Summer School Literacy Pacing Guide

Support for English Language Learners
English Language Learners (ELLs) come to school with a first language other than English. Their cultural
experiences and opportunities to have “school-like” experiences are diverse and varied. Summer school can offer
these students extra academic English language exposure as well as prevent the erosion in achievement that
summer breaks often create. Providing a classroom environment that is welcoming is the first step in ensuring their
success. While the very same rich, meaning-based opportunities to learn should be offered to all students, a few
additional practices offer ELLs needed support.
! Offer examples. When using terms and ideas, provide context. “The text we are reading today is
about a long journey or trip to a new country. The people had to cross the ocean—that means a
very big body of water to get to the new land.”
! Use language as a tool to learn something. Language anchors around big ideas and concepts. Your
Toolkit lessons can help ELLs see those connections or networks of ideas.
! Help children see the differences in informal or social language and academic or content language.
Being explicit with students helps. For example, teachers might say something like, “We call this
shape a circle in everyday talk, but when we talk like a scientist, we call it a cycle.”
! Notice attributes of concepts or ideas and then name them to help students form rich vocabularies.
! Be more conscious of linking new information to what is known. Connections may need to be more
explicit.
! Include additional time for student talk in large and small groups. ELLs are much more likely to
use their new language in pairs or small groups.
! Notice students’ engagement by monitoring their expressions. When confusion exists, take time to
clarify then or confer with students later.
! Call attention to syntax. Remember that English word order is very different from other languages.
When reading, stop and say, “Listen to that part again. Isn’t it interesting the way the author said
that? Turn and talk with your neighbor about what the author means.”
Note: for students who are not quite ready for independent strategy use after whole-class instruction, there are
follow-up sessions for each strategy lesson in Comprehension Intervention: Small-Group Lessons for the
Comprehension Toolkit (Harvey 2010). For children learning English, use Scaffolding the Comprehension Toolkit
for English Language Learners (Goudvis, Harvey, Buhrow, and Upczak-Garcia 2012), which scaffolds Toolkit
instruction for English language learners (ELLs).
Visit www.comprehensiontoolkit.com for details.
Summer School Literacy – for more resources, visit: www.ComprehensionToolkit.com
Heinemann ©2009 by Judy Wallis, Stephanie Harvey, and Anne Goudvis (updated 1/29/2016)
6