Natural Stages of Natural Stages of Language Development:Language Development:

Teaching Learners through Teaching Learners through Principles of Language Principles of Language

AcquisitionAcquisition

TLPI Spring 2007

Prepared by Virginia Shannon

Some MaximsSome Maxims

A student’s literacy in their first A student’s literacy in their first language dramatically impacts their language dramatically impacts their ability to acquire subsequent ability to acquire subsequent languages (Krashen).languages (Krashen).

A student’s ability to produce A student’s ability to produce language will vary from context to language will vary from context to context.context.

ELL does not equal low I.Q.ELL does not equal low I.Q.

Assessment and PlacementAssessment and Placement

Home Language Survey (HLS)Home Language Survey (HLS) Student Oral Language Observation Student Oral Language Observation

Matrix (SOLOM)Matrix (SOLOM) California English Language California English Language

Development Test (CELDT)Development Test (CELDT) Primary language testsPrimary language tests Teacher observation and Teacher observation and

recommendationrecommendation

Level 1: Pre-production StageLevel 1: Pre-production Stage

Minimal Minimal comprehensioncomprehension

No verbal productionNo verbal production

Strategies to useStrategies to use

listenlisten

movemove

mimemime

pointpoint

matchmatch

drawdraw

selectselect

circlecircle

actact

Level 2: Early Production StageLevel 2: Early Production Stage

Limited Limited comprehensioncomprehension

Verbal responses Verbal responses limited to one or limited to one or two wordstwo words

Strategies to useStrategies to use

namename

labellabel

groupgroup

answeranswer

listlist

categorizecategorize

say or tellsay or tell

Level 3: Speech Emergence StageLevel 3: Speech Emergence Stage

Increased Increased comprehensioncomprehension

Simple sentencesSimple sentences Simple errors in Simple errors in

speechspeech

Strategies to useStrategies to userecallrecall

comparecompare

restaterestate

definedefine

describedescribe

explainexplain

role playrole play

Level 4: Intermediate Fluency Level 4: Intermediate Fluency StageStage

Very good Very good comprehensioncomprehension

More complex More complex sentencessentences

Complex errors in Complex errors in speechspeech

Strategies to useStrategies to use

analyzeanalyze

createcreate

defenddefend

completecomplete

evaluateevaluate

justifyjustify

supportsupport

describe in describe in detaildetail

Level 5: Fluency StageLevel 5: Fluency Stage

Learners in this stage have acquired Learners in this stage have acquired basic interpersonal communication basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) skills (BICS)

Their ability to acquire cognitive Their ability to acquire cognitive academic language proficiency academic language proficiency (CALP) enhances their ability to learn (CALP) enhances their ability to learn challenging content in an acquired challenging content in an acquired language (Cummins)language (Cummins)