Emerging Proficiency

Instructional Focus for ELLs

In order to support the literacy development of students at the Emerging Proficiency level, it is important to offer an appropriate balance of language and literacy activities in the teaching program.

The best balance for each student will vary but, in general, in the beginning stages the focus in the classroom needs to be on the development of oral language and vocabulary, on engendering a motivation for engaging in literacy activities, and on establishing an early foundation for growth in reading and writing. The "Healthy Plate" above suggests a relative balance of oral language, reading and writing activities in the Emerging Proficiency level. Ongoing informal assessment should determine the specific balance for each student and for the class as a whole.

Oral and Written Language

Foundations of Literacy

The purpose of reading is to get meaning from printed text and the purpose of writing is to convey meaning with text. There are two main components that are both essential to reading comprehension and written composition: Oral Language abilities and Printed-Related Skills.

Oral Lang and Print Related skills

Oral Language Abilities:

For Emerging Proficiency ELLs, their Oral Language abilities in English – their understanding of the language they hear and their ability to express themselves in spoken language – are limited or nonexistent. Thus the initial focus in their literacy program must be on developing ELLs' comprehension and expression in oral language. The following Oral Language "Food Groups" in the Balanced Literacy Diet should be emphasized at this early stage:

Oral Language (Receptive & Expressive)
Vocabulary
Phonemic Awareness

Print-Related Skills:

In addition to developing oral language abilities, everyone learning to read and write must be able to recognize and use the printed symbol system. This is true for ELLs as well, but in the earliest stages of their oral language development in English, the emphasis in the literacy program – the "Healthy Plate" that will best support their growth in literacy – needs to focus more on building the oral language foundation than on the fine details of how the printed system represents that language.

There are, however, some key literacy Print-Related components that need to be introduced to ELLs at the Emerging Proficiency level to launch them on a positive trajectory toward becoming successful readers and writers. In particular, the following "Food Groups" in the Balanced Literacy Diet should be introduced as a foundation at this early stage and built upon at later stages:

Motivation for Literacy
Concepts of Print
Letter-Sounds & Phonics

How to teach and assess these Print-Related literacy components is detailed in other parts of this website and will not be fully elaborated here. To learn more about each of these literacy components go to the "Food Groups" section of the website. Also there is a wealth of lesson plans in the "Recipe Finder" and classroom examples in the "How To Videos" sections of the website.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all students begin at the same place – their level of language and literacy in their L1 will play a role in how they progress in their L2. Students can be at the Emerging Proficiency level in various grades. Some new immigrants may have some oral language proficiency in English but may not have learned to read in any language in their home country. Thus, for older Emerging Proficiency students, the activities presented in this section will need to be modified to suit students' age, maturity and prior experience with literacy. However, the basic principles underlying them apply: the activities need to involve a range of supports and promote active engagement.

Useful Additional Resources:

Colorin Colorado is an outstanding ELL resource for teachers and parents (in Spanish and English). For information concerning the Emerging Proficiency level see:

Preschool and Kindergarten: ELLs Focusing on the early education of young ELLs, this resource includes a webcast, classroom strategies, parent tips, and recommended books and websites.

Reading in Kindergarten: For ELLs, learning to read in their primary language is easier because it builds on the words and sound structures of the language they know best. However, this resource explains that children at the kindergarten level are little sponges who learn what they are taught.

Reading Rockets, a companion site to Colorin Colorado, is a comprehensive research-informed literacy website that includes extensive information about all aspects of literacy education. For information particularly relevant to the Emerging Proficiency level see:

In the Classroom: Learn about using classroom texts, find out what whole-child literacy instruction looks like, and dive deeper into comprehension, content area literacy, writing, and social-emotional learning.

English Language Learners: Learn about the most effective ways to teach ELL students, how to create a welcoming classroom, and ways to promote family involvement.

Emerging Proficiency in the Classroom

At the Emerging Proficiency level, the focus is on listening to and absorbing English. Competence will come gradually with many opportunities to hear and use oral language. Receptive language (comprehension) precedes expressive language (speaking) so students understand much more than they are able to express in oral language. Many errors will occur and encouragement is important. Although students can be at the Emerging Proficiency level in various grades, in this section the children represented are in the earliest school years, PreK and Kindergarten. Thus, for older Emerging Proficiency students, the activities presented in this section will need to be modified to suit their needs.

Below is a Virtual Tour of a PreK/K Classroom that is geared to the needs and developmental maturity of young children who enter school with little or no proficiency in English. At various points around the room the teacher explains and demonstrates how she supports young ELL students in her classroom (these "hot spots" are indicated by red circles – click these to view the associated videos). To enter and explore the classroom, click on the image below.

Tour a Classroom

Meet the Teacher

Practical Strategies for the Classroom

Oral Language

Teaching tips:

Convey meaning through modeling and demonstrations
Provide picture labels on objects and words
Read aloud from fiction and nonfiction big books
Introduce vocabulary with pictures before read alouds
Build knowledge through shared experiences and videos
Use puppets and props to promote student involvement
Build vocabulary using action songs and drama centers
Provide many opportunities for students to talk
Support all attempts at oral participation
Build phonological awareness with activities involving syllables, rhymes and compound words
Provide phonemic awareness instruction through many engaging oral activities playing with the sounds in words

Reading

Teaching tips:

Make the classroom a print-rich environment
Use large-print picture books for read alouds
Share big books and charts to build concepts of print
Engage students with books through reenacting stories
Once phonemic awareness is established introduce the letter-sounds in an explicit and systematic way
Practice blending letter-sounds into words and reading easy decodable books
Introduce common high-frequency words on a word wall
Provide leveled books for guided and independent reading

Writing

Teaching tips:

As part of letter-sound instruction teach letter formation
Model and encourage the use of inventive spelling
Provide many opportunities for the children to create labels around the classroom
Do shared writing with the students by "sharing the pen" when writing on charts and on the board
Provide students with opportunities to write in meaningful contexts throughout the day
Include writing activities as follow-ups to read alouds and other reading activities
Encourage students to include new vocabulary words in their writing
Motivate interest in writing through the use of technology such as interactive white boards, tablets and computers