Language Development

1. Why do TWI programs strictly separate the two languages for instruction? Is there research to support this practice?
2. How long does it usually take students to start understanding and then start speaking in their second language? Does the rate vary by native language and program model?
3. How do you encourage students to use the language of instruction, particularly when it is the partner language? How do you get students to take risks when they are speaking in their second language?
4. How do you know when to correct a child’s error and when to let it go? How do you try to prevent the errors?
5. How do you determine if a child is experiencing a language delay? What do you do in that case?
6. What teaching strategies are effective for promoting language development?
7. How does putting students in bilingual pairs (one native speaker and one second language learner) provide opportunities for language development for both students?
8. How do you challenge native speakers while keeping the language level manageable for second language learners?
9. How do you help students perform at grade level in the content areas when they are learning through their second language, particularly when they are at low levels of proficiency in that language?
10. Are there instructional materials and assessment strategies for use in the content areas that take into account different stages of language learning?

10. Are there instructional materials and assessment strategies for use in the content areas that take into account different stages of language learning?

Many published ESL and Spanish as a second language materials are leveled for different stages of language learning. Programs that have an actual second language instructional period for each native language group (delivered in linguistically segregated groups) might use commercially available, multi leveled language development materials designed for second language instruction.

When language majority and language minority students are learning together (a grouping arrangement that should be occurring most of the time in a TWI program), access to leveled books is critical. Teachers can assess their learners’ language and literacy levels and then supply them with materials at their instructional levels. Many leveling systems are now in use. These include ATOS (Accelerated Reader), Lexile (Reading Counts!), Guided Reading/Fountas & Pinnell, and Early Intervention (Reading Recovery). (For a description of these systems, go to http://www.capstonepress.com/aspx/pLeveling.aspx.) Leveled books allow students at different levels to learn the same content as other students with materials they can use independently (see Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000, Appendix B, for a listing of publishers of commercial materials).

When assessing the content knowledge of learners with varying language proficiency levels, it is important to link assessments to instructional objectives and teaching activities. Good assessment in two-way immersion is designed to optimize student performance; it is developmentally appropriate; and it is authentic, ongoing, and carefully planned. Assessment should also be based on performance criteria that are clearly defined and communicated to students (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000, p. 141). Stratified checklists and rubrics that set up different expected behaviors for students at different proficiency levels are helpful. For examples of such assessments, see O’Malley & Valdez-Pierce (1996, chap. 7). For further information on assessment as it pertains to TWI programs and sample assessment tools, see Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000 (chap. 7).

Some additional useful resources on assessment with second language learners are as follows:

• Grognet, A., Jameson, J., Franco, L., & Derrick-Mescua, M. (2000). Enhancing English language learning in elementary classrooms.
• Mantero, M. (2002). Evaluating Classroom Communication: In Support of Emergent and Authentic Frameworks in Second Language Assessment
• Mertler, C. A. (2001). Designing Scoring Rubrics for Your Classroom.
• Short, D. J. (1993). Assessing Integrated Language and Content Instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 27(4).
• WIDA Language Proficiency Standards