The English Language Learners Series

Focuses on effective ways to promote the four aspects of literacy—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—for English language learners. The included modules are:

• English Language Learners: Listening and Speaking
  Provides specific strategies for promoting active listening and scaffolding the oral language development of ELLs. This module emphasizes explicit teaching to support comprehension and promote use of correct grammar.

• English Language Learners: Reading and Writing
  Provides specific strategies to develop reading and writing skills of English language learners. Promotes the use of strategies such as developing meaningful reading, developing academic vocabulary, and encouraging cooperative learning.

Highlights and promotes the use of specific strategies to move English learners along the continuum of English language proficiency—through a focus on both English language development and academic content development. The included module is:

• English Language Development at Middle School
  Offers instructional strategies to promote English language development and academic content knowledge for middle school ELLs at varying levels of English proficiency. This module emphasizes the theories and research behind the effective strategies and concrete ways to apply the knowledge to middle school instruction.

Focuses on literacy development—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—through a range of approaches that are focused on developing literacy skills. The included module is:

• English Language Development at High School
  Promotes development of literacy-based academic English skills for high school English learners. This module emphasizes specific oral language and literacy development strategies proven to be effective with high school ELLs.

Focuses on helping teachers understand and apply the Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) strategies to help English learners develop both academic content knowledge/skills and English language skills. The modules included are:

• Using SDAIE for English Language Learners
  Promotes SDAIE strategies, based on sheltered instruction, for teaching content to ELLs. This module emphasizes integrating language development activities into content instruction.

• Teaching High School Math Using SDAIE Methodology
  Helps teachers understand effective ways to teach key math content to English learners. The emphasis of this module is on promoting use of math vocabulary and concepts to scaffold achievement and English language development.

• Teaching High School Science Using SDAIE Methodology
  Demonstrates the use of SDAIE strategies to promote both deep understanding of high school content and development of English language skills in science classes. This module emphasizes ways to address the challenges of content-area teachers in developing content and English language skills.

Offers school leaders an overview of the key concepts they need to understand to promote, lead, support, and sustain effective ELL practices in their schools. The modules included are:

• ELLs and the Law
  Provides an overview of the court decisions and the role of the Office of Civil Rights in shaping policies that inform programs for ELLs. This module emphasizes using state and federal laws and local policies to develop a vision of ELL services at the school site.

• Second Language Acquisition Theory
  Provides an overview of second-language acquisition (SLA) theories that school leaders need to promote effective programs for ELLs. This module emphasizes issues that promote or constrain achievement of ELLs.

• Characteristics of Immigrant ELLs
  Focuses on the dual frame of reference that informs the ease with which immigrant students become comfortable in their new language and culture and the particular challenges that adolescent immigrants face. This module focuses on ways the schools can help these newcomers overcome their predictable challenges.

• Teaching Strategies for Content Instruction
  Promotes the use of SDAIE to scaffold both content learning and English language development. This module focuses on strategies school leaders can use to support effective content development for English learners. 

• Teaching Strategies for English Language Development
  Examines development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills for English learners. This module emphasizes best practices that principals can use school wide to inform ELL programs.

• ELLs and Accountability
  Explores the ways in which the standards movement influences both processes and outcomes for ELLs. This module emphasizes managing the school improvement process to remove barriers that constrain the achievement of ELLs.

• ELLs and Assessment
  Examines issues surrounding the assessment of ELLs. This module emphasizes the use and impact of formative tests, criterion-referenced tests, and norm-referenced tests on ELLs.