Language Development Stages:
I. Pre-production (silent period)
**Students are totally new to English (may last 1-3 months)
-rely heavily on context
-may understand more than they can say
-may actively listen for short periods
-respond non-verbally or with single word utterances
**Teachers:
Ask questions: Point to . . .?; Do you have . . . ?; Who has
the . . .?
Assign tasks: matching, drawing, acting out
II. Early Production
**Students are low beginners in English (may last several weeks)
-may understand some social conversation, but minimal academic
conversation
-respond with one or two words or short phrases
**Teachers:
Ask questions: Is this a. . .or a . . .?; Who, what, where,
when . . .?
Assign tasks: Naming, labeling, listing, categorizing
III. Speech Emergence
*Students are beginners in English (may last several weeks or months)
-discuss concrete subject matter
-use complete phrases or simple sentences to respond
-participate in small group activities
-may begin to use English more freely in conversation about familiar
topics
-may understand most of what is said
Teachers can:
Ask questions: Why, how . . .?; Tell me about . . .; Describe . . .
Assign tasks: role play, small group work
IV. Intermediate Production
*Students are high beginners, intermediate or advanced (will last several
years)
*Students may appear orally fluent, but experience difficulty with high
level academics and literacy for several years
-increased comprehension and vocabulary
-participate in reading and writing
-may make errors while speaking, but they don’t hinder conversation
Teachers:
Ask questions: Describe, compare . . .; What do you think
about . . .?; What would happen if . . .?
Assign tasks: most classroom tasks if supported or scaffolded
A child acquires a second language in the same manner as he would his first
language. This is an important point to keep in mind as you are planning
lessons to accommodate your ELL students. Language is acquired through
active social participation.
**speaking a language other than English doesn’t interfere with the
acquisition of English
**parents should be encouraged to speak to their children in their native
language at home—fluency in their native language allows them to make
connections to English
**social language (BICS) and conversational skills may be acquired in 2 years
**academic language (CALPS) may take 5-7 years
**how comfortable a child is in class has a direct relationship to how
easily he will acquire language
Stephen Krashen is a notable linguist whose research has dramatically
affected how ELL are taught. the following is a link to his home page with
articles, books and documents to be downloaded:
http://www.sdkrashen.com/main.php3