Jose Alejandro Feliz

EDLI635 Theory and Practice of Literacy Instruction.

ELL Case Study

Diego is a Puerto Rican, 9th grade student who speaks Spanish and attends at The

American Dream High School in the Bronx, New York. Before enrolling in ADS, Diego

spent two years at the Lola Rodríguez de Tío Junior School and half a year in the APR

School. He has been attending at The American Dream High School since the beginning

of this school year. The school currently has a program for ELL students. Based on the

ELL program, Diego's teacher works closely with him and other ELLs to overcome any

daily academic challenge presented by the program. The main language to which Diego

is exposed in the house is Spanish, since he lives with his father, a sister and a younger

brother who have emigrated from Puerto Rico to the United States.

In an ADS document, called "English Language Learners Profile", it is mentioned

that although the language used in Diego's home is Spanish, both parents of the student

have a high level of proficiency in English. Due to this linguistic advantage of the

parents, Diego has the possibility of being assisted, if required, by his parents. Diego can

read and write in English; However, he has some limitations of fluency and reading

comprehension in front of texts that present some level of complexity. During the

observations made to Diego, I have noticed that he is showing constant progress in

writing. Before the teacher start the lesson of the day, I noticed that Diego shows a very

good level of understanding of what he should do, how he should do it, although he rarely

feels doubt and asks for clarification. If the topic under discussion does not show a high
level of complexity, Diego is usually aware of what it means. During my observations

throughout some lessons, I have noticed that Diego became more active and participatory

in tasks involving small group participation. In more individualized activities, in some

cases required the assistance of the teacher or a partner more advantaged in the language,

achieving the goal of the day.

In an ADS record, HS RLAT dated August 22, 2018, I read that Diego is an Expanding

Level student. That information could be corroborated in my observations since I could

verify that he is able to read and write at a good level of proficiency and in a constant

expansion. He reads sentences well and can pronounce most words. However, I must also

say that there is a tendency to pronounce incorrectly words, especially technical and/or

complex words, which sometimes makes reading somewhat slow. This student has

demonstrated that he can read grade level material with the comprehension of an

expanding level students. In general, Diego can capture most of the details of a story,

such as character and main plot and other components. He has shown a similar level of

understanding when reading a story aloud, as when he himself reads the story. This has

indicated to me that the student's listening skills are developing in parallel with their

literacy skills.

During a reading activity, the reading record, which I was doing with Diego, to

measure his level of fluency and comprehension of the text, he was able to demonstrate a

level of fluency and understanding of a student who is at an expanding level . Except for

some errors, which are recorded in the report, their reading flowed without mishap in the

reading, also showing a level of understanding about the content of the text. For this
reading some stanzas of Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" were used. I point out that

the aforementioned errors appear in those words unknown, or difficult to pronounce, by

Diego. As a final activity for this lesson, students made definitions of unknown words

using graphic organizers and the help of an online dictionary.

On another occasion, Diego read a passage delivered by the teacher for the day's

reading. The passage focused on a specific moment of Malcolm X's life and the factors

that triggered the events narrated there. Diego was asked to tell what he had read in his

own words. He understood to a large extent the link that existed between the

political-religious factors that triggered the events narrated there. He stopped at the word

"Muslim" while reading, but with the teacher's help he could understand its meaning. One

of the main ideas of the passage was to determine the connections of political-religious

factors that led to the murder of Malcolm X. Some of the vocabulary words used in the

reading of the passage were prison, African, orator, immoral, right, Muslim and race,

concepts that in general Diego could capture.

During a math session, the teacher performed an activity related to the content

vocabulary of the lesson of the day. The students read in small group a text from the math

book that contained the key words of the lesson of the day. Subsequently, students had to

define each word using a graphic organizer for each and an online dictionary. For this

activity, Diego seemed to have understood the procedure and how to execute the task.

Diego’s graphic organizers showed a good level of understanding of the subject in both

reading and writing.

of their students. Within these components, highlights the wall words where students are

exposed to the vocabulary corresponding to the current unit and new words that arise

during the process of literacy, this strategy helps students in their learning processes in

spelling of words. Diego’s teachers have implemented a spelling program in the

classroom, this system is to encourage the permanent use of the words of the wall Words

in the daily conversations of the classroom and the corridors. During my observations, I

have noticed that Diego adapts well both in independent work and in group work,

although it is evident that group work is more motivating for him. Diego rarely shows

"frustration", only when a word is unknown or the reading text is complex.

According to the Solom rating scales, Diego is in level III, advanced, with a score

of 21. Through the different observations, I noticed that his strengths are based on his

progressive reading ability and a high listening capacity. His weakness is only noticeable

in moments that he does not know the meaning of a word or the appropriate

pronunciation of it. Generally, he understands most of what is said at a speed equivalent

to the average that is considered normal, with very rare repetitions. His speech in the

daily conversation of the classroom flows in a normal way, showing ability to handle

situations such as the use of synonym if required. A minor weakness is his vocabulary, I

say minor because it is constantly expanding, as shown by Diego in the course of their

conversations in the classroom. His speech is quite fluent, being clearly understood when

interacting with his peers. Finally, the grammatical errors are very minimal, typical of the

level in which it is, generating a high level of understanding in his writing.

observe all the varieties of activities in which the students participated in Diego's

classroom. The different activities included:

● Mini-lessons and / or instructions directed by teachers.

● Individualized activities, carried out independently by students.

● Activities carried out in small groups and activities carried out as a peer.

● Guided readings and readings aloud.

● Activities carried out using the teaching model known as the "Station

Model".

Diego's classroom is equipped with technological components that help the

teaching-learning process that takes place in the classroom. It is equipped with a projector

and all students have a computer for their use both in the classroom and in their homes,

they also have permanent access to the Internet. In my observations, I noticed that

Diego's level of fluency is comparable to that indicated by the Solom scale as advanced,

level III, which allowed him to interact with his peers in a "natural" way, understanding

what his function was in a determined moment. I think that the background brought by

Diego from Puerto Rico has helped him in his language progress.

The background knowledge of vocabulary that Diego brought allowed him to

show a good level of academic performance, both when working independently and when

working in small groups. There was a high level of confidence in him when he interacted

with his classmates, this Diego’s attitude was taken as an advantage by other classmates

who were still in the process of learning at a level below Diego’s level. The
pronunciation and use of Diego's grammar constituted help elements for other classmates

when they had the opportunity to work in a group.

In general, the instructions and modifications were adequate for Diego and his

level of development in which he is. Generally, he could work on some of the activities

independently. On many other occasions, I saw Diego working in small groups that had

the same level of use of language and grammar. Occasionally, the professors locate

Diego and another partner of his same level in a small group that needed more support in

the fluency and comprehension of some text, a skill that both Diego and his partner could

contribute. I noticed that Diego liked this function, which helped to reflect the progress

he was acquiring in the language in a more tangible way.

The information gathered in this case study is a useful tool, as it allows us to

understand the importance and need for literacy of ELL students. This study provides us

with the tools and strategies necessary to bring learning processes closer to ELL students

while they are inserted into their new socio-cultural environment. This study allowed me

to know Diego’s level of reading and understanding and the effects on his learning

caused by the background brought by him. Diego is exposed to a good level of reading on

a regular basis. My suggestion for instruction is that Diego be exposed to more complex

audio and text readings, probably of a scientific nature that will help him gain confidence

in acquiring more complex and academic terms.

In this study I have learned the importance of the socio-cultural environment of

the student when learning a new language. According to Vygotsky, language is, above

all, an instrument of social communication, and, in particular, an instrument of the

formative orientation exercised by society over the child. "His conception starts from the

social and communicative function of language, and from its connection with symbolic

abstraction. The Soviets in general, and Vygotsky in particular, have accentuated the

social character of language. They define it as the instrument of communication par

excellence and as a transmitting element of the cultural experiences of a society. Thus,

the entry of the child into the set of meanings and social experiences that constitute the

language, influences the cognitive organization of the child."

According to this approach, it is necessary to recognize that the acquisition of language is

also a social process. This approach allows us to understand the level, according to the

Solom scale, in which Diego is currently. At the beginning of this study, when we

referred to Diego's parents, we said that Diego's parents possess a high level of

competence in the use of the English language and that Diego brought with him a solid

background of the language from his native country, although even he did not handle the

language perfectly.

I have also understood the importance of the teachers who guide the teaching-learning

process in the ELL students, have a solid background in the teaching of bilingualism. It

should not be forgotten that these students are in a process of bilingual learning, so an

appropriate knowledge on the part of the teacher of both cultures will help direct the
teaching process in a more meaningful way for the student. In this sense, learning a

second language requires, as M.J Buxo (1983) points out, achieving the competence of

the formal system (phonetic, syntactic and lexical forms) as well as some sociolinguistic

rules that are related to the sociocultural experience of a particular ethnic group. It should

also be noted that in certain situations the school works in more than two languages ​with

the addition of a foreign language. The teacher, from the Pedagogy of the language, is

fundamental that knows the individual and sociocultural reality of the bilingualism, that

is to say, the linguistic behavior of the subjects, on the one hand, and the functions that

fulfill each one of the languages ​in the social field and cultural of the individual by

another. For this, the student's resume that every teacher must have is helpful.

For some reasons that I explained earlier, I understood why the level of

competence and literacy development shown by Diego is at an advanced level, according

to the Solom scale and corroborated by my observations. Because their parents have the

language facility, they can guide him with homework assignments. In both reading and

writing, his progress is evident in the pronunciation and spelling of words. When I

applied the Solom matrix, Diego obtained a 5 in comprehension and a 4 in fluency,

vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.

Diego rarely showed difficulties in grammatical structures. At the time of some

reading he had some difficulties when he ignored the knowledge of a word or how it was

pronounced. In general, this difficulty was worked through focused tasks using graphic

organizers with the purpose of acquiring new words. The methods and approaches to

literacy instruction that will further help Diego to move to the next and last level in oral
language development, phonics awareness, word recognition strategies and general

understanding are guided reading (or in a small group) and the narration of more complex

texts, preferably of an academic and / or scientific nature. Guided and / or group reading

will help Diego to the next level of literacy. These strategies would also benefit other

students related to the Diego group in their literacy processes.

I close this reflection by citing some of the strategies learned that could help

teachers in teaching literacy to ELL students:

● The teacher's prior knowledge of the background of their students, this

will help teachers to plan differentiated instructions according to the needs

of the students.

● The proper use of scaffolding strategies, such as graphic organizers and

the use of a wall words, constantly updating it, in the classroom.

● Encourage reading aloud independently and in a group, according to the

need of the moment.

● In specific tasks, group students into heterogeneous groups that foster

collaborative learning in the classroom.

● Encourage constructive criticism taking into consideration the cultural

diversity that occurs in the classroom.

● And finally, assess the cultural richness of each language without placing

a greater importance on a specific language. The learning of a new

language should not entail the loss of value in the student's native

language. It is essential that the teacher recognizes this.