Homework and the English Language Learner

Homework is an important part of learning and should be used by students to practice, review and apply what has been learned in school.  Homework could also be used to help students prepare for new learning.  Either way, the purpose of all homework needs to be clearly stated.  Homework should be used to increase the understanding gained in the classroom.  As with all learning with ELLs, homework needs to be structured to meet their needs and their stage of language acquisition.  The goals and objectives of homework need to be clear and the activity assigned needs to match the goals and objectives in order to enhance learning.   

Since homework is an opportunity for students to independently practice and demonstrate learning, extra support should be provided for ELLs.  Visual support in the form of pictures, organizers and realia should be included when assigning homework.  ELLs need the support of nonlinguistic examples to enhance their understanding.   Directions should be clear and teachers should offer extra time for ELLs to ask questions in order to further clarify assignments.  Directions for homework should be provided in written form for students to reference when needed at home.  Narrowing the focus of a homework assignment also supports ELLs by having them to practice fewer skills while obtaining deeper understanding.      

 Feedback on homework should be provided in a timely manner and may come from students as well as the teacher.  Feedback is most effective when it takes the form of instructive comments highlighting any errors or misunderstandings instead of simply stating what is right or wrong.  All students should be taught that the effort they put into their homework is as important as what they produce.  “Research shows that students who are taught about the connection between effort and achievement do better than students who are taught time-management techniques or comprehension strategies” (Hill & Flynn, 2006, p. 88).  Teachers should be available to further elaborate on any feedback given to students to enhance their learning.  Students also need to be aware of any consequences that are in place for homework that is not completed.      

Homework policies should be clearly communicated to both students and parents and may need to be clarified in the native language.  School-wide homework policies are effective because the expectations are consistent in all grades.  Homework policies should be discussed at back to school night so parents are given the opportunity to ask questions and clarify.  Teachers should clearly explain how much time homework should take each night, further explaining that if homework is taking longer than expected, it is important to communicate with the teacher so that adjustments can be made.

Technology can be a great tool and support for homework.  A classroom teacher may create a blog or weekly electronic newsletter that lists homework assignments and details.  Teachers can include links to helpful websites or graphic organizers that students can access at home to help with homework.  This would also be a great place to post the homework policy should parents need to visit it again.  Parents can also be reminded of their role in the completion of homework.  Parents should be available to support the student by providing them with a quiet area to complete homework but need to understand that homework should be completed independently by the student.  

When structured correctly, homework can be an important learning and practice tool for all students.  Matching student abilities and stages of language acquisition to the homework task is crucial to success.  Equally important, strong communication between school and home is essential to the success of homework. 

References

Hill, J. D., & Flynn, K. M. (2006). Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2005) Researched-Based Strategies: Homework and

practice.  Portland, OR

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction Texts and ELLs

        It is important for all students to understand the major differences between fiction and non-fiction texts.  This understanding helps enhance comprehension when reading both types of text.  Certain elements of each type of text can prove challenging to ELLs.  In analyzing a fiction and a non-fiction text, it became clear which features would support ELLs and which features might challenge ELLs.


                                                                  

Fiction If You Give A Pig A Pancake  by Laura Numeroff

Nonfiction A Day At Seagull Beach by Karen Wallace

·    Written to entertain students ·    Story structure typically includes characters, plot, setting, theme, a problem and solution ·    Written from imagination and stories are not real or true ·    Types include short stories, novels, poems, plays ·    Typically includes illustrations not photographs ·    Invokes feelings from the reader

·    Written to provide facts and information to students ·    Written about real people, things, places or events ·    Types include autobiographies, biographies, encyclopedias, articles, textbooks, how-to essays and personal essays ·    May include charts, maps, diagrams, captions, labels, bold print, index, table of contents and a glossary ·    May feature photographs as opposed to illustrations ·    Read using skimming and scanning

Fiction- If You Give A Pig A Pancake by Laura Numeroff

Features that support ELLs	Features that may challenge ELLs
·    Story is entertaining and of interest to all students ·    Illustrations match text and can be used as cues ·    Repetitive and predictive language and events allowing for easy transfer of understanding from page to page ·    Page layout is clean and not too busy ·    High percentage of language and content that could be understood by ELLs or could be easily taught	·   Vocabulary that may need to be taught before reading to increase comprehension such as; maple syrup, sticky, homesick, tap shoes and envelopes ·   Concept of a circular story

Non-Fiction-A Day at Seagull Beach by Karen Wallace

Features that support ELLs	Features that may challenge ELLs
·    Challenging vocabulary is boxed along with a picture to match the word ·    A picture word list is included at the end of the book with page numbers ·    Photographs match the text and can be used as cues for understanding difficult concepts ·    Photographs are engaging and colorful and feature real children	·    No signaling devices such as headings or titles to organize the text and aid comprehension ·    No table of contents or index used to organize the text ·    Some of the pages are busy and may be confusing to ELLs ·    Words like whoosh, boom, wiggle, snap, snip, tap and skreek are in all caps with exclamation marks

Running Records

        Running records are an important tool in assessing oral reading.  By following standard procedures, anyone who knows the system and purpose of running records can analyze a student's oral reading behaviors.  Based on how a student reads and the miscues that are made, teachers can plan effective instruction based on student needs.  Running records can be used to group students by reading abilities or instructional needs.  In addition, they can be used to monitor and record student growth.   

(Emile is a third grade student who speaks Spanish as his first language.) 

        In analyzing Emile's oral reading, it does not seem that his errors are due to his first language.  Based on Emile's reading behaviors, I would focus instruction on strategies that he could use during reading.  Emile did not self-correct a single one of his miscues presenting a problem in his reading progress.  Most of his errors seem to be due to the fact that he is not monitoring his reading for meaning.  When he read tail as tall and mixed as messed he did not monitor his reading to see if what he'd read made sense to the story.  Had he monitored his reading and then self-corrected the meaning of the story would have been improved.  I would also focus instruction on word bases, endings and suffixes as Emile missed two suffixes when he read talking as talk and sides as side.  Emile could also benefit from instruction in paying attention to the initial letter in a word before attempting to read it.  He read the word only as really which wouldn't have made any sense had he looked at the letter o at the beginning of the word before reading it. 

(Joseph is a second grade student that speaks Russian as his first language.)



        Joseph has some similar needs when it comes to monitoring his reading for meaning.  He did not self-correct any of his errors either.  Joseph would benefit from working on checking for meaning and then attempting to self-correct his miscues while reading.  He would also benefit from instruction in paying attention to the visual cues a word provides, especially the initial letter.  Joseph read invitation for envelope.  I have a feeling he wouldn't have been able to read the word invitation as he struggles with multi-syllabic words but he would benefit from looking at the initial letter before reading a word.  I would also focus instruction on chunking multi-syllabic words so that they can be broken down into more manageable and recognizable word parts.  Joseph also seems to experience some confusion with vowel sounds as he read Flo and pony incorrectly due to incorrect vowel sounds.  Not knowing any Russian, I'm not sure if Joseph's struggles are due to differences between English and the Russian language.  

        Obviously, running records are a valuable assessment tool in ensuring that instruction matches students' learning needs.  Assessment and the information that it provides should drive instruction, otherwise it's a waste of time. 

  

Word Study

          The history of our Modern English language is fairly interesting. When looking into the history of some of the words we use today, it is not surprising that many of them date back to Old English and evolved with time. Some words experienced change in both spelling and meaning while others maintained their meaning while their spelling changed with time. Students in the upper grades may be interested in learning about the origins of the words they use today. Understanding the origin of words can help students to obtain better understanding of word meanings and our present spelling system.
  

Word & Modern English Meaning c. 1500 +	Old English c. 450 - 1100	Middle English c. 1100 - 1500
Doom \ˈdüm\ - a: destiny; especially : unhappy destiny b: death, ruin	Dōm: a law or ordinance especially in Anglo-Saxon England	Dōm or dome: a:judgement, decision; especially : a judicial condemnation or sentence b: judgment at the apocalypse

           The word doom originates from Old High German. It is a very old word that dates back to Old English, cognate with Old Norse dōmr, Gothic dōms; compare Sanskrit dhā́man, Greek thémis law. The Old English pronunciation has the following consonants producing the same sound they do now, b, d, k, l, m, n, p, r, t, x.
          The word doom has not only experienced a change in spelling but also a change in meaning as centuries changed as stated in the chart above. In the 1500s there was a major change in the way that many of the vowels were pronounced and spelled. This change was called the “Great Vowel Shift” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 104). The addition of the second o may be due to this shift.

Word & Modern English Meaning c. 1500 +	Old English c. 450 - 1100	Middle English c. 1100 - 1500
Knight \ˈnīt\- a (1) : a mounted man-at-arms serving a feudal superior; especially : a man ceremonially inducted into special military rank usually after completing service as page and squire	Cniht- man-at-arms, boy, servant The sound of /k/ was pronounced during this time.	Knigt or knyght - A noble warrior; a member of the land-holding ruling class, owing military service to his lord and fighting on horseback; one who had received the status of knight from the king or other important knight knave noun, sg. (male) servant

          The word knight originates from the Old High German word kneht meaning youth or military follower but its cognates in Dutch and German, Knecht, mean farm hand, boy, slave, and servitude. In Middle English times, the meaning of the word changed implying that the servant became ennobled. The meaning of the word remained consistent from Middle English to Modern English. From c. 450 – 1100 both /k/ and /c/ were spelled using the letter C. It wasn’t until c. 1100+ that the letter K was introduced which explains the change in spelling from Old English to Middle English. The Old English pronunciation included all of the consonants, so for example the word cniht starts with a k sound, followed by an n sound.

Word & Modern English Meaning c. 1500 +	Old English c. 450 - 1100	Middle English c. 1100 - 1500
Kin \ˈkin\- a group of persons of common ancestry	Cynn- a group of persons of common ancestry	Kynrede- kindred, family

          The origin of the word kin is from Old English cynn; akin to Old High German chunni race, Latin genus birth, race, kind, Greek genos, Latin gignere to beget, Greek gignesthai to be born. There was a change from Old English to Modern English regarding the use of Y and I to represent to /i/ sound. In Old English the /i/ sound could be spelled using I or Y whereas in Modern English the use of Y for the /i/ sound is rare.
          In looking at the Old English pronunciations, letter c is pronounced with a k sound if it comes before a back vowel (like o or a) or another consonant. If it comes before a front vowel (like i or e), or at the end of a word following a front vowel, it is usually pronounced like Modern English ch.

Word & Modern English Meaning c. 1500 +	Old English c. 450 - 1100	Middle English c. 1100 – 1500
Church \ˈchərch\- a building for public and especially Christian worship	Cirice- church, religious community; church (building), temple; congregation	Chirche- noun church

           The origin of the word church is from Middle English chirche, from Old English cirice, ultimately from Late Greek kyriakon, from Greek, neuter of kyriakos of the lord, from kyrios lord, master; akin to Sanskrit śūra hero, warrior. In Old English the letter C was used for the ch sound which was introduced during the Middle English times hence the change in the spelling. The change from using the vowel I to U in the word most likely came about during the Great Vowel Shift mentioned earlier.
           In looking at the Old English pronunciations, the letter c is pronounced with a k sound if it comes before a back vowel (like o or a) or another consonant. If it comes before a front vowel (like i or e), or at the end of a word following a front vowel, it is usually pronounced like Modern English ch.

Word & Modern English Meaning c. 1500 +	Old English c. 450 - 1100	Middle English c. 1100 – 1500
Friend \ˈfrend\- one attached to another by affection or esteem	Fréond- friend, relative; lover	Frend- noun friend

          The origin of the word friend is from Middle English frend, from Old English frēond; akin to Old High German friunt friend, Old English frēon to love, frēo free. (cognate with Old Saxon friund (German Freund), Gothic frijōnds), orig. present participle of frēogan,cognate with Gothic frijōnto love.
          The Old English pronunciation has the f pronounced like Modern English f at the beginning of a word, at the end of a word, or if it is next to an unvoiced consonant within a word.

References

Merriam-Webster online dictionary

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

www.dictionary.com

Middle-English Glossary

http://www.librarius.com/gy.htm

Old English Dictionary

http://home.comcast.net/~modean52/oeme_dictionaries.htm

http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/engl401/lessons/pronunc1.htm#top

Word Origins

http://www.wordorigins.org

Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Learning/Word Recognition vs. Acquisition/Sociopsycholinguistics

     Freeman and Freeman (2004) point out that there are two views of reading and that they, "...correspond to the distinction between learning and acquisition" (p. 24).  The two points of view disagree on how reading should be taught and what the reading process looks like and consists of.  One view feels that language must be learned and the other argues that language is acquired.  The following table distinguishes the major differences between the word recognition view and the sociopsycholinguistic view. 

Word Recognition View

Sociopsycholinguistic View

·    Written language must be learned ·    Students learn skills to help them   connect words on a page to words in their oral vocabulary ·    Students combine meanings of individual words to make meaning from what they read ·    Goal:  Help students identify words with a focus on recoding not decoding while reading.  "...there is a danger that students will simply learn to say words without knowing what they mean" (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.26). ·    Methods:  Learn phonics rules, memorize sight words, dividing words into parts such as prefix, root and suffix, flash cards, looking for small words within larger words ·    Classroom Practices:  Preteach words that may be difficult for students, word lists and dictionary work, reading aloud in a round-robin fashion correcting miscues and providing unknown words to the reader

·    Ability to use written language is  innate and can be acquired ·    Reading is a process of constructing meaning ·    Readers acquire literacy by focusing on meaning ·    Goal:  Construct meaning while reading by using background knowledge and cues.  "Readers combine cues from the text with their own knowledge of the world to make sense of what they are reading" (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 26). ·    Methods:  Use background knowledge and cues from the three linguistic systems to make meaning from texts.  Good readers learn to use visual and sound information in combination with background knowledge and cues to gain meaning while reading. ·    Classroom Practices:  Students participate in wide reading to acquire vocabulary, some vocabulary is taught before reading but is learned through several encounters with the word in different contexts, silent reading,  comprehension strategies to gain meaning, reading leveled and interesting text, big books, songs and poetry Other Points: "Evidence from linguistics lends strong support to a sociopsycholinguistic model of reading" (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 25).

All information from:
Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential Linguistics: What You Need to Know toTeach. 

     Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Due to the differences in the way that reading is taught within these two views, students learn to read differently and the reading proficiency of students varies as well.  “The two views have very practical consequences” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.29).  Despite the differences in the goals, methods and classroom practices of the two views, the overall belief is the same; “…good readers comprehend text” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 25).