ESOL 2 ~ Case Study ~ Fall 2007
ESOL Learner: Han Cheng
Age : 12 years old
DOA: 14 months
Native Language: Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese
Problem /issue: Han’s verbal communication skills need to be improved
Researcher: Yee-chen Robson
Course: FLE5431, ESOL II
Instructor: Dr. Kim
ESOL 2
Case Study Parametres
Phase 1
Societal Linguistic Background
Description:
Han Cheng is a 12- year-old Chinese boy. He is slim, tall and healthy. He is shy and quiet. He has a low and soft voice when he speaks. He was actually born on January 6, 1995 in Washington. In 1999 his mother sent him back to China to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin in Zhao Qing County. She sent him back to develop the foundation of his math and Chinese language skills. She wanted him to be good in math and to be able to speak Chinese. She visited Han once or twice every year when he was in China. Han thought that living in China for five years was a positive experience. He said, “My county zhao qing is very beautiful and a lots of peoples, cars, bicycles.”
In 1999, Han Cheng finished preschool and spoke some English already when he left the United States. He did not know any Mandarin Chinese when he first got to China because he spoke Cantonese at home with his mom. He also spoke Cantonese at his second home with his aunt, uncle and cousin in China. His mother said that he picked up Chinese quickly and made many friends at school in China. He also had a playmate that was his cousin. His aunt, uncle, and cousin helped him a lot in learning Chinese, especially in writing. He finished his elementary school education in China. He did well in all areas. He was very good in math, but his Chinese language and writing was average. He did not learn much English in class, so he forgot about his English. He only could say yes and no when he returned home to the United States in July 2006.
Han’s mother has been a single and working mom since Han was two years old. She is a productive realtor and her socio-economic status is good. She speaks fluently in Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, and English. Her social life is related to the realty business. Their family social activity is limited. They usually look at houses, meet with business people and shop for daily needs when they go out together on weekends.
Han plays video games, computer games, watches Cartoon Network, or does homework while mom works on her business on her computer. Han said, “ I live in the good neighborhood there is no Chinese” and “A lots of friends in school. No friends outside.”
For cultural activities, they watch both Chinese and English TV and research on both Chinese and English websites very often. They always speak Cantonese to each other. They also talk to family and friends in China very often on a cell phone or online. They eat both Chinese and American style food at home. They occasionally go to the Chinese New Year gathering. Other than that, they don’t do many Chinese cultural activities in the States. Han has kept in touch with his cousin and Chinese schoolmates. They e-mail or chat online to each other very often. He said, “Yes, I can contact them on QQ (MSN) or on the phone, e-mails.
.ESOL 2
Case Study parameters
Phase 2
Linguistic Development
Han’s case is very interesting. He speaks Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, and English now. He has been a L2 learner twice in twelve years. English was his L1 for oral language before he was five. He finished preschool and was able to communicate regularly in English already when he left the U.S in 1999. He did not know any Mandarin Chinese when he first got to China because he spoke Cantonese at home with his mom. He also spoke Cantonese at his second home with his aunt, uncle and cousin. He did not express having any negative experiences of learning Chinese as a second language in China. It was not that hard for him to catch up with his schoolmates. He finished his elementary school education in China. He did well in all areas. He was very good in math, and his Chinese language and writing were average B+. He did not learn much English in class, so he forgot his English. When he returned back home, he had to learn English as his second language. He said, “Feel so sad, unhappy” when he left China.
He was registered at Kennedy Middle School in August 2006. He was pushed and punched in the classroom by one of his classmates during the first week of school. Then in August 14, he was switched to Safety Harbor Middle School. Han’s safety became his mother’s concern. She went to classes with him in the new school for the first couple days. He was upset and was afraid to go to school. On the first day of school, Han was completely silent, and his mother spoke for him. Han was very cautious and silent, and he did not speak to anybody at school for more than six months. He was required to take an oral language assessment, but he did not answer any questions. He got no points on the oral test, and he could not go to reading and writing class that school year. In the first school year, he barely spoke. The teacher could not assess his BICS and CALP level. Han’s ESOL teacher said that he had CALP, he understood the concepts, and he picked out key words very well. He did homework, he responded to questions in writing, but he did not use the language in speaking at all.
He chose to sit next to a deaf student, and they became friends. They did not talk, but they used body language to communicate and to build a relationship. His deaf friend was moved to a special program for deaf people later. Eight months later, Han started talking to some boys at the end of the school year party.
Han likes science, math, ESOL, PE, and basketball at school. He loves playing games and sports with boys. He made some friends this year. He likes talking with and helping other. He likes to study ants and spiders. He wrote, “Army ants live in huge groups. A group can contain twenty million ants. They hunt and travel in a huge group too.”
The priority given to literacy and literacy development at home is good. Han’s mother speaks fluently in three languages and can assist him in doing homework. She also provided technology in his education. She bought many computer programs for him to study English vocabulary, grammar, and reading after he returned back to the States. She also came to school to ask me to arrange a language exchange with Han. Han can teach my students Chinese, and he will also get to practice his English. I was excited for him and I gave the names and phone numbers to his mother. But I am not sure how consistently she is doing that.
Han has performed well in all of his classes, especially in math. He can manage to understand the main concepts of his seventh grade textbooks. He knows academic words and good in spelling. He also understands the syntax system more than he can use it in conversation. However, his teachers said that they were not sure if he understood the concepts and directions completely because he skipped some parts of the homework often. Han is a well-behaved and quiet student in every class. He speaks in a soft voice (it is almost too soft to hear). They did not see him talk or communicate with peers often. He did not ask questions or ask for support/help. One time during a test his classmate took his test answers to copy. His teacher gave him zero points because he let somebody copy his test answers. He told his mother that he did not want his classmate to copy it but his classmate did anyway.
Part 2:
Here is the Linguistic developmental history of this child in L2 between the date of
arrival in the US and the present time.
DOA 4 months 8 months 12 months
Vocabulary Expansion None/Inaccessible 75 words 600 wordsSLEP Testing Can pick out key wordsKnows many academic words
Morphemes None/Inaccessible Minimal use Morpheme awareness Understands morphemes
Syntax None/Inaccessible Words order problem Sub+verb+objawareness Understands the system, but limited ability in using it well.
Phonology None/Inaccessible Most of the alphabet sounds Lower oral skillsMinimal soundpairs Minimal proficiency of blends & consonants.Skips the ending sounds-s, ed, od, eg, dg, th
Cultural pragmatic appropriatene ss None/Inaccessible IsolatedDid not communicate Started eating lunch with 3 ESOL studentsTalk a little Single wordsShort sentencesInteracts with esol peers only.Still isolated in other classes
BICS & CALP None/Inaccessible Could not get change in the cafeteria or ask for help Single wordsShort sentences Poor in BICSLimited oral language,Good in CALPUnderstands and can spell academic vocabulary well
Prescriptive aspects of English:Grammar,Punctuation None/Inaccessible Can use positive and negative responses Understands sentence diagram, but does not use in oral language Understands the grammar rules, but with limited ability to use it properly in speaking and writing
Writing abilityIn class None/Inaccessible Sentences Paragraph,Complex sentences Can write complete, compound, and complex sentences, paragraphs and short stories
Reading abilityIn class None/Inaccessible Phrases Chapterbooks FCAT reading level 1. Lexcle reading level 300, has higher academic vocabulary comprehension.
ESOL 2: CASE STUDY
Phase 3
Language Data
Part 1: Speaking (oral interview)
T: Would you please tell me something about yourself?
S: My name is Han Cheng. I like to play video games. I like to play basketball. I like to study ants, spiders.
T: What subjects and what kinds of things do you like to do at school?
S: Science, math, ESOL, PE, basketball.
T: What do you do with friends in the States?
S: Play games with them, talking, helping each other.
A lots of friends is in my school. No friends outside.
T: Do you participate in any community activities?
S: I live in the good neighborhood there is no Chinese.
T: Would you please tell me things that you like to do at home?
S: I like to play video games, computer games, and I like to watching cartoon network.
T: What was your first year in the USA like?
I don’t know understand English, I only can say yes or no.
T: Who helps you in learning English?
My teachers, my friends, my mom, computers, book.
T: When did you come to the States, how old were you, and what grade were you in?
S: I born in U.S. went back to China when 4 years old. Finish elementary school in China. Came back to U.S. in July 2006. I was 6 grade.
T: Would you please tell me some experiences you had in China?
S: Don’t know understand Chinese. Forget all the English.
My county zhao qing is very beautiful and a lots of peoples, cars, bicycle.
T: Who helped you in learning Chinese when you moved to China?
S: My school friends, my uncle, aunty.
What did you usually do with your friends in China?
S: Play with each other, play games, balls.
Helping with each other, homework, study, math, English.
Are you still communicating with your friends in China?
S: Yes, I did. I can contact them on QQ (MSN) or on the phone, e-mails.
Part II: Reading (a short story)
Look Out, Patrick!
By Paul Geraghty
One breezy afternoon
Patrick was strolling home.
It was a lovely day, the birds were singing and there was a spring in his step.
“The world is such a pleasant place,” he said.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He gazed about in wonder.
The countryside was full of delightful surprises.
The smell of new grass, the fresh green leaves and ripe red berries just ready to eat.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He bent down to sniff at a buttercup.
Bumble bees were buzzing back and forth busily.
The air was sweet with the scent of nectar.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
A butterfly tickle his whiskers and in the background water gurgled. Patrick’s tummy began gurgling too.
I wonder what’s cooking in the cottage, he thought.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He tiptoed carefully. That wicked cat might be on the prowl.
There was no sign of the cat. But there was a nice big chunk of cheese.
“Mmmmmmmm.” Said Patrick. “Just the thing.”
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
Just then a delicious smell drifted by.
“Even better!” said Patrick. “I wonder what it is.”
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He followed his nose as it twitched and whiffed and pointed and sniffed.
But suddenly
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
“Phew! Must be my lucky day!”
Part III: Writing sample
ESOL 2: Case Study
Phase 4
The Problem:
I interviewed Han before I interviewed anybody else. At the interview, he was a little hesitant to talk, and he searched for help from his mother in the beginning. His mother was going to speak or write for him. I told her that I would interview Han first, and I would interview her later. She understood and walked away. Han spoke softly but it was loud enough for me to understand, and he also responded well when I talked to him. I did not see the communication issue until I interviewed his teachers. I found that he is not only shy and introverted, but he also has not developed self-defense skills. Han is a very bright student, but he does not interact enough to improve his speaking skills. He is also not expressing himself enough to let his teachers and peers understand his feelings, needs, and capabilities. In the past couple of months, he came out of his shell and interacted with peers a little more than in his first year of school. However, he is still very isolated in some classes. He needs to be encouraged and trained to gain more confidence in social interaction activities.
The meeting:
Mother: I know Han is shy. It is hard for him to open up to interact with people. But I think that he is doing better now. Last month, he did a door-to-door sale for a school fund- raiser. He did well all by himself. I also bought him a dog. People came to talk to him about his dog when they walked around in the neighborhood. He is more comfortable to communicate with people that way. I am also trying to pair him up with some students who want to learn Chinese from him.
Science teacher: He is smart but very quiet and reserved. I think that he knows more than he shows. He does not have confidence, and he holds himself back. I am trying to figure out what he can do and what his capabilities are. I made a word game for him to interact with people. I asked him to teach science words in Chinese to the class. He has opened up a little and is more verbal now.
Reading teacher: His Lexcle reading is 300. He is quiet and he does not talk to his peers much. He skipped some parts of the reading assignments, so I sent them home. He always turned them in good writing. I did not ask him to read out loud or ask him to join the group discussions yet. So, he did not have peer interactions. I am going to start a group assessment next week. I think that will give him more opportunities to interact with his classmates.
Math teacher: Han is a bright student who struggles with a language barrier. The language problems he has are reading and verbally understanding directions. I have seen no improvement so far. I sometimes am not sure if he understands directions. I communicated with his mom in regards to math assignments. I feel he would benefit from ESOL support with a Chinese-speaking teacher.
Geography teacher: Han is a very nice and polite student. He speaks softly. It is almost too low to be heard. He did not speak in a group discussion. I am not sure how much he can speak, read, and understand. I can ask him to sit closer to me to see if he can respond to me better.
ESOL teacher: Han went through a long silent period. He finally came out of his shell a little. He is a perfectionist. He does not want to say any words if he is not completely sure about them. He would rather not write or say anything if he does not know the exact answer. He is very afraid to make mistakes. It is a challenge to get him away from the computer and to talk to people. He made friends and interacted with peers more now. But his social group is limited to ESOL students. He does not interact with other children yet. He only comes to ESOL one hour a day, and he is still isolated in other classes.
ESOL assistant teacher: Han works better in a one to one setting. He looked very stressful and nervous in the first couple weeks of school. He was very cautious around peers. Now he is more relaxed, friendly, and sharing with peers. I think that he understands more than he can.
ESOL 2: Case Study
Phase 5
Problem Scenario Solution:
From Han’s listening comprehension and the vocabulary he knows, I know that he is capable of having social conversations, and classroom discussions. Unfortunately, he has not exercised his speaking skills regularly. There are three possible reasons for his reserve. In the culture, Chinese view being quiet in the class as a respectful manner. In the family, Han is a single child with a single working mom that might limit their social interaction time and opportunities with other people. In school, he is extremely aware of his limited English skills. He is so afraid to make mistakes. His perfectionist personality holds him back and keeps him from opening up and taking risks. It seems that he did not want to talk or to have friends at all.
The truth is that he was excited to be interviewed and to be recorded. I did not use my Chinese to help him. He understood everything I said in English. He just needs to feel very positive about himself. He also needs to feel that it is safe to make mistakes in a group and in the class. If his teachers could step in to reach him a little more, he would be proud to be able to talk and to communicate with people. Some of the following activities can provide him with more peer or teacher/students interaction opportunities.
Part 1: classroom activities:
- Share the native culture/experience, show and tell in the class.
- Dialogue games: make a phone call, invite a friend, ask for directions, and shopping.
- Directed Listening-Thinking Activity
- Readers’ Theater
- Cognitive mapping
Part II: Family activities:
- Keep his language exchange activity in a consistent and regular base.
- Invite friends home or to a park to play and go to a friend’s birthday party.
- Volunteer in an older care center.
- Record his own reading, singing, story telling, and conversation for fun.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions
Knowledge:
- How do you describe the previous schooling of Han?
- What does Han like to do at home?
- What is Han’s language history?
Comprehension:
- What is the main challenge that Han has in school?
- Why it is so hard for Han to join group conversation?
- Why does Han rather playing on the computer than talking to people?
Application:
- What can each subject teacher do to help Han in improving his communication skills?
- What can mom do to provide Han more social interaction opportunities?
- What is Han favorite topic will be for conversation?
Analysis:
- What research has been done on students who are in Han’s situation?
- How do we differentiate between lack of ability, and lack of desire to participate?
- How do we determine how long an ESOL student’s silent period should be?
Synthesis:
- How can we extend what we have learned from Han’s situation to our future work with ESOL students?
- What plan can we design to help Han to be a good communicator?
- What can we do if a student know enough words to form sentences but does not use them?
Evaluation:
- Is there any other way to assess a student oral language that does not talk?
- What kind of assessment we can use to help a student who can read and write but does not want to talk?
ESOL 2 ~ Case Study ~ Fall 2007
ESOL Learner: Han Cheng
Age : 12 years old
DOA: 14 months
Native Language: Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese
Problem /issue: Han’s verbal communication skills need to be improved
Researcher: Yee-chen Robson
Course: FLE5431, ESOL II
Instructor: Dr. Kim
ESOL 2
Case Study Parametres
Phase 1
Societal Linguistic Background
Description:
Han Cheng is a 12- year-old Chinese boy. He is slim, tall and healthy. He is shy and quiet. He has a low and soft voice when he speaks. He was actually born on January 6, 1995 in Washington. In 1999 his mother sent him back to China to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin in Zhao Qing County. She sent him back to develop the foundation of his math and Chinese language skills. She wanted him to be good in math and to be able to speak Chinese. She visited Han once or twice every year when he was in China. Han thought that living in China for five years was a positive experience. He said, “My county zhao qing is very beautiful and a lots of peoples, cars, bicycles.”
In 1999, Han Cheng finished preschool and spoke some English already when he left the United States. He did not know any Mandarin Chinese when he first got to China because he spoke Cantonese at home with his mom. He also spoke Cantonese at his second home with his aunt, uncle and cousin in China. His mother said that he picked up Chinese quickly and made many friends at school in China. He also had a playmate that was his cousin. His aunt, uncle, and cousin helped him a lot in learning Chinese, especially in writing. He finished his elementary school education in China. He did well in all areas. He was very good in math, but his Chinese language and writing was average. He did not learn much English in class, so he forgot about his English. He only could say yes and no when he returned home to the United States in July 2006.
Han’s mother has been a single and working mom since Han was two years old. She is a productive realtor and her socio-economic status is good. She speaks fluently in Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, and English. Her social life is related to the realty business. Their family social activity is limited. They usually look at houses, meet with business people and shop for daily needs when they go out together on weekends.
Han plays video games, computer games, watches Cartoon Network, or does homework while mom works on her business on her computer. Han said, “ I live in the good neighborhood there is no Chinese” and “A lots of friends in school. No friends outside.”
For cultural activities, they watch both Chinese and English TV and research on both Chinese and English websites very often. They always speak Cantonese to each other. They also talk to family and friends in China very often on a cell phone or online. They eat both Chinese and American style food at home. They occasionally go to the Chinese New Year gathering. Other than that, they don’t do many Chinese cultural activities in the States. Han has kept in touch with his cousin and Chinese schoolmates. They e-mail or chat online to each other very often. He said, “Yes, I can contact them on QQ (MSN) or on the phone, e-mails.
.ESOL 2
Case Study parameters
Phase 2
Linguistic Development
Han’s case is very interesting. He speaks Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, and English now. He has been a L2 learner twice in twelve years. English was his L1 for oral language before he was five. He finished preschool and was able to communicate regularly in English already when he left the U.S in 1999. He did not know any Mandarin Chinese when he first got to China because he spoke Cantonese at home with his mom. He also spoke Cantonese at his second home with his aunt, uncle and cousin. He did not express having any negative experiences of learning Chinese as a second language in China. It was not that hard for him to catch up with his schoolmates. He finished his elementary school education in China. He did well in all areas. He was very good in math, and his Chinese language and writing were average B+. He did not learn much English in class, so he forgot his English. When he returned back home, he had to learn English as his second language. He said, “Feel so sad, unhappy” when he left China.
He was registered at Kennedy Middle School in August 2006. He was pushed and punched in the classroom by one of his classmates during the first week of school. Then in August 14, he was switched to Safety Harbor Middle School. Han’s safety became his mother’s concern. She went to classes with him in the new school for the first couple days. He was upset and was afraid to go to school. On the first day of school, Han was completely silent, and his mother spoke for him. Han was very cautious and silent, and he did not speak to anybody at school for more than six months. He was required to take an oral language assessment, but he did not answer any questions. He got no points on the oral test, and he could not go to reading and writing class that school year. In the first school year, he barely spoke. The teacher could not assess his BICS and CALP level. Han’s ESOL teacher said that he had CALP, he understood the concepts, and he picked out key words very well. He did homework, he responded to questions in writing, but he did not use the language in speaking at all.
He chose to sit next to a deaf student, and they became friends. They did not talk, but they used body language to communicate and to build a relationship. His deaf friend was moved to a special program for deaf people later. Eight months later, Han started talking to some boys at the end of the school year party.
Han likes science, math, ESOL, PE, and basketball at school. He loves playing games and sports with boys. He made some friends this year. He likes talking with and helping other. He likes to study ants and spiders. He wrote, “Army ants live in huge groups. A group can contain twenty million ants. They hunt and travel in a huge group too.”
The priority given to literacy and literacy development at home is good. Han’s mother speaks fluently in three languages and can assist him in doing homework. She also provided technology in his education. She bought many computer programs for him to study English vocabulary, grammar, and reading after he returned back to the States. She also came to school to ask me to arrange a language exchange with Han. Han can teach my students Chinese, and he will also get to practice his English. I was excited for him and I gave the names and phone numbers to his mother. But I am not sure how consistently she is doing that.
Han has performed well in all of his classes, especially in math. He can manage to understand the main concepts of his seventh grade textbooks. He knows academic words and good in spelling. He also understands the syntax system more than he can use it in conversation. However, his teachers said that they were not sure if he understood the concepts and directions completely because he skipped some parts of the homework often. Han is a well-behaved and quiet student in every class. He speaks in a soft voice (it is almost too soft to hear). They did not see him talk or communicate with peers often. He did not ask questions or ask for support/help. One time during a test his classmate took his test answers to copy. His teacher gave him zero points because he let somebody copy his test answers. He told his mother that he did not want his classmate to copy it but his classmate did anyway.
Part 2:
Here is the Linguistic developmental history of this child in L2 between the date of
arrival in the US and the present time.
DOA 4 months 8 months 12 months
Vocabulary Expansion None/Inaccessible 75 words 600 wordsSLEP Testing Can pick out key wordsKnows many academic words
Morphemes None/Inaccessible Minimal use Morpheme awareness Understands morphemes
Syntax None/Inaccessible Words order problem Sub+verb+objawareness Understands the system, but limited ability in using it well.
Phonology None/Inaccessible Most of the alphabet sounds Lower oral skillsMinimal soundpairs Minimal proficiency of blends & consonants.Skips the ending sounds-s, ed, od, eg, dg, th
Cultural pragmatic appropriatene ss None/Inaccessible IsolatedDid not communicate Started eating lunch with 3 ESOL studentsTalk a little Single wordsShort sentencesInteracts with esol peers only.Still isolated in other classes
BICS & CALP None/Inaccessible Could not get change in the cafeteria or ask for help Single wordsShort sentences Poor in BICSLimited oral language,Good in CALPUnderstands and can spell academic vocabulary well
Prescriptive aspects of English:Grammar,Punctuation None/Inaccessible Can use positive and negative responses Understands sentence diagram, but does not use in oral language Understands the grammar rules, but with limited ability to use it properly in speaking and writing
Writing abilityIn class None/Inaccessible Sentences Paragraph,Complex sentences Can write complete, compound, and complex sentences, paragraphs and short stories
Reading abilityIn class None/Inaccessible Phrases Chapterbooks FCAT reading level 1. Lexcle reading level 300, has higher academic vocabulary comprehension.
ESOL 2: CASE STUDY
Phase 3
Language Data
Part 1: Speaking (oral interview)
T: Would you please tell me something about yourself?
S: My name is Han Cheng. I like to play video games. I like to play basketball. I like to study ants, spiders.
T: What subjects and what kinds of things do you like to do at school?
S: Science, math, ESOL, PE, basketball.
T: What do you do with friends in the States?
S: Play games with them, talking, helping each other.
A lots of friends is in my school. No friends outside.
T: Do you participate in any community activities?
S: I live in the good neighborhood there is no Chinese.
T: Would you please tell me things that you like to do at home?
S: I like to play video games, computer games, and I like to watching cartoon network.
T: What was your first year in the USA like?
I don’t know understand English, I only can say yes or no.
T: Who helps you in learning English?
My teachers, my friends, my mom, computers, book.
T: When did you come to the States, how old were you, and what grade were you in?
S: I born in U.S. went back to China when 4 years old. Finish elementary school in China. Came back to U.S. in July 2006. I was 6 grade.
T: Would you please tell me some experiences you had in China?
S: Don’t know understand Chinese. Forget all the English.
My county zhao qing is very beautiful and a lots of peoples, cars, bicycle.
T: Who helped you in learning Chinese when you moved to China?
S: My school friends, my uncle, aunty.
What did you usually do with your friends in China?
S: Play with each other, play games, balls.
Helping with each other, homework, study, math, English.
Are you still communicating with your friends in China?
S: Yes, I did. I can contact them on QQ (MSN) or on the phone, e-mails.
Part II: Reading (a short story)
Look Out, Patrick!
By Paul Geraghty
One breezy afternoon
Patrick was strolling home.
It was a lovely day, the birds were singing and there was a spring in his step.
“The world is such a pleasant place,” he said.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He gazed about in wonder.
The countryside was full of delightful surprises.
The smell of new grass, the fresh green leaves and ripe red berries just ready to eat.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He bent down to sniff at a buttercup.
Bumble bees were buzzing back and forth busily.
The air was sweet with the scent of nectar.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
A butterfly tickle his whiskers and in the background water gurgled. Patrick’s tummy began gurgling too.
I wonder what’s cooking in the cottage, he thought.
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He tiptoed carefully. That wicked cat might be on the prowl.
There was no sign of the cat. But there was a nice big chunk of cheese.
“Mmmmmmmm.” Said Patrick. “Just the thing.”
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
Just then a delicious smell drifted by.
“Even better!” said Patrick. “I wonder what it is.”
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
He followed his nose as it twitched and whiffed and pointed and sniffed.
But suddenly
Oh no, Patrick! Look out!
“Phew! Must be my lucky day!”
Part III: Writing sample
ESOL 2: Case Study
Phase 4
The Problem:
I interviewed Han before I interviewed anybody else. At the interview, he was a little hesitant to talk, and he searched for help from his mother in the beginning. His mother was going to speak or write for him. I told her that I would interview Han first, and I would interview her later. She understood and walked away. Han spoke softly but it was loud enough for me to understand, and he also responded well when I talked to him. I did not see the communication issue until I interviewed his teachers. I found that he is not only shy and introverted, but he also has not developed self-defense skills. Han is a very bright student, but he does not interact enough to improve his speaking skills. He is also not expressing himself enough to let his teachers and peers understand his feelings, needs, and capabilities. In the past couple of months, he came out of his shell and interacted with peers a little more than in his first year of school. However, he is still very isolated in some classes. He needs to be encouraged and trained to gain more confidence in social interaction activities.
The meeting:
Mother: I know Han is shy. It is hard for him to open up to interact with people. But I think that he is doing better now. Last month, he did a door-to-door sale for a school fund- raiser. He did well all by himself. I also bought him a dog. People came to talk to him about his dog when they walked around in the neighborhood. He is more comfortable to communicate with people that way. I am also trying to pair him up with some students who want to learn Chinese from him.
Science teacher: He is smart but very quiet and reserved. I think that he knows more than he shows. He does not have confidence, and he holds himself back. I am trying to figure out what he can do and what his capabilities are. I made a word game for him to interact with people. I asked him to teach science words in Chinese to the class. He has opened up a little and is more verbal now.
Reading teacher: His Lexcle reading is 300. He is quiet and he does not talk to his peers much. He skipped some parts of the reading assignments, so I sent them home. He always turned them in good writing. I did not ask him to read out loud or ask him to join the group discussions yet. So, he did not have peer interactions. I am going to start a group assessment next week. I think that will give him more opportunities to interact with his classmates.
Math teacher: Han is a bright student who struggles with a language barrier. The language problems he has are reading and verbally understanding directions. I have seen no improvement so far. I sometimes am not sure if he understands directions. I communicated with his mom in regards to math assignments. I feel he would benefit from ESOL support with a Chinese-speaking teacher.
Geography teacher: Han is a very nice and polite student. He speaks softly. It is almost too low to be heard. He did not speak in a group discussion. I am not sure how much he can speak, read, and understand. I can ask him to sit closer to me to see if he can respond to me better.
ESOL teacher: Han went through a long silent period. He finally came out of his shell a little. He is a perfectionist. He does not want to say any words if he is not completely sure about them. He would rather not write or say anything if he does not know the exact answer. He is very afraid to make mistakes. It is a challenge to get him away from the computer and to talk to people. He made friends and interacted with peers more now. But his social group is limited to ESOL students. He does not interact with other children yet. He only comes to ESOL one hour a day, and he is still isolated in other classes.
ESOL assistant teacher: Han works better in a one to one setting. He looked very stressful and nervous in the first couple weeks of school. He was very cautious around peers. Now he is more relaxed, friendly, and sharing with peers. I think that he understands more than he can.
ESOL 2: Case Study
Phase 5
Problem Scenario Solution:
From Han’s listening comprehension and the vocabulary he knows, I know that he is capable of having social conversations, and classroom discussions. Unfortunately, he has not exercised his speaking skills regularly. There are three possible reasons for his reserve. In the culture, Chinese view being quiet in the class as a respectful manner. In the family, Han is a single child with a single working mom that might limit their social interaction time and opportunities with other people. In school, he is extremely aware of his limited English skills. He is so afraid to make mistakes. His perfectionist personality holds him back and keeps him from opening up and taking risks. It seems that he did not want to talk or to have friends at all.
The truth is that he was excited to be interviewed and to be recorded. I did not use my Chinese to help him. He understood everything I said in English. He just needs to feel very positive about himself. He also needs to feel that it is safe to make mistakes in a group and in the class. If his teachers could step in to reach him a little more, he would be proud to be able to talk and to communicate with people. Some of the following activities can provide him with more peer or teacher/students interaction opportunities.
Part 1: classroom activities:
- Share the native culture/experience, show and tell in the class.
- Dialogue games: make a phone call, invite a friend, ask for directions, and shopping.
- Directed Listening-Thinking Activity
- Readers’ Theater
- Cognitive mapping
Part II: Family activities:
- Keep his language exchange activity in a consistent and regular base.
- Invite friends home or to a park to play and go to a friend’s birthday party.
- Volunteer in an older care center.
- Record his own reading, singing, story telling, and conversation for fun.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions
Knowledge:
- How do you describe the previous schooling of Han?
- What does Han like to do at home?
- What is Han’s language history?
Comprehension:
- What is the main challenge that Han has in school?
- Why it is so hard for Han to join group conversation?
- Why does Han rather playing on the computer than talking to people?
Application:
- What can each subject teacher do to help Han in improving his communication skills?
- What can mom do to provide Han more social interaction opportunities?
- What is Han favorite topic will be for conversation?
Analysis:
- What research has been done on students who are in Han’s situation?
- How do we differentiate between lack of ability, and lack of desire to participate?
- How do we determine how long an ESOL student’s silent period should be?
Synthesis:
- How can we extend what we have learned from Han’s situation to our future work with ESOL students?
- What plan can we design to help Han to be a good communicator?
- What can we do if a student know enough words to form sentences but does not use them?
Evaluation:
- Is there any other way to assess a student oral language that does not talk?
- What kind of assessment we can use to help a student who can read and write but does not want to talk?
