Posted: September 19th, 2023

Clinical Field Experience B: ELL Instructional Strategies

Clinical Field Experience B: ELL Instructional Strategies

Paper instructions:
Since ELLs are tasked with not only developing content knowledge but also acquiring proficiency in English, teachers must implement effective instructional strategies to address all the learning needs of an ELL.

Allocate at least 5 hours in the field to support this field experience.

Part 1: Supporting ELL Students

Use students from your field experience classroom and the “ELL Case Studies ” to discuss ELL instructional strategies with your mentor teacher. When you are discussing the case studies, assume each student is joining your mentor teacher’s classroom. You may consult other teachers at your field experience site to gather additional information or work with multiple teachers if needed. Include the following in your discussion:

What are some strategies you use to teach foundational reading skills (concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency) to ELLs?
What strategies do you use for vocabulary development and student practice?
What are some strategies you use to teach the elements of language (phonetics, phonology, morphology, lexicon, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics) to ELLs?
How do you use Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in ELL instruction?
At least two additional questions to discuss with the teacher.
Observe at least one Grade K-3 classroom. The classroom must have English language learners. Work with an individual student or small group of students identified with your mentor teacher during Clinical Field Experience A. If possible, focus on instructional or support activities related to the discussion with your mentor. Examples of activities include conducting a reading mini-lesson targeting a foundational reading skill; providing vocabulary instruction and practice within a content area; creating a targeted lesson based on student data to address a discrete element of language; and administering an assessment as a part of progress monitoring.

Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the mentor teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.

Part 2: Plan and Reflect

Following the observation, discuss with your mentor teacher the progress made and next steps for working with the student or group of students. Plan how you will continue to support the students during the next field experience. Collaborate on how you can respect and promote the linguistic and cultural differences of the individual learners you are working with.

Write a 250-500 word reflection summarizing your observations and discussion. Include a reflection of how you supported the language acquisition needs of the students you worked with. Address how what you have learned will affect your future professional practice. Include how you will support the student or group of students in additional field experiences.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.

Submit the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form in the last topic. Directions for submitting can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.

Clinical Field Experience B: ELL Instructional Strategies
Part 1: Supporting ELL Students
Some effective instructional strategies for teaching foundational reading skills to English Language Learners in my mentor teacher’s classroom include using visuals such as picture cards to teach concepts of print and phonological awareness. For example, students can match pictures to words with the same beginning or ending sounds. My mentor teacher also uses phonics instruction techniques like blending walls, where students manipulate magnetic letters to build and sound out words. For fluency, she models reading short passages with expression and has students do partner reading.
For vocabulary development, my mentor teacher incorporates new words from content areas into daily lessons and provides multiple exposures through activities like vocabulary bingo, matching words to pictures or definitions, and generating sentences using target words. She also reviews words frequently to help commit them to long-term memory.
To teach the elements of language, my mentor teacher focuses on one element at a time in mini-lessons. For example, when teaching morphology, she explains how adding prefixes and suffixes changes word meanings and has students analyze word parts in texts. She also uses visuals and gestures to support phonological concepts.
My mentor teacher implements Response to Intervention (RTI) through regular progress monitoring of reading skills. Students who are below benchmark receive additional small group instruction with a focus on their area of need need need, such as phonics. Their progress is tracked to determine if the intervention is effective or if a referral for further evaluation is needed.
I discussed additional instructional strategies with two other teachers at my field site. One strategy they suggested was using sentence frames and scaffolds, such as graphic organizers, to support students in constructing complete sentences as their English proficiency increases. The other teacher recommended integrating students’ home languages and cultures into instruction whenever possible to validate their identities and backgrounds.
For my observation, I worked with a small group of three ELL students in a first grade classroom during a guided reading lesson. We read a short informational text about seasons and the teacher supported comprehension through think-alouds and questioning. She also had students identify words related to each season and write sentences using the vocabulary. This provided practice with both reading and language skills.
Part 2: Plan and Reflect
After my observation, I discussed continuing to support the small group of ELLs I worked with during future field experiences. Some next steps include having students write short paragraphs combining information from two texts about seasons. I can also create vocabulary flashcards for words they struggled with and have students play matching games to review.
Through this experience, I have learned the importance of using visuals, gestures, and modeling to make lessons accessible for ELLs. In the future, I aim to consistently integrate multimodal techniques, build in multiple opportunities for practice, and get to know my students’ individual language profiles to better meet their needs. I will also communicate regularly with colleagues to share strategies that are effective for our ELL students. Overall, this field experience reinforced for me the value of collaboration and differentiation to effectively support English language acquisition.
Works Cited
Goldenberg, C. (2013). Unlocking the research on English learners: What we know–and don’t yet know– about effective instruction. American Educator, 37(2), 4. https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Goldenberg.pdf
Lesaux, N. K., & Harris, J. R. (2017). Cultivating knowledge, building language: Literacy instruction for English learners in elementary school. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Ortiz, A. A., Robertson, P. M., Wilkinson, C. Y., Liu, Y.-J., McGhee, B. D., & Kushner, M. I. (2011). The role of bilingual education teachers in preventing inappropriate referrals of ELLs to special education: Implications for response to intervention. Bilingual Research Journal, 34(3), 316–333. homework help writing assignment service https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2011.628608
Wright, W. E. (2019). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing.

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