Course Goals & Objectives
Course Goals: This course aims to introduce general education teachers and all interested educators to the essentials of second language acquisition and to help them understand how students new to English develop language and literacy skills. It will highlight key strategies connected to each of the five stages of language acquisition based on the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) framework:
- Starting: Being exposed to English with no or very limited language production
- Emerging: Demonstrating receptive and emerging productive language skills
- Developing: Employing basic oral and written language skills with predictable error patterns
- Expanding: Employing more advanced oral and written language skills with fewer errors
- Bridging: Approximating native language proficiency
Participants will be given ample opportunities to apply what they have learned to their own unique contexts.
Course Objectives:
- Describe the characteristics of multilingual learners at each of the 5 levels of language acquisition
- Identify and evaluate key language and literacy strategies that best support students on each level
- Apply language and literacy development practices to own instructional contexts
Course Schedule
Week 1: Intro to the basics of second language acquisition and the immigrant experience
Readings: Honigsfeld, Book, Preface
Assignment: Goal-setting statement
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday, reply to 2 classmates due on Sunday
Week 2: Newcomers (Starting Level Students)
- Describe the characteristics of multilingual learners at the Starting level
- Identify and evaluate key language and literacy strategies that best support these students
- Apply practices to own instructional context
Readings: Honigsfeld, Book, Ch 1
Assignment: Case Study Analysis
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday, reply to 2 classmates due on Sunday
Week 3: Emerging Level Students
- Describe the characteristics of multilingual learners s at the Emerging level
- Identify and evaluate key language and literacy strategies that best support these students
- Apply practices to own instructional context
Readings: Honigsfeld, Book, Ch 2
Assignment: Interview or Observation
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday, reply to 2 classmates due on Sunday
Week 4: Developing Level Students
- Describe the characteristics of multilingual learners at the Developing level
- Identify and evaluate key language and literacy strategies that best support these students
- Apply practices to own instructional context
Readings: Honigsfeld, Book, Ch 3
Assignment: Strategy Library Review (https://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-strategy-library )
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday, reply to 2 classmates due on Sunday
Week 5: Expanding Level Students
- Describe the characteristics of multilingual learners at the Expanding level
- Identify and evaluate key language and literacy strategies that best support these students
- Apply practices to own instructional context
Readings: Honigsfeld, Book, Ch 4
Assignment: Personal Strategy Collection — Draft
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday, reply to 2 classmates due on Sunday
Week 6: Bridging Level Students
- Describe the characteristics of multilingual learners at the Bridging level
- Identify and evaluate key language and literacy strategies that best support these students
- Apply practices to own instructional context
Readings: Honigsfeld, Book, Ch 5
Assignment: Peer feedback on draft strategy collection
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday, reply to 2 classmates due on Sunday
Week 7: Course Review and Reflection
Discussion Board– Initial Post due on Thursday (peer reply is optional)
Assignment: Final Project Submission
Required Texts
Required Texts are not included in the course tuition.
For All
Teaching English Learners: Strategies for Classroom Teachers – 2022
by Carrie McDermott Goldman (Author)
Purchase at Amazon
For Grades K-5 Teachers:
Honigsfeld, A. (2019). Growing academic language and literacy: Strategies for English learners. (Grades K-8). Heinemann.
For Grades 6-12 Teachers
Honigsfeld, A. (2024). Growing language and literacy (Grades 6-12). Heinemann.
