Language has impacted the way we learn. I decided to conduct scholarly research to better educate myself on languages. In Edward Sapir’s article, he points out that if a child were to grow up in a place where society is eliminated, then the child would eventually learn how to walk as that is a survival skill but language may never be acquired (Sapir, 1949). Language is dependent on the social group we identify with. There are so many languages in this world spoken by different societal groups. Whichever societal group you grow up with, that is the language your brain will begin to obtain and remember (Sapir, 1949). We would not know language without our peers. Now think about a family who comes to the United States as new learners of English.

This got me thinking about my ELL learners. English is not their first language, it is their second. What is the best way to accommodate them? Recently, we received a student from Ukraine who speaks only Ukrainian. I learned that we have a sticky keyboard pad where the student can put the Ukrainian letters right next to the English letters. Online translation has also been of great help. In a diverse setting, we must not expect every student to speak one language as families have immigrated from different countries looking for better opportunities. Below, I am attaching ELL friendlies to support our ELL learners.

Source: Gonzalez, V. (n.d.). Four surefire techniques for engaging English language learners. School Library Journal.

References​

Gonzalez, V. (n.d.). Four surefire techniques for engaging English language learners. School Library Journal. 

Sapir, Edward. Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company, pp. 1-4, 11, 150, 192, 218. || Amazon || Worldcat