The Stages of Language Acquisition for ELLs Flashcards
It is a key educational goal of any English
language learner (ELL).
Language acquisition
What are the stages of first language acquisition?
- Pre-talking
- Babbling
- Holophrastic
- 2-word
- Telegraphic
- Multiword
- This stage takes place from birth to around six months of age.
- During this time, the child does not speak but is beginning to understand short words and phrases that are central to their needs and interests.
Pre-talking
- This phase occurs from around six to eight months old. In this phase, the infant begins to “babble” and makes noises and syllables that are not yet words.
- Physically, teeth begin to appear and the muscles in the mouth required for speech begin to develop.
Babbling
- This stage is significantly longer, occurring between
nine and eighteen months old. - During this phase, the infant begins to learn and speak single words. In the beginning, these words are strongly centered around basic needs and interests as well as names or identifiers like “mama” and “dada.”
Holophrastic
- This stage takes place from eighteen to twenty-four months old.
- Once children have developed single-word speech, they begin to pair groups of words together into mini-sentences and phrases like “I want” or “give me.”
Two-word
- This stage takes place from two to three years old.
- Overtime, children begin to expand their two-word phrases into short sentences.
- They also begin to utilize lexical morphemes to make the words they use fit the sentence. For example, they understand to use the plural form of “boys” instead of “boy” when referring to a group of boys.
Telegraphic
- Past the age of three, most children fall into this stage.
- In this final stage of language acquisition, children now learn to use functional morphemes to change the meaning of the words they use. Examples include the words but, in, the, and that.
Multiword
What is the first stage of English Language Learning and when does it occurs?
- Pre-production
- First 6 months of exposire to the language
Pre-production is the ____. Comparable to the ____ and ____ stages of first language acquisition. No spoken English skills. Minimal ____ and ____ skills. Utilize gestures like nodding, painting, and drawing to explain themselves
- silent phase
- pre-talking and babbling
- ## comprehension and listening
How to teach ELLs who are in the pre-production stage?
- Simple prompts like “point to,” “show me”
- Provide visuals and/or realia
- Demonstrate and practice classroom routines
- Limit the amount of technology they are exposed to early on until they have an adequate understanding of procedures and policies for using computers
- Repetition, especially on new vocabulary
- Get to know your students’ cultures
What is the next stage of English Language Learning and when does it occur?
- Early Production
- 6-12 months of exposure
In the Early Production phase, learners are able to produce ____ to ____ words of English phrases. They have absorbed ____ of words. Lastly, as ____ increases, students begin to speak more. Use only____ nouns.
- 1 to 2 words
- thousands of words
- comprehension increases
- present tense nouns
How to teach ELLs who are in the Early Production stage?
- Ask yes/no questions
- Ask questions asking “who, what, where, and when”
- Provide sentence starters to complete thought
What is the 3rd stage of English Langugage Learning and when does it occur?
- Speech Emergence
- 1 to 3 years of exposure to English
In the Speech Emergence stage, ELLs can ____, ___, and ____ ____ sentences. ____ and ____ errors are present and they will struggle with homophones, ____, and cultural ____ in conversation.
- Read, write, and understand simple sentences
- Grammatical and pronunciation errors are present
- Struggle in jokes and slangs
How to teach ELLs who are in Speech Emergence stage?
- Ask longer-form questions with prompts like “why” and “how”
- Simplify language when teaching new concepts
- Explicity teach language and writing structures
- Learn how your students’ culture organize sentences and thoughts
- The difference between oral fluency and proficiency
It can occur as early as 3 years but may take upwards of 10 years or a lifetime, depending on various factors.
Fluency
How will students be able to reach fluency?
Ongoing education
In the fluency stage, ELLs have excellent ___, ___, and ___ skills. They may struggle with pronunciation but its important to keep in mind that “difficulty with pronunciation does not equate to a lack of language comprehension.”
Comprehension, speech, and writing skills
How to teach ELLs who are in the Fluency stage?
- Provide additional support
- Continue using visuals and strategies
- Explicit instructions for difficulties texts and organization of thoughts and ideas
- Give them an opportunity to teach others
What are the similarities between 1st and 2nd Language Acquisition?
- Predictable stages (Not every student will progress at the same rate but they will all go through the stages in the same order).
- Delay between comprehension and speech (They understand more than they can explain or say).
- They can speak or comprehend in a low-pressure situation than in a class.
- Learn through making mistakes.
What are the differences between 1st and 2nd Language Acquisition?
- ELLs have already built a foundation for language learning, so they will likely pick up speech, reading, and writing faster if they are already competent at these skills in their native language.
- ELLs are expected to learn their 2nd language much faster than their first. (1st language = 24 months before they are expected to talk on 2-word; 2nd language = 12 months
- 2nd language learning requires explicit instruction whereas 1st language learning is a more passive process
What are the factors that affect the stages of Language Acquisition for ELLs?
- Age
- Immersion Level
- Setting
- First Language Proficiency
