Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach

Are you looking for a methods book to facilitate literacy and academic development in your K-12 classroom? Building on a solid foundation in language acquisition and learning theory, this book will show you how to examine your own practice and design lessons that consider the individual needs of English language learners and accelerate their achievement. This book is designed to help your students develop proficiency in both everyday and academic English while developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. It also serves as a great guide for promoting high-level, high-quality, and high-expectation instruction with respect to language, literacy development, and academic achievement for all of your students.   FEATURES: Constructed from a strong research base, each chapter highlights specific research topics to provide you with practical ideas in applying this research to your own practices. Accessing Prior Knowledge Activities allow you to engage your own background knowledge in visualizing, brainstorming, previewing, reflecting, and observing to help you get the most from each chapter. Spotlight on Instruction features visit classrooms of effective teachers of English language learners providing an authentic context as you learn. Application to Practice case studies build upon one another from chapter to chapter illustrating how to apply this growing wealth of strategies in your own classroom. Teacher Tools in the back of this book provide a collection of reproducibles for use in your classroom,  including planning tools, writing assignments, and self reflection tools.

Table of Contents:
Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach To Language Development   Chapter 1: Where Do We Begin? Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: Learning In Another Language What Is The Need? Teacher Expectations The Zone Of Proximal Development Conditions Of Learning Effective Strategies For Teaching English Language Learners: ELD And SDAIE Sheltered Instruction Or Specially Designed Academic Instruction In English? ESL, ESOL Or ELD? ·        Bilingual Education And Achievement In English Application To Practice   Chapter 2: Background Knowledge For Teaching English Language Learners   Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: Acquiring A Second Language Four Principles Of Language Acquisition Communicative Competence Grammatical Competence Sociolinguistic Competence Discourse Competence Strategic Competence The Four Principles Of Language Acquisition Applied Principle 1: Comprehensible Input Principle 2: Contextualized Instruction Principle 3: Low Anxiety Environment Principle 4: Meaningful Engagement Additional Factors That Influence Language Learning Application To Practice   Chapter 3: Purposeful Instruction Planning: Begin With The End In Mind   Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: Previewing Texts Planning Instruction That Matters Traditional Planning: A View From Carol’s Classroom The Role Of Standards Understanding By Design Language Objectives Social Objectives Universal Design Components Of Universal Design And Access In Education Daily Lesson Planning Framework For Teaching English Language Learners Application To Practice   Chapter 4: Using Assessments To Guide Instruction Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: IQ Test Testing And Assessment — Why? Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM) Sample Assessments Of Reading And Writing Interactive Writing Charts Running Records KWL Charts And Response Logs Teacher Created Tests Using Writing Samples Implementing An Assessment System Good Ideas About Assessments Application To Practice   Chapter 5:  Oral Language: The Foundation Of Literacy Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: Language, Culture And Learning Learning And Social Interaction Comprehensible Output Organizing For Interaction Grouping Students Effective Group Work Language Development And Group Work Listening Questioning Teacher Questioning. Question And Teacher Expectations Wait Time Student Questioning Question-Answer Relationships (Qar) How Do We Teach Students To Ask Questions? Students Helping Students Reciprocal Teaching How Do We Teach Students To Use Reciprocal Teaching? Application To Practice     Chapter 6: Academic Language: From Fluency To Proficiency Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: Developing Academic Language Academic Language Proficiency What Is Academic Language? Language Registers Reading Academic Language Vocabulary Word Learning Strategies Text Structures And Functions Writing For Academic Purposes Language Experience Approach Interactive Writing Writing Models Generative Sentences Word Pyramids Power Writing Found Poems Raft Writing To Learn Independent Writing Assignments Teaching Grammar Error Correction Application To Practice   Chapter 7:  Integrating Language And Content: Developing Knowledge Bases ·        Focus Questions ·        Accessing Prior Knowledge: Making Meaning From Text ·        Making Content Comprehensible: Scaffolding Modeling Bridging Contextualization Schema-Building Metacognition Text Re-Presentation How Do Graphic Organizers Support Ells? Text Structure: From Text-To-Graphics And Back Again Integrating Language And Content: Frontloading ·        Developing Independence: Teaching Learning Strategies ·        Calla (Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach) ·        How Do We Teach Learning Strategies? Mathematics Science Social Studies Literature Redundancy Application To Practice   Chapter 8: Teacher Expectations And Differentiating Instruction Focus Questions Accessing Prior Knowledge: Learning Styles ·        Teacher Expectations And Student Achievement Heterogenous Or Homogeneous Classrooms? What Is Differentiation? Differentiating Sources, Processes, Products Uniqueness In Learning ·        Using Varied Grouping Configurations To Differentiate Instruction Grouping To Differentiate Language Instruction How Do I Plan For Differentiated Instruction? Application To Practice   Epilogue: Mary’s Top Ten: A Guide For Teaching English Language Learners Teacher Tools   1)      Self-Evaluation Tool. 2)      Instruction For English Language Learners Observation And Reflection Guide.  3)      Instruction For English Language Learners Observation And Reflection Guide 2.  4)      Unit Of Study.  5)      Anticipation Guide.  6)      English And Spanish Cognates 7)      Academic Word List

About the Author :
Carol Rothenberg is a staff developer in the area of literacy and English language learners. Providing support and guidance to teachers across content areas and grade levels, she coaches them in planning, assessing, and reflecting on instruction. She has worked with elementary and secondary schools throughout the San Diego Unified School District, training teachers and administrators on effective programs and instruction for English language learners. An experienced classroom teacher, Carol has taught bilingual special education, Spanish, and English to migrant workers. She currently teaches classes for new teachers on effective instruction of English language learners.

Review :
Co-author Doug Fisher received this note:   "Dr. Fisher, I have read your book twice- back to back! I have never read any book two times, but I found even more information on the second reading. It is so interesting and so jam packed with information. I am an ELL specialist and consultant. I will be teaching a class of teachers next week and have add so much information to my plans for the class after reading your book. I will definitely be promoting it next week. Thank you so much for providing so much information and insightful reasoning. I taught ELLs for over fifteen years. I used many of the approaches and strategies that you advocate in your book and they worked beautifully with my students. You and your fellow author, Carol, do such an excellent job in providing insight into why these strategies work for language learners. Thanks again."     -Linda Iza, ELL Specialist