Learning A-Z provides a wide array of resources, tools, and research-based strategies designed specifically to support English language learners (ELLs) and English as a second language (ESL) programs.
What Is ELL? What Is ESL? Are ELL and ESL the Same?
These concepts are both related to students learning English, but here’s how they’re different: an ELL is a person (a student learning English) and ESL is a thing (an instructional program).
- The term ELL (which means “English Language Learner”) evolved from the No Child Left Behind Act and refers to a student who speaks any language other than English at home. ELLs are also referred to as Emergent Bilinguals or Multilingual Language Learners. Teachers often personalize an ELL student’s curriculum to meet their specific content and language acquisition needs.
- ESL stands for English as a Second Language (some contexts use English for Speakers of other Languages, sometimes also abbreviated as ESOL). Teachers trained to instruct students in acquiring English teach ESL classes and lead ESL programs, often federally funded.
Do You Make Resources Designed for English Language Development?
We built our Raz-Plus ELL to support reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills while helping students acquire and develop English. This vast range of content-based and thematic-based resources empowers teachers to provide explicit instruction and practice, with level-appropriate skills and strategies. Raz-Plus ELL even gives teachers the tools to easily correlate instruction to curriculum standards and track progress with grade-appropriate assessments.
Integrating grammar and vocabulary into each lesson, these differentiated materials and tools are specifically designed to support ELL students while saving teachers loads of time with both planning and instruction.
How Do Learning A-Z Resources Support ELLs and ESL Programs and Instruction?
We support ELLs and students in ESL programs by delivering tools, resources, and research-based strategies that are proven to help them achieve success with social and academic English. Our resources make it much easier for teachers to provide effective content-based and thematic-based instructional support for reading and listening, writing and speaking, grammar, and vocabulary, giving students at any grade or language proficiency level the support they need.
Do You Offer Alignment and Correlations Specifically for ELLs?
Our developmentally appropriate resources and instruction align to WIDA, TESOL, ELPA21, and state-specific standards for ELL proficiency. Grade-appropriate assessments provide in-depth information about students' progress across the domains of speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
Can You Provide Resources That Are Engaging to Every Student?
We stand behind our culturally responsive materials, including ELL Grammar resources, which include characters and stories representing students from all over the world. We’ve also worked hard to create resources that support important student needs like social-emotional learning, and we’re careful to ensure representation across our texts, to help each student see themselves in the books and materials they see.
Do Your Resources Support Foundational Skills Instruction and Practice?
Our Raz-Plus ELL provides a wealth of targeted ELL resources created for guiding ELLs in practicing key foundational skills. Our curriculum resources directly support research-based best practices and provide many opportunities for ELLs to gain content knowledge in their native language while practicing foundational English language skills like developing phonological awareness. Because each student learns at their own level and pace, the ELL Collection is packed with materials ideal for practicing foundational literacy skills.
ELL resources work in conjunction with Raz-Plus leveled reading materials to develop a wide range of critical reading and listening skills. Resources include opportunities for students to work collaboratively with their peers and in one-to-one environments with their teacher.
How Does Learning A-Z Help Build the School-to-Home Connection?
With online and mobile access to the student portal, students can practice in class and at home. There’s also a parent letter in 28 languages, and a parent portal for monitoring progress and sending encouraging messages. Students can use interactive annotation and journaling tools and are motivated to practice at home by awards and incentives. Caregivers can enjoy participating by reading aloud or following along while listening to audio versions of books together to model fluency. The recording tool helps students build fluency and confidence. With materials for families and a parent toolkit available in multiple languages, our distance learning resources are actually designed to be effective at home.
Support Your English Language Learners
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