What to do with your new Beginner!

What to do with your new Beginner English Language Learner!

What to do with your new BEGINNER English Language Learner1

I just found out that Im getting a new student and he doesnt speak English. What am I going to do?

I just found out that Im getting a new student and he doesnt speak English. What am I going to do?2

DONT PANIC

Dont Panic!3

Contact from the ESL SpecialistBackground Information Educational Family Cultural

Your ESL specialist will contact you as soon as information is available. She will share some background information to help you to gain some understanding about your new student. Any relevant information about the students education. Family background. Valuable cultural information which may affect how you interact with your new student. For example, in some cultures it is disrespectful to look directly at a person in authority. Asian students, for example, tend to be quiet in class, and making eye contact with teachers is considered inappropriate for many of these students (Bennett, 2003) 4Formulate a PlanShort term goalsRe-evaluate frequentlyModify as the student progresses.Collaboration is essential!!!

Together you will develop an initial plan for the immediate future based on background information, assessments, and information gathered from the student and family.Start with some short term goals. For example, bringing materials to class, following classroom procedures, attempting to copy notes Go over your plan periodically and re-evaluate often.Dont be afraid to make changes as the student gains proficiencyCollaboration is essential as you and the ESL Specialist will need to work together closely in the beginning. 5Help is on the way! Every effort will be made to support youin class support from a teachers aide when possiblepre-teaching and re-teaching in the ESL classroomadditional resourcescollaboration to modify assignments and curriculum

You are not alone. In some cases, an instructional aide will come to your class with the studentThe ESL specialist will use your content material to Pre-teach and Re-teach new concepts. Your curriculum will guide some of the academic language acquisition work for the student so it is important to share information about what is happening in your class so that your specialist can offer supplemental resources. . Work together to modify assignments, assessments, and other work. In some cases, the beginner student will spend some of your class time in the ESL classroom to facilitate academic language acquisition.6What can I expect from this student?Be on time for classBring regular supplies (pencil, notebook, text)ATTEMPT to follow what others are doingATTEMPT to copy notes from the boardThis may even be challenging as they are copying words that they do not even knowIn some cases, they are learning a new alphabet

The first few weeks will be challenging for your new student as he works to assimilate to his new environment. He may not be able to do much but you can expect him to be prepared for class and make an attempt to follow what you are doing. Even copying may be slow as they probably dont know most of the words they are copying and in some cases, they may be learning a whole new alphabet.7How do I communicate?SMILE its universalSpeak slowlyUse few words for face to face interactionsGesturesPicturesFind a BuddyWait time at least 3 secondsTechnology Translation websitesAnother student who may speak the same language

Making the student feel welcome is one of the most important things you can do. Make an effort to communicate in any way that you can. This will show your new student that you care and will offer a friendly environment.SmileSpeak slowlyKeep it short Only say what you need toUse gestures. If you can, point to something you are talking about or use your hands to help you describe something.(pictures) Show a picture or image whenever possible. (buddy) Assign a buddy to help the student follow along.(wait time) If you ask a question give the student time to answer. They are translating. It may seem like an eternity but probably only a few seconds.(technology) use translation websites for words or phrases. Your ESL specialist can help you to find translated materials and websites.(another student) Dont be afraid to ask another student who speaks the same language to help you translate.8What are my responsibilities?Comprehensible InputModify and Accommodatereduce amount of workdecide on the most important conceptsInclusionkeep student engaged with classroom activitiesReplace assignmentsEliminate some assignments

You are responsible for determining the content that is essential for this student based on his language proficiency. Your ESL specialist will help you to communicate this content in a way that is comprehensible for your beginner. This is called comprehensible input and you can accomplish this in many ways. Your content will need to be modified and adapted. This may require you to eliminate some assignments altogether. It is crucial for you to evaluate your curriculum and determine the most important concepts that you would like the student to learn. 9What can I do in my classroom?Varied ActivitiesVisualsAnything that you can show that will help them understand!Gestures and Modelingshow dont tellGraphic OrganizersRealia fancy word for PropsObjects from real life used in the classroom

(varied activities)videos, time lines, guided reading worksheets, incomplete outlines to guide your lecture, power point notes, group work to name a few(visuals) Pictures speak a thousand words!(gestures) talk with your hands. Practice your charade skillsgraphic organizers help the students to organize notes into smaller chunksRealia just a fancy word for props 10GradingELLs must be graded using the same grading system as all other students.Focus on the Process and not the ProductQuality not QuantitySpecial grading rubric

English Language Learners must be graded using the same system that we use for all students. Most subjects use letter grades.In order to do this, you will need to evaluate their work differently to determine this grade. It may be better to focus on specific skills For example For essays or longer papers Have the student write an outline with a well written thesis or Write just the body paragraphs of a 5 paragraph essay. We have developed a special grading rubric that focuses on progress and some other social areas. 11

This rubric will be used by the classroom teacher and will give you the opportunity to give the student a letter grade.Notice that 50% of the grade is based on progress and performance. 12Enjoy!Dont stressSeize opportunities to let them shineWatch your other students interact Encourage them to engage the new student

Finally Enjoy. Remember - these beginners will be learning a wealth of vocabulary in a short time. You will be a big part of that. Use any opportunity to let them share or respond as you see fit. Sometimes you may learn something about them and you can share it with the class or your ESL specialist may offer something as well. Watch how your other students follow your lead and interact you may be pleasantly surprised. 13