Whether you have one English language learner in your classroom, or hundreds in your school, there is little doubt meeting the needs of these students will be at the top of most schools' agendas for professional development for many years to come.

The topic is vast because there is so much diversity in this student population, with myriad academic, social, cultural, and language dimensions. It can be hard to know where to begin. During the 2006-2007 school year, Choice Literacy will begin at the simplest starting point - one-on-one communication between teachers and English language learners. We'll focus on conferring strategies with young ELLs - how to communicate with and support children who are acquiring literacy and language skills in more than one language at the same time.

We'll provide tipsheets for conferring, delve into theories of language acquisition with a practical bent, and use classroom videos to demonstrate the many different ways teachers find to connect with English language learners.

Book Matchmaker: Texts for 5th Grade English Language Learners Kelly is a fifth-grade teacher with two English language learners in her class who have trouble finding books. These students are reading at a level 16 independently, and have definite reading preferences. Kelly wanted some new ideas. . . . more Conferring with Emily: Moving from Questions to Content (VIDEO) In this conference with six-year-old Emily, Ruth Shagoury looks for a way into a conversation by using Emily's drawings, previous writing, and interests. Emily's first language is Hmong, and she is experimenting with Chinese characters in her writing. . . . more Raising Readers: Independent Reading, Choices, and Intentional Reading Practices Stella Villalba I am one of those teachers who fights a constant battle between balancing students' reading time with just-right books, and letting children choose freely among many books that interest them. . . . more Many Languages, Many Texts: Book Time in Preschool (VIDEO) In this brief video, Melissa Kolb explains "Book Time" in her preschool class. It's a time when many volunteers read books informally to small groups of children in their home languages. . . . more An ESL Poetry Cafe Celebration (Part II) Stella Villalba In order for students to be ready to share poetry with their families that night, there was a lot of advance preparation and practice. This was definitely an authentic and purposeful way to explain to students the importance of rereading and fluency. I presented several minilessons where I explained how to read with expression through pitch and rhythm, as well as pausing at specific punctuation. The lessons were useful and meaningful, since students spent weeks practicing reading poems alone or with partners. . . . more A Poetry Cafe Celebration Stella Villalba Every April National Poetry Month is celebrated here in the United States. I love that poetry has its own place in the calendar, a whole month dedicated to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry. The truth is poetry has its own place in my heart -- not only in my professional life, but in my personal life as well. I love immersing myself into the world of poetry. Whether written in Spanish or in English, poetry has a special rhythm in my life. It is this love and appreciation that I try to bring to life in my classroom. We celebrate poetry all year round, because April is simply not enough time for this genre. . . . more Books and Activities from Around the World to Celebrate the Holiday Season Stella Villalba We're entering the holiday season here in the United States. Often when I visit schools, teacher blogs or get a peek at other classrooms this time of year, I see themes such as "Christmas Around the World" or "Letters to Santa." When I see these topics being covered in classrooms, I often wonder if there are any international students with different languages, traditions, beliefs and cultures in that classroom community. . . . more Drawing to Learn: Conferring with Kyle (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury In this conference with six-year-old Kyle, Ruth Shagoury listens to him explain the stories and meaning behind his drawings during writer's workshop. Kyle's first language is Vietnamese, though English is also spoken in the home. . . . more Every Language Counts: Adding Multilingual Counting Activities to Morning Meeting (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Every year I have children who come from homes with many different first languages. In the past year alone, first languages included English, Spanish, Hmong, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Russian. One way I help welcome these different languages and cultures into our classroom community is by counting in different languages during the morning meeting. . . . more Quick Take: Conferring with Young English Language Learners (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury In this short video, Ruth Shagoury gives advice to teachers conferring with young English language learners, explaining how other English language learners can be surprisingly helpful in conferences. . . . more Quick Take: Awkward Beginnings with English Language Learners (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury In this short video, Ruth Shagoury gives two pieces of advice to teachers who feel awkward as they are trying to communicate with young English language learners. . . . more Getting to Know English Language Learners at the Start of the Year Stella Villalba As you get ready for the school year you'll hear this classic and fundamental advice: get to know your students. What does this mean when it comes to meeting and getting to know the English language learners (ELLs) in your classroom? You may wonder, what are some of the things that I should ask or consider when meeting and teaching English language learners? Let me share with you some basic information you may want to know about English language learners in your classroom as the first weeks of school progress. . . . more Drawing to Words: Conferring with Luis (VIDEO) In this four-minute video, Andie Cunningham confers with Luis during writing workshop. Luis is a six-year-old English language learner whose passion is drawing. . . . more Conferring with Eddie (VIDEO) Eddie is a six-year-old student who speaks Cantonese as his first language. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, there is little English spoken, and yet there is much communication through gestures and shared history. . . . more Conferring with Anna (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing. . . . more Digital Handouts: An Alternative to More Paper and Meetings Jill Ostrow "I want to contribute, I would just rather do something different than a presentation," Jane shared with me after one of her district meetings on English language learners (ELLs). She was asked by her administration to give some type of workshop to her staff on working with ELLs. There are over 90 ELLs in her school of over 600 students, and more stream in all the time. The students range from Burmese's refugees, to children of Korean scholars. Even though Jane is one of two full-time ELL teachers in her building, she understands how essential it is to help all teachers and staff become comfortable and knowledgeable when working with this unique population of students. . . . more Many Languages, Many Texts: Book Time in Preschool (VIDEO) In this brief video, Melissa Kolb explains "Book Time" in her preschool class. It's a time when many volunteers read books informally to small groups of children in their home languages. . . . more Bilingual (English/Spanish) Books that Celebrate Language, Family and Culture Stella Villalba Working with children and families who speak Spanish as their primary language at home brings with it special delights and challenges. It is so true when writers say that reading "takes you places." A good book will take you almost anywhere, but an extraordinary book can take you on a deeper journey of understanding not just yourself, but others around you. That is exactly what I am hoping for early in the year as I place books in students' hands and we read them together - that we start to understand where we all came from, and where we will all go together this year, right from the start. . . . more Word Storms: Integrating Nonfiction, Word Study, and Technology (Part 2) Andrea Smith It's a busy Tuesday morning and my classroom is buzzing with the conversations of children. I settle in a chair beside Hirokai, a beginning English language learner, who is still shy about approaching peers for word study conversations and activities. Today, I can tell he would like me to be his partner; we always make eye contact during transitions and I could tell by his "eye message" as he calls a wink, he wanted to work with me. I try to capitalize on our short, but intensive partnerships during word study, taking advantage of our one-to-one time. We trade opportunities; he works on his English speaking skills and I work on learning how ELL students think and learn as they absorb a new language. We never know what we might learn together. . . . more Ecstatic: When Words Shape Thinking Carol Wilcox I'm trying, as best as I can, to get my struggling, intermediate grade readers ready for state examinations without taking too much time away from actual, authentic reading and writing instruction. All year long, we have been working on strategies that make kids better readers and also better test takers, e.g. identifying main idea, summarizing, thinking about text structure, determining importance, visualizing, and inferring, except we mostly do them in the context of real reading and writing. . . . more Choosing New Books for Comprehension Strategy Studies with Young Children Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury The books I have chosen for reading comprehension have been amazing journeys that we've taken as a class. I thought I would use the books just to help to learn about comprehension, but they have b . . . more Keeping the M (VIDEO) Melissa Kolb In an age of standardization, when even preschoolers are expected to perform flawlessly on literacy tests such as letter naming and recognition, it is important for early childhood teachers to stand firm in the belief that each child learns uniquely and individually. This is an ideal I strive to live by as I work with youngsters. Our Head Start classroom includes children who range in age from three to five, and who speak a variety of languages. All of our children come from a background of poverty, and many have a range of identified disabilities. To teach them successfully, it is necessary to teach them individually. Sometimes, this means that I have to resist the pressure to push children toward production of perfect outcomes. The leading edge of learning for a child can be the feeling of success they achieve when they are engaged in a literacy process, whether or not the outcome of that process is technically correct. . . . more Selecting Texts for Strategy Teaching with English Language Learners in Mind Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Over the past several months we have spent time thinking and teaching with a group of educators whose students are predominantly English language learners (ELLs). During our visits to their classrooms we see teachers working diligently to use the texts in their district-mandated curriculum to teach whole class and small group lessons. Many of the passages, however, are difficult for English language learners to understand even when the teachers spend significant amounts of time building background knowledge and reading the texts aloud. . . . more Conferring with Leonela: A Two-Day Progression (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Leonela is a six-year-old student whose first language is Spanish. In these videos of conferences with Ruth Shagoury filmed over two days, she makes connections between her drawing, writing, and experiences at home and in Mexico. . . . more Understanding the Literacy Learning of English Language Learners (CHOICE LITERACY CLUSTER) This cluster introduces teachers to some theories and strategies for working with English language learners. . . . more Animals as Ambassadors: Using Class Pets to Reach an English Language Learner Andrea Smith Hiroaki arrived in the United States less than a year ago and bravely comes to school each day immersed in the ocean of a new language. He has a basic understanding of survival English and is gradually gaining an understanding of the language used in social situations and as a learner. I watched Hiroaki during the first days of school and wondered how he navigates his way through each day with a smile, the drive to do his best work, and his unwavering, quiet eagerness. I'm not sure if I could find the courage to leave the safety of home each day to face the challenges that an ELL child encounters in his new community. . . . more Conferring with Leonela: A Two-Day Progression (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Leonela is a six-year-old student whose first language is Spanish. In these videos of conferences with Ruth Shagoury filmed over two days, she makes connections between her drawing, writing, and experiences at home and in Mexico. . . . more Chance Encounter Jennifer Jones It was supposed to be a casual and quick lunch with a couple of colleagues I worked with when I taught in a middle school some years ago. It turned into an experience that will stay with me every day of the rest of my life. . . . more Multicultural Picture Books for Young Children Ruth Shagoury There is a growing list of multicultural children's books that combine the delight in playful oral language with striking images to enhance the experience. As an added bonus, you can use federal funds to purchase these texts; according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, these are the perfect books for an early--and contextual--exposure to phonemic awareness. . . . more Alphabet Books for English Language Learners Ruth Shagoury Young English language learners benefit from seeing different alphabet books, scripts, and logograph-based writing systems as part of their classroom library. While it has become fairly easy to find good bilingual alphabet books for Spanish speakers, other languages can present more of a challenge. Below is a beginning recommended list of books that will invite young writers to delight in the variety of languages and scripts from their own home language and those of their classmates... . . . more In the Zone: Conferring with a Young English Language Learner (VIDEO) The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a concept developed by the Russian language researcher Lev Vygotsky nearly a century ago. The theory simply stated is there is a learning "zone" each child . . . more Understanding the "Silent Period" with English Language Learners Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury If you have a new English language learner in your class who is not speaking, don't worry. According to language researcher Stephen Krashen, most new learners of English will go through a "silent period," where they are unwilling or unable to communicate orally... . . . more Every Language Counts: Adding Multilingual Counting Activities to Morning Meeting (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Every year I have children who come from homes with many different first languages. In the past year alone, first languages included English, Spanish, Hmong, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Russian. One way I help welcome these different languages and cultures into our classroom community is by counting in different languages during the morning meeting. . . . more Writing by Choice: High School English Language Learners Talk about Writing at Home (VIDEO) In this series of interview excerpts, high school English language learners talk with Ruth Shagoury about when they choose to write at home - what inspires them, when and why they choose between English and their native languages, and what the purpose of writing by choice is for them. . . . more Writing about a War-Torn Home: Zerina Talks about Finding Her Writer's Voice In this interview with Ruth Shagoury, Zerina talks about how she has grown and changed as a writer in her high school writer's workshop. She also talks about the experience of capturing in writing the most poignant memories of war in her homeland, Bosnia, and sharing her poetry with classmates. . . . more Family Dichos: Bringing the Language of Home into the Classroom Ruth Shagoury We started to wonder how we could discover favorite family sayings in an attempt to create bridges from home to school. In order to bring the words of the children's families into the class, Andie wrote a letter to parents asking them to send in the sayings or proverbs - what the Mexican families call dichos - to hang in the room. She specifically requested "sayings of respect" to post in our classroom community. . . . more Conferring with Anna (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing. . . . more Conferring with a Child in the "Silent Period" (VIDEO) Larisa is a six-year-old who speaks Russian at home, and is in the "silent period" in school. In this conference, Ruth Shagoury demonstrates different strategies for eliciting responses from Larisa. . . . more Honor Books: Helping Children and Families Build Bridges Between Home and School Andie Cunningham The students I teach come from home environments of limited resources, but their years of family and life experiences are rich. Many of these families only recently immigrated to America, so there is a wealth of languages and cultures to tap in these homes. . . . more The Art of Listening in Writing Conferences with English Language Learners Ruth Shagoury and Andie Cunningham Listening to individual children in active writers' workshops is especially challenging, and understanding the words of students who speak a different first language than yours can be downright daunting. Here are some tips for mastering the art of listening in conferences with English language learners... . . . more Creative Literacy Events for Families Brenda Power If your program for families has been centered on a few tried and true events you rarely vary over the years, you might want to mix it up with a new event or two this year to see how it changes your attendance and outreach. Traditions are wonderful, and I'm not knocking them - I know I look forward as a parent to the fall Open House, the winter concert, and the spring book sale. But a new format can lead to something so successful it sparks a new tradition in your classroom or school, and builds a stronger home-school connection. . . . more