Teaching English Language Learners K-W-L Chart
Know Wonder
-How do you differentiate
-Young children acquire new
between a language barrier and
languages faster than teens and
learning disability?
adults
-Apps (eg. RAZ Kids) can help
-Language is acquired through a
students build reading fluency and
combination of seeing (visuals, i.e
can be more convenient than
pictures and objects), hearing and
physical books. Although these
speaking (conversing)
apps may help with reading
-Language/vocabulary is best
fluency, are they contributing to
learned in context
other problems (eg. Short
-Connecting a new language to
attention span)? Do the trade-offs
prior knowledge/experiences is
make it worth it?
helpful
-How can I best help older,
-Regular practice
immigrant students who do not
reading/speaking helps increase
know any English without making
fluency
them feel ‘incompetent’?
-Communication can occur
-How do I help build confidence in
without the use of language
such students?
-Kids pick up language/vocabulary
-Should I correct
from interactions with one
spelling/grammar mistakes in
another
journals of younger students or
-Parents play an integral part in
does doing so take away from
the education of all students,
their authenticity?
especially ELL students.
-Is it okay to speak to an ELL in
Communication with them is key
their first language in order to
help facilitate understanding or to
explain a concept?
-How do I help children with
delayed speech, who are still
learning their first language, learn
as an ELL?
-If a student doesn’t understand
the meaning of words/sentences
they are sounding out or reading
are they just going through the
motions?
-How can I help an ELL student
read/recognize words out of
context?
-Should phonics be a major area
of focus?
Learn
-Teachers have a default teaching
mode that often results in them
falling into teaching a lesson that
falls within their comfort zone
-Older students can help bridge
the gap for immigrant students by
providing them tutoring
-There needs to be some sort of
program in place in all schools to
help bridge the gap for new
immigrant students
-Students should be allowed to
use their L1 in the classroom (dual
language books, identity texts,
etc)
-Teachers may, unintentionally, be
conveying the message that
English is more valuable than a
student’s L1
-Schools need a process for
welcoming newcomers into the
school and helping them integrate
-BICS vs CALP  Just because a
student is proficient with BICS, it
doesn’t mean they will be
proficient with CALP
-Speaking is a big part of literacy
-Vocabulary being taught to
students should have a purpose
-When it comes to learning
writing, ELL and Native Speakers
have a lot in common
-Teachers need to be able to
explain why something is a
grammatical error
-Grammar should not be assessed
in content based lessons
-Assessment should take into
consideration individual learning
styles
-Students should feel safe to take
risks