IRIS modules:

Teaching English Language Learners: Effective Instructional Practices

IRIS Module 3:
Completion Guidelines
Module #3
Go to the website: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/
Click at the top on IRIS Center Resources
Then Click IRIS Resource Locator
Click on Diversity
Click on Modules
Scroll down and click on the module that is titled:
Teaching English Language Learners: Effective Instructional Practices

Click on, browse through, and complete each section: a) challenge; b)

thoughts; c) perspectives & resources; e) wrap up
Complete the advanced organizers (attached) as you go through the
moduletype your responses under the corresponding headings.
Upload to D2L on the assigned due date.
This module should take about 1-2 hours to complete.

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QUESTIONS/FORM TO
COMPLETE FOR
ASSIGNMENT

IRIS Module 3:
Teaching English Language Learners:
Effective Instructional Practices
1.What are some general instructional practices that can be beneficial to students who are
learning to speak English?
One can activate background knowledge which helps the student make learning easier
and more meaningful, stimulates their interest in the subject matter, and boosts
motivation. Teaching vocabulary helps ELLs to make sense of English, and to understand
what they are reading and hearing. Teaching reading comprehension influences whether
ELL students can understand content across subject areas. Because each subject area
requires some reading, all teachers should incorporate reading-comprehension strategies
into their instruction. Another way to support English language learners is to differentiate
instruction. This involves presenting information or allowing students to access
information, encourages students to make sense of the information, and allows students to
demonstrate their learning. Teachers can support ELLs by providing opportunities to
practice not only their academic skills but also their use of the English language. Before
students practice a task, teachers should ensure that they understand its demands, both
linguistic and academic. In addition to creating ample opportunities for practice, teachers
should provide corrective feedback, constructive comments on the students performance.
2.What are the common misconceptions about students who are learning a second language?
Math is easy for English language learners because numbers are universal. Immersion is
the best way to learn a second language. A students first language interferes with his or
her ability to learn a second language. It takes between five to seven years to become
proficient enough in a second language to succeed in an English-only classroom.
3.Click on all the tabs on page 2 to read about all five stages of language acquisition.
Explain the difference between BICS & CALP.
BICS refers to social skills that an ELL might use in the lunchroom or on the playground
to talk to their friends and such. CALP is the language skills an ELL student needs to
succeed in the classroom.
4.List some ways teachers can focus on comprehensible input.
Monitoring their speech, modeling what they want the student to do, and using a variety
of modalities in their instruction
5.Complete the activity:
Culturally Responsive Instruction In addition to sheltered instruction, teachers should
provide instruction in a culturally responsive way. When doing so, teachers access their students'

cultural knowledge, prior experiences (e.g., personal, cultural, academic), and interests during
lessons. When providing culturally responsive instruction, teachers accept, acknowledge, and
value their students' differences, thereby increasing their students' success in the classroom.
Look at the list to see some of the things a teacher can do to promote culturally responsive
instruction. Select from the drop-down menu to learn more about each. Describe each below:
You can communicate high expectations by calling on students and expecting things out
of them. A teacher who believes in their students has students who believe in themselves.
You can promote learning within the context of culture by varying their instructional
techniques to better meet the students cultural needs. You can use culturally mediated
instruction to make sure that students understand multiple different ways to interpret
information. A teacher should also facilitate learning by getting students involved in the
lessons, rather than just having them repeat factual information. Also teachers should
encourage a learning atmosphere that is cooperative, collaborative, and community
oriented.
6.Complete the activity:
Based on Cummins' framework, do you think the lesson taught in the Challenge is cognitively
demanding or undemanding? Is context embedded or reduced? Explain your answers.
I thought that the lesson was cognitively demanding and the context was embedded. If I
did not have a basic understanding letters and was not able to read the words on the bottle
I would have had no clue what she was talking about. I do not think that her hand signals
were clear enough to engage a non-native speaker and keep them interested in what was
going on.
7.After your reading, now what are some general instructional practices that can be beneficial to
students who are learning to speak English that you can now add after what you have learned so
far?
I think that just being engaging visually and audibly and making sure that ELL students
are involved in the lesson is what is really going to help them learn the language.
8.What can activating background knowledge do?
Activating background knowledge makes learning easier and more meaningful,
stimulates interest in the subject matter, boosts motivation.
9.Teaching vocabulary is important. Complete the activity:
Read the math word problem below. In two weeks George will attend Boy Scout camp. His
mother will provide ingredients for s'mores. There are nine boys in his troop. Each Scout will
prepare two s'mores. Each s'more has marshmallows, one half of a bar of chocolate, and one
graham cracker. Calculate the quantity of ingredients George's mom will have to provide for all
of the boys.

Are there any words above that a student from a different cultural background might not
understand? List them here: One half, calculate, quantity, attending, each, provide, boy
scout, ingredient, Smores, troop, marshmallows, bar, graham cracker.

10.As a teacher, how can you help a student who has recently moved to the United States to
complete word problems such as this one?
I could teach the vocab words a head of time, model them in the classroom, encouraging
the students to rephrase the problems, and ask the students to illustrate the problems.
11.Describe strategies to increase comprehension
Before reading:
Preview words from the passage, using visuals whenever possible. Check for student
comprehension by asking the student questions and actively listening to his or her
responses. Activate background knowledge by asking students to brainstorm what they
already know about a topic. Ask students to predict what they think will happen in a story
when reading narrative text or what they think they will learn when reading informational
text. Before reading assignments in English, allow students to read them in their native
language to aid in their comprehension.
12.During Reading:
Teach students to monitor their understanding as they read. Teach students strategies to
use context clues and knowledge of word parts to determine the meaning of unknown
words. Ask students to identify the main idea for each section of text they read. Make
nonfiction texts available to older ELLs who are reading below grade level. Older
students may find nonfiction written at their reading level to be more interesting than
fiction written at a level that they are able to read but which may not be
appropriate to their reading level. Use multicultural literature to increase student interest.
13.After reading:
Ask students to generate and answer their own teacher-like questions. Provide students
with question stems to help them come up with questions of their own. Ask students to

summarize or retell what they read. Teach students to use or create visuals (e.g., charts,
diagrams, timelines, semantic webs) to improve their understanding.
14.What does differentiated instruction mean?
This is where the teacher adjusts their teaching to the student, rather then having the
student adjust to the teachers teaching. This can be done by presenting information or
allowing students to access information, encourages students to make sense of the
information, and allows students to demonstrate their learning.
15.When providing opportunities for ELLs to practice skills or concepts, teachers should:
They should allow their students the choice of multiple different mediums to show what
they have learned and let them have the opportunity to work in pairs or groups.

16.Please provide additional comments and details about what you learned by doing this module.
Include any past ways of think being transformed in to new ways of thinking.
Most of what I learned in this module went along with what I had already thought. But I
have learned that about what it might be like to be in the shoes of an ELL student. I
learned that it would definitely be helpful to represent things visual with either graphics
or hand motions, especially since as a music educator I am more focused on sound and
audible things.
17.Overall what were the three things you found interesting from the module?
I found Cummins Frameworks to be very interesting. The idea that some kinds of
language comprehension is envelopes different ideas for learning. I also found BICS and
CALP to be interesting as well. Also, the lesson where I had to understand a Spanish
teacher and try and do the lesson was very interesting, because it helped to put me in the
shoes of aa ELL student.
18.Over all what were three issues you disagreed with from the module.
I really did not disagree with this module. All of these techniques could be incredibly
effective in teaching ELL students in the classroom
19.Overall, what stereotypes were revealed? How has this module impacted your own feelings,
believes, and personal stereotype you might have had or encountered?
It really has not reveled any stereotypes to me. I still feel the same way about teaching
ELL students as I did before, just now I have more ideas on how to effectively reach
these kids.

20.On a scale from 1-10 (10=best), how valuable was this module? Explain why you chose this
number.
I would say seven. I got a couple of new ideas from it but it wasnt something that
absolutely changed my life.