Checklist of Instructional Modifications for LEP Students

Student(s) (initials): RS
School: Dunmore Elementary Center

Grade: 4
Date: 9/18-11/9

Present Modifications: Shorten assignments, explanation of an assignment/worksheet, and

alternate/lessened workload.

Observation Questions for ELL/LEP student(s)

1.

What techniques/methods/strategies do you see

being used with the ELL/LEP student(s)? Are they
effective? Why or why not? (Either specifically for the
ELL student(s) or in whole class/small group
instruction): The ELL student in my observation placement leaves the
classroom for the majority of my time there. The only time I have witnessed her in class
is math on Wednesdays which emphasizes PSSA Prep and for twenty minutes in the
afternoon to conclude science. The ELL student in question is a latina female and sits on
the opposite side of the room from my cooperating teacher. When I initially started, I
noticed this student solely because she was reading an English language book while
everyone else was focusing on science work. This made me curious about her though I
soon learned that she is rarely inside the classroom. I have never witnessed any tests
being administered but I was told that she would take them in her English support
classroom. The majority of her work takes place in said environment and is where all
visual clues, read alouds, and manipulatives are given to her.
The SIOP model does not take place in the traditional class environment.
Workbooks are the preferred method of instruction which leaves little room for
differentiated instructional strategies. I have witnessed no explicit strategies being used to
directly teach vocabulary for tests, worksheets, or otherwise and have never witnessed
her peers interacting with her in the classroom environment. I find this very ineffective
because I believe the student would benefit from social interactions and multiple
language exposures via her classmates. I would like to see her peers interacting with her
and attempting to clarify concepts with her.
I have only seen the teacher orally repeat instructions to her and briefly explain
the purpose of handouts within the everyday classroom environment. The lessons are
ineffective because they are not adapted to the needs of the ELL student and do not
particularly address her needs. Instruction necessitates repeated exposures to information

in multiple contexts and this is currently not at all present for neither ELL or regular
students.
No words have ever been highlighted for my student in her native language and
there has been no cooperative work over the course of my observations. The instruction is
always direct teaching and whole group based. The students work independently and
when the ELL student is in the classroom, she too works independently with only a brief
explanation provided by the teacher for support. When she is in class, she is never called
on and is essentially left to her own devices. She is therefore predictably silent and never
expresses anything publically. In terms of her homework, I noticed that she does possess
a file that is meant to include completed assignments. The last time I checked, the folder
was empty which means that she is receiving a different workload which I find to be a
positive thing.
2.

Do you notice any student behaviors that you would consider

out of the ordinary? Please describe in detail. (This
applies to both the ELL student(s) and other classroom
students): I have never before been in a classroom that had an ELL student but what
shocked me most was how long it took me to realize that there even was an ELL student
present in the classroom. She is frequently absent and never addressed and therefore
appears as a nonentity. It wasnt until I noticed a student flipping through an unrelated
book during a science lesson that I realized that she was both present and an ELL student.
This student is also extraordinarily silent. She has been since the onset of the semester
and has not progressed as far as my limited eye can tell. She is never called upon in class
so its difficult for me to say how far along she is in acquiring the English language. I
interacted with her on one solo occasion and found that she was able to answer simple
yes and no questions which leads me to believe that she is still in the beginning stages of
language acquisition.

3.

What type of interactions do you see between the ELL

student(s), other classroom students, and the teacher(s)?
Please describe in detail: As I have stated, my ELL student is only present in
the classroom environment for a very limited amount of time each day. My classroom is
also very independent. I have never witnessed students engage in group or collaborative
work. Assignments are completed on a solo basis from a workbook and are
complemented by oral explanations from the teacher. When my ELL student is in the
classroom, she is silent. Students do not interact with her even on the few opportunities
that they are able to do so such as snack and lulls between instruction. I did notice at
recess that she was playing by herself on a swing and was also sitting by herself at lunch
quite awkwardly. There are three large tables assigned to my class and she was alone at

the middle one. I found this disturbing but am unsure of whether or not she was sitting by
herself for the entire period or only towards the end.
The ELL student sits on the far side of the room away from the teacher and is
never called upon in class to attempt an answer. I have only seen my cooperating teacher
converse with her on brief occasions to quickly review what worksheet is being handed to
her or what she needs to do next. On these occasions, the student responds by nodding.
The student receives the same in class instruction as her peers. Her outside classroom
support is meant to fill in all of the other gaps and to provide her with a strong enough
foundational basis to complete necessary shortened and negated assignments.

4.

Identify resources/materials that are being used with the ELL

student(s). Please describe in detail how the ELL student is
using them. Do they appear to be effective? Explain: I have
witnessed next to no resources or materials being used in my placement as far as
Mondays and Wednesdays go. I have been told that the student receives accommodated
tests but I did not receive access to said tests. The majority of my ELL students
instruction takes place in an outside support classroom due to her limited English
proficiency. I have not been inside this classroom but imagine that her instruction is more
visual and cue based. My traditional classroom does not accommodate her in itself but
the school provides her with a place in which she can seek outside accommodations. The
English Only model is being fully embraced and employed in my classroom.
The majority of everyday work takes place in a workbook and the only
supplmentary instruction is oral lecture based. Due to being a visual learner myself, and
understanding the necessity of information being provided in a visual context, I find this
mode of instruction lacking. The room itself lacks an operational smartboard or projector
and I was told by my cooperating teacher that she has been waiting on one for several
years. Resources in this school must be limited and there are few inherent supports built
into the traditional curriculum which leaves much to be desired. I have seen the ELL
student with simple, English language books that are meant to expose her to the language
but that is the entirety of the resources that I have witnessed during my weekly
observations aside from the absence of homework. I cannot say with certainty what goes
on the other three days of the week but I do know that the written schedule is essentially
the same as the two days that I am present.
I would say that this method of instruction is ineffective in that the ELL student is
missing out on core content information. However, due to her limited language abilities,
it is understandable that she needs such all encompassing supports. I am happy that this
student is not being made to complete the same homework as her peers and has alternate

assignments via her support room. I would like to see this student being addressed and
included in her class though I understand that she may not be ready for such a thing.
Regardless, I believe that it would be more effective if this student was more actively
engaged and was provided visual clues and manipulatives in her everyday class. Few
students are capable of learning solely from oral lectures. An ELL student would be no
exception to this fact.

Does the classroom environment seem to be comfortable for

the ELL student(s)? Please describe the environment and
explain how you made your decision:
The ELL student shows no
signs of being nervous or scared but is very silent. She is not addressed or included in the
instruction but the manner of instruction is not collaborative or student driven in the first
place. The ELL student is always observing and monitoring her surroundings when she is
present in the room. I know that she is listening and soaking up what she can from her
exposure. However, she is given no opportunity to test her newly acquired language
within the traditional classroom environment. The teacher does not call on her when she
is there and makes no active effort to include her in the lesson. Since there are no visible
supports, she is able to fit right in but perhaps to a degree that glosses over the fact that
she is special.
It is obvious that she is merely there to listen, observe, and learn what she can via
proximity. Due to frequent absences, I imagine that the other students dont particularly
view her the same way they do their peers. The fact that she eats and plays alone may
serve as evidence for the aforementioned. Since this student leaves for the majority of the
day, she misses out on a good deal of instruction and socialization. Although she is
present for specials (art, gym, etc), lunch, and recess, she still appears divided from her
peers and teacher due to her inability to communicate on par with her classmates.
5.

Whats the comfort level of the ELL student(s) in regards to

the English language? What observations help you arrive at
your decision? Refer to the Vocabulary Performance
Indicators. At what level would you place the ELL student?
How did you decide on that level?: Despite being in the 4th grade, this
student is clearly very new to the English language. All of her primary instruction occurs
outside the classroom and focuses on building the foundational basis that her peers would
have acquired years earlier. Due to this, I understand that its difficult to include her in
core content areas since she lacks basic speech and comprehension skills. She cannot
speak fluently let alone synthesize complex information and participate in academic
language based conversations.

I would say that this student is still somewhere between the pre-production and
early production stages of language acquisition. Although the student can respond to
yes and no questions, I would not place her in the speech emergence stage. She still
appears to be heavily reliant on her native language and is extremely silent. She is also
constantly listening, observing, and seemingly absorbing what she can from
conversations around her. She is in the period where its most crucial for the ELL student
to listen and learn very basic, foundational English. I have also heard her mimic bits of
conversation when asked to do a task particularly when addressed by her name. Given the
quiet presence of this student and the fact that the majority of her time is spent outside the
classroom, it is quite obvious that her English proficiency is extremely limited and
requires extensive work before she is able to rejoin a traditional class environment. I will
be through with my observations at the end of this month and find it hard to imagine that
she will undergo enough leaps and strides to rejoin the class on a full-time basis. Right
now, the majority of this students instruction relies on resources and entities outside the
classroom so she can eventually rejoin said classroom.
6.

If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating

teacher (or ESL teacher) what type of
accomodations/modifications they have to make for the ELL
student(s). Please describe the types of
accomodations/modifications that were discussed. Do they
appear on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are
present/not present on the checklist?:
Given what I have observed
and what I know, I am not comfortable asking my cooperating teacher about
accommodations and modifications. I was told that she attends a support classroom and
that accounts for the majority of provided accommodations. I imagine that my
cooperating teacher is overwhelmed and unsure of how to provide for this student in the
traditional classroom environment. My teacher therefore relies on the outside supports
and resources offered. Teachers have a very limited time frame in which they are to
ensure the competency and knowledge base of all their students. This task is made harder
when said teacher needs to try to teach a new student the foundational skills of English.
Due to the fact that this student has such a limited English proficiency, her
presence in class is limited and the expectations of the teacher are low. It is assumed that
she will not be able to grasp complex tasks, questions, and assignments due to her
language limitations and at some level, this is correct. In todays fast paced classroom
environment, it is very difficult for a teacher to provide a student with extensive
individualized attention. Standardized testing drives the curriculum and said curriculum
needs to be fast paced and serious in order to ensure the success of the majority.