I think that asking some students to share their language with the class is a great idea because young students find this very interesting. This situation could be turned into a wonderful learning opportunity for all the students in the class.

I agree that this can be a frustrating situation. It will take careful planning and great execution to make this an environment where learning occurs for all. The language barrier is probably the toughest barrier to break, but it can be done without losing the cultural identities of your students.

What a great idea to encourage the Spanish speaking students to teach the other students some words in Spanish. That could be a great learning opportunity for all students!

I think that by letting the Spanish speaking students share their language, you will make them feel more accepted and valued as a member of your classroom. I think activity will spark the interests of the other students in the classroom and will have them wanting to interact with the ESL students on a more consistent basis. The ESL students will want to engage in classroom activities more frequently if they feel like they are truly a part of the class. I don't think that this will be achieved if you separate them and do not allow them to speak their native tongue at all while at school. You will basically take away from them the only thing they know. I do not think that they will be as successful making the transition from Spanish to English if this is done.

Speaking another language is truly a gift. It is only that I am scared of, simply because it is a challenge! I commend any teacher who is willing to do that for his or her students. I want to add to what you said, though. If you chose to embrace this language, it would truly help to build a personal relationship with these students, and that is something that is priceless. Additionally, if you chose to embrace it and learn it, it might be fun to do it as a class. These students could help be your "teachers" and you would also being doing a service to the other students in your class. Of course, I would address it with the parents first. However, I believe that parents would fully support their children being able to learn the basics of another language. It is truly the direction our society is headed.

In addition to letting the Spanish students share their language in the classroom environment, it may be beneficial for the teacher to at least learn some fundamental words, expressions, or phrases in Spanish. Because there is such a large number of Spanish speaking students in the class this year, it may be likely that the trend will continue into the next year. Having a solid background knowledge in Spanish would be advantageous to his current students as well as to students in the future.

I understand that, as teachers, we need to embrace new cultures in the classroom. I agree with some of your statements, such as the learning the second language as a class. I recall, when I was in kindergarten, my teacher started teaching the class basic Spanish words, which really help me grow with the language by the time I got to middle school whereupon I had to take actual Spanish classes. On another note, I disagree with embracing the foreign language fully. I say this because these students are more than likely attempting to learn the English language, and if they are not speaking it, then they are not practicing it. So, to some extent, there need to be some limits in the classroom regarding the language.

Definitely have some of the students explain some of their language for the whole class! You could even have them translate something you have taught into Spanish and get the rest of the class to learn how to say it in Spanish and let your Spanish-speaking students teach everyone else!

Your idea of encouraging students who are Spanish speakers to become class language teachers is great. Young children can learn new languages very quickly. I would take it one step further by encouraging English speakers to teach new words to Spanish speakers. In that way the whole class could teach each other their languages. That would develop the language skills of all the kids in the class.

I agree that this is a great learning expereince for all students. It is also a great time to teach about other cultures and to let the students help teach the content. Students love to share personal experiences. -Kayla

I like your idea. I would not ban Spanish from the classroom. I would allow the child to use his language in the classroom. This would be a learning experience for the other students. This will help him feel included in the classroom. He will eventually pick up on the English language, but do not force him to stop his. It is quite intriguing for a student to know two languages.

I think your idea is great! The teacher should be no means separate the students or ban another language in the classroom. Instead embrace the differences in your students and take this learning opportunity and run with it. I still think that there should be some guidelines to an extent for all students to follow and setting those boundaries will help the teacher feel more confident and comfortable with the idea!

I agree that Spanish should not be banned competely from the classroom, but make it clear that during certain times of the lesson they will only be using English. This will help with communication in the long run.

I think that this is a great idea because it would serve as a great learning experience. When the spanish speaking students can share a few words with their classmates, it will create a unity among them all. Also, I would not feel the need to eliminate the use of Spanish in the classroom. Embracing it will help the ELL students. They are very young and Spanish is their main language. Try to find ways to incorporate it in the classroom.

You raise a good point; the students must feel as if they "belong" to the classroom. Such a sense of classroom community will eventually promote more English as they assert their desire to communicate more with their other classmates. I would have each Spanish student to point to different shapes and items in the classroom and asked them "how do you say this in Spanish?" The students can lead the discussion successfully if they are guided with a teacher aid.

I agree that students need to feel comfortable and feel as if they belong in the classroom. Once they feel like they belong, they will start opening up in class and make it easier for themselves and you to communicate.

I like how you suggested to have the Spanish speaking students to teach the class some words in Spanish. That is a neat way to have the be a part of the class and to get other students to learn a new language. I also agree to not split up the students completely, but it would be good to split them into smaller groups and combine them with other non-Spanish speaking groups. This could help them learn English and communicate with others.

I agree that banning Spanish from the classroom could have a negative impact on the students. It could make them feel unwelcomed and resent coming to school because they cannot express their culture.

Banning spanish would make students feel unwelcome. I agree with this

That is an awesome way to look at it. Group work is a good idea if the students feel comfortable doing that. You may have students who come from a culture that feels more comfortable working alone. Just make sure you are trying to adapt to as many students as you can.

Great idea to use group work. That encourages students to practice using both Spanish and English communication skills. The children will also be encouraged to learn together. They can help each other learn new skills or accomplish tasks together. By collaborating they will also develop friendships which teaches them essential social emotional skills.

This is a great idea as a teacher should put an emphasis on student interaction through pair or group work to assist ELLs in developing their content and English proficiency.

I agree that group work is a great way to help the students become more comfortable working with English. I also think it is important to allow them to speak in Spanish (as they need to) with their friends to help them feel more comfortable. Instead of creating a rigid structure, try to be flexible in allowing them to speak in Spanish when they need to, but encourage them to speak in English when they are able and comfortable with it.

I think group work is awesome! Any time that students can get together and discuss ideas or problems creates many learning opportunities. This is another type of delivering information other than from the teacher. Students learn a lot from each other. Great post!

Great idea about incorporating group work into the classroom. This would allow the ELL students to work with students who speak English which would give the opportunity for the ELL student to learn from the English speaking student.

Great idea about incorporating group work. This will help them to to feel more accepted in the classroom and will give them a change to interact with students who do not speak Spanish.

I totally agree with your solution. Moving the students out of their comfort zones will be beneficial because once they see that English speakers are open to helping them learn the language, they'll be eager to learn the language more.

I agree that grouping them with bilingual students can be beneficial. They can help translate for them and also teach them.

I really like your idea of group work. I would suggest to make sure that all students are participating in the group work. This will allow the students to interact with each other and learn Spanish also.

This is a great idea! I suggested splitting up the students (but not banning the language), but I hadn't thought of pairing each student with a native English speaker. I think this may work better, though, because students are working with one person instead of a whole group, and like you said, making the students feel isolated may only cause them to enter a silent stage, which would be even more detrimental. I do think, though, that the students need to understand why they are being asked to learn and practice English and why there is a time/place for each language. I think teaching each other is also a great idea. It builds a classroom culture and allows each student be able to share something unique.

I like this, thanks for sharing.

I like this idea of posting words around the room and pictures that match the words. You are very right about their minds being sponges right now, they will soak up this information, and they will be so curious!

I like how you point out to not be negative. Students can definitely pick up on negative vibes, and if these students already feel out of sorts by being in and English-speaking classroom, a negative teacher will only make matters worse!

At this age it is important that students feel they are important and a part of the classroom setting. Posting pictures and words around the room is a great start. The words must be simple (remember, they are in kindergarten). A twist to this idea is to ask students specific questions about favorite colors or foods, for example, and make it a class project. The students will feel more ownership in the words and may make more efforts in learning the language.

I like this idea as well. In Pre-K we are required to do this if we have a student that comes to us not knowing the English language well. It also helps all students since none of them can read at such a young age.

I agree students can sense the emotions of a room. Emotions are primarily universal.

I also believe labels and pictures are fantastic for all kindergarteners, esp. the children whose first language is not English. It enhances and teaches the students words unknown when they see them daily. I also agree on not separating the children due to their native language. A teacher should be here to embrace these differences and explain to the students when is an appropriate time to use English or their native language.

Picture and labels all around the room in both English and Spanish would be a great way for both group of students to learn the other language and have some way of communicating. You could even involve the students in creating the labels so they feel a part of the process.

I agree that labels and the use of Spanish in the classroom would be a great way to incorporate more of the students culture in the classroom and make them feel comfortable. If the kids know that you care about their language and want to help, they will be more wiling to learn. Their minds are like sponges and it is crucial to ensure that their language development continues positively!

Great idea about having items labeled around the classroom in both languages! As young as they are it may be an opportunity for all students to learn some of two languages.

I agree that students can sense negativity. It is important to stay positive in this situation so as not to make the students feel ashamed of the language that they speak. Posting words in both English and Spanish (along with depictions of the words) is a great ideas. It show the students that both languages are valuable.

Your idea of posting words around the room with pictures that match them. I feel that the students will learn the language better that way.

This is a really good and fun idea. It allows for both groups of students to learn about each other and different languages. It also shows both groups of students that you care about them and their culture. Your idea would also be a good quiz or test. Students could go around labeling different things in the room in both languages.

This is a very fun and creative way. you could even get the children involved.

Posting words around the room in both languages is a great idea. Both could learn something from this exercise. Bringing in a translator would also be a good idea to teach the students that they need to communicate with everyone in the class and not just those that speak Spanish.

That is a great way to continue to allow them to use their native language. I also agree that splitting them up is a bad idea!

I really like your suggestion of having pictures of things around the room and having the English and Spanish words for them with it. This can help all students see where certain things are located in the room and help them learn certain words they can use to help them communicate to the teacher or to the students.

That's a great idea to have the bilingual students as leaders in the classroom helping the ELL students!

I think that pairing up weaker students with students who are more proficient is a great idea. That way they can help the weaker students understand the content and what it is you are teaching. They will have the opportunity to work with someone who they may feel more comfortable with. This may help them out of the 'silent stage' a bit faster. This can also free the teacher up to devote enough time to the entire classroom while ensuring that the students who need individual assistance are receiving the help they need when applicable. I think that it will only make everyone in your class a better student. Great post.

I really like this suggestion. It blends the two cultures together and I feel every group member could benefit from it.

I really like this solution. You are not isolating the Spanish-speaking students by putting them in groups where they are the only non-English speaker, but they will need to start communicating with the other group members when they feel comfortable doing so.

I really liked your idea of placing the ESL students in small groups of four during instructional time. I also think that you should have one ESL student who is not as proficient as the other so that the stronger one can assist him with understanding the content, vocabulary, and even to clarify directions. These students will both gain a great deal by being paired up with two students who speak English and will also feel safe as they will have each other to converse with when necessary. I do not think that the teacher should separate the students from one another totally, nor do I think that he/she should make them stop speaking in their native mother tongues. I believe that the students should be allowed to speak their native language when appropriate to allow them to further develop their skills in that language. Allowing them to speak Spanish will also benefit the students who do not speak the language. They will have the opportunity to hear and learn a second language just as like the ESL students are. This will give the English speaking students insight to just how hard it is to learn math, science, and social studies on top of an entirely new language. Great idea.

I like the idea of trying to include both languages in the classroom setting. Allowing the students to speak their native tongue could help them feel more comfortable and lead to academic benefits. Learning both languages could be beneficial to you or your students.

I like the idea of putting them in groups where both languages can be present. This gives everyone in the group an opportunity to communicate with English and Spanish speakers. It forces students of both backgrounds to work together, but in a constructive way.

I thinking splitting the group of students up to prevent them from communicating with each other in a different language will harm their self-esteem. I applaud your idea that one of the students may be confident enough to speak both languages. Utilizing this fact will encourage many other students to learn both languages.

I totally agree with you, Taylor. I accidentally gave you the opposite rating of what your response deserves, so I just wanted to let you know that I agreed with you despite my rating.

I agree that they should not separated. I think it is a great idea to have the students work together with ELL and English speaking students, this will allow students from both cultures to learn about each other while helping the ELL with their English skills.

I think that you should move these students around, like you suggested. Allow them to work together, but also allow them to work with other students. This shows that you support their working together and are comfortable with them holding on to what is known to them, but it also allows some different interaction with other students, which can in turn make them see that English is the most common way to communicate with everyone within your classroom. Learning Spanish would be good, but really only to build a relationship with these students. This might help too, because it might be that later in the year you may want to address it to these students. Having a solid personal relationship with them would allow you to do just that.

You and I have very similar solutions, and I think what you have proposed would not only be beneficial to the Spanish speaking students academically, but will help them become more a part of the classroom culture and environment. We should not expect nor advocate they completely abandon their native language, but we do need to encourage them to take up English to help with their academic progress. Helpful signs and working on basic conversational English will go a long way in this process. Also, allowing them to speak Spanish to their friends in class will create a more welcoming environment for them as they seek to transition to their new country and classroom.

I agree with your solution. Working with another professional, whether it is a translator or an ESOL teacher, will benefit the students more than requiring them to just speak English in the learning environment. Labeling the vocabulary on objects around the classroom will give the students a sense of acceptance in a new place. Differentiating their assignments is another great teaching strategy that will develop their native language and the second language they are learning in a new country.

I like the idea of Spanish translation on objects in the classroom and with work assignments. I do not think it would be a good idea to force students not to speak their native tongue. This might help the students feel more comfortable at school.

Yes forcing the native tongue to stay home can be very dangerous and turn back really quick. I would also let him know that he can speak to administration about fixing this if it becomes a real issue.

I agree with you. I think that you should not jerk them away from their friends who speak their native tongue. I think that by doing this you will potentially shut them down and turn them away from taking risks and acquiring the skills that are required to become proficient speakers of the English language. I believe that you should disperse them amongst the classroom in pairs. These pairs should consist of a weaker ESL student and one who is more proficient. That way the stronger of the two can assist with explaining content and assignments throughout the instructional day. This will provide the ESL students with a 'comfort blanket' and encourage them to take risks with their peer buddy. I really do not believe that they will be as successful if you disperse them and keep them from speaking their native tongue totally. There has to be instances where speaking Spanish is acceptable as some content and directions may require this. Great post.

I like the idea of placing English speaking students in groups with Spanish speaking students. I feel that would allow the classroom to become more of a community instead of one group speaking to each other.

I agree that forcing students to stop speaking Spanish would make the situation worse, it would make them "shut down". Also, great idea about labeling things around the classroom. I teach a self-contained PK and K classroom and we have everything labeled! This helps so much with their vocabulary.

I think the SPanish/English word of the day would be a good idea. This would also benefit the English speakers in the class. They would probably learn it really quickly also being at that young age.

I think that the SIOP method is an excellent source to use in this case. It will implement different strategies in all arenas of the curriculum in order to produce better English Language speaking skills. Great idea.

I agree, you could have a buddy system where ELL students are partnered with an English speaking student.

Mixing up the the students into groups is a good idea. Hopefully as the Spanish speakers interact with the English speakers they will become more motivated to speak English. Using the words posted around the room with visual representations of the meanings of the words will expose the Spanish speakers to the written language of English. I would add the words written in Spanish to the cards as well. I think it would be great for the English speakers to learn some Spanish as well. This interaction with both languages will also encourage socialization and friendships among the students.

I like most of this idea. The only part that I have a problem with is designating a time for Spanish. I like the other ideas with grouping the students with English speaking students to influence their English language skills.

I agree that the students should not be separated. They are very young in Kindergarten and it is their native language! I would try to find ways to incorporate it in the classroom. The students can learn from each other. When ELL students come in the classroom from another area, they need to feel welcome. Speaking Spanish to the other students is comforting to them. Telling them to stop speaking their native language would be disrespectful.

It is a good idea. If you have problems with parents you can explain to them that you are simply developing some second language skills since studies have shown that it is much easier to learn a new language the younger you are. You are in no way trying to replace English just develop other skills. It is also a good idea because you are showing the Spanish speaking students that you care about them and their culture. This can only help.

I really like your suggestion to have them teach their English speaking peers Spanish words, and have their English speaking peers teach them English words. It will not only improve their vocabulary skills, but it will also help them build relationships with their English speaking peers which will hopefully encourage them to participate more during whole group instruction.

I agree that separating the Spanish speaking students would not be beneficial. Intermingling the students would be best. If you have the technology to do so, I would recommend incorporating Spanish or Spanish/English speaking games on i-Pads during small group instruction. This would help everyone learn new words and help break down the communication barrier. Not to mention, it would be fun!

I think you proposed a great solution. I think this would be the same scenario for students who don't speak another language. All students tend to stick with the people they are most comfortable with (their friends). As a teacher, I think it's a great strategy to encourage students to work with and communicate with people who aren't in their social group.

I agree. A bilingual classroom would be awesome. Kindergarten aged students are like sponges! With technology being the wave of the future, I would recommend incorporating Spanish lessons wherever I could (SmartBoards, i-Pads, etc.). Recently, I have found more and more books that are written and recorded on CD's in Spanish. Scholastic's Reading Club even has a Reading Book order form just for Spanish books (Club Leo). I also love the books that are embedded with Spanish. I actually found one book at a book fair at our school that has embedded Spanish in it. The name of the book is Rubia and the Three Osos by Susan Middleton Elya. As you can probably tell from the title, it's a spin-off (with a cool twist at the end) of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I would certainly recommend it!

Yes I agree, as educators it's ours duties to implement and incorporate the students' prior knowledge and interests into the daily lesson. Throughout my reading emphasis has been placed on incorporate students' home environment in their school environment. I always wonder why Ebonics is prohibited in schools, being it's a linguistic language.

You make a valid point. while we do not want to stop the students from speaking their native language, we do want them to be successful in school. And, as you mentioned, schools are based in the English language. Separation might be an option, but only after other strategies have been tried.option,

I agree that since English is the primary language used in schools today, they should be required to speak English. However, I personally would encourage them to use Spanish during the day as well. In our world today, being bilingual is so beneficial!

I agree that at times a separation would be beneficial for all the students just as at times having students speak in whatever language they choose would be beneficial.

I agree that students should be given allotted times in class where they can use their native language. It is necessary for students to learn English and be able to use it effectively in order to succeed in school where English is the primary language.

Exactly. I don't think that the students should be discouraged from speaking their native language, but I feel as though it is important for them to understand why they are begin split in groups and why they need to learn and practice English.

Agreed. These students need to work together to achieve their goals. Also, they can be used to teach others about their cultures just as the native English speakers will teach them about their American culture.

I would also add that it is important for the teacher to make every effort to seek out a bilingual paraprofessional or ESOL teacher for additional support. The students should be able to use their native tongue at any time during the school day. For many of the students, that is their means of communicating and learning.

Since there are a large number of students that speak Spanish in the classroom and I am assuming that the lead teacher does not speak Spanish, it would be a good idea to have a bilingual paraprofessional in the classroom. This would help the teacher and the students be able to communicate more effectively.

I also believe it is very important to not force the children to not use their native language. This is what makes them feel comfortable and esp. at such a young age in school they should be able to use this language to communicate. (It may also influence students who do not speak the language to pick up the language).The students should be able to know when it is okay to use this languge or when English is appropriate for discussion or speaking their ideas.

I could not agree with you more. I do not think forcing the students to leave their native language at home at this point in time would be a very good idea. They need to be integrated into the classroom as much as possible. You can achieve this through the use of a buddy system or small groups. The groups could consist of two English speaking students and two ESL students. One of the ESL students needs to be weaker than the other one so that the one with more proficiency can assist the other when needed during instructional time with things like content and academic vocabulary. The stronger ESL student can interpret the content during instructional time when needed. By doing this you will also be improving their ability to speak in their native tongues. Another benefit to doing this will be that the teacher will be free to assist all of the students in the classroom and ensure that everyone is receiving a free and appropriate public education. By placing these students in these groups, you will spark the interests of the both the English and Spanish speaking students. The teacher can encourage the Spanish speaking students to teach the other students in the group some words in Spanish. Conversely, the English speaking students can assist the ESL students in learning English. It is a win-win situation for both sides. These students will begin to form bonds and relationships with one another and your ESL students will feel like they language and culture are valued. They will feel accepted and will feel more comfortable in the classroom, thus taking more risks. Great post. Very insightful.

I love the approach of creating small groups based on the students' weakness and strengthens. Creating small groups is a great idea, because as an educator you can review the students' portfolio and successful group the students by interests and level of academics.

I agree that it would not be beneficial to students to force them to leave their native language at home, but I don't think that allowing them to speak Spanish whenever they want without boundaries would be good at all. To allow them to speak Spanish too often would fail to teach them the dominant language that they are growing up with and will one day be looking for jobs in. There would have to be a balance.

I like your suggestion of integrating both languages in the classroom. I especially like you idea of labeling items in both languages. I feel that this will make your Spanish speaking students feel much more comfortable and accepted in the classroom.

I agree with placing labels on objects throughout the classroom. Students are always intrigued when they learn words from a different language. I also feel placing those labels on objects around the classroom will increase the class community due to the English speaking students being curious about the pronunciation of Spanish words.

You make a great point that the students should remain in the group because students learn so much from their peers. I also think that having another person come into the class room to help with communication would be good for everyone and a great learning experience for the teacher as well as all the students.

Yes, I believe students learn a lot from their peers too. However, I wouldn't dare to take away their native tongue, but I would see if I am eligible to get some help with the students, so that the students and myself can learn together.

I think you are right! Students sometimes tend to learn more from their peers than from us as the teacher! Leave them in the group, but maybe limit the group size.

You are right. These students need an oppertunity to work with the English speaking studnets so that they get exposed to the language. I also think it is a good idea for the English speaking students so that they can exposed to another language. -Kayla

I agree that children learn a lot from each other. Especially at this age, it is so important for them to have the opportunity to communicate with one another regardless of what language it is in.

I agree, keeping the group together can be beneficial for many reasons. Having someone come into the classroom is a great idea and much better than what I see many schools doing which is removing the children from the classroom.

I think your solution is good. I think a teacher who can come in and help the communication is a great idea. However that may not be realistic in most school situations. I think the teacher should have the students help her learn Spanish along with her taking the time to learn the language. This can help her confidence with the student speaking the language in her classroom. But I agree to not break up the groups.

I agree that keeping the group in the classroom will be beneficial. However, I don't think the students should be allowed to solely work with each other because all of them speak the same native language. I think that by breaking the group up and allowing them to interact with other English speakers will allow the Non-English speaking students to become more familiar with the language. It will also move the students out of their comfort zones so they'll be more eager to learn when they realize that the English speaking students are opening to helping them learn the language.

I think getting another teacher in the room would help. An ideal situation would be a teacher that knows Spanish. She/he could help translate conversations to the teacher. I would for sure not split them up completely.

I agree they shouldn't be completley separated because they will learn a lot from their peers.

I think your suggestion of using the SIOP method to promote English language learning is a great one. One benefit for these students is that they are in kindergarten, so they are likely to pick up English at a faster rate than older students.

I like your idea of slowly separating them so they can adjust to being around other students and hopefully learn more English along the way. I hadn't even considered this.

I agree that slowly separating them may be beneficial. If given the choice, of course they may gravitate to the students they feel most comfortable with. As a teacher, facilitating small group activities with a diverse group of students would be beneficial to all students involved!

i agree that forcing students to leave their native tongue at home can result in decreased motivation to learn and decreased respect for you as the teacher. you want them to feel that their culture and languages are important and that they are important individuals in the classroom. I think that using various strategies that incorporate their own language into lessons is a great start!

Great point - there should be a mix of language used in the learning process. So the group should be split up sometimes. Forcing students out of their comfort zone early will pay off in the end. Theses students will feel comfortable speaking, writing, and reading any language.

I agree that the teacher should make an effort to learn some Spanish to more effectively communicate with the students. I also like your idea of mixing instruction in English and Spanish. Not only would the ELL benefit, I think the English speaking students would benefit as well as they are exposed to another language. Also, by mixing the language of instruction both the ELL and English speaking students will probably become more comfortable communicating with one another.

I love this idea! You get them to start interacting with their English-speaking classmates but allow them to do so while speaking Spanish (which is what they are comfortable with). I think it will help them feel more welcome and at ease in the classroom and will make it easier for them to transition to speaking English when they feel ready.

I like this idea. It definitely is a win-win situation for everyone. The Spanish speaking students will assist in teaching other students their native tongue, while the students who speak English can help teach your ESL students English. This will make everyone comfortable in the room and should encourage them to take risks and make them excited about teaching and learning language. That is a great idea. I wonder how this worked out. I am sure that this was a great solution to the problem.

I think that allowing the Spanish speaking students to teach their language to the English speaking students is a great idea. I would allow students to get to know each other that might otherwise never speak and it gives the speakers of both language a feeling of importance because they are doing a very important job.

This is a great idea! Empowering them to teach the others in the class Spanish would not only make them responsible and give them the feeling of acceptance but would help them to learn to communicate to others.

This is a great idea. I think separating them without this would make them feel isolated and vulnerable. Now they will feel more empowered.

@ udydyV-My only fear would be that the English speaking students would then grow frustrated with communication. One would not want to transfer that same frustration. My question would be when implementing this idea, what are the ages of the students in the class. If they are lower ages such as Kindergarten through 2nd, the students may not have the developmental skills themselves to lead a class discussion implementing language instruction. But I guess it is worth a try though.

I think that this is a good idea. Students can learn a lot from each other and this may help the other students communicate more with the Spanish speaking students. The students could work in groups and complete multicultural activities together so that they both learning something.

I think that is a great idea! Have the Spanish speaking students teach other students one word a day that relates to their content.

I think this is a great idea! I also think that you could possibly incorporate some Spanish into the lessons to get the students feeling more comfortable. For example, when introducing new vocabulary, you could have the students say the Spanish translation of the word.

I like your suggestions on how to group students during different lessons and classroom activities. By mixing English and Spanish speaking students together they will have to work together and figure out how to communicate. English speaking students will probably begin to pick up on some Spanish, and vice versa.

I agree. I would not separate them, as they probably feel alienated already. I would, however, ask that they do speak English in class. I would allow them to speak Spanish at the end of instruction and they could teach other students in the class Spanish. This would help them to feel included.

I agree that asking the students to speak English in class is appropriate and allow them to choose during recreational times. However, for those students that do not speak English I feel it would be appropriate to use a "buddy" to translate in class.

I understand that your objective (and the school's) is to help the students increase their English proficiency, but I disagree in the manner in which you are going about it. A teacher has no right to limit a child's right to speak in their native tongue. A child's native tongue can be used to support the teacher's objectives.

I do not agree with this post either. Yes, it is important for students who do not know English to learn English, but at the same time the students should not be limited to communicating with each other. A student still needs to be able to interact with other students. Just because Spanish is being spoken, does not mean that the students are not learning either.

It is not a teacher's role to define when students will or won't speak in their native tongue. The problem in this scenario is that that students in the classroom do not know English and are not being offered an instructional opportunity to develop their English. The SIOP model was developed in order to help teachers effectively teach English Language Learners in their classroom. This type of model allows the student to develop their English while also learn the lesson content along side their English speaking peers.

I feel they should be allowed to speak i Spanish, especially if they are in a group together. However, I would require them to speak to me in the best English they can, and English must be used for academic purposes. I also feel at this early stage in their educaiton they should be in a fully sheltered class learning English and school norms, but I know ELL students are not Federally protected like SPED so a lot of times the support isn't there at schools. Ideally there would be specialized academices set up to allow for greater integration and language skills before they are placed in general education.