Language Development Strategies

11 for English Learners

Promote second language acquisition and literacy skills for English learners (ELs) with these eleven effective strategies:

1. Establish routines in the classroom so that students understand what is expected of them. Use gestures and visual supports to further enhance ELs' comprehension.
2. Provide native language support when giving oral directions or making connections across languages for ELs.
3. Provide opportunities for repetition and rehearsal so that the new information can be learned and mastered.
4. Adjust rate of speech and complexity of language use according to the second language proficiency level of each student.
5. Provide multiple opportunities for ELs to practice second language and literacy skills in small groups or cooperative learning settings.
6. Consider pairing an EL with a more proficient English speaker so that the student can listen to correct models of the second language.
7. Provide extra time, as ELs require more time to process language during the early stages of second language development.
8. Build on ELs' prior knowledge and expand on it in a systematic and explicit manner.
9. Provide models of oral language. If an EL creates a simple sentence, build on this and add new grammatical structures such as adjectives and adverbs.
10. Use text that includes familiar content and give ELs opportunities to preview, review, paraphrase, and summarize the information.

Adapted from Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction by Elsa CÆrdenas-Hagan, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, '2020, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.