Teaching Strategies for English Language Learners: An ELL Case Study

Introduction: The ELL Student and His Challenges

Students sometimes face significant obstacles as they enter school, and language can be one of the most formidable. The student discussed in this paper is a Chinese first-year student attempting to assimilate into an AP class schedule. He is a 14-year-old who is interested in learning the English language but is struggling not only with the language itself but also with balancing his personal identity against the demands of American culture. English Language Learners often must contend with multiple influences and navigate a new culture that can feel daunting and stressful.¹

Background and Language Assessment

The student recently immigrated to the United States with his family two years ago. While he has learned conversational English and some grammar, he still has difficulty writing in English. The structure of written simplified Chinese differs significantly from English, so he has had to adjust to an entirely different writing system. So far, he continues to make progress. His ability to learn vocabulary has helped him improve in spoken English; however, his writing progress has been slower.

This information was assessed through the lenses of language, literacy, and content. The first step was identifying whether he qualified as an English Language Learner (ELL). While there are a variety of ways to identify ELLs, a language proficiency test can be used to gauge language skills.² When he first enrolled, he and his parents completed a home language survey, which is a primary indicator of ELL status.³ The fact that he has been attending an English-language school for the last two years also informs the assessment. A Basic Inventory of Natural Language (BINL) was administered, which revealed strong vocabulary but notable gaps in grammar. An examination of his academic record confirmed that he earns good grades across all his classes.

Identifying Specific Needs Through Standardized Testing

To address the focus questions and identify specific needs, both the BINL and the ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test Instrument (WPTI) were used. "The ACTFL WPTI is a standardized test for global assessment of functional writing abilities in a second language. The test measures how well a person spontaneously writes in a language by comparing his or her performance of specific writing tasks."⁴ The results indicated that his primary need is improving grammar. For example, in a sentence such as "I enjoy there ice cream cones and its a great place to visit," he used "there" instead of "their" and "its" instead of "it's." Although these are small errors, correcting them can significantly improve the overall quality and clarity of his writing.

Vocabulary, Root Words, and Think-Pair-Share

Because the student has a strong vocabulary, he is generally able to identify appropriate word choices when speaking. However, when these skills are applied to writing and reading, he is not yet at the level required for AP coursework. For instance, many English words are derived from Latin and Greek roots — examples of Greek roots include chrono, auto, and biblio — and understanding these origins can expand both comprehension and writing precision.

Three literacy-based instructional strategies were selected to help him translate his thoughts properly into written form. The first is Think-Pair-Share, which involves opportunities for students to reflect individually on a given topic before engaging in discussion.⁵ By giving the student time to formulate his thoughts verbally and then reflect on them in a journal, he can more meaningfully connect ideas to language in written form.