For this assignment we learned about the different characteristics that could be expected from students who are English language learners. When we understand these types of learners, we are better able to prepare lessons to meet their needs.

Academic Texts for ELL and SELLs

• Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) (California State Board of Education, 2012)

English Language Learners (ELL) need specific instructional support while developing their English proficiency.

Emerging:

When working in groups, emerging students are able to successfully answer yes, no, and who, what, when, where, and why questions. They are able to respond to questions using simple phrases. These students are able to engage in brief conversations using basic learned phrases. With prompting and substantial support, these students are able to demonstrate active listening skills and explain ideas. Drawing conclusions based on text is possible with the use of frequently used verbs. Emerging students are able to exchange words with similar meanings in order to communicate with different audiences. When presenting oral presentations, these students are able to give brief summaries on a variety of topics and content areas. While writing is a challenge for these students, they are able to write brief summaries of tests using complete sentences or key words.

Expanding:

Students who would be categorized in the expanding proficiency level have the ability to contribute in collaborations with other students. These students would have the ability to take turns asking questions and engaging in group discussions. Their written exchanges with peers would be more detailed than emerging students. They would only require moderate support when it comes to giving oral presentations or even when reading through texts or materials presented in class. These students are able to use their knowledge of morphology as well as understanding context, reference materials and visual cues in order to determine the meaning of words. With moderate support, these students are able to provide evidence to support any ideas they are trying to show. The use of figurative language and descriptors becomes more frequent for these students.

Bridging:

Students at the Bridging level of proficiency easily contribute to class discussions by adhering to common expectations such as asking questions, paraphrasing key ideas, building on responses, and providing feedback to their partners. They are able to negotiate with other students in conversation and use a variety of learned phrases and changing up their phrasing based on the task they are given. These students only need minimal prompting when it comes to demonstrating active listening and oral presentation skills. These students are able to compare, contrast, determine cause and effect, and even problem solve. They are able to explain their inferences and conclusions that they draw based on the texts they have read. Students at this level will begin to use more descriptive words that emphasize the meaning of certain phrases.

African American Vernacular English (AAVE): (Jones, 2014)

AAVE is often misunderstood as “bad English.” However, it is actually considered to be a dialect which means that there is a very clear set of rules and grammar. Its origins are believed to be from the American South and has many of the same features as a typical Southern dialect. There are several specific features that can be found for most speakers. One characteristic is the deletion of specific verbs such as “is” and “are.” Another feature is stressing of the word “been.” For example, “he been got a job.” This shows that he has had a job for a long time or that he got a job a long time ago. In English we always stress the misuse of negatives. In many other languages it is common practice to use more than one negative to emphasize a point. This is the same with AAVE. There are other instances in this dialect where verb tenses are used in a way to emphasize a certain meaning behind a sentence. These tenses would be considered “incorrect” in proper English grammar, yet make sense for the specific emphasis desired within this particular vernacular.

• Academic Texts: Science

The materials I chose to examine for this assignment were taken directly from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Life Science for All curriculum. Both of these texts are used in California’s new NGSS seventh grade curriculum.

Text #1: Are Viruses Alive?

This is an article and follow up worksheet titled “Are Viruses Alive?” It is found in the seventh grade life science NGSS curriculum. This article is used at the beginning of the school year after students are taught the different characteristics of what it means to be alive. The purpose of this article is to introduce to students the idea of writing a CER (claim, evidence, and reasoning). They will be expected to use this basic set up for the rest of the year any time they are asked to evaluate a scientific principle and back up their claim with evidence and reasoning for that evidence.

The article is set up in a way that allows students to take notes and write questions in the margin as they are reading. Students are instructed in the directions to make not of any questions or important details that stand out to them as they read. The article is two pages long. It begins by describing viruses the students may have heard of. The second part of the article lists the basic requirements for something to be considered living. The third section then describes how viruses do or do not meet the requirements to be considered living things. The article ends with the author stating how this subject is a strongly debated issue in the scientific community.

After the article, there is a two page worksheet where students are asked to summarize the main purpose of the article. Next, they are asked to provide evidence to back up both the idea of viruses being alive as well as them not being living. This evidence can be found in the article provided. Lastly, the students are asked to make a claim based on the evidence that they examined and their judgment of the evidence provided. They are then asked to provide evidence from the article to back up their claim and then show their reasoning behind why they personally believe viruses are alive or not.

Text #2: What is Your Body Made of?

This article and activity is a worksheet found in the seventh grade life science NGSS curriculum as an introduction to the human body. It is taken from Accelerate Learning Bodies and Systems. This article is used when body systems are introduced. It helps the students understand the levels of organization that occur in organisms by describing the simplest structures to most complex.

This article begins by listing the levels of organization as a hierarchy; cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms. It explains each of these levels and brief details of their make-up.  Once the article reaching the organ systems stage it begins to describe individual organ systems within the human body and their specific traits and functions that they serve. The article continues by discussing the similarities and differences found in plants and the systems that they have. The last three pages ask the students to analyze, summarize, and examine different aspects of the subject by using their ability to interpret what they have read.

 

 

 

• Content Academic Challenges

Text Types   Levels of Reading	ACADEMIC TEXT 1 Are Viruses alive?	ACADEMIC TEXT 2 What is your body made of?
Emerging Proficiency Level	·         These students would struggle with some of the vocabulary and scientific terms that were mentioned throughout the article. ·         Substantial support would be necessary from the teacher or an instructional assistant who could help explain the relationship between the questions and the text. ·         These students would be able to understand that there were two sides of the argument presented. They may need help identifying which pieces of evidence back up which claims. ·         Due to the lack of visual representations with any part of this article, the students would need help identifying key pieces of evidence.	·         Students at this proficiency level will be able to determine the main idea of this article. They will be able to see that there is a specific order in which things are organized in the human body. They may have difficulty with the scientific or unfamiliar vocabulary. This misunderstanding of vocabulary use may cause confusion in understanding the connection between the different levels of organization in the human body. ·         This students will see that there are similarities in the comparison with the plants. However, they will have difficulty in understanding how the two can relate to each other. ·         Due to difficulties with understanding the vocabulary used throughout the article, students will most likely need substantial support in filling out the last few pages of the article where they are asked to summarize and interpret what they read.
Expanding Proficiency Level	·         These students would benefit from visual cues as well, therefore it would be difficult for them to identify particular pieces of evidence to back up the individual claims. However, they would be able to identify more easily the two sides of the argument. ·         These students would be able to easily identify the main ideas in this passage. However, it may be difficult for them to clearly state the evidence for each argument presented without moderate support.	·         These students will have a better understanding than emerging students due to a more solid foundation with vocabulary and understanding main ideas more easily. These students will be able to see how each system in the body contains the specific levels of organization. ·         These students will be able to see the connections between the plants and animals but may struggle with the differences found between the two. ·         These students will be able to summarize and interpret information found on the last few pages of the article. However, they may require moderate support with wording or phrasing their responses in a proper manner.
Bridging Proficiency Level	·         These students will have a fairly easy time with understanding the purpose and main idea of this article. They will be able to recognize and determine the two separate arguments being made and identify the evidence presented for both sides. ·         There may be some instances of confusion when it comes to understanding specific vocabulary and scientific verbiage. ·         These students will be able to complete the written portion of the article and follow the prompts given to them in order to properly fill out a CER. However, they may require minimal support for specific wording or phrasing needed.	·         These students will have a nearly proficient skill set when it comes to understanding the vocabulary and scientific languages used throughout this article. They will be able to see the main ideas and understand the connections made between the levels of organization and the differences found in plants and animals. ·         These students will only need minimal support in summarizing the main ideas and filling out the last few pages of the article that asks them questions regarding their understanding of the article.
Standard English Learner AAVE	·         These students should have little to no difficulty with reading the article. There may be a few instances of a need for clarification simply due to a difference in speech patterns or emphasis. However, there should be an understanding of the intent and purpose of the article. ·         These students would be able to fill out the last page of the article with their claim, evidence, and reasoning. However, they may struggle with using proper verb tenses or eliminating specific verbs they may need in order to clarify their meaning.	·         These students will most likely have little to no difficulty with reading and understanding the main ideas and key points of this article. They may struggle with making a few connections between some of the descriptions of the systems due to differences in verb tenses. ·         These students should be able to summarize and interpret what they read and answer the questions provided. They may require some brief help with specific wording required in order to fill out the answers in a way that meets expectations with proper grammar.

 

• Reflection

This past year I had the privilege of teaching on a long term substitute teacher assignment. While one this assignment, the class that I was involved in had several ELL students and an instructional assistant that worked with them on a daily basis. I will admit to feeling overwhelmed for a while with trying to understand how I could possibly help them succeed in my class. Some of these descriptions of proficiency levels would have definitely helped me in better understanding where these children were at in their understanding of the English language. However, I do not necessarily think that each child can so easily be placed in one category or another. This belief is due to witnessing the success of these students in one class or another depending on what content areas they were more interested in or understood better depending on their prior knowledge. While reading about the different kinds of standard English learners who may have different dialects, my eyes were certainly opened to the many different dialects and uses of language that we come across on a regular basis. We can sometimes be so quick to assume that someone who uses verbs “incorrectly” is uneducated or ignorant. However, there is definitely a cultural aspect that needs to be taken into account to understand the reasoning behind the use of particular words or phrases. Having grown up in the South, I found the articles and videos about AAVE to be very fascinating. There are definitely many similarities between AAVE and what most people would simply call a “Southern” dialect. I have two parents who are both educators and were always insisting on proper grammar. However, it is interesting to now have a better understanding of why the dialects may be a certain way.