English Language Learning Program Analysis

My journey began when I was 13 years old and my father decided that it was time for me to move to the U.S in order to study. I arrived to the United State in September of 2013, I arrived in time for the begging of the school year. I attended Dover high school for my freshman and sophomore year, something that really stuck with me was the insane number of Hispanics in that town; at least half of the students were Hispanic or were of Hispanic descent. The first problem that I faced upon arriving was the language barrier; I had studied English in my home country, but my knowledge of the language was not enough to establish a conversation. I was put in the ESL, English as a second language, program. Most of the students in the program had been living in the U.S for a few years already, all of them spoke Spanish. However, all of the students had a heavy accent when speaking Spanish due to the lack of use of the language. At this point I realized that in order to learn English faster I would have to sacrifice speaking Spanish. However, I did not want to lose my connection that I had with my homeland. Therefore, I decided to take half of my classes in the ESL program and take regular classes for the rest. At first, my English improved quite fast, but my Spanish suffered as I notice that I was struggling in my Spanish class. Personally, I am not a very good writer, but the fact that I had difficulties writing my native language felt

In many schools throughout the country, there are populations of students that have been pushed to the side, with their education thought of as just their specialized teachers’ responsibility. While this situation is changing for some students, such as those with disabilities and students who are lucky enough to have dual language immersion programs in their school, many students who are learning English are still struggling to access the same curriculum that everyone else in the school has a chance to learn. Guadalupe Valdés (2001) looked at the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at a school which she called Garden Middle School. Although Valdés completed this study over fifteen years ago, the experience that her focal students had

“Bilingualism en casa” by Ana Celia Zentella examines Puerto Rican families that reside in “el bloque,” and how the observed individuals communicate at home in comparison to how they interact with others outside. Depending on who they encounter and how often, the results of their familiarity with their first and second language varies greatly. The tenant’s first language is Spanish, however, Zentella discerns the assorted progression of their first language. She finds that after moving to an English speaking country, they either get consumed by the second language, are stuck with only learning a few words to get by comfortably, or are equally proficient in both. The author lives with these families to make observations on the children of migrant

The curriculum for English-Spanish Learners (ESL) or English-Language Learners, was created to assist students who do not speak any or little English. Angela Valenzuela describes in her article, “Subtractive Schooling, Caring Relations, and Social Capital in the Schooling of U.S.~Mexican Youth,” that

The first and second year after moving from China to the United States, I was afraid to talk to strangers because my English was not quite well. I had to depend on my husband to deal with my personal business, such as making a doctor’s appointment, calling to the bank, or questioning the DMV officers. Douglass says, “being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (62). Being a dependent and helpless adult is a shame for me. In addition, I did not have extra money to go to school to improve my English skills. Thus, I stayed home all the time to avoid the embarrassment that happened when I did not understand strangers’ conversation. Meanwhile, being silent at home leaded worries to my future. I realized that I had to improve my oral English to gain self-confidence. I spent time reading various articles on the internet, and I watched English dialogues’ videos on YouTube. As a non-English speaking immigrant living in the U.S., I challenged myself to overcome difficulties to integrate myself into a new

Growing up from a different culture, Richard Rodriguez looks back on his experience on how he faced the situation as the child of Mexican immigrants. According to his 1982 memoir, “Hunger of Memory”, Rodriguez uses his own observation “to argue that if the children of immigrants are to succeed in the United States, they must separate themselves from their home culture and immerse themselves in the English oriented atmosphere of the American school” (980). In “Aria”, Rodriguez has created an autobiographic essay of his childhood. In his essay, the author is against bilingual educators, who believe that children in their first years of school should be educated in their native language. According to Rodriguez this education method is wrong, it won’t be helpful, therefore children should be knowledgeable in the same language as the public one. The author’s main point is to strongly motivate children of immigrant parents to adopt English as their primary language in order to comprehend public society and have a better future.

In addition, learning Spanish will break the language barrier between myself and all the Spanish-speakers of the world, which I find remarkable. I cannot imagine a more efficient method to achieve bilingualism than complete submersion in Spanish language and culture. For this reason, I have decided to study abroad in Costa Rica for six weeks in the summer of 2016. Over these six weeks, I will take two Spanish courses at the Latin University of Costa Rica, and live with a host family in which I will communicate with only through Spanish. I am certain that I will return from this voyage with more confidence in my Spanish-speaking capabilities, greater knowledge of the language, a heightened passion and appreciation for Costa Rican culture, experiences that will be applicable throughout my life and future career, and memories that I will cherish forever. Moreover, I anticipate that by studying Spanish and studying abroad, I will acquire valuable communication skills in both Spanish and English, become more competitive with my peers, and diversify and enhance the overall knowledge that I will acquire from Oklahoma State

The day I stepped off the plane and landed in America, I knew that I’d have to face a great challenge. Being a first generation immigrant from Vietnam, I would have to learn English as quickly as possible. Although I’ve arduously prepared for this transition by learning basic vocabulary and grammar in my native country, I quickly realized that my practical aspect of using the language such as listening, conversing, pronunciation to be insufficient. By immersing myself in an English-speaking world, I finally addressed my lingual deficiency within a year.

Over the last decade or so, important legislation has been implemented to positively ensure fair and equal access to a quality education for English Language Learners (ELL). Change did not happen without there being obstacles to overcome. There were many overturned cases that initially sought to strip English Language Learners of their basic rights to an education. Yet, there would eventually be legislation instituted to help alter the course.

With nearly 30 million immigrants crossing our borders in the last three decades, the United States education system has seen a dramatic increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) entering the classroom (Migration Policy Institute website, n.d.). With this influx of non-native English speakers has come the need to find the best ways possible to meet them where they are academically and teach them accordingly. However, after years of research, education gurus are still divided on how to best meet the needs of ELLs. While there is no clear-cut approach, there are several strategies and programs that schools can implement in order to help immigrant learners and their families be successful in our school system.

Facing all of the obstacles, challenges, criticisms, and more was even tougher. Inside and outside of school, Luis described the grown up as nice, and welcoming. The kids were cruel and teased him. At the time Luis attended Statesboro High, there were only two other Latino students in the entire school. They attached to each other quickly because they were familiar and could relate, but they were in the same boat as Luis with learning English. Luis was pretty much on his own with his learning, but he had good help from his ESOL teachers. They gave him a translator and provided as much assistance as possible. Other teachers did not try to communicate with him. Goldenburg states that “educators often wonder whether English language development should be taught as a separate subject at a distinct time in the day or if it should be “integrated” throughout the day, taught alongside the regular curriculum” (Teaching English Language Learners, 2008). Given Luis’ experience, he could have learned more or faster and been given bigger opportunities if learning was integrated during this time. Luis was determined to learn English, so along with the help of his ESOL teachers, he was introduced to the program Rosetta Stone, which he did only on at school, he watched TV in English with English subtitles, and tried to speak as much English as he could at all times. “The

According to his work, “English is the fastest-spreading language in human history and is used by an estimated 1.27 billion people globally” (Neeley, 2012). The English language is already the most popular language in the world, accompanied by each person’s native language. Also, compared to other languages English is relatively easy to learn (McWhorter, 2015). This does not mean that the meshing of new versions of English are always pristine. Ana Lucia Gonzalez, reporter for BBC, wrote the article, “Life in Spanglish for California’s Young Latinos” to address this issue of blending language.

Doctors Ana Iddings and Mary Combs are Associate Professors from the University of Arizona who conducted research on how to help English language learners become successful in grades Kindergarten through 12 along with Dr. Luis Moll who is a Professor Emeritus from the named university. Dr. Iddings has conducted individual research on many topics, one being the education and professional development of teachers to work with English language learners (ELLs) and their families. Dr. Combs currently teaches courses in bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses on the graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Moll’s main research was conducted in education of Latino children in the United States.

Eric Hoover, a staff reporter for the Chronicle, profiles a community college student in Philadelphia. Wrote an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education newspaper titled ( title ) “ An Immigrant Learns Two New Languages.” In the article, Eric Hoover (tone) sets an informal tone when describing the personal hardships and achievements of Ms. Maldonato. The author (audience) targets men and women over the age of 50 who are still fixed on attending college. Ms. Maldonato, a part-time student at the Community College of Philadelphia, learned two languages after emigrating from colombia. ( Purpose ) The author intends to entertain his readers by sharing the journey that Ms Maldonato took to become a successful immigrant. ( Thesis ) To learn a language is to piece together a puzzle that is never quite done.

In an effort to gain useable and positive feedback from English language learners, teachers must use ongoing assessments. Whereas standardized tests only give information on students during a certain part of the year, ongoing assessments will allow teachers to monitor students’ progress throughout the year. Informal assessments are very beneficial in monitoring the progress of students. One type of informal assessment is the use of role playing. During role playing, students are given opportunities to speak in English dealing with different situations. This assessment will let the teacher observe how well the student is comprehends the scenarios and how they respond to them. This type of assessment is effective because it allows students to put the English language into use increasing their English