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Reading and writing foundational skills for elementary level EL students include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and reading comprehension. Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to identify and manipulate phonemes in spoken words. It is also the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words. Phonics is a way of teaching reading that stresses learning how letters correspond to sounds and how to use this knowledge in reading and spelling. The goal is to help children understand that there is a systematic and predictable relationship between written letters and spoken sounds. Vocabulary development refers to the knowledge of stored information about the meanings and pronunciations of words necessary for communication. Fluency is the ability to read words accurately and quickly. Reading comprehension is the culmination of all of the reading skills and the ultimate goal of learning to read.

Reading and writing instructional strategies for elementary level EL students: Teachers can teach phonemic awareness while also explicitly teaching vocabulary words, their meaning, and their pronunciation to ELLs. It is important that instruction have meaning, so that the words and sounds students are manipulating are familiar. Before reading, the teacher can distribute vocabulary words on index cards to pairs of students. While the teacher is reading aloud, pairs hold up their words and/or model the motions that go with the vocabulary that is detailed in the book. There are two different strategies to teach reading fluency. One, guided repeated oral reading, which encourages students to read passages out loud with systematic and explicit guidance and feedback from their teacher. The other, independent silent reading, encourages students to read silently on their own, inside and outside the classroom, with little guidance or feedback from their teachers. Teachers of ELLs must expose their students to quality literature and higher order thinking skills. This can be done through the use of graphic organizers, modeling "thinking aloud," and stopping often in the text to question and summarize.

Reading and writing technology tools and resources appropriate for elementary EL students at different proficiency levels: Storytime for Me, Starfall, Interactive Writing Games, Online Picture Dictionary, and Google Translate

Grouping techniques and cooperative learning strategies conducive to elementary grade levels Collaboration in pairs and small groups provides students with opportunities to process complex information actively in a low-risk, low-anxiety situation. In this way, language and content learning is productive, and positive social relationships can be promoted. At the same time, language and literacy are used purposefully, promoting acquisition of both. Groups are small and can be based on student’s level.

Listening and speaking skills for elementary level EL students

The teacher and other more advanced students should model oral reading. Students in the silent period should not be forced to speak, but should be given the opportunity to participate in a group activity where they won't be singled out. Students should be encouraged to begin taking risks with simple, rehearsed oral reading in non-threatening situations.

Grammar and vocabulary development strategies for elementary-level EL students

As a classroom teacher, building leader or district administrator, you should first ensure that the spaces ELL students inhabit most frequently have many object labels. Whether these are classrooms or cafeterias, having signs that label each physical item in a room forces concrete connections through repeated exposure to the most basic of school concepts that native speakers often take for granted. Teachers and specialists should ensure that word walls are current and visible in all classrooms that ELL students’ attend with related graphic images next to each word that can help explain the word, as repeated reading and visual connections lead to a more developed word knowledge.

Strategies for comprehensible input, feedback, building background, and student engagement

Teachers must use speech that is appropriate to the students’ language proficiency level. The teacher should speak slowly, enunciate clearly, repeat more frequently, and adjust speech as needed. The teacher should avoid jargon and idioms and use body language, gestures, and pictures to accompany spoken words. The explanation of a task should be made clear in a step- by- step manner using visuals. Teachers should use a variety of techniques to make concepts clear, including paraphrasing and repetition. Teachers must make explicit and direct links between past learning and new concepts. Emphasize key vocabulary, and present new vocabulary only in context. English language learners benefit from opportunities to use English in multiple settings across content areas. Sheltered content classes should be conducted in a way that allows students to interact in their collaborative exploration of the content. Through meaningful interaction, students can practice speaking and making themselves understood by asking and answering questions, negotiating meaning, clarifying ideas, and other techniques. Important teacher strategies used to promote interaction include a variety of grouping options which support language and content objectives, ample wait time for responses, and opportunities for clarification in the student’s native language when possible.

Grammar and vocabulary technology tools and resources appropriate for elementary EL students at different proficiency levels

Dictionary.com,  Text to Speech Website, and Google’s Text to Speech Chrome extension help students hear how vocabulary words are pronounced and to understand how they sound and operate in sentences. Audio is a huge part of an ELL student’s experience, and the more we expose them to real-world audio clips, the better.

Reference Peregoy Suzanne F., Boyle Owen F. (2017) Reading, writing and learning ESL: a resource book for teaching K-12 English language learners. 7th ed.