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English Language Learners (ELL)

Reading and Writing Foundational Skills for Elementary Ell Students''' There are five basic elements and instruction to ensure ELL students are gaining the proper skills they will need in order to grasp the concept of reading and phonemic awareness. The five foundational skills needed by ELL students are: 1.	Phonemic Awareness- “Phonemes are the smallest units making up spoken language. English consists of about 41 phonemes. Phonemes combine to form syllables and words. For example, the word stop has four phonemes (s-t-o-p), while shop has three phonemes (sh-o-p). Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to identify and manipulate these phonemes in spoken words. It is also the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words” (Antunez, 2018). 2.	Phonics- “Phonics is the understanding that there is a predictable relationship between phonemes (the sounds of spoken language) and graphemes (the letters and spellings that represent those sounds in written language). Readers use these relationships to recognize familiar words and to decode unfamiliar ones” (Antunez, 2018). 3.	 Vocabulary Development- “Vocabulary development refers to the knowledge of stored information about the meanings and pronunciations of words necessary for communication. Vocabulary development is important for beginning reading in that when a student comes to a word and sounds it out, he or she is also determining if the word makes sense based on his or her understanding of the word. If a student does not know the meaning of the word, there is no way to check if the word fits, or to make meaning from the sentence. Vocabulary development is also a primary determinant of reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand the content of what they are reading unless they understand the meaning of the majority of words in the text” (Antunez, 2018). 4.	Reading Fluency- (Oral and Reading Skills)- “Fluency is the ability to read words accurately and quickly. Fluent readers recognize words and comprehend them simultaneously. Reading fluency is a critical factor necessary for reading comprehension. If children read out loud with speed, accuracy, and proper expression, they are more likely to comprehend and remember the material than if they read with difficulty and in an inefficient way” (Antunez, 2018). 5.	Reading Comprehension Strategies- “Reading comprehension is the culmination of all of the reading skills and the ultimate goal of learning to read. The purpose of mastery of each of the four previous skills is to enable comprehension. Likewise, reading comprehension facilitates mastery of the other four skills. For example, the NRP found that reading comprehension is clearly related to vocabulary knowledge and development. The NRP also found that comprehension is an active process that requires an intentional and thoughtful interaction between the reader and the text that can be explicitly taught through text comprehension instruction” (Antunez, 2018).

Reading and Writing Instructional Strategies for ELL Students in Elementary School Below are strategies that teachers can us when instructing ELL students 1. “Some phonemes may not be present in ELLs' native language and, therefore, may be difficult for a student to pronounce and distinguish auditorily, as well as to place into a meaningful context. For ELLs, as with all students, it is important that instruction have meaning, so that the words and sounds students are manipulating are familiar. It is therefore necessary for ELLs to have knowledge of the English vocabulary words within which they are to understand phonemes. Teachers can teach phonemic awareness while also explicitly teaching vocabulary words, their meaning, and their pronunciation to ELLs” (Antunez, 2018). 2. “Children's minds are trained to categorize phonemes in their first language, which may conflict with English phonemes. For example, Spanish-speaking children may speak, read, and write ch when sh should be used because in Spanish, these two combinations produce the same phoneme (International Reading Association, 2001). Teachers can enable phonemic awareness in English for ELLs by understanding the linguistic characteristics of students' native language, including the phonemes that exist and do not exist in the native language” (Antunez, 2018). 3. Students who are not literate in their own language or whose language does not have a written form may not understand some concepts and need to be taught about the functions of print (Peregoy & Boyle, 2000) (Antunez, 2018). 4. “Students may have learned to read and write in a native language in which the letters correspond to different sounds than they do in English, or they may have learned to read and write in a language with characters that correspond to words or portions of words” (Antunez, 2018). 5. “Vocabulary development is one of the greatest challenges to reading instruction for ELLs, because in order to read fluently and comprehend what is written, students need to use not just phonics, but context. It is possible for students to read completely phonetically and not comprehend what they have read because they do not have the vocabulary. Therefore, vocabulary needs to be taught explicitly and be a part of the daily curriculum in addition to learning to read. This can be done through class time devoted strictly to English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Development (ELD)” (Antunez, 2018). 6. “The Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA) states that ELLs should learn to read initially in their first language. If this is not possible, students need to see and hear literally hundreds of books over a school year in order for fluency to be modeled to them. CIERA recommends that ELLs participate in read-aloud of big books, read along with proficient readers, and listen repeatedly to books read aloud in order to gain fluency in English (Hiebert et al., 1998)” (Antunez, 2018). 7. “The NRC, in discussing reading for meaning, or comprehension, explains that the four other Reading First skills are interrelated with the skill of comprehension and also makes the case for native language literacy instruction: "The abilities to hear and reflect on the structure of spoken English words, as required for learning how the alphabetic principle works, depend on oral familiarity with the words being read. Similarly, learning to read for meaning depends on understanding the language and referents of the text to be read. To the extent possible, ELLs should have opportunities to develop literacy skills in their home language as well as in English” (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998, p. 324) (Antunez, 2018). Reading and Writing Technology Tools and Resources Appropriate for Elementary School Students with Different Proficiency Levels Students today depend a lot of technology for entertainment and for educational purposes. Students of ELL students need to be conscious f this and incorporate technology into their ELL lessons. Technology gives students independence and allows them to make learning fun by using various games and videos. Technology allows teachers to tailor their curriculum for each student, and can help them reinforce lessons and concepts. Students tend to loose focus when they are working on something for an extended amount of time, allowing students to use technology offers them the ability to stay focused and work for longer periods of time. Below is a list of technology tools and resources ELL students can use: Story Time For Me “A free library of stories featuring animation, narration by professional actors, and word-by-word highlighting. These stories are best suited to children in the primary grades” ("The Power Of Quality Technology Inside The Ell Classroom", 2017). Starfall “This site has free resources suitable for individualized development of pre-reading skills, teaching reading, and refining reading skills. The “I’m Reading” section has a diverse library of reading materials, accompanied by illustrations and audio, including fiction, nonfiction, comics, plays, Greek myths, Chinese fables, and other folk tales” ("The Power Of Quality Technology Inside The Ell Classroom", 2017). Voxy “Subscribers to this app listen to and read short news stories on various themes. Afterward, they play games to practice skills and complete quizzes to test their comprehension” ("The Power Of Quality Technology Inside The Ell Classroom", 2017). Online Picture Dictionary “ESOL Help has created a free picture dictionary with simple images. Words are organized thematically” ("The Power Of Quality Technology Inside The Ell Classroom", 2017). This is a great tool because students can math the words they are learning to pictures which helps them solidify the information in their brains. Each of these resources can be tailored to match the students individual proficiency level, it will help them to master the schools they need in order to move on to the next proficiency level in the English Language Learners program.

Grouping Techniques and Cooperative Learning Strategies Conducive to Elementary School ELL Learners

Cooperative learning and English Language Learners go together because the student will sometimes have to rely on their peers in order to be successful in ELL. Imposing that students’ work in groups gives them the opportunity to practice using English and becoming more comfortable speaking English to others. When grouping students together for peer groups there are many points teachers need to consider. When grouping student you want to ensure that your groups are equal and well balanced. This doe not been that all of your low proficiency students are in one group and your high proficiency student are in another; if students are grouped solely based on low and high proficiency the individuals in the group will have no one to look up to and no one to help lead. “Equal grouping means forming groups that include students of all levels and abilities. The same format is used for each group’s composition. Each student on a team has something to contribute to the overall success of the group. Without one, all do not succeed” ("Cooperative Learning Strategies For English Language Learners", 2018). When creating groups teachers should assign roles for each student this ensures that a different student is doing a different role each time the group meets and allows the student o be comfortable contributing from all aspects of the ELL team. Grouping students in groups of four seems to be the most liked number of individual in groups; the group is not to big but not small and allows student to have to communicate with team member each time. Students who work in groups will have more success when asked to work together and they receive more practice using their spoken English. These kinds of ELL goings give students confidence, freedom, and the tools they need to successfully one day exit the ELL programs.

Antunez, B. (2018). English Language Learners and the Five Essential Components of Reading Instruction. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/english-language-learners-and-five-essential-components-reading-instruction Cooperative Learning Strategies For English Language Learners(2018). Retrieved from https://www.brighthubeducation.com/esl-teaching-tips/99116-using-cooperative-learning-in-your-esl-class/ The Power of Quality Technology Inside the ELL Classroom (2017). Retrieved from https://www.mastersinesl.org/blog/instructional-technology-tools-in-the-esl-classroom/