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Home : 2002 : January : 13

ESL
By Julianne

You've really only had this child in class for about two months - November, most of December (remember our break) and a few days in January. Also, it sounds like she didn't have a great deal of schooling prior to coming
to your class. If she is talking at all you are ahead of the game. And it is nice to know that you have other Spanish speaking students to help her. I know you're probably doing a great deal of the things I'll suggest here. But I could get lucky and hit on something you haven't done yet...
Be sure she is sitting with a buddy. A good student who is also bilingual would be perfect.

Otherwise, pair her with a good student who is English speaking.

Let her copy, share, discuss and quietly talk to her buddy as much as you can possibly stand. She'll learn plenty just copying the work of your better students.

For math pair her with a student who will help her learn to count in English. Continue to include her in the regular math lessons, particularly if you group for math. Put her in the lower group and be sure to give her plenty of manipulatives. Use chips, cubes or beans to help her understand the idea of addition and subtraction. Then let her use the manipulatives when she does her work.

For reading start her in the beginning level English books. You can't instruct her in Spanish, so use the pictures and simple text to help her increase her English vocabulary. Read the books over and over together. If you have a very low guided reading group, try to fit her into it. She may not be comfortable reading aloud, but she can follow along with her finger on the text and look at the pictures as someone else reads.

Remember that she may be silent for as long as a year. That doesn't mean she's not learning. She's just not comfortable yet expressing herself in English. I'm working on an ESL endorsement right now and the thing that keeps being emphasized is that it takes students between 5 and 7 YEARS to become proficient enough with English to be able to use it in an academic setting. They may be able to communicate socially and seem to know English pretty well. But the language of learning is more complex and they may flounder for some time longer in that arena.

Good luck. I hope your student stays with you for the rest of the year. Stability in a classroom with a teacher who really cares what she is learning is very important.