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New to English can be supported in many different ways. Here's one school's approach:
Assessment
All learning is based on assessment. Children arrive and sit a baseline assessment. After analysis of result children are provided with appropriate provision. Interim progress reports on progression in EAL, phonics and writing are reviewed every half term.
Beginners
Beginner EAL Learning Intervention (EAL Intervention)
They follow ‘Teaching English an An Additional Language 5-11: A Whole School Resource’ which offers survival language intervention for the early days. This replaces the in class Literacy lesson for a short period until children are able to access the next two steps. Progression in English for beginners is reassessed every half term to check on progress.
Intermediates
Intermediate new arrivals curriculum language support (out of class)
This support provides additional vocabulary and language structure support for those children attending differentiated Literacy in class.
EAL differentiated curriculum support (in class)
Working closely with an EAL teacher to provide language learning differentiation for intermediate learners.
Phonics
All new arrivals are assessed for phonics and provided with differentiated out of class lessons. Reading (with phonic based readers) is part of this. Progression in phonics is reassessed every half term to check on progress.
One to one support:
Where specific EAL needs are identified (for example, after a big write) the EAL teacher will work one to one with children to support their progress with these needs.
Staff Training
Staff training is provided for all staff in integrating language learning objectives alongside curriculum objectives to support all levels of EAL learner in class.
For some learners, including those with SEND, the thought of a writing lesson can be daunting and unappealing. However, by finding creative ways to engage and 'hook' your learners, they will be more likely to feel motivated and engaged.
Tip or Idea: Start your lessons in an unusual or exciting way! Set up a scene or have props that give clues to a character or event, play an engaging video or audio clip or perhaps transform your classroom into a courtroom for a debate...
In Science, EAL learners need to understand scientific language, both written and oral, as well as to work with the command verbs such as; discuss, explain, evaluate etc… (Mertin, 2014). This means the language required for Science is academic and challenging and, as a result, it can become extremely difficult for learners to access the subject content. This begs the questions; How do we make the lessons comprehensible to EAL learners and provide what Krashen (1998) terms as ‘comprehensible input’?
If you have the opportunity to use a bilingual support partner to help families who have learners working from home, it may be useful to prepare a list of questions for this staff member to ask. Bilingual support is extremely useful when making contact with parents who speak little or no English.