Second-Language Acquisition and ELL Policies Worksheet

Which of the following is most important for effective second-language acquisition?

• Engaging in social activities and meaningful interactions

• Memorizing and practicing frequently used words and phrases

• Interacting primarily with the teacher and other adults

• Learning with various structured and rote activities

Which of the following statements most accurately identifies state-mandated Limited English Proficient (LEP) policies?

• ELLs who meet requirements and exit the special language program are monitored for one year.

• School districts that have at least two ELLs at one grade level must provide ESL services.

• The Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) assesses the proficiency levels of ELLs annually.

• The identification and placement of ELLs occurs within the first four weeks of their enrollment in school.

A teacher gives the following oral feedback to students. “We need to review the lesson about the auxiliary verbs that are placed before other verbs to express meanings such as permission, ability, and possibility. It appears that the application of these words still poses some difficulties for you.” The feedback is primarily in response to the students’ difficulty in using which of the following?

• Principal verbs

• Linking verbs

• Stative verbs

• Modal verbs

Which of the following statements is primarily true about the relationship between a student’s first- and second-language acquisition?

• Cognitive development in L1 should be discontinued through the elementary years in order to achieve cognitive and academic success in L2.

• Cognitive development in L1 should be limited through the elementary years in order to achieve cognitive and academic success in L2.

• Students who receive formal schooling in L1 do better at acquiring L2 than students with no schooling in L1.

• Students who receive formal schooling in L1 do worse at acquiring L2 than students with no schooling in L1.

Marcos is an ELL who is literate in his native language and speaks English well but struggles with reading informative texts in English. After assigning a research project, the teacher wants to find a way to support Marcos’ English literacy development as he completes the assignment. Which of the following is the best way to accomplish the teacher’s goal?

• Providing Marcos with research in English presented in an audio format that he can listen to and then present his findings to the class

• Supplementing English texts with research in Marcos’ native language and having him present his findings in English

• Translating informative texts to Marcos’ native language and having him conduct his research using the translated texts

An ESL student uses the following sentence during show and tell. “I want a motorcycle verde.” The sentence primarily illustrates the concept of

• dysnomia.

• shifting between different languages or dialects.

• biliteracy.

• automaticity.

A high school ESL teacher wants the class to understand the differences between informal language used with friends and formal language used in the classroom. Which of the following strategies will best help ELLs understand the differences?

• Asking the ELLs to keep a journal of conversations with friends to be discussed in class

• Having the ELLs listen to audio recordings in different registers of English

• Pairing the ELLs and having them role-play a variety of scenarios in the different registers

• Reminding the ELLs to use academic language in classroom discussions and informal language in conversations

Pearson Q 8

Kenny, an ELL, writes the following statement in his journal. “My friend, which I met at college, comes from San Marcos, who is located near San Antonio, Texas.” Based on the statement, Kenny will most benefit from further instruction in

• relative pronouns.

• possessive pronouns.

• reflexive pronouns.

• indefinite pronouns.

Mr. Sato a middle school science teacher, sees that the ELLs in his class are having difficulty understanding a new unit about volcanoes. Which TWO of the following will be the most effective strategies to help his students understand the content?

• Asking the students to write down what they know about the day's topic at the beginning of the class

• Giving students an English dictionary so they can write definitions of key vocabulary before each lesson

• Pairing an ELL with a native English speaker so students can read the text together

• Having students preread selections at home prior to each lesson or activity

• Showing a short video clip about the day's topic at the start of the class