Expanding Proficiency

Instructional Focus for ELLs

In order to support the literacy development of students at the Expanding Proficiency level, it is important to offer an appropriate balance of language and literacy activities in the teaching program. At this point, because students have developed more fluency in oral language and a foundation in print-related skills, greater instructional emphasis should be placed on raising the level of their oral language communication, comprehension strategies in reading, and composition strategies in writing.

The appropriate program balance for students will vary but, in general, the focus in the classroom should be on teaching and modeling higher-level language and literacy strategies. Key to the success of ELLs will be to build their Content Knowledge and Academic Language Proficiency through engaging instruction and meaningful practice. ELLs' understanding and use of content-specific vocabulary and academic language will determine their ability to learn new information in various subject areas, to comprehend and retain text information, and to formulate and express ideas orally and in writing. Explicit instruction and modeling are important teaching tools, followed by a gradual release of responsibility to the students as they gain confidence. The "Healthy Plate" above suggests a rough balance of oral language, reading and writing activities for students at the Expanding Proficiency level. As their receptive and expressive vocabulary and oral language levels grow, ELLs are better equipped to understand and remember complex concepts in their reading and to express increasingly complex ideas in their writing. Ongoing informal assessment should be used to determine the balance of oral language, reading and writing activities required 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 Expanding 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 well developed in social situations. However, their mastery of the language of school still lags behind. Thus the emphasis in the oral language component of their literacy program needs to shift toward building Content Vocabulary and Academic Language Proficiency through both direct and indirect instruction in the following literacy diet "food groups":

Oral Language
Vocabulary
Knowledge Building

Print-Related Skills

In addition to further developing their oral language facility, Expanding Fluency ELLs need to increase their use of higher-level comprehension strategies in their reading, to become more confident users of appropriate mechanics, spelling and text structures in their writing, and to increase the richness and complexity of their written language expression. Thus the following literacy diet food groups require instructional emphasis at this point:

Spelling & Word Study
Writing Conventions
Text Structures & Genres
Reading Comprehension Strategies
Writing Processes & Strategies

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 Expanding Proficiency level in various grades. Thus, for older Expanding Proficiency students, the activities presented in this section will need to be modified to suit the age and maturity of the students, but 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 Expanding Proficiency level click on the following links:

Tips for Educators of ELLs: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12: Research shows that vocabulary development is one of the most important skills students need to become English-proficient. Learn how educators can support their ELLs' vocabulary development. These strategies are geared towards grades 4-12 but can be adapted for younger students.

Tips for Educators of ELLs: Reading in Grades 4-6: These tips offer some great ways to help your ELLs become confident and successful readers. Add a new language strategy each week, and watch your students' reading improve!

Phonics Instruction for Middle and High School ELLs: Phonics instruction is a critical component of literacy instruction for older ELLs who are learning to read in English. Learn how to choose activities that are both age-appropriate and fun by tying instruction to the academic content that middle and high school student.

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 relevant to the Expanding 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: This resource outlines effective approaches to teaching ELL students in schools, ways to create a welcoming classroom environment and strategies to promote family involvement in students' literacy development.

Expanding Proficiency in the Classroom

Increasing ELLs' confidence is central at this stage. Understanding in all areas of the curriculum is dependent on content words and academic terminology. Reading aloud to students can be used to engage ELLs with richer vocabularies and more complex language structures than they might encounter in their own reading or outside of school. Introducing different genres can stimulate students' interest in reading independently from a wider range of texts.

It is also essential that the literacy program focus on the development of writing skills. All students benefit from instruction and modeling of how to utilize varied vocabulary and interesting language structures in their written work. Being able to express one's ideas clearly in writing is one of the greatest challenges for all students and especially for those lagging in language proficiency.

Below is a Virtual Tour of a 6th Grade Classroom that is geared to the needs of students from a variety of language backgrounds. ELLs feel welcome and supported in the classroom from Day 1. The teacher offers a rich and engaging program that provides a balance of teaching, modeling and authentic implementation of higher-level literacy strategies. To enter and explore the classroom, click on the image.

Tour a Classroom

Meet the Teacher

Practical Strategies for the Classroom

Oral Language

Teaching tips:

Explain and demonstrate or model new assignments to ensure that students understand expectations
Co-develop and post "success criteria" in various subject areas so that students will learn to self-monitor
Teach and practice all new academic vocabulary
Encourage students to use the proper vocabulary terms in various subject areas
Extend knowledge and vocabulary by reading aloud from fiction and/or nonfiction daily
Continue to build knowledge through shared experiences, videos and the internet
Extend vocabulary development both directly and indirectly throughout the day
Provide many opportunities for students to express their ideas orally in class
Teach students how to generate questions that will move their dialogue forward
Teach, model and have students practice appropriately adjusting their speaking for various purposes and audiences
Model and encourage students to elaborate on their opinions, by using reasons and details to participate in meaningful dialogue that contributes to academic learning

Reading

Teaching tips:

Create a print-rich environment co-developed with students, displaying their work
Use an interactive white board or document projector, computers, and the internet to engage students in meaningful literacy activities
Provide authentic opportunities through the day for extensive independent reading across genres and subject areas
Teach students the features of various text structures and demonstrate how they can be used to describe, inform, explain, persuade, etc.
Teach students to synthesize and critically analyze new information from a range of print sources
Foster a love of reading!

Writing

Teaching tips:

Motivate interest in writing through the use of technology such as interactive white boards, tablets and computers
Create a grade-appropriate word wall to consolidate and extend students' understanding and spelling of high frequency words
Co-develop with students a word wall that includes interesting words they hear or read and may want to use in their future writing -- focus on their use, origins and meanings
Create separate word walls for content area vocabulary ' for example, use a "math word wall", a "science word wall", to feature important words students need to understand and use in their respective content areas
Model the use of the word walls to support spelling, word study and writing
Increase focus on proper word usage and grammar
Encourage use of new vocabulary in writing
Introduce various text structures and genres in reading and follow up with writing activities
Develop students' analytical and critical thinking skills through written responses and reflections
Encourage students to use appropriate vocabulary from learned content in written work
Provide group assignments in which students, in pairs or teams, will begin to develop research skills
Introduce writing genres such as comics, tall tales, and fairy tales, as well as essay writing supported by independent research

Classroom Wisdom from an ESL Teacher

An experienced ESL/ELL teacher discusses the importance of exploring students' language proficiency in various areas of the curriculum in collaboration with classroom teachers to better understand and support ELL students' needs.