c
Translation should be used mostly for beginner ELL students, and then only to get across key concepts or essential instructions.
c
Plan times when translation can be built into instructional time. Think-pair-shares (Lyman, 1981), described on page 67, or table talks in which students explore new ideas or summarize materials presented, are good times to encourage the translation of important ideas.
c
Expect and allow for the use of the native language when two or more students share a language.
c
Don’t overburden peer translators, and never ask a peer translator to translate sensitive or confidential information.
Targeted Strategy 4: Ask students to draw. Have students draw pictures or symbols to demonstrate an understanding of school rules and classroom norms, classroom instructions, content-area information, or even emotions. For example, a teacher working on animal classification might ask students to fill in a chart by placing the names of the animals under their correct classification. While native-English-speaking students would typically write the word for the animal on the chart, the ELL student, who might not know the names of these animals in English, could draw a picture of the animal.
Targeted Strategy 5: Have students write. Students who are unable to express themselves orally can sometimes express themselves in writing. Asking a student to write a short summary of a concept taught or make a list of important words can be particularly helpful to older students, especially if they are able to use a bilingual dictionary or electronic translator.
Situation 2
When I ask my ELL students if they understand, they often nod or say, “Yes,” but I then find out that they didn’t understand.
ELL students can be embarrassed to admit that they don’t understand something, especially if they think everyone else understands it or if they come from a culture in which it is considered negative to ask questions or appear different in any way. In some cases, students actually think they did understand, but because of their cultural background or lack of linguistic sophistication, they did not get a full or accurate understanding of the 66
Teaching English Language Learners: Grades 6 & Up © Katherine Davies Samway & Dorothy Taylor, Scholastic Teaching Resources
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