English Learner

English Learners (ELs/ELLs/ESL)

Welcome! We recognize that teaching students who's home language is different than our own can be challenging for both the student and the teacher.

The following videos contain a very brief look at definitions, school and classroom considerations, and various approaches with accompanying resources for the general education teacher supporting English Learners.

Select this handout to access the links suggested in the videos.

Guidance

ISBE Resources: Department of ELL

Research:

ILA Position Statement: Literacy Leadership Brief on Second Language Learners
(6-12) Attending to Language, Engaging in Practice: Scaffolding English Language Learners’ Apprenticeship Into the Common Core English Language Arts Standards
UnboundEd: Implementing CCSS with ELL Students (recorded presentation)
Fisher and Frey:It's All About the Talk (article)
Education Northwest: Parent Guide for English Learners (Spanish and English Versions

Instructional Support

Center for Applied Linguistics: GO TO Strategies
IES Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades
ASCD: Teaching Argument Writing to ELLs
Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School
WiDA Consortium: Can Do Descriptors (K-12) The Can Do Descriptors highlight what language learners can do at various stages of language development as they engage in teaching and learning in academic contexts.
Text-Dependent Questions for ELL (Part One)
Text-Dependent Questions for ELLs: Examples for 2nd Grade (Part Two)

Learners in Action

Analyzing Texts: Series (3-8)
Scaffolding Complex Texts (6-8)
Deeper Learning for English Language Learners
Citing Evidence from Complex Text
Essay Structure in Writing (6-8)