few components to the SIOP model include, building background knowledge,
comprehensible input, lesson delivery, alternative strategies, interaction, and application, all of
which intertwine seamlessly when carried out during an effective lesson. The first section,
building background, is essential when teaching ELLs, because it helps students create
connections between English and their native language. The connections should be directly
linked to the students language, academic, and cultural backgrounds in order to form new
content knowledge in English (Haynes, J., 2004).
Comprehensible input is a concept that takes building background and instruction one
step further. It focuses on the delivery, alternative strategies to use, the interaction between
teacher and ELL student, application of skills, and overall lesson delivery (Haynes, J., 2004).
When a teacher is presenting comprehensible input during their lessons, they are using a variety
of techniques to make the content concepts understandable and in a language that is appropriate
for students individual proficiency, whether high or low (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2016).

Some strategies to implement comprehensible input include, emphasizing the most important
information, scaffolding new concepts, and using a variety of questions that promote higher level
thinking skills (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2016). During instruction, teachers must also
provide frequent opportunities for interactions concerning lesson concepts, which also encourage
higher thinking skills. Small group instruction is also a beneficial interaction for ELLs because
the grouping configurations are made to support language and content objectives, as well as
communication and collaboration between peers.
Application and lesson delivery are two components of the SIOP model that also play a
large part in effective comprehensible input. Application focuses on hands-on materials and
activities that integrate all language skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening
(Center for Applied Linguistics, 2016). These types of activities are beneficial to ELL students
because they bridge the gap between theory and actual implementation, creating a more
successful learning environment and encouraging connections between language and content.
Lesson delivery is also extremely important when teaching ELLs because if students are not
engaged 90% to 100% of the time, they will miss important concepts and fall behind (Haynes, J.,
2004). As a result, teachers must be conscious of the pacing of their lesson and whether or not it
is at an appropriate speed for the students proficiency level.
The final component of the SIOP model is review and assessment. This takes into
account not only whether or not the ELL student has met both objectives and common core
standards, but also how much they have improved over the year. This is something that is often
overlooked when dealing with ELL students. While reaching grade level standards is a good
thing, it is not always a realistic goal when looking at the entire picture. This may be the case if a
student is a very limited English proficient, or has no proficiency in English at all. Many would

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call not reaching the grade level standards failure. However, when a child shows significant
improvement and is close to reaching the required standards the SIOP program model
assessments takes the students progress into account (Masters In ESL, 2016). Not only is this a
better way to assess the students skills, but it also serves as a confidence boost for the job well
done by both the teacher and, more importantly, the ELL student.
The second effective ESL method that addresses the needs of ELL students and promotes
language acquisition is the Natural Approach. Developed by Stephen Krashen in 1983, the
Natural Approach focuses on the development of language acquisition through the use of
communication rather than formal instruction (Hudgins, C., 2016). In other words, the method
mirrors the process that a very young child goes through when learning their first language. As a
result, this method is most effective with very limited, to no English proficiency students because
it takes language instruction down to its basic principles (Thornbury, S., 2016). Therefore, formal
grammar instruction is rejected, and teachers instead focus on exposing ELL students to
command-and-respond situations known as Total Physical Response (TPR) (Thornbury, S.,
2016). At lower levels, students simply respond to instructions by performing physical actions
such as pointing at things, standing, walking, writing, and drawing (Thornbury, S., 2016). At
higher levels, the teacher focuses on utilizing more comprehensible input and more advanced
skills such as listening and reading (Thornbury, S., 2016). The natural approach is beneficial to
ELL students because it is often presented in a low anxiety and safe environment, and the pace is
slower, thus allowing more time for the student to practice language skills.
There are many different ESL program models in the field of education today. However,
when working with ELL students, both the SIOP model and the Natural Approach exceed in their
ability to cater to a students specific learning styles and needs. This is especially important

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because every child is different, and should have as many opportunities as possible to succeed in
both language and in content.
New Insights Through Integration
According to Repko, author of Interdisciplinary Research, The first step to integration
involves knowing when to seek common ground, deciding how comprehensive the study will be,
and deciding what common ground will be created from (Repko, A., 2012). While ESOL
focuses on language instruction and writing focuses on a forum of language, all insights of
language can be connected to one another, thus creating a commonality between writing and
ESOL. Taking this deeper, we must address the complex problem of choosing an ESL program
method that is effective for the student. To do this, one must address the value of written
instruction when teaching ESOL students, as well as, the benefits, curriculum, and useful
strategies. According to Repko, assumptions follows concepts in order to achieve common
ground and integration between differentiating disciplines (Repko, A., 2012). The assumptions
pertaining to ESOL and writing is the commonality between language. Many linguists agree that
language can be broke down into four separate forums, spoken, heard, viewed, and written. Also
assumed is that full language comprehension, or fluency, cannot be achieved without experience
in all four areas, particularly pertaining to my minor, writing.

Problem Solving Implications

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When reflecting on how the solving of the complex problem through the integrations of
ESOL and Writing came about, the two seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces. Although this
was not my initial intent when studying these two minors, the two integrate with one another
quite seamlessly. ESOL and writing are innately linked through language instruction. As a
subsequent effect of my year of Spanish, co-curricular practicums, and time working as an
Instructional Assistant, I have built a well-rounded foundation for working, communicating, and
instructing ELL students. Education has been a passion of mine for some time now, and with an
extensive background in both disciplines and co-curricular experiences, I know that I will be
better equip to working with ELL students.
Additional Knowledge Required
When I look to the future following the integration of ESOL and writing, I know that
there is quite a lot left for me to learn. I would first like to utilize my current understanding of the
integration between ESOL and writing to become an educator who focuses specifically on ESL
curriculum and works with ELL learners. I would also like to utilize the SIOP and Natural
Approach methods during my instruction because I believe that the two are most effective when
working with low ELP students. In the following years, I hope to become a fluent Spanish
speaker in order to be able to communicate with my ELL students more effectively and establish
a trusting educational bond, one that will be beneficial to everyone involved. Finally, I would
like to become a culturally responsive educator who promotes ELLs right to a successful
learning environment by providing alternative, but effective, curriculum and activities.

Conclusion

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Reaching out to all means teaching every child, regardless of circumstance, and ensuring
that they are given the tools and opportunities to succeed in the classroom. Unfortunately, as
discussed, with this comes the problem of deciding which is the most effective methods to use in
order to promote effective learning for ELL students. However, research shows that both the
SIOP and Natural Method are greatly beneficial ESL programs to implement when tailoring to
the individual needs of each ELL student. Through the use of integration between ESOL,
writing, and my co-curricular experiences, I can attest that utilizing these disciplines within a
central goal, will be greatly beneficial to my future career as an ESOL endorsed teacher. I will
strive to promote diversity, cultural awareness, and compassion in my classroom. In the hope that
when the day comes when little girl asks for my help, I will be able to answer her, qu necesita
ayuda?

References

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Center for Applied Linguistics. (2016). SIOP - Learn about SIOP. Retrieved May 27, 2016, from
http://www.cal.org/siop/about/
Eastern Oregon University. (2016). Center for Culturally Responsive Practices. Retrieved May
14, 2016, from https://www.eou.edu/ccrp
Haynes, J. (2004). SIOP: Making Content Comprehensible for ELLs. Retrieved May 27, 2016,
from http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/using_siop_model_08621.php.php
Hudgins, C. (2016). Krashen and the Natural Approach. Retrieved June 02, 2016, from
https://esl-professional-development.wikispaces.com/Krashen and the Natural Approach
MastersInESL. (2016). Best Practices for Teaching ESL: Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
Retrieved June 02, 2016, from http://www.mastersinesl.org/teaching-esl/best-practicesfor-teaching-esl-speaking-reading-and-writing/
Repko, A. (2012). Interdisciplinary research process and theory 2nd ed. Oaks: Sage Publications.
Thornbury, S. (2016). Methodology: The natural approach. Retrieved June 02, 2016, from
http://www.onestopenglish.com/methodology/ask-the-experts/methodologyquestions/methodology-the-natural-approach/146401.article