*The time spent at each level will depend on the individual student.  The personality of the student and their exposure to English outside of school will be factors.

Level 1 Entering:    Pre-Production

• minimal comprehension
• no verbal production

Level 2 Beginning:   Early Production

• limited comprehension
• one or two word responses

Level 3 Developing: Speech Emergence

• good communication
• production of simple sentences with some errors
• short phrases
• dialogue

Level 4 Expanding:   Intermediate

• may have excellent comprehension
• makes few grammatical errors

Level 5 Bridging:     Advanced Fluency

• may exhibit near-native speech in English

“Although English conversation skills may be acquired quite rapidly by ESL students, upward of five years may be required for ESL students to reach a level of academic proficiency in English comparable to their native-English speaking peers…” (Cummins)

• Use preferential seating close to the front of the classroom
• Use word banks and vocabulary with pictures
• Use graphs, timelines, graphic organizers
• Provide visual clues, such as facial expressions, gestures, pictures, cartoons, posters, charts, maps, manipulatives, and videos
• Give clear, short oral directions accompanied by written directions
• Check for understanding
• Use a peer buddy system
• Provide cooperative learning experiences
• Find opportunities for one-on-one help
• Alternative assessments
• Use illustrated simplified texts and/or texts in students’ first language
• Promote multicultural awareness in the classroom
• Activate prior knowledge
• Model and teach learning strategies
• Emphasize comprehension over pronunciation