Immigrating to a new country at a young age is always going to be a challenge if your family is from a country where English is not natively spoken. Where children have a great deal of trouble is that their parents usually speak no English when they are trying to send them to English speaking schools. These students tend to fall behind because if they do not have a language tutor, they are unable to ask their parents for guidance. When we are conversing about this type of learner, we are usually referring to an ELL learner. Where the ELL has a great deal of challenges is when they are forced to comply with the CCSS standards that each state provides. Consider this paper as a guiding force of book recommendations and recommended techniques for working with an ELL student who is in their “Early Production” phase.
“Early Production” phrase refers to an ELL speaker who begins to speak using shortened words and phrases, (ColorinColorado). At this point in time, the ELL speaker is still trying to understand the English language and is forced to make many grammar and pronunciation errors as their comprehension aspect of their language learning is increasing, (ColorinColorado). In order to engage a child that is in the “Early Production” phase, there is a book called, “The Rainbow Fish,” by Marcus Pfister. What is great about “The Rainbow Fish” is that it is a series. Thus, my recommendation is to use two of the books for the series in order to formulate a viable lesson plan for an ELL learning in their “Early Production” phase.
The reason that “The Rainbow Fish” is an ideal choice is that it is a simple children’s story about a fish that has hologram scales. The fish is the outcast of the other fish even though he is the most beautiful. The fish is very colorful and has a great deal of emotions. These concepts are two great ways to teach an ELL learner colors and emotions through engaging activities. Additionally, by using one of the other books in the series, the ELL learner establishes themselves with the characters and has a firmer memory of the concepts that they are learning. Lastly, the child is immediately enthralled and engaged by the wonderful illustrations that the books have.
In order to interest the ELL student, I would propose two activities. The first one being that they draw their favorite character in the book and talk about the colors. This activity will help them practice new vocabulary and establishing sentences that have fewer errors in their conversation skills. The second activity would be pertaining to the fish’s emotions. I would have the child act out how the fish is feeling and have a conversation about it. This would help them become more comfortable expressing their reactions and thoughts in English in a fun way.
“The Rainbow Fish” is culturally relevant to any ELL learner from any background. The reason is that colors and emotions are universal and once the student understands what they are learning, they will be able to have a great deal of success in connecting with this topic. In order to ensure that they meet CCSS requirements, it would be prudent to test the child’s knowledge of colors and emotions after this exercise. It is highly likely that they will score better than previously.
“The Rainbow Fish” has been an international best seller since the 1990’s because of the fun illustrations, simple writing, and positive message for children. Any child who reads this book is engaged, which is why it is a great fit for a new ELL who is lacking in confidence. “The Rainbow Fish” will provide them a warm, engaging exercise that will greatly benefit their English abilities in the long run.
References
Ford, K., Robertson, K. Language Acquisition: An Overview. Colorín Colorado! Retrieved from: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview/.
