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Running Head: CONNECTING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION TO ACADEMIC PROGRESS 1

Connecting Language Acquisition to Academic Progress

Emily Bonnemort

George Mason University

EDUC 606

Dr. Fox

March 19, 2011

CONNECTING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION TO ACADEMIC PROGRESS2

Abstract

Marco (pseudonym), a 7 year old Hispanic English language learner, is struggling academically. He

recently exited the most intensive intervention our school offers in first grade (other than special

education services), and did not meet grade-level benchmarks. In this study, I investigated how

classroom instructional practices and home interactions exhibited a mismatch for him and therefore

impacted his language acquisition. I collected and analyzed a variety of data sources and examined

Marco’s first and second language proficiency to determine how his language acquisition influenced his

academic progress.


Introduction

Marco (pseudonym) is a 7 year old Hispanic male. He began first grade significantly behind in

reading and writing. He was tested and qualified to receive Reading Recovery which consists of a thirty

minute, one-on-one, daily reading and writing tutorial session. Midyear, after exiting Reading Recovery,

he is still not meeting grade-level benchmarks but has made some progress. Marco is an English

language learner and receives level one English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services. Both

English and Spanish are spoken in the home.

Marco is kind, sensitive, and outgoing. He is a hard worker and tries his best when he believes

he can be successful. For example, during whole-group discussions or read-alouds he is often the first to

raise his hand to answer questions or make comments, even though he is often confused and doesn’t

respond appropriately. As he is becoming more confident in his reading abilities, he is starting to initiate

problem solving and uses several strategies to decode and understand increasingly difficult texts.

Marco consistently requires teacher assistance to successfully complete academic tasks. He has

difficulty working independently during any type of independent assignment or task, especially seatwork

that involves writing. He is able to say words slowly and write the sounds he hears but often gets lost in

composing a message or complete sentence. He is learning to be more confident in his abilities but

needs reminders and encouragement to work or problem solve independently.

Marco is struggling to keep up with his peers in all academic areas, but his ability to

communicate noticeably impacts his performance academically and socially. His oral language, in

English, is not fully developed and at times is immature and could be considered “babyish.” Marco is

unable to repeat simple phrases or sentences in English. On an oral dictation assessment he was unable

to repeat short sentences that were read to him. At times, he is unable to read along with his


classmates during choral readings of familiar songs or poems. For example, when singing a class favorite

song “Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?” Every student took a turn to say, “Who me?

couldn’t be.” When Marco’s turn approached he looked confused and shouted, “Ok,” because he was

unable to express the phrase, “Who me? couldn’t be.”

Puzzlement and Setting

Puzzlement

I am worried because Marco recently exited the most intensive intervention our school offers

in first grade (other than special education services), and is still struggling academically. He no longer

has a safety net beyond regular classroom instruction and there are giant gaps in his learning. In my

graduate class we are studying second language acquisition and its implications for classroom practice.

During our class discussion I was thinking about Marco as an English language learner and my thoughts

created a puzzlement about Marco’s first language.

What goes on at home and school in relation to language and literacy and how is it impacting his

experience in the classroom? How can I better meet his individual needs instructionally in the

classroom? How might I work with his family to support his development as a reader and writer?

Setting

Lakeview Elementary (pseudonym) is located in a city that boarders a major metropolitan area

in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.. Lakeview enrolls 480 students from a diverse community, with a

student body that represents a population from over 60 countries. We are a Title One school, with just

over fifty percent of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The Lakeview community

believes in creating a safe environment that cultivates respect, responsibility, and high expectations for

achievement. We believe that all children can and will learn, that a student’s background does not


affect his or her ability to learn, that students learn in a variety of ways, and that teachers, students, and

parents learn from and with each other. All staff members work as a family, and are committed to

building a learning environment where all students succeed. Our motto is “we do what’s best for kids!”

(http://www.fcps.edu/TimberLaneES/)

Lakeview Elementary provides many support structures that ensure a foundation of instruction

for all students. Regular classroom instruction is the base of that foundation. For those who do not

succeed with regular classroom instruction alone, we offer small-group Leveled Literacy Intervention

and math remediation. We also offer one-on-one Reading Recovery intervention for lowest performing

first graders. English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Special Education services are provided

through an inclusion model of team teaching. Ongoing assessment provides teachers with data on

student progress.

My class consists of nineteen students, ten girls and nine boys. Twelve are English Speakers of

Other Languages (ESOL) and three receive special education services. My classroom is a special

education inclusion setting, team taught by me and a special education teacher and supported by an

ESOL teacher during writing. Instructional assistants also offer assistance throughout the day. We

implement a balanced literacy model, based on Ohio State University’s Literacy Collaborative

Framework. Language arts integrates reading, writing, and word study. Students participate in

individual, small group, and large group literacy activities, some of which include shared reading,

interactive writing, guided reading, independent reading, and independent writing. Students also spend

an hour in literacy centers, working individually or with a partner. Hands on learning and technology are

embedded in math and science. Social studies is integrated with language arts. Instruction is student

centered, authentic, and driven by assessment.


Framing the Issue and Literature Review

Cultural Questions

Cultural mismatches between Marco’s school and home environment may be may be

influencing his academic progress. I believe these influences are tied to his language acquisition, which

could be impacting his development as a reader and writer. In this study, I will investigate how

classroom instructional practices and home interactions might be exhibiting a mismatch for him and

may therefore be connected to his language acquisition. First, I will examine how his school

environment might be impacting his reading and writing development by focusing on CIP 3.2.4, which

states, “How might instructional programs for English language learners be contributing to this puzzling

situation?” Then I will consider how his experiences with language at home might be impacting his

literacy development by reflecting on CIP 3.3.2, which states, “How might mismatches between a

student’s home culture and the school be contributing to this puzzling situation?”

Framing the Issue and Literature Review

I wonder if Marco’s school environment may be affecting his language acquisition in some way.

In what ways might language acquisition be affecting his reading and writing development? Marco is a

second language learner with beginning English proficiency (level 1) but attends school in an English only

speaking environment. All academic content is delivered in English, his second language, which he

hasn’t had the chance to yet fully develop. I would like to explore some of the aspects of Marco’s first

and second language opportunities. It is my understanding that Marco and his family use both English

and Spanish but I am unsure of how much or in what contexts.


It is true that Marco is still learning English, and to date, I am not aware of his knowledge of his

first language. To my knowledge, he has not had the opportunity to fully develop his L1, and he isn’t

given time in the school day to speak, read, or write in Spanish, the language spoken by his parents. It is

possible that Marco’s school environment might be replacing his L1 with L2 and may therefore be

inadvertently causing subtractive bilingualism, which Cummins (1994) defines as the second language

being learned at the expense of the first language. While acquiring English as a second language, Marco

may lose his ability to communicate in Spanish, his first language, unless he is provided some

opportunities to work on his L1 at school and at home. Fillmore (1991) asserts that subtractive

bilingualism is a phenomenon of language loss in the United States. Many American-born children of

immigrant parents are losing their first language in the process of attending English-speaking schools.

Once these children enter school and learn English, they tend not to fully develop or even maintain their

native language, even when it is the only one spoken at home (p. 324).

When Marco entered school for the first time, he hadn’t fully developed his native language.

Prior to entering kindergarten, he spoke Spanish at home and did not attend pre-school. During his first

year of education, he was assimilated into an English speaking kindergarten class and did not did not

receive any ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) support. All academic instruction was

delivered in English, his second language. Cummins, Bismilla, Chow, Cohen, and Giampapa (2005)

believe we are doing our English language learners a disservice by asking them to abandon their first

language when they come to school. They encourage teachers to teach in a way that encourages the

transfer of concepts and skills from student’s native language to English. They believe students will

actively engage in the curriculum if teachers embrace and incorporate their student’s home languages

into the classroom. In his school environment, Marco isn’t given many opportunities to communicate in

his native language, thus support from others in his Spanish speaking community might provide some

additional support.


In reading the Second Language Acquisition research literature more closely, I am led to believe

that subtractive bilingualism may be affecting Marco’s academic performance in the classroom.

Cummins (2000) states, “Conceptual knowledge developed in one language helps to make input in the

other language comprehensible. If a child already understands concepts in his or her own language, all

he or she has to do is acquire the label for these terms in English. He has a far more difficult task,

however, if he has to acquire both the label and the concept in his second language”

(http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/cummin.htm). Cummins’ assertion may apply to Marco. At times,

he seems unable to transfer ideas from Spanish to English or make connections between the two

languages. I suspect that this could be because he didn’t have the opportunity to fully develop his

native language. It is also possible that other learning needs are also impacting his progress. For

example, during guided reading he was reading a book about children taking care of baby chicks. I was

using photographs from the story introduce the vocabulary words hatching, cracking, chick, turned, etc…

Marco didn’t appear to have any background knowledge or vocabulary in Spanish to make any

connection to these words. Instead of translating the words or ideas from Spanish to English, he needed

to learn the information for the first time. Even with a supportive vocabulary introduction and

additional one-on-one scaffolding, he needed extra support to decode and comprehend the book.

In addition to potentially be contributing to what may become subtractive bilingualism, is it

possible Marco’s school environment may be mismatched with his language acquisition needs? Is his

English only curriculum inappropriately paced for Marco’s language proficiency? Early stages of

developing English proficiency could be impacting his overall academic progress. Marco’s school

environment expects him to meet grade-level benchmarks in reading and writing and to progress at the

same rate as his native English speaking peers. Thomas and Collier’s work (1997) points out that English

Language Learners face a double challenge: English language acquisition and the fact that their native

English Speaking Peers are also progressing in their own academic development. English language


learners are marked against a moving target while also trying to make up time in their language and

academic development. Marco’s language proficiency is still beginning level (Level 1). He has learned to

speak conversational English but hasn’t yet adequately been able to develop academic English, which is

essential to academic success. English language learners need time to move through levels of second

language acquisition, from beginning level to Native-like proficiency (Goldenberg, 2008). They need

time to acquire academic language. Research has proven that children typically learn basic

interpersonal communication skills in a second language in one to two years. It takes from five to seven

years to develop adademic language proficiency, which is essential to academic success. (Fox, 2011).

Often in schools, this language development continuum isn’t taken into consideration, as English

Language learners are placed in mainstream classrooms and expected to learn to speak the language

while simultaneously learning all grade-level content. English language learners are at a disadvantage

when they are not given adequate time to progress through the levels of language development

(Goldenberg, 2008).

I wonder if a mismatch between Marco’s home and school interaction patterns may also be

causing him to have difficulties in his school environment (CIP 3.3.2). I believe Marco’s experiences with

language at home could be impacting his literacy development. Marco’s parents are both native

Spanish Speakers who immigrated to Virginia from El Salvador. I have conversed with both of them.

Although his mother and father’s English is adequate for basic conversation, we experienced a

communication barrier. Marco reported that he communicates with his parents in English at home,

which causes me to wonder if Marco has the opportunity to communicate at home in his native

language and thus extend his vocabulary and acquire more language in Spanish. If English is the primary

language spoken at home, and he isn’t learning or practicing any reading, writing, or speaking skills at

home in his native language, could this be contributing to a possibility of subtractive bilingualism?

Cummins (2000) believes it is very important that students be encouraged to continue their native


language development. To best help their children at home, parents should speak and read extensively

in their native language and sometimes our Immigrant parents don’t quite understand the importance

that maintaining their home language really is. At a minimum, parents should make some time every

evening to discuss with their child, in their native language, what she has done in school that day.

Cummins et.al, (2005) correlates student’s native language proficiency with academic success. If Marco

isn’t getting an opportunity to practice his native language in his home or school environment, his

academic progress could suffer. Literacy skills and other academic knowledge transfer across languages.

“If you learn something in one language, such as decoding, comprehension strategies, or a concept, you

can transfer it to another language more easily” (Goldenberg, 2008).

Methodology and Data Collection

In order to determine how cultural influences were contributing to my puzzlement, I decided to

collect data to help me gain a deeper understanding of Marco’s experiences with his first and second

languages. I hoped this information would help me make a connection between his language acquisition

and reading and writing development.

Before beginning this cultural inquiry process, I thought Marco was bilingual and spoke Spanish

at home. I had made this assumption based on a home language survey found in his cumulative file. My

puzzlement prompted me to research more information about Marco’s language acquisition. When I

asked him what language he spoke at home and he told me English, I began thinking Marco may be

experiencing subtractive bilingualism. To gain more information I interviewed Marco to talk about his

language experiences at home. Then, I decided to interview his mother to gain further insight. I also

wanted to get a better idea of Marco’s ability to speak Spanish so I asked our school bilingual parent

liaison to conduct an interview with Marco in Spanish.


To examine how mismatches between his school environment and his language acquisition

could be contributing to my puzzlement, I needed to learn more about his second language proficiency

and determine how it might be influencing his reading and writing development. From daily

communication and anecdotal notes taken from interactions with Marco during class discussions and

reading and writing conferences, I considered Marco’s English language proficiency to be below average,

even for an English language learner of his age, not as compared to my native English speakers. My

observations were not adequate for me to determine his second language proficiency so I decided to

consult our ESOL teacher to gain more insight. Our students are in the process of taking the WIDA

English Level Proficiency Test, so she informed me we wouldn’t be able to access his scores until spring.

However, she suggested giving him the oral language portion, so we could analyze and discuss his results

immediately. I also decided to interview his former Reading Recovery teacher to gain further insights on

Marco’s language proficiency in relation to this reading and writing development. Finally, I decided to

use my own anecdotal notes, running records, and formative assessments to gain my own insights and

to be able to connect that information with my other data sources.


Research Question, Puzzlement,Or

Information Sought

What goes on at home in relation to language and literacy and how is it influencing Marco’s experience in the classroom? How can I better meet his individual needs instructionally in the classroom? How might I work with his family to support his development as a reader and writer?

Data Source

1 2 3 4

Cultural Inquiries How might instructional programs for English language learners be contributing to this puzzling situation?”

How might mismatches between a student’s home culture and the school be contributing to this puzzling situation

Instructional Program and home in relation to first language experiences and proficiency

Interview with Marco Conversation between Marco and bilingual parent liaison

Parent Interview

Instructional Program in relation to second language proficiency

WIDA Test(Describing pictures)

Interview with ESOL teacher

Interview with Marco’s Reading Recovery Teacher

Anecdotal Notes Work Samples

Teacher observations

The following chart indicates which data sources provided information in answering the questions related to my puzzlement.

Data Analysis

I began my study by interviewing Marco to discuss his language experiences (Appendix A). He

reported that he only speaks English at home. He told me he knew how to speak Spanish but that he

didn’t like to. When I asked him to talk about books at home, he told me all of his books are English.

When he described reading at home, he only mentioned reading homework books, which are leveled

guided reading books. He explained that sometimes his mom reads his homework books to him and

every night he reads homework books to her. When I asked him about writing at home, he reported

that he only writes when he does his homework (Appendix A).


I also interviewed Marco’s mother to discuss his language experiences outside of school

(Appendix B). Marco’s mother explained that his first language was Spanish and he spoke very little

English before entering kindergarten. During his first year of kindergarten, he spoke English at school

but he spent his evenings with a Spanish speaking babysitter. When Marco began first grade, his

parents thought it would be best for his education if they spoke English in the home. They didn’t want

him to get confused between two languages at such a young age. His mother explained. “We thought it

would be difficult for Marco to switch between English and Spanish at home and school.” Currently,

Marco’s parents only communicate with him in English. His mother said she is becoming more

comfortable speaking English but that his father is just starting to learn. She mentioned they are proud

of their son because he is teaching his father many English words. His parents communicate with each

other in English and Spanish. His mother believes that Marco can understand basic messages in Spanish,

but that he is starting to lose the language. He frequently becomes frustrated when he listens to his

parents speak because he doesn’t understand many Spanish vocabulary words. He often asks questions

and his mother has to translate in English. She also mentioned that Marco is unable to communicate

with his grandmother, who only speaks Spanish. I inquired about reading and writing at home and

Marco’s mother said they only own English books and that Marco reads to his parents. She did not

mention reading aloud to him in English but admitted she didn’t read to him in Spanish. When I asked

about Marco’s attitude about reading she proudly stated, “Marco wants to read a lot now. One of the

first things he does when he gets home from school is takes out his reading bag to read his books to me”

(Appendix B).

To determine Marco’s Spanish speaking abilities I consulted Amy (pseudonym), our ESOL

teacher. We discussed the possibility of giving him a dual-language test but in the interest of time, and

for the purpose of this study, we decided to conduct an interview with Marco and Rosa (pseudonym),

our bilingual Parent Liaison. During the interview, she asked Marco some simple questions about his


family and interests. Then she gave him a portion of the speaking section of the WIDA English Language

Proficiency test in Spanish (a few days prior, Marco had taken this portion of the test in English). During

their conversation, Amy, our ESOL teacher observed and took notes to be able to compare his test

results in English and Spanish (Appendix C).

Rosa reported that she attempted to speak with Marco in Spanish. She said he was unable to

converse or express complete thoughts in Spanish. She tried to ask him simple questions about his

family and his answers were not very comprehensible. When she gave him the speaking portion of the

WIDA, he was unable to elaborate or answer any higher-level questions in Spanish. When asked to

describe some simple pictures of bears eating a picnic lunch, he was able to name and label objects in

Spanish but unable to offer any details or answer questions. At one point, Marco switched to speaking

English after she told him to respond in Spanish. Rosa mentioned that he acted uncomfortable speaking

Spanish and he even asked if they could stop and speak English instead. Rosa commented, “I was

shocked at his lack of Spanish vocabulary! During our conversation he mumbled and spoke baby talk in

Spanish” (Appendix C).

The interview data helped solve a piece of my puzzlement by suggesting Marco’s language

experiences at home are impacting his language acquisition. After interviewing Marco’s mother and

having him converse with Rosa in Spanish, it is apparent that Marco is losing his ability to communicate

in Spanish. The fact that English is the primary language being spoken at home suggests that this is a

contributing factor in his first language loss. Marco is not learning or practicing any reading, writing, or

speaking skills in Spanish. By not having the opportunity to communicate in his first language, it appears

he may be experiencing subtractive bilingualism. In terms of first language proficiency, the interview

data indicates that Marco has some receptive language but is losing his expressive language.


The data also revealed that Marco’s language experiences at home could be affecting his second

language acquisition. Because both of his parents are still learning to speak English themselves and they

primarily communicate with Marco in English, Marco is not exposed to strong models of English at

home. Marco is not being spoken to or read to in his parent’s first language. His mother only

mentioned reading Marco’s guided reading homework books, which are beginning readers containing

simple sentence structures and controlled vocabulary. Consequently, Marco is not hearing rich

vocabulary in either language, which may be hindering his ability to build his own vocabulary in either

language. His overall limited language proficiency is likely influencing his reading and writing

development.

Now that I had more information concerning Marco’s language experiences and proficiency with

his first language, I wanted to learn more about his language proficiency in his second language

(English). I hoped this would help answer more questions about my puzzlement. If Marco is struggling

to acquire English, this would explain his some of his difficulties with reading and writing. I began by

interviewing Diana (pseudonym), his former Reading Recovery Teacher (Appendix D). Diana believes

Marco’s ability is at a ESOL level 1, but in terms of vocabulary, his ability is lower than the other ESOL

students of similar English language development with whom she is currently working. She is concerned

that he has difficulty even carrying a social conversation. When she tried to converse with him, he

responded to her questions with one word. When she prompted for more, he offered short phrases

containing three to five words. As far as reading is concerned, she explained that when he reads books

that are an appropriate text level, he has difficulty decoding unknown words because they are not in his

known vocabulary. To successfully read any book, he needs a strong book introduction and heavy

picture clues. His English language proficiency is making monitoring difficult for him. When trying to

teach him to read for meaning, it is challenging for Marco to monitor because many concepts are

unfamiliar to him. He also has difficulty phrasing because books contain syntax and sentence structures


that are not in his oral vocabulary. He also has difficulty self-correcting his miscues because he can’t

distinguish when words of phrases “sound right” because he doesn’t know what the phrase of sentence

is supposed to sound like in English.

When I conversed with her about Marco’s reading difficulties she asserted that although his

limited English vocabulary is certainly contributing to his reading and writing difficulties, she doesn’t

believe this is the only issue. She believes Marco has some problems with memory and processing. She

explained that while writing, he is able to hear and record sounds but is unable to retain his message

long enough to record it on paper. When she helps him by dictating his message, he is able to compose

a few complete sentences. When reading, he also struggles to hold the message. She believes his

ability to hear and record sounds is stronger than his ability to see letters and process the sounds they

make. This is hindering his ability to quickly make connections between letters and sounds to decode

words. She feels that after receiving the most intensive intervention program, in addition to working

with two teachers in the classroom, Marco should have made more progress in twenty weeks than he

has. She believes his processing is not typical for a first grader, even an English language learner. She

therefore recommends that we start the special education edibility process for Marco.

After my conversation with Diana, I collected data to further examine Marco’s second language

acquisition in relation to its impact on Marco’s reading and writing development. I began by taking

anecdotal notes during reading and writing. I also assessed Marco using records of oral reading with

comprehension questions (Appendix E). Finally, I administered a hearing and recording sounds

assessment (Appendix F) and analyzed independent writing samples (Appendix G). Marco’s running

records indicate some strong reading behaviors. For example, he attempts to self correct and initiates

problem solving by using the first letter of a word or the picture. When prompted he tries to use letter

sound analysis to decode words and rereads to problem solve. Marco does not consistently monitor for


meaning or self correct when meaning is lost. He has difficulty maintaining a core of sight words, which

hinders his fluency. When the text is instructional, Marco’s comprehension within the text (literal)

reflects a partial understanding of the text. He can discuss some information and ideas but neglects

some key understandings. His comprehension beyond the text is very limited. He is unable to answer

any higher level thinking questions that require inference or interpretation. The data indicates that

Marco is not using the strategic actions necessary to successfully read text. I was surprised that the

running records and my observations indicated small portions of Marco’s miscues were related to

academic content or vocabulary. He is able to use pictures and meaning to read words like house,

backpack, table, or glasses. Many of his errors are syntactical or structural. For example, he read, “That I

new big house” in place of “What a nice big house.” Or “You like glasses on some” instead of “You look

great in those.” It is likely that although his second language proficiency may be contributing to his

reading difficulty, this is only part of the puzzle.

After my interview with Diana, I wanted to take a closer look at Marco’s writing skills to examine

how memory and processing related to his abilities. I gave Marco a hearing and recording sounds

assessment (Appendix F) to determine if his ability to represent sounds with letters influenced his ability

to write. He scored thirty three out of thirty seven, which suggests that Marco’s difficulty in writing is

not related to his ability to hear and record sounds. This data correlated with Diana’s observations. I

observed Marco writing independently and worked with him during writing workshop. I concluded that

he is able to write a message, with teacher assistance. When left to work independently, he either stops

working, or composes a sentence that doesn’t make sense. When I worked with him, he was unable to

compose a sentence on paper without having me repeat his message to him several times. As he

started to write his sentence, he forgot it after the first two words. Then, he wasn’t able to remember

the same message he stated moments prior. My observations match Diana’s beliefs that although


Marco’s limited oral language ability affects his progress, he most likely also has processing and memory

issues that are influencing his reading and writing skills.

Finally, to gain more information on his second language acquisition, Amy and I analyzed the

WIDA oral language portion she had administered to Marco (Appendix H). The test contains pictures of

bears doing different activities and students are asked simple and more complex questions about the

pictures. Marco was able to answer most of the basic questions using appropriate English Vocabulary.

He answered in some complete sentences and most of his answers were intelligible. Marco was not

able to answer any questions that required him to elaborate, explain his thinking, or make any

predictions.

When we compared Marco’s answers on the WIDA oral language portion in English and Spanish

the results revealed Marco is much stronger in English. He was able to answer some questions in

complete sentences in English, versus, one word answers in Spanish. Amy concluded, “He just wasn’t a

good speaker in general, but he is definitely stronger in English.” In terms of relating this assessment to

academic progress, It is concerning that he seemed to have enough English vocabulary to talk about the

pictures, but wasn’t able to express any answers that required higher level thinking. After this

assessment, Amy recommended that we schedule a child study, the first stage in the special education

eligibility process. She doesn’t believe second language acquisition is the only issue impacting Marco’s

reading and writing progress.

Interventions

To implement an effective intervention plan, I will consider the triangle of school, home, and the

student. Involving Marco, his family, and my professional learning community at school, will enable us

to more fully promote change, sustainability, and empowerment (Fox, 2011). The data show that


Marco is having difficulty writing. He needs strategies to be successful independently and to remember

his message as he records it. To provide scaffolding for Marco, I am going to implement interactive

writing with him in a small group. Interactive writing is an instructional strategy where the teacher and

students work cooperatively and “share the pen” to compose a message. In this process children learn

how to spell words to express meaning (McCarrier et al., 2000). For Marco, I hope that it will serve as a

bridge between oral and written language. Our focus will be negotiating the text and repeating it aloud

to write it down. We will practice rereading our message to monitor for meaning. When Marco writes

independently, without the support of interactive writing, I will incorporate the use of a tape recorder. I

will conference with him before he begins his writing process. We will talk about his message and he will

draw a picture to represent it. Then, he will record himself saying his message on the tape recorder. As

he is writing, he will be able to play his message repeatedly to help him record the words.

Data suggested that delays in Marco’s second language acquisition could be impacting his

academic progress. Assessment showed that his limited oral language in Spanish or English impacts

ability to speak, read, and write in complete phrases. Marco needs more experience listening to strong

language models and speaking in fluent phases. To provide more opportunities to listen to language and

connect with the words these sounds represent, I plan to have him spend time listening to audio books.

Our school subscribes to several computer programs that highlight the words being read aloud which

allows students to visually track and follow along. The idea here is that this will expose Marco to rich

book language, fluent phrasing, and academic vocabulary. I will also carefully select his partnerships

during group discussions. I will pair him with a fluent speaker during “turn and talks” and book

discussions. I will select a partner who is caring and able to converse, not one who tends to dominate

the conversation (Nichols 2006). Another helpful phrasing strategy I will incorporate is the use of cut-up

sentences in response to reading. Reassembling a cut-up sentence requires children to think about

phrasing and syntax as they place the words in order (Lenters, 2003). After reading a story, I will have


Marco orally discuss the book. He or I will scribe a sentence on a strip of paper, then he will read the

sentence several times. I will cut it up and have him try to put the sentence back together.

Marco also needs to learn to speak in complete phrases. I am going to encourage him to speak

in longer conversational phrases. When he expresses thoughts in one word, I will ask him questions to

promote longer sentences. Then I will help him put his thoughts together in a phrase by modeling and

having him try to repeat it.

My interview with Marco and his mother revealed that Marco speaks primarily in English at

home. The research indicates that it is beneficial for second language learners to practice using their

first language in order to maintain it. When the second language replaces use and development of the

first language, it can result in a loss of the first language and can be detrimental to second language

development (Fox, 2011). I will schedule an appointment with Marco’s mother to discuss the benefits of

speaking Spanish at home. I will suggest slowly incorporating Spanish into daily conversations, such as

talking to him about school, or maybe spending some dinnertimes speaking in Spanish. I will also

mention the benefits of reading to him in Spanish and explain how wonderful it is for Marco to be

hearing the rich vocabulary of his first language.

Monitoring

I have begun small-group interactive writing with Marco and it is going well. Currently, our class

is researching and writing nonfiction books about animals. Students have chosen an animal, researched

it by taking notes, and used their notes to compose their writing. I strategically placed Marco in a small

group of children that need additional scaffolding. For Marco’s group I decided to spend time building

background knowledge by reading and talking about polar bears, before the writing and research

project started. During writing time, I have used interactive writing to scaffold and gradually release


responsibility. Interactive writing has offered an appropriate amount of support and has prepared

Marco to write independently. When the time came to write independently, he was confident in his

ability and experienced success. He is now able to compose his own simple three to four word

sentences about polar bears. Next week we will try to compose longer sentences (5-6 words). He has

not yet started recording his sentences with a tape recorder. My co-teacher and I are searching catalogs

for a simple, kid-friendly recording device. We plan on using this strategy when we locate one.

I have begun having Marco listen to books on the computer. I have introduced him to

Scholastic’s BookFlix and Tumblebooks and he seems to enjoy them because he asks to “go on the

computer” all the time. Another method which allows Marco to incorporate audio listening is having

him listen to books on a personal tape player. He recently started showing an interest in reading trade

books and begs me to let him read them during guided reading. We read one trade book a week in

addition to his regular leveled guided reading books. I read the entire book to him, and then use a very

supportive structure to help him read the book independently. We work on a few pages a day by

discussing the story, pictures, and vocabulary during reading. During this process, I have him listen to

the book we are working on, using his personal tape player. This helps him hear fluent phrasing and he

tries to imitate it when he reads. Last week he successfully read and listened to “If You Give a Pig a

Pancake” and “The Hungry Giant.” Both books have rich vocabulary and a stronger plot than his normal

guided reading books. It benefits him to hear the rich language and discuss a story that he has read and

understands. It is too early to see marked improvement in his oral language, but I definitely believe his

phrasing is improving which would suggest that this intervention is beginning to have positive results.

I have made a conscious effort to work with Marco to develop his conversational skills. I have

found that a good time to converse with him is the morning, when kids are quietly reading. I ask him

about his evening, exciting things coming up, or about the book he is currently reading. This is a great


opportunity for me to help him with phrasing because it’s a private time where the entire class is not

aware that I am assisting him. He is willing to elaborate and I help him by stating his ideas in complete

phrases. With this scaffold, I have begun to see some improvement in his ability to more completely

express his thoughts.

The conversation with Marco’s mother went very well. We discussed his academic progress and

I could see she was very supportive of his education. She asked what she could do at home to help

Marco’s reading and writing development. I explained that Marco is having difficulty developing his oral

language and recommended some things she could do to help him. We discussed the benefits of

speaking and reading Spanish at home. I mentioned some research and assured her that being bilingual

can help children become stronger readers and writers. We also talked about how language affects

family relationships and how important it is for Marco to maintain his first language. I also

recommended that she begin reading Spanish books to him. She told me she planned on buying some. I

suggested checking them out from the library, and offered to send some home. I will set up a reading

log as a communication tool between home and school. Marco and his mother can complete the log

and send it back and forth so I can comment and reinforce the idea of reading Spanish books at home.

Conclusions

In this study, I investigated how classroom instructional practices and home interactions

exhibited a mismatch for Marco’s academic progress. The data collected for this study strongly suggest

that his experiences with language at school and home are impacting his oral language development,

which is also strongly connected to his ability to read and write. Marco did not have the opportunity to

fully develop his first language before he was assimilated into an English speaking environment. By first

grade, he was communicating primarily in English at home and school. By not having the opportunity to

communicate his first language, my research and data suggest he is experiencing subtractive


bilingualism, the loss of his first language (Cummins, 1994). Research has shown that the acquisition of

English while losing the native language can diminish the ability to transfer language skills from the first

language to the second and can result in taking a significantly longer time period to develop full

language skills in English (Thomas & Collier, 1997). In addition to losing his first language, data indicates

Marco isn’t fully developing his second language. Part of this could be because Marco is not being

exposed to strong models of English at home, which can hinder language acquisition. Thomas & Collier

(1997) believe positive language models are essential for students to fully develop a second language.

Fillmore (1991) explains that when second language learners hear a less developed form of English they

often will base their language learning on the speech of second language learners like themselves.

Data indicate that Marco is still developing his second language. His limited oral language

appears to be impacting his progress in reading and writing. His school environment may be

mismatched in terms of his language acquisition (as an ESOL student) and the pace of instruction.

However, by taking a closer look at the data it appears that Marco has additional learning difficulties

that are affecting his language acquisition and academic progress. This inquiry process has led to many

important conversations among team colleagues at school about Marco’s progress. Our team recently

conducted a child study for Marco. We discussed his progress in the classroom and the data I had

collected. The team brainstormed some interventions to implement for four to six weeks. New

recommendations included incorporating more writing responses during guided reading time and

utilizing other children as strong models of phrasing during guided reading comprehension discussion.

The overall decision was to refer him to local screening to test for special education services.

This week first grade teachers were asked to recommend their struggling readers for possible

placement in a reading intervention group. Of the sixteen eligible students, Marco was one of the

students whose background and current learning struggles indicated that he should qualify for


placement in a leveled literacy interventions group. This program is an intense, focused small group

instruction in reading and writing and is supplementary to classroom instruction. The reading lessons

incorporate writing, phonics, and word study. Key components also include comprehension strategies,

vocabulary building, and fluent, phrased reading. The skills taught in LLI will address some of Marco’s

areas of concern and should give him extra support where he needs it. Although the timeframe of this

study did not provide adequate time for data collection in this area, I am cautiously optimistic that the

new support for Marco should help him develop more academic success.

Reflection

This CIP research study taught me the importance of reflective thinking in conjunction with

research. One of Dewey’s criteria for reflection is it must be a “systematic, rigorous, disciplined way of

thinking, with its roots in scientific inquiry” (as cited in Rogers, 2002). Before conducting my case study

and CIP research study, I believe the majority of my reflections weren’t critical reflections, rather a

“stream of consciousness or uncontrolled coursing of ideas running through my head,” as Dewey

described. I often reflect on my puzzlements but don’t conduct the research necessary to answer my

questions or concerns. The CIP study taught me to go beyond reflection and conduct action research to

address the puzzlement. I have been reflecting on Marco’s progress all year. Before this study I

continually discussed his progress with my colleagues and tried some strategies but didn’t feel confident

in my efforts. The CIP study prompted me to collect and analyze data, discuss findings with colleagues

and critical friends, and test interventions. I feel confident we can help Marco because our strategies

and interventions are driven by data.

This study also helped me recognize the importance conducting child studies in a professional

learning community. When I brought Marco to child study and we discussed our concerns to make

recommendations, I realized how invaluable this process is. Marco works with an ESOL, special


education, Reading Recovery, and general education teacher. Each one of my colleagues has expertise

in a different area. We informally discussed Marco’s progress throughout the year but until the CIP

study, we didn’t have a formal game plan to help him. When we sat down to examine all the pieces and

analyze the data, we were able to discuss some helpful interventions and formulate a plan to ensure his

success. When we put students first and work together to ensure their success, amazing things can

happen and change occurs. I am now equipped with a plethora of strategies to try with Marco. I am

looking forward to continually monitoring Marco and discussing his progress with my Professional

learning community.

The CIP project taught me the importance of having multiple perspectives. I gained valuable

insight from my critical friends and from all of the people I collaborated with to conduct my inquiry

project. Working with my critical friends group and professors helped me look through different lenses

and approach my research in ways I would not have thought of on my own. Before this project, I would

have approached my research solely through an academic lens. I would have collected data through

anecdotal notes, reading and writing assessments, and interviews with other teachers. Interviewing

Marco’s mother truly steered my inquiry in a different direction. When I discovered Marco spoke

English at home, I started to think about his academic difficulties differently. I began dialoguing with his

ESOL teacher, Reading Recovery Teacher, and our Special Education teacher (who co-teaches in Marco’s

classroom) to examine my puzzlement more deeply. Previously, his ESOL level had led us to believe his

first language and limited English vocabulary were the greatest factors impacting his reading and

writing. We had never considered his language experiences at home could be contributing to his

difficulties with oral language development. This revelation prompted us collect data differently. Our

findings confirmed that his overall oral language was low, but also showed Marco could have processing

and memory concerns. By incorporating multiple perspectives to our puzzlement with Marco, we were


able to address some areas of concern by working together to implement interventions and by referring

him to the local screening committee, the first step in the special education process.

I also learned to incorporate cultural perspectives in my research. I had never been exposed to

the idea of cultural mismatches before this study. This CIP study reminded me of the importance of

involving culture and family in the education process. By interviewing and discussing Marco with his

mother, I came to understand how much she valued his education and my professionalism. Through our

discussions we were able to come together as a team to help Marco. I was able to communicate ways

she could help him with his language acquisition at home and also ways I could help him at school.

I incorporated my cultural research in my inquiry project but more importantly, I have been

reflecting on culture and trying to apply that research to my daily teaching practice. Various articles and

class discussions helped me realize I had a shallow understanding of culture in relation to action

research and classroom practice. This inquiry project helped me realize what an important role culture

and family life play in student’s education. Sometimes I get so obsessed with teaching my students how

to read and write English, I forget to look beyond our classroom walls. I’ll admit that there have been

times where I considered second language acquisition a frustration in relation to our school system.

There is exceeding pressure on teachers to help English language learners meet grade-level reading and

writing benchmarks by the end of the year and language acquisition is not considered when

administering high-stakes assessments. I often feel frustrated that ESOL students aren’t given more

time to acquire the language and often feel the pace of our curriculum doesn’t match their oral

language development. Much of our dialogue in professional learning communities revolves around

offering these students more interventions and remediation. If language acquisition was considered

when determining benchmarks and targets, we could approach instruction differently.


Literature and class discussion prompted me to step back from my usual perspective to see a

broader picture. Unfortunately, I can’t change the politics or pacing guides driving our educational

system. However, I can find ways to bring my diverse student’s experiences and languages into the

classroom in positive ways. No matter how much my professional environment influences the

curriculum, I have control over my beliefs. I have the power to be culturally responsive. Obviously, I

cannot make major changes to my curriculum and objectives but I have freedoms in other areas. I can

reflect on my own cultural beliefs and assumptions and work harder to be aware of my students’

background and family lives. I can find meaningful ways to incorporate their beliefs, language, and

experiences into the curriculum. I may be mandated to teach certain reading and writing skills and

strategies but I have some control over the content. For example, interactive read-aloud is a great

opportunity to teach comprehension skills and vocabulary while choosing stories my diverse children

can relate to. Writing is another time I can encourage my children to use their background knowledge

to write about meaningful experiences and topics. I can spend more time story-telling and sharing to

build community and give students an opportunity to connect their home life and cultural experiences

to writing. I can also get families involved by asking for feedback, inviting them into the classroom, and

planning more community building events.

This process taught me that it is beneficial to conduct formal inquiry studies. I continually

reflect on my teaching and have puzzlements related to my practice and specific students. I ask

questions, collect data, and consult professional literature to seek answers. However, I don’t always

keep records of my trials and errors. This limits my ability to monitor and determine effectiveness of

strategies. Through this process I learned that assumptions can be detrimental to research and research

is ongoing. I had to be willing to be flexible and inquire further to examine my puzzlement through a

different lens. I also had to be careful not to draw conclusions too quickly after attempting certain

interventions.


References

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power, and pedegogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon:

Multlilingual Matters.

Cummins, J. (1994). The aquisition of English as a second language. In R. Pritchard, & K. Spangenberg-

Urbschat, Kids come in all languages (pp. 36-62). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Cummins, J., Bismilla, V., Chow, P., Cohen, S., & Giampapa, F. (2005). Affirming identity in multilingual

classrooms. Educational Leadership , 63 (1), 38-43.

Fillmore, L. W. (1991). When learning a second language means losing the first. Early Childhood Research

Quarterly , 6 (3), 323-346.

Fox, R. (2011, February 8). Meeting the needs of English Language Learners Toward a Culturally

Responsive Pedagogy. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.

Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners: What the research does-and does not-say.

American Educator , 32 (2), 8-44.

Lenters, K. (2003). Many lives of the cut up sentence. Reading Teacher , 56 (6), 535-536.


McCarrier, A., Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2000). Interactive writing, how language and literacy come

together, k-2. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Nichols, M. (2006). Comprehension through conversation. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Rogers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking. Teachers

College Record , 104 (4), 842-866.

Thomas, W. P., & Collier, V. (1997). School effectiveness for language minority students. National

Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education .

Appendix Table of Contents

A. Student Interview

B. Parent Interview

C. Conversation between Marco and Bilingual Parent Liaison

D. Teacher Interview (Reading Recovery)

E. Records of Oral Reading

F. Hearing and Recording Sounds Assessment


G. Writing Samples

H. WIDA English Proficiency Test (language portion)

file · web viewmarco (pseudonym), a 7 year old hispanic english language learner, is...

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