Building Bridges
across language barriers
12
An inside look at diversity in R-III
In the past ?ve years, the
number of ELLs has surged in
population. In 2007, the District
had less than 20 ELL students
district wide. Throughout the
school year, the population had
nearly quadrupled. The R-III
District knew an English as a
Second Language (ESL) program
was needed. Since that time
the population has stabilized.
Currently, 10 di?erent foreign
languages are represented in
the ELL population.
Modi?cations in instruction
are available for ELL students
on many di?erent levels. If a
student is new to the school and
new to English, modi?cations
are extensive. For other ELL
students, the ESL teachers look
at English test scores, student
con?dence and achievement,
and the classroom setting to
devise the best help for the
individual student.
“Most students and teachers
do not realize that many of
these students were scholars,
artists,
mathematicians
in
their native countries. The only
barrier to their academics is the
language,” she said. Another
common
misperception
surrounds the ESL teachers
themselves. You do not have
to be ?uent in any foreign
language to teach an ELL
student English. In fact, none of
the three ESL teachers are ?uent
in all 10 languages represented
by their students. Robertson is
?uent in French and Nixon is
?uent in Spanish.
According to ESL teacher
Kelly Hufty, there are a variety
of ways to teach ELL students.
“For the students with little
or no English, we use a lot of
Total Physical Response (TPR),
which is a very hands-on
approach to teaching. If you
were to walk into my classroom
while I am using TPR, it would
look very much like a mix
between the game of charades
and Pictionary! With these
newcomers, we use drawings,
picture cards, gestures, and if
possible some of the key words
from their native language.”
And just like any other student
in the R-III District, and around
the country, ELL students take
standardized tests such as the
Missouri Assessment Program
(MAP). The MAP test is entirely
in English. This year, prior to
students taking the assessment,
the three teachers hosted a
?rst-ever dinner for the ELL
students and their families to
help increase communication
between the entire family and
the schools and nearly every
ELL student and their family
was represented. Robertson
said this was a new step, but a
crucial one to overcoming the
language barrier and building
bridges.
“We overheard a parent say, ?I
had no idea there were so many
families like us.? The best way
to teach our students English
is to get to know their families
and their cultures. The two are
intertwined. We are accountable
to them for making progress,”
Robertson continued.
After the test results are
received
back,
families
can receive assistance in
interpreting the results of their
child?s assessment. The results
are in English, but can be
translated by the test company
Metritech into 21 di?erent
languages to ensure parents
understand
their
child?s
progress.
Robertson said
a secondary
goal of the
dinner was to let
parents know
their children
are tested and
to show the
progress they
are making
in the English
language. During
the dinner, adult
and student
interpreters were
available for the
families.
A
Home
Recreation
Vehicle
With the help of three ESL
teachers, Kelly Hufty, Angie
Robertson and Ti?any Nixon
and the English as a Second
Language (ESL) program, ELL
students
are
succeeding.
According to Robertson, some
people
mistakenly
believe
ELL students need extra help
because of some lack of
cognitive ability. She said in the
majority of instances, this is the
furthest thing from the truth.
Those languages include: Spanish,
Romanian, Chinese, Amharic, Italian,
Tagalog, Punjabi/Hindi, Russian,
English, and Bulgarian.
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If you?ve ever vacationed in a
country where English was not
the predominant language, you
know how tough having a simple
conversation can be. Now,
imagine a child experiencing
this feeling every day. It?s
happening in the Lincoln
County R-III School District.
Approximately 90 students in
the R-III District sit through
an entire school day without
knowing the English language.
These students are classi?ed
as English Language Learners
(ELL). The ELL population
includes students who have
moved to our community from
another country, have been
adopted by families residing in
Lincoln County or are born in
the United States, but speak a
di?erent language at home.
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