Explain The Need For Lesson Pacing English Language Essay

Explain how pacing differs for a class that includes English language learner students from a class that does not include ELL students.

Instructional pacing will vary from classroom to classroom based on any special needs of the student’s that occur in each classroom. A classroom that contains English Language Learners (ELL) needs to maintain a pacing that is slower than a classroom that does not contain ELL students. ELL students need a pace that is much slower than non-ELL students. They need opportunities to ask questions during and after instruction, extended time requirements for activities, and longer wait times when being asked a question. Teachers need to provide students with a pace that is slower than non-ELL students; however, teachers should take care that the pace is not so slow that the natural rhythm of the English language is completely lost. ELL students need concepts to be broken down into less complex, easy steps that are offered at a more gradual pace. It is also necessary for teacher’s to check for student comprehension more often in an ELL classroom than it is for a teacher in a non-ELL classroom. It is essential for ELL students to receive instructional pacing that is according to their language and academic abilities. Teacher’s may need to make accommodations in their lesson plans to provide students with instruction that is paced according to their language abilities, but it is necessary for the ELL student to achieve academic and language success that the pace is adapted according to his/her needs.When a lesson is particularly complex, the teacher needs to provide students with a pacing that coincides with their ability levels. This is essentially the case in a classroom that contains ELL students. While a moderate pace could be adapted for a classroom that does not contain ELL students, a complex lesson may need to have a slower pace in a classroom with ELL students. ELL’s need complex concepts broke down into simple and easy components, and sometimes need additional instruction in their first language, in order to gain appropriate comprehension of the subject. Because ELL students need more complex materials to be broken down into more easier, manageable steps, the instructional pacing that the teacher has established of planned for could be directly affected. Pacing would become much slower when concepts need more extensive instruction than what would normally be required. However, it is essential to remember that pacing must always take a backseat to the student being able to gain mastery of the content. Pacing does not govern the classroom-student learning does and with ELL students, that pace could become much slower at times and cause teacher’s to pick the essential content that must be taught and maybe foregoing extensive instruction on easier to grasp subjects.

(I did not write this…copied from a website. It looked pretty good.)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1820697/instructional_pacing_in_the_classroom_pg2.html?cat=4

Providing content clarity for ELL students requires a significantly slower pace of instruction in the classroom than teaching students who possess a fluent understanding of the English language at there age/grade level. Although preparation for a classroom with or without ELL students requires similar planning procedures, such as defining objectives and providing activities that reinforce what the students are learning, executing the lesson and reaching those objectives differs. Because ELL students do not possess the level of proficiency that non ELL students at a similar age possess, the teacher must speak more slowly and articulate the language on a level that students can understand, never assuming that they know what he/she is talking about. The teacher must also provide visual assistance more often in the form of words, pictures, graphic organizers, etc. The teacher must also provide more opportunities with ELL students to interact with one another in the classroom. This can be done by utilizing group work with partners, groups of three or more students, or teams that vary in language development so as to reinforce and encourage further language development. This gives children an opportunity to “practice” new language concepts that have been taught. Teaching ELL students also requires a special knack for providing lessons that incorporate a well rounded task set. Students that learn lessons that allow them to hear, speak, read and write words experience more effective reinforcement than students who only have one or two of those concepts provided in a lesson.

Teach and Assess….teach and assess…teach and assess…must be a constant and consistent technique.

Explain how the complexity of lesson content can influence lesson pacing with a class that includes ELL students…

Referring to the above paragraph…see key concepts and build on different ways in order to present them in the classroom. Each concept requires a framework that engages the students in using multi-sensory activities. If they see…written letters that make words that make sentences that make paragraphs that actually communicate something…word walls, word study books, etc…, hear words spoken as vocabulary with definition and spoken in context…word usage, touch…using manipulatives in the classroom. Where words are concerned, writing them is key concept. Writing words and sentences that make sense. Speak… talking to the teacher and one another makes a huge difference. Interaction, interaction, interaction…immersion in the language!!!