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.

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 Conferring with Leonela: A Two-Day Progression (VIDEO) 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 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 Introducing Bull's-Eyes and Waves Written Responses in Synthesis Work (VIDEO with TEMPLATES) My students find different ways to communicate their synthesis, but we found we needed a substantial way to hold on to our knowing and in some cases, further unpack and give definition to it. To help all of us create placeholders for what we know, and to offer my students appropriate tools for explaining what connections they are making, we use two tools, the bull's-eye and waves sheets, both created on 18" by 24" manila or white construction paper. . . . more Multicultural Picture Books for Young Children 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 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 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) 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 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) 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 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 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 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