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Friday, August 24, 2012

What to do — and not do — for growing number of English Language Learners - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

What to do — and not do — for growing number of English Language Learners - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:


What to do — and not do — for growing number of English Language Learners

This was written by Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski, who teach at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. They are co-authors of the new book, “The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels.”
By Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski
It’s hard to find a school or district in this country that doesn’t have an English learner population. For teachers in states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York it is sometimes hard to find a classroom without any English Language Learners (ELL). In fact, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 4.5 million English Learners are enrolled in public schools across the country, roughly 10% of all students enrolled in K-12 schools in the United States. The number of English Learners has increased by over 50% in the last decade, with