Know your

terms:
ELL: English Language
Learner
ESL: English as a Second
Language
LEP: Limited Englsih
Proficiency
ELP: English Language
Proficiency

What is ELL?
ELL, or English Language Learners, are
students who are unable to
communicate fluently or learn effectively
in English and who typically require
specialized or modified instruction in
both the English language and in their
academic courses.

ESL, stands for English as a Second

Language. This is the study of English by
nonnative speakers in an
English-speaking environment.

ELL is used when speaking about a

student.

?One language sets you

in a cor r idor for life.
Two languages open
ever y door along the

THE ELL
SURVIVAL
GUIDE

ESL is used when talking about a

program.

What every
teacher needs to
know about the
ELL student in
their classroom.

way.?
?Fr ank Smith
COMPANY NAME 2016

5 Stages of
Acquiring Language
1. Pre-production: This is also
called "the silent period," when the
student takes in the new language
but does not speak it.
2.Early production: The individual
begins to speak using short words
and sentences, but the emphasis is
still on listening and absorbing the
new language.
3.Speech Emergent: Speech
becomes more frequent, words and
sentences are longer, but the
individual still relies heavily on
context clues and familiar topics.
Vocabulary continues to increase and
errors begin to decrease
5.Intermediate Fluency: The
individual is able to speak almost
fluently in new situations or in
academic areas, but there will be
gaps in vocabulary knowledge and
some unknown expressions. There
are very few errors, and the
individual is able to demonstrate
higher order thinking skills in the
second language such as offering an
opinion or analyzing a problem.
6. Advanced Fluency: The
individual communicates fluently in
all contexts and can maneuver
successfully in new contexts and
when exposed to new academic
information.

Helpful Tips!

Creating an ELL-Friendly
Classroom
- Become knowledgeable
about the backgrounds of
the different students.
- Learn about their
different customs and
values.

- Learn how to correctly

pronounce the students
name.
- Label objects around the
classroom.
- Create a relationship with
the students parents and
plan conferences.

Create a language-rich environment.

- English language learners will
benefit from increased exposure to
print and language. A print-rich
environment will include access to
books and reference materials,
labels and posters, and student
work on bulletin boards.
- Word walls are very beneficial
Be aware of the relationship between a
student's native language and English.
- A student's native language will
most likely have a strong influence
on the way that student learns
English. Understanding how this
language is similar to or different
from English will help you focus on
troublesome areas.
Simplify your language without
" dumbing it down."
- Avoid slang and idiomatic
expressions.
- Speak clearly and naturally, without
going too quickly or slowly.
- Encourage students to raise their
hand if they don't understand a
word.
Reach out to your ELL/bilingual
colleagues, reading specialists,
special education teachers, and
parents.
- Educators and staff who work
regularly with ELLs, as well as
bilingual parents, may be a
valuable source of information
about language patterns or
difficulties.

Title Three