Included with the print book is the Differentiator, an easy-to-use flip chart that organizes student descriptors, appropriate assessments, and instructional strategies according to five levels of ELD. Teachers simply flip to the student’s English language proficiency (ELP) level in each domain to get a more nuanced understanding of what their ELLs can do with oral and written English. The Differentiator also includes assignment/assessment and instructional strategies for each domain at five ELP levels.
This user-friendly guide shows elementary and secondary general education and content-area teachers, as well as literacy, special education, and English language development (ELD) specialists, how to differentiate core content-area instruction and assessment for the English language learners (ELLs) in their classes.
The book provides concrete strategies that teachers can use in any content-area classroom to engage every ELL, from beginning to advanced levels of ELD. The authors also highlight how teachers can address critical differences between ELLs with a strong foundation in the home language as well as students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE).
The book and flipchart set is aligned with national and state English language proficiency standards and assessments, and it gives teachers tools to ensure that every ELL develops the oral and written academic language they need to reach high content-area standards and succeed at school.
Teachers can use this tool to scaffold and support student learning in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms so that all students-including ELLs-can attain high content area standards and learn to use English for academic purposes.