Theories
Principles
Stages of Language Acquisition
Acquisition Strategies
100

This ancient philosopher believed that human beings are born with innate knowledge that aren't taught

Who is Plato

(Plato kickstarted the debate of whether humans are born with the ability of language or whether it is shaped by our environment)

100

Aside from ELL specialists, these people should also address the learning needs of ELLs

Who are teachers

(Teachers should modify their instruction to meet the different learning levels of their students. Teachers should aim to scaffold for more effective student learning.)

100

The person who came up with the six levels of thinking and language function that consists of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation

Who is Bloom

100

A strategy used for students who are in the stage of pre-production

What is __________

(using read-alouds and music; use visuals for vocabulary; speak slowly; use gestures; etc.)

200

This person believed that language acquisition is a result of surrounding stimuli through a method called operant conditioning, which is the use of positive and negative reinforcement to change behaviours

Who is B.F. Skinner

(Skinner's theory differed from Chomsky's. Chomsky believed in Universal Grammar instead, which suggests humans were born with an innate ability to develop language)

200

ELLs _______ and _______ are valuable resources to be leveraged for schooling and classroom life

What are languages and cultures

(Seeing these as valuable resources will allow ELLs to better use their strengths and abilities. It will also allow them to debunk biases against them.)

200

The stage of second language acquisition that precedes beginning, intermediate, and advanced fluency

What is speech emergence

200

A strategy used for students who are in the stage of speech emergent

What is ________

(introduce academic language; use visuals to connect ELL background knowledge; ask questions that require short answer; retell stories and scribe for them; fill-in-the-blank exercises; etc.)

300

The hypothesis that states that we acquire language and develop literacy from input that is comprehensible, compelling, rich, and abundant

What is the Optimal Input Hypothesis

(Krashen proposed the idea of "i+1", where the most optimal way of learning language involves the student understanding input that is slightly more advanced than their current ability)

300

The experiences of a student that English language learning is built on

What is schema

(Knowing the student's previous learning and experiences will allow for better learning since teachers will be able to tailor their instructions for the student)

300

This student produces one or two-word responses and is able to use -ing verbs. What stage of second language acquisition is this student in?

What is early production

300

A strategy used for students who are in the stage of intermediate fluency

What is ________

(teach brainstorming, prioritizing, summarizing, compare and contrast; strategies to guess meaning of new words; teach basic idioms used in English; provide feedback; etc.)

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