English Language Learners (ELLs)

Dr. Linda B. Akanbi

 School populations in the United States, as well as in other parts of the world, are becoming more and more diverse. In fact, according to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the percentage of public-school students in the United States who were English Language Learners (ELLs) rose from 9.2 percent or 4.5 million students in 2010 to 10.2 percent or 5.0 million students in 2018 (NCES, 2021). Furthermore, a higher percentage of these students were in lower grades where developmental reading instruction typically begins, as compared to the upper grades.

The racial and ethnic breakdown of the English language learners referenced in the statistics above were as follows: 3.8 million were Hispanic (constituting 77.6 percent of ELL student enrollment overall); 528,700 were Asian (constituting 10.7 percent of ELL students); 331,000 were White (6.7 percent of ELL students) and 218,000 were Black (4.4 percent of ELL students).

Students from different language backgrounds also bring their home cultures with them, of which language is a part, thus increasing as well as enriching the diversity of the classroom.

However, when a child enters kindergarten or first grade with limited proficiency in English, the school faces a serious dilemma.  The dilemma is this:  How can the child be expected to learn the skills and content taught in the early grades while he or she is learning English? 

Reading Programs for ELLs:  What Research Tells Us 

Researchers who study English language learners have asked whether these children learn to read in the same way as those who are proficient in English, or whether different dynamics are involved.  In general, reviewers of the literature have concluded that the factors that lead to reading in English language learners are like those for their English proficient classmates, namely phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. The beginning reading programs with the strongest evidence made use of systematic phonics instruction (such as Zoo Phonics), Direct Instruction (which is scaffolded and scripted), Reading Recovery, and small group tutorials.  In one action research project in which a small group tutorial was combined  with Zoo Phonics, Spanish speaking students in kindergarten were able to increase their letter sound knowledge (Speer, 2007).  The study was designed to determine if ELLS at the kindergarten level would benefit from phonics instruction in English.

In another action research project at the kindergarten level, the researcher looked at using vocabulary referents in the native language (Spanish) to learn the English language. Her objective was for the children in this small group to learn the English alphabet.  She found that all the students improved on their knowledge of English letters and sounds by comparing English words to Spanish words that began the same way, and then gradually expanding these comparisons to vocabulary development (Way, 2007).

Other Useful Strategies and Considerations for Teaching ELLs at the Emergent and Beginning Reading Levels of Reading

  1. ELLs often need more opportunities to play informally with rhyme and to orally manipulate the sounds in words during small-group activities, and they may also need to listen to wordplay books read aloud more times than their English-speaking classmates.  Teachers should be aware that English language learners whose native language uses an alphabetic system such as Spanish, develop phonemic awareness more easily than students whose native language employs a logographic system of symbols without sound correspondences, such as Chinese (Tompkins, 2006, p. 118).
  2. ELLs often require more informal opportunities to engage in rhyming and sound manipulation (which help to develop phonemic and phonological awareness) during small-group activities. They may also benefit from hearing wordplay books read aloud multiple times compared to their English-speaking peers.
  3. In teaching the alphabet and letter sounds, differences in languages can be a source of confusion.  For example, the Spanish alphabet has 29 letters that represent 24 phonemes, with five vowel sounds represented by the five letters spelled in a one –to-one correspondence that is mostly consistent (Speer, 2007).  This differs from the English alphabet where there are 26 letters representing  44 phonemes.  In the English language, there is also a lot of variation in the vowel sounds, and there is not always consistency.
  4. Ensure that the environmental print reflects the students’ first languages.  For example, the teacher could have number and color words on bulletin boards and charts written in all the different languages represented in the classroom under the English word.  Develop units on countries where different students are from and post charts, pictures, and maps from that country.
  5. Supply the classroom library with books and magazines in languages other than English.  As Freeman & Freeman (1993) state, “environmental print in students’ primary languages sends a strong message that the school values diversity in language, literacy, and culture” (p. 554).
  6. Encourage bilingual students to write and share their stories in languages other than English.  Picture prompts are also good to use.  For example, students could bring in photographs of a family event, write about it and share it.
  7. Have bilingual students read and write with paraprofessionals, parents, or other students who speak their first language.
  8. Use picture books to encourage storytelling, vocabulary and oral language development.
  9. Label objects in the classroom in more than one language.