Language Observation Paper

The interview took place at Midway Elementary School, which is a Title 1 school. Midway offers instruction in language acquisition for students whose first language is not English. Upon enrollment, students are administered the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (WAPT) to identify his or her level of English proficiency and to determine eligibility for ESOL instructional support. Educators use the results from WAPT to determine placement, monitor student process, and to design effective instructional plans that meet the specific language needs of the student. The students who qualify for language support receive instruction through a pull out model or in an inclusion setting.
The students at Midway receiving language assistance were observed in a
Flack is the ESOL teacher responsible for providing the academic and language support that teaches students how to read, write, and speak using the English language. She speaks fluent Spanish, and designs instructional plans that target a small group of six students. Two of the students are from Mexico and have had no prior educational experience. They had to learn many school rules such as sitting down at the table in order to learn. They also had to learn cultural and social rules such as not kissing the teacher or touching her in an inappropriate manner.
To teach the appropriate behaviors, Mrs. Flack developed a behavior plan using picture cues as a strategy for orally explaining the acceptable behaviors. The behaviors along with the corresponding visual representations were also posted on a word wall as a daily reminder and reference for the students. Acceptable behaviors were reinforced by explaining classroom rules in the student’s native language and by handing out prizes when the desired behavior was accomplished. Another student in the group is from Russia and has attended school regularly in her country. In order to communicate with teachers and to complete classwork she is paired with a peer mentor who also speaks Russian. The peer mentor is used as a translator to answer questions and to assist her in completing classwork and