When English is Your Second Language
The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provides English Language Learners (EL) with an opportunity to acquire proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing English. The ESOL Program promotes a positive learning environment in which each student’s first language, culture, and ethnic heritage is valued. The ESOL teachers work with students whose first language is a language other than English and who qualify for ESOL services through a testing and referral process. There are specific strategies, methodologies, and curriculum used to help students acquire English.
Program Guiding Principles
-
To promote and provide a learning environment for English language development for all ELs.
-
To promote and provide a learning environment for academic achievement for all ELs.
-
To promote and support the inclusion of ELs with specific attention to multi-cultural backgrounds. (Activities designed to allow understanding and appreciation for other cultures.)
-
To promote and support the interaction of ELs and non-ELs to create a reciprocal culturally and linguistically diverse learning environment.
Johnston’s ESOL Program Model
- Pullout – The pullout model is typically used only for those students who are newcomers with little to no English. Students spend part of the school day in a core classroom, but are pulled out for a portion of each day to receive instruction in English as a second language.
- Collaborative or Push-in – The ESOL teacher is pulled into the core classroom where he/she provides instruction to whole classes and small groups using methods that reflect best practice for ELs.
- Sheltered Instruction – Core classroom and ESOL teachers collaborate to provide core content instruction, meeting the language demands for the students in a differentiated format to ensure the academic success of ELs. Assignments and materials may be linguistically differentiated according to student needs based on data. This model is currently only implemented at the high school level.
K-12 Lau (ESOL) Plan for Serving English Learners
