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English Learners
As the number of English learners continues to increase, educators are searching for the most effective instructional best practices for their students. Learn how Achieve3000 Literacy supports English learners.
Differentiate Instruction with Grade-Level Course Content
Meeting the needs of English learners means providing them with instruction, content, and assessment that is appropriate for their grade level. According to research, grade-level content is critical to helping students increase academic achievement and build their English proficiency. It has also been found to be more engaging.
To differentiate content for English learners, you should get to know their interests and preferences, as well as benchmark their current reading, or Lexile, level. You should also consider that they come to the classroom with content knowledge in their language. With this information, you can provide lessons that matches their English proficiency and reading levels and adapt as their skills increase.
Use Strategies Proven to Be Effective with Native Speakers
As with native speakers, English learners must develop the skills needed for college and career readiness, including the ability to read complex text independently. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with your EL students. Research shows that many of the practices used with native speakers benefit English learners as well.
One proven way to build literacy skills for all learners is through the Literacy Routine that is at the core of Achieve3000 Literacy. Each step strengthens targeted literacy skills.
The Achieve3000 Literacy Routine
- Ready: Build background, get focused, get ready to learn.
- Read: Read the article at your reading level.
- Respond: Increase your comprehension by completing a set of multiple-choice questions.
- Reflect: Answer a reflective question about the article.
- Write: Think critically about the article and cite evidence to support your ideas when you respond
Achieve3000’s 2022-23 National Lexile Study analyzed results for more than 33,000 English learners from across the nation. Overall, and on average, students using Achieve3000 Literacy between one and two times each week, with high engagement, exceeded their expected Lexile growth of 84L by 2.4X to 3.2X!
Provide Peer-to-Peer Learning Opportunities
Research shows that one of the key components for teaching a second language is giving students the opportunity to interact with peers through speaking, writing, reading, and listening. By engaging in activities like peer reviews, students learn to work collaboratively, provide productive feedback, accept constructive criticism, and revise their work based on input from others.
At Health Sciences High in Middle College in San Diego, California, teachers are required to plan for 50 percent of their classroom time to be spent on collaborative classroom practices and peer-to-peer learning. Oscar Corrigan, a History teacher at the school, offers the following best practices for effective peer-to-peer interactions:
- Using student input, create classroom norms to hold learners accountable for their behavior
- Assess student reading levels with a systematic approach that facilitates differentiated instruction
- Instill trust and confidence by forming balanced discussion groups according to reading ability to ensure all students can actively participate
- Engage in close reading before and after small and whole group discussions
- Assess student work during and after collaborative discussions
Build on English Learners’ Prior Knowledge and Experiences
Home language, prior academic knowledge, and cultural background all have a significant influence on the literacy development of English learners. Studies show that English learners taught in bilingual classrooms that incorporated students’ native languages performed as well or better than those instructed primarily in English. Instructional routines that build on students’ prior knowledge and experiences could include:
- providing vocabulary definitions and background materials in a student’s first language
- giving students the opportunity to discuss concepts in their native language
- connecting key ideas to a student’s prior experiences at home and in their community