Organizing for Instruction

Organizing Elementary, Junior High and Middle Schools

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten, children learning English typically are in the regular classroom with their same-age peers. Explicit language instruction is required to develop oral language for children learning English as a new language. The following chart shows how children at lower English language proficiency levels require more time, support and explicit instruction. As their proficiency increases, explicit language instruction with a more specific language focus is required.

Level 1 Beginning	Level 2 Developing	Level 3 Expanding	Level 4 Bridging	Level 5 Extending
Small Group Instruction through Learning Centres Explicit instruction Modified outcomes	Small Group Instruction through Learning Centres Explicit instruction Modified outcomes	Grouping in the Classroom Explicit instruction Differentiation	Grouping in the Classroom Explicit instruction Differentiation	Grouping in the Classroom Explicit instruction Differentiation

Grades 1 to 9

This table Word shows examples of effective organization and support practices for English language learners in grades 1 through 9. It illustrates that:

an English language learner’s proficiency influences the level and type of support he or she needs
the subject influences how much support an English language learner needs
the types of support required change as a student’s English language proficiency increases
students require a balance throughout the day of sheltered/explicit instruction opportunities and opportunities to interact with their English-speaking peers.

Class Assignment

When making class assignments, consider each individual student and his or her:

academic ability and/or skills
language proficiency
learning preferences
cultural background/home language
gender
interests.

Timetabling

When creating the school timetable, it is beneficial to create blocks during which groups of students are working on a similar subject. For example, create blocks according to:

English language arts/humanities
mathematics/science
literacy and numeracy needs
cross-curricular topics or projects; e.g., two subject-area classes scheduled back to back.

Creating these blocks allows classes to combine and regroup. For example:

students are regrouped from several classes on the same subject scheduled at the same time to create a sheltered class
two classes combine and redistribute the students to create groups based on language or subject matter needs
two classes are combined and then divided into three groups to be taught with an additional teacher.

Clustering in Junior High

When students with a range of English language proficiencies are dispersed across a variety of classes, teachers often have to differentiate instruction across a broad range of proficiency levels in all classes. To allow teachers to plan and use their time efficiently, groups of English language learners can be clustered by proficiency in particular classes. For example, several English language proficiency Level 1 or 2 learners may be clustered in one class so that each teacher differentiates for the group of beginner students, and/or Level 3 English language learners can be grouped for their core subjects. English language learners with Levels 4 and 5 proficiency may be dispersed; however, teachers should still plan to support them based on their language learning needs.